• Published 18th Jul 2014
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Their Knight of Scales - Radiant Dawn



Spike spent much of his young life trying to find his place in the world, only to realize it was with those who had become his family. Now, he must decide what to do with new emotions and desires.

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Chapter 11

“Twilight, you -- mmh -- really need -- mmh -- to go-mmh.”

Twilight appeared to be trying to drown me in kisses for good luck, and while I would normally have no problem with that at all, we both had places to be. Besides that, I was pretty sure the flower sisters (whose stand we happened to be in front of) were going to faint if we didn’t stop.

On the spectrum of intimacy, Twilight was the opposite of Lyla. While comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me, she was not ready to do anything beyond kissing. I didn’t mind, as I was in no way starved for affection, but even in the short time we had been together, Twilight had been quite happy to give me smooches, even in public. I’ll say one thing for sure: Twilight was a quick study, which was evidenced by the fact that my knees were weak when she finally pulled away after a particularly loving kiss on my lips. While a more carnal side of me whispered that I could teach her oh-so-many other things, I beat it back mentally with a stick labeled “Friendship Comes First”.

The guards that were in charge of flying the chariot were watching with amused grins, neither willing to tell the princess she had to do anything. I would be getting no help from them, unfortunately, so I was finally forced to grab Twilight by the shoulders and push her away from me. It was cute how she whined briefly and attempted to lean back in, but I held firm and shook my head at her.

Leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on the end of her nose, I gave her a reassuring smile. “Twilight, it’s gonna be okay. Go to Canterlot, do princess things, and have some good times with Celestia and Luna. I’ll be home by tonight, and you and I can spend tomorrow trading stories of our adventures.”

Pouting slightly -- though because I stopped her or for some other reason, I wasn’t sure -- Twilight huffed good-naturedly. “Presiding over a budget meeting with engineers and scientists is hardly an ‘adventure’, Spike. You might be spending the day dodging fireballs, while I’ll be having to bite my own lip to keep from falling asleep.”

Releasing her arms, I quirked my brow at her. “But this is the kinda stuff you love learning about.”

Finally pulling away and straightening her blouse, Twilight only stared at me. “It’s a budget meeting, not a scientific expo. We’ll be talking about how much money everything costs, not the wonders of modern science and engineering. Boring isn’t a strong enough word. It won’t even be a good distraction to keep from worrying about you.”

Realizing she was right, I thought furiously about how to help her, and an idea immediately came to me. Grinning at her, I offered, “Tell Celestia I told you to ask about carrot and pickle soup.” The mention of the odd combination of course caused her to stare at me questioningly, but I just shook my head. “It’s a code, basically. She’ll know what it means, and she’ll take care of everything. You won’t be bored, I promise.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at me, but I refused to say anymore on the matter.

Resigning herself to whatever it meant, Twilight sighed and nodded to me. “Fine. I’ll follow this, and here’s hoping things don’t get weird somehow.”

“Oh, things are gonna get weird,” I answered, grinning like a shark, “but that’s what’ll make it fun. Trust me.”

Twilight leaned up on the tips of her hooves and planted another kiss on me before huffing and pulling away. “All right, I need to go now or I’ll never leave.” Glancing back at me once more, she frowned in worry. “Stay safe, Spike. See you tomorrow.” I offered nothing more than a nod, and quietly watched as she boarded the chariot, taking off a few moments later. I watched silently until she disappeared into the dense cloud cover, then turning on my heels and making my way back to the castle.

Both Rarity and Lyla had things to do today, so that left me alone to pack the few things I was going to bring with me. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it became much more difficult to distract myself from my growing anxiety if I didn’t have someone to talk to. The beautiful crystal of the castle itself seemed to echo with my own thoughts, and within only a few minutes, I was hustling to finish packing as quickly as possible, just to get going and stop working myself into a destructive spiral of self-doubt and anxiety.

My pack was modest even by my standards, only having a notebook, a brief summary of my job, a change of clothes, a few dozen gems, and a short-use fire-repelling crystal enchantment. The bag itself was woven with magical fibers and spells that would protect it from all but the hottest fires of the sun itself, but the clothes I was wearing were still very flammable, so I could only hope that this would be a more cordial meeting. Not that being naked would be the worst thing to happen, but I didn’t like losing clothes, especially those made by Rarity.

After checking over everything to be sure I was ready, I launched into the air from the second floor balcony and headed north toward the edge of town, passing the town hall and Sweet Apple Acres in short order before the lush greenery of the Whitetail Wood became all that was visible in every direction. Using the position of the sun as orientation, I mentally settled myself in for a long, boring flight toward the barely-visible mountains in the distance.


It was well into the afternoon when I arrived at the foot of the mountain range, as the flight itself had taken me around three hours at a casual pace. I was somewhat surprised that my wings barely felt tired at all, but then remembered why Rainbow Dash’s training was so hard on me: dragon wings were built for power and distance, not speed and agility. While this worked against me when Rainbow Dash ran me through the wringer, it was a blessing for long flights, since I could practically fly all day long and still be relatively okay. I thanked my luck for that, since I was unsure how this was going to go.


The cave I was looking for was about halfway up one of the mountains in front of me -- high enough to be safe from most rain, but still well-insulated to keep its occupant shielded from chilly mountain storms. Not that a large dragon had much to fear from the cold, but it was still miserable to be chilly and wet, even if it wouldn’t make them sick. Unfortunately, the only way to safely approach the cave was by flight, which was also what made it impossible to approach stealthily. The dragon would know I was coming, if it didn’t already, so there would be no subtlety to this whatsoever.

I mentally sighed and pulled my satchel up from my hip, digging inside blindly and finding a few gems. Popping them into my mouth, I sated a bit of my hunger before taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. Turning my eyes toward the mountains, I scanned the faces to see if I could spot any obvious caves. There were a few to be seen, just from the ground, but none of them were big enough to house a dragon, which meant the cave was likely on the other side. Unfortunately for me, this meant I was going to have to brave the chilly winds around the mountain for a good length of time, while I located the cave.

Settling my satchel against my side again, I blasted into the air and began to eyeball the mountain faces, looking for a sufficiently-sized opening for an average-sized dragon. Starting from the lower portion of the three mountains, I slowly rounded each one in a weaving pattern, working my way up higher and higher. It was unfortunate that the caves and alcoves were still too small for what I was searching for, which eventually drove me into the clouds. The icy winds and snow buffeted me as I continued to ascend, but after nearly an hour, I found what I was looking for, and immediately swerved to land on the lip leading to the large recess in the mountain. I shook the forming ice crystals from my hide and head spines, brushing the more stubborn ones away by hand. I couldn't help but release a frustrated sigh at the feel of the tiny, but still noticeable pricks against the sensitive skin underneath the scales of my hands and face, hoping that the warmth of the cave would melt them.

And yes, it was indeed warm.

The obvious smell of smoke and sulfur, along with an accompanying heat, told me I was either inside a volcano, or I had found what I was searching for. Frankly, at this point, I had hoped for the former, since while a volcano could be dangerous, it wouldn’t be actively trying to hurt me. Much to my disappointment, however, the very noticeable claw marks on the ground and walls around the entrance made the latter possibility far more likely.

