Gentle shaking pulled Cliff from his slumber.
“Time to wake up, young one,” his grandfather's voice said.
He blinked groggily and hugged River Wind, who was still asleep in his arms. The faint scent of roasted meat touched his nose. “Morning, Grandpa. Need a claw with breakfast?”
“Fire Eyes and your grandmother have it covered. Oh, and be careful not to wake those two.” He pointed to Spike and Twilight, who were also sleeping. “They both had a hard time falling asleep last night.”
Cliff felt a surge of familial affection as he looked at his younger brother, finally sleeping in a nest like a normal wyrm. After uncurling himself from around the little hatchling, Cliff got out of the nest. “When do we go to the hospital?”
“Once breakfast has been cleaned up,” Burning Torch replied. His brown scales and bright red spikes really did make him look like a torch in the predawn light. “In the meantime, I was hoping you could tell me what to expect at the ball tonight.”
Cliff stretched out one leg until he heard something pop. With a satisfied sigh, he switched to the other. “I've only observed one for a few minutes, but from what I saw, everypony will be dressed in fancy clothing to show off their wealth and/or importance, and trying to ally themselves with those who have more political power.”
Burning Torch stared down at himself. “Hm, perhaps I should prepare a glamour spell or two. It would make the point that we aren't savages, while quietly reinforcing that our ways are different. Maybe I should speak with Rarity. Her expertise in fashion would certainly be useful.”
“It couldn't hurt,” Cliff agreed.
Pop.
Ah, that feels good. Cliff reflected on how nice it had been to just be a dragon again, surrounded by other dragons. He wished he could share moments like these with Fluttershy, even if he knew she would never be really comfortable in them... the same Fluttershy who would be arriving at the palace for breakfast soon. Uh oh.
A hasty explanation and a burst of speed later, Cliff landed in front of the palace. A few windows rattled as the sonic boom caught up with him, but he was too relieved to care. Fluttershy hadn't arrived yet. The stars only knew how upset she would be if she thought he was trying to avoid her.
Ignoring the curious looks from his sudden arrival, Cliff went inside to wait.
After a few minutes, the door opened and he heard Fire Eyes calling, “Hey, Cliff? You in here?”
“Yeah,” Cliff replied as he came down the stairs. “What's going on?”
“Your special dragoness. Pony-ess. The yellow one. Whatever. She's at the house.”
“Fluttershy.” Confusion made it easier to avoid rolling his eyes. “What's she doing there?”
“No clue.” Fire Eyes shrugged. “I was in the kitchen at the time. All I heard was Burning Torch suggesting that somedragon go get you, so I volunteered.” She grinned. “Race you back?”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Fluttershy was eating breakfast with the others when they arrived, sitting between Twilight and River as they talked. She smiled apologetically when they walked in. “Good morning, Cliff.”
“Morning, Fluttershy.” Cliff quickly filled a plate for himself, and maneuvered River onto his lap as he sat next to the yellow pegasus. “I didn't expect to see you here.”
“Oh, sorry.” She looked a little guilty. “I stopped by to wish your family a good morning, but then Twilight and Spike were here, and they all invited me to join them for breakfast.”
“'Invited' is probably the wrong word,” Fire Claws said. “We informed her that we wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.”
“I hope you weren't waiting for me long,” Fluttershy whispered.
Cliff laughed a little in relief. “No, I was actually worried that I had kept you waiting.”
“Oh,” her expression lifted, “I'm glad. I mean, I'm not glad that you were worried. I'm glad that you aren't upset.”
“Why would Cliff be upset?” Twilight asked incredulously.
“Well, I wasn't there for our... date. I thought he might think that I didn't want to talk to him anymore.” She blushed.
“I was actually worried that you might think the same thing about me if I wasn't at the palace this morning.” Cliff wrapped his arms around her. “You know I love to see you, but... I'd understand if something came up and you couldn't make it sometimes. I promise I wouldn't be upset.”
Twilight nodded approvingly.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered into his shoulder. “I feel the same about you. I would understand if you were busy, that is.”
