Chapter 28
Spike looked at the small mountain of books spread across the living room. His date for the evening had ended early, so Twilight had recruited him for another research session. “No offense,” he said as he came back with yet another book on magical theory, “but what's the point of a spell that converts mana into willpower? I mean, only an alicorn could ever use it.”
“This version, yes,” Twilight agreed, “but really, this is just another step towards a much more important spell.”
“Let me guess, death ray?” Spike grinned.
She frowned. “No, Spike, a spell converter. Imagine a world where any unicorn could use dragon spells, and any dragon could use unicorn spells.” Twilight smiled energetically. “The possibilities are literally endless!”
“Yeah, except dragon magic is the number one selling point of the Cultural Exchange Program. We're having enough trouble keeping ponies on board as it is.”
“Spike,” she gently chastised, “you know it would be wrong of me to halt scientific advances that could save lives because of politics. Besides, this research could take me years to complete, and even after I'm finished, unicorns will still need wyrms around to teach their brand of magic. If anything, it only makes inter-species communication that much more appealing.”
“Whatever you say, Twilight.” Spike knew better than to argue when his sister got like this.
The door opened suddenly and Cliff came in, followed by Fluttershy. Both of them had goofy smiles, which looked especially odd on the yellow pegasus. Spike also noticed that she was wearing an expensive looking pendant, for some reason.
“Hey, guys.” He waved casually. “I'm guessing things went well with her parents?”
“Oh, I'm glad you're back.” Twilight looked up from her work for the first time in several hours. “Cliff, how much is known about the fundamental particles of wi-” Her eyes locked on Fluttershy's new jewelry.
Spike looked from the pendant to his sister and back again. “What is it, Twilight?”
The purple alicorn didn't answer. Instead, her eyes slowly drifted up from the necklace to her friend's face. “Fluttershy, is that...?”
She blushed and nodded, still unable to keep herself from smiling.
“Wha-” Spike began, only to be cut off as Twilight burst across the room to wrap her friend in a tight hug.
“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!” Twilight beamed. “Congratulations, Fluttershy! What happened? Tell me everything!” She practically dragged the yellow pegasus off to the kitchen. “Come on, I'll make us some tea.”
Spike and his older brother were left alone in the main room. “So, would you mind translating what just happened here?”
Cliff tried and failed to keep from grinning. “We kind of just got engaged.”
His mouth dropped open. “...Huh?”
“Fluttershy and I are engaged now.”
“Well yeah, I heard you,” Spike shook his head, “but... how? Last I checked, you were just hoping to survive dinner with her parents. You never said anything about getting married!”
Cliff let out a shaky chuckle. “Well, it wasn't exactly planned.” He briefly described the meal, Sunrise's gift, and the conversation it had sparked afterward. “I thought you would have known what the necklace meant.”
“I was raised in Canterlot, where almost everypony is a unicorn,” Spike reminded him. “They mostly give horn rings when they get... sweet Celestia, you're engaged.” He had to sit down. “Well, you're the only guy I've ever heard of who got engaged to his marefriend before he even kissed her.”
His brother's goofy grin returned in full force.
“Oh, I see you took care of that too.” Even an idiot could tell what that smile meant. “So, uh, when's the big day?”
“We haven't really had time to talk about it,” Cliff admitted. “Dragon engagements normally last for about four years.”
“Four years?” Spike repeated. “Whoa, Cliff, you might want to change that estimate. Pony engagements last for like a year, tops.”
“Oh. That's actually more than what I was expecting.” He took a seat beside his brother. “A year is probably a good thing, though. It would mean our parents can be here.”
“Yeah, that's true.” Spike was still trying to wrap his head around all this. “Are you going to, you know, make her live longer?”
Cliff nodded slowly. “Seven hundred. She agreed to it tonight, but she really doesn't want to unless her friends all agree. We should talk to them about it tomorrow.”
“Where are we going to get the years?” Spike asked. “Even if all six of us dragons worked together, we don't have that many years to give up.”
“I asked the Redstone Coven about it the last time I was there,” Cliff replied. “They agreed to help. My real worry is getting everypony to agree.”
Cliff is getting married. Spike's mind kept replaying that message. Why does he have such better luck in love than I do? Not for the first time, he considered asking his brother for advice about Autumn, but he still couldn't bring himself to.
Some stubborn part of himself hadn't forgiven Cliff yet for trying to spy on his emotions. Spike knew he was a horrible dragon for feeling that way, but he couldn't stop it. “Hey, let me talk to the others. I'm sure I can get them to agree.” Maybe this will help make up for being so petty.
“Are you sure?”
“You said you've been relying on me to help change ponies' minds about us.” Spike smiled confidently. “Trust me, I can handle this.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Pinkie's 'Congratulations, Fluttershy and Cliff!!!' party happened at the palace the next evening. Fire Eyes was off training in the Everfree Forest, and Spike's grandparents were still in Canterlot, but River and the rest of the Crusaders were there, along with all of Twilight's closest friends, a group that now included Autumn Gem.
Spike carefully maintained the Stillness around her. After pretending to date the crystal mare for so long, and then faking a breakup, it would just be too awkward if she found out that he was developing real feelings for her.
He skirted around Derpy and the Doctor. Spike didn't know either pony very well, but Cliff had insisted on inviting the gray mailmare and her new stallionfriend. The two of them, Zecora, Big Mac, and Granny Smith represented Cliff's addition to the guest list.
With that berserk drake safely out of the picture, Zecora had moved back to her home in the Everfree Forest, but she was still sharing a stand in the marketplace with the Apple family. She had also taken Apple Bloom on as an apprentice during her stay with them. Spike was honestly surprised that she hadn't gotten a cutie-mark in potion brewing yet.
“Excuse me, everypony.” Spike climbed onto a bench so they could all see him. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming to support Fluttershy and my brother during this special time. If anypony asks whether it's worth fighting for coexistence between dragons and ponies, well, I'd say those two are living proof that it is.
At the other side of the room, Cliff and Fluttershy were blushing as everypony turned to applaud them.
Spike winked at his older brother before continuing. “In fact, Cliff's old coven is so dedicated to our cause that they've offered a special gift to our six national heroines, the Elements of Harmony. If they want it, each one of them can have their lifespans extended to seven hundred years, about average for a dragon. Unfortunately, to give this gift, a wyrm has to sacrifice years off of his or her own life, but they are willing to do it for us.
