It was dark, yet Spike could see as he walked in the subterranean tunnel. After his wife had said goodbye to him in the most pleasant of ways, the dragon had left Ponyville and flown to the location of his secret lair. Like any self respecting dragon, it was located in a cave deep within the earth. While flying to this secret location, he felt the fatigue that preceded the growth spurt set in. During his flight, his vision would blur and his wings would feel heavy. Despite of these hindrances, he had made it to his destination without any trouble. The tunnel opened into a large cavern that was filled with gems and gold. Spike lowered his large body onto the pile of treasure and settled in. To a pony, it would have been uncomfortable to lay on all those rough edges and hard surfaces, but to a dragon, it was rather comfortable. It was one of the reasons why dragons hoarded treasure. It was good to sleep on, it was pretty to look at, and it didn't taste too bad either.
Spike's emerald eyes scanned over the expanse of his wealth, mentally taking inventory of each coin and jewel that he owned. Dragons had an encyclopedic knowledge of their hoards, knowing how, where, and when they obtained each piece. They could also tell from a glance if one of them was missing or out of place. As a young dragon, Spike had kept a small stash of gems in the old library to snack on. After saving Krazoa Island twenty years ago, he was rewarded with a generous payment of gems. From then on, Spike started to collect treasure like a normal dragon would. However, he didn't let greed consume him like it once did on his birthday long ago.
After a moment of observation, he snorted contently and he scooped up a clawful of his hoard. He looked at the sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, bits, and rubies in his palm. Each one of them contained a memory. Aside from his adventures, most of his hoard came from his wife's business. When Rarity would be commissioned to make a dress or an outfit, she would carefully select gems that would work the best with it. Any flawed, odd shaped, or undersized gems she would give to Spike as a treat, but she would also always save the most pristine jewel for him. However, he wouldn't eat that gem. He would save it and make it a part of his collection.
Using a clawed finger, he sorted through the gems that he held; a ruby from a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala seven years ago, a sapphire from Sapphire Shores' tour seventeen years ago, an amethyst from...
Amethyst, Spike lamented as he thought about his little girl. He worried about how she would react if he missed her birthday. His rational mind told him that she would understand and would forgive him, but a part of him still feared that she wouldn't. Would she yell at him when he returned? Would she cry and say that she hated him? Or would she say nothing but give him the cold shoulder instead? How long would she shun him? Would she ever speak to him again? Would she...
“Yawn!”
Spike blinked his eyes and shook his head. In his sleepy state, he allowed paranoid thoughts to darken his mind. He place the gems back in his hoard and then curled up. Instead of focusing on negative thoughts, he would instead think about happier times. As his eyelids dropped, a smile formed on his long maw as he remembered the day his daughter was born.
“Rarity laid an egg! Rarity laid an egg!” Pinkie merrily sang as she bounced around the waiting room of the hospital.
“Pinkie, for the hundredth time, she did not lay an egg,” Twilight corrected, a little annoyed by the pink Earth Pony's antics.
“Warity waid an egg. Warity waid an egg,” repeated a little cream colored Pegasus foal that Pinkie's husband was holding. Twilight just rolled her eyes, holding a little foal of her own while a much younger Evening Star sat beside her.
“You guys can come in now,” Spike, who was still small enough to walk on two legs back then, announced to his friends as he walked into the waiting room. The group of ponies got up and followed the dragon down the hall to the room where the new mother awaited them. Rarity's violet mane was a mess and she was holding something wrapped up in pink blankets in her hooves. As the others gathered around the bed to get a closer look at the child, Spike stood at the head of the bed and wrapped an arm around his wife. She looked up at him with an exhausted yet ecstatic look. Her sapphire eyes welled up with tears of unparalleled joy. It wasn't easy, but Spike and Rarity finally managed to conceive a child. Technically, a dragon could have a child with any other creature due to their innate magical abilities, but it was rare and hard to do so. Out of the types of ponies, unicorns had the best chance due to their affinity towards magic. Though Rarity was the first of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony to get married, she was the last to have a child.
As the proud parents gazed into each other's eyes, Rarity glanced down to the claw that Spike had rested on her shoulder. It was bruised and she frowned regretfully as she remembered how she nearly crushed the bones in her husband's claw as she squeezed it while she was in labor. However, he didn't seem to notice as he looked down to the tiny being that was their daughter.
“She's beautiful,” Spike whispered into Rarity's ear before giving her forehead a kiss.
