//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - A Nightmare's End, pt. 1 // Story: My Little Divergence // by BibliusEquinus //------------------------------// "There's more to life than studying, bro." Spike grunted in reply, half-slung over the edge of the golden chariot he and Shining Armor were sharing. The bigger, younger, purple and green scaled brother barely spared his smaller, older, white coated and blue maned sibling a brief glance, flickering it over the guard's uniform. Lingering heavily on the two pips adorning each shoulder. "And there's more to life than waiting for a promotion that's been three years overdue," he shot back, hauling himself upright. Shining gave him a Brotherly Look. "Going for that old argument, this soon? C'mon, you're dodging the subject. What're you going to do after you finish this little assignment from Celestia?" Spike remained silent, wind whistling between his spines. "Bro." Spike's mouth could only get more rigid via judicious application of cockatrice stares. "Broski." Spike turned slightly, looking back at the now distant but still visible rising towers and great walls of Canterlot. "Brotosaurus Rex." Spike's eyes closed, remaining resolute even as his brother pulled himself up via one broad scaled shoulder, and whispered right in his ear. "Broaster oven." Two claws were raised and a frustrated cry split the formerly silent sky as Spike's silence finally shattered beneath the assault of brotherly love. He then slumped back down, resting his arms on the carriage's side. The two pegasus guards flying the pair glanced back at the dragon and unicorn for a moment, before continuing to fly them towards their destination. "I've got no idea, okay?" Spike sighed, looking towards the approaching town. "I just want to get this done and then..." "And then back to hanging out with the rest of the Guard, annoying Blueblood, and cleaning out that old tower, right?" Shining reached up for that shoulder again, rubbing it affectionately. "You need to break that routine. Take a holiday. Celestia knows you don't do anything with that little stipend other than buy more books. Literally, she probably has bean-counters getting angry over how fat it's gotten." Spike grunted, a very specific grunt in the language of siblings that translated into: I'm agreeing with your statement but wish it were not accurate. "What are we even doing, anyway? About the only thing I got told was that we're off to Ponyville," said Shining, taking back his hoof. "Overseeing the Summer Sun Celebration preparations," replied Spike, fishing out the scroll from his saddlebags - once again slipped down around his waist, damn their quadruped design - and cleared his throat before beginning to read. "My dear ward, Spike, yadda yadda... Standard 'as a citizen of Equestria you are awesome', let us go on about that for a few paragraphs, oops there is something brown on our nose, etc etc... Official Overseer..." Spike focused on the paper for a moment, before summarizing the rest. "We'll be staying in a disused public building, it looks like - I doubt the Council would spring for a hotel, if this place is even big enough to have one. Check on the food, the weather... Decorations and entertainment. Report, then nothing." Spike frowned briefly at the final few lines and signature at the bottom of the letter, then grunted again and jammed it back into his saddlebags. "...Nothing?" queried Shining, giving Spike another Brotherly Look. "...And ...I should feel free to remain in Ponyville and, I quote, 'see that there is more to life than studying'," Spike reluctantly replied. "Ha! Good old Sunbutt, still looking out for you after all these years," said Shining, grinning broadly at his brother. "You know, maybe calling her Sunbutt is the reason you're still Lieutenant Armor." "Yeah, and maybe your face is the reason the rest of the guard enjoys beating on it so much." "Just because Blazing Song gets one hit in... Besides, it's your face that gets me called the cute one when we're out in town." The two guards in charge did their best to tune out the ensuing volleys of insults. For them, it would be a long flight. "...which is the fifth way that you resemble the offspring of a manticore and a disgruntled toad" Shining finished, with a nod. And then looked around, breaking out of the familiar rhythm of insult-sparring. "Ah! We're here!" "Yes, thank you Lieutenant Obvious..." Spike replied, before looking around at their destination. Ponyville, as it turned out, appeared to be the definition of 'quaint'. Nearest to the pair the houses all had thatched roofs and overgrown windowsills full of greenery, ponies bustling about here and there. The town had clearly grown organically over the years; Spike could almost trace the advancement of civilization in the way the thatched roofs gave way to tile and the buildings switched to brick, and then into the more modern Canterlot styles with curving outer archways and lightly colored facades. A great orchard sat a short walk from the oldest of the houses, almost aggressively close to the Everfree Forest, dominating the landscape and dwarfing the other farms. A few other buildings caught his eye: a two-story abode bedecked in lace and topped by what appeared to be a carousel, what appeared to be a house half made of sweets, and a great dead tree that, after a moment's stare, he realized had doors and windows. The second one had Spike's stomach rumbling, as they drifted down beneath the level of the roofs and came to a halt. "Maybe we can filch some of the snacks..." he wondered, looking in the direction of the distant cakehouse. And, in the process, spotting the looks of some of the nearer ponies. He was getting stares already; a