“Obviously for Fluttershy and Cliff, it means they can each share their whole life with the other. As for the rest of you, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Applejack, it means you can still be together learning, designing, competing, partying, farming, and just generally saving Equestria from whatever life throws at us hundreds of years from now.”
He waited a moment to let the news sink in. “There's no pressure, of course. You can all take your time to think about this, and come talk to me in a few days when you've made your decision. Until then, I'll have to ask everypony to stay quiet about this whole lifespan extension thing. The rest of Equestria probably wouldn't understand that this isn't the sort of gift you can buy. It's something that a wyrm has to give freely. But enough about that, for now, let's all give the Redstone Coven a big round of applause for their generosity.”
The shocked silence of the living room erupted into enthusiastic hoof-stomping.
Satisfied with their reaction, Spike climbed down and made his way over to Autumn. As he approached, he realized that her coat reflected pure shock. “Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you that wyrms can do that.”
“Yes, it would seem that you did.” She shook her head and her coat returned to normal. “Please forgive my inattention. I take it you want me to measure reactions?”
“Don't apologize, Autumn.” He felt guilty for not mentioning something so important. Confused emotions or not, Autumn was still a trusted friend and ally. He let some of that emotion through the Stillness.
A flash of positive emotions across her coat assured him that she had taken no offense.
He smiled. “Anyway, how is everypony taking it?”
She scanned the crowd. “Reactions are all positive, with some shock and disbelief scattered around. All of the Element Bearers seem likely to accept, with the exception of Applejack, who is mostly feeling uncomfortable at the moment.”
Spike had been expecting as much. To any of the others, a life extension meant being able to do more of what they loved, which was why he had brought that up in his speech. Applejack, on the other hoof, valued family more than anything. After losing her own parents at such a young age, the farm mare would naturally equate a longer lifespan with being forced to watch the deaths of her brother and little sister.
Luckily for Spike, the rest of the Apple family was in attendance, and every single one of them was the type to think of the greater good. That comment about saving Equestria hundreds of years from now had been meant especially for them. They all knew how much the others needed Applejack, and they wouldn't let her say 'no.'
A small part of Spike paused to wonder if he was doing the right thing, convincing everypony to extend their lives, but then he thought about how happy it would make Twilight, Fluttershy, and by extension, Cliff, if all of their friends could live a draconic lifespan together. Spike couldn't think of a better reason to do something than, 'because it will make my family happy.'
“I'm surprised the wyrms at the coven would agree to this,” Autumn cut through his thoughts. “Even with their extremely long lives, giving some of their very life-force to a group of strangers cannot be easy.”
“That's just how wyrms are.” Spike felt a little pride in his species. “They're all completely selfless, because any that aren't transform into monsters and get killed off.”
Autumn nudged his side playfully. “And you are the most selfless of the lot, of course.”
“Of course.” He laughed. Looking into her smiling face made more affection spring up around the edges of the Stillness. Dang it, why does she have to be so fun to be around?
“By the way,” the crystal mare said, “have you been practicing a new spell lately? I haven't been able to sense your emotions clearly all week.”
“Oh that?” Spike bit down his sudden nervousness and feigned nonchalance. “Not exactly. It's just that emotion-clearing technique. Getting better with it helps with spellcasting.”
“Rats, and I bet Pinkie five bits that you'd been replaced by a changeling.”
“Right,” Spike rolled his eyes, “a changeling in this town, with two empaths running around. If one really was here, the only bet would be whether you could get it thrown in jail before Grandmother turned it into bug flambe.”
“True,” Autumn conceded. “Speaking of your grandmother, how much longer will it be until you can learn her spell? You are a talented conversationalist, but sometimes I miss being able to speak in pure and simple emotions.”
“I wish I could help, but Empathy is a tier five spell. Even Cliff has trouble using it.”
“Perhaps we could use the Linking spell instead?” she suggested. “I'm told that one is much simpl-” Autumn paused, and a warm smile spread across her face. “Simpler.”
Spike looked at her uncertainly. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I'm fine.” Autumn pointed towards a crowd that had gathered around Cliff and Fluttershy. “Something very good just happened over there.”
The young dragon followed her hoof. Cliff was staring in wonder at something Spike couldn't see through the crowd. Then he scooped River Wind into his arms, hugging her tightly.
“I wonder what's going on.”
They made their way over, amid whispers from the other ponies and excited chatter from the Crusaders. “Is everything okay?” Spike asked his older brother.
“Everything's perfect.” Cliff grinned. He looked down at the tiny hatchling in his arms. “Do you want to tell him?”
“I-I just earned my name.” Tears were pouring down her face, but they looked like tears of joy.
“Really?” Spike leaned closer. “What is it?”
“Written Whisper.”
Wow, it's almost scary how accurate that is. Spike wasn't sure if he had ever heard the hatchling speak in a voice above a whisper.
“Isn't it awesome?!” Apple Bloom grinned. “The first ever triumph of the Cutie-mark and Name Crusaders!”
Sweetie Belle was bouncing up and down next to her. “I helped her illustrate it!”
“I told her it was a good idea!” Scootaloo added.
“Illustrate what?” Autumn knelt next to the trio.
“Her book, of course.” Scootaloo pointed to a small pile of papers, held together with twine in Fluttershy's hooves. “It's a present for Cliff and Fluttershy.”
“It's all the messages River delivered for us,” Cliff explained, “during those weeks when we couldn't talk to each other. She got her name as soon as we opened it.”
Fluttershy herself was holding the book as if it were the most precious thing in the world. She wrapped her wings around Cliff and the young hatchling. “Thank you, so very much.”
Autumn made a soft, “awww,” and gathered the remaining Crusaders into a hug. “That's so sweet, all of you!”
Spike tousled the little hatchling's head spikes like he'd seen Cliff do. “Congratulations, River, or Written Whisper, actually.”
She giggled and looked up at him from the combined hugs of Cliff and Fluttershy. “Thanks, Spike.”
He didn't want to take up too much of their time, so Spike excused himself and made his way to the snack table.
Autumn joined him soon after. “I wonder what your name will be,” she commented as she poured herself a cup of juice.
“Hay if I know.” Spike put another cupcake on his plate. “At the rate I'm going, I won't ever get it anyway.”
She looked at him in concern. “Spike, why would you think that?”
He avoided meeting her gaze. “It's complicated.” It really wasn't. Dragons only got their true name when they both found a calling in life and made the decision to pursue it. Spike knew that he was good at certain things, but none of them had made him think, 'Sweet Celestia, I want to do this forever!'
