The two great dragons approached, the Everfree forest parting before them. The ranks of guardstallions were, to a pony, sweating as the giant beasts came at them. Tales of legendary ferocity and power they'd all heard as colts playing through their heads. Crossbows and spears were shaking as the hooves and wings holding them quivered.
At the head of the ranks, princess Celestia stood firm, staring impassively at the approaching behemoths. The ground around her hooves trembled and shook, small pebbles bouncing around as the two of them came at a quick trot.
“T-Twilight...” Spike whimpered. “That's the-”
“I know Spike.” she said.
“But he's the one that-”
“I know Spike, don't worry, I'll keep you safe.” Twilight quickly said back to him.
“Safe from what? And who's that big dragon to spike?” Dash asked.
“Not now Rainbow!” Twilight hissed at her friend.
A few great draconic strides before they cleared the forest's edge the male pulled ahead of the female in two galloping strides, came to a complete stop and put his left wing out barring the female's path. The female came up short, ending up sitting on her haunches.
“Mr. Thorntail, what on earth-” The assembled ponies, baby dragon, and draconequus heard the female say in a deep, resonant, and cultured sounding feminine voice.
“Apologies my lady, but I must insist you let me go first.” the huge green male said in a deep rumble.
“Whatever for? I told you that-”
“Yes, yes, that everything would be cleared up, but look at them. Those arbalesters are shaking so hard they might loose their bolts without even meaning to.” Several ranks of Guardsponies blinked and looked down at their weapons, blushed, and forced themselves to stop shaking. “Allow me to go first, please. Your scales are not even hardened yet, and I would not bear to see you injured again.”
“Does this seem weird to anypony else?” Applejack asked those around her. There was a round of slow nods.
“More draconic honor, Mr. Thorntail?” The white female asked.
“Quite, my lady.”
The white female sighed. “Very well. I suppose I rather would not like to be stuck by spears and arrows over a misunderstanding.” She said, to which Rainbow Dash snorted. “Go ahead, but please try to be diplomatic.”
“I'll try, my lady.”
And with that, 'Mr. Thorntail' stepped out past the invisible barrier that was the Everfree forest, and into the open field between the trees and the small army of golden clad guardsponies.
“Before we begin, I will make one thing absolutely clear.” he spoke to the amassed group of ponies, though his enormous voice carried well into ponyville itself. “I am here to speak to you on behalf of the female behind me. She has asked that I forgive what occurred two days ago, and do naught but speak.” To this, a near palpable relief flooded over those present, but froze as he continued with; “I have agreed, but I assure you, if any further harm comes to her from any of you here, the retribution I pay upon you will be the stuff of legend.”
“Mr. Thorntail! There is no reason to be so threatening!” the white female said, aghast.
“I hear you, Sir Thorntail.” Celestia's voice cut through the air via a subdued form of the royal voice. “Guards! Sheathe your weapons. We shall not break the peace.”
“Well that's disappointing. And here I thought we were going to 'mix things up' as it were.” Discord said, forelegs crossed
The green dragon's orange eyes snapped to the source, and then widened in confusion. “What in the thousand peaks of Tartarus is that thing?”
“Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners, I haven't introduced myself yet.” Discord said, then snapped his talons and appeared in the air between the green dragon and Celestia. “I am Discord, Draconequus extraordinaire, and manifestation of the powers of chaos.” he finished, conjuring a hat and using it to elegantly bow.
“Charmed I'm sure...” the green dragon growled.
“Oh, no need to be testy, I mean, I was only called here to do battle with you,” at this the green dragon started growling. “But since you're not going to throw the first blow I’m hardly going to do much. Boring as it may be. I did promise a friend.”
“See that you don't. Believe me, it wouldn't end well for you.” came the response.
“Mr. Thorntail! For goodness sake, will you stop trying to pick a fight!” the white female exclaimed.
“I'm not picking a fight, I'm simply warning them what will happen.”
“In a very inflammatory way! What are you trying to do, make the avatar of chaos angry?”
“Sensible, that white one.” Applejack commented while the two dragons continued to argue.
