Chapter 18
Since our return from the disaster site (which I had later learned was once called “Tselinoyarsk”), Rainbow Dash had never left my side for any significant length of time, and the haunted, depressed look in her eyes was reminiscent of Fluttershy immediately following the passing of her beloved pet. The difference between the two was that I wasn’t used to Rainbow Dash being so dependant on another (let alone me), which made the change in personality all the more severe. Ever the saint of a friend that she was, however, Twilight welcomed Rainbow Dash into our home with open arms, advising that the pegasus was welcome to call the castle home for as long as she wanted, and we would always be there for her.
Contrary to her normal demeanor, Rainbow Dash was quiet, almost skittish, and withdrawn, rarely speaking more than a few words at a time. Gone was the brash, confident pegasus that had been the self-appointed most awesome pony in the sky; what remained was a shell of one of my dear friends, and it broke my heart to see what this had done to her. I was suffering from my own form of trauma, but Rainbow Dash’s deep connection with the attribute of Loyalty made the whole incident hit her so much harder, since she felt like she had failed not only Scootaloo, but herself. What hurt the most was that nothing any of us said or did seemed to be convincing her that what happened was not her fault, and she had done the best anyone could have done in the situation.
In only a few days, Rainbow Dash had transformed into someone I barely recognized. She slept double the amount of time she usually did, and had I not left the bed myself, I was sure she would have remained holed up in a bedroom, unwilling to face the outside world. Rainbow Dash stopped caring about hygiene, so Lyla took it upon herself to ensure the pegasus was kept clean and somewhat put-together. There was little any of us could do to combat her lack of appetite though, as Rainbow Dash had gone from being able to out-eat anyone but Applejack, to barely choking down a few slices of toast and water per day. There was no doubting that Rainbow Dash was falling apart, and I found myself dreading the confrontation that would come with Scootaloo once the bodies of her parents were transported back to Ponyville. Twilight tried to stay positive, saying that maybe finally getting this trauma out of the way and addressing it with Scootaloo might actually help Rainbow Dash, but I’ll admit that I had my doubts.
A long time ago, when we were younger, Rainbow Dash had been convinced by Fluttershy to dress up with her for Nightmare Night as a puppy, and I had made the (admittedly crass) comment that I would love to have my own personal Rainbow Dash to take home. I remembered laughing as she spluttered and blushed hard enough that I thought she was going to pass out, and I teased her about it for weeks. Now though, having the more mature mare following me around at all hours, much like a meek puppy, I couldn’t help but pray to any diety that might be listening that the Rainbow Dash we loved would come back to us.
The only upside to the whole situation was that Ember was getting to know Rainbow Dash better, and I was able to know for sure that the mare herself was at least physically unharmed.
In other news, I was intentionally acting as if Rarity and I had never discussed the prospective members of my herd, namely Applejack and Fluttershy. It was too much to deal with at the moment, and besides the fact that Rainbow Dash was currently my primary focus, I didn’t know what I was going to say to the two mares. My mood had taken a hit from what Rainbow Dash and I had been through, and I was still stressed about the fact that Scootaloo was going to be receiving the worst news from the two of us within the next few days; I simply didn’t have it in me to confront Applejack and Fluttershy on the matter, nevermind that even in a calm state of mind, I had tried to avoid the issue. I knew eventually I would be forced to deal with it when one of them eventually came to me, but I was thankful that they seemed to know now wasn’t a good time for it, and they just did what they could to support Rainbow Dash.
Yes, I felt like a coward, and I kinda hated myself for it.
Other than all that, life proceeded as it normally did, including the rescheduling of my meeting with the higher-ups in Canterlot that had already been delayed once. Twilight had assured me that the nobles and privileged upper-class ponies I had snubbed were not happy, and I could expect sneers, glares, and backhanded comments when I got there, but I still had a week to prepare in light of recent events, so that would be good enough for me. Besides, compared to digging up dead bodies and breaking the news to one of my closest friends, dealing with a room full of pretentious, pompous, proud phony ponies would be foal’s play. That was not to say I was looking forward to it, but if I had to choose between telling Scootaloo her parents were dead or going to Canterlot, I would choose Canterlot in a heartbeat -- not that there really was a choice, since I was doing both, but...yeah.
Anyhow, my lessons with Ember had resumed, and within only two days, I had finished learning the basics of the language of dragons. I knew all the characters, as well as the variations, but while I was able to fairly easily begin experimenting using them as spells, speaking the words was another matter entirely. To properly speak the words as intended, I would have to use a special ability that dragon vocal chords had, which would allow me to project my voice in infrasound (a low frequency that most creatures couldn’t hear). To ponies, for example, the only indication I was speaking would be my lips moving, since their ears couldn’t detect it. Speaking the words, however, came with its own challenges, since I had never learned to or needed to speak in infrasound levels, so Ember had to teach me to do that, too.
I was racking up quite a large amount of favors I would owe her, to be sure.
Twilight quivered underneath me as I let my lips and tongue tease her neck and jawline. Heated pants and subdued moans spurred me on, as well as the intoxicatingly salty-sweet taste of her perspiration. I pressed her firmly against the bookcase, feeling her wings flutter under my chest as I continued to drag heated kisses and licks along her sensitive throat. I wasn’t sure how we had suddenly progressed to this when we were merely doing paperwork minutes earlier, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.
“S-Spike, I-I ~hah~”
Even through my heated mind, I found it amusing that books were falling to the ground -- something that would normally make Twilight freak -- but she didn’t even seem to care, at the moment. Twilight was too preoccupied to even think about books, and as she squirmed against me, her hot body rubbing sensually against my bare chest, her mewls of wordless pleasure made me feel pretty much the same.
“Hey Twilight, I- WOAH!”
