//------------------------------//
// Chapter 27 
// Story: Their Knight of Scales 
// by Radiant Dawn 
//------------------------------//

It had been a week since Hearth’s Warming, and no one had heard from Rainbow Dash. Sure, we would catch glimpses of her as she flew through the skies to handle the weather, but the mare was practically unreachable by anyone but Scootaloo. Regardless of whatever was going on, she still made sure to spend time with her little sister figure, but it was clear to anyone that knew her that she was avoiding us. Rainbow Dash had disappeared from the guest room Twilight had placed her in the morning after Hearth’s Warming, and none of us had seen her since then. It was obviously distressing to her friends, but life waited for no one.

The new year was further marred by the fact that Ember was returning home, which made each moment we spent together as the time grew closer have an oppressive air of melancholy. We all knew it was coming, and each one of the herd did what they could to support and uplift the rest, but in the end, saying goodbye to someone you care about is never easy. In the relatively short time everyone had gotten to know her, Ember had endeared herself to each one of the herd in one way or another, so much so that she had become an integral part of our lives. In addition to all that, since we had decided I wouldn’t be following until a week later, I would be separated from my beloved dragoness for seven whole days.

Ember, too, was dreading saying goodbye. Much as she had originally thought it unlikely, she had become comfortable with herd life, and enjoyed the closeness and support that being part of a herd provided. While dragons are generally a very individualistic species, that didn’t mean we couldn’t find value in friendship and cooperation, and in Ember’s case, discover just how appealing love and acceptance could be. She had also confided in me that she had still been on the fence about how a herd would work until the gift she had received, where everyone in the herd had shown her how much she meant to them, and made her feel accepted and loved in a way that she had never experienced before. She later described the feeling as “intoxicating,” and considering how much I loved Equestrian culture, I could only agree.

It was because of all this that, on the day of Ember’s departure, everyone was more than a little dissatisfied with the day as a whole.

Breakfast had been lackluster, moreso to do with the reminder of what we were all dreading than the actual quality of the food or company. Ember had taken to picking at her breakfast as she leaned against me, and no one really knew what to say to make things a little less dim at the start of the day.

After twenty minutes of silence, Applejack sighed and stood from her place, stacking her dishes so Twilight could grab them later. “Well, Ah gotta get back to tha farm. Got paperwork that needs doin’, ‘n Granny’s gonna need mah help with tha house chores.” She walked around the table and hugged everyone (or, in my case, gave a kiss) before stopping at Ember. The dragoness looked up at the mare as she stood there, arms open, prompting Applejack to say, “Stand up ‘n gimme a hug, girl. Ah ain’t gonna see ya again 'til ya leave, so this is g’bye fer now.”

While Ember hadn’t gotten to know Applejack as well as she did the rest of us, she certainly wasn’t one to refuse a hug from someone that cared about her. With a sad smile, she rose from her seat and embraced the mare, hugging her tightly before releasing her. “It was good to get to know you, Applejack. Hopefully this ‘goodbye’ doesn’t last long.”

“Twilight’ll sort things out, don’t you worry,” Applejack assured, completely confident in her words. “F’r now, jus’ make sure ya remember yer one’a us now. We ain’t never lettin’ ya go, sugarcube.”

Once again, I swear I could feel the warmth that bloomed in Ember’s chest when she found herself smiling at the mare. “I won’t forget.” With one last nod to all of us, Applejack quickly made her way out of the room, and then out of the castle itself. It was eventually Ember that broke the silence this time when she asked, “Is it weird that I feel like I’m about to cry? I mean,” she sniffled a bit, and from my place, I did see the glassiness of her eyes as she struggled to hold it together, “we’ve been friends for years, but during the time I’ve lived here, I feel like I’ve become so much closer to all of you. This is strange, and scary for me. I feel so much more alive and accepted here than I have almost anywhere else, but I don’t like the rock that’s settled into my gut when I realized I’ll be leaving soon.”

“No one likes to say goodbye to the ones we care about, Ember,” I soothed, grasping for her hand and holding it firmly as I kissed her temple. “I know you never expected it, but the members of this herd have become important to you. They’ve become more than just your friends: they’ve become your family, and you don’t want to abandon them.” As she leaned against me again, I wrapped my wing around her shoulders, holding the dragoness close. “The weakness of caring about others is that sometimes it hurts you. I would never say it’s a mistake, but to care about someone, we have to make ourselves vulnerable. That vulnerability invites pain when we have to say goodbye.”

“And you aren’t alone in this, Ember,” Twilight assured, and everyone else at the table nodded in agreement. “All of us are unhappy that we have to say our farewells, even if it’s only for a little while. Even though it hurts, that just means you’re very important to all of us, and we’ll be counting the seconds until we are reunited. You are, after all, our beloved treasure.”

As always, the term drew a blush from Ember, but no longer from embarrassment. Instead, it was because it made her so unbelievably happy that she could do little more than smile.

After some time of Ember just grinning to herself, she laughed softly. “This will be the strangest mate presentation any dragon alive has ever seen. Mom and dad no doubt kinda figured I’d end up with Spike, but when I bring four ponies and a changeling with me, we’re going to be the talk of every dragon back home. I don’t think something like this has happened before.” Slowly, her smile dropped until she was frowning. “Not everyone will like it, you know. There are going to be some drakes and dragonesses that are going to make a stink about it.”

“Ember,” Fluttershy quietly ventured, “if it would cause that much of a problem, then Spike can go alone.”

“Absolutely not,” Ember immediately shot back with a growl, and had Fluttershy not gotten used to the “fiery-ness” of the dragoness’ personality, she likely would have been cowering in fear. As it was, Ember still realized what she had done, and how rude it might have seemed, so she lowered her head a bit and apologized. “...I’m sorry about that.  But no, I’m not going to allow those important to me to be some dirty little secret that has to be hidden, all because some bigoted idiots can’t get their heads out of their tailholes long enough to realize that the world has changed since five thousand years ago.” She snorted loudly, again growling, but softer this time. “Besides: it’s my life, and no one is going to tell me what I have to do with it. If it isn’t related to guiding my clan, what I do in my personal life isn’t their right to question, nor even their concern.”

Bumping Ember with my elbow, I joked, “You’re hot when you’re all aggressive like that.”

Rolling her eyes, the dragoness poked me in the side. “You think I’m ‘hot’ no matter what.”

I shrugged. “Not gonna lie there. Still, I like it when you get all assertive. Makes my naughty bits tingle.”

With a gasp and a shove, Ember erupted into a blush while all the others giggled.

Breakfast was finished in short order, and after cleaning everything up, we all went our separate ways. Rarity had to get her design room organized for the coming spring, Fluttershy wanted to spruce up her house a bit for the animals that would be waking up or returning from warmer climates within the next few months, and Lyla had some work requests she needed to take care of. Because of that, after some hugs and promises to see Ember off later in the day, those that weren’t staying in the castle left, leaving only Twilight, Ember, a few guests, and the rest of us who lived there.

“I know this is the norm, but it feels so quiet now,” Ember commented as we watched them all go.

I nodded. “And still more are going to leave. Remember: Yona, Gallus, and their friends are all leaving soon as well. The only one left will be Smolder, and she’s leaving with you.”

“At least I’ll have company during the flight,” Ember commented, though it was half-hearted.

Like a thick fog, the oppressive dread of the dragoness’ coming departure clung to us as we made our way back into the castle, huddling close together to try and stave off the frigid melancholy that seemed to cling to our very bones.

We found our way back to the commons room, and even then, Twilight regretfully told the two of us she had work she had to take care of in her study. And so, even though the alicorn clearly did not want to, she left the two of us dragons alone. For the longest time, I could only lay on the long sofa, with Ember laying on my chest, holding her tightly as I did my best to commit every single contour to memory. For a decent amount of time, only the memory of her warmth would be all I could hold onto. Sure, I had the rest of my herd, but every one of them was unique, and none could replace another.

“Why is it, just as I’ve gotten close to everyone in your herd, the world makes us separate?” Ember lamented, snuggling into my embrace a little more.

Reaching up and gently cradling her head, I sighed heavily. “I wish I had an answer to that. In some ways, I envy wild animals. They don’t have to worry about politics or duties, they just get to live.”

“They also have to fight for survival every single day,” Ember reminded gently, “but I get what you’re saying.” She growled softly, and I only knew she did due to the rumble I felt against my chest. “Feelings are stupid sometimes. I know it’s only gonna be a week, and even after that, Twilight will have those gates up and running in no time, but I don’t want to wait. Waking up in your arms-”

“Or Twilight’s,” I teased, poking Ember in the side.

Ember blushed and squirmed against me. “...yeah, and Twilight’s. A-anyway, it’s become normal for me, and it’s a normal I want to keep. I won’t say I was miserable or anything back before we got together, but you all have opened my eyes to so many wonderful things that I don’t want to give up…but I’ll have to anyway. I’ll be miserable now because I’ll no longer have all those things. Instead, I’ll have to go back to waking up on a stone bed, alone, and I have to act all high-and-mighty again.”

“The good news is it’s socially acceptable to bite dragons if they get too out of line,” I pointed out, smirking.

Ember laughed softly, her body shaking against me as she struggled to not burst out in guffaws. Even so, the moment brought a little joviality into the mood, which I think we both needed. As her giggles tapered off, she pulled away from my chest and kissed me, not even hesitating to do so. I dedicated my attention wholly to my part in the kiss, ensuring it would be a moment to remember, and one that would hopefully keep her warm on a lonely night. We held each other, slowly massaging each other’s lips and playfully tickling our tongues against each other’s mouths, but went about it in a completely comfortable, unhurried fashion. It was a moment of pure love story books were written about, and for yet another time, I thanked whatever force had brought Ember into my life.

“You two really can’t keep your claws off each other, can you?”

Ember jerked away from me, and went so far as to fall off of the sofa with a muffled thump. Fizzlepop, meanwhile, was doing her best not to laugh, but her shoulders still shook with stuttered breathing even though no sound escaped. Ember had done a good job of avoiding Fizzlepop due to fear of the unicorn, but the universe of course saw fit to make sure the two would meet sooner or later, even if it was the day Ember left.

Ember, of course, didn’t recognize Fizzlepop’s voice, so after opening her eyes and looking toward the one who had interrupted us she outright screamed and vaulted the sofa to hide behind it.

Fizzlepop was more amused than anything else, even as she joked, “Now that’s just rude. C’mon, I brushed my teeth and everything this morning.”

Fizzlepop was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, her fur slightly shiny from sweat. It was clear she had just been working out, but with the more relaxed clothing her ample musculature was on display, which only made her more intimidating. She might have even been more defined than she was in the past, and I’m ashamed to admit I found myself staring. It took a moment for me to mentally slap myself and bring my focus back.

Sitting up and jerking my head back toward where Ember had disappeared, I explained, “They’d lie about it, but dragons were really glad you never headed their way.” Ember’s growl promised retribution for my betrayal, but I knew we needed honesty between us, or Ember was never going to get used to Fizzlepop.

The mare looked a little deflated, but I knew she expected some kind of negative response to her presence. I knew she was used to it by now, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. My first instinct was to get up and hug her, but I also knew that while Fizzlepop was warming up to me a bit more, we weren’t at that point just yet.

The unicorn just stared at the backrest of the couch and ordered, “Ember, stand up and face me like the dragon you are. Stop being a coward.”

My jaw dropped faster than a meteor from space, and I was at one of those moments in life where any plan or response I might have had was destroyed in the fires of “what the buck”.

Ember practically launched over the sofa, barely missing my head, and landed right in front of Fizzlepop as she roared, “TAKE THAT BACK!”

