“Spike let’s talk,” Princess Celestia said.
Ah, there it was. Celestia didn’t need a bodyguard, Equestria’s security and prosperity were unmatched, a foal could make this flight without harm so what need did the mighty Princess Celestia have of a big mean dragon?
“I’m worried about you.”
Something to dote on.
“Why are you worried?” Spike replied.
“After Twilight passed you flew off to hay knows where, you didn’t even come to her memorial service, and you cut your first sleep short. Ignoring grief isn’t a healthy way to deal with it.”
Wind whipped past the two, filling the silence with its noise.
“I buried her,” Spike finally said. “I don’t remember where, I just flew until I ran out of tears and dug a grave under an oak tree on a hill. I didn’t want to go to Canterlot and see a bunch of preening nobles and ponies who only knew her from history books offer their empty condolences. I watched her die, what would they be able to offer as comfort.”
“Spike, I watched her die too.”
“You saw the end of her death, I saw all of it. I watched her grow grey and senile over decades. I had all but finished mourning her death long before it happened. If I cry it’s not for her, it’s for me. She gets to laugh and play in Elysium where time can never strip her friends or her mind away again, and I’m stuck here with nothing but a memory.”
“And running your health into the ground is your response to that? Spike it’s okay to miss her, we all do!”
“That’s just the thing, I’m not running my health into the ground. That study was never conclusive and I’ve finally found out why. Dragon’s don’t sleep out of necessity, they do it out of boredom. They push everypony and everything away to get more gold and jewels and at the end of the day when nothing is left to challenge their hoard they have nothing but a bunch of shiny rocks to help them pass eternity. So they sleep for decades at a time, hoping another generation will bring someone stupid enough to challenge them and a fight to pass the time.”
“Spike, that’s terrible,” Celestia said.
“We’re dragons; we’re not known for being cuddly.”
“I seem to remember a certain baby dragon that, for a time, cried every time he was not being held,” Celestia answered teasingly.
“Nurture over nature,” Spike answered flatly. “Speaking of cuddly I’ve been hearing things about you and Discord.”
Celestia stiffened. “It seems you arrived in the throne room before we heard you. Luna always did enjoy sneaking around to surprise me. How much did you hear?”
“Enough to know there’s no rush with the elements and enough to know that Discord has a pretty good understanding of things between us.”
“I take it you don’t approve.”
“I’ve seen him break the minds and hearts of ponies that just barely trusted him. I wouldn’t wish dating him on anypony,” Spike growled.
“Spike that’s unfair,” Celestia admonished, “You must forgive him for his past.”
“I did, that’s why I didn’t hunt down new bearers and turn him to stone years ago. It’s his future I’m more concerned about.”
“He will not try to hurt me.”
“Maybe not for a few decades. Centuries even. But he’s older than even you know. He’s seen and done everything a thousand times over. How long until he gets bored of romance and moves on to something else? We are his friends only until it stops amusing him to be our friend and when that happens we better pray that we’re ready.”
“Spike, are you implying that my paramour will grow bored of me?”
Spike brought a claw up to his face and growled into it. “That is what you took away from this?”
Celestia giggled. “Spike, I trust him. You don’t know him like I do so please, trust my judgment on this.”
“If Discord ever breaks that trust you let him know that he’ll wish I had used the elements on him.”
After their conversation Princess Celestia fell asleep on Spike’s back only an hour into the flight. A dragon and an avatar of the sun hardly felt cold at all so Spike chose a high and gentle glide for the rest of the flight.
Throughout the night Spike had only the glittering stars and his wandering thoughts to keep him company. He had not lied to Princess Celestia, his mourning of Twilight's death was a healthy grieving process, though not as healthy as he made it sound. He had spent the first two days of his sleepweeping in his cave and remembering times a century past.
when he finally did fall into his slumber he dreamed. more vividly than he ever had in his life he dreamed of the six best friends he could ever ask for. He saw them laughing together. Sharing pains and struggles and coming out closer for it. One by one they faded from the dream. New ponies came to take their places. Some he recognized but others seemed to lack any definition. They were present yet they defied detail and description. It was as if he was dreaming of ponies he hadn't met.
As dawn’s pink lit up the eastern sky Princess Celestia began to stir on Spike’s back. “This would be much more comfortable if you were just a bit bigger,” She said as she tried to stretch.
“I’ll keep that in mind next time I hit a growth,” Spike chuckled back.
“You do that, riding a dragon everywhere will do wonders for my image.”
“Ponies will wonder alright.”
“Oh hush you, it’s time for the sunrise.”
Spike felt a strange tingling sensation run up his spine. Being in the same room as Princess Celestia or Princess Luna when they did their thing always made him feel the power in his scales but having Princess Celestia raise the sun when she was standing on his back was something else. By the time she had finished Spike was gritting his teeth and clenching his claws to keep from rolling over and scratching the spot where she stood.
The bright golden rays chased away the darkness below them. A bright reflection caught Spike’s eye.
“Looks like we’re almost there,” he called back to Princess Celestia.
“Even from afar the Crystal Empire is more radiant than I remember. Begin our descent.”
Spike toyed with the idea of going into a nose dive but this was an official visit and appearances must be kept up. He pulled into a reluctantly gentle descent while Princess Celestia summoned a mirror to check her appearance.