Cliff took his time letting go. He rather enjoyed the feel of her coat against his scales, and the scent of her mane as he nuzzled into it, and the way her wings tickled his arms, and... well, everything about hugging her, really. Once again, he found himself wishing pony society didn't have its strange taboo against sleeping next to members of the opposite gender.
“You two should hug more often,” Fire Claws observed casually. “You both enjoy it more than you're letting on.”
“Grandma!” Cliff said.
“What?” She spread her arms in a shrug. “It's true.”
Spike and Twilight chuckled.
“Sorry,” Cliff whispered into Fluttershy's ear. “She doesn't really get subtlety.”
“It's okay.” She whispered back, though she was bright red.
Fire Claws rolled her eyes. “I'll be subtle when you two learn to tell each other what you want. This whole situation could have been avoided if you were just more open about your wants and expectations.”
“A conversation you should have in private, of course,” Burning Torch added, “but your grandmother is right, Cliff. A heart-to-heart every now and then can do amazing things.”
With a sigh, Cliff nodded and started on his food.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Because he wanted to spend more time with her, and he knew his grandmother would bring it up if he didn't, Cliff invited Fluttershy along to visit the hospital. In spite of voicing a few concerns that she would just be in the way, the yellow mare seemed glad that he had asked.
A covert wink and grin from Fire Claws confirmed that he had done the right thing. Her emotion-reading magic could be pretty useful sometimes, when she wasn't using it to embarrass him.
Twilight was a little shocked to discover that they hadn't talked to the hospital staff the day before. Apparently visits were supposed to be scheduled. In spite of that, she explained what was going on at the front desk, and within minutes they were speaking to one of the doctors, a tan unicorn with a brown mane.
“Your help is very much appreciated,” he told them, “but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a moment while we decide which patients need your attention the most.”
“You may want to create two separate lists,” Burning Torch suggested. “Seeing as how my wife and Fire Eyes,” he gestured towards the two, “both know advanced healing, Cliff and myself are both competent, and Spike and Princess Twilight Sparkle are both relatively inexperienced with this type of magic.”
With a thoughtful nod, the doctor walked away to consult some charts.
Cliff Runner and Fluttershy sat a little apart from the others as they waited.
“So...” The dragon shifted uncomfortably. “Do you wish we hugged more often?”
“I, well,” Fluttershy looked away. “Yes. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to push you to anything you didn't want.”
Her words made Cliff feel warm inside. “I felt the same.”
“So...” she turned to look at him. “Are there other things that you wish we did?” Coming from anydragon/pony else, that would have sounded a little dirty. Coming from Fluttershy, it was innocent and caring.
“Well, there is one thing.” Cliff looked away. “I understand why we don't, though.”
“Oh.” She blushed. “You wish we could... sleep together, right?”
“Like I said,” he added hastily. “I understand why we don't.”
Fluttershy nodded. “We could... um, hold each other, sometimes. If you think it would help, that is.”
Cliff felt his mouth go a little dry at her suggestion. Even so, he felt the urge to swallow before answering. “I'd... like that. Assuming you would, of course.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
The doctor returned with a white earth pony mare. “As you suggested,” he said after they had gathered around, “we made two lists. Nurse Redheart and I will each lead a group, starting with our most critical patients.”
Fire Claws grabbed her husband and Spike for one group, leaving Cliff with Fire Eyes and Twilight for the other. River sat on her sister's back. She didn't know any healing magic, but they hadn't wanted to leave her behind.
Apparently satisfied with this, the doctor directed Cliff's group to follow him. They walked to an area called the ICU.
Cliff immediately regretted bringing Fluttershy with them. Some of the patients had missing limbs. Others were deathly ill. Burns, cuts, poisoning, and internal injuries were everywhere. It was enough to make even his stomach churn.
The pegasus at his side was visibly paling.
“You don't have to stay here,” he whispered to her.
“No.” She steeled herself. “I want to support you all. Even if all I can do is be there for you.”