Pulling open my satchel again and fishing out my notebook and a pencil, I turned back toward the windy entrance and stepped out to the lip again. It took a moment of squinting to be able to see through the harsh winds and snow, but I was able to get an approximate location of the cave in mind, and after cross-referencing it with what I remembered from the guard reports, I concluded I was in the right place. I turned on my heel again and looked around the entrance chamber, jotting down quick notes on what I saw, just in case it might come in handy later. What I was sure to notate was that the dragon was not in view, but from the reports stating it had spotted the pony scouts and warned them not to get closer, I could only conclude it already knew I was there. I noted that as well, unsure what information would be useful in the future. Taking a few deep breaths in an effort to calm myself a little, I placed my notebook and pencil back in the pack before deciding to abandon the idea of sneaking in -- an adult dragon’s hearing was about the same as the average pony’s, but they were able to sense vibrations within the ground to great effect. Unless I suddenly discovered how to teleport without magic, I wasn’t going to be surprising this dragon.

Even though I kept mentally reminding myself that it was clear this dragon wanted to see me for some reason, not knowing why was still making me quite nervous.

And so my nervousness gave way to tapping my fingers on my chest, which was something I did whenever I was feeling particularly uneasy. I could only hope I wasn’t going to somehow insult this dragoness by doing so, but I also had no idea who I was dealing with, so my mere presence might be that insult. Nonetheless, I continued down into the deeper part of the cave, carefully sliding down a steep descent and trying not to imagine the odd dripping noise I could now hear was blood instead of water. With each step, my heart began beating just a little faster, and it became quite clear that all my self-psyching hadn’t done much to actually prepare me for facing something like this. A growing part of me began screaming to just run, fly away and not look back -- damn the mission and damn whatever ponies would be stupid enough to bother a dragon. I’ll admit, I was a little ashamed that I seriously thought about doing just that.

Regardless, I continued on. What kept me going, kept my feet moving forward instead of back, was the mental image of a bruised and burned friend of mine, looking at me with an odd sense of betrayal and acceptance as the trust they once had in me was replaced with disappointment. The mere thought of such a thing happening, when I could have stopped it, was what kept me going. I might not be able to fight off a full-grown dragon, but perhaps meeting with one would be enough to avert tragedy.

The breathing was the first thing I noticed. It was deep, relaxed, and decidedly not-smoky. I was pleased this wasn’t a repeat of the dragon that covered Ponyville and Canterlot in smoke just from breathing, but that “smoky” dragon had also been napping. This one clearly was not, which meant she was waiting for me. I stopped just outside of a large chamber, and judging by the scent of jewels, the heat of dragonbreath, and the quite audible sound of breathing, this was where my quarry would be found. Heart beginning to race, I peeked around the side of the rocky wall, and immediately caught sight of a massive blue tail laying haphazardly over a decent-sized pile of gold and jewels. It felt like my heart juddered in my chest at the confirmation that I was here, and this was happening, and I found myself momentarily frozen.

“If you’re going to ogle me from afar, at least come out where I can see you.”

It should be mentioned that female dragons, while different from the males in quite a few feminine ways, were difficult for those without experience to discern from male drakes. Her voice, while not recognizable as “feminine” to a pony due to the deep tones, was smooth and yet powerful, like the oozing of fresh magma from a dome volcano. Male dragons, on the other hand, tended to have a rumbling, gravelly voice that was reminiscent of the churning of rocks during an earthquake. Just for this reason, both could easily be referred to as “exotic” when compared to most of the other sapient creatures of the planet. Of course, there was the fact that they towered over nearly all other living things in the world, but their voices alone were unique. Twilight, of course, had quickly discovered that the reason for such a deep voice was rather simple: a larger body and longer neck meant longer vocal cords, which, in turn produced deeper, lower tones than those of smaller creatures.

Regardless, even with the surprisingly gentle tone, such a deep, loud voice quickly brought me out of my momentary paralysis. Taking a trio of deep breaths to try and settle my nerves, I prepared myself for the possibility of the worst, and stepped out into the open area of the cave.

While the majority of her leathery hide was a vivid sky blue, the thick scales of her chest were the color of desert sands, and her eyes were a piercing silver. She had only two straight, rear-facing horns (the small number an oddity for a dragon her size), and the small black clan-mark was featured on her forehead, between the two horns. While a similar color, the eyes and shade of the underbelly scales immediately confirmed to me that this was not Ember.

“You look as if you were expecting someone else,” she observed aloud, her expression giving nothing away.

Deciding it was best to keep things to myself, lest I somehow insult her, I shook my head slowly. “Not so much that as the fact that I’ve never seen a dragon so calm about someone intruding on their hoard.”

Though the scales of her face were tougher than most armor, they were malleable enough for her to smile in a decidedly gentle way, almost slyly. “Everydrake knows who you are, little Spike, and we know about your connections to the living Sun and Moon. I knew it would simply be a matter of time before they sent the only native dragon in Equestria to try and ‘talk me down’.”

Immediately, something about her words didn’t add up to what I had experienced the last week, namely, my encounter with the wyrm pup. I had both Twilight and Lyla give me a layman’s rundown on consciousness projection, and the one thing that was always noticeable in the victim was that their eyes would change color to match that of the caster. That wyrm pup had red eyes when it had bit me -- this dragoness had silver eyes, which meant this whole thing just became much more complicated. It appeared that this dragoness had no clue I was coming, and had simply elected to play the waiting game.

I kept my expression as stoic as a mountain so as not to give away my thoughts, and simply nodded to her. “You thought right. I don’t want anyone getting hurt, so I came here to see what you wanted.”

Rolling her eyes and waving a giant claw dismissively, the dragoness huffed. “I just wanted to keep them away, not hurt them. How would you feel if you had strangers hovering around your home all hours of the day?”

Already, this was not at all going how I assumed it would. First of all, the informality was a bit jarring -- dragons liked their traditions, generally -- and this dragon was far too placid for one raised with other dragons, at least by my experience. There was something odd going on, but I couldn’t put a finger on what. The off-putting feeling had the unfortunate effect of making me tense up ever so slightly, and if the nearly-imperceptible flash in the dragoness’ eyes was any indication, it was noticeable. I felt my wings twitch in anticipation and I found myself taking a cautious step back, keeping my eyes on the larger dragoness across the open cave space.

Her sharp silver eyes were focused intently on me, and she carefully brought up a hand to her mouth and breathed a silvery flame over it. She began “drawing” in the air with a flaming claw, leaving odd symbols floating where they were drawn. I was momentarily awed that a copy of those same symbols faded into existence in front of me, merrily burning in mid air. I had only a moment to admire the odd magic before a giant blue claw reached through the suddenly-portal, and pulled me through. The next thing I knew, I was looking at the large eyes of a rather intimidating dragoness.

Her long, serpentine forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air around me, while I tried not to spoil the smells by wetting myself. Her expression morphed into something resembling pity as she casually dragon-handled me. “Just as I thought: their scents are all over you. You don’t even smell like a dragon anymore.”

Unfortunately, I had a bad habit of snarking when I was put in an uncomfortable situation.

Rolling my eyes and speaking before I could think about it, I blurted, “O woe is me, I don’t smell like old gems, charcoal, and musty caves. Whatever shall I do?” A rather uncomfortable tightening reminded me that I was being held in a hand as large as my body, and my wings casually notified me that wing bones were significantly less durable than the rest. In essence, if I wanted to get out of this without mangled wings, I should probably shut up.

