//------------------------------// // Sleep // Story: My Little Dragon // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// The image of snow came to mind; pure, colorless, untouched by the world around it. What Spike saw before him embodied all of that, but it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. White scales, untouched, unscarred by the trials that life can bring. Purple crest, perfectly clean, showing no sign of its earlier disarray. Long tail, flowing gracefully, showing no regard for the events of the past. The dragon before him couldn’t be real, couldn’t be who she appeared to be. “The time is fast approaching.” It even sounded like her, but there was no way it could really be her. “You must prepare.” “Who are you?” Spike stole a glance at the surrounding area, being careful not to take his eyes off the dragon for very long. Barren, rocky landscape stretched as far as the eye could see, crags, valleys, and all sorts of mountains spread into the distance. This was the place he saw after scanning Twilight’s magic. “Or, should I say, what are you? You aren’t like that creature that copied me, and I’ve been here before. What is this place?” It was different this time. Last time he had been here, a star filled sky, devoid of sun or moon, had stretched over the landscape, but now, a featureless, blue sky sat above. This obviously wasn’t real, was it a place made of magic? If so, was the dragon before him a magical construct as well? “How odd.” The dragon slowly tilted her head towards the sky. “The sun is absent, yet you carry her light with you. Your father was right, you are most unusual.” Spike’s eyes went wide. “My father? What are you talking about?” He looked down at his hooves. They were the most obvious difference between him and the average dragon. There were plenty of dragons that had fur, crests, or ears like his, but no dragon he had ever heard of had hooves. “Are you saying I have a family? That somewhere in this world, there are others like me? Other ponies?” The dragon looked back at Spike. “There are not.” “Don’t give me that!” Spike mentally kicked himself. What was he doing, getting caught up in false hope offered by a figment of magic? He scoffed at the dragon. “Are you telling me they’re all dead? Or maybe, you mean to tell me I’m the son of dragons?” Years of reading magical texts taught Spike that there was a lot of mystery and vague wording involved with matters of magic, but he didn’t have the patience for that right now. “Where is the dragon whose form you’ve taken? Where is Rarity?” “I am Rarity, as is this place is, as am I.” The dragon tilted her head. “I am Rarity as she first appeared to you. She is here, with us.” “I don’t have time for this!” Spike turned around and started walking away. He glanced back. “I’ll find her myself if I have to!” When he looked ahead of him, he found a copy of himself standing in his way. “Oh, not again.” His copy walked forward. “That is not possible.” It sat down in front of him. “You do not need to worry.” The pony looked back and forth between the two copies. ”What’s not possible? I didn’t say anything.” The copy of Rarity moved closer to Spike. “You fear that our exchange of magic has somehow caused harm.” “We never-“ Spike bit his lip. This thing was referring to itself as if it was Rarity. Even worse, the copy of him was in his head. He was just worrying about whether or not Rarity was all right, and his duplicate knew it. “Get out of my head,” he growled, “or I’ll-“ A heavy step fell nearby and Spike turned to face it. Another dragon stood there. It was a mottled brown color with a flat body shape, similar to Grumble’s. “That is not possible.” It sounded female. The ground shook as another step sounded behind him. “You cannot harm those who stand beside you.” Spike turned around. Another dragon stood there. This one was a glossy green color. Rows of golden-yellow scales ran from her snout to her tail, and she towered over him. She was easily the largest dragon he had ever seen, aside from Celestia. She smiled down at him. “Though, your desire to protect those close to you is admirable.” Seeing her smile, warm and confident, made Spike realize that none of the others had shown any trace of emotion. Why was this one different? She lowered her head, as if she was trying to get a better look at him. “Even though my powers have passed to another, I am honored to meet you. Though, perhaps it is best that I was one of those who waited.” The dragon giggled as she straightened up. “You are much smaller than I expected.” Spike stared up at her, unsure what to think of this new dragon. At the very least, she seemed real, at least more so than the others. “You’re different from the rest.” The green dragoness gestured out to the surrounding landscape. “All of us have waited for this day, but I suppose I am different in some ways.” “All of you?” Spike looked around. Where there had once been nothing but rocky ground, dragons of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape. They were all different shapes, sizes, colors, and types, but they all appeared to be female. He recognized a few of them from historical texts, but there was one dragon in particular stood out from the others. “Rarity!” She was too far away to hear him, so Spike ran towards her as quickly as he could. “It seems I was wrong, it seems there is one here who did not have to wait.” The green dragoness looked down