When asked what had been said at that moment, Spike would be unable to say. The young dragon, upon seeing the full fury of the mustard-yellow mare, had suppressed the memory quite thoroughly, leaving it for a psychiatrist to deal with later. Besides, even if he could remember, repeating some of the things he heard would probably get him grounded.
While he was staring slack-jawed, Amethyst was buried into her seat, hunched into herself as Lore Finder floated over her. As the pegasus breathed heavily, Amy took the reprieve to quiver out, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Sorry!? I'll show you sorry if you don't go back to Equestria and apologize to the princesses!" Lore yelled before she huffed and added. "You'll have the perfect chance to do just that when you take Spike home."
Amy's eyes widened and she sat up straight. "What!? Why can't you go!?" she questioned frantically.
Lore quirked an eyebrow. "Me? He is your brother, Amy, and he came here to see you. Besides which, this will feed two birds with one scone. The two of you will get to know each other and you'll be able to apologize to Princess Luna." With this, she descended back into her seat and looked to Spike, expression softening some. "I'm sure Spike would prefer your company over my own anyway. Right?"
This snapped the younger dragon out of his shock and he nodded vigorously. "Wha? Oh! Uh, yeah, whatever you say Miss Lore." Even if he didn't want the older dragon to come with him, he wouldn't risk bringing the mare's wrath down on his own head by disagreeing.
Lore Finder smiled triumphantly and turned back to her friend. "See? I knew he'd rather have you along for the ride than me," she said before tilting her head towards Spike. "Oh, and if you are going to use titles, then you should know I'm married, so Mrs. would be more appropriate."
Spike couldn't help but wonder if Mrs. Lore was psychic, because at that moment, a yawning, blue-grey unicorn stallion walked into the room, tired eyes lazily roaming about. When they stopped on Amy, the stallion frowned. "I figured you were here, lizard. You're always causing some sort of disturbance wherever you are. I take it you were the one my wife was yelling at just a moment ago?"
All traces of nervousness evaporated from Amy's face as she glared at the pony making his way to the kitchen, even sticking her forked tongue out at his retreating form. Spike gave his sister a curious look and whispered, "Who's that? Mr. Lore?"
The dragoness snorted and said with a smirk, "Yep, that's Mr. Lore, just ignore him and he'll go away."
Prose Worthy, who had already froze upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, whirled around to shout, "Oh, buck off, salamander! I-"
"Prose! Language! There's a child present!" reprimanded his wife sternly.
The stallion looked to his mate in confusion before turning to the source of the young voice. When his eyes landed on the tiny, purple dragon, they widened in surprise and horror. "Dear Celestia, they're multiplying," he breathed before snapping his head to the larger dragon and pointing. "What dark gods have you invoked, fool!? You've doomed us all!"
The three seated figured stared at Prose as he stood in silence, hoof still directed at the older dragon. It was Lore who broke the silence with a sigh as she brought her forehooves up and rubbed her temples. "Really, Prose?" she said incredulously. "This is Spike, Amy's younger brother. Not some eldritch abomination."
Amethyst followed the statement with laughter. "Seriously!? Oh man, that's great, you're such an idiot, Prosy!" she got out through a break in her laughing fit.
"Stop calling me that!" yelled Prose, red-faced from either anger, embarrassment, or both. "I am not Prosy!"
"Uh, yeah, you are."
"Amy, enough name calling! It stopped being funny three years ago!"
The dragoness looked between the two ponies before straightening in her chair. "Gods, what's the big deal!? It's just a nickname. You're acting like I'm insulting his mom or something," Amy said in exasperation.
"You leave my mother out of this-!"
"Um, excuse me?" Spike hesitantly interrupted the unicorn before things could spiral further. "I'm not really sure what's going on... but it's not nice to call others names."
The older dragon looked to the younger, her expression becoming tentative. "Uh, come on... It's not that bad, is it? It's just a stupid nickname. It wasn't even supposed to be mean... I did the same thing with Lorey," she defended.
Spike tilted his head. "I don't get what Lorey has to do with you calling someone dull and boring," he said, trying to understand his sister's thought process.
He got his answer when the Amy mimicked his look of confusion, head tilting to the side as she uttered, "What?" When all she got were stares in response she repeated a little louder, "What!?"
Prose Worthy's mouth was parted slightly as he said quietly, "You're kidding me, right? There is no way you are this stupid."
