//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16 
// Story: It Takes a Village 
// by determamfidd 
//------------------------------//


Chapter Sixteen






HE ROCKS!
Ponyville's Dragon defeats Behemoth of the Everfree Forest 

- By Scoop Headlines (Photography by Snap Happy)

Spike, Ponyville's famous dragon, has beaten the Dragon of the Everfree Forest in a
traditional draconic duel. The fight took place last night upon Horsefall Mountain. It
was witnessed by the Wyrmstadt Ambassador, and adjudicated by the Magician of
Coal Crater. Princesses Celestia and Luna, well known to be friends of Spike, were
present. All of Ponyville was in attendance.

After a long and fierce struggle, and despite sustaining major injuries, Spike was able
to surprise his much larger opponent by flinging a massive boulder into his throat. Neither
dragon succumbed to his wounds.

The outcome of this clash has been widely speculated over ever since it was first made
public. It was first discovered when a letter from Princess Celestia to Spike was published
in another source. Overall, it has not been a favourable forecast for Spike. The Dragon of
the Everfree Forest is approximately five times larger than Ponyville's young scaled
defender, vastly stronger, and presumably far more experienced. Scholars of draconic
physiology have been consistently predicting Spike's demise, as have many of his
detractors. The odds against Spike winning were a very pessimistic 97:3 at Canterlot
CloudBets.

"Spike's a surprising guy," said Just Cause, President of the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Dragons. "He's just a kid, but he doesn't give up."

His survival will no doubt be met with mixed reactions. Spike's insistence on remaining
within equine society has caused some unrest. A continuous demonstration has been held
before Ponyville Town Hall for twenty-four days, and protests have been held in many of the
surrounding towns. In contrast, Ponyville itself is firmly behind Spike and (cont. Page 2)




~**~



Spike was still very tired when he woke, but at least he didn't feel as though he'd been hammered flat anymore.

He blinked his bleary eyes, shifting on the cobbles of the square. The smell of his scales reached him, and he wrinkled his nose. No, he'd been fried instead.

After saying goodbye to the magician and the ambassador, he'd dragged himself down the mountain. Huffy helped him every step of the way. He hadn't had the energy to haul himself to the lake before collapsing, and his scales were still streaked with black soot. He smelled awful. 

A memory broke, and he frowned. Razorfang had watched Spike begin to stagger home with conflicted orange eyes, before melting back into the Everfree Forest. He still had to talk to the old dragon. Fight or no fight, they had to find out where they stood with each other.

Spike had meant it when he'd said that Razorfang could join his family – in time. He wasn't real pleased with the old dragon's stubbornness and intolerance right at this point, but he could see it happening eventually. Razorfang had definitely let slip that he cared about Spike, but he hadn't been able to reconcile that with his overwhelming hatred of ponies and his old-fashioned dragon ways.

Spike was still fairly torn himself. On the one claw, Razorfang had let the challenge play out, even after they'd gotten to know one another. He'd tried to kill him, just to prove a point. On the other claw, Razorfang had helped Spike learn to fly. He had helped him – well, bullied him - into standing up for himself. He'd even explained his instincts. Finally, he wanted Spike to be his... his clan. Though Spike already had his family, he couldn't deny that having an older, more experienced dragon in his life would be nice.

He put it out of his mind for the moment. It could wait until later.

He got himself to his feet and stretched, amazed at how well he felt. That alicorn magic was some good stuff.

"You're awake!"

He turned his head to see Twilight dashing out of the library. Behind her, Trixie peered around the door, her eyes huge. "Twi," he said, yawning. "Ugh, no, don't hug me. I'm all dirty and gross."

She ignored that and tightly wrapped herself around his foreleg. "You look wonderful," she said.

He grinned. "So how many points did I get this time?"

She laughed. "All of them. You're on every single front page. Every editorial is talking about you."

He nuzzled the top of her head, and then looked around. "Where's Huffy?"

"She's gone to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight said. "She's picking up your wagon. You're probably starving."

As if in answer, Spike's stomach rumbled like a thunderstorm. He looked down at it in surprise, and then gave her a sheepish look.

"I'm not surprised," Twilight continued, stepping back from him and smiling. "You've slept almost all day."

He blinked. "I have?"

"It's four in the afternoon," said a voice from behind him, and he arched his neck to see Huffy landing gracefully, the wagon clasped between her foreclaws. She was easily big enough to fly whilst carrying it, whereas he'd have to wait a couple of years yet. "Sleepyhead," she added, her eyes alight with pride.

"I had a late night," he said with dignity. Then he fell upon his barrels and crates ravenously.

He was cramming a couple of pumpkins into his mouth when Huffy cleared her throat. He looked up, his cheeks bulging. "I wanted to say..." she said, scuffing her claw on the cobbles.

"'Esh?"

"Congratulations," she blurted. Her face was blushing purple, and her eyes were shy as she peered at him from under her long black lashes.

His eyes widened. He swallowed as quickly as he could, and immediately doubled over, coughing.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Smack his back, would you Huffy? He always eats too fast."

Huffy giggled, and patted his back a little. Then she looked at her blackened forepaw. "You need a bath."

"I'll get to that," he said, straightening and running a claw over the spines on top of his head self-consciously. Real smooth there, Spike, he chided himself. And then wondered why he'd thought that.

Trixie took a hesitant step out of the library, and Huffy's eyes tore away from Spike to fix on her. "Hi, Huffy," Trixie said in a far too casual tone.

Huffy took a shallow breath, and tried to smile. "Hi, Trixie."

"You went to Sweet Apple Acres and picked up that food all by yourself, then? Even with all those strange ponies about?" Trixie asked, turning her head away as though she were only making small talk.

Huffy scowled. "I'm not a baby anymore!"

"Trix... I didn't say that," Trixie said in a rush, her head whipping back to Huffy and her eyes wide with alarm. "I didn't mean..."

"I have been all by myself for ten years," Huffy said, her cerise eyes unforgiving. "I can look after myself just fine!"

Spike decided to step in before Trixie ruined all her chances. "Well, you're not scared of my friends anymore, are you?" he asked Huffy. She turned away from Trixie, her expression softening, and shook her head.

"Your friends are very nice," she said. "I like them. They don't treat me like... like a dragon. I'm just Huffy."

"They've had experience with dragons," Spike said dryly, picking up another pumpkin and cramming it into his mouth. "Obvioushly."

"You let them ride on your back last night," Twilight remembered.

"The blue one with the bright mane flew herself," Huffy said. "I couldn't keep up."

"She's not called Rainbow and Dash for nothing," said Twilight with a sidelong glance at Trixie.

Trixie bit her lip, though her eyes remained fixed upon Huffy, a longing expression in their purple depths.

"They all fell off at the end," Huffy said. "I'm not used to carrying anypony."

"You need a harness, like me," said Spike.