at her claw, flexing it as a sad smile spread across her face. “Interesting that I speak and appear as I was back then,” she sighed and looked back at Spike as he continued his run across the landscape, “should we ever meet again, I doubt you would recognize me.” “Rarity!” As Spike approached the white dragoness, he saw her staring at all the dragons around her. Her crest was matted and dirty, her scar blackened the side of her neck, and bandages wrapped around what was left of her tail, but it was her, it had to be. “Rarity!” The dragoness turned when she heard the voice. “Spike?” She saw him running towards her and started running to meet him half-way. “Spike!” “Rarity!” When they met, Spike threw his hooves around her and reared up on his hind-legs, using their momentum to spin around once before setting her back down. “I was so worried. You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” His hoof went to her horn, checking the chip to make sure it hadn’t grown. At the same time, he examined the scar on her neck, making sure the spiderweb pattern hadn’t spread. “Something went wrong with the-“ Rarity’s eyes went wide and she shoved Spike away from her. “What do you think you’re doing?!” The scales of her face tinted pink as she brought her claws to her cheeks. “Doing something like that in public is- is- I don’t know what it is!” “It is to be expected.” Rarity spun around at the sound of a voice behind her. What she found was a mirror image of herself from the past. The dragoness’ copy lifted a claw to the original’s neck, running it gently over the scar and to the chipped horn. “It is only natural to admire the beauty of a life lived well.” The real Rarity leaned away from her duplicate, pulling her neck and horn out of its reach. “Spike? What’s going on? Where are we? Who are all these dragons? And why is there- ” The copy leaned forward and planted a kiss in the center of Rarity’s scar, causing the dragoness to shriek and leap back. Her claw went to the side of her neck as she cringed. “What was that?!” The duplicate Rarity looked out at the dragons in the surrounding area. “The blessing of all who have gone before you.” She looked back at the real Rarity. “I would have more to give, but it has already been given to you.” “Spike?” Rarity glanced over at the pony. “Who is this? And, what is she talking about? I haven’t been given anything.” “You have.” The dragoness’ copy took a step closer to the original, making the real Rarity duck behind Spike. “And you have given as well, even more than you realize.” Spike shook his head, rubbing his hoof over his eyes. “What are you even talking about?” He pointed at the copy of Rarity. “You have been talking since I got here, and you haven’t explained anything! Time, my father, a place that ‘is,’ and now you start kissing dragons? None of it makes sense! and if you aren’t going explain it, I would rather leave, and let-” “Very well.” The copy of Rarity moved towards Spike. “You may go.” “Really?” The pony glanced over at the real dragoness before looking back at her duplicate. “We’re going back?” The fake sat down directly in front of him. “Yes. You will return to the place you feel you have left. She will follow.” The doppelganger brought her claw up to the scar on Spike’s shoulder. “Spike, the name you now carry is one you will etch on the future, but you will not do it alone.” She moved her claw up to his face. “I will be there, as will the one whose acceptance you seek.” She moved her other claw up to the other side of his face. “I give you my blessing, but hers, you must earn.” “Rarity,” Spike looked over at the dragoness with a smile, “we’re going back!” “Wait a minute,” Rarity tilted her head to the side in confusion, “I still have some questions, and Spike, you can’t tell me that you don’t.“ “Of course, I do,” the pony looked over with the fake Rarity’s claws still holding on to his face, “but I don’t think they’ll be answered if-“ The duplicate of Rarity turned Spike’s head to face her. “I will answer.” She leaned forwards, bringing her lips to his. Spike’s eyes flew wide open and he tried to jerk his head away, only to have his head held in place. “Dad! He’s convulsing!” Fluttershy grabbed Spike and held him down. He was flailing his hooves around , smacking them into anything nearby, and threatening to knock himself from his place atop Applejack’s back.”Dad!” Fluttershy was careful not to injure the pony as she held him down, making sure he couldn’t hurt himself. “Applejack! Let us off!” The large dragon carrying Fluttershy, Spike, and Rarity, came to a stop. Behind her, the two dragons that had been following her stopped as well. One of the dragons, Rainbow Dash, was carrying Twilight on her head, and a pack on her back. The other dragon, tall and lithe, came running up to Applejack. “’Ay-ay! Wait!” The golden-brown drake spoke with a light accent, and stood nearly as tall as the orange apple farmer, but moved on his hind-legs, and was only a fraction of her weight. He had a large leather bag draped over his shoulder, and was digging through it as he ran. He pulled a pair of crystals out the bag. They were a pale blue-green color and rectangular in shape, similar to fluorite crystals, but they pulsed with a faint pink light where they came into contact with his claws. “Don’t move the poor Digger! Just keep him from hurting himself!” When he reached Applejack’s side, he touched the crystals to the