Cliff nuzzled her briefly before they got to work. He quickly discovered that the ponies had a different idea of what qualified as a major injury. Most of the internal injuries or burns could be handled by Twilight, albeit somewhat slowly, and with a poor ratio of willpower in to results out, but that was only because of the spell she was using. Broken bones required Cliff's more powerful magic, and he had to use a different type of spell entirely for poison, and another for diseases. Fire Eyes had to take care of any severed limbs or brain damage. Cancer was a particularly difficult thing for dragon magic, requiring all three of them to link before curing it.
It was draining work, and strangely quiet. All the doctors had fallen silent as Twilight and the others began, and that attitude seemed to have rubbed off on the patients as well. A few thanked them and/or wept, but for the most part, they just stared in shock as their healer moved on, and the doctors came to verify their recovery.
Cliff wouldn't have minded so much if it weren't for the fact that Twilight was thanked much more than he or Fire Eyes, combined. Apparently being healed by a dragon just didn't make sense to these ponies. More than one thanked Fluttershy after Cliff was finished healing them, and then fell silent when she explained that she hadn't done anything.
Nearly an hour later, Cliff was struggling to keep his eyes open, but the entire hall had been cleared. Fire Eyes was doing better, but she was obviously having trouble focusing. Twilight actually seemed to be faring the best out of them. He wondered if it was the result of being an alicorn, or if it was just her unnaturally strong will.
“Okay,” Fire Eyes yawned. “Where to next?”
“I- Oh, this way.” The doctor seemed to come out of a trance. “I can't believe they're all healed.” He laughed. “That was amazing! With any luck, you'll put me out of a job soon!”
Cliff couldn't muster the energy to reflect on the unicorn's words. He just followed after the retreating stallion.
“Uh, Cliff?” Fluttershy whispered as they walked. “Are you okay? Do you need to rest?”
“Running low on willpower.” He yawned. “I'll be fine after a nap.”
Fire Eyes shook her head to clear it. “I think I'll join you.”
“I agree.” Twilight yawned as well.
As they waited in front of the next room, Cliff found himself leaning on Fluttershy. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but she was just so soft and warm that he couldn't help nuzzling into her pink mane and purring softly...
…
Somepony loudly cleared their throat.
Cliff jumped, coming awake with a start. Fire Eyes and Twilight were both trying not to laugh, and the doctor had returned.
“We're ready for you now.” He held the door open for them.
“Sorry,” the young dragon whispered to Fluttershy.
She hugged him with one of her wings. “It's okay. It was... cute.”
Cliff hugged her back as they walked into the room.
It was the burn ward. The irony of dragons healing burn patients wasn't lost on any of them, but the mood was anything but humorous. The place smelled horrible, a combination of burnt hair, charred flesh, and antiseptics. Worse were the victims themselves. Some had relatively small burns, but others were nearly covered by their injuries. Every one of their eyes was filled with a mixture of pain, resignation, and despair. It was enough to snap even Cliff out of his daze.
As before, most of the patients just watched in dumbfounded silence as the three of them worked. Also as before, Twilight received more thanks than both dragons combined. In fact, a few of them whimpered in fear or tried to back away from Cliff and Fire Eyes. Unlike before, however, Cliff couldn't find it within him to be upset by these facts.
Dragons were immune to heat.
Looking at each pain-filled eye, Cliff began to feel guilty about that. He would never understand their suffering, so what right did he have to second-guess how they acted?
“Fluttershy?”
“Yes?”
“I'll run out of willpower soon. Just find a place for me to rest when that happens.”
Despite the concern in her eyes, she nodded. “Okay.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
“Whew.” Spike stood up from healing yet another large cut. “Is that better?”
The stallion moved his foreleg experimentally. “It doesn't hurt at all. Thank you so much!”
Spike shrugged. “Aw, it was nothing.” He knew each of his grandparents were healing nearly double as many ponies as him, and ones with far worse injuries to boot. “Take care.”
“I will!” the stallion promised as he left.
“Okay,” Spike said, coming back into the hallway. “Who's next?”