mare with a cream-colored coat was already pointing and whispering to another mare with a orange mane. Spike's hunger was immediately squashed by the interest, shoulders slumping - some of the ponies already looked nervous. A jab into his side made him break away from looking at the crowd; he glanced down to his brother, worry clear on Shining's face. "Hey, don't let the looks get under your scales. They're just not as used to seeing you like the Guard and the Inner Castle staff are. C'mon." Shining nudged Spike towards the back of the chariot. Spike dropped to all fours as they disembarked, the brothers turned to head up the street, thanking the guards who had escorted them as they passed. Heads turned to follow Spike, some ponies backing away, while others seemed calmed by the presence of Shining in his armor next to the dragon. The occasional patrol of guardponies barely gave them a look after spotting Shining, fortunately; they immediately recognized his rank. "Look, Spike..." said Shining, as they continued on, "A lot of ponies are just naturally nervous, especially with new things. Or dragons. Or new dragons. But I just bet that once they get to know you, or you mingle a bit more, you'll see that not everypony is skittish!" Spike glanced at Shining, huffed, and drew in a breath to answer. And then they heard the screaming. It took a moment to spot the source, as said source rounded the end of the street. It then became obvious, from the brilliant blaze and the trail of smoke behind it, that said source was in fact a rocket. With a pony wrapped around it, screaming her head off. Spike didn't have time to do anything but brace himself before the rocket and its passenger slammed into the street right in front of the brothers. There was an explosion of light, sound, and lots and lots of dirt. A few clods bounced off Shining's hastily erected shield. Both brothers stared into the small crater, still overflowing with smoke. From which the rocket's passenger, a pink pony with a poofy mane of deeper pink, bounced from happily. "Hiya!" she chirped with a brilliant grin, before pronking off between two houses. The brothers stared after her, then Shining turned to Spike. "S-see?" "What?" Spike smacked the side of his head a few times, dislodging some lingering dirt and smoke, then consulted the Official Overseer's checklist. "First item here... Banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acres," he said, then considered the farmland before them. An apple sign swung from a arch festooned with apples, before a farmhouse with walls painted in various apple-related shades, against a backdrop of apple trees that stretched all the way to the distant hills. "...The corn and carrots almost ruin the theme," said Shining after a moment, looking to the leftmost fields. "They probably had to add those to keep things from collapsing into a apple-shaped singularity," replied Spike, before leading the pair onto the farm. It didn't take long before they ran across another pony walking off the orchard, a pair of full baskets (of apples, of course) slung across her middle and a stetson hat perched upon a blond and ponytailed mane. She froze for a moment, then smiled broadly and waved an orange leg, changing course towards them. "See? Nice and friendly. And not explosive," murmured Shining, as he and Spike headed towards the mare. Spike sighed in response, still remembering the stares. "Let's get this over with..." Ignoring Spike's grousing, Shining trotted towards the mare, who was shifting the baskets onto the ground. "Hi there! My name is Shining Armor, and thi--" He was cut off by the vibrations being caused by the sheer enthusiasm and power of the hoofshake he found himself in. "Well howdy-doo, Mr. Armor!" said the mare, "A pleasure making your acquaintance. I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like meeting new ponies! And, uh, dragons!" Shining finally reclaimed his hoof and gently vibrated off to one side as the mare - Applejack - turned to Spike. "And what's your name, mister?" she asked, grabbing ahold of one of his long limbs with both front hooves, and... looked down in surprise as the arm failed to move from its outreached position. After a moment, Spike pumped his arm up, and then down. This seemed to placate the mare, who settled back, grinning up at him. "Spike," he finally replied. "Well hoo-whee, Spike, you're a strong'un! What can I do ya for?" Spike reached over and clapped a hand down onto Shining, finally ceasing the stallion's shaking, and cleared his throat. "Well, my brother and I are here to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and you're in charge of the food?" "We sure as sugar are! Would ya care to sample some?" said Applejack brightly. Spike's stomach rumbled. It growled, it griped, it groaned. It made sounds that thesauruses were embarrassed to list. "...Yes." "...Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, aaand Granny Smith!" Spike looked across the crowd of ponies he and Shining had just been introduced to - apparently the entire Apple clan was in town to help with the celebration, and that meant one long list - towards where Applejack was pointing. An ancient mare with a lime green coat and age-colored white mane snorted and woke up from her rocking chair, then started towards the group as Applejack called her over, with such loud snaps and crackles of ancient limbs that Shining winced and drew back his ears in sympathy. Spike's attention, meanwhile, was focused on what lay on the lunch table. An immense tower of apple-related foods - from cakes to danishes to drinks and more - had been constructed before him and Shining. It creaked almost as ominously as Granny Smith's joints. "...That's a lot of apples," said Shining with awe, turning to stare up at the tower. "Yeup! We've got all hands on deck for this 'un - we wanna see the Princess' face when we lay out a spread like this for her!" Applejack replied, familial pride radiating off her. "Well, there's certainly a lot of variety... but are you sure there's going to be enough in time?" asked Spike, scratching his chin. He wore a slight grin. "Hold on there, mister," Applejack said, snapping her gaze to Spike. "Ya think this ain't enough? This here is just a sampler - you'd burst just from Cousin Bruschetta's fancy bread!" Pomme Bruschetta nodded primly, throwing back his head as several other members of the clan nodded around him. "I think I could finish it off just fine. And all the rest," replied Spike, still not returning Applejack's gaze. "Ya can't eat all'a them, no matter how big ya are!" Spike finally and slowly turned towards Applejack, his grin widening into one of pure challenge. "Forget you, I can eat all these apples," he growled. Applejack's gaze narrowed, and she grinned back, the challenge accepted. "Prove it." "I feel sick..." Spike, his mood utterly repaired via the magic of victory and vittles, bumped shoulders with the now slightly green-hued and muttering Shining. Both he and Shining were walking back towards town, passing by a few mud puddles amongst the soft grass of the surrounding fields. "Th... that was too much pie, bro. Not to mention what you did with the strudel - I think I saw a pony faint when you slammed that away." Shining shuddered at the memory. "What can I say; I'm a growing boy, like mom says. Now c'mon, we need to find a..." Spike consulted his list for a moment. "Rainbow Dash. Meant to be leading the Weather Team in clearing the weather. Not that she seems to be doing a very good job, does she?" They both spent a moment appraising the cloud-strewn sky, Shining narrowing his eyes at a particularly low flying cloud. "Tartarus, I could do a better job. Here, watch," he said, his horn lighting up with a magenta corona. A shield popped into being around the cloud, and started to drag it towards the pair. "See? Not that hard. Maybe I should try out for the Weather Te--" Shining cut off as his head suddenly jerked to one side, his expression growing surprised. "Uh, Shining...?" asked Spike, looking at Shining with concern. He grew more concerned as his brother's head whiplashed in the other direction, then back, before he started being dragged backwards, picking up speed. Spike reached out for him, before Shining lost traction on the wet ground - in moments, he was being ping ponged around the dragon, letting out a loud wail all the while. Spike looked around hurriedly for the source of the assault, before his frenzied gaze landed on the shield-surrounded cloud. Which, in perfect time with Shining Armor, was bouncing around the cloudy skies, briefly warping with each sudden jerk. As though something was hitting it from the inside. Spike sighed. "Shining," he said as his brother passed by. "What?" shouted back the unicorn, already several feet away. It took a few more rebounds before he was back in range. "Drop your shield, Shining." "Oh!" said Shining, realization spreading across his face. Moments before he slammed horn-first into a tree. As muffled cries of pain emanated from the tree's newest ornament, the shield dropped from around the cloud, and a rainbow streak shot free. It twirled above the scene for a moment, before crashing down before Spike, resolving into a cyan pegasus with a short rainbow mane. And a very annoyed expression. "What's the big deal, huh? Think you can just go around bubbling pegasii whenever you want? Well guess what, buster!" The mare snorted, rearing up on her back legs and making punching motions at Spike's chest. "Rainbow Dash isn't gonna take it! Waking me up from a perfect nap, why I oughta--" "Horn," interrupted Spike. The pegasus froze mid-punch, looking up at Spike. "Huh?" "No horn," said Spike, gesturing to his forehead. Rainbow Dash dropped to her hooves, peering up at Spike speculatively. "...Maybe you're one of those bubble blowing dragons?" she hazarded. Spike rolled his eyes, then thrust his snout treeward - and towards the source of the still ongoing cries of pain and exertion coming from Shining, as he attempted to extract himself from the bark. The mare looked between this particularly pitiful sight and Spike a few times, before her anger broke, accompanied by an audible snort. "Heh, yeah, that's right! Even when the Dash is taken by suprise, you still end up feeling the pain!" She reared up again, doing a few victory air punches - until she spotted Spike watching with a flat expression. "Uh... You want some help getting him out, or something?" "Please," replied Spike, before mare and dragon made their way over to the struggling Shining. With Rainbow grabbing Shining by the mane, and Spike taking a hold around his brother's front, it took them only a moment to tug him free with an audible 'pop!' Shining immediately grabbed his horn, frantically checking it for splinters or cracks... before the headache caught up with him. Ignoring his brother as he fell to the grass and started to pain-roll, Spike looked to the now giggling Rainbow. "So, you're Rainbow Dash, right? Meant to be heading up the Weather Team?" Rainbow got in one last snort, before focusing on Spike. "Yeah. Gave the team the day off." "Yeah, we can... see that." Spike threw a look up at the still cloudy sky, then returned his gaze to the grinning mare. "Why, exactly?" "'cause when you have The Dash, you've already got more awesome than you need for any job!" replied Rainbow, tapping her chest and smiling proudly. "Right..." Spike looked back