Shooting me with a sharp glare, the dragoness continued to inspect me. “You’re a fair bit older than your size would suggest, and you’re even wearing pony clothing. Do they even let you hunt, or are you kept in a cage like a pet?” She snorted out a jet of smoke derisively. “Though I suppose we can’t expect much from a race of prey creatures who live in their little bubble of harmony.”

“What do you want?” I queried, surprised at my unwavering tone despite being utterly helpless.

Seemingly realizing that she wasn’t, in fact, speaking to an inanimate object, her eyes once again focused on mine as the dragoness leveled me with a flat stare. “I’m taking you home.”

Staring right back, I retorted, “I was home, just this morning, before I flew here. It’s a nice little town at the base of a mountain, named Ponyville. I’ve spent most of my life there, have my friends and family around there, and all my stuff is there. That’s home, to me.”

The dragoness shook her large head, still looking at me with a mix of contempt and pity. “Home is the place where you belong, and a dragon does not belong amongst ponies. You may walk, talk, and dress like them, but you will never be a pony. I will not have my mate living away from his own kind.”

Opening my mouth to shoot back with the venom I had ready, the latter part of her explanation suddenly struck me cold. It took a few moments, but I was able to barely croak out, “...m-mate?”

“Why did you think I came here? I remember you touring our homeland with that pony caretaker of yours, so I’m quite sure you’re aware my appearance here had something to do with you.” she condescendingly explained with a roll of the eyes.

I found myself shaking my head vigorously. “Not that! I mean yeah, I knew it was a possibility, but why on earth does it have to be me?”

Shrugging her shoulders, the dragoness explained, “You are the adopted son of The Living Sun, you are connected to great heroes and heroines alike, and you are hailed as the hero of an ancient kingdom-”

“Oh, that doesn’t even count!” I shot back with a groan. “I grabbed the Crystal Heart and brought it to Cadence -- that’s it. If that’s all it takes to be a hero, I’m sorely disappointed.”

“That,” she broke in harshly, glaring at me, “and you are one of the last of your clan.” At my uncomprehending stare, she tilted her head. “You toured our lands for quite some time; did you not find it odd that there were so few that shared your color?”

Shrugging to the best of my ability, I could only answer, “Not really. Whatever clan I belong to, no one was able to tell me, and I wasn’t there to learn about me specifically, but dragons as a whole. Knowing what clan I came from doesn’t change who I am, or what I’m going to act like, so it’s irrelevant.”

“You say that now,” she sneered, still glaring at me, “but-” suddenly she stopped, sniffing the air and tilting the right side of her head toward the cave entrance. After a moment of my confused silence, she snarled at me. “You were to come alone, and you know this!”

Leaning back from her suddenly quite-close proximity, I squeaked, “I did! I flew here alone!”

Pointing one large, clawed finger to the entrance, the dragoness boomed, “THEN WHY DO I SMELL PONIES?!”

Mouthing the word to myself, I turned my own head to the entrance and only muttered one word: “Buck.”

Twilight was away on business, and knew to follow the rules, and as for the rest, all but Rainbow Dash would be too slow to keep up with me, without being seen. Well, her and…

“LYLA?!” I shrieked fearfully as a certain unassuming changeling walked in, followed shortly thereafter by a slightly shorter sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. “R-RAINBOW?! You both need to leave NOW!”

Neither female seemed particularly worried, or even nervous, for that matter. Both were dressed in their regular clothing, consisting of athletic wear, and were either not expecting a fight, or didn’t think they’d need armor. They were either ignorant, or crazy, though I tended to lean toward the latter.

Stepping forward, with the calm presence of a lurking monster, Lyla announced, “Spike’s not going anywhere, but you are. You aren’t welcome here, and it’s time for you to leave.”

While Rainbow didn’t have the presence to back up her determination, being a small pony, I knew she wasn’t going to back down either, no matter what. “Ditto.”

The dragoness was not impressed, and the tightening of her hold on me was proof of that. Shooting a glare and a snarl their way, she replied, “This isn’t your business, bug-pony. Take your pony pet back home, and you might yet live to see another day.”

“...did she just call me-”

Lyla shot a look at Rainbow Dash, which silenced her. Her bright eyes then settled on the dragoness again, and she just smiled in what would otherwise be a completely non-threatening manner. “First and last time I’m going to ask, dragoness: put Spike down and leave. I would advise against making the wrong choice.” To my horror, the dragoness merely squeezed me tighter, and I felt the bones in my wings starting to creak from the pressure; she was not backing down, and I was in the middle of it all. Heaving a heavy sigh, Lyla briefly shot her eyes to Rainbow Dash. “Dash, your job is to get Spike out of here. I’ll take care of the rest.”

With that, Lyla began calmly crossing the chamber, the dragoness having no clue about what was going to happen. I did, however, and I just hoped I could get out of the way in time.
Stopping a dozen or so paces away from the massive dragoness, Lyla sighed noisily through her nose. “Just remember: I tried to give you an out, for this. This is on you, now.” The next moment, Lyla seemed to explode in a burst of heat-less emerald fire, concealing her from the widened eyes of the dragoness. A moment later the fire receded, revealing the tiny “bug-pony” had completely transformed herself.

Thick, plated chitinous armor covered her body, and she had grown another set of arms. Each thick, armored arm ended in massive, clawed appendages with retractable blades on each wrist. Her head had morphed into something more akin to a hornet, but with giant, powerful mandibles more at home on an umber hulk. Her legs had shifted to something more primal, even bestial, with claws that were made to rend flesh, and even climb walls. Wings unfolded from the protective shell on her back, buzzing angrily. Lastly, the small, unassuming size of the lovable changeling had increased tenfold, allowing her to look the dragoness in the eye with her own large, compound eyes.

The dragoness, who had been so confident and even arrogant a few moments before, was now frozen in shock. Sensing this as my chance, I reared back with a wide-open mouth before clamping hard onto one of the fingers holding me. A shrieking roar answered my attack as I tasted iron, and I found myself tumbling through the air and hitting the hard stone ground rather roughly, but I was free.

Letting loose a Tartarus-borne screech, the monster that was once Lyla charged the distracted dragoness, latching her giant mandibles onto the throat and driving her into the wall with an earth-shaking rumble that threw treasure everywhere. Each clawed hand gripped onto the dragoness’ thick hide, unable to draw blood, but more than capable of getting a firm hold so as to not let Lyla’s prey get away. The dragoness could only shriek in pain as she found herself suddenly in battle with a very large, very angry changeling soldier.

Watching the ensuing battle in awe, I was suddenly brought back to reality by Rainbow Dash grabbing me firmly as she shouted, “Spike, we gotta go now!” Half leading, half dragging me to the entrance, we tripped and stumbled over some coins and jewels before taking flight...only for me to stop at the entrance to the outside air.

Looking at me with frantic eyes, Rainbow Dash tugged at my arm. “Spike, we gotta go! What are you doing?”

I looked away from her, back at the cave we had just left. The sounds of a giant battle could still be heard, and as much as it scared me, “...I can’t leave her, Dash.”

Jerking my arm again, Rainbow Dash shook her head. “My job is to get you somewhere safe, and I'm gonna do it. This is exactly what Lyla is trained to do -- it's what she was born to do. She can handle it.”

“Can she? Are you sure?” I spat back, my worry turning quickly to anger as I tore my arm from her grasp. Pointing firmly back toward the cave, I growled, “She's fighting a dragon, and a clan-leader at that. One changeling soldier isn't gonna cut it, not for long. This is exactly why I told all of you to stay out of it!”