Even in the face of an angry dragoness, Fizzlepop was completely unfazed. She casually fixed her mane, which had been blown back by the force of Ember’s yell, before answering, “I just call it like I see it. You’re a leader of your people, and you were cowering away from a creature that’s downright tiny compared to a dragon. What do you think that looks like?” She kept her stoic face as she gestured to Ember herself. “And do you think this little display is proving me wrong? You’re behaving like a scared animal that is allowing their ‘fight-or-flight’ instinct to rule them. You chose ‘fight’ only after I goaded you.”

I recovered my mental faculties in time to jump between the two, just as Ember took a step toward the slightly shorter mare. “Okaaaay, we’re not gonna fight. Ember, chill out.”

“But she-”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let two of my friends fight, especially not in the castle,” I advised, unwilling to budge even in the face of my mate, and every instinct within telling me that Fizzlepop was a threat I needed to get rid of. After taking a deep breath, I gently placed my hand on Ember’s shoulder, trying to get her to calm down. “Fizzle isn’t the type of pony to say stuff just to be mean. Why do you think she would have said that?”

Ember continued glaring at me for a few seconds, but slowly, her expression became more thoughtful, until she looked slightly ashamed. “...because she wanted me to stop being afraid of her, maybe.”

“I wanted you to speak to me, Ember,” Fizzlepop corrected. “A lot of the people I talked to over the years were terrified of me at first, but that could never change if they wouldn’t speak to me. You avoiding me since I started living here wasn’t doing anything to break that fear, was it?”

Ember, now likely feeling a bit chastised, lowered her gaze to the floor and kicked at the rug we stood upon. “...n-no, I guess not.”

After holding her unflinching gaze on the dragoness for a few seconds, Fizzlepop sighed and explained, “Look, I’m not good at this stuff. All I know for sure is that nothing changes if people don’t talk to one another. Which…kinda sucks because I’m not good at that either.” Fizzlepop took another breath before opening her eyes and again catching the eyes of the dragoness. “I don’t expect us to be ‘best buddies’ or anything like that, but I don’t want you avoiding me. I’m not going to downplay the things I’ve done in the past, but that’s not who I am anymore, and I’m doing my best to change. Twilight says you’re gonna be around a lot more after she gets the portal up and working, so I don’t want us avoiding one another every time you come here. Can’t we just…sit down and talk? Get everything out in the free air, so we know where we stand?”

I watched Ember as she thought to herself. Eventually, she raised her eyes again to look at the unicorn across from her, and nodded. “Yeah…I think that would be a good idea.”

Fizzlepop smiled a bit before gesturing her hand in an arc to the corridor that led to the private library. “Then come and join me. Spike,” she looked my way and raised her eyebrow, “I think it would be better if we spoke alone, otherwise Ember might subconsciously use you as a crutch. If we’re ever going to get past this, we need to speak on even ground.”

Ember looked distinctly uncomfortable by that suggestion, but reluctantly agreed. “...well, I’m not going to lie and say that’s untrue. I-I guess that’s fair.” It took her a few moments, but eventually Ember looked up at me with a tremulous smile. “I’ll be okay. Go and spend time with Twilight or something. I’ll find you when we’re done.”

Raising my brow, I asked, “Are you sure?”

Ember nodded immediately, looking a bit more confident. “Yeah. Besides, I’m sure Twilight could use some help catching up with work.”

Much as I wanted to deny it, she was right on that account. We had fallen behind on paperwork and the like due to the holidays, and so Twilight was having to work doubletime to make up for it. True, she hadn’t asked for my help, but it was wrong of me to leave it all for her to handle. Besides, Ember wouldn’t be leaving for another few hours at least, so this would give us all some time to get important things out of the way so we could all see her off.

I returned Ember’s nod, giving her a hug before pulling away. “Okay then. I’ll probably be in Twilight’s study then. Love you, Ember.”

Ember’s smile widened as she returned, “And I love you, Spike.”

I glanced at Fizzlepop as they walked away, and briefly saw a distinctly pleased smile on her face before she quickly schooled her expression. It appeared that even though Fizzlepop wasn’t very practiced in relating to others in a healthy manner, the fact she was able to find joy in the happiness of others told me she had the capability to heal and become a functional, treasured member of society.






There was actually far less work to do than I had originally imagined, so after helping Twilight, we found ourselves down in her lab, where she was working diligently to perfect the runestones that would be needed for the portals. It involved a lot of transmutation, chemistry, and even brute force to create the stones needed for the portal network. My presence actually was useful, since we could use my flame to see what runes engraved on the stones would respond to draconic magic. The idea was to create or repurpose a rune set that would use the raw energy of dragonflame to power the portal, while allowing the other runes to dictate what portal each connected to, as well as the spell necessary to form the portal. Needless to say, it was tedious work, and we had already dodged one explosion as a certain stone composition was unable to handle the myriad of spells that would be needed to ensure the portal was stable, reliable, and that it would work at all.

Twilight had just finished mixing and pouring another mixture into the stone casts when she suddenly asked, “You don’t think I’ve been coming on too strong to Ember, do you?” Though she was focused on her work, and couldn’t see my face, she was still able to rightfully discern my silence as confusion. “I mean with the herd, and doing everything possible to welcome her into our lives. What happened on Hearth’s Warming reassured me quite a bit, but I’m constantly afraid I’ll do or say something that’s going to drive her away, or make her think I’m weird or something. She hasn’t said anything about that, has she?”

I shrugged as I poured the concrete-like mixture into another of the molds, this mixture different from Twilight’s. “She hasn’t mentioned anything bad. She’s said how some things are kinda weird sometimes, but that’s to be expected, what with her being raised outside of Equestria. Ember isn’t the type of dragoness to keep quiet if she doesn’t like something, in case you haven’t noticed. I mean, has she seemed uncomfortable around you since Hearth’s Warming? Because I haven’t noticed anything.”

Twilight paused for a breath before she resumed smoothing out the surface of the mix in the mold. “Not…exactly. It’s mostly just a feeling. Sometimes, it feels like she doesn’t know quite what to do or say around me.”

“It might be just that,” I offered, beginning to do the same as Twilight, trying to form what would be a block of stone into as smooth a surface as possible. “A lot of the stuff we’ve exposed her to is novel to her. There’s a lot of times when she confides in me that Equestrian culture sometimes confuses her, and she finds herself fighting her own upbringing and instincts. As for being in a herd, all of that is new for her, so there’s going to be a lot of times when she’s awkward or something. That doesn’t mean she’s not enjoying it, though.”

Twilight frowned briefly as the mix in her mold bubbled, but after shaking the mold a bit, it settled down. She sighed before finally looking up at me with a small smile. “That actually does make me feel better. I mean, I know she’s slept in the same bed with the herd repeatedly, and has even gotten used to cuddles and things like that, but I still worry. It’s silly, but the fear still remains even though I tell myself I’m being silly.”

Reaching over and nudging her, I teased, “I knew you were a silly pony when I fell in love with you, Twilight. That’s why you have more level-headed people in the herd to offset that silliness.” I shrugged even as she puffed out her cheeks with a pout. “We’re all silly sometimes. That’s part of being a living creature, I think. None of us are exempt from being silly.”

“You didn’t have to agree with me,” she grumbled, turning her attention back to her work.

“No sense in denying when you’re right,” I countered, shooting her a toothy grin when she glared at me from the corner of her eye.

Twilight rolled her eyes before standing and lighting her horn, and slowly, wisps of vapor began to flow out of the molds as she used a variation of telekinesis to draw out each drop of water from the mixture. This sped up the drying process without the issues using heat would cause, such as cracking of the finished stones. With another layer of magic covering her horn, immense pressure forced all of the air bubbles from the drying stones, creating solid rock instead of concrete, and thus adding strength. This, however, did cause a good amount of heat, and the mixtures glowed a dull red as her work continued. Finally, the last of the air was removed, leaving only two bricks of differing mixtures, which we were required to let cool naturally. This of course prompted us to take a break from the job, so Twilight and I moved away from the work area and opened up the little picnic basket that we had brought down with us, revealing two bottles of pop with a cooling enchantment on them, and a few tomato and cheese sandwiches to munch on. We wiped our hands with a hand towel before digging in, enjoying the simple fare as we waited on our fifth attempts to cool.

We ate silently as we leaned against one another, enjoying the simple meal and company as we let the minutes tick by. Much as we wished otherwise, we both knew the likelihood of figuring out the correct mixture of minerals, gems, and binding metals that would remain stable with the amount of magic that would be placed upon them today was low, but that just meant the earlier we figured it out, the sooner we could place the gates, and thus cut down on the time we would be separated from our dragoness. Sure, there were numerous applications these gates could be used for outside of that purpose, but our reason for it was so that we could remain close to someone we loved. Or, at least, someone I loved...

Hmm…

“Twilight?” I called, hoping my question wasn’t going to cause a Twilypanic episode. Twilight hummed in response, so I pushed on and asked what was on my mind. “...do you love Ember?”

Twilight turned her head slightly to look up at me, raising an eyebrow. “Of course I do. She’s a good friend, and now she’s a part of the herd. Why wouldn’t I?”

“That’s not what I meant, Twi,” I clarified, staring into her eyes until she understood what I was asking.

It took a few seconds, but then her eyes widened as a fierce blush lit up her cheeks, and she glanced away as she chewed on her lip nervously. Eventually, she stammered, “I-I’m not sure where you got the idea that…” She trailed off as my raised brow remained where it was, and I made it as clear as possible that I did not believe her. After a few more seconds of staring her down, she eventually squeaked out, “...m-maybe…”

“You’ve been pretty upset that she’s leaving,” I pointed out, gently rubbing Twilight’s upper arm and speaking in a soothing tone. “Sure, that could just be the Princess of Friendship being upset that a good friend was going away, but I just had a thought that it might not be that…so I figured I’d ask.”

“It just…kinda happened,” she mumbled helplessly. “I didn’t realize what I felt until this morning, when I looked over at Ember in bed, knowing I was going to have to say goodbye to her. It just hit me all at once, and I feel like such a fool for not noticing until today.”

Nudging her with a grin, I teased, “Glad I’m not the only one who’s oblivious sometimes.” Twilight shoved me back with a pout, prompting me to laugh at her foalish behavior, even as we settled back to leaning against one another. I extended my wing and wrapped it around her shoulders, assuring, “Well, I’m not gonna say anything about it, but Ember’s not stupid. She’ll figure it out eventually, so the sooner you get it out in the open, the better things will be.”

Twilight sighed heavily before taking a sip of pop. “Not that anything’s going to come of it, though. Dragons are pretty even on the gender ratio, so I’m sure attraction to the same sex isn’t mainstream. Ember hasn’t exactly shown any inclination toward anyone but you.”

Raising a finger, I countered, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Dinky kinda threw her for a loop the first time they met, and I think she awakened something inside Ember that she didn’t even know was there. It’s not a definite thing, I’m just saying: don’t count it out. But besides that, Ember isn’t the type of person to shy away from things just because they’re difficult. The most she can do is say she’s not interested, but she’s not going to stop being your friend.”

Twilight paused for a moment before going back to eating. After a few bites, she finally responded. “I don’t think I’m going to say anything just yet. I’ll probably wait until after I get the portal gates up and running before I do anything about it. Ember’s going to be stressed until she has a way to reliably get back and forth from Equestria and her home without flying the distance, so I want to take care of that hurdle first. Besides, there’s always the very real possibility that I’ll get the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech.” She then raised an eyebrow at me and said, “You’re surprisingly okay with all this. Had a few fantasies swimming around in that brain of yours?”

I didn’t deny it. “Well, yeah. The bath we shared with Ember pushed that train along pretty good. Besides that, it was the first time I’d seen your unclothed body in a long time, and I liked what I saw. Kinda hard for my mind not to run in circles with that image in my head.” I completed my statement with a lascivious grin and a wiggle of my brows.