down at his checklist, not noticing a brief gust of wind. "Listen, I still need to find a... Rarity and a Fluttershy, and the day is really close to being over with. If you could get ahold of some of the Weather Team, maybe you can get something..." he trailed off as he looked back up, first noticing the lack of pegasus before him. Looking up, he then noticed the lack of cloud above him. "...Well, okay then," he finally managed, as a rainbow blur dynamically landed beside him. "See? Ten seconds flat! What'd I say, huh?" She preened, eyes shut, radiating almost toxic levels of smug. "Not bad. You got all the clouds," replied Spike, nodding his head and scratching his chin. "Exactly!" "Including your pillow." "Exact-- wha-huh?!" Rainbow's eyes shot open, darting about the perfectly clear sky. "Awww, cloudapples! Now I have to find a new one - I over awesomed this one!" She leapt into the air, gave the brothers a quick wave, then disappeared towards a distant white blur in the sky, calling out "Don't be bubble jerks...!" as she went. Spike watched the pegasus go, then looked to the no longer yelling and now only slightly whimpery Shining. "You done?" "...I need a hug. Or icecream." The interior of the town hall was a flurry of fabric, fashion, and fabulosity. At the center of the ever-adjusting hurricane of cloth and ribbons was a unicorn, brilliantly styled and maintained mane of purple against a pure white coat, her horn alight with a soft blue glow. And a frown of deepest annoyance on her face as she considered the most important and final decision of the night. "Royal Blue against Royal Pink... Or Royal Pink against Royal Blue? Oh, choices, choices!" Rarity muttered to herself, glaring at the offending swatches. She barely even registered the door opening as she switched the pair again, flicking her gaze at the intruder for a bare second. The part of her mind not currently focused on the Summer Sun Celebration switched into dressmaker mode, inventorying the new pony: Stallion, white coat, mane in gradiating stripes of royal blue to cobalt to sky blue. Well built, might be of a military background based on bearing and the way subject holds himself, above average horn length (which meant nothing, regardless of what those trashy little gossip magazines Rarity had a few dozen subscription to said). Slightly borish or uncouth based on the evidence of icecream (chocolate, remember to buy new tub after tonight as reward, hide from Sweetie Belle) upon subject's muzzle. Opening mouth to ask a question and interrupt One's train of thought. That last thought penetrated the fashionista's design haze, making her ever-so-delicately scrunch her nose (nothing more than a touch, it leads to wrinkles!), and turn away from the still hanging and slowly rotating pieces of cloth. "I'm incredibly sorry, darling, but I simply cannot be interrupted no matter what the issue; I am exceedingly late on these decorations and they must be perfect!" she spoke, radiating pure businesspony at the intruder. The stallion came to a screeching halt, of course; Rarity knew exactly what effect her coiffure, style, and delicately touched up eyes (just a little eyeshadow and liner, enough to make One's gaze pop!) could have on most grown colt minds. Or a surprising number of mares. Rarity took no prisoners in the everlasting war of beauty. "I simply must have focus, dear! These designs must be tres magnifique; oh just imagine the look on the Princess' face when she comes out and sees..." Rarity allowed herself a little pride-driven squee - a critical mistake, as it gave the stallion time enough to recover. "We only need a moment of your time, miss--" Rarity cut him off with a dynamic flip of her hair, turning her head away. "No, no, and no! I have to have focus. It can wait a hour... perhaps two? Yes, two, and..." A detail clamored for attention, a warning of more interruptions to come. She looked back to the stallion, then to the door behind him. "I'm sorry, you said we?" The double doors opened again. Rarity glanced towards it once, turned her attention back to the stallion as her brilliant mind began to do what it did best, then slammed her attention back to the doorway as said mind crashed and skipped the rails on what it had glanced upon. The figure - no, dear heavens, the dragon - walked into the room with the grace and control of a large jungle cat. It was the colors that struck Rarity the most, the way they subtly shifted with his movements; those upon his back and limbs shimmering between rich royal purple and a rich lavender, while the plating that adorned the underside of his chin and all the way down his stomach - and beyond (don't stare at his flank don't stare at his flank) - gradiated between a soft lime and the color of new spring grass. Cropped short spines of matte emerald ran from the back of his head to the base of his shoulders, only to reappear again across the latter half of his tail, itself ending in a sharp arrow shape. Not that the body that the scales were covering didn't warrant a mention, of course; the young dragon had what Rarity would classify as a swimmer's body, all tight muscle packed around densely around those long limbs, thickest across his chest and that delightful flank that Rarity was most definitely not looking at again, and definitely present in that strong tail he kept a bare inch above the ground. Merely standing upon all fours he already held himself a few inches higher than even the accompanying stallion, but she could tell his long neck could easily hold his head well above a crowd. Rarity was only vaguely aware of his approach, thoroughly distracted by now taking in said head. It was quite like that of a pony's, although sharper, more defined; that cat comparison floated into Rarity's mind again. But that wouldn't do duty to the dragon's jaw, strong and wide, albeit marred with a touch of what appeared to be vanilla icecream; as he got closer, she could make out the way the finer scales lay against the powerful muscles there. Particularly as they moved. He was speaking, wasn't he? "...quite alright?" he asked, in a baritone rich with concern and a distinct tinge of Canterlot accent, wonderfully inviting without being too casual. Rarity found herself suddenly overcome with a deep blush and a horrific case of the giggles as her brain frantically attempted to recover from the trainwreck it found itself in. She managed a nod as she stroked nervously at her mane, unable to meet those vivid emerald eyes for more than a moment. "My name is Spike. And yours?" he said, holding out a hand. "Oh, uh... 