“Hey!” she shouted back, poking me in the chest with a finger, “If it weren’t for us, you would be halfway to the dragon lands by now, Spike. You’re welcome.”

Snorting angrily, I shot back, “Right, because someone I care about getting hurt or possibly killed is so much better.” Realising I was letting my anger get the better of me, I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. My heart rate slowed, my fingers stopped trembling, and I was finally able to open my eyes and look at Rainbow Dash with a calm mind. “Look, I appreciate what you both are trying to do -- truly, I do -- but there are ways to handle this, even if I get foalnapped and taken to the dragon lands. We both know Twilight would have gone all ‘fire and fury’ just to get me back, so I wasn’t really worried about that. But now,” I jerked my head toward the cave, “someone I care about is fighting a losing battle, and I’m not gonna let her do it alone.” With that, I began methodically removing all my clothes one by one, which caused an amusing blush to light up Rainbow Dash’s face.

Sputtering and turning her head away, she squeaked, “W-what the hay are you doing? Look Spike, you’re cool and all, but now really isn’t the time!”

I quirked my brow at her as I finished removing my underwear, being more naked in front of her than I had been in almost ten years. “What are you talking about? I’m about to step into a fight with a fire-breathing dragon. Clothes burn pretty easily, and I kinda like these clothes.”

Glancing back at me with an abashed expression, she smiled sheepishly. “Oh...r-right, I knew that.” She reached up and nervously scratched the back of her head as she kept her eyes averted. “S-so, um...what are you gonna do?”

I stared at the rumbling cave for a moment before sighing heavily through my nose. “I have no bucking idea, but I have to do something.” We both stood in silence for a few moments, furiously trying to come up with a decent plan.

“... a high-altitude dive.”

Turning my head back toward Rainbow Dash, I quirked my brow again. “Say again?”

Her eyes lit up with sudden clarity as she wildly pointed to the sky. “Do a high-altitude dive right into that dragoness!”

I could only stare at the elite flyer for a moment before countering, “You've seen the inside of that cave; you're suggesting threading the needle at breakneck speed. I think we've established I can't fly anywhere near as well as you, Dash.”

“Spike,” she placed a comforting touch on my chest, staring into my eyes with fiery determination, “you got this. I’ve seen how you fly, and I know you can do it. Compared to all the stuff I put you through just for training, this is a cakewalk.”

“If that’s the plan,” I motioned to her, “then why can’t you do it? You’re faster and far more agile than I am. You could build up and connect with double the speed.”

Dash chuckled ruefully. “Yeah, and I’d break every bone in my body, too. I figured out that’s part of the reason you’ll never be as fast as me: you’re a lot denser than I am. Your bones are thicker and heavier, and your whole body is built to fight. The difference between the two of us is that while slamming into a tree would put me in the hospital for a few days, all that would happen to you is maybe a bruised ego.”

Again I raised my brow at her. “Rainbow Dash admitting someone’s better than her at something, hm? Wow, you really have matured over the years.”

Rolling her eyes, she slung an arm around my shoulder. “The most important thing to learn in life is your own limits. I know mine, but you apparently don’t, yet.” A loud, screeching roar caused both of us to shoot a glance toward the mouth of the cave, and I felt Rainbow Dash shiver ever so slightly before she gave me a squeeze. “You got this, Spike. Break up the fight, and I’ll get Lyla out of there while that dragoness is stunned.” Her other hand, which oddly hadn’t left my chest, began pressing around my pectoral muscles as she released a low whistle. “Wow, all that training is really paying off.”

My wings flared out like those of a pegasus, and for the same reason, as a flush began to crawl through my face and neck. “Aaaand, now you made it weird.” I quipped, raising one claw and miming a squeezing motion. “We can always go tit-for-tat, to make it even.”

Seemingly realizing what she’d done, I was privy to seeing Rainbow Dash explode in a blush that hit the tips of her ears, and extended down onto parts of her neck. She jerked away from me as if my entire body were a hot coal, and she brushed herself off, trying her best not to appear as if she’d just been feeling me up.

Clearing her throat loudly, Rainbow Dash jerked her head toward the sky. “S-so, um...you go...do the the thing, and I’ll...thing, with Lyla.”

While part of me wanted to tease her for sticking her metaphorical hoof in her mouth, I had more pressing matters to attend to, so I shot off the ground without another word and quickly ascended as far past the cloud level as I could. Before I knew it, Rainbow Dash was just a little blue speck in the shifting cloud cover, and I found myself momentarily floating in the high-altitude, thin air before flipping toward the ground and diving straight at the ground. My speed increased rapidly, and before I knew it, I had broken the cloud layer and could see my target fast approaching. Beginning to tilt my wings, I transferred my vertical velocity into a lateral vector, pointed straight at the mouth of the cave. Knowing I only had one chance at this, I felt my wings quivering as I prepared for the split-second, high-speed maneuvers I was about to perform, and squinted my eyes to see better in the growing dark. With a subtle flick of my wings -- forward, then left, then right -- I successfully made it through to the main chamber, and the dragoness only had a moment to catch sight of me with wide-eyed shock before I slammed into her face at a few hundred miles an hour. The entire chamber rumbled from the impact.

I was quite sure a few ribs were broken, and the metallic taste told me I again had blood in my mouth, but the dragoness was out of commission -- her head had slammed into the cave wall, and while it was highly unlikely a creature her size would have life-threatening injuries, she was out cold for at least a few minutes. With the immediate threat out of the way, I picked my sore body off the ground and turned my attention to the changeling soldier, concern overtaking me as I swore under my breath.

The armor of a changeling soldier was nothing to scoff at, and it had kept her alive for far longer than anything but an alicorn or another dragon would have been able to survive, but her body showed several large bite marks and scratches where her dark green blood was flowing in rivulets. While largely whole, Lyla was significantly injured, and the bacteria in a dragon’s mouth was far from harmless.

Holding my right side and grunting in pain, I dashed over to Lyla and stood in front of her so that she could focus on me properly. She was kneeling on the ground in her transformed state, doing her best to catch her breath as she recovered from what was likely the fight of her life. With a glance at me, she erupted in bright emerald flames again, the column of green fire giving way and revealing a battered, bleeding familiar changeling. Her clothing was normal other than being specially tailored, which meant it had shredded when she transformed, leaving her completely nude. Despite the situation, I couldn’t help but admire just how unassumingly feminine her body was. That was, of course, until I noticed Lyla was looking up at me with a look somewhere between relief and annoyance, but she smiled regardless.

“Y-you,” she began, only to be overtaken by a coughing fit for a few moments, “...you were supposed to get to somewhere safe.”

Ignoring the spots of blood on her chitin, I pulled her soft, warm body close and hugged her firmly, focusing on every positive emotion I could in an effort to nourish her and hopefully give her the energy to survive the trip to the nearest hospital. After a moment of silence, I pulled back and looked her in the eyes, smiling sadly. “I couldn’t leave you behind, Lye. I’m not willing to let you sacrifice yourself for me, because I’m not ready to let you go.” Looking over to Rainbow Dash, who had come up behind us, I jerked my head to Lyla. “Get her out of here. Hollow Shades is closer than Ponyville, so take her there.”

Rainbow Dash walked over and took my place, slinging Lyla’s arm over her shoulders. “The thestral town? Do they even have a hospital?”