“Actually,” Nurse Redheart smiled, “that's the last of them.”
“Really?” The young dragon looked around. His grandparents were resting behind the nurse, but the rest of the hall was deserted. “Alright, where to now?”
“Well,” she checked her clipboard, “we could see how the others are doing.”
“Sounds good.” Spike roused his grandparents, and they all followed the white earth pony.
“How are you holding up?” Fire Claws asked as they walked.
“It's getting kinda hard to focus,” Spike admitted, “but I'm still okay.”
“Good.” She yawned. “I don't want you to get too worn out before your ball tonight.”
“Uh, thanks?” His grandmother jumped randomly between being overprotective and working him half to death. He still wasn't sure how to respond to it.
They reached the burn ward, and found that it was free of patients as well.
“Oh, they must have finished already.” Nurse Redheart turned and led them down another hallway. “They must be waiting in the lobby.”
She was mostly right. Twilight and Fire Eyes were waiting for them. Cliff was passed out on a bench, with Fluttershy sitting anxiously next to him.
Lucky sucker.
His brother had just arrived in Ponyville a little over three weeks ago, and already there was a mare that cared about him in that special way. Not only had Rarity never cared about Spike like that, but his relationship with her had actually gotten worse since he became an adult. Sure they worked together often while collecting donations and organizing the ball, but it was strictly as business partners.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Spike met Twilight with a hug.
“How did it go?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Meh. Cast the spell, maintain it until the patient recovers, find a new patient, repeat. What happened to Cliff?”
“Oh, don't worry. He just used up too much willpower. Fire Eyes says he'll be fine after a few hours of sleep.”
“He never did have much stamina for magic,” Fire Claws muttered. “Should we leave him there, Princess Twilight?”
She shook her head. “No, we'll take him to the palace. He'll be more comfortable in his own bed.”
The purple dragoness stretched her arms. “Right. I guess I'll carry him.”
“Don't worry about it,” Twilight said. “I can manage. Fluttershy, are you ready to go?”
The pegasus nodded.
“Alright then.” Purple light surrounded Twilight's horn. A similar field enveloped the sleeping dragon, lifting him into the air. “I can't thank you enough for all the ponies you've helped today,” she said to the group. “Celestia only knows how many lives you've saved.”
The dragons all nodded or shrugged as they followed her outside.
Flashing lights nearly blinded them all as the roar of voices surrounded them.
Spike sighed.
Paparazzi. It was actually surprising that it had taken them this long to show up, given how public Celestia had been about the Cultural Exchange Program. “Hey, Twilight, how many do you think you could hit with one of your death beams?”
She gave him a dirty look. “That's not funny, Spike.” To the others, she said, “Just ignore them and push through.”
It was easier said than done. Not only were there dozens of reporters, but quite a few of the town's residents had gathered as well. Spike could also see many of the ponies they had healed, cheering in the crowd.
Luckily, Fluttershy seemed more concerned about Cliff than the herd of ponies. Spike had worried that she would freak out from all the attention.
“You know this isn't working, right?” he asked when he realized the crowd was moving with them.
“Just keep moving,” Twilight groaned.
“Actually, I have a better idea. You go on without me.” Spike turned to the crowd. “Excuse me, everypony! Could I have your attention, please?”
A few ponies continued to pester Twilight and the rest, but most of them stopped to face Spike, launching a barrage of questions.
He tried to answer them, but his voice was lost over the noise of the crowd. After several failed attempts, Spike sighed and took a deep breath. “I CAN'T TALK IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!” It wasn't the royal Canterlot voice, but it was close.
The crowd shut up.
“Thank you.” Spike lowered his voice to something more reasonable. “As you all know, yesterday marked the start of a Cultural Exchange Program between ponies and dragons. We wanted to see if the two races could coexist peacefully, and if they could help make each others' lives better. I was raised by Celestia and Twilight, so the answer to the first question seemed pretty obvious to me. As for the second, try talking to the former hospital patients that are walking around right now. Then do me a favor, when you're writing your articles, ask your readers if they still think dragons are a bunch of monsters.