“Yes... she's nothing like the dragons we met at the migration.” Twilight said.
“Just out of curiosity, sugarcube, how many dragons did ya actually meet, anyway?”
“Erm... Mostly this bunch of teenaged dragons.”
“Just teenagers?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Teenagers ain't 'zactly the most level headed folk to begin with, sug'.”
“Quiet! Something's about to happen!” Pinkie Pie hissed.
The others looked back up in time to see the white dragoness take a few steps forward, past Mr. Thorntail, just as Discord teleported back to Fluttershy's side. “Thank you for being so patient Princess, I know this situation must have been very stressful.”
Celestia had fixed on a neutral expression. “You're welcome. Now, if you would, I have some questions we need answering.”
The dragoness blinked. “Questions?”
“Yes, like what you were doing here in Ponyville, and what happened to the unicorn living in the house you destroyed.”
“Oh dear, I was afraid it might be like this.” The dragoness said.
“Afraid what might-” Celestia started to say, before a cry pierced the air and drew the attention of all eyes.
“What did you do to her!?”
Spike had stood up on Twilight's back, his hindpaws gripping into her barrel for stability (which was causing the young alicorn visual discomfort.
“Spike, calm down lil' fella-” Applejack started to say before the child yelled again.
“What did you do to her!?”
“What did I-” the white dragoness started, before Spike shouted again.
“Where is she? She was here, then you showed up and she's gone and we can't find her! What did you do?”
“I'm... what? I didn't-” the Dragoness started, looking confused.
“WHAT DID YOU DO WITH RARITY!?” Spike screamed at the top of his lungs, tears falling from his eyes onto twilight's withers.
“Oh for goodness sake Spike, I'm right here!” the dragoness said.
Celestia blinked. “What?”
“Huh?” everypony else chimed in.
The dragoness rolled her eyes. “It's me. Rarity.” The collected host of ponies stared at her with an expression of confusion... Though, escaping the dragon's notice, Celestia looked more shocked than anything. “The unicorn? Fashionista par excellence? Former bearer of the element of generosity? Your friend?”
Twilight blinked.
Spike sat down hard on Twilight's back, staring up at the white dragon with an open, slack jaw.
“Uh... I'm sorry but... that's kind of impossible... Innit?” Applejack said.
“I don't know... she is the right colors...” Pinkie Pie said.
“Right colors my haunch! Anyone with a couple buckets of paint can be the right color! How do we know you're telling the truth?” Rainbowdash retorted.
The dragoness sighed. “Two days ago, I went around and delivered dresses for the Grand Galloping gala personally to each of you girls, then went on the train all the way to Canterlot, delivered twenty more to the various nobles, and then finally gave the last one to Twilight.”
The ponies there, guards included started to shift at that.
“Okay... that's pretty good... but any pony in ponyville could've overheard that!” Rainbow shot back.
The dragoness' eyes narrowed. “Very well.” she said, then took a deep breath, which made every guard there stiffen and raise their shields, expecting a blast of flame.
Instead, the dragoness began speaking. “Rainbow Dash, I had to stand under your cloud house for nearly half an hour shouting at you before you woke up, at ten in the morning. Pinkie Pie-” she shifted her gaze to the pink earth pony. “You were in the middle of Snails' birthday party, and I was worried you'd get frosting or punch or something on your dress, so you told me to deliver it straight to your room in sugar cube corner, so I had to talk to the cakes to let me into your room. Applejack” She shifted her gaze again. “You were out in the southwestern fields monitoring the trees for any, and I quote, 'Apple scab', which you explained to me at great length for nearly forty minutes. Fluttershy,” Another shift. “you were home and just on your routine, but my hooves were aching, and you could tell without me even saying anything, so we shared tea from a teapot that Discord had enchanted to move about on its own, and it served any drink one would ask for. So I named a neighponese tea, and the set transformed itself into a complete Neighponese tea set, and performed, all by itself, the entire traditional tea ceremony. And Twilight.” She shifted her gaze once again. “When we had tea after I finally delivered your dress and tiara in the evening Spike showed me his treasure chest, and gifted me a single flawless arctic diamond for my necklace, after which you gave me a little private chat.”