The shout caused Twilight and I to jump in surprise, and I quickly pulled away as the alicorn did her best to compose herself and seem as if we had not just been on the verge of breaking the final barrier of intimacy, in the public wing of the library.
Starlight was standing in the doorway, her arm thrown over her eyes to cover them, as a bright blush lit her cheeks. “Are you guys decent yet? I can come back in an hour or two if-”
“W-we're fine, Starlight.” Twilight stuttered, sporting her own blush that was not completely from the heated session she and I just shared. Passing a sheen of magic over her entire body to remove the sweat and smooth the mussed fur, she straightened her blouse and skirt before shaking out her hair. “Sorry you had to see that. Was there something you needed?”
Starlight slowly lowered her arm, checking to be sure all was well, before crossing the room and handing a stack of papers to Twilight. “These are some proposals sent over by the Equestrian Preservation Committee, and I have a feeling they want them handled before you and Spike head to Canterlot in a few days. Also…” she jerked her head out the door while looking my way, “Rainbow’s waiting for you.”
The mention of the pegasus immediately spurred me into action, and I wasted no time in quickly snatching my shirt off the ground and pulling it on before heading out of the room with only a cursory wave to the two mares I left behind. I practically blazed down the corridors toward where I knew Rainbow Dash would be, nearly completely ignoring the work ponies Twilight had hired to prepare the castle for Hearth’s Warming. I knew I was going to have to apologize to a few of the hired workers, but at the moment, my mind was singularly focused on a certain rainbow-maned pegasus.
I burst into the private library, out of breath and frantically searching the room, only calming down when I located the pony I was looking for. Rainbow Dash was sprawled out on the well-loved sofa on her back, wings splayed haphazardly and an arm draped over her eyes, and if not for the twitching of her ears, I would think she was so mentally distant that she hadn’t even noticed my arrival. She didn’t move otherwise, however, and other than a change of clothes and brushed fur, it would be easy to imagine she hadn’t moved since I left her earlier in the day to run some errands. She didn’t question as I walked over and sat in the space near her hooves, and once I settled myself, she spun around and settled her head into my lap as she stared blankly at the ceiling, her chest gently rising and falling with her breathing. She was dressed in long flannel lounge pants, as well as the sports bra I had used to find her a few days prior. Despite her current state, I couldn’t help glancing at her toned abs and athletic body, immediately chastising myself for it, as had become commonplace lately due to how much time we had spent in close proximity.
There was no denying that Rainbow Dash, one of my best friends, was a gorgeous mare, and even though she’d never admit it (and probably never test it), she could easily make it as the centerfold of any fashion magazine, had her life strayed from athletics. Having such a beautiful mare so close to me, willingly seeking my presence, would normally be quite the ego boost, but the listless, sullen expression she wore just made it difficult to not coddle her (since, even in her current state of mind, I knew she’d hate that). Rainbow Dash was the kind of mare that would drag herself to work, no matter how tired or ill she was, rather than abandon her responsibilities. It was because of that strong work ethic that it was increasingly heartbreaking to watch her now, barely even existing. I couldn’t exactly kiss and hold her lovingly like I would Twilight or Lyla, and going to the spa definitely wasn’t on the table. Unfortunately, until she decided she wanted to pull herself up by the horseshoes and get back to normal life, all I could do was be there for her, and hope my presence was helping.
“The bodies arrived today,” she whispered, her tone bland and saddened.
Glancing down to Rainbow Dash, I raised a brow. “Oh...that’s good, right? We can finally stop avoiding Scoots, and we can get this whole thing out of the way.”
Rainbow Dash nodded slightly, but didn’t look at all happy about it. “...yeah, I guess. But now I have to destroy a little filly’s world. How am I supposed to do that and be able to look at myself in the mirror?”
While a part of me was happy -- this was the most she had spoken in the past few days -- my heart still felt heavy, because I didn’t have an answer for her. “I...I don’t know. I guess you just have to keep telling yourself that it wasn’t your fault, and that you know she’d rather hear the news from someone that loves her, instead of a guard or volunteer just doing their job. Maybe if you hear it from yourself enough, you’ll start to believe it.” I gently grasped her chin and pulled her face until she was looking at me. Focusing firmly on her eyes, I strongly reaffirmed that, “This was not your fault, Dash. I know you feel like you could have done more, or that you should have gone a few more days without sleep, or done something more than what you did, but what happened was a freak accident. Everyone that watched you -- me, the ponies around you, and probably even the gryphons in the mountains nearby -- would agree that you worked harder, and longer, than anyone else there. You did far more than your fair share, and no one in their right mind would say you didn’t do enough; you were practically killing yourself by taking all this on by yourself, and you still wanted to do more. You are a responsible, loyal, hardworking pony that would put herself through Tartarus just so someone you care about wouldn’t have to be hurt, and everyone knows it.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t give any indication that she even heard me, save for the fact that her ears were twitching, but her eyes became glassy as unshed tears gathered in them. She held my gaze for a few moments before clearing her throat and wiping a hand over her eyes and pulling herself to a sitting position. “Well, we should go do this before it gets too late in the day. Do me a favor and gather everyone so we can do this together; Scoots is gonna need the support, so I want everyone there. I’m gonna get another quick shower before we go, so I’ll meet you in the commons room.”
This was more life than I’d seen in her since we had left the disaster site, and it took me a few moments before I understood why: as a mare of action, if Rainbow Dash couldn’t do anything about a problem she came across, she felt helpless, and even worthless. Until the bodies arrived, she didn’t have the means to properly break the news to Scootaloo, so she had forced herself to wait, which wasn’t one of her strong points. Now that she could do something about the problem, it was as if new life had been injected directly into her veins, since she now had a purpose and plan of action.
