Sapphire's nostrils took in the sweet, tantalizing scent of apple pie as soon as she stepped into the Apple Family's house. That alone was enough to make her mouth water in anticipation. She hadn't had apple pie since she visited Ponyville ten years ago.
A withered old mare with a green coat and a much younger mare with a red mane held in place by a big ribbon were already sitting at the table when Applejack led Spike and Sapphire into the kitchen. The elderly mare didn't notice; her head was drooped, here eyes were shut and she was snoring. The younger pony jumped out of her seat when she saw Sapphire enter. She backed away with wide eyes that were glued to the strange dragon walking into her kitchen. Once Spike appeared beside Sapphire, the young mare's eyes darted between the two dragons. She then smiled as the realization of the situation seeped in.
“Hey, Spike! Who's this?”
Spike held up a claw in greeting, then indicated the dragoness by his side.“Hi, Applebloom! This is Sapphire.”
“Howdy, Sapphire!” Applebloom extended her hoof to Sapphire. “Sorry fer freakin' out like that. We don't see too many dragons in Ponyville. But if yer a friend of Spike's, you're welcome here!”
“Hello, Applebloom.” Sapphire shook the pony's hoof. “It's okay. Sorry for startling you.”
“She's my little sister,” Applejack explained. Then she pointed at the sleeping old mare. “That there's Granny Smith.”
A well-built stallion with a red coat walked past Spike, Sapphire and Applejack and took a seat next to Applebloom.
“And that's Big Macintosh, my big brother.”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied with a nod. He took a seat next to Applebloom without another word.
“He doesn't talk much,” Spike whispered to Sapphire.
Sapphire opened her mouth to form a greeting for Big Macintosh, but the words never came. She'd been interrupted by two small objects that charged into the kitchen and ran past her feet, nearly knocking her down in the process. It was Anjou Pear and Honeycrisp, both of whom flanked Appleboom's chair.
“Auntie Applebloom, will you play with us?” Honeycrisp nudged pleadingly at her aunt.
“Sorry, kids,” Applejack answered before Applebloom could form a response, “the big ponies need to talk.”
“But we want some pie!” Anjou protested.
“Oh, for!” Applejack rolled her eyes and gave Granny Smith a nudge. The old pony slowly opened her eyes while smacking her lips. “Up and at 'em, Granny. Pie's done.”
Grumbling something unintelligible about “yunguns”, Granny Smith struggled out of her seat and wobbled over to the oven. She pulled the door open and removed the tray using an oven mitt, revealing a steaming hot apple pie resting on the baking sheet. Granny set the pie down on the counter next to an open window and retreated back to her seat. “Get it while it's hot!”
Anjou Pear and Honeycrisp were already waiting by the counter when Applejack trotted up to it carrying a knife. As Applejack cut into the pie, Sapphire's stomach rumbled. Dragons were carnivores by nature and rarely got to taste anything as sweet and flavorful as apple pie.
She and Spike sat down next to each other at the table, patiently awaiting the dessert. Plates had already been laid out for them. Before Applejack served the ponies and dragons sitting at the table, though, she put one piece of pie on each of two small platters that had been sitting on the counter and gave one to each of the foals.
“Go eat your pie in your rooms," she said, scooting the children off with her hoof. "We gotta talk about big pony stuff.”
***
A surge of warm, gooey, sweet flavor danced in Sapphire's mouth when she took a bite of her pie. It had been so long since she'd eaten apple pie and it was even better than she remembered. The perfect blend of sugar and spices, the flaky crust and of course, Sweet Apple Acre's sweet, famous fruit.
"And that's what happened," Spike said. He'd just finished telling the story of his and Sapphire's adventure to the Apple Family and took a bite of his pie.
"My, my," Applejack replied, smiling. "I'm mighty proud of ya, Spike. Guess you're not such a little dragon anymore."
"But what does that have to do with you stayin' in Buckington?" Applebloom asked. She'd grown into a strong, lovely young mare, just like her sister.
"I've got a bad feeling that Zog and his dragons might come back for revenge. If that happens, Buckington doesn't stand a chance without us."
Sapphire scratched her chin in thought. "Even with us, they might not stand a chance. Let's face it, we got lucky last time. I stuck to my dragoncode, kept my promise and rescued Sunset's parents. I'd rather not push my luck any further."
"What are we supposed to do, then?” Spike asked. “Just let those dragons do whatever they want?"
"I..." Sapphire stopped short of an answer when she realized she didn't have one. She sighed and let her head hand as she poked despondently at her slice of pie. "I don't know."