Autumn put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “I'm here if you ever need me, Spike.”
More affection flooded through the young dragon, and to his horror, he realized that he wasn't in the Stillness anymore. He couldn't even remember dropping it! “Oh, uh, well,” Spike cleared his throat, “thanks. You're an awesome friend.” It should be fine if I let her hoof stay around me for another few seconds... right?
She just smiled at him sadly. Her crystalline features radiated compassion and concern. She was positively breathtaking.
It's like somepony carved beauty itself out of gemstones and willed her to life. Spike flushed as he realized what he had been thinking. No, bad brain! She's the one who broke off our fake relationship. She obviously just wants to be friends!
“Are you alright?” Autumn asked, frowning slightly. “You're emotions are fluctuating wildly.”
“Oh, sorry!” He embraced the Stillness. It was a welcome change from the raging chaos he had felt seconds earlier. “Dragon magic can be hard to master. That's why it's so important to practice.” Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it...
She nodded. “Understandable, especially with all the pressures we've been under lately.”
He might have fooled her, or maybe she was just being nice and changing the subject. In either case, Spike wasn't going to complain. They spent the rest of the evening going over much safer topics, like politics, and how stupid most reporters were.
-_-_-_-_-_-
It had been a few weeks since the party, and for once, Spike was grinning as he read over the morning newspapers. An article entitled, Shedding Some Sunlight on the Issue, deserved most of the credit for that. Celestia made a point of rarely throwing her political weight around, but when she did deem it necessary, the results were always impressive. Today, all of Equestria was eagerly reading a 'report' about her study of wyrm magic. Like a true master, she explained just enough of the mechanics to catch the imagination, before moving on to describe several carefully chosen spells: Heart's Mirror, Healing, and Scale Armor.
The first two helped reinforce that dragon magic could be a beautiful and useful thing, and the third was used as a jumping off point for wyrm society in general, and their view of combat as an unfortunately necessary part of life.
Spike felt the urge to go buy a hat, just so he could tip it to Celestia the next time he saw her. By the time she started refuting the media's claims against wyrms, they had already been presented as such a tragic and loving race that it almost seemed redundant to point out that they weren't psychotic killers. Even their 'vicious' duels were completely undercut when she pointed out that Scale Armor protected its user so well that they may as well be wearing giant marshmallow suits, for all the damage they could cause to each other. That mental image would be enough to keep anypony from calling wyrms frightening for quite some time.
He finished the article and passed it to Cliff and Fluttershy. Their engagement was still being kept quiet, just until Autumn's reporter friends found a hole in their schedules to come do a story on it. Fluttershy still wore her necklace everywhere, but apparently that was a more obscure symbol of being engaged than Spike had originally thought, because virtually nopony recognized its significance.
The next article was from Cloudsdale. Spike took another bite of his oat cereal. After hearing about Fluttershy's parents, he wasn't too surprised to see that they were still discussing the many advantages of having wyrms in the armed services. Spike had to admit, he could see Fire Eyes or his grandmother being almost frighteningly effective town guards.
There was a knock at the front door.
“I'll get it,” Spike volunteered.
An unusual sight greeted him when he opened the door. Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith were standing there with looks of grim determination. Behind them was Applejack, pointedly not looking at any of them.
“Hey, everypony. What's going on?” Even though he had a fair idea.
“Applejack accepts yer offer ta make 'er live longer,” Granny Smith announced in her usual tired, rickety voice.
The orange mare snorted angrily behind them.
Granny turned back to her. “Oh, quit poutin'. Ya already admitted it takes all six of ya ta use yer fancy rainbow power thing. Ah'm not lettin' ya doom Equestria in another hundred years all cuz ya didn't wanna stick around fer when they needed ya.”
“Eyup,” Big Mac solemnly intoned.
Apple Bloom nodded her agreement.
Applejack just looked further away.
Their piece said, the rest of the Apple family bid Spike farewell and set out for their farm.
Spike had mixed feelings as he made his way back to the kitchen. One one hoof, all of the Element Bearers had now accepted, and all they had to do was write to Celestia and ask when she would be available to take them all to the coven, but on the other, it was obvious that Applejack wasn't very comfortable with the whole situation. Still, he didn't want to worry the others by dragging them into his ethical quandaries, so Spike put on a big smile. “Good news, AJ just stopped by to say that she'll accept the lifespan transfer.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
As it turned out, Celestia had planned on using the next weekend to visit the Redstone Coven anyway, making it the perfect time to extend everypony's lives. That Friday dawned bright and clear. It was always like that in Ponyville, unfortunately. Cliff had learned to accept that rainstorms were few and far between around here, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
Not surprisingly, Twilight had gotten them up at the crack of dawn so they could start getting everything ready. He and Spike were assigned to the kitchen, where they scrambled to prepare breakfast and sack lunches for everypony. Celestia wanted to spend half the day at the coven, and it was doubtful that there would be enough pony food to go around.
Fluttershy arrived first, followed by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Autumn Gem, Rainbow Dash, and finally, Rarity. Written Whisper, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo had slept over the night before.
“Alright everypony,” Spike called, “the food is in the kitchen. Just grab a plate, take what you want, and move back in here to eat. Celestia should be here in about fifteen minutes, so let's get moving.” He pushed his way through the crowd of ponies to Autumn. “Glad you could make it.”
She smiled. “Me too.” While the crystal mare wouldn't be receiving any extra years, she was extremely curious to see the dragon coven for herself. “You must be glad to get out of today's training, what with Fire Claws in Canterlot again.”
Once word got out that Burning Torch and Fire Claws had tutored both Celestia and Luna, the two wyrms had been getting invitations to every high society event in Canterlot. Fire Claws had about as much interest in attending them as in cutting off her own arm, but they couldn't afford to pass up any chance to improve the general opinion of wyrms. At least this time she had been able to get the Doctor and Derpy invited as well, so she would have somepony to talk to.
“Oh, I'm not getting out of anything.” Spike winced. “She's having me maintain Scale Armor and Energy Resistance all day. By dinnertime, you'll have better luck talking to a brick wall.”
Meanwhile, Cliff brought Fluttershy the plate he'd prepared for her. “How are you feeling?”
“A little nervous,” she admitted as she took it. “Will it hurt at all?”
“You'll feel strangely warm.” He took a bite out of his fried eggs. “But that wears off in a few minutes.”