Acting on an impulse, I grabbed Rainbow Dash’s hand before she could walk away, and pulled her into a hug. She jolted in surprise and was utterly stiff for a moment, seemingly unsure of what was happening, before I felt her body relax and she melted into my embrace. With my mouth next to her ear I whispered, “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Yes, it’s gonna be hard, and there’s gonna be crying, but everyone’s gonna be there for you and Scoots, and we’ll get through this. No matter what, you’re not alone.”
Rainbow Dash kept silent as she presumably just enjoyed the embrace, before she pulled away slightly to look up at me. For a few quiet moments, she held my gaze before clearing her throat and glancing away with a chuckle. “Stars, you’re a sap. You looked like you wanted to kiss me for a minute there.”
The fact she was joking, even slightly, meant that she was feeling a little better, so I decided to return fire with, “Well...I mean, if you’re offering…”
Rainbow Dash pulled away completely and made her way to the door to the main corridors, throwing a teasing comment over her shoulder. “Maybe later, slick. Anyway, go get everyone and meet me in the commons room. See you soon.”
I just let her go for a moment until what she said registered. I shouted back a confused, “W-wait, were you serious?” To my annoyance, she just chuckled softly as she left, leaving me confused and a bit disappointed. Physically slapping my cheeks, I growled, “Focus, Spike. The playful flirting is a sign that she’s feeling a little better, but it never meant anything before, and it doesn’t mean anything now. Get your butt in gear and go get your friends.” I approached the window and pulled it open, throwing one last look at the door Rainbow Dash had disappeared through before diving out into the winter air.
Only a short time later, nine of us were heading toward the home of a certain soon-to-be heartbroken pegasus filly. The only one of us that had stayed behind was Ember, simply because she didn’t know Scootaloo all that well, and knew she would be unwelcome in such a situation, but I promised my dragoness to return when I could, and I would make it up to her. As the six representations of Harmony, me, Starlight, and Lyla all marched through the snow, I mentally shook myself and forced myself to focus on the task at hand; I knew the next few hours were going to be difficult for everyone, and I needed to be at the top of my game. Scootaloo deserved my full attention and support.
We had already unanimously decided that Rainbow Dash should be the one to break the news to Scootaloo, both for her own benefit, and the fact that she was closest to the filly. The determination in Rainbow Dash’s eyes was far nicer to see than the battered and broken expression she had sported since we returned from the site of the landslide. Still, I knew it was largely an act to mask the fact that she was terrified, and had no clue how she was going to do this -- frankly, none of us did. Still, upon discussing who should be the one to tell Scootaloo that her parents had passed on, she had been the very first to suggest that it should be her to do so. I admire that about her: the fact that she had no idea what she was going to do or how things were going to pan out, but she was going to forge on regardless, simply because it was the right thing to do.
The walk to Scootaloo’s home didn’t take too long, and before we knew it, we were standing in front of a decently-sized unicorn-style home with tea green paint and white borders. The weathered brown door looked far more menacing than it had any right to be, and even in a decently-sized group, we all stopped and took a collective breath to ready ourselves for what was to come. Galvanizing herself, Rainbow Dash marched onto the porch and knocked on the door. As we all waited for an answer, Rainbow Dash’s wings began trembling slightly, likely due to anxiety. As much as I wanted to wrap a wing around the mare and just walk away from all of this, I held fast and kept silent as I held my breath.
Scootaloo answered the door, pulling it open and immediately smiling upon seeing her unofficial big sister. “Rainbow Dash! What are you-” she trailed off as she saw all of us behind the mare, and her expression changed to one of concern. “What’s everypony doing here?”
Rainbow Dash’s wings continued quivering before she tightly held them against her back, stopping the tremors by force. While I couldn’t see her face, I imagined it was carefully neutral as she greeted, “Heya there, Scoots. Do you mind if we come in?”
The innocent confusion in the eyes of Scootaloo made my gut twist uncomfortably; a more mature, more experienced pony would immediately know something was wrong when a bunch of ponies showed up on their doorstep and asked politely to come inside. Fortunately for Scootaloo, she hadn’t experienced any major heartaches in her life thus far, so she had no idea what was coming...which was going to make this so much harder.
Scootaloo glanced at all of us briefly before mentally shaking herself and stepping aside. “Uh, yeah. Come on...come on in.”
We all filed into the home as Scootaloo shut the door behind us, and she led us to the sitting room, which had a long sofa, a love seat, and four other chairs set around a low table. All of the furniture was very modern-looking, with plenty of 90 degree angles and a very “sharp” look, which was common for unicorn design -- Scootaloo’s mother had always loved the look, and her preference was shown in the home decor. Regardless of the way it looked, however, the furniture was all clean and comfortable, and the pictures and trinkets that decorated the home still gave off a very “lived-in” feel to the place. I pointedly avoided looking at the pictures of two adult ponies on the walls, smiling and often doing silly things; the reason was because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep my composure if I thought about how two loving, vibrant ponies-
Nope, not gonna think about it.
We all settled ourselves on the furniture, leaving space beside Rainbow Dash for the filly to sit. After a moment of hesitation, Scootaloo took the remaining space and glanced around at all of us, her unease plain to see. “So, umm...what’s up?”
Rainbow Dash was clearly forcing herself to keep from standing and pacing, instead keeping her eyes focused solely on the young pony in front of her. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, only for no sound to come out. After a few false-starts, she began with, “Scoots…” she scooted a bit closer to the young mare, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “...we’re about to go through something very hard, right now. Just remember: you’re not alone.”
Scootaloo tilted her head to the side, as worry began to clearly show in her bright eyes. “Dash? W-what’s going on? What happened?”
