Chapter 19
“Hey, Cliff, wake up,” Spike's voice reached him, followed by a gentle shake.
Groaning, the older dragon sat up. It felt like he had just gone to sleep. “Need help with breakfast?”
Spike chuckled. “No, but your marefriend is here to see you.”
“Marefriend?” Cliff repeated dumbly. The word sounded familiar somehow...
“Fluttershy, bro. You know, the pegasus you're dating?”
Wait, Cliff's brain kicked into motion, Fluttershy is here to see me? She wasn't scheduled to join them for breakfast until tomorrow, not that he was complaining. He climbed out of bed, breathed a few puffs of fire to get rid of his morning breath, and shook himself fully awake. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem.” Spike waved as he walked out. “I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Cliff hurried into the living room, and found Fluttershy and Twilight chatting happily.
“Good morning, Cliff,” Twilight greeted him.
“Hi, Cliff.” Fluttershy blushed a little as she smiled.
“Hey,” he smiled back. “Oh, good morning, Twilight.”
The purple alicorn smiled knowingly at Cliff and Fluttershy. “I'll just leave you two alone.” She gave Fluttershy a hug before disappearing into the kitchen as well.
Cliff settled into Twilight's seat. “It's good to see you.”
“It's good to see you too.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “I wanted to apologize for what happened on Sunday.”
“You didn't do anything wrong.” Cliff gently put a hand on her shoulder. “I should have asked before I tried to kiss you.”
“I shouldn't have panicked.” She took a deep breath. “I'm happy that you wanted to kiss me, but... would it be alright if we... waited for a while?”
She doesn't want to stop courting. Relief flooded through him. “Well, my first attempt at kissing made you cry.” Cliff scratched his cheek uncomfortably. “I can't say I'm in a hurry to repeat that experience.”
Fluttershy peered out from behind her mane, worry written across her face. “Did I cry? I didn't realize.”
“Not in front of me,” Cliff clarified. “When I came by your cottage last night, Angel told me that you were crying in your bedroom.”
She looked confused. “But... I wasn't at my cottage last night.”
Cliff stared back at her. “You weren't?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I went to Rarity's to ask her for advice, and she invited me to sleep over so we could talk more.”
“Then why would...” Three thoughts entered Cliff's mind simultaneously: I'm going to flame-broil that rabbit, Thank the stars she wasn't crying after all, and, Did I seriously have a heart-to-heart with an empty bedroom?
Fluttershy must have reached the same conclusion. “I'm sure Angel Bunny didn't mean any harm. I'll talk to him about it when I get home. I hope you aren't angry.”
Cliff did the only logical thing to do when you realize that you've been duped by your favorite meal, he laughed.
-_-_-_-_-_-
The rest of the morning was surprisingly calm. Cliff was a little sad that Fluttershy wasn't able to stay for breakfast, but contented himself with the knowledge that he would talk to her later. He sparred with Spike while Twilight gave Rainbow a full checkup. The added years made her life-force a bit stronger than it had been before, but otherwise, the pegasus was completely back to normal.
Once they finished lunch, the two brothers and Twilight set out to find jobs for the new dragons. After all, living among ponies could be expensive, and they would need some way of providing for themselves. Luckily, Twilight still had a list of offers to employ dragons around Ponyville.
The hospital was the most obvious choice, but none of the dragons were willing to accept payment for their healing magic. Further, the hospital was already in a financial crisis, thanks to the Ponyville Coven. They could still provide services for things that dragon magic was unable to treat, like care for the elderly, medication, something called cosmetic surgery (that Twilight was strangely unwilling to explain), and the maternity ward, but they were facing layoffs and wage reduction anyway. Fire Claws offered to come in for a few hours each day, in case somepony needed her help, but that was just volunteer work.
The older dragoness found a real job with a business that delivered mail. Apparently it was part of the government as well. It was also where Derpy/Ditzy worked. Cliff told his grandmother to say 'hi' for him if she even ran into the gray pegasus. They had exchanged a few letters since the first one, and he was proud to count the insightful mare as one of his relatively few pony friends.
It was just a shame that her strange eyes were caused by a genetic abnormality. Wyrm healing magic used DNA as a guide, and so it couldn't help her.
She had actually taken that news well, thanking him for looking into the matter, and saying that she probably shouldn't try to change herself to suit others anyway.
Fire Eyes went to work for a construction company. The hard labor suited her, even if she didn't have the natural strength of an earth pony. Apparently this job was also somewhat dangerous, making her healing magic a welcome benefit.
Burning Torch was hired to work at Lugnut's hardware store. The older dragon wasn't an expert blacksmith by any means, but he knew his way around a forge, and was a faster learner than Cliff could ever hope to be.
“Three jobs found, and we got back just in time for lunch,” Spike commented as they arrived at the palace. He grabbed a newspaper off the front step. “I'd say that counts as a successful morning.” He glanced at the front page. “Looks like the paper found out about Rainbow's failed experiment. That didn't take them very long.”
“There were a lot of paparazzi around Ponyville the other day,” Twilight reminded him. “Maybe a few of them decided to stick around.”
“Maybe.” He skimmed through the article. “Good, they're blaming it on Discord too.”
“Anyway.” Cliff moved past him into the house. “I'll get working on lunch. Any requests?”
“I'm in the mood for grilled cheese and tomato soup,” Spike said. “How about you two?”
“Sounds good to me,” Twilight said.
“Agreed.” It was one of the few pony lunches that Cliff enjoyed, rather than tolerated.
“I'll help,” Twilight volunteered. “I've actually been meaning to talk to you about life-force transfer magic.”