flailing pony. One crystal to his horn, the other to his chest, over his heart. Both crystals flared up with a bright green light, pulsing rapidly. “His heart rate’s up, but there’s no change in power flow. It’s a fair bit too steady to be a seizure.” Fluttershy shifted her claws, trying to get a better grip on spike as he kicked and waved his legs about. “But, if it’s not a seizure, then-“ “I’d give a right, good bet that it’s related to the HPS link! Whatever he’s experiencing, he’s havin’ a rough time fighting it. ” He put a claw on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I’ll take over here, you keep an eye on that friend of yours, Rarity. I can’t imagine what sort of terrible event they’re going through, but it may start to affect her as well.” Fluttershy nodded and moved her claws away from Spike. The drake moved to hold the pony down in her place, but Spike suddenly gasped and shot upright. “Whaah! It’s not what it looks like!” He just sat there after that, panting heavily. Applejack looked back at her passengers, briefly exchanging glances with Fluttershy. “What’s not, Sugarcube?” “Huh?” Spike looked around, dazed, slowly realizing his situation. “I’m back?” Rarity was sleeping nearby, and both of them were sitting on a large piece of canvas. Ropes held it down to Applejack’s back, forming a makeshift saddle. Bundled canvas formed a small fence around the outside edge of the saddle, most likely to prevent either of them from sliding off. Fluttershy was sitting near Rarity, carefully checking her over, and another dragon that he didn’t recognize was staring down at him with a smile on his face. “What happened?” Spike resisted the reflexive urge to cast his protective spell. He rarely ever had a good first encounter with new dragons. Even Grumble, who he now considered his best friend, nearly killed him when they first met. The large, orange dragin let out sigh of relief, causing a gust that blew Spike’s mane into his face. “The two a’ ya near’s about scared the scales off the rest of us, that’s what happened.” As Spike pulled his mane out of his face to look over at her, she adjusted her hat with one claw, carefully maintaining her balance on the other three. “Now, what did ya mean by, it ain’t what it looks like?” The pony’s face immediately turned red. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” He looked around, taking stock of his surroundings and trying to think of a way to change the subject. “Has Rarity woken up yet?” He already knew the answer, but he still asked as a stalling measure. Fluttershy shook her head. “She’s still unconscious, but she hasn’t had any violent fits.” “Fits?” Spike pulled himself to his hooves. Once he was standing, he swayed a bit. His hoof went to his head in an effort to stave off his light-headedness. “Wha-what do you mean?” “Hold on there, Digger.” The golden-brown drake put a claw to Spike’s side, steadying him and easing him back to a sitting position. “Everything’s alright, just calm down. You were in a state known as Hyper-Pardoxical Link, or HPL. It’s a dream-like state, fueled by the connected magics of two dragons.” Once he was sure that Spike wouldn’t try to get up again, the drake removed his claw and looked over at Fluttershy. “Possum? Has there been any change with the other patient?” “No,” the yellow dragin sighed softly, “her eye was twitching a moment ago, but she didn’t wake up.” Spike brought his hoof to his face, leaning his head into it. “She still had questions,” he muttered to himself, “I should have known.” Spike looked up at Fluttershy. “She’ll be ok, let her wake up on her own.” He turned to face the drake. “I don’t know who you are, but thank you for helping us.” “No thanks needed, Digger!” The drake gestured towards Fluttershy. “Any friend of Possum’s is a friend of mine.” Spike blinked at him. “Who are you?” “Oh, right.” The drake chuckled nervously. “Never got ‘round to the introductions.” He stuffed the two crystals back in his bag. “I am a bard by name, but a healer by trade. Bard, son of Ice Heart, mate to Kin, and father of Fluttershy.” “Son? Father of…” Spike turned his head slowly towards Fluttershy. A forced, hollow laugh made its way from the pony’s throat. “You’re Ice Heart’s grand-daughter, the Shimmering Destroyer.” “Oh my.” Fluttershy ducked her head and lifted her claws to hide her face. She peeked out at her father from between her claws. “Is Grandpa still telling that story about me?” The drake laughed and leaned over to pat his daughter on the back. “Only ‘cause he loves ya, Possum. A drake’s got a right to be proud of his family.” Bard winked at Spike. “That aside, it’s a great tale, a real ripper.” The yellow dragin buried her face as deeply in her claws as she could. “I hate that story,” she said in a muffled voice, “it makes me out to be some sort of monster.” “Aw, Possum,” Bard rubbed Fluttershy’s shoulder and pulled her into a hug, “nodragon thinks you’re a monster.” He nodded his head to the side. “Except maybe that gang a’ yobbo poachers ya ran outta town.” Fluttershy groaned loudly as she pulled away from the hug. “Dad.” Applejack started laughing. “Aw, c’mon, Sugarcube, mah brother told me ‘bout what ya did.” The farmer tipped her hat to her yellow friend. “Ya oughtta take more credit for yer ‘complishments.” “But Mac was-“ Fluttershy stopped and blushed. She then slowly glanced over at her father. “Um, nothing.” “Hmm?” Bard lifted an eyebrow as he