Twilight blushed deeply again, and darted her eyes away from me as she squeaked something adorably. I just laughed and bumped my weight against her gently, keeping the mood light and jovial despite the teasing I was heaping on her.

Leaning in close to her fuzzy ear, which twitched at my breath, I huskily whispered, “Does it excite you to know I fantasize about you? Is it arousing to know that I long to run my hands all over your body as I pound that perfect purple pony plot?”

I had never spoken to Twilight that way before, and her response showed that. Her body froze as her horn sparked like a live wire, and her entire face flushed with blood as her wings rose of their own accord, spreading wide to display their plumage to me, throwing my own wing off of her in the process. Her mouth dropped open in shock as her ears twitched madly, as if they were unsure what to do, and I swear I could hear her heart racing. Even as I reached out to caress her shoulder, tiny arcs of her magic tickled my hand, like static electricity.

Before I could progress further with my teasing, Twilight’s horn lit up with a bright glow, and with a flash, a bucket appeared over her head. I didn’t have time to ask what was happening, because the bucket then upended, pouring what was apparently ice water all over her. The alicorn immediately shrieked and stood, shaking herself to try and clear some of the icy liquid from the inside of her clothes. I, however, burst into laughter, and very nearly fell off of the stone bench we had been sitting upon.

I tried several times to talk, only to devolve into laughter every time. It took a few moments for me to compose myself enough to force out, “Get- hehe, get a little heated there, Twi?”

She whipped her head around to look at me, the water now actively steaming off of her head, as she pointed an accusatory finger at me and roared, “YOU’RE A BUCKING TEASE!”

Putting a hand to my chest and gasping theatrically, I playfully answered, “You wound me, Twilight. Me, a tease? Why, I never!” Leaning closer and grinning once again, I purred, “I never tease. Say the word and we’ll go to your bedroom right now and break it.”

Her eyes widened at that, and the blush returned full force. “B-break what? The bed?”

My smile widened to something more predatory. “The room.”

Again, her horn sparked, and for the second time, a bucket of ice water was teleported over her head, and dumped icy water on the alicorn princess. Another shriek escaped her mouth as she chanted, “Cold, cold, cold,” dancing around to try and dislodge more chunks of ice from her blouse. I began laughing once again, only for a mulberry lightning bolt to strike me on my rump like a whip, causing me to squeal and jump away. For a long few moments, we glared at one another, neither unwilling to budge, until a snort escaped me. Twilight answered with a snicker of her own, and we both fell into laughter together.

It took significantly longer for us to compose ourselves this time -- long enough for the runestones to cool to a manageable temperature. So, after we shook out our residual giggles, we returned to the work area to continue our testing. With a quick spell to dry out her clothing, Twilight then stepped over to the molds and inspected them. She hummed a few times, nodding, then pointed at the mold itself. As I had four other times, I hefted the heavy mold up, and set it on a steel table before carefully turning it on its side, using the floating bottoms of the mold to push the stones up and out, gently cradling each one and lowering it to the table to ensure they weren’t damaged.

Then, Twilight started her part of the job, which involved using what was essentially a laser from her horn to inscribe the stones with the arcane runes that would be needed to create the portal. Unlike dragon writing, she had to be sure the runes she etched were perfect, so I remained silent so she could concentrate, and just waited patiently for her to finish. After nearly twenty minutes of etching, checking, and rechecking her work, Twilight stood up and wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead.

Twilight picked up the clipboard that held her checklist. “Hoo, okay. Now, these are mixtures number nine and ten. Spike? You’re up.” She grabbed one of the two stones, leaving only one for us to work on at the moment.

With a nod to Twilight, I waited until she had stepped back before breathing a generous gout of flame over the remaining runestone. As they were meant to, the runes sucked in my flame and began glowing with my emerald fire, the air humming with power as my magic was transformed first into neutral magic, and then into the energy necessary to activate the stone. With my job done, I stepped back to stand next to Twilight, and we waited to see if the stone would hold together under the force of the spells upon it.

The stone began humming ominously, and I prepared to dive behind the table with Twilight. We held our collective breath, until eventually, the stone popped and spat out a little globule of clear magic, which hovered just above the stone. I let out a breath as Twilight cheered, and let my body relax as the stone held. This was the first one that had worked; every other so far had failed, so a success made this all worth it.

Twilight shoved the unused stone in my hands before picking up her clipboard and darting over to the glowing stone, taking observations on everything she could before the magic ran out. The spells were only meant to last a dozen or so seconds before the energy depleted itself, so she hurried and got everything she needed. Just like we had planned, less than thirty seconds later, the stone quieted, and Twilight again cheered when it didn’t crack under the stress we had subjected to the stone.

Twilight skipped over to me and shoved the clipboard in my face as she gushed, “It worked, it worked! Look, Spike! It totally worked!”

Laughing merrily at the excited princess, I wrapped her in my free arm and gave her a squeeze. “I saw, Twi. Good job.”

She carefully extracted herself from my grasp and walked over to the now-silent stone, picking it up and placing it within a metal case that was designed to shut out magical energy. She then pointed at the stone I still held and said, “Okay, last one.”

Raising a brow, I asked, “Why? We found one that worked.”

“But that one might work even better, so we have to test it,” Twilight pressed, now pointing at the table. “A scientist doesn’t leave an experiment unfinished just because one test gave the desired result. We need data for all of the variables.”

Rolling my eyes, I did as I was told and set the last stone on the table, wasting no time in breathing another gout of flame over it and stepping back to let it do its work. This stone, too, hummed ominously, but now that I knew this was apparently normal, I wasn’t as tense as the first time. This stone buzzed for a bit before it also produced a small glob of magic, and Twilight again cheered as she rushed over and began taking notes.

I walked up next to her this time, happy to see things going well after so many failures. Twilight, of course, was downright ecstatic, both because of how this would help us be with Ember, and due to the fact that…well, she was a science nerd inventing something new. Besides that, it had been a long time since Twilight had been able to tinker with a new project, as shown by the fact that most of her other projects were incomplete. Royal duties unfortunately did not leave uninterrupted time for such endeavors.

“Two, one right after the other!” Twilight squealed excitedly, bouncing on her hooves in a way that reminded me of a certain hyperactive pink earth pony. “It just figures the issue seemed to be that we needed to adjust the amount of quicksilver* and plumbum* to find a stable mix. I didn’t think they would make that big of a difference.” She pointed to the stone in front of us. “Both are dense metals that have very little thaumic malleability*, but it appears their ability to form a crystalline amalgam when mixed together has somehow added quite a bit of structural integrity and thaumic malleability to the stone itself. And I have no idea how! Oh, this is so exciting!”

Her celebration was cut short as the stone began humming louder, and arcs of wild magic began lashing out of the stone. Twilight only had enough time to say “uh oh” before the stone exploded in a cloud of very fine dust. Luckily, I had just enough time to turn my head away and hold my breath, but I was still covered in the remains of the stone, which had nearly aerosolized. Before I could do anything more, Twilight’s hand grabbed my wrist, and she jerked me along with her as we hurriedly made our way to the corner of the room, where a few safety items were kept for emergencies. This apparently was one such emergency, since Twilight shoved me under a showerhead and pulled down on the handle nearby, causing a deluge of sterile water to spray down on me.

“Couldn’t I have taken my clothes off first?” I questioned, spitting out a mouthful of water in the process.

“We will in a second,” Twilight assured, and I felt as she pressed in next to me. “Scrub every inch of your skin, and strip down while you’re doing it.”

I paused for a moment. “Wait…strip? You mean-”

“Everything, Spike,” Twilight confirmed. My eyes were still closed, but I was sure she was blushing. “Underwear too. We’re dealing with two toxic heavy metals, which at the very least cause irritation. I’ve never been covered in plumbamalgam dust before, but I’d rather we not risk it. Better safe than sorry.”

With that in mind, I complied with the process and pulled off my shirt, trousers, and then underwear, kicking them off to the side as I continued furiously rubbing everywhere I could to remove as much of the dust as I could.

“Okay,” Twilight began, and I heard her gulp loudly, “I swear this isn’t me being a pervert, but we need to help each other wash. I need you to get to the places I can’t reach, mainly my back, and I’ll do the same for you. And before you ask, yes, I’m sure.”

Despite the suddenly hazardous situation, I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped as I teased, “I’ll try not to enjoy it too much.”

“We’re just getting clean, Spike. Fun will have to wait for another time,” Twilight said, though she ended with a giggle.

I finally had a moment to stop and wipe my eyes, and found myself looking down at Twilight, who was turned away from me, and was looking at me over her shoulder. After a moment of me staring, I physically shook my head and got to work rubbing my hands through the fur on Twilight’s back, including behind her shoulders and around her wings.

“Any reason you can’t use your magic?” I asked, even as I ran my fingers through Twilight's longer winter coat to try and rinse out as much of the dust as possible.

Twilight kept her eyes facing forward. “Plumbum and quicksilver are resistant to magic, so I wouldn’t be able to get as much as just washing by hand. And thanks to your help, I can get my whole body decontaminated.” After a few more moments of me working on her back, Twilight turned around, blushing as my eyes immediately shot to her chest, and motioned for me to turn around. “Okay, your turn.”

Clearing my throat, I did as I was told. “Right, sorry about that.”

I felt Twilight’s hands begin scrubbing my back, which took less time than she did, since I had dragonhide instead of fur. She then moved to my wings, and was silent for a long while before she finally spoke. “Please don’t be sorry, Spike. I…I like that you find me attractive. I like it when you stare. I-it’s just been a long time since anyone’s seen me like this, and besides that, it’s you.”

“What do you mean by ‘it’s me’?” I asked, unsure of exactly what she meant.

“What I mean,” Twilight began, clearing her throat before continuing, “is that you’re one of the most important people in my entire life. I know it’s shallow and silly, but sometimes I look at my body, with all its flaws, and I feel ugly. I feel ugly, and I’m scared you’ll agree.”

Laughing softly, I said, “Put it this way, Twi: if I touched your body as much as I wanted to, we’d never get any work done. I could spend an entire day just feeling you up, and I wouldn’t feel that day would be wasted. You’re a gorgeous mare, and yeah, you’ve got flaws, but all of us do. For example: I feel like my hands are too small for my body, and that my legs are shorter than they should be. I feel like my proportions are all off, and that makes me feel like a freak sometimes.”

As Twilight meticulously rinsed every inch of my wings, she hummed aloud. “You seem so confident in yourself lately. It’s difficult to imagine you having body image issues.”

“I think anyone that’s not a narcissist has things about themselves that they don’t like,” I explained, shifting a little as she hit a ticklish spot. “If I wanted to see a perfect body, I’d go look at smutty pictures that have been touched up with the finest editing to make the models look unrealistically flawless.” After another minute or so, her hands stopped scrubbing my wings, so I turned around to see Twilight looking up at me, looking so small and vulnerable as her face held an extensive blush. I reached out and cupped her cheek in my hand, bringing her eyes up to look at me as I assured, “I think you’re a gorgeous mare, Twilight. I’ll tell you and show you that however I can every day if I have to; whatever it takes to reassure you when you’re having a day when you’re not feeling so beautiful.” Twilight was sporting a wide smile from my words, but as much as I wanted to continue stroking her ego (and even though I wanted to stroke her in other ways), we weren’t done just yet. “Okay, we need to get your wings. Gonna take quite a bit longer than mine.”

Twilight glanced back at the appendages, which, while sodden, had flared wide due to my words. I couldn’t help the smirk that crossed my lips at the sight, nor the single laugh that bubbled up as Twilight looked so adorably embarrassed, but she eventually nodded and began cleaning her left wing. “Get the other wing. Be gentle, but thorough. You have to go down each feather.”

Pausing briefly, I stated, “That’s hundreds of feathers, Twi.”

She nodded with a sigh. “And this water is getting cold, so let’s hurry this up.”