“They do now.” I confirmed, trying not to cringe at the sight of the new holes in Lyla’s wings. “It’s more of a small clinic, but thestrals are quite familiar with changelings, as well as how to treat them. They’ll take good care of her.”

The pony nodded and slowly guided Lyla toward the cave entrance before glancing back at me. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

I focused on Rainbow Dash for a moment before glancing back at the dragon, frowning as I did so. Upon bringing my eyes to Lyla and Rainbow Dash again, I slowly shook my head. “I can’t leave. You two need to get out of here.”

Nearly dropping her hold on Lyla, Rainbow Dash stumbled and furrowed her brow at my words. “What the hay are you talking about? The dragoness is down for the count, so let’s make tracks.”

“Have you ever tried to take something from an adult dragon?” I questioned rhetorically, knowing she hadn’t, simply by the fact she was still alive. “Dragons as a whole take their hoards very seriously; besides being a collection of pretty things to decorate whatever place they choose as their home, it feeds their greed instinct, which is what causes them to grow.” I pointed to myself, and despite the situation, it was still amusing to see the blush that crawled over Rainbow Dash’s face. “If I had been raised by dragons instead of ponies, I would have my own hoard, and would be much larger than this -- being a male,” I pointed at the downed dragoness, “I would actually be bigger than her. Because of this, dragons are extremely protective of anything they claim as theirs, and they will do anything to get it back. You two were here, so I have a feeling you heard what she called me.”

Rainbow Dash quirked a brow at me in clear confusion, but Lyla’s face suddenly showed stark realization and horror as she realized what I was getting at. “...she called you her mate. She’s claimed you.”

Deciding to clarify for Rainbow Dash, I explained, “Whether it’s realistically true or not, in her head, she’s decided I belong to her now. In essence, she’s decided I’m a part of her hoard. This means that if I just leave now, she’s going to come looking for me, and she’ll be willing to tear through anything or anyone that gets in her way.”

Finally, Rainbow Dash seemed to realize what I was saying, and for the first time in a long time, I saw unadulterated panic on her face as she wildly shook her head. “No, hay no! You are not staying here with her! We’ll figure something out, but there is no way in Tartarus I am leaving you here!”

Looking around the open area, I took in the sight of all the treasure...and began to formulate a crazy plan. “...well, I have an idea on how to deal with her, but you still need to leave. Get Lyla to Hollow Shades and then fly as fast as you can to get Luna from Canterlot. Bring her here, and she can handle me.”

“Handle you?”

Looking back to the desperate pony and changeling, I nodded solemnly. “I’m going to claim this hoard as my own. When I do that, I’m going to get big enough to deal with her. The problem is, I haven’t had an entire lifetime to learn to stay level-headed in the height of greed, so I’ll probably lose control like I did on my birthday that one time.” Letting out a loud, tired sigh, I picked up a few golden coins from around my feet, and tossed them one by one back to the pile. “Luna’s the only one that’s going to be able to bring me back without being in danger, since she has the power to protect herself until she can knock some sense into me.”

“But what then?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, gesturing wildly to me with her free arm. “You’ll be right back where you started, with a ticked-off dragoness wanting to take you back to the dragon lands!”

“Except that dragons are, shall we say, wary of alicorns.” I answered quickly, grinning slightly. “Suffice to say they have a history with Celestia and Luna, a history that taught them that alicorns are not to be bucked with. Luna will be able to take care of things, but Lyla needs medical treatment, and I need to stay here to keep the dragoness in one place.”

Rainbow Dash slowly hobbled the two of them back over to me before she unceremoniously pulled me into a tight embrace, with Lyla adding herself to the hug as well. I held the pony and changeling close for a few moments -- and it might have been my imagination, but it felt like Rainbow Dash nuzzled my cheek -- before pulling away and nodding to them. I pulled the fire-protection charm off of my neck and eased it over Rainbow Dash’s head, patting it gently with my hand.

Rainbow Dash clapped a hand on my shoulder and stared sternly at me. “You better not die, Spike, or I’ll drag your butt back from Death itself and beat you to a pulp.” Though her words were meant to be threatening, the effect was ruined by the shakiness in her tone. I said nothing, only reaching up and taking her hand in mine, giving it a firm squeeze before jerking my head to the mouth of the cave. Rainbow Dash only stared at me for a few moments more, her wings twitching madly, before she pivoted and began quickly pulling Lyla to the entrance. While externally, I was merely listening to them leave, on the inside, I was practically crying like a little whelp, wishing there were another way to do this -- a way that didn’t make me into a monster, and that didn’t make the ones I cared about worry about me. Unfortunately, Lyla and Rainbow Dash’s valiant attempt to get me to safety had made this necessary, so now I had to deal with the aftermath.

A part of me wanted to be mad at Rainbow Dash for coming when I told her not to, but I was instead proud, and touched that she cared so much about me that she was willing to put herself in harm’s way for my sake.

The blast of air from the entrance signified their departure, so I took a deep, steadying breath, and began gathering a small pile of gold and jewels at my feet. Having trained myself for many years to resist my kind’s natural greed instinct, I knew I was basically going to have to trick myself into giving in, since I didn’t feel any desire to hoard material things anymore. So, I slowly began gathering nice, shiny things into a growing pile at one side of the room, until I recognized the attraction toward a steel lockbox. I felt a desire to open it, to see what shiny, pretty things might be inside, and pick which ones were the nicest. I was aware of the feeling immediately, because it was something I dealt with every day in little ways, but this time, instead of turning away from it, I willingly chose to follow the desire.

The box was, of course, locked, but a blast of fire to the lock itself heated it enough to be malleable. I dug the claws of both hands into the soft, red-hot metal, and tore the box open, noticing that it was quite a bit easier than it normally should have been. Inside was a mini treasure trove of glittering gems and semi-precious stones, and I found the desire to take them much stronger now. I didn’t even try to fight it, and before I knew it, my little pile I had started was beginning to be bigger than I was. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was quite aware that my hands were able to hold far more than before, and the ground was further away than usual, but they were mere unimportant details. Eventually, I gave in completely as I felt the desire to own more and more of these pretty things overwhelming, and I found myself rapidly gathering and rearranging entire armfuls of precious metals, artifacts, and gems to my side of the cave. Each load was bigger, yet easier to carry than the last. I felt my head bump into a low-hanging portion of the ceiling, and carefully ducked under it as I continued gathering all the nice things in the cave.

A snort and a grunt from the forgotten side of the cave drew my attention, and seemingly for the first time, I realized I was not alone. Another dragon was stirring, seemingly coming out of a deep sleep. Up until that point, I had been lucid enough to still have my mental faculties, but the sight of another grown dragon made me realize that she might try to take the things I had gathered for myself. I felt what was left of my logic slip away as a red haze began to seep into my vision.

With a mighty roar that shook the cavern, I charged the dragoness.


”...c’mon Spike, come back. There you are. Easy now, don’t try to sit up. Just rest.”


I came around sometime later, my clarity of thought restored, yet sluggish. I could tell I was laying down even though I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, and someone was holding my head in their hands as the world slowly came back to me. As my senses completely reawakened, a steady throbbing pain became noticeable on my right temple, and I groaned as it pulsed in time with my heartbeat. Through the annoying pain and the murky thoughts of what had happened, I tried to place the voice I was hearing to a face I knew. For some reason, I just couldn’t seem to identify it, though the voice was frustratingly familiar. I decided to try opening my eyes, and while it felt like lead weights were attached to my eyelids, I managed to slowly pry them open.