Spike nodded. “Same here.”
And so the three of them relocated to the kitchen. Twilight wanted to know everything about the spells involved, of course.
“It's a fourth tier spell,” Cliff told them. “Hope, despair, excitement, and fear, by the way. You choose how many years you want to give up, touch the recipient, and push through the wall. Unlike other spells, where willpower changes the strength of the effect, with this one, it improves the efficiency of the transfer. A weak caster might give up two years for every one that their target gains. With a decent group though, the loss is usually between five and ten percent.”
“Why would dragons even develop a spell like that?” Twilight asked.
“Who knows?” Cliff shrugged. “We mostly use it for burn spells.”
The other two stared at him blankly.
“Spells that burn off years of your life,” he clarified.
“More importantly,” Spike said, “can this really let a pony live a dragon lifespan?”
“Some minotaur king lived for five hundred years because of it,” Cliff replied.
“Wait,” Twilight cut in, “do you mean Strong Arm, the Ancient?”
He nodded.
“Amazing! Scholars have debated for decades about whether or not his longevity was a myth.”
“It wasn't,” Cliff said. “He saved a coven during a war between drakes and wyrms. That was their way of thanking him.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Anyway, how hard would it be to convince other dragons to give up a few years for Twilight?”
“Relax, Spike,” Cliff said. “I said that I'd give her two centuries, and I meant it. Our grandparents would each be fine with tossing in another century or so.”
Twilight was looking decidedly uncomfortable with this turn of the conversation. “Spike, Cliff, it's very kind of you both to worry about me, but I'm still not sure if I should accept any extra years.”
Spike looked hurt. “But Twilight...”
“It's not that I want to leave you alone, Spike,” she quickly added. “It's just that artificially extending my lifespan is a big decision, and I don't want to rush into it without taking the time to think things through.”
“She has a point,” Cliff said. “It would let her spend more time with you, Celestia, and Luna, but it would also mean watching her other friends and family die of old age long before she could join them in the afterlife.”
Twilight nodded glumly. “Not to mention, if I ever get married, it would mean knowing that I would outlive my husband, children, grandchildren, and, depending on how many years I received, several generations of great-grandchildren.”
Spike looked like he was about to speak, but cut himself off. After a moment, he said, “I guess we can't make everypony live forever.”
Silence overtook the trio, broken only by the sound of lunch being prepared.
“...You two need to understand something,” Cliff said eventually. “I know ponies seem to think a longer life is automatically better, but that really isn't true. A good life is a full one, regardless of how long it lasts.”
Cliff gestured to his brother and the purple alicorn. “Both of you have lived more than myself, my parents, and all four grandparents combined. If you were to die tomorrow, not a single wyrm would say that your time was too short. We'd all talk about how wonderfully full and happy your lives were.”
Neither seemed to know how to respond to that.
“Just think about it, okay?” He went back to grilling sandwiches with his breath, pausing long enough to add, “Living to be seven hundred isn't a bad thing, but it isn't necessarily a good thing either. It's just... a thing.”
“Alright,” Spike said, “then what are you planning to do with Fluttershy if things work out? Will you just let her die of old age while you're still young and then find some dragoness to spend the rest of your life with?”
Twilight's jaw nearly hit the floor. “Spike!”
“No, Twilight.” The younger dragon shook his head. “Look, I get that you're trying to make an impossible situation easier for me, Cliff, but I need answers, not philosophy. Just tell me how I'm supposed to handle eleven hundred years without the family and friends that raised me, and, if it ever even happens, the pony I get married to.”
Cliff paused and took a deep breath before meeting his brother's eyes. He knew, and had always known, that falling in love with a pony would probably end in heartache, but that didn't mean he liked to dwell on it. “...I don't think there is an answer for that,” he said quietly. “All I can give you is a list of options to consider.”
Spike motioned for him to continue.
“First, have Twilight transform you into a pony. You'll live as long as the ponies you care about, and be able to have kids when you get married. Second, give up enough years that you'll live a pony lifespan. Third, convince the ponies you care about to get transformed into dragons. Again, shared lifespan and you'll be able to have kids. Fourth, assuming you can convince a large enough group of dragons to help, pick a couple of ponies you really care about, and transfer a few centuries of life into each of them. Fifth, they live their natural lifespans, and you live yours. You enjoy your time together, and then remember them fondly after they're gone. Sixth, get Twilight, or Celestia, or somepony smarter than me to come up with a solution that I haven't thought of yet; one that will somehow make us all happy.” Cliff sighed deeply. “If you come up with a good sixth option, let me know.”
Spike looked a little deflated. “So basically, there's no perfect choice.”
Cliff shook his head.
Twilight looked back and forth between them. “How about you both stop worrying today about what you'll be doing in another century?” She smiled gently. “We're all here right now, and that's what matters.”
“I'll try, Twilight.” Spike forced a smile. “Can you really blame me for worrying, though? I just... I spent most of my life thinking that one day, all the ponies I cared about would die, and I'd get left alone. It hurt so much to think about, but it seemed like there was no way I could avoid it. Now that I know there is...” His shoulders slumped. “I don't know. It's like things wouldn't be so horrible if I could at least still have you."
Twilight looked deeply into his eyes for a moment. “Do you really feel that way?”
He nodded glumly.
“Alright.” She took a deep breath. “How about this? If it will help you feel better, I'll let Cliff extend my life by one century. Long enough that we can face these challenges together.”
Spike's ear-frills perked up. “R-really? You'd do that for me?”