The timid mare nodded thoughtfully, then glanced around. Nopony was paying attention to the couple. She leaned over and planted a short kiss on his lips.
A wave of electric joy passed through the dragon, making him smile uncontrollably. “It's unfair how you can do that to me,” he said as he tried to hide the grin behind his plate.
Fluttershy giggled as she took a bite of her muffin. “It's too bad your grandparents can't come. They must miss their home.”
“They'll be fine,” Cliff assured her. “It's pretty normal for them to visit my aunt in another coven, and stay there for about a year before they come back. It's Fire Eyes that I worry about.” His oldest friend had been invited, of course, but she just said something about not wanting to 'risk' going back home.
Fluttershy wordlessly wrapped a wing around his shoulders.
“What should we do first?” Whisper asked on the floor nearby. She had been up late telling the other Crusaders everything fun there was to do at her old coven.
“Let's try cliff jumping,” Scootaloo said between mouthfuls. “Everypony remembered their hang-gliders, right?”
“Of course.” Sweetie pointed to the small mountain of bags behind them. “We have hang-gliders, scuba gear, spy equipment, marshmallows...”
“Ah wanna try those upside down races!” Apple Bloom interrupted her friend. “Think we can get Cliff ta use his magic on us for it?”
“We could also ask Page Turner,” Whisper said. “She knows nearly every spell there is.”
Twilight walked past the four of them, muttering nervously to herself. “It's okay, Twilight. You've been there once before. No need to worry about it.”
“Oh come on, Twilight.” Rainbow grabbed the alicorn and forced her to sit. “This is going to be awesome! Think about it, all of us friends, together for the next seven hundred years!”
“Yeah, us an' nopony else,” Applejack grumbled. “Ain't ya gonna miss yer family at all?”
“Of course I will,” Rainbow replied, “but do you think they'd want us to spend the next six centuries being miserable?”
Nearby, Pinkie and Rarity were talking energetically about what ponies would be wearing to parties in another century.
“I'm betting they'll all have biiigg silly hats.” Pinkie threw her hooves up dramatically. “You know, like old timey wizards.”
“Perhaps they will.” Rarity's mind was already buzzing with ideas. “After all, the styles from last century seem completely ridiculous now. Even my own designs might become outdated as the years go by.” A determined smile played across her lips. “That's it! I simply need to develop a line of timeless styles. I shall call it, 'Eternal Chic!'”
Princess Celestia arrived just as breakfast was being finished. “Good morning everypony.” She smiled warmly as she entered the living room. The whole room bowed, but she waved them back up. “Please, there's no need to fuss. We can leave once you are all ready. Until then, relax and enjoy yourselves.”
Twilight came forward and hugged her mentor. “It's so good to see you again, Celestia.”
“I feel the same, my dear friend.” Celestia returned the affectionate gesture. “I am so proud of everything you've accomplished here.”
The smaller alicorn blushed at the praise. “I haven't really done anything special. Cliff is the one who convinced the other wyrms to come, and then Spike, Rarity, and Autumn have been working so hard to help Equestria see how kind they really are.”
“They've all contributed, but you are the one who brought them together and organized their efforts.” She playfully nudged her former pupil. “Don't ever forget, Twilight, that a good leader knows how to rely on the skills of others.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
After everything had been cleaned up, and the sack lunches distributed, the group followed Princess Celestia outside. Two of her royal guards silently joined the group, while the rest spread out around Ponyville, just in case Fire Eyes went berserk while they were gone.
“Move in close, everypony,” the Princess of the Sun instructed.
They did so.
“Thank you.” Her horn began to glow. “Here we go.”
In a flash of golden light, the group disappeared and reappeared hundreds of miles away. Cliff opened his eyes to see a very familiar cave. “It's good to be back,” he smiled.
“I imagine it is,” Celestia said to the young dragon. “Would you be so kind as to take the lead? I wouldn't want to startle anydragon.”
“Of course.” Cliff moved to the front of the small group and led them inside.
With the exception of seven hatchlings, Page Turner, and a few others in the kitchen, the main cavern was empty. Everydragon else was probably off doing their jobs already.
“We'll continue our lesson in a few minutes,” the dragoness said when she saw them, dismissing the hatchlings to go play.
Written Whisper charged into the group. “I'm back, everydragon!” she called, “and I earned my name!”
“Really?” One of the hatchlings, Stone Sky, asked as they all clustered around her. “What is it?”
“Does it have something to do with ponies?”
“What was it like in Ponyville?”
“Did you have any adventures?”
The eight hatchlings looked and sounded remarkably like the Cutie-mark Crusaders, Cliff reflected with a grin. Some things just transcend all boundaries. He skirted around the group to meet Page Turner. “I see you got stuck with teaching duty today.”
The dragoness shrugged. “We're learning about basic meditation techniques. It's nothing too difficult.” She turned and bowed deeply to Celestia, and again to Twilight. “It's an honor to see you both, princesses. Most of the coven is occupied at the moment, but is there anything I can offer you two?”
“No, that's quite alright,” Celestia said. “We did drop in unannounced.”
“Ponies think that's rude,” Cliff explained. It had taken him a while to realize that ponies thought it was polite to warn others before going to visit them. The logic seemed to be so that the other party could prepare for your coming. Wyrms, on the other claw, saw the forewarning as a subtle demand for special treatment. Showing up unannounced was like saying, 'I don't want you to drop what you're doing just for me.'
“Oh.” Page Turner nodded before turning back to Celestia. “If you came to see somedragon in particular, I could go get them. Otherwise, the coven should gather for lunch in another three hours. You're welcome to wait here or wander around until then.”
Celestia nodded graciously. “A very kind offer, but I was actually hoping to see some of my little ponies working together with the members of your coven, if it's not too much trouble.”
“No, that's no trouble at all.” Page Turner turned to Cliff. “Would you mind teaching the hatchlings while I show our guests the way?”
“Actually,” Cliff pointed to where Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo had joined in telling the young dragons about all the adventures they had had with Whisper, “I think they're learning an important lesson in inter-species relationships right now.”
“I don't suppose I can argue with that.” Page Turner laughed. “Very well, we have teams of dragons and ponies working together in the kitchen, at the farm, and uncovering some new artifacts in the western tunnels. Where would you like to start, Princess Celestia?”
“The tunnels sound interesting.”
“Um, Celestia?” Twilight asked before the dragoness could lead her mentor away. “What should the rest of us do?”