The late afternoon sky was the first thing I saw, its subtle oranges, purples, and reds painting a beautiful transition into night. The sky was marred by only a few puffy clouds, and the air was just chilly enough to let anyone know that winter was on the way. Turning my head to the right, I found myself looking up at the one holding me: another blue dragoness, with two front-facing horns curling from the sides and two more curved, ridged horns going back over her head. Unlike the one from before, she was roughly pony-sized; a dragon lord clan mark was proudly displayed on her forehead, but it was her warm, ruby-red eyes that drew me in.

“...E-Ember?” I croaked, not believing what I was seeing.

The dragoness smiled down at me and nodded, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Long time no-see, Spike.” I pushed myself up, wincing as I did so. “Easy, easy. Not so fast, now. Take it slow; you’ve been through a lot, today.”

My entire body ached as if I had just been through the harshest workout of my life. I felt like I could eat the entirety of Canterlot Palace kitchens and leave nothing, and I also felt like I needed to sleep for the next week or two. With Ember’s help, I was able to bring myself to a sitting position, though my muscles protested every movement. I was still as naked as the day I hatched, but that was unimportant at the moment.

“W-what happened? Where am I?” I muttered, holding the throbbing side of my head with a grimace.

“Well,” Ember began, a tone of mischief in her voice, “we’re at the foot of what used to be three mountains. Now, it’s more like two and a half.”

Shaking my head slightly, I grumbled, “What do you mean two and...a half…?” My words trailed off as I took a look around, and noticed that the center mountain -- the one I had been in -- was now collapsed upon itself. My mouth dropped open, and my pain was momentarily overridden by shock and a sense of self-loathing. “Oh…”

“If it allays your shame, technically speaking, you were defending yourself and your loved ones.”

I turned my head toward the new voice, and saw Luna standing before me in a midnight blue tunic, cotton trousers, and boots -- much to Rarity’s annoyance, Luna always preferred function over fashion. She had a longsword strapped to her hip, and her right hand was wrapped in bloody bandages.

Noticing my gaze had focused on the bandages themselves, Luna chuckled wryly and explained, “The head of a full-grown dragon is not exactly soft, dear Spike.” I silently pointed to the tender part of my head, and Luna nodded solemnly. “Suffice to say, you were beyond reason, so I was forced to incapacitate you. Worry not: save for some raw knuckles and bruising, I am unharmed.”

Letting out a slow breath, I nodded to her. “Thanks, Auntie Luna. Sorry you had to be called here on my account.” Suddenly realizing I was forgetting something, I glanced around the open field. “Wait, where’s that other dragoness?”

The look that Luna gave Ember, and the embarrassed expression Ember wore, worried me. Luna simply nodded to her and announced, “I will give you some time to speak.” With that said, Luna fluffed her wings and walked off to a tree a dozen or so feet away, taking a seat on the opposite side of it.

Once Luna was deemed far enough away, I turned my gaze toward Ember, who still looked embarrassed, and even a little ashamed. “What’s going on, Ember?”

Releasing a drawn-out breath, the dragoness finally brought her eyes to mine as she shifted closer to me and wrapped her wing around me, pressing her warm body to mine. After a few false starts, where she would open her mouth, only to close it again, she finally began speaking. “That dragoness won’t be bothering any of you again, Spike. I made sure of that.” The look of horror on my face must have been quite noticeable, since Ember rapidly shook her head and waved her claw frantically. “No, no, no! I didn’t kill her, I just made sure she will be leaving you and Equestria alone from now on.”

Catching my breath from the sudden mini-heart attack, I nodded absently. “O-okay. Geeze Ember, don’t do that to me. I mean, she needed to go, but I wouldn’t have been able to handle getting rid of her that way.” The question went a bit unanswered, though. “Wait...how did you get her to leave?”

Bobbing her head from side to side, Ember reached back and scratched the back of her head. “Honestly, it wasn’t that hard. I know you don’t remember, but you did a number on her, so she was more...well, shall we say, pliant.”

I began to get the feeling she was deliberately avoiding telling me exactly what she did, and that worried me. “Ember...what’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”

She shifted nervously, and while it was clear she was uncomfortable, a part of me still enjoyed the comforting contact. Seemingly deciding on a plan of action, Ember began, “Okay, before I tell you, I just want you to know that I said what I did because it was the only way to permanently get rid of her without having to kill or disfigure her. I also want to apologize beforehand, because...well…”

The sound of fluffed feathers nearby made me aware of Luna’s return, as she walked over and took a knee, placing a hand on Ember’s back. “Go on, Ember. He needs the truth. Trust in your friendship.”

Ember’s, dare I say, cute lip-bite told me how nervous she was, so I brought my hand over and took hers. She jumped at the contact, but looked to my eyes as I locked my gaze with hers. “Look, Ember, I know we haven’t really spoken in awhile, but you’re still my friend. Whatever you had to say or do, that doesn’t-”

“I told her that she was poaching what didn’t belong to her, and I used what happened at the Gauntlet of Fire as grounds to claim you for myself!” she blurted in a Pinkie-esque rush, turning her face away from me as she cringed.

Due to the speed of the words, it took me a few moments to decipher what she had said, but when I did, “...what exactly do you mean by ‘claim’? And why does it have anything to do with what happened during the Gauntlet?”

Ember refused to look at me, but took a few deep breaths and spoke. “The Gauntlet of Fire was a contest to decide who would become the dragon lord of the Narrowscales, and you won, Spike. By winning, and by taking the Bloodstone Scepter, the right to be the dragon lord was yours.” Despite how much this situation clearly pained her to explain, she smiled when she continued with, “But then...you showed a generosity that no dragon has ever shown before. You took the Scepter -- a prize that you won fairly, despite your friends -- and you willingly gave it to me.” She shook her head with a dry chuckle. “The Scepter isn’t just some pretty trinket, Spike. Besides being a sort of ‘badge of office’, it gives a dragon lord a degree of control over fire itself, and even the volcanoes in the dragon lands. Even if the other dragons don't like the one who wields the Scepter, they are still respected due to the power they command, and their hard-won place as a dragon lord. Even though you didn't know it at the time, you passed all that on to me, simply in the name of friendship.”

She chucked ruefully, holding her tail the same way I did whenever I was really anxious. “What you did that day...it's never happened before.” She went silent for a few moments before looking to me again. “Traditionally, whenever a dominant dragon bestows a gift of that magnitude to another of the opposite sex, they usually become mates -- that's because things usually don't get to that point until the two have known each other for quite some time. However, because we barely knew each other, you were so young at the time, and you honestly had no idea what other connotations your action had, nothing came of it.”

Throughout her explanation, all the pieces slowly fell into place, but this only caused more issues than it solved. “So what you're saying is, when you told that other dragoness that you ‘claimed’ me, you were essentially just following through with what should have happened in the first place." Hesitating briefly, she answered with a silent nod. This only caused the majority of the blood in my body to seemingly congregate in my face as I just barely avoided fainting.