"Oh, when I was at the farm, Apple Bloom said... she said she'd make me a harness," said Huffy, and her voice was full of surprise and wonder. It made Spike sad. She was so unused to having somepony do something for her out of the goodness of their heart. "She said she'd make it with adjustable straps so it would last me a few more years. She said it was a present. But I really think I should give her something in return."

"You could melt some metal for her," Spike suggested. "She's started a craftwork and woodwork stall. She'd probably like to branch out into metalwork."

Huffy brightened. "Good idea!"

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked Spike, her hooves running along his dirty claws.

He looked down at her. "Um, surprisingly good, actually. I'm still tired, but I'm not hurting or anything."

"Good," she said, smiling. "That's good to hear."

"Where is everypony?" he asked. Except for the four of them, the library square was deserted. Even the streets were bare, as far as he could see. He hoisted himself up onto his haunches, his wings beating once for lift. "Is something going on?"

All three of his companions suddenly looked rather shifty. "No," said Huffy, her eyes darting from side to side. "Absolutely nothing."

His brows lowered suspiciously. "Really?"

"Nope, nothing," Twilight said with a very fake smile. "I've just remembered about a... a thing I have to do that I haven't done."

"Oh, me too," said Trixie, backing back into the Library. "It has to be so done..."

"Yes!" said Twilight, nodding quickly. "We have to go and do the hay out of it..."

"And we've got to go do it right this minute," finished Huffy, spreading her wings.

"But-" said Spike.

With an audible whoosh, Twilight teleported. Huffy launched into the sky. Trixie slammed the library door behind her.

Spike blinked. "Huh...?"


~**~



Spike finished his meal in silence, and then took off for the lake. As usual, there were several reporters and photographers staking it out. He ignored the shouted questions and the pop and flash of camera bulbs as he bathed, scrubbing down his scales with handfuls of sand. It took a while. The black dust had gotten underneath a few on his tail, and he had to chew on it to get it all out. He wondered if he could pick up a great big scrubbing brush at some point. Surely the homewares store had a stiff broom or something – he could remove the handle. That'd work for at least a few years.

Finally he was clean. He plodded out of the lake and shook himself, water flying everywhere. Several of the reporters were spattered with droplets, and he repressed a grin. He hadn't thought of that as a deterrent before, but hey, whatever worked.

"Spikey!"

He ignored the call, and began to spread his wings. Time to go back into town and find out what everypony was hiding from him. He was beginning to get a bit annoyed about that.

"Heeeey, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

The oily tone was familiar. Spike blinked and looked around, his eyes latching on the brown, smiling figure of Scoop Headlines. His mouth opened, and then closed. "Uh, hi Scoop. You're still around, then?"

"Well, sure," Scoop said, dropping the smarmy voice and grinning up at the dragon. "You're the hottest news since Sapphire Shores' fling with that poolcolt, no pun intended. Any reporter worth his salt has been staking out Ponyville for weeks. That's the beauty of being freelance; you go where the work is. Oh, did you like my write-up this morning?"

Spike shook his head. "Sorry, haven't seen it."

"Shame, it was a good piece. Ever since that interview I've been getting a lot more work. You've been a real boost to my career, you know that?"

"Uh..." Spike lowered his wings a little, and scratched at his damp face. "You're welcome?"

"Got a moment for a few quotes about the fight?" Scoop's ever-present fedora lifted with a glimmer of magic, and his notepad and pencil zoomed out from underneath. "Won't take a mo, I know you're probably tired..."

"A bit," Spike said.

"So how come you spared the other dragon's life?" Scoop asked, his tone turning businesslike. "All my sources say that these duels traditionally end in the death of one of the combatants..."

"The rules don't say that," Spike said, sitting down with a sigh of resignation. He probably owed Scoop a quote or two. He'd been a real pain in the tail during that first interview, but he'd always reported fairly. "They actually say 'mortal injury'. I stopped Razorfang from breathing – that's mortal enough. I got the dragon magician to save him. I didn't want anypony to die." He screwed up his face. "Including me."

"Were you scared?"

"What d'you think?" Spike snapped, and then regretted it. "Yeah, I was terrified. But I was protecting my village, you know? I had to do it."

"Do you expect any conflicts with the Dragon of the Everfree Forest in the future?"

"Depends on how stubborn he is," Spike snorted. Then he realised how that would sound, and hurriedly added, "well, not really. We're not friends yet, but I think last night taught us both a thing or two about putting aside our differences. He's very traditional... and I'm... not. But despite that, we're still both dragons."

"How about that blue one? The magician? Think he'll be popping back around?"

"Don't think so," Spike sighed. He'd been far too tired to really talk to the Magician of Coal Crater after the fight – and he'd so wanted to watch Twilight's face when she discovered that he had known Starswirl the Bearded. "He's welcome to visit, though."

"How about the little mauve one?"

"Little?" Spike spluttered. "She's bigger than me!"

Scoop pushed back his fedora and grinned. "Relatively little one. She hanging around for long?"

"I sure hope so," Spike said, his eyes growing soft and a foolish smile tugging at his lips.

"Ooooh," Scoop said, leaning forward, "does Spike have a lady-friend?"

"No!" he scoffed, and then picked awkwardly at his claws. "She's... a friend," he eventually said. "She's like me. Dragon raised by ponies, all that."

"She was an examination egg?"

"Yeah. You know about her, she was in that first opinion piece you did. Her name's Huffy. We found her. Talk to Just Cause at the RSPCD about her." Spike began to stand. "Look, I've gotta get going. It's almost six. Everypony's disappeared, and I'm off to find out why."

Scoop tucked his notepad under his fedora and smiled smugly at his jealous fellow-reporters. "Well," he said. "Thanks for that. And congratulations, kid!"

"No problem. Thanks to you too," Spike said, and spread his wings.

"If I were you," Scoop said nonchalantly, rocking back on his hooves, "I'd try that farm out on the western edge, the one where you had all those lessons."

Spike gave him a sharp look, and then grinned. Scoop blanched a bit at the sight of his fangs, but grinned back anyway. "Gotcha," Spike said with satisfaction. "See you, Scoop."

"Talk to you later, Spikey!" Scoop tipped his fedora in salute.

With a beat of his wings that sprinkled water over the assembled press and blew back their manes, Spike climbed into the sky. He did a lazy flip, enjoying the sensation of simply flying for the sake of it for a moment. Then he turned his face towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Sure enough there was a huge crowd assembled there, mostly clustered around the barn. He squinted, trying to make out the details, but he couldn't really see much more than the barn, the farmhouse, the shifting colours of his ponies and the pale shape of Huffy. Pursing his lips, he began to soar through the gentle air towards them.

An orange and purple blur zipped past his eyes, and he jerked back, backwinging in surprise. Scootaloo was hovering before him. She tentatively waved a hoof.

"Scoot!" he said, irritated. "Whatcha do that for?"