“Well, you are my little brother.” She enveloped him in a hug. “I think it's time I started acting more like a big sister should.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
They performed the spell later that evening at the Dragon House. All of Twilight's closest friends were there to watch as Fire Claws guided the rest of the dragons through the linking process. Because his grandfather insisted on sharing the cost, Cliff and Burning Torch each gave up fifty-five years. Thanks to their combined willpower, Fire Claws estimated that Twilight gained one hundred and four years.
Aside from feeling extremely cold afterward, Cliff and Burning Torch both felt fine. A little fire from the others ended that problem as well. Twilight, on the other claw, felt so warm that she ran to the shower and drenched herself in cold water.
Her friends had been a little shocked to find out what she was doing, of course, but none of them could fault Twilight for her reasons. Rainbow even offered to give her extra years to the purple alicorn. Twilight didn't accept the offer, but it was still a touching gesture... right up until the pegasus mentioned breathing fire again.
“Come on! A fire-breathing wonderbolt? How could they say no to that?”
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight rolled her eyes, “I'm not going to cut your lifespan in half, even if it has been artificially extended.”
“Then figure out a way to do it without that happening,” Rainbow pleaded. “Come on, Twilight. It would make me undeniably the coolest pegasus ever!”
Cliff was only half listening to them. Most of his attention was taken up by the yellow mare at his side. Fluttershy had been strangely quiet for most of the evening, even for her. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no.” She looked away. “It's just... strange to think that you, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike will still be here after so many years, and the rest of us... won't be.”
He gently put his arms around her, and smiled as she leaned into the embrace. “It isn't a decision to rush into, but if...” he swallowed, “if you ever decide that you want this too... well, I've only given up about eighty-five years so far...” he trailed off uncertainly.
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I couldn't ask you to do something like that! It just... wouldn't be fair.”
Cliff pushed aside the sinking feeling in his heart. Even though they hadn't been together long, thinking that they could only share a pony lifespan together made him feel strangely empty. “Okay... but the offer is always there... just, if you want it. Besides, how would it be unfair?”
“Well,” she looked around the room, “I wouldn't deserve something so wonderful. Not when there are so many other ponies who would do so much more with extra years than I would.”
He followed her gaze. “You mean your friends?”
She nodded. “How could I ask for a longer life for myself when Rarity would use it to make the world a more beautiful place, and Pinkie would throw more parties to make lots of ponies happy, and Applejack would use it to help her family, and their children, and their grandchildren?”
“And...” Cliff hesitated, knowing he was about to make a nearly impossible offer. “If we did it for all of them?”
“...Maybe.” She smiled tentatively.
Cliff smiled back, but it was a little forced. How could I ever get that many dragons to give up that many years? “Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “like I said, it isn't a decision that you should rush into.”
“Yes.” Fluttershy scooted a little closer to him. “It's not something we need to worry about yet.”
Meanwhile in the background, Rainbow Dash was still going on about how awesome she would be as a fire-breathing pegasus.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Spike walked into breakfast the next morning with a grim face. An army of reporters had ambushed him at the front door, and that wasn't even the biggest of his worries. “Hey guys, Discord has been talking to the newspapers.” He held up the morning paper, which had Dragons to Blame for Damage to Ponyville, in bold letters across the top.
Cliff was laying out plates for Twilight and Fluttershy when the younger dragon walked in. He exchanged a worried look with the yellow pegasus.
Twilight groaned. “Oh no. What did he say?”
“He's flattered that everypony blamed him,” Spike said after skimming the article. I guess he would be. “Then he told them that it was actually Fire Claws using experimental magic.” He opened the paper, and his cheeks immediately turned red. “Oh, that's bad.”
“What is it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Uh, one second.” Spike nervously skimmed the rest of the article before he facepalmed. “Remind me to incinerate that draconequus the next time I see him.”
Twilight leaned over to get a better view of the paper. “Spike, what is it?”
He cleared his throat and read, “'One good prank deserves another,' Discord said during the conference. 'Therefore, one of these three statements is true: Rainbow Dash' (Upcoming stunt flier, and The Element of Loyalty) 'is the subject of an experiment to create a dragon-pony hybrid. Two, dragons actually gain their longevity by sucking the life-force from ponies and other intelligent races. Three...'” Spike gave them all an uneasy look before he continued. “'The dragon, Cliff Runner' (older brother of Spike, and one of the leaders of the Dragon-Pony Cultural Exchange Program) 'is cheating on his marefriend, Fluttershy' (the former supermodel, who mysteriously left the fashion scene some time ago) 'with Princess Twilight herself.'”
Well played, Discord.
Spike had to wait a few minutes for the sputtering and shouting to die down, and for Twilight and his brother to convince Fluttershy that he wasn't cheating on her. By then, the three of them had pushed their chairs together and were sharing a group hug.
“Anyway,” Spike drew their attention, “of course it was all lies, but that's the point. He wants the paparazzi crawling all over Ponyville, trying to figure out which scandal is the real one.”
“But why would Discord do something like that?” Fluttershy shook her head in confusion.
“Maybe he's upset over being blamed for what happened to Rainbow Dash?” Twilight suggested.
“Or that we didn't clear things up ourselves.” Spike shrugged. “It doesn't really matter. What we need right now is something to tell all the reporters outside.”
“There are reporters outside?” Twilight's eyes widened.
“Yeah, I probably should have mentioned that earlier.” Spike scratched the back of his neck. “Anyway, what should we tell them?”
“How about the truth?” Cliff said.