Noticing the symptoms of an impending freak out, I took a deep breath, held it for three seconds, and then exhaled to keep my heart from jumping into my throat or out of my chest. After repeating the process a few more times, I felt calm enough to work through this new issue. ‘Okay,’ I thought to myself, ‘so by just being a good friend and giving the reigns of leadership to Ember -- who is far more qualified to lead than I am -- I essentially publicly proclaimed that I wanted her for my own. I had thought she was blushing because she was awkward and embarrassed by making a friend; turns out, she was embarrassed because to her and every other dragon, it looked like stupid little me had a crush on her or something.’

Turning my eyes back to Ember, I thought about her as an individual, in that way. After all: if this really was a thing, I needed to at least consider the possibility.

Being a dragoness instead of a mammal, Ember was built quite a bit differently than a pony female was. First of all, she was taller than most, more muscular, and was lacking any mammary structures -- dragons hatched from eggs, after all, and they were ready to eat solid food from the moment they're born. Her legs were a more primal shape, being more akin to those of a quadrupedal predator; this made sense, since dragons were able to run just as well on all fours as they could on two legs. Though lacking the bountiful chest ponies had, it still had a gentle slope to it, and her hips and hindquarters were distinctly feminine (and alluring, I might add). Her hide, though mostly a uniform sky-blue, had what I could only imagine were the dragon equivalent of freckles on parts of her body, offering darker blue accents that accentuated her unique look, along with a line of four cyan spots under each eye. What drew me in the most, however, were her vivid carmine eyes situated on an almost dainty face.

Yes, she was quite attractive, and if I were honest with myself, I kinda sorta had a crush on her when I was little.

More than that, though, she was the first dragon that proved to me that they weren't all greedy jerks, and I wasn't the only one that felt that I sometimes didn't belong. Before the long silence between us, we had sent letters at least every week, if not every other day. Through those letters, I got to know a cheeky, witty dragoness that had aspirations to bring her people to a new age of intellectual advancement, to show the world that dragons like me could be the norm, not the exception. While she didn't have a formal education like I did, she was very intelligent (which, because of Celestia and Twilight, was a trait I placed high value on), and she loved to learn about the world outside of the dragon lands. And, even though she put on a tough front for the outside world, she was actually quite bubbly in private. She was certainly the kind or person I could be friends with, and if I were completely honest, I’d had daydreams in the past of it going further than that.

“What’s on your mind, Spike? You’ve been frown-thinking for a few minutes, now.”

Ember’s voice brought me out of my mental review, and without thinking about it, I blurted out, “I was thinking about you.” Glancing at her face, I saw as a noticeable tremor ran through her at my words, and I mentally facepalmed at my stupidity. “No, I meant…” I sighed heavily, turning from under her wing so I could look at her properly. “It’s just...what does this all mean to you, Ember? Was what you did simply the best way to handle a bad situation, or is there an underlying motive behind it?” Raising my hand, I revealed the faint scars of the wyrm bite wound that had healed along with my ribs during my recent growth. “I know it was you that sent that wyrm pup, so I need to know: were you just checking up on me to keep me safe, or is there something more behind your actions?”

Dragons didn’t blush the same way ponies did. Because of their scales and thick hides, blood could only be seen through the frills on the head, and the the soft spines. Due to this, when Ember blushed, her head spines flushed a deeper blue, almost purple color, which was what was happening at that moment.

“W-well, I uh…” she mumbled, turning her face away in what I imagined was embarrassment. Much as I was serious about my questioning, I couldn’t help but notice how adorable the suddenly bashful dragoness could be.

Again taking her hand in mine, I gave a comforting squeeze. “Hey, I’m not going to judge you, and neither is Luna.” At this, the alicorn nodded as we both briefly looked at her, and she smiled to us as I continued. “I just need to know where we stand, and what both of us feel. I’ll start: when I was little, I had a crush on you. You were -- and still are -- an eye-catching dragoness, and you have a personality to match. You’re strong, proud, and cunning in ways I wish I could be, and I admire you for your leadership abilities. I never thought of the two of us being more than just friends -- you were just an unattainable ideal for a young, foolish drake, and I knew it was likely nothing would ever come of it -- but I can admit that the potential for a deeper relationship between the two of us exists, for sure. So, that’s why I’m asking: did you do what you did just to save me and keep me safe, or was there an additional motive behind it?”

At the contact of our hands, her spines flushed darker, but she tightened the grip and breathed slowly for a few moments of silence. After seemingly settling herself, she turned back to me and focused intensely on my eyes. “Dragons generally don’t become mated for love or physical attraction, Spike. Usually, it’s due to who’s the strongest, or the biggest, or the most willing to fight for their right to be with a certain mate. My mom and dad were only the twentieth pair to break that mold in all the history of the dragons, and honestly, I thought I would have to stick to tradition on that aspect of my life.” Her expression softened a bit, and she smiled a tiny, fragile smile at me. “But then, I met you. When we first met, and the few years after, you were just too young for me to even consider anything like that with you. But then, not only did you grow physically, but I got to know you through our letters. I learned how smart and kind you were, and how you showed a loyalty to your home and friends that most dragons couldn’t even fake, even if they wanted to. I learned that you have a silly, dorky sense of humor that can always put a smile on my face, even when life was particularly grim, and I can’t tell you how much I treasure that about you.” Her smile was affectionate, even loving, but then she sighed and lowered her gaze. “But I have to return to the dragon lands, and I know you wouldn't leave your home for anyone, so beyond the title I've claimed with you, there can't be something more.”

Realizing what she meant, I could only nod sadly, knowing that our conflicting duties and loyalties wouldn't allow us to leave our homes for any significant length of time. With a forlorn expression, I found myself asking, “Do you wish it were different? Do you wish we had the luxury to find out where this could go?” I punctuated the latter part of my statement with another firm squeeze of her hand, which she immediately returned.

It took a few moments of silence, but eventually, “...yeah. I'm sorry about not returning your letters, but that's part of the reason why: I was basically trying to wean myself away from your friendship, because I doubted if we'd ever see each other again. Thorax has helped us a lot, and I even see Starlight Glimmer from time to time, but there's just too much back in the dragon lands that needs my attention. My people have to come first, and I'm going to make sure I'm worthy to be called a dragon lord.”

Nodding solemnly, I released her hand. “I can respect that. I don't like that we hardly ever get to see each other, but I've also learned that being a part of the bells and whistles of a nation means you have to do a lot of things you don't want to do, for the good of the majority.”

Pulling away from her warm body and out from the shelter of her wing, I carefully stood before reaching down and pulling her up with me. Before she could react, I pulled her in close for a hug, holding her tightly as she slowly returned the gesture with equal fervor. I savored the moment, realizing how much I had missed her.

“No matter what, I'll always care about you, and we'll always be friends, Ember. Never doubt that.” I whispered to her gently. She responded by momentarily squeezing me a bit tighter before releasing me.

She stepped back and took a deep breath before breathing magenta flames on her hands. Much like the larger dragoness from earlier, Ember began drawing odd characters in the air. After a line of them were formed, she twirled her fingers and they rolled into a circle and shrank, then retreated to the palm of her hand.

Ember looked at me with an apologetic expression. “Do you trust me?” I nodded, and she approached me with her marked hand held up. She brought it to the right side of my neck, just above my collarbone, and sighed. “This is going to hurt. Brace yourself.” I nodded and did as she said as she brought her hand to press against my neck.