When she only exclaimed "What" again, this time accompanied with arms being thrown in the air, Spike began to explain, "Um, Amy, the word prosy means something is unimaginative and stuff... You know? Boring." Maybe it was because he lived in a library and spent a lot of time writing wordy letters down for a bibliophile, but Spike's vocabulary had steadily grown over the years. Apparently, Amy did not have the same benefit, though he thought Lore Finder looked smart enough and the two close enough for the mare to have rubbed off on the dragoness.
His musing was cut short as Amy spoke, "Really? Wow, I was just throwing a "Y" onto the end of his name, I didn't mean anything by it." Her lips curled into a small smirk as she continued, voice taking on mischievous lilt, "But it really does suit you; Prosy the boring unicorn writer who's always shut away in his dark room, tapping away at his typewriter all by himself while the world passes him by."
Spike was shocked by his sister's words. He, admittedly, did not know the dragoness very well yet, something he hoped to remedy, but he would have never expected this to be an aspect of her personality. She was openly mocking her best friend's special somepony right in front of her.
Prose Worthy's remained silent for a moment before he finally stated, "... I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill her, Lore." His slow stalk forward and calm, cold fury had no effect on Amethyst as she just chuckled at him and rolled her eyes.
Before things could get out of control, Lore's voice cracked like a whip, "Enough!" Amy's face instantly sobered and Prose's took on a hint of fear. "Prose! You know I do not tolerate violence under this roof, especially not attempted homicide!"
Her husband's ears, eyes, and head all lowered in guilt, causing Amy to giggle at his situation until Lore turned her attention to her. "And you!" the terrifying mare began, voice far sharper now, "I have had enough of you teasing my husband!"
Spike began to question his sister's sanity when she actually dared open her mouth, "I-I'm just pointing out a fact, It's not my fault you married such a boring stallion." Though it was meant to be defiant, Spike could hear the quiver in her voice. He absently wondered on the relationship between the two females, as Lore Finder seemed like a somewhat over-bearing mother to the dragoness.
If he had been a little older, Lore Finder's response would have shattered that image as she gained her own smirk. "I can assure you, Amy, my husband is not boring, and that he is tapping more than just his typewriter in that room," the pegasus said with a tinge of pride.
Though the younger dragon didn't understand what she meant, the other two seemed to. While Prose Worthy's face went beet red, the dragoness stared disbelievingly before covering her ear fins and slamming her eyes shut. "Guh! That is so gross! I can't believe you said that!" she began, voice rising as she spoke and pointed. "And where did you even hear that anyway!? You're a historian for Gods' sake!"
Lore looked nonplussed at the claw currently in her face before looking to its owner with a quirked eyebrow. "I'm not a shut in, Amy. I know it may be hard for you to believe, but I have a life outside of research," she said before taking on a look of dignity, "Just two days ago I was a guest speaker at the local high school... I ended up learning quite a bit from the youths of Ford Junction."
"Okay, okay, I get it, enough already!" Amethyst exclaimed.
Spike had steadily grown more confused as the conversation progressed, and watching a still blushing Prose Worthy laugh along with a chuckling Lore Finder as his sister was horrified made him more so. "Um, what exactly are you guys talking about?" the little dragon asked, drawing their attention to him. All three adults looked at him with different levels of growing panic on their faces before they all shouted out a variant of, "Nothing! Maybe when you're older!"
~8~
Less than a day together with her little brother, and they had already almost corrupted him. Amethyst Thistle just knew she'd be getting an earful from Twilight Sparkle when she finally managed to get the younger dragon back home. Which was why she'd be taking it out on Prose when she got the chance; it was always his fault.
The dragoness would have to be careful not to get caught, though. Not only would her pegasus friend get mad at her, but Spike as well. Amy wasn't happy about it, but after everyone had settled down, the younger dragon and stallion hit it off. As it turned out, Spike liked the Daring Do books a fair bit and Prose was more than happy to talk with fans when he got a chance as there weren't many outside of Equestria.
The dragoness ended up regaling her little brother with the adventures that served as inspiration for the books, hoping to both impress him and take some wind from Prose's sails. This, coupled with Lore happily sharing with Spike the various historic backgrounds and importance of these stories and Prose discussing with him the original book he'd been writing ensured, the younger dragon was both well entertained for the next few hours and that he had thoroughly forgotten about the earlier conversation.
They had already sent their confirmation to those in Canterlot and had gotten the reply back that the proper legwork with the railway company would be complete in one or two days and that Spike would be receiving his ticket in due time. Which brought them to wondering how they would proceed when they realized the sun was setting.
