//------------------------------// // Discussion // Story: Spike's Kingdom // by Guardian Dragon //------------------------------// Two hours passed since Ember knocked Spike unconscious from the spam mail he burped; Princess Ember knows whenever someone was to harm the Dragon Lord, they initiate war unless the Dragon Lord had the final authority to override a sacred decree from the previous Dragons Lords. Former Dragon Lord Torch detests his daughter for sharing a room with the new Dragon Lord; it's an added insult to injury about some puny Dragon dating his daughter, and the puny Dragon doesn't have wings! Spike wakes up and feels his head spinning from the jab and his stomach hurting from burping many scrolls Princess Celestia delivered; he sees the bed is not comfortable but hard as a rock. Ember discusses initiating war with Spike since he suffered, but he turns down the suggestion and explains that the incident happened before with Princess Celestia; he also theorizes that being outside the land of Equestria caused the side effect of the spell to break down. Instead of burping everything in one shot, it sent one by one. Discord appears in front of Spike after he wakes up bursting through a celebration cake on a momentous achievement; he's delighted to see the young Dragon ruling over the entire Dragon Nation, but he's surprised that having the authority did not corrupt his mindset. Ember is dazzled by the physics and wonders of the Draqonecuus; she has never seen a creature with omnipotent creativity reveal himself through a delicious sweet treat for kicks. Spike rolls his eyes and chuckles at the Lord of Chaos. "Hello, Discord." Spike gets off the rocky bed to greet his friend. Sure, Spike and Discord don't talk often, but the times they do, it's always pleasant conversations. "Dragon Lord Spike!" Discord bows to show respect to the new ruler of the Dragon Lands. When he stands, confetti explodes behind him and in front of Spike. "It's an honor to be in the presence of a King." "Uh..," Ember looks at Spike. "Who and what is this doofus?" "Doofus?" Discord snaps his claw, making Ember wear a dunce hat for those in detention. "Why I outta," Discord wants to punish Ember. Spike grabs the Bloodstone Scepter and uses it to block Discord's attempt for anything chaotic to his lover. "Princess Ember, that 'doofus' is the Lord of Chaos, Discord." Ember's eyes widen in shock, and she gulps a little; she has some knowledge of the Lord of Chaos' prowess and ability to create anything wicked and powerful for his amusement. "Relax," Discord snaps his eagle's claw, teleporting a comfort couch for Ember to rest. "I am reformed. It's against my principle to do severe harm to any creature." "Wow... WOW..! ...aaaaaaaaaaaah..." Ember releases a satisfying sigh as she feels the softness of the cushion and leans back. Ember can't believe how comfortable the couch feels compared to laying on rocks for years. "Better?" Discord asks, looking for approval from Ember's state of mind. "Much better," Ember leans on her back, taking in the pleasures of relaxation. "So, I heard you have a meeting with Princess Celestia and Luna?" Discord turns to Dragon Lord Spike. "Yea," Spike nods. "You heard correctly. I suppose you eyeballed the conversation that Princess Celestia possibly discussed with Twilight and the girls?" "Well, more like Princess Twilight, Luna, and Rarity. The others weren't at the castle when I disguised myself as a bird, chirping awfully to disrupt the other birds' singing routine. Twilight and Rarity seemed distressed that you didn't give up your authority to Princess Ember, feeling that you're too young for leading a nation with a butt-load of responsibilities." "Say, what!?" Ember is fuming at that statement. She finds it offensive that Spike's so-called friends would doubt and belittle Spike for being a ruler of all Dragons. "I know, and how hypocritical for Princess Twilight to say when she is the youngest Princess of the core," Discord said, agreeing with Ember's outburst. "When she became Princess, I supported her... When I became the Dragon Lord, all Twilight thought about was taking me back home," Spike deeply sighs in sadness. "She doesn't believe in me; the way I believe in her success as a Princess." "It's shameful and unfortunate behavior from a Princess who represents Friendship. So, Spike? What are your demands to mend a peace treaty and alliance with Equestria?" "Well, I see the Dragons living in the stone