looked down at his daughter. He softly touched the back of his claw to her forehead and started nodding slowly. “Hmm, increase in temperature, distinct change in facial coloration, and increased heartbeat.” He laughed and started patting her on the head. “You’ve got a bloke in your life.” His laughter stopped suddenly. “Should I be worried, Possum?” Applejack started snickering. “Ah don’t reckon ya got nothin’ to be worried ‘bout.” The farmer looked at Fluttershy out of the corner of her eye. “She ain’t hardly said two words to ‘im in near as many years.” Fluttershy tried her best to shrink into nothing as her father’s eyes lit up like a hatchling getting hatch-day gifts. “Ah, then, you know the bugger?” Applejack merely shrugged. “Ah oughtta know mah own brother.” “Oh, I see.” Bard started nodding again. “I suppose he would be a farmer, same as you? Strong silent-type? That makes a lot of sense.” Fluttershy started protesting, insisting that there was no truth to her father’s theories, and trying in vain to steer the conversation in a new direction. While the three larger dragons discussed Fluttershy’s love life, or lack thereof, Spike got up and walked over to Rarity. He sat down next to her as she slept, wondering what sort of conversation she was having with her copy, and wondering if her questions were being answered. “Why did I have to be so impatient?” There was a small jolt as Applejack started walking again. Spike lost his balance, but caught himself quickly. He then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was another makeshift saddle on Applejack’s back. He missed it earlier, but now, he could see it, and the passenger within. It was his doppelganger, the one he fought the day before. It was tied to a slab of wood, and a string of crystals was tied around its horn. All evidence of yesterday’s fight was gone; the injuries were healed, and the dried crust of green blood had long been washed away. There was, however, one new marking, a large, white ‘X’ on the back of its neck and head. The mark must have been made out of the paint Rarity used to hide the scar on her neck, and it was placed so that the doppelganger wouldn’t be able to see it, no matter how much it turned its head. Spike noticed something else about the copy as it laid there. Its eyes were open. The fake pony was staring off into the distance. Spike got up and walked over to it, being careful to stay out of its line of sight. As he climbed over the bundled canvas separating the two improvised saddles, his hoof caught on one of the ropes. Spike looked down as the rope drew taut, compressing the stiff cloth it bound with a loud rustle. The duplicate Spike’s ear twitched at the sound, and its head turned to face the sound immediately. Spike looked up, and their eyes met for just a moment before the copy turned away, but in that moment the real pony saw something he did not expect. He saw tears. Spike freed his hoof from the ropes and finished climbing over the cloth barrier. “Are you crying?” He walked over to the copy, but didn’t sit down. “No.” The doppelganger’s voice was the same as Spike’s, but with a grating, metallic overtone. “Why would I be crying?” Spike slowly walked in a circle around his doppelganger. “You lie far too easily.” The copy turned its head away every time Spike came into view. “Besides, I should be the one to ask that question.” The fake pony’s upper lip pulled back in a snarl as it turned its head to face Spike. “What do you want?” The metallic quality of its voice was less of an overtone now, and more of a low growl. Spike continued circling. “I want to know why you attacked me.” “Is that all?” The copy scoffed. “A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta-“ “Don’t even bother finishing that.” Spike sat down a fair distance from his copy. “That’s lie number two, care to try for a third?” The duplicate lifted its head and gave Spike a look that was half smile, and half sneer. “Yes, please.” Spike sighed. He knew he was only going to get lies, but if he could get this creature talking long enough, something might slip. “Who are you?” The copy rolled its eyes. “Unimaginative and predictable.” Spike’s ears perked forward as his duplicate started laughing. He didn’t really get an answer, but he didn’t get a lie either. “That is the one question I get asked without fail, only, it’s usually a bit different.” The copy looked right at Spike, straight into his eyes. “It usually goes, ‘what are you?’” Spike met the copy’s gaze, and held it without flinching or looking away. After a few moments, the copy smirked and broke eye contact. “Most find it unnerving to look themselves in the eye; you are either quite brave, or incredibly foolish.” It was Spike’s turn to roll his eyes. “Maybe a bit of both. Are you going to answer my question?” “No.” The copy lowered its head and closed its eyes. “As meaningless as names can be, I do not wish to part with mine. Instead, you should ask me ‘what’ I am.” It peeked at Spike through one eye. “Trust me, the answer is far more interesting.” Spike chewed his lip as the fake closed its eye and made a show of trying to get comfortable despite the ropes. “Fine.” This creature was obviously used to manipulating others. Even though it was the one tied up, it managed to take control of the conversation. “I’ll bite.” He stood up and walked little closer to his copy. “What are you?” The fake opened its eyes and looked up at Spike. “A