"So, another day or two, huh. What are we going to do until then?" Amy asked as she placed her takeout box down on the table, absentmindedly licking away pieces of fried rice from around her muzzle.
Lore finder placed the chopsticks she had been expertly wielding with her wing tips next to her own meal before wiping her mouth with a paper napkin. "I suppose we'll just have to wait, which means we have to decide where the two of you are staying."
The dragoness looked thoughtful as she tapped her chin with a claw. "I guess he could come stay with me at my place," she proposed, only to have the mare give a shake of her head.
"Absolutely not. There is no way I am allowing a child anywhere near that biohazard you call an apartment," she declared in a voice that left no room for argument.
Amy apparently didn't notice, however, as she said, "Oh, come on, it's not that bad Lorey; you're exaggerating."
Lore deadpanned, "A group of mycologists once held a research expedition in your home and discovered six new species of fungi... Spike is not staying there..."
The older dragon failed to show her age when she crossed her arms and looked to the side, mumbling, "It's not my fault I'm not around to clean more often." She turned her head back to her friend and asked, "So, where's he going to stay?"
Lore Finder looked at Spike, who fidgeted a little under her thoughtful gaze, before saying with a small sigh, "It can't be helped, he'll be staying here."
Prose Worthy brightened. "Great, that means I can show him what I've written so far," the unicorn said happily. "Come on, Spike, I'll show you to my workspace."
"Oh no you don't!" Amy said as she grabbed her younger brother, much to his surprise, and hugged him protectively to her chest. "There's no way I'm gonna let him go anywhere near that room after finding out what you ponies do in there." Her cheeks reddened a little as she glared at the stallion, but she ignored them and looked back to her friend. "Are you sure about this, Lorey? I have enough money back at the apartment to rent out a motel room or something," she said, though it was actually more to diminish the moocher image Lore had made for her than out of consideration. Her work was satisfying spiritually, but not so much financially.
Lore rolled her eyes. "It's fine, Amy, the two of you can sleep in the living room," she assured, before gaining the mischievous glint in her eye that Amy had learned to dread. "Oh, and you might as well let Spike go with Prose Worthy. If you're going to try and keep him away from where my husband and I have shown our love for each other, there's nowhere in this apartment he can be... Not even at this kitchen table." The pegasus punctuated the statement with a clop of her hoof on the smooth surface.
The dragoness went through a number of expressions, jumping from confusion, shock, disbelief, and eventually landing on disgust. "*Urk* I-I can't believe you just *Ack*," Amy got out as she started gagging. She quickly put a very confused Spike down and stood up, trying to look angry. "I've eaten at this table! And now you're telling me you two had s-! *hurk*" her berating was cut short as the nausea began to win.
The older dragon made a mad dash to the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door as she released her disgust into the toilet. Distantly, she heard over the sound of her own retching, Spike exclaim his confusion and demand answers. Oh, how she envied the little dragon. She would give anything to not know what she knew now.
~8~
Spike was fluffing up the pillow his hosts had provided and placed it down at the top of his makeshift bed. When Amy had finally returned from the bathroom, a trip he still did not know the cause of, they had begun discussing the sleeping arrangements, and the younger dragon broached the topic of baskets. Lore and Prose responded to the knowledge of where he slept at home with a raised eyebrow and chuckle respectively, but Amy was indignant. According to her, sleeping in a basket at the foot of a pony's bed was degrading. The fact that his basket was not actually at the foot of Twilight's bed was apparently a moot point to the older dragon. After a few minutes spent placating the dragoness, she gave into the idea and Lore found a wicker basket for him before she and her husband retreated to their own bedroom, leaving the two dragons alone.
"You... can have the couch if you want it, I'm fine with sleeping on the floor," Amy offered quietly, sitting on the light brown couch in the small living room. She had yet to unfold her blanket as she watched him make his bed in silence with her hands in her lap, some of the nervousness from earlier returning without the others there with them. It frustrated the younger dragon that the two hadn't made as much progress as he hoped. How are we ever going to be a family if she's always walking on eggshells around me?
She let out a sound almost like an eep when he sighed. "I'm sorry, you're probably tired, I'll just move out of your way," she said, holding the blanket to her chest as she stood.