"My suggestion is let Celestia handle it if that happens," Applejack said. She then shifted her voice to that familiar tone of a scolding mother. "You should have asked for her help from the start."
"Yeah!" Applebloom interjected. "Don't go riskin' your life for something Celestia can handle herself! Spike, you mean too much to this family."
"And to Ponyville," said Applejack.
"And me," Sapphire added. She clasped Spike's claw in hers, gazing over at him. Spike met her eyes. "I agree with them. Let Celestia take it from here."
Spike sighed through his nose as he thought the matter over. If the Shadow Dragons came back, he'd never forgive himself if he didn't do anything to stop them. "But what if-"
The plates danced and rattled as Applejack slammed her hoof down on the table, very much irritated. "I don't wanna hear anymore 'buts'! Spike, if anything happens, promise me you won't do anything stupid like throw your life away on some suicide mission. I'm proud of ya for what ya did, but don't go tryin' to fight an entire army of dragons by your dang self! You might be bigger than me now, but I'm still older than you. I know you wanna help, but what if something happens to you? Can you imagine what that would do to Twilight and Sapphire? You want to be around when Rarity has her foal, don't ya?"
For a moment Spike imagined Twilight sitting at his grave with a bouquet of flowers in her mouth. Her face was twisted in emotional agony and soaked with uncontrollable tears. Rarity was there, too, along with the filly he never had a chance to meet. Then he looked over at Sapphire, her eyes pulling him back to reality; begging him not to do anything rash. Spike sighed, knowing that Applejack wasn't just right, but that an argument with her was futile. "Okay, I promise I won't do anything stupid."
The look Applejack shot Spike was one of skepticism. As the Element of Honesty, a promise was sacred to her, and her gaze was merely to test if the dragon was lying. Applejack must have sensed he was telling the truth, for her hard gaze transformed into a smile.
“Good boy. Now eat up before it gets cold. There's plenty more where that came from!”
Spike smiled back, pushed his fears into a dark corner of his mind and stabbed a large chunk of pie with his fork. “With pleasure!”
***
It had been a long time since Sapphire's stomach had felt this full and this satisfied. Four large slices of pie and a big glass of apple juice beat birds and rodents any day. She'd had her doubts the first time she visited Ponyville ten years ago, but now she felt she could get used to living here if it meant getting to eat like that more often.
“Oh, that was delicious!” Sapphire rubbed her fully belly smacked her lips to savor what little flavor remained.
“I didn't know you could put it away like that,” Spike quipped. “You ate more than Big Macintosh!”
An contented moan sounded from Sapphire. “The pony who invented pie was a genius. To think I'd been missing out on stuff like this my whole life.”
"Well, well, look who it is!" came a voice from the sky.
Sapphire looked skyward and found a familiar rainbow-maned pony flying above them. The dragoness smiled at fond memories. "Rainbow Dash!"
"You remember me, huh?" Rainbow asked as she landed in front of the two dragons.
"Of course!"
"I'm glad Spike caught up with you. It's good to see you again. I haven't forgotten that pepper prank you two pulled on me!" Rainbow gave Sapphire a stiff but friendly pat on the shoulder.
Sapphire laughed at the memory of Rainbow zipping through the sky with a thick plume of smoke trailing behind her. “That was Spike's idea.”
“I only did it because you spied on us!” Spike pointed a claw at Rainbow. “And then you ratted me out to Twilight.”
“Oh, right,” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “let's not forget that your sneaking off without telling anypony made Twilight feel like you were avoiding her for some reason.”
“That was-”
“You made her cry,” Rainbow interrupted.
That statement succeeded in piercing through Spike's reprisal. “What?”
“While you were running off to go see Sapphire, Twilight thought she'd done something to make you not like her and it made her cry. That's why I told her where you'd been running off to.”
“Gosh, I,” Spike hung his head and twisted his foot in shame. “I hadn't thought of that.”
“Obviously,” Rainbow bit back.
Sapphire squeezed Spike's hand tighter to get his attention. They met eyes. “Spike, you never told Twilight you were coming to see me?”
“Eh, that was ten years ago anyway,” Rainbow said with a shrug. She gave Spike a pat on the back, having sensed his shame. “It's in the past, right?”
Spike lifted his head. His eyes hardened, for he knew he had to make this right with Twilight. “Yeah, you're right. I'll catch you later, Rainbow. I gotta get home.”
“Hey!” Rainbow yelled after them. “Aren't you going to tell me about how you saved Buckington from dragons?!” She growled in annoyance and stomped her hoof when they disappeared down the road without giving an answer. “Seriously, what sort of action did I miss out on?!”