With that mild urgency, I followed Twilight’s example and meticulously rinsed each and every feather, double checking a few times to be sure I didn’t miss any. It took a good twenty minutes, even with the two of us, but eventually, the decontamination was finally finished, so Twilight pushed the handle up, shutting off the water.

She lit her horn and said, “Now, if we got everything, my magic shouldn’t react when I…” Her aura reached out to me as well, and there was nothing but the warm, thick feeling of Twilight’s magic as it coated me from every angle. She let out a relieved breath. “Good, it appears that we got all of it. Okay, these,” she pointed to our soaked clothing, which was still in a pile on the floor, “will need to be disposed of in the trash.”

“Aww, but I really liked that shirt,” I grumbled as I leaned over and carefully picked up our clothes, shoving them in a hazardous waste bag that Twilight had hanging on the wall.

Twilight just shook her head. “Contaminated. We can’t risk it.” She walked over to the wall and flipped a switch, causing the roar of a ventilation system to kick on. “This should clear the room of the remaining dust. We’ll let it run for the rest of the day, and do a final cleaning tomorrow to be sure no contaminated particles remain. Now,” she gently took the bag from my hands, disposing of it in a shiny metal waste bin just before she again wrapped the two of us in her magic,” I think the two of us need a real shower. This had me getting sweaty at a few points, and there’s no sense putting on clean clothes if I’m not actually clean.”

“What about me?” I asked. “I just washed this morning, and you know it’s pretty difficult for me to get dirty.”

“I mean, if you don’t want to join me, then-”

“No no, let’s not jump to conclusions!” I interrupted, mentally groaning when Twilight looked at me with a victorious smirk. Regardless I added, “I just…I didn’t think you’d want me there with you.”

While Twilight’s blush had been pretty constant since we had stripped, it deepened a bit now. She took a second before saying, “...w-well, I liked when we were together in Canterlot. It’s not as if I have anything you haven’t seen before, and…well, we are mates, right?”

My eyes widened at that. “That’s the first time you’ve called us mates without tripping over the word. So you’re-”

“I’m in, Spike,” Twilight confirmed, allowing her magic to wrap fully around me as her spell prepared. “I’m committed to this, and I want to start acting like it. There’s no reason not to.”

With a pop and a flash, we were suddenly upstairs in the bathroom, and a shriek of surprise caused me to jump away and stumble against the wall. Looking toward the source of the scream, I found Starlight standing under the active showerhead, doing her best to cover her body with only her arms, failing miserably to completely hide her private areas.

“For Faust’s sake Twi, you could have knocked first,” Starlight chastised, though she didn’t actually sound angry. Then, to my utter shock, she removed her hands from her body and went back to washing, though she didn’t turn away from us as she began soaping and washing her mane. I had an unobstructed view of everything.

Twilight had the good grace to be apologetic. “Um y-yeah, I’m sorry Starlight. We had a bit of an accident in the lab, and after decontamination, we needed to actually wash before getting clean clothes. You’re right, I should have checked first.” Twilight then slapped the back of her hand against my chest, snapping me out of my gawk. “Spike, eyes to yourself!”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Twi,” Starlight commented, rinsing out her mane before lathering it up again for a second shampooing. “He’s got two naked mares in the room with him, one of whom he’s never seen completely nude before. I’d consider it a failure on my part if he was able to just ignore that.”

Twilight’s mouth flopped open as she struggled to articulate her argument. “B-but he…y-you…” After a moment of just staring at the other mare with wide eyes, Twilight ventured, “You’re not even going to try and cover up?”

After rinsing the soap out of her eyes and picking up the conditioner now, she argued, “Me suddenly being modest isn’t going to magically remove the image he’s already stored in his mind, Twi. No sense being all prudish about it now. Might as well let me be seen in my natural glory, so he can at least have a realistic memory instead of some idealized image.” After rubbing her hands vigorously together to spread the conditioner over them, she brought her palms to her mane and began massaging the liquid in. She locked eyes with me, smirking, and challenged, “Like what you see, Spike?”

“Nice piercing,” was all I could think to say, and had my mind been clear of the hormone-driven fog, I would have slapped myself for it. Twilight took it upon herself to physically correct me, again slapping me hard on the chest with the back of her hand.

Starlight grinned in a surprisingly non-lecherous manner, closing her eyes as she went back to working the conditioner through her mane. “Thanks. Take it from me though: while your response tells me the pain was worth it, had I known how much it hurts, I wouldn’t have followed through with it. I almost punched the poor mare that did it for me. It also had the unfortunate side effect of deadening sensation on the side with the piercing.”

While I continued staring, Twilight’s curiosity apparently overcame her embarrassment, and she began asking questions. Again, had my mind not been hazy with a growing lust, I probably would have melted into a puddle of embarrassed goo.

“Wait, so you can’t feel anything on that side of your…”

Starlight shrugged. “I can, just not as much as before. The idea is for that not to happen, but a significant number of mares experience nerve damage from it. Luckily, all the really sensitive bits are safe, so it’s not a huge loss. I can still have plenty of fun.” After one final rinse, Starlight shut off the shower and levitated two towels from the towel bin into her hands, wrapping one around her body as the other wrapped around her wet mane. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I believe I’ve shocked the two of you enough for one day, so I’ll let you have the bath to yourselves. See you later Twilight, Spike.” She punctuated her farewell with a wink before promptly leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

For a long few seconds, I stood there, still frozen, trying to make sense of what just happened. Eventually, Twilight tugged on my wrist, leading me over to the washing area as she idly commented, “Well, that happened. A-anyway, let’s get cleaned up, and then we can have a soak. Take a seat, Spike.”

I complied while still in a bit of a haze, seating myself on the short plastic stool. Twilight walked around in front of me, squeezing a bit of scale wax in a bucket before turning on the detachable showerhead and beginning to fill the bucket with water, causing a frothy lather to form. As more time passed, my rationale returned, and I was finally able to form words again.

“That…did that really just happen? Was I just hallucinating?” I asked, still trying to determine whether or not I had randomly daydreamed or something.

Twilight sighed, even as she stood and began wetting me down with the bucket of water and scale wax. “No, that definitely happened. We teleported in, Starlight was bathing, and she decided she’d give us a bit of a show before leaving. You also commented on her piercing-”

“I DID WHAT?!”

“Shortly after, she finished washing and left,” Twilight finished, rolling her eyes at me. “She didn’t seem particularly bothered by it either, which I honestly wasn’t expecting. I know some ponies are less modest than others, but I never figured Starlight would be so calm about it. Close your eyes.” My mind was still reeling, so I mindlessly did as I was told as Twilight dumped the rest of the bucket over my head, fully coating me in the mixture. She then turned on the showerhead again and began rinsing my whole body off. After my face had been sprayed, I wiped my eyes clear and opened them again, finding Twilight leaning close, her ample chest inches from my face as she rinsed my shoulders and back. I just barely kept myself from doing something inappropriate, waiting patiently as Twilight finished her work.

I stood once I was clean, allowing Twilight to take a seat next, at which point I sprayed her down, being careful to lower the pressure of the spray around her wings. Once she was suitably dampened, I handed her the mane shampoo as I got to work, lathering up the rest of her with the coat shampoo, and yes, I enjoyed running my hands over her body. I had to do something to vent some of the feelings that were roiling within me, didn’t I? Luckily, unlike Starlight, Twilight was in my herd, so I was allowed to be closer to her.

As I moved to her front, Twilight was sighing happily even as she lathered up her mane and tail, doing her best to focus on the task at hand. Truth be told, I was having the same trouble, but knew it would be best not to press her boundaries too much. With that in mind I gently ran my hands over her collarbone, shoulders, and around her sternum before moving to her stomach. Then, I carefully soaped up each leg, avoiding the space between since we were supposed to be washing, not playing. This still left a few areas untouched, but Twilight could handle those on her own.

Just as I was about to move away, Twilight spoke just barely loud enough for me to hear her. “You…y-you can finish up top, if you want. It’s okay, Spike.”

Despite the seriousness of what she was suggesting and the clear nervousness in her voice, I couldn’t help the quiet laugh that escaped. “If I want? Twi, I always want to. I’m a guy, and a dragon at that. Over half of my thoughts during the day are about mares' bodies, and how nice it would be to squeeze certain parts of them. And now, you’re giving me permission to do that, with you. Only the commonly-accepted rules of public conduct keep me from doing that all the time. You and I both know Lyla would let me, regardless of who was around at the time.”

Twilight was smiling at me, feeling a bit more confident now. “Well, I’m giving my permission. A-are you just going to stare at them, or are you going to- ah~! B-be gentle, Spike!”

With an admittedly pervy grin, I had placed both hands on the slick, wet orbs of flesh and massaged, both of us pretending this had something to do with hygiene even as Twilight moaned long and loud. She eventually got control of herself enough to keep washing the other areas I didn’t attend to, but kept her eyes locked with mine as she still hummed deeply in delight at my touch. It was the most physical thing I had done with Twilight thus far, and I was going to enjoy it as much as I could for as long as she let me. Sure, I could pretend our positions were beautiful and intimate as I touched Twilight and she voiced her pleasure to me with nothing more than noises, but in reality, it was just a dragon kneeling in front of his mate and massaging his marefriend’s pony pillows in a way that had very little to do with cleanliness. I even flicked the little nubs that hardened under my fingers a few times, and Twilight jerked with a gasp each time I did so…and…

Yeah, there was nothing about this that we could claim was innocent.

Eventually, Twilight regained some control of her mental faculties, and brought the shower head up to begin rinsing off her body. Realizing our bit of fun time was done, I reluctantly pulled away, allowing Twilight to spray off the suds from her mane and coat. Realizing what was coming next, I walked over to the bath and started the faucet, beginning to fill the tub with steaming water as my mare finished her rinse. The tub was about half full when the shower cut off, and I could hear the sprayhead being hung up on the hook as Twilight’s hooves clopped on the floor until she stood next to me. I felt her weight settle against me as we waited, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, my palm resting on her cutie mark as the water finished filling the bathtub. Finally, I cut off the water flow, and I assisted Twilight in stepping into the tub. I did the same, thinking for a moment about how we were both going to fit, before Twilight gently pushed down on my shoulder, coaxing me to sit. I did so, and without hesitation, Twilight sat herself on my lap, leaning back against me as we both let the water envelop us.

“Don’t poke me, Spike,” Twilight half-warned, turning her head slightly so I could see her teasing smile. I moved my hands under the water, gently touching a claw to her side, causing her to giggle. Twilight shook her head and clarified, “That’s not the kind of poke I meant, you dork.”

Realizing what she was implying, I shifted a bit beneath her, getting a feel for what parts of me were contacting what parts of her, and just smirked as I recognized the situation. “If anything happens, it won’t be poking. Considering how we’re positioned, a certain part of me will invade a certain part of you, and then we won’t even be able to pretend we’re just soaking in a bath together.” Only the confined space of the tub kept Twilight’s wings from flaring out and slapping me in the face. As it was, I could still feel the feathered appendages trembling against my chest, and I mentally fist-pumped at having such an effect on Twilight. I leaned my head closer and whispered into Twilight’s splayed ear. “With a flex of two muscles, I could claim you as mine, right now. It would be so easy. I’m sure your body is practically begging to be filled right now, so I’d slide right in, wouldn’t I?”

A strangled sound came from deep in Twilight’s throat, and seemingly against her will, her squeezable rump wiggled against my lap in anticipation. Only my ironclad self-control kept me from following through with what I said to her.

Knowing I had pushed her enough for now, I casually rested my hands on her stomach, feeling her muscles tense under my fingers for a moment before relaxing. After allowing her to calm down a bit, I said, “Anytime you have those feelings of inadequacy or feel that you’re ugly, remember this moment, right now. I want you, Twilight; my body aches to have you. Everything in me is telling me to throw caution to the wind, to push myself inside you and breed. You are beautiful, and sexy, and I’ll never let you forget that.”