"Sorry," she said, shrugging, before performing a complicated and athletic turn to end up inches from his snout. "Didn't mean to startle you, big shot."

"Stop that," he growled, and she laughed.

"Only teasing."

"Why is everypony at Sweet Apple Acres?" he asked, deciding to get to the point.

"You'll see," she said mysteriously. Then she huffed. "We didn't think you'd find us this quickly. We thought you'd sleep all day."

"It was pretty tempting," he said, coasting over a current and tipping his head. "Scoot, just answer the question. Please?"

She gave him a mischievous little grin. "Come on down and see."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why all the sneaking around?"

"Come down and see," she repeated, rolling her eyes. Then she zipped away. With a flip of his wing, Spike followed her, his body extending easily.

As he neared the crowd, everypony began to cheer and whoop. His eyes widened.

He couldn't believe it.

There was a sign over the barn that read, "SPIKE: PONYVILLE CHAMPION!" There was a veritable mountain of food. There was a blanket that had obviously been enlarged by some unicorn. There was a whole barrel full of gems (and what gems! Sapphires and rubies and topaz and emeralds, some of them as big as his eye). There were balloons floating through the air. There was a massive tub of punch. There were rides set up all around the barn – a ferris wheel, a carousel, a big carnival slide. The cheering was deafening. Flags and hats waved as he neared, and hooves punched the air in victory.

"No way. Really?" he breathed.

He landed with a thump, suddenly weak at the knees. He stared around with his mouth open in shock.

"Close your mouth, Spike," Huffy murmured. "You might scare the little ones. Nice fangs, though."

"Besides, yer catchin' flies," Applejack said, grinning hugely as she trotted towards him with the others in tow.

His jaw closed with a snap. "Guys...!" he squeaked.

"Toldja I was planning the biggest, bestest party ever!" Pinkie crowed, bouncing excitedly up to him and grinning like a sunrise. "Come on, everypony! He's here!"

"Three cheers for Spike, king of the mountain!" hollered Pipsqueak, and the crowd erupted once more.

"You... guys!" he managed again, his forepaws pressing over his mouth.

"Are you... blushing?" asked Twilight, her eyebrows rising as high as they could go.

"He is," said Scootaloo, giggling. "Look, you can practically see the steam comin' from his ears."

"Blushin' like a filly on her first date," chuckled Apple Bloom.

"Now, don't be bashful, Spikey-wikey," Rarity said, her eyes fond. Fancy Pants stood beside her, looking somewhat out of place amongst the rough-and-tumble Ponyville folk. "You deserve it, darling."

"Guys...!" he choked, and rubbed his eyes.

It was all still there, all the same - except everypony was now regarding him with amusement.

"So, what is it with you an' showing rocks who's boss?" Rainbow Dash said, elbowing him.

"We're all so very proud of you, Spike," said Fluttershy.

"That was the bravest thing I've ever seen," declared the Mayor.

"Oh, stop blushing," Pinkie said with a giggle. "Look at him, he's going to explode. Twice."

"You look better after a bath," Huffy said, her gaze flicking over him.

His blush redoubled.

"Smooooove!" cried Sweet-Pea, and the foals of Ponyville converged on him, clustering around his ankles and beginning to clamber up his tail.

"There's a slide right there, and they'd rather climb all over the dragon," said Cheerilee, shaking her head.

"Okay with me," he said, a bubble of utter happiness forming in his chest. He stroked Sweet-Pea's curly, pale-green mane. "Heya Sweet-Pea."

"My dagom," she declared in her indistinct, piping little voice, and pressed her head against his claw. His breath hitched.

"Yeah, your dragon," he said softly.

He raised his head and beamed at them all. "Guys... I..."

"Y'keep tryin' ta say things when there ain't no need fer 'em to be said," said Macintosh. The farmpony was watching Spike in a quiet, approving manner. "We know, Spike. We're proud o' yer."

"Come on, everypony!" Pinkie called exuberantly. "It's time to par-TAY!"

Music began. Spike stroked Sweet-Pea's little head once more, and met Huffy's eyes. She smiled.

There was dancing, and laughing, and tug-o-war. Pin-the-tail-on-the-dragon had been set up against the barn's side. Spike was still dreadful at it, and laughed at his ridiculous attempt along with everypony else. The gems were delicious, and he absolutely had to stop eating every now and then to exclaim over them. Big Macintosh easily won the strength competition (Spike was sure that the bell ended up in orbit), and, surprisingly, Fancy Pants won the horseshoe toss. He gave a few air-rides after Twilight teleported his harness over, and the Mayor was once again the very first in line.

Applejack gave a demonstration of rope-twirling, and the Wonderbolts wrote his name in the sky, making him duck his head in pleased embarrassment. Zecora told the tale of the fight to the little ones, her amorphous shape-changing powders illustrating it for their eager little eyes. It sounded a lot cooler in rhyme.

And then Sweetie Belle sang. Her clear, pure voice soared over the crowd, joining them together. Fluttershy's birds piped along.

Spike sighed in absolute contentment.

"So, did you want to dance?" It was Twilight. Her eyes were twinkling in the light of the torches.

"Twilight, we went over this," he said, his mouth quirking. "I'd look ridiculous. Besides, there's not enough room."

"Spike, you used to love dancing," she said, her brows knitting. "You should still be able to do the things you want to."

"I think that's one I have to say goodbye to," he said with a shrug. "Besides, this isn't exactly dancing music."

"Disco boy," she snorted.

"Showtunes," he coughed. She coloured, and cleared her throat.

"I... I'll dance if you do..." Huffy said, her eyes downcast. She'd hovered near the barn most of the evening, and though she hadn't been standoffish, she certainly hadn't been comfortable. To offer to dance in front of all these ponies was a huge step. Spike glanced back at Twilight, who shooed him on.

"Well..." he hedged. Huffy took a long, slow breath, obviously steeling herself. Then she set her jaw and firmly grabbed his claw in hers.

"Come on," she said. Her claw completely swamped his as she yanked him from his seat on the enlarged blanket. He stumbled awkwardly and almost fell over as she drew herself up onto her haunches, towering above him. He did the same, trying futilely to make himself taller.

As Sweetie Belle sang about home, and friends, and love, and hope, Huffy's long forepaws tentatively crept over his shoulders, almost meeting at his shoulder-blades. His own claws hovered over her long, thin waist. He'd hugged her many times, but this was different. He'd never actually danced with anypony before, especially not somepony like Huffy. He was almost too nervous to touch her. Finally she rolled her eyes, took his paws in hers and pressed them to her sides.

Spike had never, never blushed so hard.

Sweetie's glorious voice soared into the upper registers, birds accompanying her in a trilling descant. Huffy's neck hooked around Spike's, and she began to sway. He swallowed hard, his heart beating so fast he thought it might tear a hole in his chest. He tried to mimic her actions, snaking his neck over her shoulder and pressing his snout against the feathery white fins on her head. They moved together, their feet still and their bodies bending as Sweetie Belle filled the air with her song.