nightmare,” it said softly, “something from the darkest corners of fear and hate whose only purpose is to take from others that which might be used against me.” A smile spread slowly across its face. “Scared yet?” “Meh.” Spike shrugged. “I’ve fought worse and won.” Spike turned and started walking away. He wasn’t going to get anything out of the duplicate, and he wasn’t about to waste his time. “And, now that I know about your abilities, I won’t be pushed so far in battle.” “Hah? Is that what you believe?” A quiet laugh escaped the copy. “Let me give you some advice, pony. I was weakened when you fought me.” Spike looked back over his shoulder. The look on his duplicate’s face was one he had seen many times; wide, crazed eyes, flared nostrils, and a toothy smile that held no joy, the look of someone with nothing to lose, and nothing to look forward to but the chance to go out in a blaze of glory. “You should kill me while you have the chance. Should I become free, I’ll defeat you, and all you hold dear will come to me.” Spike sighed and shook his head. “And don’t think this mark will be enough to stop me. What is it? An ‘X’? The evil eye? Some ancient word for demon? I don’t even have to see it to know it’s there. I’ve been through this situation enough times, and let me tell you something.” The copy strained against the ropes to lift its head as high as it could. “No matter how hard they tried, I’m still alive.” Spike started walking away again. “If you lament that fact, I could kill you.” He glanced back at his doppelganger. “And if it becomes necessary, I will.” The pony climbed over the cloth boundary of the copy’s saddle back into the one that held Rarity. He sat next to the sleeping dragoness and tried to put the conversation with his duplicate out of his mind. The other dragons didn’t even seem to notice what had happened, but that didn’t surprise Spike all that much. After all, as large as they are, it’s easy to overlook little things. The pony sat there for a while, watching over Rarity and listening to the continuing conversation between the larger dragons. Several of the things that his doppelganger had said unnerved him. The threat at the end wasn’t that big of a deal, it was actually pretty redundant. It was only a logical progression of events that a duplicate would take what belonged to the original after defeating him. No, it was what the doppelganger said before that, or rather, what it made him say. Who are you? That was what he had wanted to ask. That fake was obviously an intelligent creature, and actually talking to it only served as proof of that. But it talked like it hated itself. And then there was the other question. What are you? It was a question Spike had heard his entire life. Every time he met a new dragon, they would ask that, even Rarity had asked him that question. Spike lifted one of his hooves and looked at it. “What am I?” He was a pony, but what did that mean? His entire life, he had been raised as a dragon, but he wasn’t one. He was forced to be something he wasn’t, and didn’t know how to be anything else. Spike laid down next to Rarity. He was tired, and he couldn’t help but wonder how things could have gone differently for him. What if he hadn’t been found by Celestia? If some other dragon found him, would he have even survived? That’s not even considering what wild creatures would have done to him if he was never found. And what if he had survived? At the moment, he was pretty strong, even by dragon standards. If he had survived in the wild, would he have been a feared wild creature? A local legend? A bedtime scare story used to keep rowdy hatchlings in line? The ponies of legend were depicted as terrible, bloodthirsty monsters. Was there truth to those legends? How close had he been to ending up like his doppelganger, a near-feral prisoner, unable to think of anything but hatred and revenge? Spike rested his head on his hooves and tried to clear his thoughts. It was always funny to him how being tired made it easier to see things in the worst possible way. It had been two hours since Spike woke up, and Rarity was still sleeping. His copy was quiet, but still there. He checked on it every twenty minutes or so, hoping it would speak some more, but it always stayed silent. He was hoping it would at least try to taunt him some more, if only to stave of the exhaustion that was creeping up on the pony. He had so far fought the urge to fall asleep, but with every passing moment, it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his eyes open. To pass the time, Spike was paying attention to everything going on around them, trying to pick apart every meaningful or meaningless detail to give his mind something to focus on. Bard, Fluttershy, and Applejack were still talking among themselves, though the discussion had long ago turned to old stories, and Rainbow had joined them about an hour ago. Twilight was riding on top of Rainbow’s head. Spike waved to her when he saw her, but she was asleep, only staying on Rainbow’s head through the larger dragon’s innate sense of balance. At the moment, Bard was weaving a tale, claws gesturing wildly as he told Applejack and Rainbow all about how he met Kin, Fluttershy’s mother. Apparently, it involved a bow, an arrow, and fair amount of clumsiness on his part. The tall drake laughed as he neared the end of his story. “I was right near on the spot by that point, and I’d bet ya a fair deal