Despite hormones raging and the obvious desires of her body for sex, Twilight giggled almost drunkenly. “Even when you’re being a horny tease, you’re still sweet. You truly are one in a million, Spike.”

“I feel the same about you, Twilight,” I returned, idly rubbing my hands over her stomach and chest in a relaxed manner, taking full advantage of the privilege I now had with touching a more intimate part of her. Well, two parts.

Twilight hummed in delight, bringing one hand up to rest on mine, even as I continued my ministrations. “Thank you, Spike. I ~mmh~ I love you.”

“I love you too, Twilight,” I replied, content to let my hands show that love to her in a way that I never had before.

Time passed, and the heat of our bodies kept the bath steaming long after it should have cooled.






Yona and I stood in a field behind the castle, where everyone present was waiting with bated breath for what was going to happen. With this being the last day she would be in Ponyville, we were following up on my promise to spar with her, and this obviously wasn’t the type of thing anyone wanted to miss. Because most were unsure of what was going on, we were also drawing a crowd from other Ponyvillians, so this was likely going to be what everyone would be talking about for the next week.

“Don’t hold back, Yona,” I shouted. “Put everything you got into this, because I’ll be doing the same!”

The yak cow thumped her chest with a fist, smiling in excitement. “Good! Yona wants honorable fight!”

While I was still taller than her by a foot, I had already shrunk down by a foot to make the fight more fair. I mean, let’s face it: if I used the advantages of my draconic body, there was nothing she could do to beat me. Even as I was, I had a good two hundred pounds on her and a longer reach, but Yona had told me to stop shrinking. After all, she claimed fighting a small dragon would be less fun, and wanted the challenge of facing a larger, stronger opponent. Yak brawlers enjoyed the thrill of knowing the odds were not in their favor, because it just drove them to become all the more fierce in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds.

Of course, there was the fact that yaks were not built like ponies. Even compared to a pony of her height, Yona was far more stocky than a mare would be. Her arms were thick, as were her legs, and everywhere one looked, her body was packed with well-tested muscle. Because of their culture and diet, being big and strong was the norm for them, which was why yaks were known for breaking things by accident. True, she wasn’t going to be breaking me, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be careful.

After staring each other down for a few silent seconds, Yona and I dashed toward one another at the same time, meeting in the middle by grasping each other’s hands. I was momentarily surprised when Yona’s lower center of gravity allowed her to begin pushing me back, but countered by leaning forward, digging my claws into the ground, and using my superior strength against her. With a shove of my entire body, all at once, I threw her off balance, causing the yak to stumble. I immediately pressed my advantage, slamming her to the ground with earth-shaking force, knowing her more robust body could take it. Even so, a whoosh of air left her, and Yona gasped deeply to try and restore the breath I just knocked out of her.

Before I could capitalize on her position, Yona rolled away and sprang to her hooves, throwing a lunging gut punch that I just barely had time to move away from. The force was lessened, but even so, it was enough to distract me and allow Yona to leap into the air. She could have gone with any number of maneuvers, but instead I saw, of all things, her crotch heading toward my face. I only had a second to marvel at the scent of strawberries before her legs hooked around my neck and her weight suddenly shifted, throwing me forward as she flipped us through the air, slamming me on my back as she remained mounted on my face. My breath now left me as I struggled to breathe, and Yona curled and rolled back over my body, expertly mounting my waist and beginning to throw blow after blow at my face. I had enough time to raise my hands to protect my head, but each punch was thrown with an impressive amount of force, the yak clearly having practiced to get the most out of the physics of her body. I was stronger, true, but I was all but helpless in our current position, and even with my blocks, grazing blows still hit my head from time to time.

A sensation from a forgotten part of my body reminded me that I had a tail, and I used the powerful appendage to wrap around Yona’s chest, ripping her off my lap and tossing her to the side, allowing me to get to my feet again. As we both stood, I gingerly touched my face, wincing at the split lip I now had, and rolling my sore shoulders.

“I gotta admit, you almost had me there,” I commented as Yona found her footing again.

Yona smirked, winded, but still confident. “Cat is source of female power, no? Yona just used it.”

I raised my brow as I mouthed the word “cat,” trying to discern what she meant. Upon realizing what she actually meant to say, I burst out laughing. “I-I, hehe…I don’t think that’s how you’re meant to use ‘it,’ but I can’t argue with how effective it was. That was an impressive move, Yona. I hope you don’t expect to catch me by surprise with that again.”

“Yona should take off shirt then, maybe!” she challenged, well aware of how distracted males could get at the sight of a nice pair. It wouldn’t have happened to me in this situation, and thankfully, she didn’t remove her clothing, but the teasing made this more fun.

Grinning in return, I joked, “If you start taking off clothes, this is going to become a very different kind of activity. Not sure this is the time or place for that. Plus, it would get me in trouble.”

“Darn right it would!” Twilight playfully threw in, though she was smiling as she said it.

Yona and I were now smiling at each other, both still breathing heavily, and prepared for more. Again, as if we planned on it, we rushed at each other at the same time, but this time, I was admittedly a little bit unfair as I slammed my entire weight into Yona, letting the yak bounce off like she had just hit a brick wall. My chest was stinging where her face had hit, but my opponent was on the ground again, and this time I pressed my entire body onto her as I pinned her to the ground. With my extra weight, I was able to keep her shoulders and waist from moving, and even with flailing her limbs, she wasn’t able to shift her body to escape.

After doing this for a few more seconds, Yona groaned and ceased struggling, knowing she was beaten. Even so, she flashed me a toothy smile. “Yona admits defeat. Good fight, Spike!”

I rolled off of the yak and extended a hand, pulling her up with me when she took it. After dusting myself off, I again raised my hand to my face, feeling how sore it was even as I returned her smile. “Yeah, that was a good fight. You got some good hits on me, too. This is a story to tell, to be sure.”

Just then, in the distance, we heard a loud whistle herald the train’s approach. Twilight gestured to the castle doors and said, “Okay, it looks like it’s time to head to the station. Get your luggage everyone. We’ll walk you to the train station.” A chorus of upset noises answered Twilight's declaration, but the younger creatures did as they were told, leaving me standing with Twilight and Starlight as the alicorn checked over my injuries. Twilight sighed in exasperation at my face, lamenting, “I really wish you would have promised her something else besides a fight, Spike. This is your own fault though, so you don’t get to whine from the bruises.”

I shrugged as Twilight removed her hands from my face. “I can’t really think of anything else she would have wanted. Sure, I could have gotten her some little toy or something from the store, but I wanted to give her something that a yak would find valuable.”

Twilight bobbed her head side to side before sighing through her nose. “I guess. I swear, you get yourself in some of the oddest situations, Spike.”

I shrugged. “Not one of my smartest ideas, but Yona’s happy, so it’s worth it.” All the young ones exited the castle again, so I tossed my head toward the road. “All right, let’s get moving. Smolder, if you keep playing with that you’ll go blind.”

The young dragoness let go of her tail, which was covered in a long piece of insulated cloth to keep it warm. She was wearing a mostly identical (though smaller) outfit to Ember’s, which kept her warm in the winter air. “What is that supposed to mean? I’ve never heard of that before.”

I chuckled even as both Twilight and Starlight rolled their eyes. “Nothing, forget about it. So, how do you like the new digs?”

Smolder looked down at herself, smoothing out the coat she wore. “I gotta admit, it’s pretty nice. It’ll make visiting my friends a lot easier, especially since Yona’s home is so cold.”

“Have you visited her before?” Starlight asked, now walking next to Smolder.

She shrugged. “I tried, once. If it’s not snowy and freezing cold, it’s wet, muddy, and slightly less cold. I’d visit her more often, but I ended up just sitting by the fire the entire time, and that’s not fair to her.”

“Well,” I gestured to her new outfit, “now you have a way to do that and still do things with her. She’ll be happy to see you more often.”

“And I’ll be happy to visit,” Smolder added on. “The yaks are pretty cool, too. They like to eat, they like to drink, and they like to explore. Those’re my kind of creatures.” She then perked up a bit. “Oh, did you try out your new spell?”

Remembering her Hearth’s Warming gift to me, I smiled. “Sure did. Nice to know that even in complete darkness, I could find my way around without lighting a fire, and giving myself away to another predator.”

Her spell had been confusing, at first. It acted on the brain directly, enabling it to interpret sounds in a more advanced way to map the world in three dimensions and allow me to “see” through sounds. It wasn’t echolocation per se, since I couldn’t make the extremely high-pitched chirping sounds, but it allowed me to use any sound as a source to map the space around me without actually seeing. This unfortunately also had the side effect of blinding me while the spell was active, so as to keep the brain from having to handle conflicting “visual” stimuli. It was a brilliant spell that could be a lifesaver in the right situation.

“Just remember that any really loud sounds could completely incapacitate you while you’re using it,” Smolder warned. “Since your pathfinding abilities would be changed from visual to auditory, sound is your friend, but it’s also your weakness.”

With that final warning, we just continued walking to the train station, letting the six friends talk amongst themselves. As we approached the station, Silverstream’s chaperone was already waiting, and Thorax was saying his goodbyes to a cloaked pegasus mare who flew away soon after we arrived. I caught eyes with the tall changeling, giving him a smile and wink as he grinned with an unashamedly lovestruck expression.

We all gathered on the platform, me stepping up next to Thorax and saying, “Seems like you two are getting along pretty nicely. Did you like your present, then?”

Thorax was positively beaming as he nodded rapidly. “More than I could ever express. This is quite possibly the best gift anyone could have ever gotten me. You made my entire year, Spike. Maybe even the rest of my life.”

Laughing heartily, I clapped Thorax on the back. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Thorax. You knew her years ago, but you two are just getting to know each other again. I think you two are meshing pretty good, but relationships take work. All that having been said, I’m glad I could make you happy. You deserve it after everything you’ve done for us.”

Thorax briefly returned my pat on the back with one of his own. “I have to be honest, I’m not sure I can one-up this gift. Thank you again, Spike. You’ve brought a joy to my life I long thought lost forever.”

I rolled my eyes, progressing to giving him a hug around the shoulders. “I didn’t do it because I was expecting you to return the favor; I did it because I wanted to do something nice for one of my best friends. Besides: everyone deserves love. You gave me an opportunity to help you with that, so I did. It’s not often I get to use my connections for a good cause, so I wanted to help you out. I’m just glad it made the two of you happy.”

“It did. You know I’m still going to try and pay you back, right?” Thorax replied, smirking at me.

Laughing a bit, I nodded. “Yeah, I know. And I’ll appreciate it no matter what you do. You’re my friend, and as long as you’re happy, that’s payment enough.”

“As Rainbow Dash would say, ‘That’s enough sap’.” Thorax joked, noticing how my smile vanished and a frown replaced it. “Oh…I’m sorry, I forgot about-”

“It’s not your fault,” I interrupted, my words a bit sharper than I had intended. Thorax thankfully didn’t appear particularly bothered by it, and seemed to understand my feelings on the matter. He still released me and stepped away to give me a little space.

Thorax and I were quiet for a while. Finally, he asked, “No one’s spoken to her since Hearth’s Warming?”

“No pony but Scootaloo, and she’s not saying anything about it,” I answered, frowning a bit more at that. “Besides the fact I don’t want to push too hard with Scootaloo still being in a very vulnerable place, she’d never betray the trust of Dash. We won’t know what’s going on until she’s ready to talk to us.”

“Or,” he began, glancing at me from the corner of his eye, “you could foalnap her, tie her to a chair, and force her to talk like in one of those cheesy spy movies.”

As much as the ridiculous suggestion made me smile, I had to decline. “That wouldn’t work. Dash is…complicated, especially lately. If she doesn’t want to talk, pushing harder will probably just make her shut down. As it is, none of us have any idea what prompted that behavior, so we don’t even know how to address it.”