A peculiar peace settled over him, and he closed his eyes. He could feel the fires in Huffy's chest and throat pressing close to his own - fire next to fire. He took a slow breath that inhaled her wild, strange scent, sighed noiselessly, and relaxed against her. Her forepaws tightened on his shoulders.

A shout rang out, shattering the mood. Spike was thrown from his reverie as the crowd was parted by a small, frantic figure, her mane dishevelled. Huffy blinked as she shook herself from their moment, and she met his eyes for a second. He quickly tore his paws from her waist, dropping his gaze. Her soft laugh rang in his ears as he turned to the crowd.

A greenish-blue unicorn was stumbling through it, pushing past ponies roughly. Her eyes were wild and her face horrified. "Spike!" she called, panic in her voice. "Spike!"

"I'm here," he said, stepping away from Huffy. "Grape Vine? Something's wrong?"

"You were right," she gasped, her hoof pressing against her aproned chest. "It's a riot! They've all converged on Ponyville – they're all down in the village right now! It was all those dragons last night... all at the same time... they just boiled over. I couldn't stop them! They'd rather trash the village than have you here to attract even more dragons, they say! They didn't listen when I told them that you were the only Ponyville Dragon..."

Spike's heart stopped entirely. He looked over the rise of Sweet Apple Acres down to his village, and sure enough, there was smoke hanging in the air, rising in grey curling drifts. He could just make out movement through the streets. Torches bobbed along like fireflies.

Fury began to build in his belly.

"Thank you for warning me, Grape Vine," he said. His voice was fire whispering through stone.

"They're burning ze town!" cried Aloe, her hooves flying to her cheeks.

"That's my garden!" Lyra said as she clutched Bon-Bon, her eyes wide and glassy. "They're burning my garden!"

"The library!" Twilight gasped. "The books!"

"My home!" sobbed the Mayor. "My home!"

Spike's lip began to tremble with rage. He wanted to leap out of the sky and destroy those bigots. He wanted to see them pay for making one of his ponies cry.

He couldn't. He had to see them safe first.

His mind was still a bonfire as he began to snap orders. "Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, get to the Ponyville Retirement Village, would you? Take any Pegasus who'll go with you, and get all of those old folks out of there.

"Rarity, Fancy Pants, Sweetie, can you gather together as many unicorns as you can and protect the hospital? Talk to Nurse Redheart; let her know what's going on.

"Fluttershy, Macintosh, you'd better go check on your animals. Make sure they're okay, huh? Bloom, can you help them?

"Pinkie, Applejack, can you organise things here? We'll need a place for the old folks to be comfortable, a place to keep Fluttershy's animals, a place for everypony else..."

"What about me?" Twilight asked, her back stiffening. Her mouth was grim, but her eyes regarded him with a touch of awe.

"Twilight, Trixie, Huffy, I need you with me," he said, eyeing the fires below and baring his fangs.

"I'm not hurting anypony," she said, her hooves planting themselves. He snorted.

"Who said anything about that? Huffy and I will scare them off, and I need you and Trixie to put out those fires."

"Aye, aye, sir," said Pinkie, saluting crisply.

He blinked at her respectful tone, before spreading his wings. Raising his eyebrows at Twilight, he said, "you coming?"

She closed her open mouth, and scrambled onto his back, her hooves wrapping around one of his spines. He'd taken his harness off and it was sitting by the barn, but neither of them wanted to take the time necessary to buckle it back on. "Are you sure this is safe?" Twilight hissed in his ear.

"You once bounced off a bubble," he retorted.

"I've been trying to forget that. I could teleport, you know."

"I've got you," he said. "Trust me."

She laughed tightly. "You and your drama."

Huffy looked down at Trixie for a long moment, before crouching and offering her knee. "Come on then," she said, impatience ringing in every syllable.

Trixie hesitated, before she galloped over to her estranged friend and clambered over the proffered limb onto her back. She carefully stepped over Huffy's back to settle between two of her ice-white spines, and held on. "Thank you, Huffster," she whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," Huffy said, and with two gusts of wind, the dragons thrust into the air.

From high above. Spike could see the fires spreading over his village. His mind was clamouring with violence. How dare they attack his village. How dare they!

He shook off his anger as best he could, burying it in the darkest corners of his mind. This couldn't be about territory. If he stayed in that frame of mind, he'd explode. He'd hurt somepony. Tonight, he couldn't be a dragon - tonight, he had to be an Equestrian.

As he flew he could feel the smaller, faster airtrails of pegasi hurtling past him. The familiar sonic scream of Rainbow Dash's passing rang in his ears, followed by the ripping sounds of her fellow Wonderbolts. He mentally crossed off the Retirement Village from his checklist. Dash had that one covered, and she'd never let anypony down.

Great, now he had mental checklists. Twilight was obviously contagious.

The unicorn in question pointed to where the main body of the mob came charging up the street. "There!" she yelled over the howling of the wind.

"I see them," he said. "Hold on!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" she snapped, clutching him in an iron grip.

"Can you two get those fires from up here?" he yelled back.

"Number twenty-two, remember?" she called back. Her horn glowed, and several of the fires began to shrink and dissipate.

"Vanishing magic! Nice one, Doctor Sparkle!" he said, and she chuckled. "Trixie, you getting them?"

Trixie's horn was aglow as well, and her face was screwed up in concentration. "Don't bother Trixie when she's performing feats beyond imagination!" she snapped.

"They're shrinking," said Twilight. "She's got it, look!"

"Let's do another pass to get them all!" called Huffy, and Spike nodded. The two dragons banked and swerved, gliding back over the town. Twilight's horn relit, and beneath them the fires diminished. It was like watching eyes close all over the ground.

"We'd better get down there!" Spike shouted.

"Let's try scaring them away first," Huffy said. "We could fly low...?"

"Oh, let's not..." Trixie said, holding on to Huffy desperately, her horn illuminating her somewhat queasy expression.

"We'll try it!" Spike yelled back. "Going down!"

He tilted his wings, his weight tipping forward. They angled into a shallow dive, zooming over the heads of the rioters. Many screamed and bolted, but others waved their torches and hollered vicious insults at him.

"I don't think they'll be that easily scared off!" shouted Huffy, following in his wake. Spike gritted his fangs and banked, turning in a wide circle to face her.

"We're going to have to get down there," he said, his mind still shrieking vengeance. He squashed his instincts ruthlessly. "They won't be scared off because they're more angry than scared – and what they're angry and scared about is us. We have to go and show them that we mean no harm."

"You just buzzed over their heads," Twilight pointed out.

"Anypony could buzz over somepony's head," he said loftily. "It's a free sky. Buzzing for all. Hey look, there's a clear space by Sofas and Quills. D'you think that's big enough for both of us?"

Trixie peered over Huffy's outstretched wings. "It'll be a tight fit," she said with a dubious expression.