Being a dragon, I was unaware just what a burn felt like, so needless to say, feeling it for the first time was a shock. For the first time I could remember, heat was painful, and I had to grit my teeth and tense my entire body to keep from jerking away. Luckily, it only lasted a few seconds before the burning was replaced with an oddly pleasant wet sensation on the burn itself. I pried open my eyes and looked over to see Ember’s face tilted down, and she was darting her forked tongue out to coat the burn in thick saliva. While I felt this was odd and even a little gross, it was soothing the pain, so I stood still, blushed like a whelp, and trusted that Ember knew what she was doing.

After one final pass, Ember pulled away, also flushed, and cleared her throat. “All right, your turn.”


“I have no idea what you just did, or how to do it.”

Ember nodded and stepped behind me, pressing herself against my wings and back as she took my wrists in her hands. Her slightly larger form allowed her to easily rest her head next to mine as she explained, “It's a physical claim mark, used between mates to show others who ‘belongs’ to who. It's a little outdated, but with you being so small for your age, it's the only thing that's going to get rid of other dragonesses, should they show up. Now, get some flames on those hands, and point your index fingers.” I did as she instructed, and breathed a gentle stream of emerald fire on my hands. She then guided my wrists, drawing shapes in the air with my flames as she narrated, “This is your name in what ponies call ‘Drakespeak’. I'd love to teach you more about what dragons are truly capable of, and the language itself, but right now I don't have the time or materials to do that.”

She then did the same roll and flicking motion with my hand, and the characters rolled up and shrank before settling onto my right palm. She stepped out from behind and took her place in front of me, tilting her head slightly as she pointed to the right side of her neck. “Press your palm here and hold it there until you feel the warmth fade. When you do that, focus on the good memories you have of me, the ones that make you happiest; that activates the brand.”

Nodding to show I understood, I reached my hand out, hesitating briefly before placing my hand on her neck. I focused on the happiest memories I had of Ember, and oddly found them to be the correspondence we held through the letters. Immediately, a gentle warmth emanated through my hand, yet Ember immediately tensed up and whimpered before holding still. Watching her standing there suffering ignited a spark within me, and I quickly closed the distance and wrapped my free arm around her waist, pulling her against me. She responded by snaking her own arms around my body and under my wings as she held herself close and breathed in a stuttered manner, likely to keep from outright yelling in pain.

Luckily, after only a few seconds, the warmth in my hand faded, and the sizzling sound stopped. While still clinging to me, Ember relaxed ever so slightly, so I took her actions as inspiration and extended my tongue, beginning to gently coat the affected area in my thick saliva after I removed my hand. Almost immediately, I heard a gasp from her, and her grip tightened once again, her claws kneading the muscles on my back. One of her legs also curled around my back as she forced our midsections together, and she spread her wings wide as she began breathing a bit faster. Now, I knew what all this seemed like, and I’ll admit my mind wandered a bit as I continued my ministrations, but it wasn’t until Ember let out a soft, girly moan that I felt my more primal instincts fighting against my will to do to this dragoness exactly what she wanted. It was made infinitely harder when she whispered my name in my ear, but I finished coating the brand and pulled back my head to look Ember in the eyes.

Contrary to normal, she looked at me with a definite note of longing and desire, along with a vulnerability that I had never seen in her before. I’ll admit it: it was hot.

Seemingly realizing what she had done, and the compromising position we were in, Ember dropped to both of her own feet again and nearly jumped away from me as her spines somehow lit up in a blush even darker than before, and she refused to look at me. I knew what the embarrassed “just kill me now” feeling looked like, as both Twilight and I had experienced it many times before. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to say anything without making the situation even more embarrassing, so I just kept silent and waited for her to speak.

“That, uh…” she finally began, clearing her throat twice and rolling her hand in the air, “so that just happened. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

I nodded, reaching and scratching the back of my head with a sheepish smile. “Yeah. I swear I wasn’t trying to get you off or anything, I was just doing for you what you did for me.”

She nodded immediately and answered, “I-I know. I wasn’t expecting it either. Let’s just, uh...pretend that didn’t happen and I still have my dignity.”

“Good plan.”

Both of us jumped at the voice, and slowly turned to see Luna still standing there, a small smirk on her lips. It seemed that in our focus, we had both completely forgotten she was there.

After a moment of staring and doing a good impression of a suffocating fish, Ember covered her face in her hands and groaned. “Right, I’m going to go back to the dragon lands and kill myself, now. Spike, I’ll write you. Bye.” Without another word, Ember blasted into the air, quickly gaining speed and altitude until she disappeared in the darkening sky.

Luna stepped beside me and passed me my clothes, as well as my pack. “Worry not, I will not tease either of you about this -- it was a personal moment, and though I was a spectator, it is private and will remain so. Get dressed and I will teleport us to Ponyville.”

Nodding absently, I began dressing myself. “Sounds good. Where’s Rainbow?”

“She was beyond exhausted by her frantic flight, so I lay her down in a guest room in the palace. You will see her tomorrow, I promise. And before you ask, Lyla is well, and recovering. She will rejoin you all in Ponyville in a few days.” Luna answered my questions, even the ones I hadn’t asked yet.

Again I nodded, smiling faintly. “Thanks for taking care of things, Auntie. I appreciate it.”

After I pulled my shirt on, I felt a warm hand settle on my shoulder, and I looked to see Luna’s brilliant eyes looking to me with nothing but love and affection. “Of course, Spike. You know I would do anything for you.” She paused. “Anything within reason.”

I chuckled at her response before pulling my pants on and buckling the belt. After being sure I had everything I needed, I stood next to Luna and nodded to her. “I’m actually staying with AJ tonight, so if you could get us somewhere near Sweet Apple Acres, I’d appreciate it.”

Luna nodded as she lit her horn with a bright spark, and I closed my eyes to prepare for the teleportation. I felt the grass leave my feet, and the world seemed to fall away.


With her eons of practice, Luna’s teleportation was as seamless and simple as walking from one room to another. There was no snap-crack discharge of magic, and save for the fact we hadn’t actually moved our bodies, it was as easy on the senses as stepping over a door threshold. I opened my eyes to see we were standing just in front of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse, which was startlingly accurate for a long-distance teleport. I couldn’t help but stare at Luna in awe: with her occasionally immature mannerisms, it was hard to remember she was an alicorn that had seen and done more than anyone currently alive except her sister, and she had both the power and knowledge to put almost everyone but Twilight to utter shame.


“I wonder when I’ll stop being surprised by the things you can do.” I muttered, mostly to myself.

Luna smiled bashfully, nudging me with one of her wings and jerking her head to the farmhouse. “Goodnight, Spike. I will ensure your dreams are pleasant and free of troubles.” I nodded to her as she lit her horn again, and other than a bright flash, there was no evidence she had been standing beside me a moment before.

I smiled to myself and strode up the steps to the porch, offering a soft knock on the doorframe. Only a few moments later, Applejack opened the door and ushered me inside, only to stop and gasp as she saw what was on my neck.

“Landsakes...Spike, what is that on yer neck?” I felt as she reached out and touched it, immediately whipping her hand away and grimacing. “Blegh….and why’s it slimy?”

I walked with her to the family room and helped her ease down onto the sofa with me, setting my bag down beside me and grinning as I conspiratorially answered, “Have I got a story for you, AJ. Get comfortable, because today was wild, and I got some cool stuff to tell you.”

And so, we talked long into the night about my own adventure, and I excitedly regaled Applejack with what I had been through in just a day.