that her parents would have made a snack outta me if it weren’t for what Kin did next.” Rainbow turned her head as quickly as she could without dropping Twilight. “What happened?” Applejack started snickering at her friend’s enthusiasm, making the brightly colored dragin glare at her. “What?” Rainbow snorted. “I’m curious, that’s all.” “Sure ya are, ya big softie.” The orange dragon rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Well, go on, Bard. Keep on tellin’ yer tale.” “Oh?” The tall drake’s eybrows lifted slightly. “So, my story is that interesting, is it? Perhaps I missed my calling?” He broke into a fresh bout of laughter before hunching his back, ducking his head, and squaring his shoulders. “There I was, surrounded, with no place to run. Even my own father had turned on me. Then, just as it seemed like all hope was lost…” He jumped in place. “Wham! Something pounced on my back. Right near scared the life outta me! But, then,” he brought both claws to his neck, “something slipped straight over my noggin, and tightened ‘round my neck. The next thing I heard was Kin’s voice, shouting, ‘If you’ve got a problem with him, you’ve got a problem with me!’ I didn’t realize it at the time, but that thing ‘round my neck was Kin’s token, her favorite crest-ribbon with one of her scales tied to it.” “Whoa!” Rainbow stared at the drake in disbelief. “Seriously?” The brightly-colored dragon exchanged glances with her agrarian friend. “Doesn’t that seem a little…” She looked back at Bard and shrugged. “I don’t know, fast?” “Ah hear ya,” Applejack bobbed her head slightly, “if Rainbow here calls somethin’ fast, it don’t get much faster.” Spike lifted his head and looked over at the drake as well. He had been listening in, but hadn’t been paying close enough attention, and realized that he had missed some critical piece of information. What was fast? And, what was a token? Bard described it, but it seemed like there was more behind it than a simple gift. Fluttershy was nearby, he could ask her. She didn’t seem to be getting all that involved in the conversation. Actually, it didn’t seem like she wanted to be involved in the conversation at all. The pony resigned himself to asking later when Bard suddenly broke into laughter and started speaking again. “Sometimes, it’s the results that count. She probably saved my life that day, and that was right near fifty years ago. Not to mention, those were some awful pleasant years, happy ones too.” The drake threw one claw around Fluttershy’s shoulder and pulled her close to him. “Well, I think that’s enough about me and your mum, eh, Possum? When’s your wedding to this Farmer fella I keep hearing ‘bout? He seems like a right nice bloke.” Spike blinked as Fluttershy went limp and nearly fell backwards. “Wedding?” That was a sudden change of subject, even for a dragon as active as Fluttershy’s father seemed to be. The pony stood up as Bard gently lowered Fluttershy to Applejack’s back. He was about to go ask Rainbow Dash or Applejack what was going on when a noise beside him caught his attention. Rarity had suddenly gasped, and was now staring up at the sky. Spike smiled as he turned to talk to the dragoness. “You’re awa-“ “Wedding?” Rarity sat up quickly, not noticing the pony standing over her, or the impact of his face against her horns. “What wedding?” Spike clutched at his face and fell backwards as the dragoness looked around, orienting herself to her new location. The pony pulled himself to his hooves, and sat down in front of Rarity. “I’m glad you’re ok. How are you feeling?” The dragoness didn’t answer, she just lifted one of her claws in the air. “Um,” Spike squinted in confusion, “ok, what are you-“ She slapped him across the face, snapping his head to the side with a loud crack. The pony clasped his hooves to his face for a second time, regretting his decision to not cast his protective spell. “What was that for?!” Rarity turned around and stuck her snout in the air with a gentle huff. “You know very well what that was for.” “What?” Spike rubbed at his cheek. It stung where she slapped him, but at least she didn’t use her claws. “Look, if this is about what happened between me and that other Rarity, I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter. I didn’t even know what was going on until it was too late!” “Well, if you would have just-“ Rarity looked back and stopped mid-sentence, expression changing from one of anger to one of concern. “You- You’re bleeding. I- I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” “Huh?” Spike looked down, checking himself for injuries. A drop of blood fell to the cloth beneath his hooves, making him realize that the injury was at the end of his snout, where he couldn’t see it. He wiped his hoof across his nose and looked at it, seeing the tell-tale red streaks of a nosebleed. “Yeah, that happens sometimes. It wasn’t you, I smacked my nose on something. I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure?” Rarity moved closer to Spike, and rested her claw on the side of his snout. She looked for something to wipe the blood away with, but couldn’t find anything. She settled for using her left claw to clean away the blood before wiping it on the cloth below them. She didn’t know why, but her right claw was heavily bandaged. “I still shouldn’t have-“ Spike caught her claw with his hoof. “I-“ He looked down at her claw. “I’m sorry.” He looked back up at her. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s not fair to you that I dragged you into it.” The dragoness wrapped her other claw around his hoof. “Spike, I-“ Her words trailed off as she blinked and looked up, past the pony she was talking to. “Rarity?” Spike’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What are you-“ Spike turned his head, looking over his shoulder to see what the dragoness was looking at. He saw three very large dragons watching the two of them very closely. He stared at them for a moment, slightly annoyed at how quietly such large creatures could move when they wanted to. He hadn’t even noticed that they stopped. “Can I help you with something?” Two of the dragons, Applejack and Bard shook their heads. Rainbow just said, “What other Rarity?” Rarity started coughing, and Spike looked over at her. The dragoness was trying to motion to him not to tell them by giving her head short, jerky shakes. The pony rolled his eyes. He didn’t need to be told not to share that particular piece of information. “What happened was a little weird, and I don’t quite understand it, but suffice it to say, a lot happened, and there were copies of the each of us, as well as several other dragons.” Spike finished with a little nod. He was pretty happy with his explanation; it was detailed enough that there shouldn’t be any additional questions, and vague enough that Rarity wouldn’t have cause to kill him later. Rainbow leaned forward, and Spike started to second guess himself. She examined him closely, making the pony sweat. “Is there a problem?” Rainbow responded with a loud snort that blew the pony’s mane back. Spike chuckled nervously as the brightly-colored dragin leaned back. “Yeah, why’d she slap you?” “Well, uh…” Spike swallowed dryly. There had to be away out of this. He glanced over at Rarity, who was still shaking her head at him. “You see,” he looked back at Rainbow, “um, that’s a private matter between the two of us. And, uh, if Rarity wishes to tell you at a later time, she will, but until then, I will respect her privacy.” The pony winced as soon as the words left his mouth. That sounded a lot less shady in his head. He glanced back at Rarity, whose face was turning a lovely shade of salmon as she hid it behind a claw. He then looked back at Rainbow and scratched at his mane. “So, did Twilight wake up yet?” “No.” Rainbow reached a claw up to her head and scooped the purple hatchling out of her crest. She then set the hatchling down in front of Spike without waking her up. “Ah.” Spike tapped his hooves together. “You know, you’re surprisingly good with hatchlings.” Rainbow raised one eyebrow. “Surprisingly?” “Yeah.” Spike chuckled. The subject was finally changed. “The way you basically attacked Grumble the other day, combined with the way you act the rest of the time, I would have assumed-“ Rarity put a claw on the pony’s shoulder, stopping him. “Spike,” she whispered, “she’s the only one of my friends who has a hatchling of her own.” She then yawned. “Ah. Open mouth. Insert hoof." Spike looked up at Rainbow and forced a smile. “Sorry.” “Whatever.” The large dragin turned around and started walking away. “I’ll beat it out of you later, look forward to it.” With that, she spread her wings and took off into the sky. Spike gulped loudly as she flew away. “Ok,” he said weakly, “I’ll try.” He turned to Rarity. "In my defense, there was no way I could have known that." Applejack laughed loudly. “That’s Rainbow fer ya. There’s three ways ta make her real mad. One is ta mess with her crest, one is ta mess with her friends, and the last one is ta mess with her pride as a mother.” “Yes.” Rarity laid down next to Twilight, careful not to wake the young dragon. “You and Grumble have managed to do all three since meeting her, at least in her eyes.” She laid her head down on her claws. “It’s a miracle you’re still alive.” “Now wait just an apple-pickin’ minute!” Applejack craned her neck to get a better look at the smaller dragoness. “Are ya goin’ back to sleep? Ya just woke up!” “It doesn’t feel like it,” Rarity snapped back. She let out a large yawn. “And be quiet, Twilight’s trying to sleep.” The dragoness settled her head down. “And, so am I.” Applejack was about to protest further when Bard stepped in. “Let them be. Unless I’m wrong, which is rare, even Spike is dying for a little nap right about now. Ain’t that right right, Digger?” “Huh?” Spike swayed on his hooves as he watched Rarity snuggle her head into her claws, getting comfortable enough to go to sleep. He shook his head and slapped both hooves to his face, hissing in pain when he realized his face was still in pain from Rarity’s strike. “What was that?” Bard chuckled and shook his head. “I asked if you were tired, but you answered that question well enough, Digger.” “Yeah?” Spike rolled his shoulders and stretched as he tried to suppress a yawn. “I don’t know why, but I’m exhausted. Does this have something to do with the link you mentioned?” “It sure does, Digger.” Bard reached into his bag and started digging around in it. “That’s odd, I thought I had a book or some charts in here.” He gave up searching after a few moments. “Anyway, you and the little beauty over there were in a state called a Hyper-Paradoxical Link. During regular sleep, there is a period called a paradoxical state. It’s called that because, even though you’re resting, the mind is highly active, almost as active as when you’re