“Whatever you would like, my friend. You are welcome to come along, of course,” an amused smile touched the alicorn's lips, “but I doubt an archeological dig would interest many of you.”
After a brief discussion, Twilight decided to follow the rest of the group, minus the Crusaders, on a tour of the coven. It was fairly obvious that she would have preferred going with Celestia and Page Turner, but she would have felt bad abandoning her friends.
“Shouldn't somepony stick around ta keep an eye on the young 'uns?” Applejack asked as they started out for the farm.
“The kitchen staff can keep an eye on them,” Cliff replied. “They should be more than enough to handle it if anydragon goes berserk.”
For some reason, that seemed to make the farm mare even more nervous. “Ah wasn't exactly thinkin' about that, Cliff. More worryin' that one of 'um might get hurt.”
“Oh, yeah,” the young dragon said awkwardly. He kept forgetting that ponies didn't worry about the same things as his species. “The staff can heal any injuries they get too.”
The farm was a small, depressing couple of buildings, with a few pens for various animals, and a field of the crops they needed. At least, that's how it used to be. After a ten minute walk, Cliff was shocked to see much larger and nicer buildings, more pens, and two large fields of ripe fruits, vegetables, and grains. Dragons and ponies were hard at work, repairing fences, feeding animals, and harvesting crops.
“Not a bad place,” Applejack commented. “A little on the small side, but mighty nice all the same.”
One of the dragons in the field came out to greet them as the approached.
“Egghead?” Cliff laughed. “What are you doing out here?”
“Blame earth ponies,” the older dragon said with a smile. “I've never seen crops grow so well or so quickly. The harvest is so much larger than normal for us that they needed some extra help.”
“Yeah, earth ponies will do that.” Cliff gestured to the farm mare. “This is Applejack. She and three family members run an apple orchard big enough to feed themselves and the entire town, with enough left over to export across Equestria.” He smiled a little as he added, “and one of those family members is still very young, and the other is an elder.”
Egghead's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head. “My stars, earth magic is truly amazing.”
Applejack blushed a little. “C'mon Cliff, there's no need ta brag about me.”
“Why not?” Pinkie jumped up and landed on her friend's back. “We all know how super spectacular amazing you are at farming. The only earth pony thing I'm good at is harvesting rocks.”
“Harvesting... rocks?” Egghead repeated.
“With Pinkie it's just easier not to ask,” Cliff whispered to him.
After touring the farm, they walked back to the main cavern. The Crusaders were still telling everydragon about their adventures, but they did pause to wave at the group before going back to their story.
The rest of the tour was similar to the one Cliff gave Twilight on her first visit. The only major difference was that everydragon wasn't gathered in the main cavern like last time, so they had to pause every now and then while Cliff introduced them to a passing dragon.
Whisper's parents were among the wyrms they met. The two of them took off for the main chamber as soon as they learned that their youngest daughter was back for a visit. Another dragon even made a pass at Rainbow, resulting in embarrassed sputtering from the mare, and a chorus of laughter from her friends.
The intimacy chambers drew varied reactions. Fluttershy blushed so hard that Cliff swore her tail went red. Twilight rolled her eyes, having been through this once before. Rainbow just said, “yeah, I was wondering how you did that.”
Autumn's reaction was the funniest. The crystal mare winked at Spike and tilted her head towards the chambers suggestively. She managed to hold that pose for several seconds before she broke down laughing at the young dragon's absolutely shocked face. For some reason, this also prompted Twilight to slap him.
The Redstone Coven wasn't especially large, even by dragon standards, so they finished their tour with time to spare. Since nopony wanted to risk disturbing Celestia, they wound up relaxing in Cliff's family's nest while they talked about wyrm culture and life in the coven.
“I do have one question.” Autumn asked. “You said that rumors of a young wyrm at the Great Dragon Migration led you to Canterlot, and from there to Ponyville.”
Cliff nodded.
“How did you even hear about that? From what I've seen, drakes and wyrms have very little contact with each other.”
“Drakes will sometimes trade with covens,” Cliff explained. “One of them mentioned Spike. Wyrms from that coven told us at the last gathering.”
“What's a gatherin' anyway?” Applejack asked. “Some sorta family reunion?”
Twilight covered that one. “Kind of. It's when all the covens in an area come together for a few weeks. They happen every five years.”
Cliff nodded. “Exactly. You're all welcome to attend the next one, but it's still more than four years out.”
The others all seemed to like that, but Autumn raised her hoof again. “Excuse me, but how many wyrms normally attend these gatherings?”
“Ten thousand or so at the local one,” Cliff said. “They get bigger the further south you go.”
Rainbow groaned. “Can't we skip the lessons and do something fun? We still have another two hours until lunchtime.”
“Lessons are fun,” Twilight muttered.
Cliff ignored her. “What did you have in mind?”
The blue pegasus grinned at Applejack. “Hey AJ, how about we introduce you to a dragon game called Bash?”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Note to self, Cliff thought as he crashed into the cave wall, NEVER anger Applejack! Scale Armor was one of the most useful spells a dragon could know, but it protected more against stabbing or slashing than against blunt force trauma, such as the kind delivered through an applebuck. Dragon scales were the same. All in all, the young dragon had to wonder why he had thought playing Bash against the farm pony was a good idea.
“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash whistled. “I bet you got thirty feet of air on that one!”
“Oh my goodness, Cliff!” Fluttershy rushed to the fallen dragon's side. “Are you okay?!”
“I'm fine,” he croaked. It was a total lie, of course. Some of his ribs were cracked, if not broken. In all fairness though, he had told Applejack to hit him as hard as she could. “No need to worry.”
“Well, if you're sure...” Her hoof gently prodded at the bruise in her fiance's side as her eyes closed in concentration. “Oh no! Cliff, three of your ribs are broken!”
Ah, so they are broken. Goody. “I'll be okay.” He tried to sound reassuring, but it came out as more of a pained hiss as he maneuvered a hand over the damaged area.
The orange mare came over to join them. “Is he okay there, Flutters? Ah thought ah heard ya say somethin' about broken ribs.”
“Oh, um,” the yellow pegasus shrank down a little. “Please don't get angry, but I think you may have hit him a teensy bit harder than you should have.”
Crack.
Both ponies looked down at the young dragon, who shuddered. “Ugh... I hate that feeling.” He pulled himself into a sitting position.
“Whoa Cliff, was that yer ribs just now?”