"We'll get in there somehow," Huffy said.

He could see pegasi flocking out of the Retirement Village, and sent a mental thank you to Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Soarin' and Spitfire. On the outermost edge of town, earth ponies were galloping at full tilt towards the animal shelter, and Spike could recognise Macintosh at the head of the herd. The hospital was covered with a faint glimmering sheen of magic. What had to be protected was being protected. He glanced down again, taking in the chaos spilling through his streets, and then back at Twilight.

"Go on, hero," she said.

He gave her a quizzical look. "You said the what which now?"

"Come on, Spike!" Huffy yelled, and began to descend in a long, winding spiral towards the empty space before Sofas and Quills. Trixie was holding on to Huffy's spines, a low moan issuing from her lips.

"I... feel... sick," she said, her eyes closing as she circled and circled and circled.

Spike decided against that method. He wasn't real keen on the idea of Twilight throwing up on him. He banked once more, and turned on a wingtip, his wings tilting into a V and their edges trailing. Then he pointed his nose to the ground and arched into a dive. The extra wind resistance from his wing edges would stop him from plummeting. With a quick backwing, he landed and looked around the street.

Several shop windows had been smashed, and the anger he had quashed briefly threatened to surge past his control once more. There were goods and shards of glass scattered all over the street, and a little bench was burning. He'd rested there every time he'd done the shopping when the bags became too heavy for his little arms. Wet writing dripped from other shop-windows, and he stubbornly refrained from reading it. A gasp from over his shoulder told him that Twilight had noticed it.

"Spike..." she said.

"Nope, not paying attention to it," he said through clenched teeth. "D'you think they've noticed us yet?"

Huffy landed behind him. It was a tight fit in the narrow street. The larger dragon could barely fit between him and the shopfronts, and her chest was pressed against his haunches. "Oh, they've noticed," she said dryly. "We saw all the torches heading back this way. They'll be here any minute."

"Oh, goody," Twilight said, her hoof rubbing her face. "Why couldn't I go and protect the hospital again?"

Spike arched his neck to give her a long, serious look. "Because I need you," he said quietly.

She held his eyes for a moment, and then nodded. Her horn flared and the flames upon the bench shrank and died.

"Trixie doesn't feel so good," said Trixie weakly. Spike gave a short bark of laughter.

"Maybe you should hold off on the spirals next time you've got a rookie on your back," he said to Huffy.

"Just who do you think you are calling a rookie?" Trixie sat bolt upright, her face indignant. Then she slumped back over. "Oooooh."

Spike could now see the torches advancing up the street. "Why torches?" he wondered. "Don't they know that dragons are fireproof?"

"It's the traditional rioting accessory," said Twilight.

"I really think I hate that word," he grumbled.

"They don't have pitchforks. We should count our blessings."

Huffy crouched in readiness as the leading edge of the rioters came within earshot. "Here we go," she said, her eyes hard.

"Huffy?" Spike said, touching her foreleg. "You know that these ponies aren't all ponies..."

"Not now," she snapped.

Impatient, right, I almost forgot. "Right, right," he said, and turned back to the oncoming flood of rioters. They shouted and hollered as they came, made bold by their numbers.

"Monster!"

"You evil beasts!"

"Get out of our lands, you abominations!"

"Monstrous, foal-killing demons!"

"Hideous fiends!"

"Get back to your own country, and leave us in peace!"

Spike frowned. "Hideous?" he said, a bit hurt.

"Ignore that, Spike," Twilight said in a stern voice. "You're a very handsome dragon."

He preened. Then he caught Huffy's amused eye, and stopped.

"Aren't you taking this seriously?" Trixie demanded, sliding to the street along Huffy's outstretched wing.

His eyes turned deadly. "If I did," he said in a voice of ice, "they'd be dead."

"His territory is being attacked," Huffy explained to Trixie. "He's trying to protect it without letting his instincts have full control of him."

"Oh," she said, blinking.

Twilight teleported to the street, crammed between the two dragons. "Keep a grip, Spike," she said, worry in her eyes.

"I'm okay," he said, controlling himself with a great effort. "Promise. Let's just get these idiots out of here."

A pegasus lunged at Spike, face set and determined, and Twilight's horn flared. A purple shield manifested before his eyes, and the pegasus was hurtled off it like a pony bouncing on a trampoline.

"Why can't we just magic them away?" Trixie said as the rioters clustered together, shouting and hollering. Another pegasus flew like a bullet for Huffy, her hooves extended. Blue and purple magic clashed before the dragoness, and the pegasus was flung into the sky, wheeling uncontrollably. Twilight smiled apologetically as Trixie scowled.

"If we got rid of them with magic, then they'd be back," Spike said. "And they'd never stop coming."

"What about the policeponies?" said Huffy, warily eyeing the gathering crowd.

"No doubt they're busy," Twilight said. "I'll bet the Ponyville Police Department isn't big enough to contain this crowd. They'll have sent to Canterlot for reinforcements."

"That won't do it," Spike said grimly. "We have to convince them I'm not a threat."

"You, not a threat!" brayed a pony in the front of the crowd. "You are a dragon!"

"Thanks for that newsflash," he replied with heavy sarcasm. "And here I was thinking I was some sort of oversized mouse."

"You're a beast who preys upon innocent foals! You enslave ponies into doing your bidding! You fatten them for your evil feasts!" screamed another.

Spike blinked, and then looked down at Twilight and Trixie. "What, have you two put on weight?"

Twilight scowled, and Trixie turned up her nose at him.

"None of us are safe with you in our midst!" cried yet another pony. "We'll all be eaten in our beds!"

That seemed to ignite whatever fears the rioters had about him, and a flock of pegasi took to the air as the earth ponies cheered them on. The unicorns bent their heads, their horns flaring. Twilight planted herself firmly before him, her horn flaring in answer, but Spike tapped her shoulder and shook his head.

"No need," he said quietly. "None of 'em are anywhere near as magical as you. I don't think that all of them together could give me so much as a goatee."

"You're not that big yet, Spike," she hissed. "There could be somepony in that crowd strong enough..."

"I'm big enough for this," he said. "And I'm not fighting them."

He lifted his head and nodded to Huffy. Her eyes were huge and angry, and he knew she too would be restraining the urge to defend herself against her attackers. She nodded back, and together the two dragons lifted their heads, closed their eyes and gritted their fangs.

Magic settled over Spike. It felt cool and somehow slimy. He let it beat uselessly against his hide for a long moment, before opening his eyes and taking in the chagrined faces of the unicorns before him. The multicoloured mist that had coalesced over him dissipated with no discernible effect whatsoever.

Perhaps if they'd worked in concert instead of individually - or if they'd done their research - they'd have overcome the draconic resistance to magic. As it was, the determination on their faces was quickly overtaken by fear.

At that moment, the flock of pegasi struck.