awake. During this stage, dreams occur.” The drake held back a chuckle as Spike started to nod off. “A hyper-paradoxical state is when the resting mind becomes as active, or in rare cases, more active, than a waking mind. You two were basically awake, and interacting with each other in a world only you two could see. However, one of the side effects is that, instead of resting, your mind and body feel like they’ve gone ten rounds in the pot.” Spike jolted upright with a start. “Got it! Dreamworld. Just the two of us. Old guy’s gonna throw me in the pot.” He blinked once, and almost didn’t get his eyes open again. “Wow, I wasn’t this tired a few minutes ago.” Bard didn’t bother holding back his laughter. “Well, you’re part right, it’s a lot more complicated than a simple dream, Digger. The involvement of magic brings a whole lot of variables into play. Consider, if one dragon’s magic involved, for explantion’s sake, let’s say, animal communication. In that case, there could be animal communication involved for both dragons.” Spike rubbed his face. “So, our magical attributes are expressed in the link, in some form or another, allowing both of us to experience or interact with each other’s traits?” “Hmm.” The drake rested the index digit of his claw against his lower lip. “I suppose that’s close enough, Digger. I’ll explain more after you’ve rested. For now, just kick back, and know that you’re headed for safety.” “Back to town?” Spike yawned loudly. He wanted to know more about the link, but as tired as he was, he wasn’t sure he would remember anything he was told. He sighed loudly. Any explanations would have to wait. “Wake me when we get there.” He let his front legs slide out from under him until he was sprawled out on his belly. He yawned once more and turned his head to look at Applejack and Bard as they turned away and started walking. “Goodnight, then. Or, good day. Or, well, whatever.” Something tapped at his side before he could lay his head down. He looked over to see Rarity poking at him with one outstretched claw, and looking up at the other dragons, making sure they weren’t looking or listening. She looked over at the empty space beside her, letting her head rest on her outstretched limb. She whispered to Spike, “There’s, um, there’s room next to me, if you want to lay there instead.” The pony’s mouth worked wordlessly as he tried to respond. “I, uh, y- yes, I-” He tried to stand, but his wobbly legs only got him halfway up before he fell flat. “I’m too tired to stand.” “Oh, that’s too bad.” The dragoness’ eyes started to drift closed. “Oh,well.” With a grunt, Spike start to shimmy forward, crawling forward in a manner that could be called anything but dignified. “Wiggle march, go. Avoid detection, and keep a low profile for long range battles.” He crawled around until he was lying next to Rarity. “Look, I made it.” The dragoness giggled as she leaned against his side. “You are quite… unusual, darling.” Spike folded his hooves and rested his head on them, stealing a glance at Rarity before closing his eyes. “Even for a pony?” The dragoness moved her head over, resting it against the pony’s shoulder. “Especially for a pony, I would suspect.” Spike smiled and peeked over at the dragin beside him. Even as she was leaning against him, she held Twilight close on her other side. The hatchling was curled up around what appeared to be a leather-bound book. It was funny to Spike, he was actually larger than the two dragins next to him, if only by a little. It felt nice, in a weird sort of way. It wasn’t just that he liked not being the smallest, but it felt like he was supposed to be there, like he had a purpose. He was bigger, so he had to protect them. Spike wondered if Celestia had felt the same way when he used to fall asleep curled up around the end of her tail. “Hey, Rarity?” With a quiet groan, the dragoness rubbed her head against the fur of the pony’s shoulder. “Yes, Spike?” Spike smiled as he closed his eyes again. “What’s a token?” The dragoness suddenly stopped moving her head. “It could be a lot of things, why do you ask?” “Just curious,” Spike yawned, “I heard Bard telling a story about one, but I think I missed some of it.” “Is that so?” There was no response, and Rarity turned her head a little to look over at Spike. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and even. He was asleep. “You’ll know it when you get one.” The dragoness rested her head against the sleeping pony. “Who knows? You might just receive mine one of these days.” Applejack and Bard walked in silence for a while, following the stone path through the forest as Rainbow flew above them. After about an hour, Applejack broke the silence with a loud sigh. “Why’d ya lie to him?” “Hmm?” Bard looked over at the farmer. “When did I lie?” The orange dragon looked over at the drake and snorted. “Ya told him we were headed back ta town.” “Ah, that.” The healer shrugged and looked away from the large dragin, back at the path they traveled. “Well, I didn’t lie. I never said we were headed back to Dragonspire, I just didn’t correct him when he jumped to the wrong conclusion.” “Ya may not have lied,” Applejack turned her head away, “but ya weren’t honest, and Ah don’t like it.” The drake laughed, and Applejack stopped walking. “I can see why my daughter considers you a friend, but don’t worry.” Bard looked back at the farmer. “I said we were headed for safety, and that much is true.”