“Yeah, that'll work.” Spike rolled his eyes. His older brother was plenty smart, but he didn't really get media, or politics, or anything that involved groups larger than forty. “Reporters don't want to hear that everything is fine. They want secrets, lies, and scandals, because those sell newspapers. Discord already told them that there's a scandal here, and they won't leave until they've found one, whether it's real or not.”
They all stared at him.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Twilight shook her head. “You're right, Spike. We need to give the reporters enough of a story to satisfy them.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Confirming one of Discord's lies might be the easiest, because it would make them disregard the other two.”
Fluttershy was turning bright red as she curled into a ball. “I'd rather we don't tell them that the lie about,” she shuddered, “Cliff cheating on me with Twilight is true... if that's okay with you all.”
“Of course.” Twilight was a little red herself. “You know we wouldn't do that, Fluttershy.”
Cliff looked a little insulted that there was even the possibility of doing it any other way.
“Maybe I could explain the life-force spell you used on me...” Twilight mused.
“No way,” Spike cut her off. “Discord said that dragons use it in reverse to gain more years. Everypony would freak out if they learned that wyrms actually could do that. Not that they ever would,” he added quickly.
The four of them stared at each other for a moment before Spike spoke again. “So... Rainbow Dash?”
Cliff nodded. “Technically, we did make her part dragon.”
Twilight sighed. “Fine. I'll go get her. Everypony stay here until I get back.” Purple light surrounded her horn, and then she was gone in a flash of magic.
“Do you think this will interrupt your date today?” Cliff asked his brother.
“I hope not.” Spike shrugged. It wasn't really a date, so much as a chance to have Autumn evaluate Rarity's feelings for him, but nopony needed to know that. “Let's just worry about minimizing the damage this causes.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Fluttershy asked nervously.
As if I'd throw you to that pack of timberwolves, Spike thought. “Don't worry about it. We'll be fine.” Even without being his brother's marefriend, the yellow pegasus was still one of his own good friends.
Fluttershy seemed more than happy to accept that, and scooted a little closer to Cliff, like she was trying to hide from imaginary reporters.
Cliff wrapped her in a gentle embrace while looking up at the younger dragon. “Can I help?”
Spike shrugged. “Maybe. For now, let's just hope that Twilight and I can sort it out with a bit of help from Rainbow Dash.”
“Okay.” Cliff motioned to the table. “We may as well eat while we wait.”
They had only taken a few bites when Twilight reappeared with Rainbow Dash in tow.
“Hey, everypony, guess what?” Rainbow fairly squealed with joy. “Twilight is going to let me breath fire again!”
Cliff looked questioningly at the purple alicorn. “I thought you were against that.”
She sighed. “Rainbow insisted.”
“Well yeah,” the blue pegasus rolled her eyes. “How are you going to convince them that I'm part dragon if I can't do any dragon things?”
Spike knew Twilight, and there was no way she would knowingly hurt a friend. That could only mean that she had found a way to avoid all the downsides of the dragon spell. That's my sister. “Okay, how is this going to work?” He was curious, and Twilight would want to explain it anyway.
“I'm going to tie fire breath and heat resistance to her natural magic field, but with a mental trigger. Since they won't be on all the time, they won't affect her lifespan.” The alicorn sighed again, but there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. It was the kind of look she got whenever she solved a difficult puzzle. “Your new abilities will only activate when you want them to, Rainbow, and using them will temporarily weaken your pegasus magic, so don't go overboard.”
Rainbow nodded enthusiastically. “Not a problem. Now lay it on me!”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Several minutes later, Spike stood next to Twilight and Rainbow Dash on one of the balconies of the palace. Earth pony and unicorn reporters swarmed beneath them, while pegasi flew up to assault the trio with questions.
Spike took a deep breath. “YOU'LL GET YOUR STATEMENT IF YOU JUST SHUT UP AND BACK OFF!” The crowd fell silent, and the pegasi backed away to a more respectful distance. And to think, Cliff said that voice enhancement spells are nearly useless. “Thank you,” he continued in a more normal voice, though still loud enough that they could all hear him. “As I'm sure you all know, Discord recently gave three statements about things in Ponyville, promising that one was true.” And all of you were stupid enough to believe him. “One of those statements was an insult to dragonkind, and one was slander against Princess Twilight and my older brother. Any newspaper crazy enough to print such garbage would, of course, face serious repercussions from the throne.” Not likely, but Spike didn't mind making the paparazzi sweat a bit. “Luckily for you all, however, the true statement is that Rainbow Dash,” he gestured at the multicolored pegasus, “was actually the subject of a spell to grant her draconic characteristics.” He turned to her, “If you wouldn't mind demonstrating?”
She took a deep breath, and sent out a burst of rainbow patterned fire. The crowd gasped in awe at the beautiful, and all-too-short, display.
“Thank you.” Spike turned back to the crowd. “This isn't an experiment we are likely to repeat, given the damage Ponyville suffered the last time we tried it, but at least it came with a few benefits. Equestria's fastest flier has gained yet another trick that nopony else can replicate.” He tapped a claw against his chin as though he was thinking. “You have to ask yourself why the Wonderbolts have her crammed into the reserves instead of being in their starting lineup.” He shrugged. “Anyway, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight, and myself will all be happy to answer any questions you might have.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Cliff found himself getting curious about what else that article had contained. He pulled the paper over to where he and Fluttershy were sitting and opened it.
Fluttershy gasped. “Oh... oh my.”
Cliff nodded mutely.
Apparently Discord had provided pictures to back up each of his statements. There was one of Rainbow Dash with leathery drake wings, one of an elderly pony cowering in front of a grinning wyrm, and one of Cliff and Twilight Sparkle kissing. Passionately.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Rainbow Dash spent the better part of a half hour talking herself up to the reporters.