Again Rainbow Dash was having trouble getting the words out, so I silently offered my support by rubbing her upper back with one of my hands. I felt as she took a few breaths, and she was finally able to choke out, “Y-your parents...they’re gone…”
The look on Scootaloo’s face was frozen, and save for rise and fall of her chest, she could have easily passed for a statue. The movement started again with the frantic twitching of her ears, then a general tremble that developed in her body, followed by a progressive increase in breathing as her eyes widened. The young pony looked at all of us, searching for any indication that this was just a mean joke, but at the sympathetic looks we returned, she suddenly shot to her hooves and seemed to be unable to decide where to go. She paced erratically in multiple different directions, her hands running up to frantically claw through her hair as the tears began to come. Taking this as her cue, Rainbow Dash stood and wrapped her arms and wings around the smaller pony, ignoring the shouting, cursing, and punching as the younger mare in her grasp fell apart in rage, grief, and tears. Rainbow Dash’s stronger body and determination won out in the end, and after a few minutes of fighting, she collapsed with Scootaloo onto the ground, crying along with her little sister as the grief finally hit full-force.
I won’t lie and say tears didn’t come to my eyes, but like the others in the room, I pulled myself off of my seat and kneeled to wrap the mares into a hug to support them. I was joined by all the other mares until we were gathered into a condensed group of sobbing people.
Yeah...the rest of the day was gonna be hard.
Eight of us were gathered in the dining room, sitting or standing. Some of us were having a cup of tea or coffee, but all of us were waiting with sullen expressions for something -- anything -- to happen.
After the news had been broken to the unfortunate filly, Rainbow Dash had taken Scootaloo to her room, and stayed with the younger pony, telling the rest of us to wait for her to return. It had been nearly an hour since then, and I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one that felt anxious about the whole thing. I knew that I, at least, wanted to join Rainbow Dash in trying to help Scootaloo through this -- I felt that, as one of her closest friends, I shouldn’t be sitting out in the dining room while a friend was bawling, mourning the loss of her parents. The only rationalization I could make was that, as her adoptive older sister, Rainbow Dash was the closest thing to immediate family Scootaloo had left, so there was a bond there that was special. And, of course, there was the fact that Scootaloo had that in common with Rainbow Dash: she didn’t like to be seen in a vulnerable state around others, even those she was close to. I was smart enough to realize that there were likely things that Scootaloo had discussed with Rainbow Dash -- one sister to another -- that I didn’t know about, and those private moments had forged a unique bond between the two that made Rainbow Dash the one pony Scootaloo would allow herself to be weak in front of.
Still, I felt useless just sitting around, and wished there was more I could do to help.
“Does anypony have any idea what we will do about her? Scootaloo, I mean,” Rarity asked, breaking the long silence with a question that we had all asked ourselves at one point or another since we found out what had happened.
Twilight slouched back in her chair, and scratched her cheek with a few fingers, looking about as tired as I felt. “Well, legally, Scootaloo is a grown mare; she doesn’t need a guardian anymore, and even though I know we’re all close with her, I doubt she’d take kindly to any of us stepping in to try and be a mother or father figure in the stead of her parents.”
“But she still needs a family,” Applejack countered, gently crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against a doorframe. “That girl ain’t got no one else in tha world, so ev’n though she don’t need a new ma ‘n pa, she’s gonna need kin that’re gonna step in and look out f’r her.”
I nodded as I looked down at the yellow tablecloth, fidgeting with the placemat in front of me. “And while both of her parents were well-off enough that she won’t have to worry about money for awhile, that plus the life insurance policies aren’t going to last for more than a few years, so she’s going to need support to get her on her hooves so she can be a self-sufficient mare. Besides helping her through the grieving process, she needs someone to help her step into the grown-up world the right way; she doesn’t have legal family to do that, so we’re gonna have to step in.”
“I don’t want her staying in this house all alone,” said a voice from off to the side. We all looked to see Rainbow Dash finally walking in, looking more disheveled and like she had been crying for the past hour. She sniffled a bit and hurriedly wiped her eyes before she continued. “This is...was her parents’ home, and with the way things are, it’s basically hers now. She grew up here, and I’m sure there’s a lot of memories in this place for her, but without her parents to come home to, it’s just gonna feel empty.” She glanced around at us before saying, “I’m gonna start staying here from now on. As long as I get an anchor for my house, I can leave it for a few months, and it’ll be fine.”
Pinkie looked almost uncharacteristically serious as she asked, “How long are you gonna stay?”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “As long as it takes. Until Scoots feels like she’ll be okay, this’ll be my home.” She ran a finger over a shelf on the wall, pulling it away and scrunching up her face at the dust she pulled off of it. “This place is gonna need daily maintenance to stay clean, and I know Scoots isn’t gonna feel up to it, so I’ll take over until she wants to take the reigns. This is her house, but right now, there are probably some places in here she doesn’t even want to go, because it’s just gonna remind her of the fact that her parents are gone.”
Twilight nodded to Rainbow Dash, smiling slightly. “I think that would be a good idea. When do you want to have the funeral?”
Rainbow Dash frowned a bit more, thinking for a few seconds. “I say we give it a few days. Scoots isn’t gonna be able to face it until she’s had some time to process, so let’s let her simmer for a little bit. Set it up for Saturday if you could, Twi.”
Twilight gave a firm nod. “You can count on me, Rainbow.”
With that said and the silent agreement that it was probably time for the rest of us to leave, we began to file out of the house and back into the winter air. Before I could leave, however, Rainbow Dash pulled me aside and practically yanked me into her embrace, hugging me tightly for a few seconds before releasing me.
“Spike, I just wanna say thanks for your help these past few days,” she said with gratitude in her tone and smile. “I know I’ve been kinda uncool lately, and I’m...just...thanks for putting up with me.”
I gave a small smile of my own and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t mention it. I know you’re gonna be busy with Scoots, but if either of the two of you need any of us, just say the word and we’ll be there.” Glancing back toward the interior of the home, which seemed somehow more dreary than it had ever been before, I added, “Take good care of her, Dash. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need help, though.”
