As Spike and Rarity walked through the cave, Rarity suddenly stopped. “Spike, darling, I think we should put on a united front for this council.”
“Sure thing, Rarity. Any specific way you expect us to do that?”
Rarity, ignoring what sounded like a hint of sarcasm in Spike’s voice, levitated her engagement band from her bag and put it on. “And for you, something I had planned on giving you last night, but with all the excitement I got a little… distracted.” A small jewelry box floated out from the bag. Rarity held it before Spike and lifted the lid with her magic, wanting to see the look on his face. She wasn’t disappointed as Spike’s stared bewitched and wide eyed at the box's secret. Held within was a large ring of solid gold embedded with three masterfully cut sapphires in the shape of diamonds, a perfect match to his mare’s Cutie Mark.
“It’s beautiful, not as beautiful as you of course, but really amazingly beautiful all the same. How did you get this done in so little time?”
“Well, you didn’t think you were the only one who with jewel crafting know-how did you? And unlike yours, I already knew the perfect gem and where to get it for mine.”
Spike took another look at the ring when hit him. “Is this-“
“The first gem I ever gave you. Twilight knew where you kept it. Now you can keep it with you all the time, a constant reminder of our love.”
Spike nuzzled his mare lovingly. “You’re the best, you know that?”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Spike placed the ring on his finger and admired Rarity’s craftsmanship one more time. “So what did you with the rest of the gem?”
She moved her mouth to his ear frill and whispered suggestively, “Let’s just say when this is all over, I have the perfect lingerie to celebrate with.”
A primal deep throat growl escaped Spike’s mouth. “The best.”
Turning around so that Spike couldn’t see, Rarity smirked quite proud of herself. “Come on, Spike, best not to keep these dragon elders waiting.”
“Of course, milady.” Spike rushed to his fiancé’s side, nuzzled her cheek playfully, and walked together with her to face their future.
The future, as it would happen, led to large, dark chamber where four other paths opened up and a roof so high it couldn’t be seen. The shadows started shifting causing Spike to jump in from of Rarity defensively. A fire of the purest crimson shot out and flew around the room creating an awe inspiring whirlwind of red flame, that came to an abrupt end leaving a seemingly uncountable number of torchers lit. In the middle of a cave system, day had been created, and with it the revealing of six beings. A full grown white dragon with teal spikes, a green dragon with yellow spikes, a sky blue dragoness with white spikes, but the last three were the true shockers. Rarity gasped as she recognized a red dragon with salmon spikes and a yellow underbelly. The final two came as a pair, not unfamiliar to Spike and Rarity themselves, a dark blue teenage dragon slightly larger than Spike with black spikes and on his back dreamily lay a young, green, Pegasus mare with a long, cascading, orange mane and three flames on her flank.
Rarity introduced herself and Spike, “I am Lady Rarity, and this is my gentledrake Spike, a pleasure to make your acquaintances.”
The white dragon began, “Hello little ones, I am Niveus. I represent the Gifted Breath Clan. We are innate at using less natural forms of our magical breath. All dragons have the same potential abilities but much like ponies, our talents are unique. This is where the clans come in.”
At this point the red dragon took over. “The clans allow us to organize and keep track of those talents so that they may be properly nurtured to their abilities. Some dragons belong to more than one clan. Friendly competition and rivalry is common among the clans, but we are one race. I am Aduro, elder of the Fire Clan, and you have met my son Garble already. How did you like the show, not too much?”
Rarity was quick to jump in at the given chance, “It was beautiful, a masterful display if I dare say. But I was wondering, are you perchance the same dragon that I met on a mountain outside Ponyville?”
“I am indeed. It was a personal favor to Celestia; she has a way of setting things up like that. I believe her goal was to teach you all a lesson, give you experience, or test you… perhaps all three; she wasn’t exactly forward on the matter. I believe I have you two to thank for teaching Garble a lesson as well.”
“Something like that.” Spike managed through his teeth.
“Enough, Aduro.” The dragoness clearly agitated at the other elders loss of focus looked gently upon the pair. “Hello, Spike and Rarity, I am Arcanea, Mistress of the Mystic Clan.” She snapped her fingers and began to scale down to their size. “That’s better. Celestia letter said there was a sword I needed to enchant for you.”
Spike carefully handed over his blade. “Take good care of it, it means a lot to me.”
“Of course, I’ll finish them tonight and personally deliver them to your bed chambers in the morning.”
He bowed before the elder. “Thank you.”
The dragoness placed the sheathe on her back. “I’ve taken enough time. Fulcio, you’re up.”
The green dragon grinned from ear to ear. “Gladly, sweet heart.”
Arcanea shot him a bemused look. “I’ll kill you.”
“Playful aren’t we. Anyways, I’m Fulcio; I represent the Clan of Strength. Won’t find a fiercer more powerful fighter than one of mine, nor could you hope for a better worker, or more skillful fliers. Even those Wonderbolts the ponies are so proud of would fawn over the aerial feats some of my clan can do.”
Silence filled the room, and Rarity was the first to break it, “And what about you two, don’t plan on keeping a lady and her gentledrake waiting forever now do you.”