Twilight seemed a little annoyed that nopony wanted to know exactly how her spell worked, but Spike doubted they would have understood the explanation anyway.
After the crowd had dispersed and Rainbow flew back to her own house, the young dragon and his adopted sister went back inside to find Cliff and Fluttershy still in the kitchen, next to the incinerated remains of a newspaper.
“I see you found the pictures,” Spike commented.
Fluttershy turned bright red. “Yes.”
“What pictures?” Twilight asked.
Cliff gave her a flat look. “You don't want to know.”
The couple left for Fluttershy's house soon afterward. The two of them were cute together, but their relationship seemed about as boring as could be to Spike. They never went anywhere, and they never did anything other than read, take care of animals, and talk. Admittedly, Fluttershy wouldn't like most exciting dates, but Cliff could at least try to surprise her some time. Spike reminded himself to bring that up with his older brother.
True, he didn't have much experience with dates himself, but he had certainly read a lot about them, while dreaming of sweeping Rarity off her hooves. Well, today was the day to put that knowledge to work. Even if Rarity didn't care that he and Autumn were spending time together, Spike figured that he at least owed the crystal mare a fun day on the town. He spent the remaining time before lunch confirming reservations and finalizing plans.
-_-_-_-_-_-
“Good afternoon, Sir Spike,” Autumn Gem said with a polite smile as she got off the train that afternoon.
“Just 'Spike' is fine.” He bowed. “I trust you enjoyed the trip, Lady Autumn?” He tossed her bags across his back and led her away from the station. “Let me show you to your hotel.” Rather than take the long train ride twice in one day, Autumn had opted to spend the night in Ponyville.
“You are quite the gentledragon,” she said as she followed, “but if you don't wish it, there is no need for formality on my behalf. The nobles of Canterlot have given me enough of that to last several lifetimes, and please, call me Autumn.”
Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “Ah, good.” He hated not being able to just say what he was thinking. “Anyway, how have you been, Autumn?”
She smiled approvingly. “The price of grain remains steady in Canterlot, Spike. My life consists mostly of attending boring parties and flattering my business partners.”
“Sounds monotonous.” He faked a shudder. “Hopefully today will be more interesting for you.”
“I'm looking forward to it. Have you spoken with Lady Rarity since the ball?”
“Not really. Things have been a bit crazy.” He was about to gesture at the destruction around town, but stopped when he remembered that they'd already cleaned it up.
“So I heard.” Autumn looked around. “I'm surprised that there aren't more reporters, after Discord's press conference last night.”
Spike couldn't imagine the draconequus holding a formal conference of any kind, but then again, doing the unexpected was kind of the point of chaos. “We dealt with them.”
She turned to him in surprise. “How?”
“We told them that Rainbow Dash being part dragon was true. It was enough of a story to get them off of our backs.”
Autumn nodded. “Very clever, I must admit.”
They reached the hotel quickly and got Autumn Gem checked in. Spike had planned to give her some time to settle in, but she insisted that she was fine. Months of high society life had made her eager to just be a normal pony again.
Spike started with a quick tour of town. He offered to pay for the trinkets she picked out in the market, but she turned him down with a smile and a shake of the head.
“I do appreciate the offer, but we both know that my spending budget is several times as large as yours.” She patted his shoulder affectionately. “And I thought we agreed that there was no need to stand on formalities.”
“You're making me sound poor,” Spike muttered. He kind of was poor, as far as nobles went, but that didn't make it easier to hear.
Autumn seemed to realize that she had stumbled across a sore spot. She pulled him aside. “My wealth was inherited, Spike. Trust me when I say that it doesn't reflect on me any more than your magic reflects on you. For both of us, it's a matter of how we choose to use those gifts.”
The young dragon smiled. “You're good at knowing the right things to say.”
She shrugged his compliment off. “Years of practice flattering business partners can be rather helpful when I need to cheer up a friend after a thoughtless comment on my part.”
“Tell you what,” Spike said as they rejoined the bustling market, “all will be forgiven if you let me pay for the rest of the date.” Except that this isn't technically a real date. Whatever. She knows what I mean.
“Deal.” The relief was audible in her voice.
They wandered around the Ponyville market for a while longer before going to their real objective, Carousal Boutique.
“Ah, Spikey.” Rarity beamed when he walked in, faltering only a little when his companion came into view. “Oh, and Miss Autumn as well.” She motioned for them both to come further in. “What brings you two here today? Would you like some tea?”
“Tea would be wonderful.” Autumn bowed slightly. “Thank you so much, Lady Rarity. I came to visit Ponyville today, and Spike has been kind enough to show me around.”
“That sounds like our Spike.” Rarity gestured to a small table. “Please have a seat. You'll have to excuse me while I start heating the water.”
The dragon and the crystal mare shared a look and a nod as they settled down. Autumn had to appear genuinely interested in Spike, and he had to remain friendly, but apparently unaware of her advances.
“How are you enjoying Ponyville?” Rarity asked when she returned.
“It's happy,” Autumn replied. “As much as I appreciate the beauty of Canterlot, it's refreshing to be in a town where joy and love aren't restrained by politics.”
Rarity nodded. “Ponyville does have a certain small town charm, but I must say that it lacks some of the wonderful culture and refinement of Canterlot.”
Spike remained silent as he watched the two mares discuss the pros and cons of each city. Rarity was mostly on the side of Canterlot, while Autumn primarily spoke on behalf of Ponyville. It was strange. Rarity wasn't being aggressive, per se, but she was pursuing the matter far more than she normally would. Was it because she saw the crystal mare as a rival in love?