Rainbow Dash pulled herself up a little straighter before giving a slightly more confident smirk. “What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t do everything I could? Scoots is in good hands, don’t you worry.”
I nodded briefly before asking, “But what about you? I mean, I could stay here too, if-”
Rainbow Dash chuckled and shook her head. “Spike, I know you’re trying to be a good friend and all, but your life can’t stop just because some of us are going through a rough time. Your herd probably wants some alone time with you, and I know you probably got royal stuff piling up. I’ll come get you if I need you, but…” she seemed to consider it for a bit before finishing, “...I think I’ll be okay.”
I stood there for a moment, just inspecting her. It was true: while she didn’t seem to be at 100% yet, she already looked loads better than she had earlier in the day, or the past few days. It seemed that finally being able to start doing something about all of this was doing wonders for her emotional state, and while I knew it was far from over, a determined Rainbow Dash was far better than a depressed Rainbow Dash.
I gave a hesitant nod before stepping away. “All right then, I’ll head out. Take care, Dash.” She offered only a simple wave before shutting the door behind me, and I rejoined the rest of my friends as we made our way back toward the town.
Much of the journey was silent, and the mood somber, but I was glad to have my friends with me. I did regret that I could not stay with Rainbow Dash, but she was right: life and our obligations could not wait, and she would be okay. The hard part was largely over. Now, we just had to ensure her and Scootaloo had the support they needed.
“Welp,” Applejack began, breaking the silence, “Ah gotta head back home. Got a lotta work t’ do b’fore tha holidays, ‘n Ah ain’t gonna leave it all f’r mah kin. Y’all take care, now.” She then pushed closer to me and gave a tight embrace. “Bye, Spike.”
I silently watched as the mare turned down the long dirt road that led to her farm. I watched until she had passed the first row of trees before turning away from the road and walking toward the town. Having already spoken with the rest of the group and agreed upon a visit, I led us back toward the castle. We were greeted by a few of the ponies that were out and about, but I wasn’t much in the mood for small talk, so I kept us moving, offering polite greetings and farewells as we continued the journey.
Finally, we reached the castle, and I wasted no time in getting all of us inside. Twilight lent her assistance in helping everyone remove their heavy jackets and such, hanging them up near the door to the commons room. The fire in the hearth had done well to keep the place warm (for Ember and the ponies, since I wasn’t affected either way), so we all settled on the furniture (or splayed against me haphazardly, as was the case for Twilight) as we talked about what was going to be happening the next few days and the following months. Obviously, Scootaloo was our priority, and we were going to be sure she had a strong support structure of the people close to her. However, in addition, I couldn’t put off the visit to Canterlot anymore, and I was convinced it wasn’t going to be fun at all. Nonetheless, I was obligated to go, so I accepted the well-wishes from my friends, and hoped that the politics involved weren’t going to give me too much of a headache.
Ember strode into the room a few minutes after we had arrived, dressed. She was wearing one of my newer shirts, which was large enough to nearly be worn as a tunic all on its own. I still don’t quite understand why, since Ember was usually naked anyway, but seeing her wearing nothing other than one of my shirts, the bottom just barely covering her upper thighs and the curve of her rump…
Mmm…
And the smirk she sent my way told me I was affected exactly as she wanted.
I’ll admit, it was still a little strange to have the interest of the dragoness, seeing as how she was my senior by six years, but I guess the heart desires what it does. I was not complaining in the least, of course; besides her affection, Ember was a great help in educating me in the many things I did not know about my kind, and her personality was an interesting duality between cool confidence and bubbly excitement. There was no doubting I definitely approved of Ember as a mate, and if I was honest with myself, her and I were a great fit, even without the enforced desire brought on by the mate’s marks we gave each other. I enjoyed the lessons we shared with one another, as well as the more personal moments, and found myself dreading when it was all over. After all, as much as I wished otherwise, Ember could not stay in Ponyville, and I could not move to the dragon lands. The issue was always in the back of my mind, and I had yet to think of a plausible solution to the problem.
“What’s with the frowny-face all of the sudden, Spikey?”
I glanced up at the perfectly-poofy playful pink party pony, and just shook my head with a forced smile. “Nothing you need to worry about, Pinks. Just remembered I got some things I gotta take care of.”
She pouted at my response, leaning across the gap between the chair she sat in and the sofa I was seated upon, and poked me in the nose with her index finger. “Spike, don’t do that. If something’s bothering you, we want to help.”
While I didn’t really want to talk about it, since it would only cause the mood to drop further, I answered, “Well, can you find a way that Ember doesn’t have to go back to the dragon lands?” Pinkie opened her mouth for a moment, only to close it a few seconds later as she glanced away. I snorted and shook my head. “Yeah, that’s why I didn’t want to say anything.”
Ember made her way over to us and kneeled in front of me, looking up to me with a deep, soulful expression as she said, “Spike, I appreciate that you don’t want me to leave -- frankly, I wish I could spend everyday with you -- but I still have obligations in the dragon lands, and those obligations are being delayed because your reeducation was by far the most urgent issue that had to be addressed.” She leaned up a bit, pressing her body into my knees as she reached up and caressed my cheek softly. “If I had my way, I would never leave your side again, but we are needed in different places, and so our time together will be...sporadic.”
From beside me, I felt as Twilight pulled away, and my attention immediately jumped to her. She was holding her bottom lip in her teeth, apparently in silent debate with herself, before she came to a decision and turned to me with a determined look. “All of you, come with me. There’s something I want you to see.”
The strong, almost fierce tone that Twilight used, prompted all of us into action as we practically jumped to our feet and followed the alicorn out of the commons room. She led us down the staircase to the floor level of the castle, only to immediately turn and cast an absurdly powerful spell at a patch of the floor underneath the spiral staircase. The floor grew seams, and in only a second or two, a wooden door appeared, which she promptly pulled open with a wave of her horn. She lit her horn with a soft glow as she descended into a place I had never known existed.