'm Rarity," she squeaked, reaching out a hoof - claws polished yet dulled, but so hard and strong to the touch - for him to shake. A second derailing was reported in Rarity's mind as Spike bent his head to deliver a light, courtly kiss, just above her hoof. It was brief, practiced, and neither too dry to chafe nor wet enough to disgust. It took several valuable seconds for Rarity to come to her senses, realize that the muscled dragon with clear court training was now looking over her decor, and then snatch back her long released yet still held out hoof. "Well, it certainly appears that everything is nearly ready. What do you think, bro?" said Spike, looking towards the stallion that Rarity only now truly remembered was still sharing the room. "Looking good, looking good," agreed the dragon's... brother? "But speaking of looking good, you got a little bit of..." He gestured at his under-chin with one hoof. Spike let out a grunt, scratched at his chin for a moment, then-- Oh dear Celestia his tongue just went halfway around his snout. As Rarity felt the blush deepening on her cheeks, the stallion shook his head. "Missed it." This time, the tongue went around three times. Rarity felt her eye twitch as her mental railway violently exploded, a volcano rising from its remains spewing out all sorts of scaled, muscled, and overly-tongued thoughts. Around her, the various remaining decorations were slammed into place, each perfectly aligned and co-ordinated with their neighbors. Ribbons were tied, bunting stringed, curtains ruffled as Rarity tried to focus on anything other than the way the dragon's tongue was stroking down across those strong muscles and oh buck everything. "If you'll excuse me I think I leftthecrossstichdying," she squealed, before diving for one of the side doors, forcing herself to focus entirely on finding a very, very cold shower. The Royal colors, now in place on the wall, sat side by side. Both males stared after her, Shining grinning slightly and Spike deeply confused. Spike looked to his brother. "Was it something I said?" Shining was still laughing as he and Spike headed towards the Ponyville park, there to find the last goal of their quest. Slash pointless government busybodying. "I still don't see what's so funny," grumbled Spike, who was using his height to try and spot their target. "You, busting out the court moves, that's what. Something about her tickle your fancy?" said Shining, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully. Spike growled softly under his breath, feeling a hint of a blush tinting his cheek scales. "Just... seemed appropriate." "Yeah, I'll say. Think it did the job, as well." "Job?" Spike broke from his scouting to look down at Shining. "What do you mean?" "What, you didn't see the way she was looking at you?" smirked Shining, applying his eyebrows to the conversation once more. "Reminds me of the way..." Spike could almost see Shining's brain switch tracks, his face falling from brotherly teasing to painful remembering. They continued on for a few more minutes in silence. "Still doing letters?" Spike asked, the question gentle. "Every week, without fail," replied Shining, his voice a rough mix of heartache and warmth. A warm weight fell across Shining's shoulders, pulling him into a side-on hug. The two leaned together in brotherly harmony for a while. And then Shining's ears flicked, picking up a strange melody somewhere nearby. "Are those birds?" he asked, pulling out of the hug; Spike pulled his head up, squinting into the distance. They both wandered towards the source of the sound. Rounding a few trees and bushes, said source came into view; a yellow coated pegasus with a long pink mane, conducting a choir of birds. She was in the midst of correcting one when Shining trotted up, the stallion waiting for a break in her instructions to speak up. "Excuse me, mi--" he began, only to be interrupted by the pegasus' suprised yelp. The birds took flight in a panic at the sound, as the mare whirled about and dropped to the ground, looking suddenly bashful. "Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting you, miss... Fluttershy, yes?" said Shining, giving the nervous-looking mare a smile, quietly hoping that what happened in the town hall wouldn't repeat. She immediately looked away, ducking behind that long mane of hers; it hung down over one of her sea-green eyes. The part of Shining that had spent long years being beaten into a highly functioning member of the Guard voiced its thoughts over the effect such a mane would have on combat visibility, but it did look cute. "There's no need to be, er, shy," Shining continued, his smile growing slightly before the mare's nearly palpable nervousness. "I'm Shining Armor. My brother and I are here to check on the performance; it sounds lovely, doesn't it Spike?" Shining shot his brother a look, calling in reinforcements against the shyness. "Yeah, I'm sure the Princess will love it," said Spike, nodding. One of the mare's ears flicked up. Shining belatedly realised, as she reached for her mane, that Spike would have been right in her blind spot the entire time. He was thus not suprised, as the nervous mare spotted his brother, to see her eyes go wide and her pupils constrict into tiny dots. "D-d-d-dragon...!" she stammered out, in a voice like fluffed cotton. Shining could see the shock spreading through her; one leg immediately jabbed out to point at Spike, the other three went perfectly stiff, and her mane and tail went straight with shock. Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out. Shining stared at the tableu for a moment, then reached for the stricken mare; he was interrupted by a pained yell from his side. Jerking his gaze around, he had a perfect view of Spike grabbing either side of his head, the dragon's eyes wide with pain. "Spike, what is it?" asked Shining, looking between the pegasus and the dragon frantically for the source of his brother's pain. "You can't hear that?!" replied Spike, eye twitching. "It's like nails being dragged across my brain!" Shining twitched one ear; there was the faintest of high pitched ringing, now that he listened closely. Glancing between the two one more time, Shining's gaze landed on the pegasus' still wide open mouth. With a light touch, he placed a hoof on the underside of the mare's chin and pushed her mouth closed, then held her chin in place. Spike immediately relaxed, dropping his hands from his ears. "Thanks, bro, you have no idea how much tha--" He cut off as Shining lowered his hoof, the mare's jaw dropping once again. "Shining, why?!" "Because you let me ram into a tree instead of just grabbing me! And then left me there to snark!" replied Shining, shouting slightly to ensure he was heard. Then he lifted his hoof again. "You really shouldn't hold a grudge, Shining," muttered Spike, rubbing around his earfins. "What I am holding is apparently some formerly unknown draconic super-weakness, so lets hear that apology." Rolling his eyes, Spike took a breath for what would have no doubt been an eloquent and well-deserved apology, if it weren't for the brown bear that erupted from the bushes with an enraged roar. Shining's jaw dropped, Spike's jaw dropped, and then Fluttershy's jaw dropped as Shining's hoof fell. "My ears!" "It summons bears, too?!" Leaping into action, Shining threw up a barrier before the animal, falling immediately into a familiar combat stance. He stared into the bear's eyes, calling up a steely glare that had won him several bouts on its own. The bear looked back at him, then glanced towards the pegasus - still frozen in place, Shining could see from the corner of his eye - and then Spike - who was trying to ram his head into the earth. Then it grunted, rolled its eyes, and politely tapped a claw against the shield. Shining felt one eyebrow creep up, unbidden. It only creeped up further as the bear once again tapped against the shield, a rappa-tat-tat that was sounded far too familiar to someone knocking at the door. After another moment's consideration, Shining carefully dropped the barrier, keeping his horn lit and ready to react at a moment's notice. The bear huffed at him, then laboriously dropped back to all fours, padding towards the still stiff pegasus. Shining almost attacked as the bear brought its massive arms forward, only for it to sweep the pegasus up into a suprisingly gentle hug. It rocked her for a moment and stroked her mane, grumbling something utterly unintelligible to Shining but which were apparently words of comfort, considering the way the mare relaxed in its grip. Fluttershy squeaked something up at the bear, who rumbled a reply, and then looked at Spike and Shining with a brilliant blush and a look of pure embarrasment. "Uh, ummm... So sorry," she managed, before hiding behind her mane again and squeaking. The bear added a few choice bear-words of his own, glaring at Shining and the recovering Spike, before padding off. Towards the town. Shining watched the retreating bear for a few minutes, listening for any sudden screams or shouts, before leaning towards the now slightly recovered Spike. "Bro, I think this town is a bit nuts." "What?" Spike and Shining both stared up the main road of Ponyville, ignoring the few looks they were getting from passing ponies. The target of their gaze had, once upon a time, apparently been a library; then budget cuts had taken their toll. The huge tree was now dark and empty, its bare branches waving in the wind, black against the darkening sky. They could barely make out the deeper shadows of where its windows and doorway sat, almost giving the ancient tree a face, one twisted and deformed by the way the thicker branches had been combined to form rooms and balconies. "So, did I mention I should go meet up with the rest of the Guard?" said Shining, not taking his gaze off the road. "Because I should go do that." Spike snorted, a grin tugging at the edge of his mouth. "Fine, scaredyhooves, I'll see you at the afterparty." He ruffled his brother's mane for good measure. "You going to be okay though?" said Shining, adjusting his mane once Spike had taken back his hand. "Taking up Sunbutt's recommendations and all that?" "Might give it a try. A change of pace and all that, right? Not like you, mom, and dad are that far away. The train goes straight to Canterlot." Spike scratched his chin, then nodded. That'd do. "You go meet up with the Guard; you mind sending me a few of my things from the tower, after?" Shining nodded, smiling broadly. "Sure thing, bro. You have fun, and we'll meet up at the after-party." He dragged