“She seems to be the most difficult mare in your herd,” he commented idly.

My mouth dropped open in surprise at his assertion. “W-what? Thorax, she…Dash is not a part of my herd!”

He tilted his head in confusion. “She’s not? I could have sworn-”

“No, she’s not,” I confirmed, trying not to laugh at the hilarity of his terribly incorrect assumption. “We’re not even…no, just no. It’s not a thing, and it won’t be a thing. She wants nothing to do with me in that regard.”

“Are you saying you don’t find her attractive?” he asked, likely thinking he had a “gotcha” moment.

I rolled my eyes. Hard. “Of course I do, but if that’s all it took for a mare to be in my herd, half of Equestria would belong to me.” I made it a point to ignore the tiny part of me that said that was a great idea.

“Then are you saying you don’t like her as a pony?” he pressed, pushing me back on my metaphorical heels.

Setting my jaw a little firmer, I answered. “I do like her. She’s one of my best friends, and yes, she’s a good-looking mare, but that doesn’t mean her and I are together, Thorax. Trust me when I say she is not interested in me. Put it this way: I’d put my bits on my own mother coming onto me before Dash does. And let me just say, if that happened, I’d probably cut my dick off and throw it in the river.” At his confused expression, I clarified, “That’s a slang term for the male reproductive organ, most often used by minotaurs and gryphons.”

Understanding seemed to dawn on him. “So you’re saying-”

“Never gonna happen,” I finished for him. “I have a better chance of getting pity sex from Scootaloo, and she’s bent toward other mares. Yes, it’s that ridiculous.”

Thorax looked like he still wanted to argue, but eventually relented with a sigh. “Fine, I’ll drop it. On a similar subject though, do you have your eye on anyone else at the moment?”

I shrugged. “Supposedly there are a few other applicants Rarity’s already approved, so I’m waiting on them to come to me. That’s generally how things work in Equestrian herds: the lead mare evaluates applicants, and the lead stallion -- or drake, in my case -- gives the final approval when they decide to finally meet him. Since no one else has approached me, they probably aren’t ready yet. Besides,” I shrugged again, “I already have my hands full with six, which is more than most stallions handle on their own. Normally, at this point, we would have scoped out another stallion to take some of the pressure off of me, but…” I shivered involuntarily. “Just the thought of another male being with my herd makes me…uneasy, let’s say. I still don’t know what we’re going to do about that. The fact we all have our own obligations and lives outside of the herd makes things easier, since we’re not just stewing on thoughts of who has the most time with certain members of the herd, but I don’t know how long that will last. It might not be sustainable.”

“You’re the first dragon to have a herd, though,” Thorax suggested. “Maybe this will work out for you.”

“Or it could crash and burn. It’s too early to tell at this point,” I countered, knowing I had to keep that perspective, just in case we started to split at the seams.

A deep buzzing noise could be heard approaching from the distance, slowly increasing in volume until Ponyville’s new changeling queen could be seen approaching the train station. Before she arrived, Thorax clapped me on the back and said, “For what it’s worth, I hope it all works out for you nonetheless. You’re probably the best friend I could ever ask for, and you deserve a happy life.”

Lyla descended and landed a bit more sloppily than I was used to, and I immediately held out a hand to steady her. Because of that, everyone was now staring at the tall changeling female. After trying her best to brush it off, she challenged, “What are you all staring at? These wings work differently than the ones I had before.” She turned back to me and sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “I can fly a lot faster now, but I have less control. I’m going to need to get plenty of practice so I can use these things without crashing.”

I leaned over and gave the brightly-colored changeling a quick kiss, commenting, “Well, for what it’s worth, your wings are beautiful. I’m sure you’ll get the technique down in no time.”

“At least you’re roughly the same size,” Thorax threw in, grinning at his fellow changeling royal. “If I didn’t pay attention to how I was walking, I would end up tripping for the first week after my transformation. Pharynx too, though he’ll never admit it.”

As Lyla took her place at my side, I nudged her gently. “How is everything otherwise?”

She shrugged. “Well, other than the fact I got wolf-whistled yesterday, everything’s been fine.”

I raised my brow. “Say what?”

“Yeah, a stallion and his marefriend made their approval known as I was making my way through town,” Lyla answered, carefully folding her wings and allowing her shell to close over them. “It’s been a long time since that happened, and the last time was because I took off my shirt because it was so hot outside. I was also working up on a roof at the time, so it’s not like I did it for no reason.”

Chuckling a bit at the changeling queen, I carefully explained, “Lyla, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’re hot. Besides that, look at how ponies are colored as well as the clothing they wear: ponies naturally prefer brighter tones. With you being white with light accents, you’re more pleasing to look at now. Not that you weren’t before, but…well, let’s say you upgraded. The pony psyche is naturally drawn to bright, vibrant colors, so violet, dark green, and black aren’t normally colors they choose for themselves.”

“Let’s not forget the fact that your body upgraded in other ways,” Twilight added, finally speaking up as she made her way over to the three of us. “You’re tall, you’re fit, and you’re curvy. You’re going to get looks anywhere you go, Lyla. Trust me, I know the struggle. I had to get used to the same thing when I became an alicorn.”

Lyla blushed a bit at Twilight’s comment. “I-I mean I don’t really mind, it’s just…different. I’m not used to the attention. Besides, the first time I got a ton of attention, things turned out pretty badly.”

Even after all these years, I still growled at the memory of finding Lyla half-dead.

“My thoughts exactly, Spike,” Twilight agreed, nodding firmly with a frown.

Taking a breath in through my nose, I settled my emotions before speaking again. “After Twilight shouted at the town that time, even the hostile ponies knew it was better to just leave you alone. Now, you’re not going to be able to be so incognito anymore. Ponies are going to want to talk to you and be around you, which is a good thing, but yes, it’s going to feel weird for you. You can still feel what they are feeling though, so you can still tell if any of them have bad intentions.”

The rhythmic chugging of the approaching train had now increased in volume enough that it drew everyone’s attention, and all of us looked to the track just in time to see the Ponyville Express break through the treeline. The brightly colored train slowed down as the brakes were applied, all of us watching it pull up in front of us until, finally, it stopped, and the doors opened to allow the passengers to exit the cars.

Everyone began saying their goodbyes to Smolder and Twilight, but before any of them could even frown, a flash of teal magic heralded the arrival of Starlight, causing all five of the departing creatures to wrap her in hugs. Starlight happily embraced her students, giving well wishes to each of them, before allowing them to pull away even as she sniffled with tears in her eyes.

“I’m going to miss all of you,” Starlight announced, hiccuping once as she tried to keep herself from outright sobbing. Twilight stepped up beside her and extended her wing to wrap around Starlight’s shoulders as they both watched their students gather their luggage and begin boarding the train. With Twilight and I giving a parting hug to Thorax, we watched as everyone found their places in the train car, opening the windows to scream their farewells to all of us as the whistle blew, the conductor gave the all-clear, and the train began moving once again. In only a matter of ten minutes, Smolder was the only one of her group that was left, and she threw aside any semblance of stoicism as she rushed to the edge of the platform, yelling words of affection and friendship to her friends as they pulled away.

Eventually, the train moved far enough along the track that we could no longer pick out the departing guests anymore, so we all huddled together, watching the train until it pulled around a bend, disappearing behind a large hill. Smolder readily accepted a comforting hug from Starlight, both of them with teary eyes, though Smolder would probably deny it. Since our other guests had left before this day, once Ember and Smolder left, the castle would again be a quiet place, which I knew I would find myself wanting to fill with the voices of my friends every chance I got.

“Goodbyes are always the hardest,” Twilight said aloud, speaking the words I imagine all of us were feeling at the moment.

Sniffling again, rubbing her eyes to try and clear them, Starlight nodded with a sad smile. “Y-yeah, they are. I hope we get to see everyone again soon.” She gently walked out from under Twilight’s wing and gave herself a bit of a shake, turning to all of us and tossing her head back toward the castle. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a hot chocolate right about now. Maybe a gallon of ice cream or three.”

We began walking back to the castle, even as Twilight said, “I’m not willing to work off that many calories, thank you very much. Hot chocolate still sounds good though. I’m in.”

Lyla sighed before announcing, “Unfortunately, my workload is pretty heavy today, so I gotta go again. I’ll be sure to swing by later when…” Though she didn’t finish the sentence, we all knew what she was talking about. Nonetheless, she gave me a chaste kiss, and Twilight a hug before lifting off into the sky (albeit, a bit shakily) and speeding off back toward town.

After watching the changeling leave, the four of us quickly made our way through the town and back home, stopping only to greet the few ponies that were out and about at that time.

Upon arriving back at the castle, like usual, we began making our way back toward the stairwell that would take us to the second floor. There was, however, a difference now, as there were three ponies gathered in front of the public dais, obviously waiting for us to return.

Twilight immediately straightened her back, spread her wings a bit, and put on her formal princess smile as she greeted, “Good day, my little ponies. How can I help you this morning?”

The group was composed of a stallion, a mare, and a young filly. They looked between one another before the stallion stepped forward, reaching in the satchel that rested against his hip, and pulling out a rolled piece of paper. Twilight took it with a smile and unrolled the stationary, beginning to read. It only took a few seconds for her to finish before she rolled it back up and fixed the three with a more grave expression.

“Where did you get this?” she asked softly, but firmly.

“We regularly travel to Canterlot to trade alchemy reagents with the locals there,” the stallion answered, nodding toward the paper in Twilight’s hands. “Those were being passed out by a few ponies a block or two from the palace a few days before Hearth’s Warming. We didn’t get back into town until just now, but we thought it was something you might want to see.”

Twilight let out a long breath through her nose, nodding to the gathered ponies. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Have a good day, you three.” Taking that as their dismissal, the ponies quickly left the castle, closing the large door behind them.

Gesturing to the item with a nod of my head, I asked, “So what is it?”

Twilight chewed on her lip before gingerly passing the rolled paper to me. “You’re not going to like this.”

I took the offered paper and unrolled it, gazing at what was inside. Printed in grayscale in the center of the paper was a photograph overlooking the private airdock of the castle, where you could clearly see a dragon being smothered in the bust of a certain white alicorn mare. The dragon was, of course, me. I remembered the moment with some minor embarrassment, but what turned that embarrassment to anger was the bold headline at the top of the flyer.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA’S SECRET LOVER?”

For a few seconds, I couldn’t do anything except stare at the headline in baffled shock. I had so many conflicting emotions running through me at that moment that I couldn’t form a response that didn’t involve breaking something. If I hadn’t been training with Ember to control my more volatile emotions, I had no doubt I’d be setting something on fire at that moment.

“W-what in the hell is this?” Smolder voiced from beside me, her response more confusion, less anger.

“It’s slander, that’s what it is,” Starlight growled, her righteous anger making me feel a little bit better.

Twilight gently took the paper from my hands, crumpling it up and setting it on fire with a spark from her horn. “Unfortunately, it’s not. Because the headline asked a question, instead of asserting something, it’s technically not slander, and so we can’t just bring charges against whoever did this. I think it’s clear to all of us what they are trying to do here, but because of the wording, they’re not breaking any laws. We can’t prove malicious intent just from this, unfortunately.”

While the anger within me had lessened to a more manageable degree, I was still seething. “Twilight, what’s the maximum punishment for assault?”

“No, Spike. You’re not going to be punching anypony,” Twilight chastised firmly. “As much as I wish I could do the same, we can’t go breaking laws just because of this.”

With the haze of rage subsiding a bit more, I was finally able to focus on my peripheral, and saw that Smolder’s confusion had graduated to anger now. “So you’re just going to let these snakes get away with it? Do you know what we’d do if something like this happened back home? Dragons have been permanently maimed for less!”