“Twi,” I whispered, glancing around the dark passageway and trying to discern how I could have not noticed something like this, “what is this? Where are we going?”
Twilight kept walking, but flicked an ear in my direction as she answered, “I’ve been working on quite a few projects the past five years or so. Most of them have never been unveiled, simply because I think they’re too dangerous to be made public, or because they’re not finished yet. I discovered this place by accident one day quite a few years ago, and this cellar has served as my own private research and development wing for the castle. No one knows about it but all of you, and I would appreciate it if you kept things that way.”
We all murmured our agreements as we continued walking, but I had more questions that needed answering. “What exactly could be so dangerous that you had to bury it underground, locked by the same spells that are on the Canterlot Vault?” Twilight tossed an impressed glance my way, and I gave a roll of my eyes. “I’ve been around magic most of my life Twi, and two of the ponies I’m closest to also happen to be the most powerful magic users around. I can usually figure out spells just by the way they feel, how much power you put into it, and what it does.”
Twilight smiled at me and turned back to the passageway, which was leading to a dimly lit room ahead of us. “I liked the way the spell worked, so I made my own -- with a few augmentations of course. Well,” she stepped into the room and moved to the side to allow us access, “here we are. Pardon the mess, but until now, I’ve been the only one down here.” With us given the okay from the mare herself, we all began to explore the previously-unknown room as Twilight continued to causally explain, “I remember Rainbow Dash used to tease me by saying I spend so much time thinking, my cutie mark should have been a brain. Well...she was more accurate than she thought, at the time. Even if nothing comes of it, anytime I have inspiration, I experiment down here, where no one can disturb me.” At my raised brow shot her way, Twilight waved me off. “I don’t mean it like that, Spike. The projects I keep down here are either dangerous by design, or dangerous if they were in the wrong hands. For example…”
Twilight walked over to a steel work table, which had a wide array of half-finished projects, half of which I couldn’t even begin to understand the use of, and the other half looked like something out of a science-fiction novel. She picked up a pair of nondescript metal gauntlets, and immediately put them on. After only a moment’s hesitation, she powered up her horn, causing dozens of arcane characters to light up on each gauntlet. She held her arms slightly forward, the elbows bent and her hands pointing toward the ceiling, before jerking her arms slightly. Suddenly, two pink, ethereal blades materialized from the gauntlets themselves. Twilight had created magical wrist-blades.
After giving all of us a moment to stare, dumbstruck, in awe of the invention, Twilight shook her head slightly. “Unfortunately, they’re not ready.” With another jerk of her arms, the blades flickered before dissipating, leaving two plain metal gauntlets once more. “It takes a significant amount of power to use them, so they’re not practical for the use of the average unicorn, even one in the royal guard. Until I can find a way to make the energy-transfer system more efficient, these are a novelty, and nothing more. Anyhow,” she swept her hand around the room, “this is my ‘mad scientist’ room. Yes, I really do have one, but it’s not as scary as comic books make it out to be. The reason I wanted to show you all this, was because of what I have been developing the past few months.” Walking toward the far wall, Twilight led us to several more unfinished projects, most of these much larger, and more stationary.
“Twi,” Starlight began, her eyes darting excitedly all around the room, “if I weren’t so upset that you didn’t let me help you with any of this, I would kiss you right now. This stuff is incredible.”
Twilight had the decency to be thoroughly chastised, and flattened her ears against her skull as she led us the rest of the way to the far wall. “I’m sorry Starlight, and I promise, it had nothing to do with you specifically. I didn’t even let Spike down here, because some of the things in here can be dangerous just to stand next to.” Before Starlight could cause a panic by asking the question I’m sure we were all thinking, Twilight shook her head with a reassuring smile. “You’re not in any danger as long as you only go where I tell you. Stay near me, and you’ll be safe. Anyway,” she stopped in front of what looked like a collection of stone blocks, “this is what I wanted to show you.”
I stepped up next to the alicorn, looking down at the dozen or so large, clean-cut, dark-colored stones. After taking a moment to inspect them, I looked back to Twilight in confusion. “You’re taking up stoneworking?”
Twilight rolled her eyes at me before gesturing to us with one hand. “Everyone, back up a few feet.”
We did as she asked as Twilight lit her horn once more, bringing her hands up to it. She seemed to grab at her own magical aura, bringing one “glob” of it down into each hand, and then lit her horn brighter. Arcs of energy jumped from her two hands and her horn as the air around the room became charged with her power. From my angle, I could see as Twilight silently chanted to herself, her words indecipherable from the buzzing and crackling of the arcing magical energy she was building. Suddenly, she spread her wings as she began to levitate off of the floor, but her wings were not what made her float into the air -- the magic was lifting her up on its own. After a few minutes of this, she thrust her hands forward, and a massive, crackling ball of mauve magical energy crashed into the dark stone blocks.
Immediately, the stones lit up with previously-unseen arcane symbols, and began rumbling before levitating into the air. One by one, they began to arrange themselves into a large platform, and then built a large archway of stone. When the final stone found its place at the center of the top of the arch, a shimmering gateway tore itself into existence in the archway. I had seen Twilight cast portal spells many times before, and knew the spell itself was no different, but something was different by the simple fact that her horn was no longer glowing. Instead, Twilight was standing slightly to the side, winded, but otherwise fine, as she smirked at me.
“Behold,” she announced theatrically, “the first self-sustaining portal that does not need a unicorn to channel magic into it to keep the doorway open. With the right equipment and implementation, it will be possible to travel nearly anywhere in the world in an instant, and all that’s needed is a little bit of magic to get it started.”
It took me only a second of thought to realize just why she had wanted to show this to me, and what it had to do with Ember. I practically barrelled into Twilight and caught her in a deep kiss, not caring that the others were watching.