After a few minutes, Rarity left to check on their tea.
“She has mixed emotions towards you,” Autumn whispered once they were alone. “I will have to push further to get more.”
Spike nodded that he understood.
“Ah, here we are.” Rarity returned, levitating a tray with her. She poured them each a cup of tea before setting out the teapot, a cup of honey, and a bowl of sugar.
“Thanks, Rarity,” Spike said.
“Yes, thank you.” Autumn sipped from her cup. “Delicious. I'm glad there are no hard feelings after our prank at the ball.”
“Of course not, dear.” Rarity smiled. “Spike has always been a bit mischievous, and I've never objected to a good prank.” Her grin widened. “Even if it was a poorly disguised attempt to make me jealous.”
Spike, who had been sipping his own tea at the time, was overtaken by a sudden coughing fit. “W-what makes you say that?”
She smiled indulgently. “Honestly, Spike. We've known each other for how long, and you didn't think that I would be able to understand you to some extent?”
Autumn surprised him by chuckling. “Indeed. This 'date' is actually his way of apologizing to me for that.”
Spike suddenly felt the urge to change the subject. “Hey look, tea!” Stupid, stupid, stupid... he chanted as he took a sip.
Both mares laughed.
“Isn't he so cute when he gets flustered like that?” Rarity cooed.
Autumn nodded. “You had better make your move before some other mare does, Lady Rarity.”
Now it was Rarity's turn to get flustered. “Wha, um,” she cleared her throat, “I'm afraid you misunderstand me, Miss Autumn. Spike and I are simply good friends.”
Spike winced. For a second back there, he had let his hopes soar. That will teach me, won't it?
Autumn gave him a sympathetic look so quick that the white unicorn missed it. “I think he deserves more than simple friendship, Lady Rarity. Many mares in Canterlot are already scheming to catch his eye. Which of them would you want him to be with?”
The gentle, but obviously present challenge in her voice made Rarity pause. “Spike is very dear friend of mine, and I would be happy to see him with any mare who truly cares about and understands him.”
The crystal mare nodded and sipped some of her tea. “And what do you think would make him happy?”
Rarity looked back and forth between Autumn and Spike. She smiled sadly. “I believe I have a fair idea.”
Autumn tried pushing from a few different angles, but the white unicorn refused to elaborate. In the end, they finished their tea and left with only a few awkward attempts at niceties.
“I'm sorry,” Autumn whispered. The crystalline appearance of her coat faded as they walked away. “I did get some useful information, but I think I upset her in the process.”
Spike shook his head. “Don't worry. It's obvious by now that she doesn't think about me that way.” He sighed. “There's nothing you could have done.”
“Actually,” Autumn stopped and put a hoof on his shoulder, “she does care about you that way.”
“...” Spike blinked. “...What?”
“She cares about you that way.”
He blinked again. That's what I thought she said, he reflected, but the words still didn't make any sense. “Huh?”
Autumn smiled. “Congratulations, Spike. She's rejecting her feelings for some reason, but they are definitely real.”
Spike smiled back as realization suddenly dawned on him. Rarity actually does like me! She's just... wait... “Why would she reject her feelings?”
“I'm afraid I don't know. She seems to think it's for the best.”
The young dragon's mind latched onto that puzzle. All he had to do was solve it, and Rarity would be all his! He embraced the Stillness, hoping it would shed some light on things.
Okay, Rarity likes me, but she thinks it would be for the best if we're not together. She must think we're incompatible or something. It's the only thing that makes sense. Maybe Autumn can help me figure out why she thinks that, and how I can fix it. He paused. We can deal with this later. I promised Autumn a refreshing day on the town, and she certainly deserves it after all her help. Now that he was looking at the mare, he realized that she wasn't in her crystal form. She must still be worried about not understanding all of Rarity's motivations. Autumn did seem to hold herself to an unusually high standard. Any failure at all made her start to second-guess herself. “Hey, Autumn?”
“Yes, Spike?” She didn't quite meet his gaze.
“Let's go have some fun.”
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My view on Quality VS Quantity, comes down to this.
If I lived 200 years, I could die with no regrets. Or rather, if people aged more slowly.
lovely chapter! still wishing for a twidash to sneak in there at some point. hehe, can you imagine how the other characters would react to that?
Go Autum. I'm glad she was able to help Spike. Now for Spike and Rarity to get together. Anyway. DISCORD! I will invoke the wrath of Pinkie Pie on you. You don't lie about your friends!
NOW FACE THE WRATH OF THE PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“then what are planning to do with Fluttershy if things work out?" You need to put in a 'you' before 'planning'.
Don't have much to say about this chapter, except that I enjoyed it. And I want to punch Discord in the face, and I would've liked to have seen more than a few of those paparazzi get roasted by a dragon.
But man, Spike is just digging himself a deeper grave; now he knows Rarity has strong feelings for him, so now seeing him with Autumn is only going to cause her more pain. If this keeps up, Spike's going to end up hurting all three of them.
Quite a few questions here, is it better to live a long life or a full one. A question with no right answer.
Is it wrong that I'm still hoping for SpikeXAutumn?
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Thanks for catching that.
Yeah, Spike's being pretty stupid. I wanted him to feel more like a late teenager than a mid-twenties adult, which usually involves a lot of ideas that seemed great at the time, but are positively idiotic in retrospect. That, and I wanted his approach to romance to be as different from Cliff's as possible.
for the question about quality over quantity it will vary from person to person but I kinda like this quote
Yet another good chapter. The one struggle that has haunted life since the beginning, mortality. You don't add too much to the concept of gaining immortality that wasn't heard of before, but the way you use what's already there gives this topic the care it deserves. You supply the pros and cons of both living forever and dying when nature intended. Death has been one of the greatest fears of humans throughout history (it currently ranks as the one thing I fear most), but being forced to watch everyone you know and love die could be far more painful. You have earned a bit more respect for giving this topic the justice it deserves.