Spike down into a hug, which the dragon happily returned, before they parted ways with a final wave. Spike took his time finishing the trek to the tree, now very aware of the watching eyes of the townponies. He did his best to shrug it off, however; long years of similar stares had given him some measure of armor against the looks. Eventually, inevitably, he came to the doorstop of what a battered old sign told him had once been the 'Golden Oaks Library'. A touch to the doorway saw the door creak inward, revealing little but darkness. Spike felt for a light switch, but of course there wasn't one in easy reach. Muttering about building design, he carefully stepped inside, a cold gust of wind following him. Which was a surprising contrast to the interior, which felt rather warm; almost like the room was near full to bursting with-- Light exploded around him, revealing a huge group of ponies, all of whom immediately screamed "Surprise!" with such volume Spike felt his scales vibrating. Confetti rained down all around him, the empty shelves that made up the walls were covered with bunting and party streamers, tables with food and drinks were strewn about with plenty of mingling space, and there was a prominent pink pony popping up point blank in front of him. "Surprise!" she shouted again, bouncing in front of Spike. "I'm Pinkie Pie! And this is a party that I threw, just for you! Did we getcha, did we? Or did you know?! I don't know, maybe dragons are able to feel things in their scales! I feel things sometimes, but it's usually just too many cookies. Or cakes. Or cookie-cakes! Do dragons eat cookie-cakes too?" As Spike recovered from the exclamation assault, he realized a few things. The first was that the assembled ponies had, other than a few more curious looks, already settled into a gentle party rhythm around him. The second was that he recognized this Pinkie Pie; it had taken him a moment to put it together, considering she wasn't riding fireworks straight for his face nor screaming, but that bouncing was too unique. Not to mention the lingering scent of gunpowder. The third was that his mind had reached some sort of internal limit for insanity for the day, leading him to just nod to the poofy, bubbling mass of pink before him. "Oh, neato! I was worried you wouldn't like the snacks, or," she said, gasping in horror, "were allergic! I'm allergic to some things, like bee stings or grasping nettles or this one time where a rocksnake bit me, but that last one wasn't really an allergy 'cause apparently rocksnake bites make everypony puff up. But you aren't a pony so maybe..." Spike slowly tuned out the babbling mare, his slightly short-circuited brain focusing on the snack and drink table straight ahead. She followed him, carrying on the conversation in the same bright and peppy tone, even as he reached amongst the bottles and picked one at random. "So, let me get this right," said Spike, interrupting Pinkie's stream of dialogue and considering the bottle in his hand. "You ride explosives, throw parties for new people in the blink of an eye, and everypony finds this entirely normal?" "Ya-huh!" she replied, beaming. Spike considered Pinkie, then bit the top of the bottle of hot sauce off, munching down the glass. The loud crunch attracted the attention of the party goers, who then watched in no small measure of awe as Spike chugged down the entire bottle of Captain Pepper Maestro's hot sauce. "Alright. Let's do this!" he said with conviction, before burping twin jets of green flame out his nostrils. The party immediately exploded into whoops and cheers, none greater than those of Pinkie Pie herself. Screaming "Party!", she pulled out a big red button and rammed her hoof down onto it. "Huh. What does that do?" Spike asked, as nothing immediately happened in the party room. "It set off the fireworks on the balcony, of course!" Pinkie replied. "Upstairs? With all the old wood?" "Ya-huh!" Spike stared down at Pinkie as the first explosion went off far above the old library, bright lights flashing in through the windows. "And, just to be clear, this place has been abandoned for ages, right? Not, perhaps, kept up to date with any fire wards? Or the fire code, in general?" "Yeppers and nope-a-roonie!" Spike continued to stare down at the mare, as the first wisps of smoke began to filter down the staircase. "...Ooooooh," she said, ears flipping down. Heaving a great sigh, Spike tossed the empty bottle into his mouth, before the evacuation began. "So, this happen often?" Spike asked the fire-chief several hours later, as the fireponies saw to the now heavily charred upper half of the former library. "Yah, ya get used ta it," replied Crackling Blaze, fluttering his wings. "Fortunately we keep plenty a' spare rainclouds about jus' fer these sortsa situations." Both of them considered the tree for a moment longer, as Pinkie continued to wail apologies against Spike's leg. "So's the roof an' the upper floor're complete right-offs," continued Crackling, gesturing with one wing. "Ground floor 'n the basement are jus' fine though. Solid growth there, don'tchaknow." "At least no one got hurt," Spike said, as he tugged Pinkie off him and plopped her onto the ground. "Think the basement is big enough to live in?" "Eh, if'n ya clear out the ol' stores, yar." asked Crackling as he arched his eyebrow at Spike. "Yeah, if it's safe enough." "I'll have the boys check it out fer ya," promised Crackling, nodding to Spike as he made notes on the report he clutched in one forehoof. "Getcha the paperwork by tomorrow, no problem." "Thanks again - sorry for hauling you out tonight of all nights." "Eh, it's the job. You jus' enjoy yer night, what's left of it; and as fer you, missy," the