Spike lifted his wings in a sudden movement that made the nearest rioters flinch and gasp, and wrapped them firmly around Twilight and Trixie. He spotted Huffy tucking her head under her own wings, and he did the same. He could hear Twilight's harsh breathing in the darkness beneath his wings. Torches and stones and hooves rattled against his scales, and he grunted as somepony got in a lucky shot on his ribs.

"It's no good!" he heard one pony say. "We can't get through these scales!"

"We need something sharper!"

"Make it open its wings! They're softer on the underside, that's what I heard!"

"Make me open my wings? Is that what you want?" he growled, doing exactly that. The mob, which had surged forward to batter at him, scurried back as his wings flung open. He glared at them.

"Control it, Spike," Twilight whispered.

He swallowed, and pulled his anger back with difficulty. "I've got it. Sorry."

"You can take our lives, monster," quavered a pegasus, "but you will never be able to stop all of us! We will never stop fighting your kind! Our children will avenge us, you mark my words!"

"Melodramatic, much," Huffy said in an undertone. Spike's lips twitched.

"Spike doesn't eat ponies," snapped Trixie. "Neither does Huffy!"

"It made you say that!" said a mare stubbornly. "It's controlling you!"

"You're dreaming if you think she's ever done anything I wanted her to," Huffy said. Trixie looked crestfallen.

"It's only a matter of time before you rip us all to shreds!" hollered the mare.

"For the last time," Spike said, turning back to the crowd. "I don't do any of that! I'm just me - I'm just Spike!" The words jogged at his memory, and the first time he'd faced a group of anti-dragon ponies came flooding back to him. The library square, the markets, and Grape Vine's angry face floated in his mind. The déjà vu was overwhelming.

The group opposed to him back then had been small, unformed, and easily convinced. Even so, he'd needed the help of the former Cutie Mark Crusaders. He'd been so upset by the knee-jerk prejudice that he'd acted without thinking and frightened everypony.

Well, he knew better now. He'd fought a grown dragon and lived. He'd faced down worse than this. He was older and stronger and wiser than he'd ever been, and he would not budge.

"I'm not leaving," he said in a steady, even voice. "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do to make me leave my home. I am here for good."

He let his anger surface in his hard green eyes. "Get used to the idea."

"You don't belong here!"

"I belong here a heck of a lot more than you do," he retorted.

"Don't listen!" gabbled a pegasus. "It can hypnotise you with its voice!"

"I wish," Spike said sourly.

"If there is one of you, more will follow!" cried a stallion hysterically, tearing at his mane. "You are just the front of an invasion!"

"Invasion!" Spike's laughter burst out of him, and a plume of smoke rose above his head. "Invasion, don't make me laugh! Oh, wait, you just did."

"You deny it, of course!" the stallion frothed. "You are all the same, you dragons! Liars, with your forked tongues and your slimy reptile ways..."

"That sounds familiar," Twilight said, glancing back at Spike.

"Sure does," he said. "A certain dragon of my acquaintance said something like that. 'All ponies are the same!' he said. And believe me he has a real reason to hate you."

"You hate us! You hate us! He admits it!" another pony shrieked. "The beast will turn on us and call upon its horrid breed to join it in its unholy slaughter!"

"That's me, horrid breed speaking," Huffy said with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't hate ponies," Spike said, holding onto his fury with an iron grip. "Although you lot in particular aren't exactly my favourites, lady. I'm not some leading force for an invasion – can you hear how stupid that sounds? – and I don't kill! How many times and in how many ways must I say it? I don't! Eat! Ponies!"

"Why don't you go back to where you came from!" snarled the stallion, his green and grey mane waving wildly. A chorus of angry agreement followed this statement.

"You mean Canterlot?" Twilight said, stepping forward.

There was a moment of confusion. Then a mare said, "pardon?"

"I'm from Canterlot," Spike said.

"Honestly, don't you ponies read?" Twilight said angrily. "It's been all over the papers for weeks! I hatched him, in Canterlot, during my entrance examination for the School for Gifted Unicorns. Everypony knows that!"

"They do?" Spike whispered.

"They do now," Huffy said.

"You lie!" the stallion growled. "That creature has forced you to say that..."

"Me? That'd be a first," Spike said, shaking his head. "She won't even eat when I tell her that dinner's ready."

"So she is responsible for the infection," the stallion said, his eyes turning on Twilight.

"No," Spike growled, stepping protectively over Twilight, framing her with his forelegs. "Leave her alone!"

"For Luna's sake!" Trixie burst out. A corona of pale blue magic surrounded her horn, and spread over the crowd. "Listen up, you bunch of foalish neighsayers!" she blared, her voice magically amplified to echo and boom over the assembled rioters. Spike winced. "We are the ones who should be ashamed! We are the ones who stole dragon eggs and turned them into a test for silly young unicorns! Spike had no choice but to come to Equestria – he never had a choice! Don't you think, if he'd had the opportunity, he would have preferred growing up with a mother and father? But no, we had to treat a living, sentient, intelligent creature as no more than an assessment. A thing! We brought him here, but now that he's bigger we want him gone. Where will he go? He doesn't fit in anywhere, because we took that away from him! We made her want to be like us, knowing full well it was impossible. But let me tell you something! She may be a dragon, but she's as much a pony as you or me! Don't you think she'd have wanted to be cared about like any other pony? Don't you think she has feelings? The Nice and Generous Trixie is ashamed – nay, appalled! – at us! How dare we think we are better than her? How dare we treat her this way?"

Trixie broke off, her chest heaving and her eyes full of tears.

Huffy was staring at Trixie. Her eyes were also wet, and her lips were trembling. "Trixie..." she said in a tiny voice. There was a child's cry in that word, a child who wanted to be acknowledged and listened to and loved.

Trixie glared at the crowd, who had drawn back in utterly shocked silence, leaning away from her tirade. "Why did we do it?" she demanded, her tears beginning to trickle down her face. "Why? Because she's different? Because an egg can't cry? Because she's too big, too strange, too unlike a pony? She learned about us, didn't she? She spent every day with our traditions and our instincts and our ways. Why couldn't we do the same? Couldn't we respect her enough for that?"

"She's a dragon!" the stallion shouted. "Why respect a beast?"

"Why respect a pony?" Trixie shot back immediately. "Why did anypony ever respect me? Was it because I was kind, and clever, and generous and honest? No. I was flashy! I was a liar! It was Huffy who was honest, and kind, and so, so giving... and I treated her like less than dirt. Because I could. Because I was a pony, and she was a dragon. Because I was a fraud! And so are you if you think you are better than her just because you have hooves and she doesn't! You disgust me..." Trixie heaved in a huge breath, lifting her wet face to their judgement, and whispered, "... and so do I."

"Holy horseapples," said Spike in a numb voice.

"Don't you dare tell me she isn't good enough for Equestria," Trixie said, staring over the crowd. All her showpony tricks were absent, and it was just a unicorn - stripped to the bone and speaking from her heart - who held them, spellbound and stricken, in the middle of her hoof. "Equestria failed her. It wasn't good enough for her."