As for my views on Twilight's choice, I don't have any strong opinions as to whether it was the right choice or not. What matters to me is that it was believable for her to have acted as she did. She cares about Spike enough to face down a group of dragons in his defense. I completely believe that she would live longer to make sure Spike could live his life to the fullest.
Now that the slightly depressing matter of mortality is out of the way, I can move on to see if my theory about Dash's condition was correct. I thought that the shift in her life force would give her traits that I could best summarize as a draconic version of Danny Phantom. While I wasn't completely correct, I consider her permanent fire breathing ability and the extended life span to be close enough to call my theory successful. By the way, I likely would have tried melting the reporters' cameras if it was me instead of Spike. As far as I'm concerned, fire is the best repellant that exists.
I was hoping Discord would return. Even though it was only his actions that appeared, it was still hilarious. The only portion of his prank that I have an issue with is that he included Fluttershy in the range of those who could be effected. She's the one pony I believe he would exclude from any of his more hurtful actions. The only reason he let himself take away her shyness during the party was because he knew it would have a positive outcome. It could be that he knew Cliff would clear up any doubts the article created, but I still feel that this was a bit too far. The rest of his joke was still absolutely hilarious.
Autumn is shaping up to be a very interesting character. She is skilled at reading another pony's emotions and speaking in the right way to make those emotions show, but she still comes off as a likeable pony who cares about those around her. It also looks like she has a severe dislike of failing any task she attempts. I look forward to hearing the backstory of this character.
Speaking of promised content, it looks like dragons aren't the only thing with little explanation in the show that you dislike being shoved off to the side. Crystal ponies have always been a very under used concept in the show. They rarely appear anywhere outside of the Crystal Empire and the lore around them is even thinner than that of the dragons. They glow when they are happy and can spread love across the land through the Crystal Heart, but that's it. I wouldn't mind knowing why they can glow and how they are able to extract there own positive emotions. All they are right now is a crowd of ponies given the abilities of a plot device with a thin coat of paint. The best step towards giving them any lore beyond that was taken in the story Nyx's Family by RealityCheck. I look forward to any lore you can give them here. Your work with the dragons proves that you know how to use the untapped potential that the show hasn't.
I am enjoying this story so far. As always, I look forward to the next chapter.
Spike's feelings for Rarity are blinding him to how badly he is hurting Autumn, and in turn, Rarity as well.
You want to hear our thoughts on this chapter? Ok dawg. Lets get started.
*Quality vs. Quantity of Life* Hell yeah Cliff was right on this issue! What's the point of living a long life if you live your life with no ambition, no drive, and just submit yourself to being a damn drone, feeling empty and cold. Hell, the day you stop dreaming for the future whether it be on your behalf or not is the day you die... on the inside. Might as well just be dead.
*Twilight's Life Extension* Hmmmm well lets think about this. Is extending your life another century, despite all the pain you'll have to go through like seeing your family die right before your eyes, worth it, considering you have to console a dragon that wasn't mature enough to see you go? In my book, HELL NAW. But hey, it ain't my life, so Twilight can whatever the fuck she wants to do.
*Paparazzi Fiasco* I would've told them to screw off, but I don't think you can do that.
In all honesty Vedues, Spike has just been Pissing me off lately.
First off, he uses Autumn (who's been a decent character so far) like a damn tool just so he can if Rarity actually has feelings for him, EVEN THOUGH he fucking read her damn heart and saw that she holds Spike in an incredibly high regard! And she actually kind of likes him romantically too!
Secondly, why is Spike still pinning for a unicorn who's been nothing but a damn cocktease to him even though he gave her a ruby shaped like a damn heart, saved an empire twice, digs up gems for her in filth and muck, was by her side when she was emotionally devastated by Trenderhoof, helps her around the damn shop almost religiously, helped her build an extravagant puppet theater for NO cost, scoured an ancient library so find her a source of inspiration, and has basically BEEN THERE FOR HER almost nonstop! And I don't care if she may or may not have feelings for him, that doesn't excuse being a cocktease! This shit ain't no game!
Look! I know that the age acceleration spell may have matured Spike physically and perhaps even mentally though I doubt that. But as far as character progression goes, HE. IS. FAILING. Whether this is intentional or not is up to you Vedues. Remember, my anger is not at you Vedues. It's at this dumbass. ->
Rant over. Carry on
I still think spike should be with autumn no offence to sparity but I read a lot of fics involving that....... Great story as always
Very good chapter. But I must say that I have to get stronger glasses to hear what Fluttershy says sometimes.
Life gives us answers more often than we think, but perfect answers are rare. The lifespan question doesn't really have one. As for the reporters, I would've issued a statement, and it would go exactly like this:
"Fillies and gentlecolts, may I have your attention please! Discord has told you that one of three facts he presented was true, and I am here to tell you which one. Now I'll only say this once, so all of you gather 'round. You listening? Good. The one that was true was... NONE! Not a one. Nope, nada, nothin'. Discord lies just as much as tells the truth so we never know which one he's doing, and now he's got you all crawling around, sniffing for a secret where none exists because frankly that makes him laugh. In other words he is playing you all like the cello segment in Octavia's Evening Star. So to everypony who actually believed this stuff: Congratulations, Equestria, you've been punked!"