"What? No!" Spike exclaimed as he looked over and saw her leaving the room. She stopped and he took the opportunity to continue, "I was just thinking of something, is all. You're just as tired as I am, come back and lay down." The dragoness turned and made her way back to the couch, not saying a word or meeting his gaze. When she hovered over the piece of furniture, he spoke, causing her to jolt a little, "And you take the couch, this is fine." He patted the comforter beneath him. "I've got plenty of stuff lining it so it's comfortable."
She cleared her throat before turning around with a wide smile. "Uh, Yeah! I was just foolin' around is all," the dragoness began, following the statement with a chuckle almost as forced as her grin. "Welp, better get to sleep. We got plenty of... stuff to do tomorrow." With that, she plopped down before spreading her blanket out and let it lazily float down to cover her with a flick of her wrists.
Silence dominated the room as the two lay down, both dragons staring up at the eggshell white ceiling. Though Spike's body was growing weary, his mind couldn't settle down just yet. He turned his to his sister, "So, what kind of stuff do we have to do tomorrow?"
She turned her own head to him, confusion pulling her brow together. "Hmm, what do you mean?" she asked.
"You said we have stuff to do tomorrow... What kind of stuff are we doing?"
"Oh..." the dragoness said before her eyes widened slightly. "Oh! Well, uh, what kind of stuff do you want to do?"
As she was the one to bring it up, the younger dragon figured she had something in mind, so he hadn't had any in his own. He had to think about it a bit, going over his options. I guess I could hang out with Prose Worthy... but I get enough book talk back home when Twilight drags me to her reading club. And besides, I came here to get to know Amy, not her best friend's special somepony.
"Well," he began, speaking his idea as it came to him. "You could give me a tour of Ford Junction."
His sister worried her lip a moment before letting it seep into her voice, "I... I don't know, Spike, you remember what I told you back in the alley, don't you? It could be dangerous. I wasn't kidding when I said that, I do have enemies."
"Yeah, I guess," he answered. "Maybe I can wear something, though, like a disguise. I think I remember seeing some minotaur kids... calves... whatever. The point is, they weren't too much bigger than me, so maybe no one would question it."
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Ford Junction was like no place he had ever been before. The most diversity he had ever seen was in Appleloosa, what with the ponies and Buffalo sort of being in the same town. Everywhere else had been pretty consistent in the species department.
Through his growing enthusiasm, he could still see uncertainty in his sister's face, and so tried to convince her, "Come on Amy, it'll be fine, and you can show all the cool stuff here. I bet there's a lot, what with there being so many different kinds of people."
"Well... I guess I could check if Lorey or see if I have any of my old cloaks from when I was younger... And there is a lot to see in Ford Junction," Amy said, suddenly gaining a distant look in her eye. "With so many different cultures, Ford Junction has some of the best food around, ya know?"
One look at the drool slipping from between her lips, and Spike couldn't help but smile in both amusement and anticipation. "Sounds good to me! I hope we can go," he said, snapping the older dragon back to attention.
She blinked a few times before giving him a soft smile of her own. "Yeah, I hope we can too," she answered. "But we won't be able to do anything if we're too tired to stand, try and get some sleep, Spike."
His smile toned down to match hers as he said, "Okay, good night... Sis." He shut his eyes and pulled the covers to his chin, suddenly afraid he may have said the wrong thing.
That fear was soon replaced by a swelling in his chest when he heard her whisper back, though barely audible, "Good night... little brother."
><
He had grown quite frustrated when the damned dragon never came out of the building; he had wasted hours sitting on a cloud for nothing. So, with a growl, he flew away to give his report, ignoring the sting of wind against his marred skin. Now he silently stood in front of his boss after recounting what he had seen, waiting for an answer. The silence would not have been nearly as oppressive if it were not for the three creepy masks mounted on the wall behind his boss's desk. With so little light, the vibrantly painted faces appeared animated, sharp-teethed smiles cackling and eyes filled with gleeful malice.
"Hmm, interesting... and convenient. Amethyst Thistle can be so stubborn at times, always holding grudges. Perhaps her little friend can help us... persuade, her into my employment for a little job," The words were followed by a low chuckle that sent a chill down the stallion's spine. "Phantom, keep an eye on the two. I'll have to know where they are to set up a meeting."
"Aye, boss, I won't let them out of my sight," the pegasus said before disappearing out of the window, leaving the dimly lit office and its occupant.
"Yes, Amethyst, you'll find my offer hard to resist," the dark figure chuckled, a pair of red eyes flashing as brightly as the smile underneath. "After all, you won't have any other choice."