"Trixie...!" sobbed Huffy, reaching for the powder-blue unicorn. Trixie gave the crowd one last, baleful glare, before flying into Huffy's embrace. "I forgive you," Huffy cried, her tears splashing onto the cobbles, steam rising from them.

"I love you, Huffs," Trixie said, kissing the dragon's face repeatedly, her words distorted by her tears. "I'm so, so sorry... I love you, I always have... I'm sorry..."

"I forgive you... I missed you..."

Spike released a long breath, and watched the pair finally, finally reconcile. Twilight leaned against his leg, and smiled tiredly up at him. "At least some good came of tonight," she said.

"And I got to dance," he reminded her.

She chuckled.

"You... didn't have a choice, then..." said a mare in the crowd. "You dragons, you didn't ever come here. You were raised by..."

"Me," said Twilight, still leaning against Spike. "I'm still raising him, technically."

"I take a lot of raising," he said, which caused a slightly-stunned chuckle to race around the crowd.

"Why was your... your egg brought to Equestria...?" asked somepony else.

Spike sighed. "You have to understand, dragons and ponies used to hunt each other," he said with reluctance. "I know, can you believe it? Dragons used to try and protect their territories from ponies, and ponies would try and secure their settlements and towns from dragons. Bit of a conflict of interest, right? Anyway, a dragon hunter killed my mother and stole my egg for a trophy. When he passed away, it was given to the school. It was kept in magical stasis all that while, which is why I didn't die."

"More's the pity," snarled the unicorn stallion.

"Shut up, Blarney," snapped one of his fellow rioters. "I want to hear this."

"It lies!" said the stallion, turning on the pony who had spoken. "It lies, that's what dragons do, lie and lie and lie again!"

"Huffy has never told a lie in her life," Trixie said staunchly.

"I'm afraid I can't say that about Spike," Twilight said, and he picked at his claws, his head hanging. "But it was a long time ago and he was only a baby. He was sorry and he learned his lesson."

"What about all those dragons last night?" the grey stallion with the streaked green mane challenged. "Can you deny that you are luring the monsters here?"

"For a start," Spike said, beginning to get irritated again, "I didn't lure them here. You're a complete hay-brain if you think I wanted to have to fight for my life. The Dragon of the Everfree Forest has always lived there – that's why he's called the Dragon of the Everfree Forest, strangely enough! The Magician of Coal Crater doesn't even live in Equestria, and he was only here for a night. Besides, he likes ponies! He actually knew Starswirl the Bearded – can you imagine all the things he's seen? All the cool magic and history?"

Twilight was covering a grin, and he realised that his internal library-assistant had spoken up again. He smiled a little sheepishly, and a slight intake of breath rippled through his audience.

"Fangs," Twilight hissed. Spike dropped his smile quickly.

"No," Trixie said, still holding Huffy. "Let him smile. He should be able to smile."

Spike blinked. "Thanks, Trixie."

"The Nice and Generous now," she said with a watery grin. He smiled back tentatively, before turning again to the crowd.

"Anyway, no dragon can hurt a pony unless their life depends on it, because of the treaty. And vice-versa. You don't hurt us, and we don't hurt you."

"Why can't you go live in a cave like a proper dragon, then?" said a pony from amongst the rioters. There seemed to be a commotion at the back. Somepony was pushing through the crowd, causing ponies to stumble and swear.

"Because I want to stay with my family," he said, barely hanging onto his patience. "If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. And boy, am I sick of the words 'proper dragon'."

With a final shove, Grape Vine pushed her way through the crowd and almost fell at Spike's feet. "The policeponies are coming!," she said, gasping. "They're rounding everypony up, and converging here. There's guards from Canterlot with them. They're closing the net!"

Spike lifted his chin. "Knew they'd be out there," he said. "Ponyville's Finest - ponies sworn to protect this town. You know, the town you just trashed, set on fire, and looted. There are consequences for that sort of thing. Believe me, I know, I've done it myself. But if you believe in the rights of ponies, you have to believe in the responsibilities too."

She wrung her hooves. "I never wanted this!"

"I know," he said, closing his eyes. "But that's the thing about lighting fires. Sometimes they get out of control."

"Quit being wise, you're making me feel old," Twilight muttered.

"Why should we bow to the justice of this dragon-loving freak village?" the stallion roared, levitating his torch. "Why should we be punished for doing what our forefathers knew to be right?"

"Forefathers...?" said Twilight, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm an Equestrian citizen," Spike said. "And the laws of this village are the same as the ones all over Equestria. Twilight, hit it."

"Laid down by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at the founding of Equestria, witnessed by the leaders of the three pony tribes and now kept in a glass case in the Canterlot Museum of Dry and Dusty Historical Artefacts," Twilight rattled off.

"You're not an Equestrian," the stallion said, his pupils surrounded by a sea of white. "You can't be, you're just a beast! Why should I believe a word from your lying mouth?"

"You can go check it yourself," Twilight said frostily. "I took Spike to see it when he was a baby."

"It was boring," Spike muttered.

"I got you an ice-cream," she muttered back.

He wanted to retort that she'd gotten him vanilla when he'd clearly said chocolate, but the angry stallion was speaking again. His fellow rioters were beginning to draw away from him. Their fervour had seemingly been crushed under Trixie's epic scolding and Spike's factual answers, and each face seemed to say, 'well, I was just going with the flow, you know? But I'm not like him.' 

"You should all be dead," the stallion said, tossing his green and grey mane, and snorting in anger. "You should all die!"

"Did a dragon kill somepony in your family or something?" Spike asked with a glance at Grape Vine, who blanched.

The stallion laughed maniacally. "My family!"

"This guy's got donuts for brains," Spike muttered.

"There should be hunting parties again," the stallion said, his eyes lighting up with an almost religious fervour. "We should hunt you all down, yes! Eradicate you from the world altogether!"

"You'd break a treaty between the Princesses and the Wyrmstadt?" gasped Huffy. "Set ponies against dragons all over again?"

"Hunting has been banned for a hundred years," Spike said coldly.

"They had the right idea back then!" the stallion shrieked, apparently lost to reason. "We should kill you all!"

"I think you'll find that the Princesses come down pretty heavy on that whole genocide thing."

"Die, you monster!" the stallion roared, and before Spike could react the heavy torch was hurtling straight for his eyes – his startled, non-fireproof eyes.

"No!" Twilight shouted, her horn blazing in a corona of light. She rose slightly off the cobbles, her eyes burning white-hot with power. The torch froze mid-air only inches from Spike's eyeball, and then clattered to the stone cobbles.

The stallion was rooted to the spot, tugging vainly at his immobile hooves as Twilight floated towards him encased in brilliant white light.

"Your name," she said in a voice that trembled with magic.