And exit, stage fast.
The point here is not to try and reason with reporters. Instead be loud, get in their faces, don't give them a chance to interrupt. Nopony listens to a reasonable expert when there's a loud guy in the room. Of course there'll still be naysayers, but that's gonna happen whatever you do. Might as well have it on your terms. And of course be flashy about it.
I love ur story so far, The only issue I have is Spike grew up. I am a Spikebelle shipper so you destroyed my ship. Otherwise great chapter and I would to see how u have the dragons interact with Trixie or the Flim Flam brothers, just a suggestion. Also I'd like how the ponies are handeling the coven. Again love the story and keep up the good work!
An interesting trick on Discord's part. Though I would have half expected that he would provide three statements that were all true, but sounded worse than they were (example: "Fire Eyes visited Ponyville Hospital recently, and there were fewer patients left alive in the hospital after she was done" - makes it sound as if she was killing them instead of healing them. Or "The spell that made Rainbow Dash breathe fire cuts her lifespan in half" - true, but irrelevant as the spell has been removed and she's had extra years added on to make up for that anyway).
Of course, for maximum effect, Discord could give statements that are technically true and refer to something harmless, but where proving that it's harmless requires revealing something to the reporters that nopony wants made public (such as dragons' life-force-shifting spells).
Hm, If I were in Spikes place, I would probably threaten to kill the reporters, and then kill them right afterwords. (I bucking hate them.)
Discord counter-attack, even so... Could not Twilight say that Discord only lied? I mean... Between the words of "Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship" and "Discord, Lord of Chaos that like to make chaos in Ponyville" Could be obvious
you can't stop me
, Spautumn all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
4610147 those idea's would be fun
Owwwww nice chapter but , I star to feel bad for Autumn :'( , she has been a nice girl and all and spike didnt note that ... I still wanna see more bout sparity but after this .... I don't know anymore
Honestly, I hope for Spike and Autumn to be together now.
Oh, so Twilight is not an immortal alicorn princess here? A shame.
Great chapter though. Discord is a d*ck as usual. Firebreathing RD was hilarious. And that last bit with Spike left me with an imprint of a palm on my face.
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Yeah, I was going for sort of a teenager feel with adult Spike, which generally means stupid moves when it comes to dating and relationships in general.
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I have to comment on this. So many people want to just shit on Spike because of his actions. I at least can see where this is coming from. Yes, he's at an age where he's not a baby anymore. But I think that this comes like what happened in "Marmaduke" where the big dog finally gets to go steady with the cute female because he finally realized that he was being a huge dick...even the eye candy female came through in the end and basically told him to go with his heart and that there is no hard feelings for breaking up with her to go with the cute female.
I just feel that in this state, Spike is Marmaduke, Rarity is probably that collie, and I'm guessing Autumn is Mazie. If that is the case, well we know what is foreshadowed: Spike breaks up with Rarity and starts going steady with Autumn, and Rarity graciously accepts it because as much as she would want Spike to stay with her, Rarity realizes that she may have waited too late to learn her true feelings for Spike, and ultimately Rarity wants Spike to be happy. That is true generousity--knowing when to let go of someone that you truly love but you know that he is better off with someone else.
Just my opinion though.
Go for SpikexAutumn! Sparity is over-used. It'll give the story a nice differentiation from generic fanfics.
I'm mad with Discord now.
I think Spike and Autumn are going to be great friends.
Amazing chapter as always
"Spike, I love you but I am sexually attracted to mares ..."
What did you think of Cliff's stance on quality vs quantity of life?
i think that both are good but both have there down sides as well. if u focus on quality of life u sometimes forget to relax and enjoy life. but u do not really live life if u only focus on the quantity of life. i think the best thing to do is have a good balance of the 2.
The most interesting bit to me was that dragons eat food they know is intelligent.
(Assuming angel bunny is typical)
Wait a minute. So you've established that an individual's potential lifespan is determined by what might be called a 'reservoir' of some kind which, among ponies, contains roughly 80-90 years of life and in a wyrm contains around 1200. The years can be transferred from a wyrm to a pony and vice versa, so clearly there's not anything inherent to a pony that stops them from living a long life.
And yet, when elucidating the options Spike has, Cliff basically says that if Spike turns into a pony he gets a pony lifespan, whereas if his special somepony turns into a dragon they'll get a dragon lifespan.
So in the former case where are all of his extra years going, and in the latter case, where are all the extra years coming from? You treat the years as a quantity or volume, but in this case they're either disappearing or coming from nowhere.
5874407
This all can be explained in one word, magic. For a more elaborate answer; I think the extra years would come from and go back to the magical field of the planet. As to why they are treated as a quantity, it's probably just the number of years that the planet's magic can sustain their species's bodies and keep them youthful. Like how Cliff said that his grandparents look as old as him, I think in this world you don't age from adulthood to elderly until you start to run low on years.
That's my theory anyway.
Argh! Spike! Why don't you just let go of her! Autumn deserves happyness too!
Why am I not surprised. Wait! I know! I guessed this!
I just realized, if transforming a pony into a dragon doesn't take life force but increases life-span, could you not transform a pony into a dragon, take the extra years and transform them back.
I retract my previous comment though only half way because of a personal head cannon more than anything else
This is the best kind of love triangle in my opinion.
7651526
I completely agree with this.
The funny thing is I am hoping Autumn can find happiness. With or without Spike.
Kind a of like how Cliff found Fluttershy. Which I like very much even though I am big fan of shipping Discord and Fluttershy. I really both like both ships. 