After a few seconds of this, during which Twilight generated a full-body flush, I pulled away with a manic grin. “Twilight! You beautiful, brilliant pony! You are amazing! Incredible! I just...I…” I laughed in what probably sounded like a crazy person, but I didn’t care at the moment. I hugged Twilight tightly, and whispered, “Thank you, Twilight. Thank you so much.”
Twilight was still slightly out of it as I thanked her profusely, and she could only mutter an embarrassed, “Y-you’re welcome, Spike.” After I finally released her, she ran a sheet of magic over her coat, brushing down the mussed fur and frizzy hair, before clearing her throat and explaining, “If I’m being honest, this wasn’t only for you; I’ve been working on this for many years now, but only made my latest few breakthroughs in the past few months. Anyway,” she jerked a thumb toward the gateway, which still glowed with a blank magical portal, “this is still just a prototype, but it works as a proof of concept, which proves it can be done.” She then stepped over to Ember, who was staring slack-jawed at the portal, and placed a hand on the distracted dragoness’ arm. Ember slowly rolled her eyes to Twilight, still in disbelief over the discovery, as Twilight gave a warm smile to her. “You’re a part of Spike’s life -- his mate, now -- and so I wanted to do this for both of you. Once I place one of these in a safe place back in the dragon lands, you’ll be able to visit anytime you want. Distance will no longer be an issue.”
Ember stood in shocked silence for a few moments, before surprising all of us, and wrapping Twilight in a tight embrace. Twilight’s equally shocked expression told me she also wasn’t expecting the reaction, but after taking a few seconds to process what was happening, she returned the embrace fully. I’ll admit, I was smiling like a fool at the sight of the dragoness (who was not so big on physical affection between anyone but me) gratefully hugging Twilight. Though she hadn’t ever said it aloud, I knew the thought of separating from me for long periods of time was not something she was fond of at all. While Twilight had been considered a friend for some time now, I counted this as the moment the alicorn personally endeared herself to the dragoness. To my further surprise, when she finally pulled away, Ember had shining tears in the corners of her eyes as she smiled down at the shorter pony.
While she quickly wiped the wetness away from her eyes, her happiness was still clear as day. When she finally spoke, it was with a low, emotionally shaky voice. “Spike is right; you are amazing. Thank you, Twilight. I can’t tell you how much this means to me; I was dreading the day when Spike would finish his training. Now, I don’t have to worry so much.”
Twilight was now thoroughly embarrassed by the attention, but gave a smile in return and nodded to the dragoness. “Of course. You’re a part of our lives now, and I think I speak for the rest of Spike’s close friends when I say that we’re not happy if he’s unhappy. The portal has applications far beyond this specific problem, but I knew that I wanted you all to be the first to know. Now, you don’t have to be afraid of being separated in the future. And besides,” she again placed a hand on the arm of the dragoness, “I know we haven’t always been all that close, but I’d like to change that. You’re my friend too, Ember, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on. Logically speaking, it would be in my best interest to do something like this for you.”
Ember snorted softly, holding in a laugh. “‘Logically speaking,’ she says.” She then glanced to me and commented, “I used to poke fun at how ‘touchy-feely’ you were, but now I see where you get it.” Ember looked over the gathered mares, nodding to them. “I never meant it in a bad way, either...just different. Ponies are a lot more open with emotions than dragons are, so I guess it kinda makes sense that Spike would turn out the same way. Still, now that I’m a part of his life -- and because of that, yours -- I’m actually kinda glad for it. It’s nice to feel like I belong, even so far from home.”
“And now,” Twilight added, gesturing to the fading portal, “your home doesn’t have to be so far away, either. Once I’ve worked out the kinks and produce a more efficient model, we’ll place one in the dragon lands to link with this one. For now though, you can rest assured that leaving Equestria doesn’t mean the months or years without Spike, like it once did.”
While she didn’t say anything more on the matter, Ember’s warm smile spoke of how much gratitude she felt for what Twilight had done.
Twilight jerked her head toward the far door. “All right, we should leave. While I trust all of you to be careful down here, there are a lot more people down here than normal, so I would like to minimize the chance of an accident happening.” We all silently followed her request and filed out of the room, being careful to keep our distance from the many scattered objects in the room. We left without incident, and Twilight secured the door with a few dozen different spells once we left.
We all made our way back to the commons area of the upper floors, and Twilight helped us settle in once again, telling me that whatever work we had to do could wait until tomorrow. I didn’t argue, and instead practically flopped down onto the sofa on my back, wings splayed haphazardly, and mentally planned to stay there the rest of the night.
Unfortunately, Rarity could not do the same. “Dear, I’m sorry to say, but I cannot stay this night. I have a few orders I have to complete before the end of next week, so I must head back to the boutique.”
I sighed through my nose, but nodded nonetheless. “It’s cool Rarity, I understand.” Quickly breaking up my own plan, I stood and gave her a hug and gentle kiss, offering a goodbye before she left the room.
As I glanced to the rest, and they looked to each other, it seemed that we would have an impromptu sleepover, so I decided a nice, filling dinner would do nicely, so I headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
It’s amazing what one can put together in only a few hours. I hadn’t planned anything major for the night, seeing as how it was originally just going to be me, Twilight, Starlight, Rainbow Dash, and Ember, but since we had company, I opted for something a little more special. The spicy curry ginger sauce was currently bubbling merrily with a variety of cabbage found in a nation far to the east, along with some tofu and scallions. For Ember and I, I had prepared some roasted pork skewers with some more eastern spices, and for the ponies and changeling, I had prepared the same, but swapping out the pork for tofu, mushroom, carrot, and zucchini. The main dish for both would be a kind of long rice noodle with the sauce, and for this having been only the second time making this particular dish, I was quite pleased with how it was turning out. The girls were currently enjoying the starter, which was salad with a light ginger dressing, while I finished the rest of the meal.