age, so I thought about bringing some luxury and technology to the Dragon Lands, helping them exceed while showing them how prosperous the future will be." "Stone age, huh? Well, that's one way of looking at it from a pony's perspective," Discord replies to Spike's luxury demand. "Pony's perspective?" Spike is confused about that logic; he wants to bring the joys of Equestria for every Dragon to relish. Ember looks strangely at Discord for making a bold statement at the Dragon Lord; she watches him closely, hoping that his chaotic nature doesn't influence the young Dragon negatively. "You've been a pony all your life, Spike. When are you like a Dragon, not a helper, assistant, or test subject that Twilight uses in her experiments?" "What..?" Ember turns to Spike; she didn't like the last comment about being used for experimentation. "I..," Spike stutters a bit; he did have a moment of turning into a full-grown Dragon that went rampant during a greed-hoarding spree. Then he had a blast at the Dragon Migration but learned that teen Dragons do things differently. Honestly, Spike ate gemstones, but not much of them since Twilight Sparkle controlled his portions. Memories become dimmer as all Spike knows how to live is through the visions of Ponies. "I'm a pony inside of a Dragon's body..," Spike painfully admits and sheds a tear. "HEY!" Ember shoves Discord fiercely. She hates the fact that Spike feels less of himself. Discord allows the shove to impact his body when his spine snaps. Ember gasps at the sound; However, Discord laughs at Ember for foolishly believing she can harm a chaotic deity. "It's okay..," Spike wipes his eyes. "Discord is right. I don't have the experience like a Dragon, only a Pony. I'm pretty bad when I claim to be a Dragon when, during this entire time, my mindset has been nothing but a Pony. I'm already making decisions for the Dragons as a Pony, not a Dragon!" Spike groans irritatedly at his shortcomings. "Tissue?" Discord holds a box of gemstone-scented tissues. "Thanks," Spike takes some and wipes his tears. "Crud, it will take a while for me to write another stone tablet follow-up letter to Princess Celestia about suspending the meeting tomorrow." Discord reads Spike's body language and understands the gravity of the situation Spike is enduring as Dragon Lord, also the weight he carries for not understanding the Dragon's culture, just making careless decisions without much thought process. Spike is having second thoughts about his reign already, and perhaps he should go home, back to Twilight, and ask for forgiveness for not listening to her instead of trusting himself to be a leader. He looks at the Bloodstone Scepter's reflection and sees a Dragon full of promise and determination. Spike can feel a spark igniting in his heart, saying not to give up so easily, take the next step, and ask for help. Spike smiles and ignores the dark thoughts within his mind; he turns to Princess Ember. "Ember." "Yes, Spike?" Princess Ember hopes her friend and lover is feeling better. "I need you to teach me the lifestyle of becoming a Dragon!" Spike commands. "Teach you?" Ember is stunned to hear Spike's command. She's unsure how to teach the Dragon Lord. "YES!" Spike excitedly shouts with pride. "During the Dragon Migration, Garble and his friends wanted to teach me how to become a Dragon, but my heart wasn't in the right place, considering I was still with Twilight and the girls in Ponyville. I've partied, eaten like no tomorrow, and endured the games, trials, and mockery. There was an event Garble and two other Dragons wanted me to partake in, the Phoenix Swipe. They wanted me to smash the Phoenix egg and kill the unborn child, but I couldn't; I didn't want to believe that Dragons are cruel monsters that instinctively hunt and kill prey so devilishly." Ember sighs at the task but embraces it since Spike grew up as a Pony, not a Dragon. "Of course, Spike. Also, in return, you teach us Dragons how to express Friendship." "Without a doubt, that's one of my main objectives, to show, teach, and reveal the qualities of Friendship. Once my training is complete, we'll discuss with the Princesses about building an alliance during the conference meeting." "Hey, Spike," Discord wears secretary glasses and a business suit; he has a pen and notepad, ready to write what Spike wants to say. "I'll write you a letter for you to send. Say, and I'll copy." "Dear Princess Celestia. I have decided to postpone the conference