He nodded with an embarrassed blush. “That was then snapping back into place. It, uh, looks like you're a lot stronger than I thought. Sorry.”
Applejack stared at them both like they'd gone crazy. “Now why in the name of all things oats an' apples are ya'll apologizin' ta me? Ah'm the one that went an' busted ya up.” She took off her hat and pressed it against her chest. “Look Cliff, ah'm real sorry.”
“Well I am the one who challenged you, so it's not really your fault.” He looked back and forth between Fluttershy's nervous, nearly tearful, expression, and Applejack's sincere regret. “Look, I'm all healed now.” He patted his ribs for emphasis. “So there's no need for hard feelings. I just forgot that ponies are more impact resistant than dragons.” Rainbow and AJ had been kicking each other around for several minutes before Cliff decided to join in.
“Well, if yer sure.”
He nodded. “Just don't be insulted if I let you and Rainbow duke it out alone from now on.”
Applejack chuckled. “Can't say as I'd blame ya.” She replaced her hat and walked back to the others. “Alright Dash, looks like Cliff's bowin' out, so it's back ta you an' me.”
Fluttershy waved to her friend before turning to Cliff with a surprisingly forceful look. “Why didn't you tell me that you'd been hurt so badly?”
The young dragon's ear frills drooped under her gaze. “I... didn't want you to worry.”
Some of the fire went out of her expression. “I understand, but you still shouldn't lie.” She gathered him into a hug. “I just don't want you to feel like you can't trust me.”
Cliff returned the embrace. “I'm sorry.”
“Promise you'll tell me the truth next time?”
“I promise. Better yet, I'll avoid playing Bash against Applejack, so there won't be a next time.”
She giggled softly. “That's a good idea.” Her tone let him know that all was forgiven.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Celestia returned with the bulk of the coven just in time for lunch. The coven members settled down to enjoy their meal, and visitors did the same to enjoy their sack lunches, including an extra large one for the Solar Princess. As they ate, Silent Halls explained to the coven what Twilight and her friends were there for, and asked all those who had promised extra years to come forward as soon as lunch finished.
They did so, forming a circle around the six heroines.
“Cliff,” Silent Halls patted the young dragon's back. “Since this was your request, would you do the honor of leading the circle?”
“I'd love to.” He felt the link snap into place around him as soon as he finished speaking. Cliff felt ten sets of emotions flowing into him, and his own emotions reaching out to each of them. Being linked was a sensation that couldn't really be described, except to say that it felt 'safe', like he was a part of something much larger than himself, which would do anything at all to help him, just as he would do anything to help any other member of the circle. “As you know, Rainbow Dash has already been granted her extra years. Last night, the Ponyville Coven also granted a full life extension to Princess Twilight and Rarity, and a minor one to Pinkie Pie.”
The group felt a little confused by that. The emotional language they knew couldn't express very complex ideas, but it was more than enough indicate Fluttershy and ask, wasn't she the reason for this? Why not extend her life first?
She wants to go last, Cliff explained before continuing out loud, “Pinkie, we'll finish with you first.”
“Okey doki loki.” She bounced forward.
Cliff drew on the group's combined willpower to cast the spell, draining from all the members equally, except for himself and Silent Halls. The elder dragoness didn't have any more years to give up, and Cliff was saving his years for somepony in particular. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and activated the spell. Aided by the others, centuries were poured into the pink mare with very little loss.”
“...Whoa, warm! Tons warmer than last night.” Pinkie giggled, “and tinglier too!” She bowed regally to the group before charging to the cavern's small river and jumping in its largest pool, shouting, “Hot, hot, hot!” all the way.
“Yeah,” Cliff and the others all smiled, even though most of them were feeling pretty cold. Breathing fire on each other helped clear that up. “Applejack, you're next.”
“So help me, ah'll get Granny, Big Mac, an' AB fer this,” the orange pony muttered as she came forward.
Four members of the group analyzed her stance, expression, and tone, and came to the realization that she was actually terrified. As Cliff knew the farm mare best, it was silently agreed that he should help her before going through with the life extension.
“Hey, AJ?” He moved forward and sat in front of her. “You know you don't have to go through with this.”
“Ah know,” she sighed, “but ah said ah'd do it, an' so ah'm doin' it.”
“But why?” Cliff asked. He had never brought it up, but he really couldn't see any reason for her to want a longer life. She was already happy with what she had.
“Partly cuz uh mah family, but mostly cuz...” she sighed and whispered, “somewhere down tha road, another one uh the Apples is gonna lose their parents, an' well, ah wanna be there for 'em when that happens. Let 'em know they still got kin, an' all.”
Admiration surged through the group. Caring for family, especially in times of loss and need. There couldn't be a more worthy way to spend one's life. Cliff told her so before casting the spell.
“Lansakes,” Applejack gasped. “Where's tha river? Ah feel like ah'm on fire!” She charged after he pink friend, slashing down next to her, hat and all.
Twilight and her friends chuckled. Most of them had reacted similarly when it was their turn.
“It's my turn now, right?” Fluttershy came forward. “If it's still okay, that is. I mean...” She swallowed and glanced up at Cliff nervously. “I-if you still want me.”
Go hug her! every dragon in the group ordered at once, but Cliff was already moving before they sent it. He wrapped his arms around the yellow pegasus and pulled her close. Her engagement necklace pressed between them, a constant reminder of how much she was willing to endure to be with him. “I'm not as good with words as Spike or Grandpa. So let me just show you how much I want to be with you.” He focused on all his feelings of love, friendship, and admiration for the mare who had come to mean everything to him, and then he added her to the link. The others respectfully calmed their emotions so that his could show through.
Fluttershy gasped as the emotions flowed into her. She was surprised and a little overwhelmed. The emotions radiating from her, however, were just as powerful as Cliff's.
No words were needed. The two were as close as they could possibly be, their hearts resonating with everything they loved about the other. Only one word could even come close to describing it: wonderful.
Cliff silently called for the others to help him once more, and cast Life-force Transfer. This time, he reached inside himself for the majority of the years to be given. The actual transfer was completed in mere seconds, leaving the young dragon feeling icy cold, and strangely hollow.
Even though her entire body was wracked with uncontrollable spasms, and she desperately wanted to join AJ in the river, Fluttershy wrapped her wings around Cliff and pulled him closer. His cold scales felt good against her uncomfortably warm fur, and she could feel through the link that the reverse was also true.