“Now if you'll excuse me, my brother used up a bit too much magic while healing patients, and I want to check up on him.” Spike ignored any further questions as he forced his way through the crowd.
-_-_-_-_-_-
“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said as he entered the palace living quarters, locking the door behind him. “Why don't you write up a royal decree banning all paparazzi from Ponyville?”
Twilight, who was busy pouring tea for his grandparents, rolled her eyes. “You know I can't do that, Spike.”
“Yeah, but they don't,” he reasoned, walking past the stack of books that Noteworthy must have delivered that morning. “By the time they figure out it's fake, they'll be halfway to Manehatten.”
She didn't dignify that with a response.
“Maybe I should research an invisibility spell,” Fire Claws said. “I know you warned us about reporters, but I never imagined they'd be that bad.”
Burning Torch actually smiled. “If they had to tell all of Equestria about any one thing we've done, healing a group of ponies is probably one of the better options.”
“I agree,” Twilight said. “You healed well over one hundred ponies today. If that doesn't convince everypony that dragons are good, I don't know what will.”
“Yeah, speaking of good dragons,” Spike looked around, “where are Cliff and the others?”
“He's sleeping in his room,” Twilight replied. “Fire Eyes and River Wind went back to the Dragon House.”
“Okay.” Spike left the three of them to their tea.
Cliff was asleep in his bed, with Fluttershy sitting at his side.
Lucky...
“Hi, Spike,” the yellow mare whispered with a smile as he approached.
“Hey, Fluttershy. How's Cliff?”
She motioned for him to come closer.
As he did, Spike heard a faint rumbling. Confused, he leaned down next to his brother. “Wait a minute, is he... purring?”
Fluttershy had one of those smiles she normally reserved for fuzzy animals. “Isn't it so cute?”
His older brother was purring like a cat. 'Cute' wasn't the word Spike would have used. “Uh, yeah. He sure is adorable.” Spike went back downstairs wondering if all dragons purred, or if Cliff was just weird that way.
“Some of us do,” Burning Torch said when he asked. “About one-eighth of all dragons, in fact.”
“Strange,” was all Spike could think to say. “Anyway, I'm going over to Rarity's. Maybe you should come, Grandpa. She might be able to throw an outfit together for you before we leave.”
“I would be happy to accompany you.” The older dragon finished his tea and arose. “However, I don't think clothing will be necessary.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Luckily, most of the paparazzi had dispersed. Those that remained, however, swarmed the two dragons all the way to the boutique. Spike dropped a few comments about Twilight banning reporters in Ponyville, just to see if they would take the hint. No such luck.
“Ah, there you are, Spike,” Rarity beamed as they walked in. “And you too, Burning Torch. Do come in.”
The boutique looked about like normal, if one didn't count the especially extravagant outfit that Rarity was standing beside. The idea of co-hosting a formal ball among Canterlot nobles had made her so excited that she had gone into a creative frenzy to design something worthy of the occasion.
“Is it finished?” Spike asked as they walked over to her.
“Yes, just barely.” She nodded to herself as she inspected her work. “What do you think?”
Now that he was closer, Spike could see intricate fire patterns covering the garment. They seemed to change color every time he moved his head. “It looks like Rainbow Dash's fire. Just like you hoped.”
“That's wonderful to hear, darling.” Rarity gave him a satisfied smile. “I could hardly sleep for fear of disappointing those in attendance with a mediocre ensemble after they gave so many bits to make your fellow dragons feel welcome in Ponyville.”
“You designed for a royal wedding, and Twilight's coronation,” Spike pointed out. “Your fashion sense is anything but mediocre.”
Rarity glowed at the compliment. “Why thank you, Spike. Your flattery is very kind. Not that I don't deserve it, of course.”
“True,” Spike agreed. “Anyway, you said you wanted to do some alterations on my tux?”
“Ah, yes.” Rarity gestured to where his tuxedo was hanging up. “Put it on so that I can see what needs to be adjusted.”