meeting to a later date since I'll undergo training to become a Dragon. All my life, I was taught to be like a Pony with the mentality of one; however, I cannot be the Dragon Lord with the mindset of a Pony; therefore, I'll be spending quality time with my species, understanding their world, practices, culture, and much more. I will keep in touch with you and give Twilight my regard; I love you all and will see you soon. Sincerely, Dragon Lord Spike." Discord finishes writing the letter on the notepad and gives it to Spike; he wrote it in macaroni. Spike rolls his eyes and uses his fire breath to teleport the letter to Princess Celestia; he hopes his decision didn't upset Princess Celestia and ruin her schedule. "Thanks, Discord," Spike offers his claw to give Discord a proper handshake of appreciation. "Ah, you're welcome," Discord shakes Spike's claw with his lion's paw. "So what do you have in mind, Dragon Lord Spike?" "Discord," Spike looks at his friend seriously with an intriguing topic to discuss. "Yes?" Discord sees Spike's demeanor changing from excitement to seriousness. He wonders if Spike's next question is mature or immature. "Are you a citizen of Equestria?" Discord glances at Spike, then does a double take with the question asked. "Technically, no, but Princess Celestia wants to use my magic for her purposes; Why did you ask that?" "You're the only friend that wanted to help me, spoke truthfully about my current circumstance, and woke me up as the creature I am. I need friends like you here in the Dragon Lands. I have a gut-wrench feeling that Twilight and Rarity may overexaggerate my entitlement as Dragon Lord to the girls and attempt to make me see reason to give up my reign. Would you like to become a citizen of the Dragon Lands?" Discord is stunned to receive a citizenship question; He's amazed by Spike's maturity, wanting friends like him who are honest and straight to the point. "Can I express my chaotic nature to the Dragons without repercussions? Am I allowed to use my chaos magic however I want?" "First, you need the Dragons' approval to see how you enact your chaos magic; if they like how you utilize your power, you'll have the go-ahead. Secondly, you'll have a piece of the Dragon Lands to spread your chaos undisturbed unless you invite friends over. Third, you'll become my Ambassador to the Dragons, helping them in the foreseeable future." "Wait.., WHAT?!" Discord didn't anticipate becoming an Ambassador for the Dragons. "You want me to..?" Spike nods before allowing Discord to finish his question, as he already knows what he'll say. "Wow.., I feel honored." Whenever Discord used his chaos magic in Equestria, ponies shamed him for creating something abnormal and annoying, except Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Mainly, ponies would want Discord to turn things back to normal and get back to their lives. Discord believes that the Dragons would find him awesome and amazed by his creativity and welcome him into their family since he is technically part Dragon. Also, it gives him great joy to exploit a different species for his chaos magic. Being an Ambassador holds responsibilities he's not familiar with, but none of the Princesses wants to give Discord anything to do unless it's to help clean up a mess. As Spike, this is a learning curve with a new purpose in life. "Well, Spike," Discord laughs in delight. "You've convinced me. I'll stay and see how things pan out. I'll become a citizen in the Dragon Lands." "Which also means amnesty whenever you stir trouble in Equestria," Spike searches for loopholes in the future when the conference meeting arrives. He hopes that Discord doesn't abuse his Friendship with Spike with the possibility of having amnesty. Spike prays his decision doesn't backfire on him. "Trust me, Spike!" Discord reaffirms Spike's decision-making as Dragon Lord. "You will become the wisest leaders in any nation as long as you believe in yourself and those around you." Spike smiles and appreciates Discord's statement. "Thank you, my friend," Spike's stomach starts growling. "Got any grub, Ember?" Ember smiles. "Your first lesson of being a Dragon starts now, with a hunting session!" Ember grabs Spike's claw and walks out of her home. Discord follows the duo; he wants to see how the training session flows when his alarm clock rings. "Oh, that's right. Tea time with Fluttershy at her cottage," Discord snaps his eagle's claw and teleports to Fluttershy's home.