*****
Heads turned to watch as a Princess of Equestria walked down the streets of Canterlot. Most stared because it was an honor for a member of the Royal Family to be in their midst. Some stallions ogled her, earning unpleasant glares from their marefriends. Some watched with disdain as the princess strolled down the street. They knew who and what her father was and they did not approve. To them, the thought of a dragon being crowned a prince and marrying a pony was ridiculous and the figure before them was an abomination. Others saw her as an exotic beauty and a national treasure.
She was indeed unique. She was something the world hadn't seen for thousands of years; she was a kirin. Her body and head were definitely equine, but she had many non-pony features. Instead of fur, her body was covered in white scales that were smooth and shiny as a polished stone. Unlike her father's scales, they were soft to the touch. The segmented scales of her underbelly were soft and padded like a plush cushion. Her hind legs were hoofed like a pony, but her front legs were of that of a dragon. Her deep purple mane flowed majestically behind her and her reptilian tail ended with a matching tuft of stylish hair. A ridge of purple, rounded scales ran down her back. These scales were a little stiffer than the rest of her scales, but they weren't the sharp spines of a dragon. Her head was adorned with a horn, a trait she inherited from her Unicorn genes, yet it was curved and more rugged like a dragon horn. Her sparkling green eyes had vertical slits for pupils, which unnerved some ponies that made eye contact with her. On the white scales of her flanks, there was a cutie mark of a circle of six small purple gems with a red, heart-shaped gem in the center. Her name was Princess Amethyst Opal Jade. Her parents named after precious stones because of her coloration and their mutual love for gems. More importantly, she was their precious little jewel.
As she walked down the street, her eyes glanced from side to side, observing the ponies gawking at her. She knew why the stared, but she had gotten used to it over the years. Adjusting the blue scarf around her neck, she just minded her own business and went on her way. Today, she was treating herself to a fancy restaurant. While she did appreciate the meals the palace chefs would make for her, there was another thing she inherited from her father and there was only one place she could go to do anything about it. She was headed to a restaurant owned by a griffon by the name of Gustave Le Grand. Since Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, delegates from other nations were constant visitors and not all of them shared the same diet as ponies. Gustave's restaurant offered dishes from all around the world and catered to the needs of all sorts of customers. The young kirin entered the multicultural restaurant was greeted by none other than Gustave himself.
“Ah, bonjour Princesse Améthyste,” the silver feathered griffon with a mustache greeted with his Prench accent while humbly bowing to his valued customer.
“Bonjour, Monsieur Gustave. J'ai une réservation,” Amethyst told the chef.
“Bien sûr! Je vais vous montrer à votre table. De cette façon, s'il vous plaît,” Gustave told Amethyst, personally escorting her to a table. Once seated, another griffon asked her what she wanted that day.
“I believe I'm in the mood for Neighponese today,” she explained. The waiter nodded and the chef that specialized in Neighponese cuisine came to take her order. “Watashi wa, yobun'na wasabi to supaishīna maguro no sushi o shitai to omoimasu.”
“Hai, Amejisuto hime,” the griffon said before leaving to prepare Amethyst's lunch.
“Arigatō.”As a princess, it was useful to be fluent in many languages. Besides, her mother said it made her sound classy. After a short wait, the chef returned with a plate. On it was an order of spicy tuna sushi rolls and a side dish of soy sauce with extra wasabi. Amethyst picked up the chopsticks with her claws, being one of the few in Equestria who could so, dipped it in the sauce, and then proceeded to lift a roll to her mouth. She opened her mouth to reveal that her canine teeth were longer and sharper than a normal pony's. The other thing she inherited from her father, Spike the dragon, was the fact she was an omnivore who had a taste for flesh. The reason why she preferred this restaurant over the many that Canterlot had to offer was that she could have a meal without ponies giving her disgusted looks. Here, she could dine in peace.
After her meal, she placed a generous tip on the table, thanked the chefs, and then left the restaurant. As she started to head down the street towards the palace, she heard the whispers of gossiping ponies and the click of camera shutters. The kirin rolled her eyes. She went to this particular restaurant because most ponies avoided it due to its reputation of serving meat there. She didn't care if ponies saw her going in or out of the restaurant, but the paparazzi was bound to blow the situation out of proportion. She sighed in mild frustration, but continued on her way.
As she approached the palace, she saw a little orange Unicorn colt running down the street. When he saw the kirin headed down the street, he stopped paying attention to what he was doing and he trip when one of his hooves slipped off of the edge of the sidewalk. Amethyst gasped when she saw him hit the pavement and skid to a stop. He sat up and sniffled as he held his scrapped knee.