Twilight and her friends all stared up at the dragoness, eyes went wide as saucers.
“Girls, is that accurate?” Twilight asked, turning and looking at her friends.
“Uh... yeah, I kept having a dream that Rarity was calling my name before I woke up and still heard her.” Rainbow Dash said.
“Oh, yeah! I was really into running that party and I only saw rarity for a moment, but the dress was in my room when I got home later.” Pinkie said with a nod.
“Apple scab. Yup, talked her ear off about it while she followed me around with that package.” Applejack confirmed.
“Oh my...” Fluttershy whimpered, still staring at the pale dragoness before them.
“Oh fer... she's dun locked up.” Applejack said, facehoofing.
“Is something the matter?” Discord asked, looking down at Fluttershy.
“She's got Dragon phobia.” Twilight said.
“Dragon phobia?” Discord's eyes widened. “Oh... dear me, she never mentioned such a thing. I mean, I’m part dragon myself.”
“She's only afraid of full grown dragons like those.” Applejack interjected.
“Oh, well that's distressing.” Discord said, prodding Fluttershy with his goat hoof.
“Discord, please, this is important. Did you enchant her tea set?” Twilight asked.
“Certainly! Being a good friend I wanted to help her out. Fluttershy drinks a lot of herbal teas to help her nerves. I figured having whatever tea she needed at nothing more than a spoken request would help her. I also thought the physical preparation bit was an inspired touch.”
“Ok, so that bit's accurate... Twilight?” Applejack asked the small Alicorn.
“Well... yeah, she did get Spike to give her a diamond from his hoard... and we spoke in private about tha-AH! Spike!” Twilight suddenly yelped as Spike leapt off her back and knocked her to the ground from his launch. He then proceeded to leapfrog from the backs and heads of a guard in each of the ranks until he was out in the open and sprinting as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Straight towards the dragoness.
* * * * *
I had gone from fearing for her safety, to fearing for her life, to hating this dragoness that had no doubt taken her from me. How couldn't I? Everything I saw, everything I knew was telling me she was gone. I'd never felt so empty in my life. That the most beautiful, perfect mare in the world was gone and it was one of my kind that had did it.
Now, she stood before me, big as a house and wearing the shape of one of my kind, one I’d never seen before, not even during the migration. But it's her. It's her and she's standing right there.
Twilight's calling my name from behind me, I'm running through the ranks of the guard and I don't even remember getting off her back. Then I’m out in the field, my face is wet, it's hard to see, and then I throw myself at her foreleg, wider than two pony lengths, and hold on tight, pressing my face against it and trying to stop my eyes from watering.
“Spike?” Rarity says in that new voice, but I can hear her in there. It's her. I know it.
“I thought you were dead!” I cry. I don't want to cry, I’m supposed to be happy, Rarity's back, why am I crying?
“Oh dear... Spike, it's okay darling, I'm here.” she says, lifting her leg, and me, up closer to her face.
I'm now laying on top of her foreleg as she holds me there. I look up at her face, it's still all blurry. I wipe my eyes and it clears. Her face is covered in thin, small scales that look like alabaster, and she has head spines kind of like the other dragon there, only shorter, covered in purple scales, and they don't curl at all like her mane. Her horn is still spiraled, but it looks longer than it should be, and it curves and comes to a really sharp looking point. But her eyes... eyes bigger than I am and with a pupil like mine, are still that deep, deep blue that I feel like I could just fall into forever.
I sniffle and wipe my snout with my foreleg, and give her the best smile I can, but I still hiccup from wanting to cry.
“Oh, Spikey, I'm so sorry I worried you...” She said, then brought my close to her chest, covered in pale blue scales, and lays me against it. Cradling me to her with her paws... it feels like a stone bench in Canterlot on a sunny day. Warm and smooth, but there's a little give... she's alive. Warm and soft and alive...
And I spread my arms out and return the hug she's giving me. And everything's finally all right again.