***
“I'm home!” Spike yelled as he stepped inside Golden Oaks Library.
Twilight appeared from her room at the top of the stairs and trotted her way down. “Spike! You're back! How was-” she gasped and her body went rigid with shock when she saw the blue dragoness standing next to Spike, holding his hand. Twilight paused for a moment and took a closer look. “You're not Sapphire, are you?”
Sapphire giggled and waved. “Hi, Twilight.”
“Ha! I KNEW it!” Twilight pointed a hoof at them. “I knew you two would meet up again someday! I just didn't expect it to take so long.”
“We just got really lucky. Right, Spike?”
Even as Sapphire gazed at him, Spike ignored the question and walked up to Twilight. He wrapped his forelegs around her neck and hugged her harder than she'd ever remembered. “I love you so much,” he whispered, a hint of sorrow lacing his voice.
Twilight's eyes darted between Spike and Sapphire in silent wonder if Spike had lost his vision and he meant to hug Sapphire but grabbed her by mistake. Yet, he never let go, and she rubbed his back. “I love you, too, Spike, but what's this all of a sudden? You were only gone a few days.”
Spike grabbed her even tighter. “Rainbow told me that while I ran off to see Sapphire all those years ago, I'd done something to make you think I didn't like you. I made you cry because I was being selfish, and I never want to do that to you again.”
A powerful mix of emotions swirled within Sapphire as she watched the scene unfold and Twilight shut her eyes, finally allowing the emotion of the moment to seep in. It wasn't just the fact that it made Sapphire remember why she fell for him all those years ago. The bond Spike shared with Twilight was not unlike the one between a son and mother. That a dragon and pony could share such a bond brought Sapphire a sense of awe. Then there was the sadness as the scene made her recall her own parents' gentle love. What she wouldn't give to be able to feel her mother's protective embrace again or to hear her father's wisdom.
Twilight giggled and pushed Spike back. “Spike, that was ten years ago. I'd forgotten all about that.”
“You know I could never hate you.” Spike wiped a tear from his cheek with a claw.
“Of course I know that! Now snap out of it, I think you two have got a story to tell me.”
***
Luna watched Princess Celestia pace untiringly in front of her throne, a mix of anger, confusion and apprehension on her face. “Sister, why are you still so tense? Spike and Sapphire have completed their mission.”
Celestia's mind raced--raced with possible plans of action, with images of the devastation of war: burning villages, utter destruction, and the grim, lifeless aftermath of battle. Yet, if she avoided war, it would save a lot lives, time and money, but ran the risk of Equestria gaining a reputation as a weak and indecisive nation unable to defend itself. What nation would ally with a defenseless country?
“No.” Celestia shook her head and finally stopped pacing. “They haven't. They've won but a small victory. The Shadow Dragons have not been destroyed.. They're merely hiding in the darkness, waiting for the right time to strike back. I sense that the liberation of Buckington will not go without repercussion. We must stand alert and be ready for a counterattack at any moment.” Celestia looked to the ceiling and scratched her chin. “Yet I wonder, what am I to do? Do we make ready for war, or do we let this act slide? Both decisions would make a lot of ponies angry. I simply cannot place my subjects in harm's way, but I can't please everypony at once. What is the right choice?”
The question gnawed at Luna's past guilt. Even though Celestia was her sister, Luna failed to understand why Celestia would ask her for advice. Luna was no better a ruler than Celestia. No, Luna had convinced herself she was worse. She hardly deserved to be princess of the night. What right did Luna have to give her advice? Alas, Celestia needed help and Luna felt compelled to give her thought on the matter. “Perhaps we should play a waiting game, see what the dragons' next move will be. Then we could react accordingly.”
Sighing, Celestia walked to window and gazed at the horizon. At the grand city of Canterlot and her beautiful green country. As princess, it was her duty to protect this land, but at what price? “Perhaps you're right.”
Luna joined Celestia at the window. Having sensed her sister's tension, Luna nuzzled her gently. “It is late. Get some rest. I shall guard the night.”
Celestia stared upon her her younger sister for a while, her eyes still darting with uncertainty. Finally, she smiled and nuzzled Luna back. “I haven't slept in days. Thank you. I love you so, my sister.” After a big yawn, Celestia gave Luna one last reassuring smile and walked away.
I love you, too, sister, Luna said to herself as she watched Celestia retreat to her room. But could I ever truly deserve to stand as your equal?