“Are you alright?” she asked as she ran up to him. He sniffed and then looked up to the one that spoke to him. His eyes widen and he flinched a bit when he saw who it was. Amethyst saw the fear in his eyes and knew that he was one of those who thought that she was a monster. She raised her paw, but he saw the claws on the end of her fingers and tried to squirm away from her reach. “It's okay. You don't have to be afraid.”
The colt peaked back up at the princess to see her gentle smile. It was the sort of smile that quells all fears and warms your heart. The sound of her voice was soft and melodious. To the little colt, it was like somepony wrapped a warm blanket around him, laid him down after a long day, and started to singing him a lullaby.
“Let's take a look at that knee.” The foal nodded and moved his hooves away, revealing that there was a small, red cut. It wasn't bad, but it was enough to seem like a mortal injury to the mind of a small child. “Aw, it's not so bad. Here, let me...”
“Careful kid, she might eat you,” a voice taunted from behind Amethyst. Hearing of the possibility that the kirin might eat him, the foal covered his knee and whimpered as he stared fearfully up at her. Amethyst muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, she recognized the pony to whom that the voice belonged.
“Hello, Narcissus,” Amethyst greeted unenthusiastically as she looked over her shoulder to see a white Unicorn stallion with a combed, royal blue mane and baby blue eyes. His cutie mark was a mirror and he wore a black suit coat. His sleazy smile made her scales crawl.
“That's Prince Narcissus, if you don't mind,” the stallion demanded. The hypocrisy of his demand caused irritated flicks of purple flames to rise out of her nostrils. They were both royalty, yet he demanded that she addresses him as such while he would always treat her as something that was beneath him.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcastic venom.
“I was visiting my dear Auntie Celestia,” he bragged. “What are you doing here? Other than frightening foals, that is.”
“I'm visiting Midnight,” Amethyst explain as she turned back to the colt, her attention returning to the cut on his knee.
“Oh, the little filly who likes to pretend she's a princess,” he scoffed. Amethyst nearly growled at the remark, but she restrained herself. Instead, her horn glowed with a purple magical aura that flickered a bit like a flame. The blue scarf around her neck was surrounded by the aura, unwrapped itself from around her neck, and then wrapped around the colt's scrapped knee. Her magic was somewhere between a dragon's and a Unicorn's. She could wield it as easily as a Unicorn could, but it was a tad wild and unruly at times but a little more powerful. The little colt looked up at the kirin, relieved that she wasn't going to eat him, and smiled gratefully before running off. “Playing with the rabble I see.”
“What do you want?” Amethyst's patience was wearing thin. She stood up and turned around to face the prince.
“Oh, nothing a lizard could offer me,” he responded insultingly. He pulled out a piece a parchment and unrolled it. “You see, I was just at the castle and I volunteered my services to the war effort.”
“You've enlisted in the royal guard?” Amethyst asked, a bit surprised by the Unicorn.
“Don't be ridiculous. I leave the fighting to the peons,” he scoffed. Amethyst growled. She had family on the battlefront. “No, I was talking to Auntie Celestia and I received her approval to restore the abandoned fort in the Macintosh Hills. She's trusting me to oversee operations and help to defend our borders from invaders.”
“You don't say,” Amethyst replied, shocked that Celestia was placing so much trust in him. Then again, the Solar Princess tried to see the best in ponies and often gave them chances to prove themselves. Who knows? Maybe this assignment might help improve Narcissus's attitude. Amethyst then started to make her way pass the stallion and towards the palace.
“As I understand it, you have a birthday coming up,” he remarked.
“Are you wishing me a 'happy birthday,' Narcissus?” she asked, stopping to raise an eyebrow at him.
“I was just to curious how a dragon/pony thing celebrated their birthdays. That reminds me, do you still have the egg that you hatched out of?”
“I'm a kirin and no, I did not hatch out of an egg,” she corrected him. “And if you must know, I'm going on a camping trip with my friends over the weekend and then we'll have the party when we get back on my birthday on Monday.”
“Camping you say?” he asked, suddenly interested. “How typical of peasants. Where will you and your 'friends' be going, the middle of a swamp?”
“Not that it's any of your business, but we'll be hiking up Winsome Falls.”
“And who are these 'friends' of yours? I assume the other children of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Yes, what of it?” she asked.
He just laughed contemptuously and said, “It only makes sense that the spawn of such uncouth ponies will associate with one another as well. Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way.”