Their work completed, the others all severed their links, leaving the young couple to hold each other close, basking in the joy of their shared love.
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it's not like it's to late to add changlings in. but spike did make a good point. with all the emotion reading and what-not going around, they wouldn't last more than a few minutes. and that's if they weren't dumb enough to try and take fluttershy! OH! have chysalis try to take fluttershy! that'd be freaking hilarious!
4699997
One earlier draft actually had the Ponyville coven taking on a changeling swarm because they kidnapped River/Whisper, figuring that wyrm emotion control techniques would result in a limitless supply of love for them to feed on. It felt really generic and contrived though, so I scrapped it.
The more it talks about extending lives the more I'm uncomfortable with the idea, which is my norm with "life extensions" thrown around haphazardly.
I mean, for all the talk about how it's how much you live not how long there's really no way not to admit that not having to worry about growing old basically your entire life is a huge advantage. And that people who have been granted seven hundred years of life, unless they spend it making themselves miserable, are basically a privileged overclass, who are hugely important while all the little ponies who have to worry about dying of old age get to live their own short pointless lives.
4700043 eh, i always thought that having a simple issue that is quickly resolved (in this case laughably easy) is just good fun and entertainment. but that's just me.
4700063
I'm really glad you brought that up. Expect to see some of those same issues addressed in chapter 29, and lots more of them in chapter 30.
Something tells me the reporters will get a hold on that "life extension" magic and advertise it, then there'll be a a wave of ponies kidnapping or trying to buy years from dragons.
Man, Spike is really being difficult with this. Just ask if she wants to be with you dude, it's pretty obvious.
Because with the way she's been given the short end of the stick by the media, she might have ended up remaining at the coven?
Yeah, I see it as more of a bad thing, seeing as how reluctant she was about it.
4700315
I know how you feel, and agree completely.
4700317
Yes, Fire Eyes was afraid that she'd lose her nerve and stay at Redstone. Wyrms have a deep psychological need to feel useful and needed, and abandoning the rest of the wyrms in Ponyville would have gone against every virtue she considers important.
4700224
Let's just say, the rest of Equestria is going to start asking the completely understandable question, "Why them, but not us?"
Before I begin my traditional rant, I should warn you that I'm not in top condition today. Being stuck in a poorly ventilated room with spray paint tends to make one a bit dizzy (if not completely disoriented.) If it seems like I'm not as perceptive as usual, now you know why. I haven't missed reviewing (A.K.A. rambling about) a chapter on release date since I found this story and I'm not starting now.
I may not know what goes on in a relationship, but I do know how those who are in one tend to act after something big happens, including engagement. Cliff is a bit more relaxed during his conversation with Spike. He becomes almost blissfully unaware of any and all possible issues surrounding his engagement when he knows how vicious the media can be when they get their hooves on something. His mind was still trying to process the recent turn of events leading to him being a bit less observant of dangers than usual. This cleared up enough by morning to remember the camera-equipped vultures circling overhead.
River's new name is fairly interesting. The name Written Whisper by itself made me imagine one of those stealthy messengers wearing all black and sticking to the shadows like one would find in shows like Naruto. The translation 'Keeper of Secrets' only cemented this idea further. She was shown putting together a book in an earlier chapter, so it was decently foreshadowed.
It makes sense that Applejack would be the one to disagree with the increased lifespan the most. Of all the Mane 6, she is the one most directly associated with family bonds. The idea of living longer than her current family after already losing her parents would be very questionable for her. She acts like she fully accepts the change now, but I can hear the time bomb ticking. It's only a matter of time until her real thoughts are made known.
Cliff and Fluttershy's interactions in this chapter are fittingly cute and heart warming, but also a bit cheesy. Then again, who doesn't like a bit of cheese (besides the lactose intolerant?) Besides, everything would seem oddly perfect for a short time after these current events. It's only a matter of time before some reporters slip past the small army of Final Fantasy weapon wielders I've gathered and ruin it. By the way, a small wave of them did recognize the engagement necklace and move in to question them, but we managed to repel them. Most of the ones I handled ran away out of fear, but there are a few spare teeth littering the ground at the moment. You'll have to ask the others how their work went. I'm pretty sure I heard screams from the direction of the two using Sephiroth's long sword.
That does bring up one small issue I noticed with the chapter. It seems that Ponyville's lack of knowledge about the engagement necklace is a case of plot convenience. It could be explained that the necklace tradition is more commonly practiced in Cloudsdale and that Twilight's studies let her know of such traditions, but it is still a noticeable hole with nothing more than a wave of the hand to cover it up. Keep in mind I am a bit picky when it comes to plot holes, but one or two in an otherwise great story won't kill me. It takes something with more holes than swiss cheese to get that far under my skin (one such example being Sonic 06.)
In short, this was a good chapter. The group knows about the upcoming marriage, Spike is shown to be at least slightly aware of his idiotic behavior, Whisper has her true name, and the lifespan extension has been placed and will likely set up a large part of the conflict in the next few chapters. I can see the media is about to lose its mind and have sharpened my buster sword for when they finally catch wind of the engagement. I look forward to the next update.
Adding changelings would work, but the kidnapping part is a no no. Seriously.
Great chapter. Very heartwarming. I especially loved the scene where Autumn teases Spike with the Intimacy Chambers, and now how Spike is in the same situation with Autumn that Cliff was in with Flutters, even down to him insulting his own brain.
Is 'even' supposed to be 'event'?
Now that that's out of the way... while I don't mind that something bad down the line is going to take place, you can't have a story without conflict after all, please, please, PLEASE don't kill either Cliff or Fluttershy in this story. That's a very cheap form of emotional manipulation, Snowdrop levels of cheapness, and you're better than that! Now this is a more personal request, and doesn't need to be taken as seriously, but don't have them break up either. Let this be a 'happy ending' for the two; there are very few Dragon/Flutters fics that aren't Spike/Flutters. So again, I hope this has a happy ending for them (but again, this is a more personal request, and doesn't need to be taken as seriously, but I am serious about either of them dying)
I just realized somwthing. The mane 6 should be rhe strongest beings alive. Twilight should have had no trouble against fire claws. She just has to go super saiyan, I mean rainbow power. Also, shouldn't the element bearers live just as long as the elements, until they disconnect that is.
BTW: You should add more Trixie since you're involving so much magic.
4700437
But it's okay if I kill Twilight off, right?
Whoa, whoa, I was kidding!