glimmer pony continued, turning his attention to the wide-eyed and very incarnation of remorse that was Pinkie Pie. "We'll be expectin' you at the next fire safety lecture. Again. With bagels, if ya have the time." Pinkie nodded, sniffling as massive tears rolled down her soot stained cheeks. With a huff, Crackling hovered into the air, flitting off to check on the rest of the Ponyville fire crew. "Spike! I'm sorry! I was just so awesome-super excited to have a new person in Ponyville and so I got straight into party planning mode and and and--" Pinkie began, only to be cut off as Spike's hand landed heavily on her mane, gently ruffling it. "It's okay, Pinkie. Really," he said, finally turning to give her a honest smile. "You... you mean it? I mean, I did just turn half your new house into a giant romane candle," said a surprised Pinkie Pie, a measure of disbelief in her voice. "I mean it, really. I mean, it's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me. And considering how the day has gone, it's a pretty appropriate capstone." He took his hand from the midst of the mare's mane, settling back onto all fours. "Though I'd appreciate help cleaning up and moving in." Pinkie promptly perked up, her mane and tail poofing out. "I'd love to! Not only am I Ponyville's premiere party planning pony, but I'm the hoofinest handy mare you could ever handle! Just ask the Cakes - I help them out all the time when Sugarcube Diner hits the lunch rush!" Spike couldn't help but chuckle at the mare's earnest response, finally turning from the old library, the last smoldering pieces being smothered under thick rain-soaked cloud by a few pegasii. "C'mon then. Don't want to miss the Celebration, right?" he said over his shoulder, making his way towards the town hall. "Right!" chirped Pinkie, bounding after him. The Town Hall was packed with ponies, all chatting and whispering to each other amongst the (very well put together, in Spike's opinion) Summer Sun Celebration decorations and the plentiful snacks (primarily apple-based, and delicious, still in Spike's opinion) on offer to one and all. Several ponies were enjoying the musical melodies of a few songbirds, who would occasionally flit off to be provided a carefully rationed sip of coffee by Fluttershy in between her conducting. The sky was crystal clear, the town hall's windows providing a perfect view of the flawless full moon and the turning of night to day, the sky beginning to turn a lightening purple with the approaching sun. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" called Mayor Mare from the hall's upper balcony stage, the silver-maned and brown coated mayor of Ponyville drawing the attention of all in attendance. Several nobleponies, all unicorns, waited in matching sun-and-moon robes to either side of the stage. Spike watched from the back of the town hall, swirling a glass of (apparently Pinkie-brewed) punch in one hand as he listened to the Mayor's speech. The dragon's attention waned, the speech similar to several he'd heard over the years back in Canterlot. He only really started to pay attention near the end, as the mayor gestured to the curtained off back of the balcony. "And without further ado, I bring you our beloved Princess!" Rarity, standing to one side of the curtains, took the dangling rope in mouth and pulled, drawing the curtains. The purple silks slid aside, revealing a darkened corridor. The assembled ponies (and dragon) stared up as the silence stretched. And then a dark shadow erupted from that darkness, bounding up and onto the balcony railing. It spread its wings, threw back its head and with a long practiced motion regally gestured to the assembled ponies with its horn, soft blue mane falling across the dark blue of her coat. "Gweetings, my bewoved woyaw subjects!" called Princess Luna, the filly smiling broadly as the ponies cheered their Princess of the Night. Spike cringed at the admittedly adorable speech impediment the Princess still had, but couldn't help but grin at the sight, even as the Mayor continued her introductions. "And of course our equally adored and honored Queen of the Sun, Monarch of the Six Tribes and Guiding Light of Canterlot, Queen Celestia!" From the shadows came the great and imposing figure of the Queen, her brilliant white coat topped by a long soft pink mane, the color of which had long become known as Royal Pink - a counterpoint, of course, to Princess Luna's Royal Blue. She strode across to her sister, easily over twice the height of any other pony in the hall and utterly dwarfing the alicorn filly, and nuzzled her beloved sister. The light glinted off her full regalia, the formal golden armor covering her body polished to perfection, as she raised one wing to wave to the gathered ponies as well, drawing this time a hushed, awed silence from them, tense and waiting. Then, with matching motions, both Princess and Queen threw up their horns, both lighting with magic. The waiting robed nobleponies did the same, joining their power with the royals. Outside the sky answered to their power, all of those gathered feeling the arcane might; inevitably, the sky shifted from a lingering night to the beginning of another glorious day. "My little ponies," said the Queen, smiling warmly upon the crowd, "let the Summer Sun Celebration begin!" The crowd broke immediately into celebration, batponies donning their sunglasses and dropping from their perches to join the glimmer ponies, who where in turn flashing their diaphanous wings as they swooped into the air with the pegasii, while unicorn, earth, and the rare few crystal ponies all stomped their hooves with approval. Spike remained in the shadows, eyes focused on Luna, grip tightening on his glass.