Glad to be rid herself of his unwanted company, Amethyst sighed with relief as she continued on her way to the castle. She passed the guards stationed at the front gates and entered the majestic palace. As she walked the white and navy tiled halls, she recalled that she just gave her scarf to the little colt. She could easily replace it and he needed it more than she did. However, her mother would probably freak out if she ever heard that it now had blood on it, so she decided to keep that information to herself.
She made her way to the hall where her room was located. As a member of the Royal Family, she and her family had their own rooms within the castle. Due to their many responsibilities and duties, her family actually had many residences around Equestria. Aside from Canterlot Castle, they also had penthouses in cities like Manehattan and Las Pegasus. Her mother, Rarity, would often use them when she was on the road promoting her fashion lines. However, home was in Ponyville.
Before reaching her own room, she stopped in front of another. She carefully opened it and peaked inside. There was a young mare sitting at a desk with her back towards the door. Her coat was azure and her mane and tail were navy with a pink stripe running through them. Her cutie mark was of a crescent moon with a white, six-pointed star within its curve. A quill floated in the air, suspended by yellow magic as she took notes while reading the book on the desk before her. Amethyst smirked and sneaked up behind her. Extending a claw, she ran a finger up the Unicorn's spine, causing her to yelp and jump in surprise. She lost her magical grip on the quill and it landed on the desk. The blue Unicorn turned around and her yellow eyes gave the kirin an annoyed look.
“Hello, Aunt Midnight,” Amethyst playful teased.
“Hello yourself, Opal,” Midnight greeted, with a smirk of her own.
“Don't call me that,” Amethyst pouted. “You know I hate being called that. The cat was named Opal.”
“And you know I'm extremely ticklish.” They both scowled at each other. They held the look for a few seconds, but they couldn't keep a straight face and started to chortle. The two were the best of friends and enjoyed poking fun at one another. Midnight may have been her aunt, but they behaved more like cousins or even sisters. Besides, Midnight hated being called an aunt. In her opinion, she was far too young to be an aunt. She was only a month older than her niece and she was grateful for that. It would have felt weird having a niece older than she was. Then again, their family wasn't exactly normal.
“So what are you working on?” Amethyst asked, looking the book and sheets of paper.
“Nothing much. I was just looking over some spells,” Midnight answered, glancing over to the desk. “I think I might have found something interesting, but I haven't worked out all the details yet. I'll explain it to you once I'm done reading it out.”
“Okay,” she said understandingly. “Guess who I ran into today.”
“Who?”
“Narcissus.”
“Oh boy, the 'Grand Poobah' himself,” Midnight replied while rolling her eyes. “I can tell how that went.”
“He was trying to show off by saying the Aunt Celestia has assigned him to renovate some abandoned fort in the Macintosh Hills. Apparently, he's going to be in charge of the fort.”
“What, really? She trusts him enough to give him his own command?”
“Yeah, I was just as shocked as you are.”
“But what does it matter? It's your birthday in a few days. You shouldn't let him bother you,” Midnight told her. Amethyst brightened up at the mention of her upcoming birthday. She could barely contain her excitement. In a few days, she and her best friends were going to one of the most beautiful places near Ponyville. After that, she'll be turning seventeen years old.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Midnight called to the door to tell their visitor that they could come in. The door open and Twilight Sparkle entered.
“Hi Mom,” Midnight greeted as she hugged her mother.
“Grandmother Twilight, it good to see you,” Amethyst said to the Alicorn.
“It good to see you girls as well. Excited for the weekend?” Twilight asked.
“Of course. I mean, we've only been planning it for weeks,” Amethyst said, practically bursting with excitement.
“What brings you to Canterlot?” Twilight's youngest child asked.
“I'm afraid I have some bad news,” Twilight told them, her smile fading. Both girls listened intently as she explained. “The minotaurs have declared war.”
“That means Dad and Evening Star won't make it to the party,” Midnight surmised, her and Amethyst's ears drooping in disappointment.
“I'm afraid so,” Twilight confirmed.
“But my Dad is still coming, right?” the young kirin asked hopefully.
“That's the other part of it. You see, he's started another growth spurt.” If Amethyst's spirits had been lowered before, they just sunk like a stone at this point. She didn't remember her father's first growth spurt, but it had been explained to her. She knew that he would have to sleep for a period of time.
“But he'll be awake in time for the party, won't he?” Twilight placed a hoof on her granddaughter's mane and stroked it comfortingly.
“I'm not sure sweetheart, but I hope so,” she tried to reassure her disappointed granddaughter. “He only slept two days the first time, maybe few only sleep for a few more this time.”