The sleepiness disappeared from the Pegasus in an instant as her snapped up to meet Rarity eye to eye. “You’ve got some spunk to talk like that to the two of us, especially since we hold your proposal in our hoofs, and in his case claws. I like that. I am Backdraft, and this is my husband-”
“Adamo, and the two of us are here in the interest of the Kirin Clan. The dragons and ponies who pass the trials you are about to partake in are welcomed into our clan, as well as their children. Dragons and Kirin in our clan always belong to other clans as well, but it is through the Kirin Clan that the mates of dragons are allowed voices in the council. There will be six trials one from each clan once a day. You have already passed today’s trial which was simply to make it to the council beside what you had heard. The rest will not be so easy. At the end of every day the clan whose trial you have passed will be testing and training you in their clan’s specialty since you were born to ponies and have no formal training. It will also offer you the chance to learn about our culture and ask any thing you wish of the elders.”
Spike stood tall as he asked something he had wished to know his entire life. “I want to know if any of you are aware of who my parents are, or how I came to wait to be hatched in Canterlot?”
A white claw tapped the ground, “We were informed you might have questions pertaining to your origin. We are looking into it but at this moment we have yet to come across anything conclusive. For all our clans, elders, and monarchy, dragons are still largely secluded beings preferring a cave in the middle of nowhere to staying around one another. We have our best on the matter, but for now your questions answer eludes us, little one.”
The young drake seemed to deflate as the realization that even the most prominent of his kind lacked the knowledge he seeked. “I see.”
Luckily for him, Rarity was not about to let her dragon mope around. Instead she kissed his cheek and told him what he needed to hear, “Don’t give up hope, my Spikey-Wikey. There’s still time, and I’m sure they’ll find something. They just haven’t had enough time to look, yet.”
“I love you.” Spike brightened up just a bit thanks to his mare’s kind words.
“I love you, too.”
Arcanea allowed the pair their moment before moving on. “It has been a long trip, and I’m sure you two would be delighted to get some shut eye in a real bed before your first trial tomorrow. Backdraft and Adamo will be showing you to your chambers.”
The blue teenage dragon started walking down the corridor behind him as the mare on his back shouted out, “What are you two waiting for?”
Rarity and Spike quickly fell in line behind them. Rarity was quick to start up a conversation, “I’m surprised two as young as you are on the Dragon Elder Council.”
Backdraft just laughed. “Dragon and pony couples are on the rarer side. The clans circulate new blood every thousand years or so to keep new ideas and opinions coming in.”
Spike simply nodded before asking the question on his mind, “So… you two have done the trials before, right?”
Turning his head to answer the question face to face without stopping, Adamo replied, “Indeed, and to answer your next question, they are extremely difficult. If you can survive and your relationship survives your love will be much stronger than perhaps you ever imagined.”
Rarity looked around her at the cave as she pondered the day’s events. “This is all so much to take in.”
Adamo nodded his head in understanding. “It is, but you’ll do fine… we hope.”
In an attempt to change the mood, Spike went straight for a personal question, “Tells us, how did you two meet?”
Rarity gasped, but in such a overdramatic way that it was obviously a joke. “Spike, you little gossip you. What kind of nosy drake did I get engaged to.”
The pair in front broke into laughter, barely managing to keep moving through the fit of giggles. Backdraft regained her composure first. “You two are just precious. As far as your question goes, these flames on my backside aren’t just for decoration. My special talent is manipulating fire with air currents. As a filly, I grew up on the border of Equestria and Draconia and we were told stories of dragons like they were monsters. Tales to scare fillies from wandering to far, but I was a bullheaded, rambunctious, little thing. And so as fate would have it, I walked into the woods on a dare for the sake of my pride. In the end however, I got lost and ended up cold, hungry, and alone in the woods. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep to the sound of my stomach rumbling and the shaking of my body. That morning I woke up to a wall of blue scales and a wing draped over me keeping me warm.”
Adamo picked up the story. “She screamed so loud it nearly deafened me. After managing to convince her that I wasn’t going to eat her, she quickly gobbled up some of the fruit I had quickly gathered when I found her the night before. I had planned on taking the little trouble maker home then and there, but she talked me into taking her to my cave first. From then on, she would visit me every few days and we would talk. During that time, she would watch me breath fire; she was hopelessly obsessed with it.”
“It’s black!”
“Yes, yes it is. One day she flew into my cave full force and the flame followed after her in the wind. It was breath taking to watch her manipulate the fire into whatever shape she flew. She was lucky she didn’t get burned as inexperienced as she was, but for her accidental feat of daring aerial tricks she earned her Cutie Mark. She was so excited that she kissed me then and there. Before long, we found ourselves where you are today.”
Rarity’s eyes shone as she listened to the fairy tale romance, “How romantic. You two must have been adorable.”
Adamo stopped in front of a door. “Here we are, your room. We had a bed of gold coins and a very nice mattress placed within since we weren’t certain which you preferred being raised by ponies and all.”
The green mare smiled mischievously. “If you’ve never tried sleeping on a bed of gold coins, I suggest it heavily. It’s heavenly.”
A pair of white, furry ears perked up at the idea. “That does sound like fun, Spike. Shall we try it?”
“Why not? Thank you for escorting us and quenching our curiosity.”
“Anytime,” the pair answered in unison. Backdraft added on at the end, “And perhaps you can tell us how you two met next time.” Before they could receive an answer they wandered off into the hall.
Spike and Rarity walked into their room and curled up together on a small but spread out pile of golden coins. Within in seconds they were out cold, but the touch of the other kept them warm throughout the night.