“I would actually like your advice on something as well,” Burning Torch said as his grandson got dressed.
“Of course.” Rarity smiled. “How can I help?”
“I will be joining you at the ball tonight,” the older dragon explained. “I was hoping you wouldn't mind instructing me in both how to act and how to look.”
“That's wonderful news!” She started to pour through her available clothes. The only thing that Rarity was as passionate about as fashion was proper etiquette. “Just let me find an outfit that can be modified to fit you.”
“That won't be necessary,” Burning Torch assured her. “There are simple illusion spells that wyrms can use to 'dress up' for special occasions. What I need is your help in deciding how I should apply them.”
“Using illusions,” Rarity said thoughtfully, “that's brilliant. Please, let me see how you normally use them. We can work from there.”
Burning Torch nodded. His scales changed to a deeper shade of brown, and became much more reflective. The red spikes on his head and back changed too, flickering through different shades of red and orange like an actual fire. They even began to glow softly. His claws also began to glow, but they were silvery white.
“Hmm...” Rarity walked around the dragon, inspecting him from every angle. “I'm afraid I don't know enough about dragon culture to recognize what sort of message this is meant to send.”
“It actually means peace and knowledge,” Burning Torch supplied. “However, I fear ponies may interpret it differently.”
“Peace and knowledge?” she repeated. “I'm sorry to say that it seems your fears are justified. What I see is a display of power.”
The dragon rubbed his chin. “Perhaps add glowing eyes?”
Rarity shook her head. “No, that would make it worse. In fact, could you stop the glow on your claws?” She waited while he did so. “Yes, that's better. Make your scales a little less reflective as well, if you wouldn't mind... good. Rather good, actually. What do you think, Spike?”
Spike finished the buttons on his shirt. “I think his spikes and your dress compliment each other very well.”
That was all he needed to say.
“I agree.” Rarity smiled. “You look perfect just like that. Oh, but that means Spike and Twilight will be the odd ponies out. If we're going fire themed, then we should do it all the way.” She turned to Burning Torch. “Would you be a dear and go collect Twilight? We only have a few hours until it's time to leave for Canterlot, and I shall require every minute to make the necessary changes.”
The older dragon let his spells fade. “Then I will strive to return with her as quickly as possible.” He bowed slightly before leaving.
“You really do have quite the charming grandfather, Spike.” Rarity commented before turning back to him. “Now, let's see what we can do with that jacket...”
-_-_-_-_-_-
By the time they boarded the train, shortly after a rushed lunch, Spike's tuxedo had been reworked with dozens of tiny gemstones to create flame-like patterns. He looked awesome in it, even if he said so himself.
Twilight's original dress had been set aside, and a dark blue one had been chosen instead. Working quickly, Rarity had added silver and purple flames. It looked good on her. Not as good as Rarity looked in her own dress, but nopony looked as good as Rarity, so he couldn't fault her for it.
After helping Twilight load the boxes of reprinted dragon books, Spike and his sister joined their companions in a private car. He was still feeling lightheaded from using magic all morning, and since Rarity's crash course on proper etiquette was going fine without him, he kicked back for a well deserved nap.
It felt like mere seconds later that Twilight was shaking him awake. “Spike, we're here.”
“How wonderful,” Spike muttered, glancing out at the afternoon sunlight. He grudgingly pulled himself onto all fours. “To the castle?” He yawned.
“Yes.” She nodded. “First we need to drop off those books with Celestia. Then we have to make sure the ballroom is just right, meet with the cooks, talk to the orchestra, and then get ready to greet our guests.”
Considering that this was Twilight he was dealing with, Spike blessed his good luck that the list was so short. He followed her, Rarity, and his grandfather without complaint.
Everything was perfect, of course. Celestia had asked her personal assistants to plan the ball, and they did things with a Twilight-level of meticulousness.
Since his mildly OCD sister had planned on the inspection taking much longer, Spike and the others found themselves in an empty ballroom with nearly an hour to kill before the guests would start arriving.