"I'll never tell you," he snarled, still pulling at his hooves.

A tendril of power snaked out and turned the stallion's head roughly towards her. He glared for a moment, and then her glowing eyes captured him and he began to gaze vacantly into them.

"Your name," she repeated, still speaking in that overwhelmingly powerful voice.

"Blarney..." he said dully.

"Blarney what?"

"Blarney Stone," he said.

Spike's heart leapt into his mouth, which was suddenly dry as dust.

"Why did you throw the torch, Blarney Stone?"

"To regain my family's honour," he replied, his eyes blank.

"You are a descendant of Living Stone?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you hate dragons?"

"He was a hero," he said, his voice an awful monotone. "My mother showed me. We had many riches, many things. He is not a hero now. Everypony sees a murderer instead. His riches and treasures are gone, taken for burial and to make restitution. I should have spent my life amongst his riches. Instead I am old and poor and alone, because he is not a hero anymore. But he was right, and dragons should die, and I should be rich and proud of my family heritage."

"You threw the harpoon at Spike?"

"Yes."

"Where did you get it?"

"It was Living Stone's. It was the only thing we had left after the RSPCD took all his things away. I was a child then, just a foal, and I hid it."

"He killed my mother," Spike growled.

"I know," said Blarney Stone in his empty voice. "I thought it was right to kill you with the same weapon that killed your mother. Fitting. I missed by only inches, and now the harpoon is gone."

"You have been hiding in Ponyville? You sent the letters?"

"I didn't need to hide. I just wore a camera around my neck. There are so many reporters and photographers here that one more wasn't likely to cause any comment. It allowed me to study the beast's movements without causing any suspicion. I sent the letters. I was pleased to make you afraid – the monster and the traitor to ponykind..."

"Blarney Stone?"

"Yes?"

"Sleep."

The unicorn stallion dropped to the cobbles, snoring. Spike released a slow, shaky breath, his eyes wide.

Twilight gradually settled to the ground, her blazing eyes fading. Her hooves touched the cobbles, and then she drifted into a swoon. Spike caught her before she hit the stones.

"What in Celestia's name is going on here?" came a gruff voice, and the crowd parted to reveal Detective Inspector Nosey Parker. "I get to the middle expectin' a full-fledged riot, an' it's a bleedin' tea party! Spike, lad, mind telling me what's going on?"

Spike cradled Twilight gently, and straightened, holding her to his chest. "Uh, well, there was a bit of a riot before," he said. "A sort of riot-lite."

Twilight groaned and shifted against him, and he carefully set her down on her hooves once more, keeping her steady with one forepaw. "You okay? That was a lot of magic you just did."

"I'm okay," she said, frowning. "Slight overload, but I'm fine."

"That's a new one. What number's that?"

"One hundred and six," she said, and smiled, leaning against his forepaw heavily.

"You really love her," said the mare at the front of the crowd in an awed voice.

"Yes," said Spike, still watching Twilight worriedly. "I really do."

"Anypony mind filling me in?" asked Parker with exasperation. "If it's not too much trouble?"

"Well, Huffy and Trixie and Twilight and I decided to get down here from Sweet Apple Acres," said Spike. "Twilight and Trixie put out the fires... and I hope you've got some big cells, because there's a whole lot of ponies to go in them."

"This one wants special attention," Trixie said, kicking the snoring Blarney Stone. "This is the one who threw the harpoon at Spike, Detective Inspector."

"Just call me Parker, missy, everypony else does." The grizzled old policepony stooped and peered at the serenely snoring Blarney. "That's the one? How d'you know?"

"He made a confession," said Spike, glancing at Twilight.

"Really? How'd you manage that?"

"I was very... persuasive," Twilight said with a grim little smile.

"Can't be havin' that, missy, not if it's coercion," said Parker regretfully. "I'm not sayin' I don't believe you, only that we'll have to do our own investigation on him."

"Are you going to arrest him, at least?" asked Spike, his heart sinking.

"Well, we got him on riot charges, don't we? I'm sure our investigation will pan out, son. Don't you fret none, we'll have him tied up nice and legal."

"Good," said Spike, his jaw tight.

"We saw him attempt to assault Spike," said Grape Vine suddenly. "We all saw it. He threw a torch at him, and it was only that unicorn's fast magic that saved his sight."

"Well, now." Parker raised his eyebrows. "You willin' to make a statement along those lines?"

"Yes," she said firmly.

Spike jerked, and then stared down at Grape Vine in surprise. She glanced up at him, and gave him a short little nod. "Right is right," she said.

"Can we go back to Sweet Apple Acres?" said Huffy, her eyes darting around the subdued former rioters. Trixie hugged her foreleg comfortingly.

"Good idea," Spike said, and heaved a great sigh.

"I think Pinkie still had fireworks planned," said Twilight, looking up at the starlit sky.

"That was enough fireworks for me," said Spike wryly.

"Do you think that's the end of it?" asked Trixie.

"Nothing ever ends," Spike said, watching the policeponies rounding up the subdued rioters. "Not really. Every ending is just the beginning of something else."

Twilight looked up at him with that odd touch of awe in her eyes. Then she gave him a crooked little smile. "Wise," she said.


~**~



"Hi."

"Hatch... I mean. Spike."

"How are you doing?"

"I am well, little one. You are healed also?"

"Yeah, all better. Of course, I slept all day yesterday..."

Razorfang chuckled. "As did I. I have not participated in a duel for many centuries. Especially not one against so agile an opponent."

"Huffy's leaving soon," Spike said, sitting down at the edge of the forest and looking up into the old dragon's face. "She's going back to her territory. Trixie's going with her for a few days. That should be interesting."

"The small purple female," mused Razorfang. "And that is the name of the... pony that raised her."

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry about the names thing. I didn't know that I was demanding..."

"Spike," Razorfang interrupted. "I am not sorry for it, not at all."

Spike blinked. "Really?"

Razorfang raised his head and gazed out over Ponyville, his eyes distant. "I have been alone for so long," he said in a faraway voice. "I have nursed my hurts and chewed my anger for so long it has become like a limb I must carry around with me. I have been eaten up with bitterness and loneliness. And then you enter my life," he said and paused, before chuckling quietly. "You enter my life like a stream washing out a cave."

Spike winced.

"You insist with every second breath that you are my family," Razorfang continued. "But I could not accept that a dragon could live with and love ponies. I am old, and tradition is what I cling to. And so I clung to the rite of the duel, even as proof upon proof was heaped upon me that a dragon could indeed live with ponies – and that ponies could indeed love a dragon."

"Yeah, I guess I'm okay," Spike said, squirming a little. Razorfang laughed again at his expression, before sobering quickly. His great head bowed, and touched Spike's in a peculiarly paternal way.

"I am sorry I forced you into that situation, hatchling," he said.

"Spike," said Spike automatically.

They met each other's eyes, and began to laugh.


~**~




FIN