“Smolder, I get it, but we have laws we must follow,” Twilight explained, her voice flat. “Yes, this is a dirty game being played, and we all know it, but we must still adhere to the rule of law. Trust me when I say they are not going to get away with this. We will find out who did it, we will track them down, and they will face justice one way or another. And don’t tell Ember about it just yet, please.”

Smolder growled before stomping away, and honestly, I understood her feelings. I, too, wanted to immediately get retribution for this, but the real world doesn’t work that way. Besides that, while I think all of us could guess Rosy Glow had a hand in this, we couldn’t prove it, and we could be wrong about that anyway.

Closing my eyes and breathing more slowly out of my nose, I requested, “Twilight, I’m sure mom’s already seen it, but just in case, send her and Aunt Luna a letter. Then-”

“I’ll get a hold of the city guard captain in Canterlot, to see if he can start tracking down whoever started this,” Twilight finished, nodding firmly. “Well, I guess we’ll be doing some work today after all. Spike,” she leaned forward, giving me a light kiss on the side of my mouth, “try and keep calm.”

Twilight teleported away, leaving only Starlight and I standing on the dais. “What normally keeps you calm?”

“Kissing a gorgeous mare does a pretty good job of it,” I idly commented, smirking halfheartedly at Starlight.

The mare smirked right back, taking my hand and guiding me toward the stairs. “I think I’ve already given you enough of a gift today, loverdrake.”

Feeling a bit more of my playful side surface with the relaxing banter, I said, “Can you blame me? I already got to see the cookie jar, so maybe I want a little taste.”

“You have six other cookie jars already. Taste some of them,” Starlight retorted, though she still smiled at me.

We began to climb the spiral stairs, but I still had one little quip to give her. “Every cookie is different, Star. I especially like the soft, moist ones.” Starlight missed a step and nearly fell, only her grip on the railing preventing her from doing so. With a bark of a laugh, I shouted, “Hah, I win!”

“You are an unabashed pervert,” Starlight muttered as she continued ascending the stairs.

Following closely behind the mare, I argued, “What does that make you, then?”

“A mare that was taking a shower and didn’t see the point in covering up what you had already seen,” she countered, though again, she didn’t seem particularly bothered. “You know by now that I live my life in the realm of practicality. Hence the whole ‘no cutie marks’ fiasco I cooked up.”

Twisting my lips into a grimace, I couldn’t help but grunt, “Not one of your finest moments.”

Starlight let out a long sigh. “No, but it was brought about from what I saw as practicality. In my warped mind, I saw cutie marks as the common factor for all of society’s problems amongst ponies, and so I figured if we just got rid of them, everything would be better. Sure, I was wrong, but my analysis was based on logic.”

“But ‘logic’ can be kind of a misnomer sometimes,” I pointed out, just as we reached the top of the stairs. “Someone’s logic is based on what they believe to be true, but that might not line up with what is true. With that being the case, are you going to tell me why you actually let me watch you shower? We both know you possess both the power and skill to have teleported me back out of the washroom within a second of me arriving. As soon as you saw it was me, you could have sent me out to my room or something.” Starlight was silent now, prompting me to tease her again. “You wanted me to watch, didn’t you? You’re a dirty mare, Star.”

Starlight grasped my hand again and began pulling me to the kitchen. Silence again enveloped us for some time until she spoke once again, nearly whispering. “Is it so wrong to want to feel sexy every now and then? I’m not gonna deny that seeing the effect I had on you was exciting. Besides: it was your fault. You’re the one that couldn’t stop staring.”

“Technically, it was Twilight’s fault,” I corrected with a chuckle. “I didn’t teleport myself there.”

“She didn’t force you to stare,” Starlight countered, releasing my hand once we arrived in the kitchen, at which point she began preparing mugs of hot chocolate for the two of us.

I leaned back against the counter while Starlight did her work, watching her intently as she did so. “Can you blame me? You’re beautiful, and you’re one of my best friends. I’d have to be either blind or crazy not to find you attractive.”

Starlight quickly turned her head away as a blush bloomed on her cheeks, focusing on the work at hand. “...th-thank you. Y’know, you’re a lot more confident than you used to be. I remember back before I left to travel, all I had to do to turn you into a stuttering mess was just stretch a certain way.”

I shrugged. “I have a herd now, and what’s more, Ember’s been helping me come into my own as a dragon. Confidence comes with that. One of the things she made sure to beat into my head is that even though my hoard is unique, wanting more is not. Dragons always desire to add more to their hoard, and she’s taught me I shouldn’t feel bad about that desire.” I laughed a bit self-consciously. “Granted, hoarding girls isn’t the same as gold, jewels, and whatnot; I can’t exactly just go out and pick up mares whenever I feel the urge to do so. I’m still bound by the morals of my upbringing, so I care what others think more than most dragons would.”

“So you’re not trying to ‘pick me up’ then?” Starlight prodded, her eyes focused on the steaming saucepan.

I shook my head. “No, I’m not. Everything has to go through Rarity first, so-”

“But you’re allowed to make suggestions, Spike,” Starlight advised, still not looking at me. She grabbed a nearby mug and poured the steaming mixture into it, stirring a few times before shaving some chocolate on top and handing it to me with a smile.

I took the offered mug from her, but was now a bit confused. “Are…are you saying I should be suggesting something, Starlight?”

She just kept smiling at me before stepping away and heading out of the room. “See you later, Spike. Keep your chin up.”

I could only stare as the mare left the room, holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate and not for the first time wishing I could read minds.

After a minute or so, I mentally shrugged and left the room as well, sipping the drink as I made my way back to the private apartments. Ember had been with Fizzlepop for quite a while by now, so I thought it would be best if I checked on them, just to be sure they hadn’t gotten in a fight or something. The castle was still standing, which kinda ruled that out, but I was still interested to know exactly how they were doing.

Within a few minutes, I was knocking on Fizzlepop’s door again, and only a moment later, the door was pulled open by the unicorn herself. Surprisingly, she was smiling at me, and beckoned me inside, where I immediately saw Ember sitting in a relaxed pose on an armchair, and judging by the placement of a few knick-knacks on the coffee table, which I could only conclude were storytelling props, it appeared she had not sat herself as far away as possible from the unicorn as they were talking. That alone made me smile.

“So, you haven’t killed each other yet. That’s a good sign,” I casually observed, smirking at the two.

However, as I approached, Ember suddenly perked up with a frown. “Spike, what happened?” At my confused look, she rolled her eyes. “I told you, as our bond deepens, I’ll be able to feel what you’re feeling when you’re close. Right now, you’re in turmoil.”

“So I can’t hide anything from you,” I half-lamented.

Ember moved to the sofa, then patted the spot next to her. “You shouldn’t be anyway. Now c’mon, tell me what’s wrong.”

I took a seat next to Ember, and was immediately brought into her arms as she embraced me. Fizzlepop stood by awkwardly and suggested, “I can give you guys a moment to-”

I held up a hand to stop her. “No, you’ll end up finding out at some point anyway. Take a seat, Fizzle.” The unicorn still looked a little awkward, but carefully took the seat Ember had been using before, and gave me her full attention.

With a deep breath to prepare myself, I started with, “First, Ember, you have to promise you’re not going to go on a hunt to hurt anyone.”

She raised her brow at me, her nostrils flaring as she clearly prepared herself for whatever I was going to say. “...fine, I promise. Now, out with it.”

“I…I saw Starlight in the shower,” I began, staring down at the table in front of me. Ember just sat there for a moment, so I explained, “Let me rephrase that: Starlight let me see her showering. For a few minutes. She let me see everything.”

Ember paused, her hand that was rubbing my shoulder stopping for a moment. “Well…that doesn’t sound that bad.”

“Twilight was there, too,” I added. “After Starlight left, Twilight and I shared a bath together, and…well, let’s say we got closer than we’ve ever been before. I was this close to just taking her, right there and then. Today has been one hay of a day, I’ll say that.”

Ember was largely stoic, but Fizzle was now actively blushing and fanning herself, though the unicorn said nothing. Eventually, Ember pushed me on. “Okay, but I have a feeling that’s not everything.”

“I’m gonna skip the middle bit here, because I want to tell something else first,” I advised, knowing what happened before the kitchen was going to be the part that was going to make Ember want to do something drastic. “I think Starlight might have…implied I should suggest to Rarity she join the herd. Maybe. I-I don’t know for sure.”

Ember tilted her head at that. “Huh. I have to be honest, I didn’t even know she was interested in you.”

“Like I said,” I grumbled, “with the way she worded things, I don’t know what she was really trying to say. It was confusing. When I asked her to clarify, she just left with a smile. She’s always been kinda flirty, but this felt different somehow.”

Ember went back to gently running her palm over my shoulder. “That’s unfortunately something you’re going to have to work out on your own. As for my thoughts, I’ll say that I do like Starlight. She’s a smart, strong mare, and while I’m not saying you should do anything, she wouldn’t be a bad mate by any stretch.” She then bumped her body into me. “Now, get to the part you skipped. Pretty sure that’s the part you think is going to make me mad.”

“Not think, know,” I corrected with a huff. I took a moment to prepare myself for an explosive reaction before beginning. “Okay, remember when we went to Canterlot, and my mom hugged me in the airdock?”

“I remember you looking really embarrassed as an alicorn shoved your face in her breasts,” Ember teased, throwing a smirk my way.

I reached back and nervously rubbed the back of my neck, even as I blushed. “Y-yeah, that. Anyway, somepony somehow got a picture of that.”

“Wait wait wait, back up,” Fizzlepop interrupted, waving her hand to get our attention. “Who is your mother?”

Slumping a bit, knowing I was going to have to let a secret out to her, I answered, “Princess Celestia. Legally, my name is Spike Solaris. No, I’m not a prince, but that’s only because I never had a coronation. Legally, I’m part of the royal family and first in line to the crown if anything should happen where Celestia, Luna, and Twilight can’t lead. Should they all somehow come down with an illness at the same time, for example, I would either have to take the throne, or delegate everything to someone I trust.”

Fizzlepop just stared at me with her jaw dropped. She eventually leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “Just when I thought I knew you…”

Ember again bumped against me and said, “Okay, back on track now. What does the picture have to do with how you’re feeling?”

Just thinking about it caused the fire in me to burn a bit hotter, and I again had to control my anger. “A bunch of ponies were handing out flyers with that picture on it, and the headline suggested that I’m a secret lover of Princess Celestia.”

Ember sat back with a huff. “That’s…kinda messed up, but I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Fizzlepop slowly raised her hand, and when I nodded to her, she said, “Okay, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but the relatively quiet life that you all have here is largely because no one knows Spike is a royal. Is that about it?” I nodded again in agreement. “With this little picture out there, the royal family is going to be forced to address all of this. What’s more, the only easy way to get rid of all this is to admit, publicly, that Spike is legally a prince of Equestria.”

“That’s not all,” I muttered, feeling a headache beginning at the thoughts I had tried to ignore regarding this problem. “Opponents in the upper class could file suits against the royal family, claiming that the only reason I’m not banished or in a cage is because I’m related to Celestia and Luna by adoption. They’ll claim I got off easy on things I shouldn’t have, all because of my family. They’ll scream about nepotism and unfair privilege. I don’t want to sound like a sensationalist, but this could cause political unrest and riots.”

“...and that includes you ‘getting away’ with what happened with Sapphira,” Ember concluded with a scowl. “Those same nobles are going to suggest the only reason you weren’t thrown in the dungeon is because you’re Celestia’s son.”

“Exactly,” I finished, resting my face in my hands as I groaned. “Why, why can’t these petty bastards just leave us alone?!”

The room was quiet for a few minutes, all of us just thinking about everything. Eventually, Ember spoke again, but she definitely didn’t sound happy. “I…I understand why you asked me to promise not to hurt anyone, Spike. However, you can’t just expect me to sit here while someone does this to people I care about!”