Truth be told, Spike would have liked to spend the time catching up with Celestia. She had helped raise him, after all, alongside Twilight's own parents. However, she was caught in a discussion with Twilight and Burning Torch about how pony and dragons cultures differed.
If he knew the white alicorn's mischievous smile, which Spike did, she was telling his grandfather exactly how to shock and/or confuse the nobles of Canterlot without looking worse for it. After countless years of rule, Celestia had turned bursting over-inflated egos into something of an art form.
With nothing else to do, Spike took a seat at Rarity's table. It wasn't that he wanted to avoid her, per se, but he would be lying if he said that being coworker-zoned for the last week hadn't hurt him. “Do you think you'll get any orders for dresses tonight?”
Rarity was admiring all of their outfits, even if Burning Torch wasn't technically wearing anything. “I should hope so, Spike. With any luck, all things dragon related will be very much in vogue by the end of the night.”
He nodded thoughtfully. Making dragons popular among the nobility would put pressure on anypony that was still speaking out against the Cultural Exchange Program. In addition, it would make them more likely to fund future projects. Sure, Rarity hadn't said any of that, but Spike had spent enough time with her to know what she meant.
“What are the other dragons like?” Rarity asked suddenly. “I'm afraid I haven't been able to speak with any of them at length other than your grandfather.”
“Well, Grandmother is...” Spike tried to think of the right word, “interesting. She's completely intense one minute, and cheerful and lovey the next. It's like a mixture of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.”
Rarity shuddered. “It sounds as though she is rather exhausting to be around.”
“Yeah,” Spike admitted, “but there's something about her. You feel like nothing can ever hurt you as long as she's around.” He shook himself out of his distracted thoughts. “Well anyway, I haven't talked with Fire Eyes much, but she idolizes Grandma. The two of them were the coven's main protectors.”
“Oh my.” Rarity's eyes widened. “Won't the coven be in danger without them?”
He shrugged. “None of them seem worried about it.”
“I suppose we will have to trust their judgement.” She paused for a moment. “And what about you, Spike? Are you still adjusting to your new... height?”
Wait, she's actually asking me that? Rarity had avoided all personal matters like the plague since his transformation, especially on the subject of his growth. “I'm used to it by now.” He shrugged. “It's the new mind that still surprises me.”
“New mind?” She looked at him quizzically.
“Adult minds are more powerful.” Spike tapped the side of his head. “I can actually understand what Twilight says most of the time now. It's still boring,” he added, “but at least I can understand it.”
Rarity laughed softly. “Even so, I doubt she would appreciate you calling her boring.”
“You can't blame the messenger,” Spike returned. “Boring is boring.”
She laughed again. “Be polite, Spike.”
“I'll try,” he promised before sobering. “I can think more clearly now too.”
Rarity's smile faltered. “...How do you mean?”
Spike looked her dead in the eyes. “You're beautiful, Rarity, but that's all I ever saw before.”
Were it not for the distance in his voice, she might have taken that for a romantic advance. The unicorn swallowed. “And what exactly do you see now?”
“A talented fashionista on her way to the top, a good business partner, and a potentially good friend.” Wrapped in the Stillness, Spike had no trouble being brutally honest. He wondered why Cliff didn't do this more often. “I'm sure you can imagine why I said 'potentially.'”
Rarity looked a little hurt, but she was the one who had been acting so distant for the last week. “I am sorry, Spike. I suppose, in spite of what you told me, I still feel guilty about you throwing away your childhood.”
“I didn't throw it away, Rarity, and childhood isn't something most wyrms try to protect.”
She looked surprised. “Whatever do you mean?”
“The only accomplishments wyrms care about involve either personal growth or helping their covens.” He looked back to where the others were talking. “Children can't do a lot of either, especially not anything worth remembering a few centuries later.”
Rarity was silent for a moment. “I must admit, I do not know very much about wyrms. However, you were still raised among ponies. You shouldn't go casting aside all of our values simply because an alternative was presented to you.”
“Actually,” Spike took a deep breath, “can we please talk about that now? I've needed to get some things off my chest for a while, and neither Twilight nor Cliff understands.”