Seriously though, none of the mane 6 will die in this story. Ditto for Cliff and Spike. As you've noted, character death is usually just thrown in as an attempt to artificially ramp up the emotions of the finale. While I definitely want the finale of this story to be emotional, I want things to be that way because of what has organically grown from the plot thus far. Crap will happen, but none of it will be out of left field.
As for the ending, you'll have to wait and see. I'm strongly of the opinion that being happy has more to do with choice than circumstances, and luckily, almost all of the characters in this story are optimists. They want to be happy, and they're willing to work for it. As such, I can guarantee that there will be smiles at the end. It's just a matter of what they'll have to endure to get there.
4700559 That's good to hear.
Now it makes me even more excited for the rest of the story. Unless you're lying, in which case, I can't be held responsible for what will happen... 
By the way, how close are we to Spike's parents being introduced?
4700315 I second that, and third it.
Lol i liked the part were spike gets smacked by twilight
4700632
They'll be getting home from their trip in approximately 5 1/2 months. Boy will they have some surprises waiting for them!
I have a feeling somethings like a greed growth will probably happen to Fire Eyes or Whisper
Also last chapter did both of Cliff and Spikes grandparents go to Canterlot cause that's kinda a plot hole seeing as one of them usually stays behind incase one of the dragons in Ponyville go berserk. When Cliff went to meet Fluttershy's parents only Spike Fire Eyes and Whisper were left and Spike doesn't have the combat experience if Fire Eyes went berserk.
That was beautiful.
Why do I get the feeling that this whole "life extension" thing is going to come back to bite them in the ass?
you know it occurs to me, this going to sound stupid from me, considering most anyone that has been paying attention has already noticed it, but I don't care, anyone that forces Flutters and Cliff to separate is going to be turned into a spot on the floor in the matter of seconds. That would emphasize the point of ponies and dragons working together in an operation. Those that would be involved would be, but not limited to, the other element bearers, at least half the coven, most of Ponyville, and three god level beings (Luna, Celestia, and Discord). Not sure how her parents would get involved but I know it wont be pretty.
Anyways great chapter can't wait for more
.
Discord should be the one to marry Cliff and Fluttershy.
Owwwww super nice chap. Bro i like soo much that cliff and spike are in better terms , i glad for the two simblings c: , and poor spike , why he can tell autum how he feels ? :( .
I hope to see more bout Spike and Cliff :) , i luv both them .... And dudeeeeeee i want ti know bout their parents , i gonna be awesome !
Great chapter. I loved the reason why AppleJack Accepted those years. I can't wait for the next chapter. You don't disappoint.
SPOILERS!!!
3.bp.blogspot.com/-r0KjUjK_mCk/TymMZmehRSI/AAAAAAAABZc/9g26bHMNYis/s1600/Varys_1.jpg
Now, that's worrying. What kind of horrifically bad thing could possibly...
...please don't kill Fluttershy.
Somehow I get the feeling that something ... bad ... is going to happen to Autumn.
Quite possibly at the same time that Spike tells her that he really does have feelings for her.
Now that Celestia has seen the Life Transfer Spell in person I have to assume that there is a reason (maby even a really good reason) that the Immortal sun bringer can not give a few years (out of infinity) to help expand the lifespans of just about anyone she wants to. (like say the element bearers and Spike ...)
Hey, no spoilers! No, I didn't expect bad, because I make it a point not to try to predict future plot points in any entertainment I recieve.
4701747
No worries, even I'm not heartless enough to kill Fluttershy. Heck, I feel like a horrible person every time I make her cry.
4700786
I'll see what I can do about fixing it.
...Yeah, I got nothing. Total goof on my part there.
i love this story. it may be because i just finished fable: anniversary but the longer but i am see a few minor parallels with the spike's and whisper's families. cliff the blind but insight full older sibling, whisper well whisper, she did kind of competed with spike for cliff's attention, and fire eyes the combat expertise older sibling. thought i would have to admit that she is not as arrogant as thunder. by just because fire claws hasn't outed a changeling doesn't mean she hasn't found one. you could always introduce one she has already met but didn't know could have been an enemy and worst they could have been friends and she might now feel betrayed. to cover the initial meeting you could throw together a side story or bonus chapter if it needed it. remember timey whimey stuff.
...Don't you dare make Fluttershy cry.
But yes, adorable.
Extending the lifespans on the mane 6 makes perfect sense for multiple reasons. they're Equestria's main defense against Supernatural threats, they saved Equestria multiple times and they're Discord's only friends. They don't want Discord becoming evil again just cause they Died and that could have been prevented.
too sappy
sorry but I had to say this, couldn't keep in anymore
The story is now all about marshmallows as it seems and not about wyrms and ponies
4702210
...what sort of horrifically bad thing could possibly require so much heartwarming to set up?
4702214 Well you can have it so Torch stayed behind while Fire Claw went to teach Celestia seeing as she hasn't gone to Canterlot yet and she can make Cliff and Flutter uncomfortable by teasing with her emotion reading spell.
4704530
Okay, I think I came up with a fairly simple solution. Celestia just stationed guards around town, in case anything happens. There were already a bunch of them during that time with the berserk drake, so it should fit fairly well.
I only got two camflies, one ran when he saw me and the other left after some 'persuation' from my side.
(Meaning I did a death threat holding my blade veeeeeeery close to his neck.)
As for the chappy (every dog loves chappy), it felt lightheartd and full of adorbs towards the end. I need more so I can continue to hunt paparazzi for the princesses.
Embarrassment: that feeling you get when you realize that you've been misspelling Apple Bloom's name for the last 28 chapters.
It should be fixed now.
4700379
Probably already adressed in the following chapters, but since I haven't read that far yet… I think the answer to that question is pretty simple: “Would you give up part of your own life, of your essence, for a stranger? Well, those six are our friends.”
4700559
Those would seem the most likely to me.
I just hope neither Fire Eyes nor Fire Claws will end up sacrificing themselves for the others.
A minor one for pinkie pie?
Also, rd isn't going to live as long either, is she?
4840300 I would not be surprised if Fire Eyes went berserk, what with the mention of sending a platoon of guards just for that purpose, the recent confession of her crush on Cliff, and the way she's been acting lately.
>>titan the reaper you must be psychic
>>grahf time travel confirmed
The mane 6 are acting like they're the only heroes, like the elements are incapable of choosing new wielders in the future.
idk, it just rubs me the wrong way.