Spike landed outside the large dome of the Crystal Heart. Inside a group of soldiers stood ready in crisp lines.
“Huh the parade armor isn’t as nice as I remember it being,” Spike said absently.
“Spike that isn’t—“
“—I know. You may want to make an appearance sooner rather than later.”
“Well let me down then. Jumping off a dragon is hardly a dignified way to make an appearance.”
“Right,” Spike grumbled as he settled onto his belly.
Princess Celestia delicately stepped off his shoulder and onto the ground. The line of armored ponies parted and a pale blue alicorn stepped out.
“Princess Celestia?” she called out.
“Ah Princess Shimmering Heart, how wonderful to see you again! It has been far too long.”
“Princess Celestia, we are always honored by your visits but what is that?” she said gesturing to Spike.
“A friend,” Princess Celestia said before Spike could answer. “Sir Spike is a knight of Equestria but I do believe the Crystal Empire had a different title for him.”
“Spike?!” Princess Shimmering Heart exclaimed. “A thousand pardons Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious, I did not recognize you.”
“You just had to start throwing around titles, didn’t you,” Spike groaned to Celestia. “Don’t worry about it,” Spike called out, “and please, just Spike.”
“Of course. But where are my manners, please come in out of the cold,” Princess Shimmering Heart said gesturing into the protective bubble of the Crystal Heart’s magic.
As Princess Celestia entered the lines of crystal ponies opened up before her and kept a respectful distance. Spike’s entrance was met with shocked expressions and fearful murmuring as Ponies scrambled not be near him.
As the crystal princess began walking beside him Spike leaned down to talk to her. “I’m guessing you don’t get dragons popping in for a friendly visit that often,” he said.
“No,” She said blushing, “They usually want to eat my city.”
“My race may be ancient but we are not wise,” Spike said with a heavy sigh. “I wish I could do more than apologize for their actions.”
“You already have. Every time they are stopped by the Crystal Heart which you returned to us; every time your actions save us yet again. The Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious has been a legend and a hero to the Crystal Empire for more than a century and for good reason. This empire owes you a debt we can never hope to repay. I wish I could do much more than this.” She leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on Spike’s cheek. “Thank you, Spike,” she whispered to him.
Celestia’s head whipped around as Spike stumbled only to see him with a crimson blush and Princess Shimmering Heart with an impish grin.
“Has anyone ever told you that you take after a young Cadence?” Spike asked once he could walk straight again.
“I should warn you, Spike that flattery will get you everywhere.”
“That’s not exactly a good thing. She was a pretty relentless tease until she settled down into the more dignified side of her special talent.”
The princess responded by sticking her tongue out at Spike.
A few minutes’ walk carried the procession through the throng of crystal ponies who gathered to see the first dragon to enter the city in years. Though they pressed eagerly into the street once the procession reached the grounds beneath the palace they kept a respectable distance.
“Heh, this takes me back,” Spike said as he approached his statue. “What do you think,” he asked as he posed beside it, “do I hold up to my former self?”
“We shall have to have a new statue made to reflect your new magnificence. The only question is what to do with the old one,” Princess Shimmering Heart declared.
“Pshaw, you don’t have to do that, the old one is just fine,” Spike said with a wave of his claw.
“Just fine is not good enough. It will not do for the citizens of the Crystal Empire to mistake our hero for any other dragon. The artisans will compete hoof and bit for the honor of carving your new likeness.”
Spike opened his mouth to protest again but Princess Celestia placing a hoof on his arm stopped him.
“Spike they mean to honor you and to deny them will offend them,” she whispered in his ear.
“You don’t understand, it’s the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious they mean to honor, not Spike the dragon. They’ve had this idea of who I am and they’re more concerned with this idea than me.”
Princess Celestia arched an eyebrow at Spike. “Better than you I know what it’s like to have ponies look at your title and your public image more than you. Let them have their gesture of gratitude and maybe a few will get to know the real you when they unveil it.”
“Fine,” Spike said with a sigh. He turned to the Crystal Princess and said, “You honor me with your gift.”
“The honor is mine,” she replied.
A bright gleam behind her caught Spike’s eye. He excused himself and brushed past the surrounding ponies to get to a monument made of white crystal. Spike could see the distorted image of the pair locked inside, still wrapped in one another’s embrace.
Spike brought a clawed hand up and brushed it against the monument. The soft cadence of hooves behind him told him that the princesses had come to stand beside him.
For a full minute he simply stood and gazed into the monument. The pony he had called brother, the knight in shining armor he had always looked up to. A single tear traced its way down Spike’s cheek.
His sister-in-law. The mare who always offered a kind word and a ready laugh. Another tear joined its counterpart on Spike’s other cheek.
‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor. May they rest in peace.’ The monument’s inscription read.
“Cadence,” Spike said. “She never could stand her full name. She always thought it was too long-winded and stuffy.”
Spike dried his cheeks with a scaly claw. His head turned towards the crystal princess. “Come,” he said, “if I remember correctly the Crystal Empire had the tastiest gems this side of Canterlot.”
“You sell us short,” she said back. “We have the finest gems in all the world!”
Spike carefully turned and began making his way towards the palace interior. “Is that so?” he said with a raised eyebrow. “We’ll just have to put that claim to the test.”