Rarity gave him a very confused look. “Oh... of course. What do you need to talk about?”
He sighed in relief. “You remember the Great Dragon Migration?”
She nodded.
“After we got back, I decided that I was a pony, no matter how I looked on the outside. Then Cliff showed up, and I realized that I had a dragon family out there that loved me too. I might have been raised by ponies, but Cliff could understand things about me that nopony else could. He's immune to fire, like me. He's going to live for approximately twelve hundred years, like me. He can use dragon magic, like me. He eats gems, like me.” Spike paused before adding, “He could turn into a giant monster at any time, just like me.
“But that's only part of the problem,” the young dragon continued. “The more I learned about wyrm culture, the stranger it all seemed. They don't have money. They don't control the weather or the seasons. They kill and eat animals...” He sighed. “I figured I could just get used to it, in time, but last night I tried to sleep in a big pile with the new dragons. That's when I realized that there's a difference between Cliff and I. He just curled up with the rest of them and fell asleep like it was nothing. I could barely relax at all, let alone sleep.
“I kept thinking about how weird these new dragons were, and Cliff is just like them. I watched him get worked nearly to death by Fire Claws. Literally. There's a huge ditch out by the Dragon House that wasn't there until yesterday. Then she healed him and they both shrugged it off like it was normal. Hay, she didn't come because, if somedragon goes berserk back in Ponyville, it'll be her job to lead the team that kills them, and they're all okay with that!”
Spike shook his head. “I'm not really a pony, but I'm not really a dragon either. The fact is, I don't know what I am anymore. I don't even know what I want to be...” With forced nonchalance, he turned to his companion and said, “So, your thoughts?”
Rarity stared at him. “I... I am so sorry, Spikey.” Her voice cracked a little. “I had no idea that you were struggling with worries like this. Please forgive me for not realizing sooner.”
Spike's ears perked up when she said his old pet name. He smiled a little. “That's the first time in a while that you've called me 'Spikey.'”
She returned the smile, and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I suppose I wasn't sure if you would appreciate my using that nickname.”
“All you had to do was ask.”
Rarity nodded slowly. “You are right. I could have asked, and I should have. I was simply... too afraid, that my dear friend, Spikey-wikey, was gone forever.”
“I'm still Spikey-wikey,” Spike said reassuringly. “I'm just a bit taller and smarter now.”
“And rather more impressive in a tuxedo, I must say.” Rarity laughed softly, breaking the tension that had built up between them.
“Well obviously.” He put on his best over-the-top smile.
They both laughed at that, far more than the joke deserved.
“In regards to your questions,” Rarity said once they had both calmed down, “have you considered that there is nothing wrong with being half pony and half dragon? After all, this ball is meant to celebrate those who took the first steps in bringing our races together.”
Spike looked over to where his grandfather was still speaking with Celestia and Twilight. From the looks on their faces, something funny was being said. “You're right.” He smiled, thinking about his pony family and his dragon family. Why should I have to give up either? “I guess I just forgot that they're both good.” Spike paused and clapped a hand over his face. “Why didn't I talk to you earlier? I could have saved myself sooo much pointless stress.”
“You really are my Spike-wikey.” Rarity shook her head with an amused smile. “I hope you will feel comfortable speaking with me about your worries in the future.”
Chuckling a little that the answer had been in front of him all along, Spike nodded. “Of course.”
By the time the guests began to arrive, he and Rarity were talking just like old times. Well, maybe not just like old times. For one thing, Rarity was talking to him like an equal. It was a bit odd to the young dragon. So many of their previous conversations had amounted to her talking about fashion, politics, or rumors, while he mindlessly agreed. Now, however, she was asking for his input, and actually listening when he provided it. It was with a fair amount of regret that Spike joined Twilight and the others to welcome their guests.
Greeting them all took forever. The most annoying part was standing right next to Rarity and not being able to talk to her. Did she feel that spark earlier too, or am I just imagining things? Spike bit down his frustrations and told another stranger how happy he was to see her.