Spike: The Dragon Princess

by IndiBrony


Of Ponies and Dragons

Spike sweated profusely, his mind racing at the prospect of having to make such an important decision on the fly. "Evacuate" he blurted. Nett seemed unsure of the decision and hesitated, waiting for an explanation. Spike noticed the hesitation in the dragon's movements. "If we stay and we fight, we could lose everything. If we evacuate, we can return later with a plan."

Nett acknowledged Spike's wishes. "As you wish, Princess." the green dragon began to leave, but paused with a question "Where shall we go, Princess?"

Spike pondered the nearby geography. He and Twilight had travelled far, far south - beyond the borders of Equestria - to get to the Dragon Realm. "There's a desert north of here, on the southern border of Equestria." Princess Spike explained.

"Equestria?" Nett scorned. "You can't expect us to traverse the borders to safety. Not into the kingdom of ponies."

"But-"

"No!" Nett growled. "We stay and fight." the defiant dragon expanded his wings and flew away, calling all the other dragons to arms. A large group of dragons gathered overhead before shooting off in all manner of directions. Spike was left alone, defenceless.

"Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" Spike panicked, "I can't keep up this lie. Maybe I should just tell them I'm not the real Princess? Maybe I could tell them if they weren't all about to be slain by these 'Heroes'." Spike paced around until he found himself in another room which looked rather presidential; it was draped in beautiful tapestries depicting powerful-looking dragons and what must have been an important emblem of the Dragon Realm. At one end of the room stood a desk, containing little more than a quill and ink, a few scrolls and a chair which sat behind it.

Spike propped himself up on the chair and unfurled the scroll which lay in front of him. It was a long and complicated piece which seemed to describe a treaty between the Dragon Realm and the Crystal Empire. Spike quickly skimmed the treaty, picking out the important information. Princess Duciel had been visiting the Crystal Empire, meeting with Princess Cadance, working on peace alongside a trade agreement.

"Makes sense" Spike muttered to himself, "The Crystal Empire thrives on Harmony, and the dragons of this realm are obsessed with gems and - both sides win." he quickly realised Princess Duciel must have been heading to the Crystal Empire. "She must have set off for Equestria!" Spike looked in the drawers of the desk for a blank scroll. "I have to tell Twilight." He decreed, scribbling down the relevant information and with a whiff of fire, it was sent on its way.

"Only question now is who are these 'Heroes'?" Spike endeavoured to find out.


Meanwhile, in the Canterlot Archives, Twilight had pulled up a gigantic pile of books relating to dragons, dragon culture, dragon history, and just about any other dragon-related book she could find. She'd mulled through dozens of them, picking up pieces of information, but nothing really relating to what the dragon in the forest had told her.

"Right, so, a quick recap: what have I learned so far?" Twilight asked herself, holding up coloured sheets of paper matching the colours of bookmarks she'd placed in various books, labelled and numbered appropriately.

"Dragons and ponies have a history of violence which, over time, calmed to a tolerance. After periods of both sides of the conflicts banishing the opposing forces from their kingdom or realm, dragons eventually ceased conflict in exchange for being allowed to bring their migration through Equestria as opposed to having to go around. King Depaix had been the leading force behind the peace talks after he came to the throne."

Twilight switched cards, "King Depaix ruled the Dragon Realm for decades, successfully bringing peace between ponies and dragons until as recently as a few moons ago when he disappeared. It was reported that the dragons had been under attack from a band of aggressors known as 'Heroes' the dragons believed had been sent by Equestria. The King's daughter - Princess Duciel - was next to the throne..." Twilight sighed "...and now she's missing, too."

Suddenly, in a flash of light and fire, Spike's note popped out of thin air and onto the floor in front of the purple alicorn.

'Dear Twilight,

I've stumbled across some information regarding the whereabouts of the Princess.

She had been meeting with Cadance in the Crystal Empire, trying to bring about a peace treaty and a trade agreement. I think she may have been on her way to the Crystal Empire when she went missing. She could be in Equestria.

The Dragon Realm has come under attack by a group called the 'Heroes'. I have no idea who they are, but the Princess' main servant - Nett - seems convinced that they don't stand a chance against them.

Her name is Princess Duciel. Please find her, Twilight, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

Yours Faithfully,
Spike'

"I need to find Cadance before this gets any worse." Twilight declared worriedly.