***
A gorgeous ruby sunset flooded its way into Sapphire's attic through the broken stained-glass window, which glittered in the dying light. The two dragons sat on the floor next to it, hand-in-hand with their tails entwined like the stripes on a barber's pole.
“I love the sunset,” Sapphire softly said. “It's so beautiful.”
“Not half as pretty as you!”
A kiss on the cheek from Sapphire made Spike's face burn. “You're so sweet,” she said with a giggle. “And brave.”
“Hey, that whole rescue Buckington ordeal was your idea.”
“But you didn't have to come.”
“Sure I did,” Spike answered, finding himself gripped in a spell of dizziness as he gazed into Sapphire's blue eyes. “I hadn't seen you in ten years. I wasn't going to let you get rid of me that easy!”
Sapphire shifted her weight towards him and suddenly he found himself flat on his back, looking up at Sapphire's beautiful face. His heart raced. Hot needles seemed to prick at the inside of his cheeks.
“I don't think you have to worry about that,” she purred.
A soft claw touched his cheek. Spike grabbed Sapphire's wrist and held her palm closer, embracing it. Savoring it.
“I love you, Spike,” Sapphire whispered. Her face had changed to a shade of purple from the blushing.
“I love you, too, Sapphire.”
Smiling coyly, Sapphire brought her head closer to Spike's until their faces met and their maws touched. A wave of ecstasy surged through him as he held her close, their chests mashing together. For Spike, this moment, this feeling could last forever and he wouldn't care. He didn't want to be anywhere else, with anyone else, or feel anything else. This was euphoria, and it was worth all the pain and heartbreak ten years ago. Reality came seeping in, first as a blur and gradually clearing in time to see Sapphire pulling her head back. Sapphire smiled down at him, caressing his face. Before he knew what was happening, Sapphire warm, soft lips were kissing him again.
If the surge of emotion hadn't assured him he was very much alive, Spike would have guessed he was in heaven.
***
Zog's throne room was dark in the last fading light of dusk, but the fear three dragons felt as they stood before their general seemed infinitely darker. Dragon jaws quivered in apprehension before Zog even spoke; his glare alone was enough to grip them in fear.
“You have failed me. And I do have little patience for failure.” Zog's nose lifted as he let out a snarl and with it a puff of smoke that danced in the air. “I can't believe you couldn't stop a couple of teenagers and a bunch of lowly equines.”
The dragon in the middle looked left and right at his two comrades, both of whom had been to overcome with fear to form an appropriate response, if there was one appropriate enough to squelch their lord's rage. For a moment he bit his tongue, then decided to speak for his group. “My general, there were unforeseen circumstances.”
“You were beaten by ponies!” Zog slammed his tail to the ground with the full weight of his wrath, such force that it left a deep impression in the stone and tickled his subordinates' feet with vibrations. “Bested by infants! The other dragon races will laugh when they hear of this outrage!”
“General-”
“SILENCE!” Zog roared, causing the three other dragons to cringe at his wrath. His red eyes flared, then he lowered his tone. “I don't yet know what I intend to do, but rest assured you will pay for this humiliation. Now get out of my sight before I lose my composure.” He waved a claw at the doorway to the room, a reasonable exit for three terrified Shadow Dragons who nearly tripped over each other in their flight.
Zog sat back down on his throne, propping an elbow on one arm of the chair so he could rest the side of his head in his palm. He scratched at the other arm of the throne in thought with his free hand. What if the other dragon clans heard of this defeat? What if they rebelled? The Shadow Dragons may even lose their reputation as the most powerful clan in the history of Dragonkind. Smoke escaped from Zog's nostrils as he snorted at the formation of an idea. A sinister, toothy grin appeared on his face. A minor setback such as this only delayed the inevitable.
No, this was far from over. They'd strike back, teach those ponies who was truly in charge. He'd make an example out of them as a reminder of what should happen to any other who dare oppose them. And once he found the secret the Shadow Dragons of old buried here, he'd make Celestia herself bow before him.
And once he was finished with Equestria, he could focus on the rest of the world. The griffons, the minotaurs. Not even the Breezies would be safe. All would bow before the might of the Shadow Dragons. Still smiling that twisted grin, Zog shifted to a more comfortable position and began to turn the gears of his next plot.
***
What revenge will General Zog have in mind for the ponies of Buckington? Will any force in Equestria be able to stop the Shadow Dragons, or will the country be caught in their dark grasp? What is it Zog is searching for? Will Spike and Sapphire have finally have their happy ending? And what of Rarity and her soon-to-be foal? These answers and more will be answered in the third and final entry of the Sapphire trilogy!