“Yeah, maybe...” Amethyst was still downtrodden. She always knew that something like this might happen one day, but she never expected it to happen on her birthday.
*****
Prince Narcissus entered his family manor on his estate in Canterlot. The servants greeted him as he walked by them, but he paid no heed to them and headed up the grand staircase to his chambers. He was only nineteen, but he was already the head of the illustrious House of Blueblood. He inherited the position when his father disappeared the past year. Prince Blueblood last seen leaving a nightclub in Manehattan. He was in the company of two mares; one was a red Pegasus with a blond mane and the other was a bubblegum pink Earth Pony with a mint green mane. He was reported missing, but was never found. Eventually, his estate had him declared dead and nopony could find a trace of the two mysterious mares.
As a Blueblood, Narcissus was a direct descendant of the younger sibling of Queen Platinum, Princesses Celestia and Luna's mother and first ruler of the united Kingdom of Equestria along with her husband, King Hurricane. This made him the Royal Alicorn Sisters' first cousin fifty-two (or something like that) times removed. Since Celestia and Luna were immortal, they wanted to better connect with their subjects and used their mortal relatives' line as a means to do so. However, that line had degrade over the centuries and its members were consumed by pride, greed, and a sense of self-entitlement. When Midnight referred to Narcissus as “Grand Poobah,” she wasn't exaggerating too much. Though the title was hereditary, many of the more noble members of the house lived up to their responsibilities and did great things for their subjects. Others, like Narcissus and his father before him, only soiled the once good name of Blueblood.
Narcissus and his father, the previous Prince Blueblood, believed that Twilight Sparkle and her family was usurping power from his family. In the beginning, it was just their family and the diarchs. Once Princess Luna was possessed by the Nightmare Forces and Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, the house gained more political power in order to support Celestia, who had just become the sole ruler of Equestria, in her royal duties. For a thousand years their family enjoyed their positions of power until one day a little pink Pegasus filly became an Alicorn and Celestia adopted her as her royal niece. This was quite the controversy amongst the nobility. Until that moment, they were only second in power to the Princess of the Sun and Moon, but now it seemed a pony who wasn't even of noble birth might hold more power than they did. However, they were thankful that it seemed like it turned out that she didn't have any responsibilities and held no more power than they did, but the public adored her and that was a threat enough. Then Princess Luna returned and reclaimed her position as the Princess of the Night. Once again, this was a major shift in the balance of power. With the return of her sister, Celestia wouldn't need the nobles as much and then there were the events of the Crystal Empire returning and Celestia's personal student becoming an Alicorn Princess as well. The House of Blueblood's fears were intensified when Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor were made the rulers of the Crystal Empire and Princess Twilight became the Princess of Friendship. Equestria now was an oligopoly with Celestia and Luna as the co-rulers of the kingdom and with Cadance and Twilight just beneath them.
Narcissus seethed in anger as he thought about these things. He went to his bedchamber and stood on the balcony, overlooking the city. What made matters worse for him was that Cadance and Twilight's offspring were also made royalty and seemed to hold more power than he did. Some of them weren't even ponies! He stamped his hoof and gave an irritated cry.
“Is something the matter, dear?” a silky voice chuckled from behind him. Narcissus turned his head to see the light pink Unicorn mare lounging on his bed. Her golden mane half veiled her face and she stared at him with a sultry look on her face, her orange eyes half-lidded.
“Of course not,” he said to her, smirking as he approached the bed. She stretched her limbs like an overgrown cat as he sat beside her on the satin sheets. “On the contrary, our plans are proceeding perfectly.”
“I take it you secured the rights to the fort then.”
“Yes, and we're even ready to move on the next part of the plan,” he told his mistress.
“Oh?” she stated, raising an interested brow.
“I know when and where exactly the children of the Elements of Harmony will be alone this coming up weekend,” he announced with a victorious grin on his face.
“You're kidding,” she said excitedly as she sat up a bit, grinning in anticipation.
“Yes, the lizard told me all about it herself,” he told her as he elaborated on the details.
“The fool. She's practically delivering herself and her friends to us on a silver platter.”
“We must act quickly. We must be in position by then. I'll send word to your forces immediately.” He started to get up, but the mare placed a hoof on his to stop him.
“Yes. But first, I need a little snack,” she told him with a smoldering look in her eyes. He smiled at her and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss, both of them moaning blissfully. After holding the embrace for a few moments, they broke apart and she appeared to be sucking in a green vapor that emitted from his mouth. He once again headed to door, leaving her licking her lips. She gave satisfied sigh and her eyes briefly flashed green. “Delicious.”