“I can and I am, Ember,” I argued, sitting up and resting my hand on her leg as I looked into her eyes. “We have to follow Equestrian law-”

“With all due respect, fuck your laws,” she snarled, saying a curse I hadn’t heard her use before. Smoke was now puffing out of her nose as she breathed heavily. “This isn’t just a threat, this is an attack, Spike! Their actions are actively threatening your way of life, your safety, and that of everyone you’re close to! DON’T ASK ME TO STAND BY AND DO NOTHING!”

The room shook from the force of Ember’s voice, and for a second, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Unlike me, Ember had far more experience with her emotions, and one look around the room, as well as at Fizzlepop and I, made her realize how she was acting. Closing her eyes, and with a phenomenal application of will, Ember’s breath slowed and she stopped expelling smoke.

A moment later Ember opened her eyes, only to look down at her lap in shame. “...I’m sorry.”

Without wasting another second, I gathered the dragoness up in my arms and tucked her head under my chin, holding her tightly and gently stroking her back. “Shh, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay Ember, I’m not angry with you. Fizzle’s not either, right?”

Fizzlepop had gathered her wits during that short time, and nodded to the dragoness with a surprisingly collected expression. “Right. It’s okay to be mad, Ember. This whole situation is bucked up, and you’re allowed to be angry.”

“But I was raised better than this,” Ember mumbled, not even trying to move from my embrace. “I know how dangerous it is to lose my cool, and I know better than to react on impulse like that. I’m supposed to…I have to be better than that. I’m not some little whelp anymore, so there’s no excuse for that.”

“No one’s perfect, Ember,” I pointed out, briefly moving my head to lay a kiss on her temple before going back to running my hand in circles on her back. “No one in their right mind expects perfection from anyone. Besides: this is a private moment. I’m not telling anyone about it.”

From the corner of my vision, I watched as Fizzlepop’s hand hesitated before reaching over and pressing her hand against Ember’s knee, and she offered us a reassuring smile. “Same here. This momentary loss of control can be our little secret.” The hand was removed just as quickly, but I sent the unicorn a smile of my own to let her know I appreciated her for it.

Ember let out a breath and closed her eyes as she snuggled against me. “Thank you. Both of you.”

I smiled down at Ember and chuckled lightly. “Y’know, I originally came here to check on the two of you, to see how your talk was going. Then we got kinda distracted, I think.”

Fizzlepop laughed as well. “Unless Ember has something to say about it, I’m pretty sure we’re good. We hashed everything out for a while, we watched you fight Yona…”

Giving a nervous laugh of my own, I cleared my throat. “Oh, you saw that?”

“Yep, which is why we didn’t ask about your busted lip,” Fizzlepop clarified, smirking at me. “Anyway, after that…we talked about you.”

A smile slowly formed on my face as I raised my brow at Fizzlepop. “Did you now?”

“We did indeed,” she answered with no embarrassment whatsoever. “We talked about how much of a dork you are, and how often you blurt out things without thinking.”

I admit I was deflated from her answer. “Oh…okay.”

“But I think we’re okay now,” Fizzlepop finished with a little half-smile. “We’re not best buddies or anything, but I don’t think Ember’s going to be hiding from me anymore.”

Ember snorted at the offense, but I chuckled and cuddled her more. “Then that’s good enough for me. Thanks, Fizzle.”

The mare nodded before standing. “Now, I never got around to cleaning up after my workout, so unless you want to be caught watching a mare showering for a second time today…”

I surprised myself when I immediately returned fire with, “Caught or invited?”

A mild blush bloomed on Fizzlepops cheeks, but her smile persisted. “Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Get out,” she finished, shaking her head and waving me away.

I chuckled to myself, still reeling from the audacity of my teasing, but stood and pulled Ember with me as I made my way to the door. Before exiting I stopped and glanced back at Fizzlepop, who was still standing in the living room with that same half-smile on her lips. “Can I count you in for dinner tonight?”

The mare went silent for a moment, apparently considering the offer, before giving a single nod. “You can. I’ll be there.”

And so, with a bit of a bounce in my step, I led Ember out of the room and closed the door behind me. From there, I immediately brought us to Twilight’s study, where the mare herself was reading a book and sipping chamomile tea, the latter of which she drank whenever she needed to soothe her nerves. I understood the sentiment, and was just happy I only had to deal with one herd member that wanted to tear someone apart.

Twilight looked up as we entered, and upon seeing the state of Ember, frowned. “You told her, didn’t you?”

Ember nodded glumly. “He did, and I kinda…lost my cool for a little bit.”

Twilight looked us up and down, sighing as she stood. “Well, I don’t see any burns on your clothing, so can I assume nothing’s broken?”

I nodded to her. “Yeah, she’ll be okay.”

“Saying I’m ‘okay’ isn’t exactly accurate, but I’m not gonna destroy Canterlot, if that’s what you’re asking,” Ember said, gently pulling away from me as she stood up to her full height again. “However, you know I can’t let this stand, Twilight. It’s unacceptable.”

The mare slowly nodded as she moved forward and reached up, gently cupping the dragoness’ face in her hands. “Ember, I swear I’ll do everything in my power to right this wrong. Trust me. I’m every bit as upset as you are, and there will be vengeance. We just have to be smart about it.”

Ember reached up and grasped one of Twilight’s hands, smiling a bit crookedly. “If there’s one thing I can always trust about you, it’s that you’re smart. I believe you, Twilight.”

A faint dusting of pink bloomed on Twilight’s cheeks, but she smiled back at the dragoness as she released her. “Good. Anyway, it’s about that time for you to…”

At the mention of what was to come, Ember sighed and looked down at the floor. “Time for me to leave. Yeah, I’ve been trying not to think about it.”

Twilight stepped up to the dragoness and wrapped her arms around the larger female, leaning her weight into Ember as the dragoness’ wings enclosed her. I joined the embrace a moment later, and for a few seconds, we just stood there and enjoyed the shared warmth.

Eventually, we broke apart and Twilight asked, “Did you want help getting your armor on?”

Ember shook her head. “Nah, I’m not wearing it. I can just send it back home with a portal; how do you think I got it here in the first place?”

Twilight’s mouth formed a little “oh” shape as realization dawned on her. “Ah, I wondered how you did that. When you flew in, you weren’t carrying anything with you, and then your armor just kind of…appeared.”

Ember smirked at her as we began moving as a group out of the study. “Dragons can do portals too, but over long distances, it’s not safe to transport a living body. Things can get…lost. It makes it easy to add things to the hoard though, should we find anything in our travels. That way we don’t have to fly it all the way back home. I have an anchor point in my hoard room that I can use to create a portal from almost anywhere.”

Despite the lingering topic, Twilight smiled a bit at that. “That’s incredible. I’ll have to talk to you about that when we next see each other.”

While the near future was still weighing heavily on all of us, being near each other made it hurt a little less.






And so, despite my wishes that somehow, some way, Ember would be able to stay forever, the time finally came for the two dragoness’ departure. The entire herd had gathered on the largest palace balcony outside of the commons room, and everyone was saying their farewells to the two as they were the subject of hugs and well-wishes. I was up next and I gave Smolder a one-armed hug (to preserve her air of toughness), but of course fully embraced Ember as she wasted no time in engaging me in a firm kiss.

Our tongues battled for supremacy for a few seconds (with both of us winning) before she finally pulled away and just rested her head on my shoulder. We held one another for what felt like a long time, yet not long enough. Before we pulled away, I whispered, “Fly safely, my beloved. I’ll be counting the minutes until we’re together again.”

Ember loosed a girlish giggle, nosing my throat before pulling away. “That was sappy, but I like it. I love you too, my mate.”

Finally, Twilight stepped forward and hugged Smolder first, whispering something in her ear before moving to Ember. The elder dragoness initiated the hug this time, pulling Twilight into her arms and wrapping her tail and wings around the mare as they embraced. The two held each other tightly before breaking apart, but just before pulling away, Twilight leaned up and laid a soft, lingering kiss at the corner of Ember’s mouth. The dragoness froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, before catching eyes with the mare as they pulled away from one another.

Ember raised a brow and smirked. “I’m not injured, and you’re not disoriented by being groggy from sleep. What’s your excuse this time, Twilight?”

Twilight’s face was burning, but she still held the dragoness’ gaze. She seemed to be struggling to say something, and for a moment, I thought she was going to break down and confess, right there.

“E-Ember, I…” she began, only to trail off as she laid her head on Ember’s shoulder for a moment. Upon removing herself from the dragoness, Twilight stood up taller and smiled more confidently. “Have a safe flight, you two. I promise to get those gates up and running as soon as I can.”

Ember kept smiling at her fellow herdmate, giving Twilight’s shoulder a gentle rub. “I know you will, Twilight. I have faith in you.” Ember stared into the eyes of the alicorn for a few more moments, and the longer she did, the more teary her eyes became. With a loud sigh and a hurried wipe of her eyes, Ember stepped away and shook her body out. “Hoo, okay, time to go. You ready Smolder?”

The younger dragoness was smirking up at Ember. “I don’t know, are you sure you don’t want to stay with your herd forever and ever?”

“Don’t tempt me,” Ember replied with a slight frown even as she turned to face the edge of the balcony. We all stepped away to give the two dragoness’ ample space to spread their wings, but Ember looked back one last time before they took off. She spent a few seconds just looking at everyone there, finally settling on me. “I’ll miss all of you.”

Twilight was too close to crying to say anything, so Rarity stepped up and nodded firmly to Ember, even as her eyes shined with unshed tears. “And we shall miss you too, darling. Fly safe, fly fast, and return to us soon.”

Ember nodded before both dragoness’ flapped their wings simultaneously, blasting them into the air. Both of them glanced down at us once more before rocketing north, disappearing in the haze of falling snow within seconds, and leaving all of us feeling varying degrees of loss once we could no longer see them.

Six herd members plus Starlight continued watching the sky, and I had a feeling that even Fizzlepop was looking out the window at that moment.

“This…sucks,” I commented, unable to say much else.

“And it appears we’re all busy as well, which means we cannot stay,” Rarity said, her tone speaking of exactly how much she didn’t want that to be the case.

Rolling my shoulders, I turned back toward the interior. “Well, let’s get moving. The sooner we finish our work, the sooner we can spend time together. Who’s gonna be staying tonight?” Glancing back over my shoulder, I noticed everyone present was just looking around at each other, but no one was saying anything. “...anyone?”

“Seems we all got stuff we gotta do, Spike,” Applejack answered for the group.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy chimed in, looking ashamed.

I shook my head and took another breath to try to handle the disappointment. “It’s not your fault, girls. We all have obligations, so don’t feel bad about doing what needs to be done. Besides, it’s not like we live in different towns or anything like that.”

Rarity stepped forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek, lovingly caressing the area before stepping away. “How about we plan to have a herd date later this week? Does that sound doable for everyone?” A chorus of affirmative answers followed, which lifted my spirits a little. “Then it’s decided. For now, this is goodbye, but don’t be afraid to drop by and visit us if you’re around, dear.”

“And never forget that we love you, Spike,“ Lyla added, smiling at me.

I gave one more smile to all of them as we headed back inside, and I helped each of them get dressed to brave the chilly air once again. Sooner than I wanted though, all of them were dressed in their coats and boots, and I had to say goodbye to each one as they left through the front door, until it was just me, Twilight, and Starlight watching them go as we closed the door behind them.

We stood there for a few seconds, lingering at the entryway, before Starlight exhaled heavily and turned on her hooves. “Okay then, back to work.”

Twilight followed the other mare while I just stood there, hoping against hope that the door would once again open and everyone would come back. When they didn’t, I swallowed down the heartache and turned on my heel, following the two mares back upstairs for a long day of work.