Besides my proficiency with cooking, the reason I had chosen to make something for all of us, rather than order out or something, was because I needed time alone to settle myself. As it was, my instincts were practically screaming at me to go and get Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, haul them back to the castle, and make sure they were safe from everything that might hurt them. My rational mind knew that wasn’t how grieving worked though, so I kept all of that to myself and did my best to distract myself from the desire. Cooking and providing for my friends and mates worked quite well to do that, which was why I was cooking up a storm for everyone; for some reason, the act of providing for the needs of those around me had always made me feel very satisfied in a way I couldn’t explain until recently, when I learned from Ember that it was an ingrained instinct to do so.
“It’s always a joy watching you cook, you know.”
I jerked a bit, startled by the voice of Pinkie at the kitchen entrance. I turned to smile sheepishly at her as I continued my work. “Thanks. Took a lot of practice to get good at it, but now I can make sure we’re all able to eat food that wouldn’t kill us. I used to be worse than Twilight, if you remember.”
Pinkie giggled and nodded. “Yeah, that’s what Twi-Twi said when we first became friends. Practice makes perfect though, and you got pretty darn close to perfect after all these years.”
I coughed, feeling suddenly embarrassed by the praise, as I hunched my shoulders a bit self-consciously. “C’mon, I’m not a world-class chef or anything. I’m just happy I can make good food for the people I care about; that’s good enough for me.” She went quiet for a few moments after that, until I suddenly felt her warm, soft body pressed against me from behind as her arms wrapped around my waist. “W-what are you doing back there, Pinks?”
She just giggled and continued to hug me. “Just hugging a best friend, Spikey. I thought you could use one as thanks for the food, if nothing else.”
I just glanced over my shoulder bemusedly. After the initial surprise wore off, I had to admit that despite the randomness of the action, the hug felt nice, and made me feel a little more relaxed. Pinkie had always had a sort of special extra sense, knowing instinctively when and how to cheer up her friends; sometimes the action was a hug or a party, but as we all grew and matured, more often than not, it could just be a few kind words. Considering how much she did to ensure all of us were happy, we didn’t thank her enough, frankly.
I set the pan I had been handling down onto the stove, laying my hands over hers as I just enjoyed the embrace. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, catching Pinkie’s scent in the process, I felt as if some of the stress of the day was physically leaving me, to the point where I could smile honestly without some sort of grand surprise being sprung on me (thanks again, Twilight!).
“Pinkie Pie,” I murmured, taking a moment to fully immerse myself in the moment, “what would we ever do without you?”
She giggled softly. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to find out. Your good friend Pinkie is always on the job!” I just silently enjoyed the hug for a few more moments before pulling away and turning toward the mare.
Smiling a bit, I inclined my head toward the door. “Go on, get everyone set at the table. Dinner’s ready.” Pinkie just nodded with a toothy grin before trotting back into the dining room, leaving me alone to gather the food into the proper serving dishes and bringing it into the dining room over a few trips.
Twilight was practically drooling at the sight of the meal. She always had a soft spot for eastern cuisine, no matter what it was. “Mmm...I can’t wait to see what you came up with this time. The salad was wonderful, Spike.”
Ember, too, nodded, looking impressed. “I’m with Twilight. Never thought I’d enjoy a bowl of greens, but I was proven wrong again. Might have to hire you as my personal chef or something.”
“Well, I guess that’s where you’re lucky,” I commented, setting the bowls and platters out around the table. “As a friend and mate, you’re welcome to my culinary expertise anytime, free of charge.”
“You spoil me,” Ember quipped, but I could tell she was pleased.
Taking a moment to gather up the salad dishes and darting out to deposit them in the kitchen, I reentered the dining room and took my seat between Lyla and Twilight, with Ember across from me. I took a look around the gathered people, smiling at the sight of my dear friends, before nodding to them.
“It’s no secret that the coming months are going to be tedious,” I announced to the table, catching eyes with each individual before continuing, “but, when I’m gathered around my friends like this, I’m reminded that anything is possible when we support each other. With the tenets of Harmony, the varied skills of the changelings,” I nodded toward a smiling Lyla, “and the strength of dragons,” Ember’s smile brightened at this, “I know we can overcome whatever hardship comes our way. When I look at all of you, I see the hope for a better world, and a better life. So, I’d like to say thank you for being there for me, and for each other. To friendship!”
All those gathered raised a glass in support (including Ember, with a good-natured roll of her eyes). With that, everyone dug in with gusto, passing the dishes around the table to sample the different foods. From there, chatter flowed comfortably, and the satisfied hums of approval for the food could be heard from everyone there (yes, it was an ego boost). As I glanced around the table, feeling a comforting warmth suffuse my body, I found myself smiling at it all. While I had no doubt that life would continue to have its hardships, times like this were what made all the work worth it.
The feeling of something strong and feathery wrapping around my leg caught my attention, and I looked up to find Ember catching my eyes. No words between us were said, but when she smiled at me, I found myself even more optimistic about our collective future. I had learned early in life that moments of true happiness were few and far in between, and sometimes it seemed like the darkness was all around us, swallowing up the world. It was because of that lesson in mind that I made sure to do things like this with those I cared about, so that we didn’t forget what the light looked and felt like, even on the darkest of days.
Life would go on, as it always did. For now, we just had to soldier on, and keep love in our hearts.
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This wall....i am not ready for it but i am happy as hell :D ty for this great work again
This is one of the best slow-build Spike harem fics on the site. So much attention to detail and emotional character development that makes it all the more "believable".
Always fantastic to see another chapter come out.
Good to see Twilight and Spike are getting along fairly well, to say the least. I know you've mentioned that Spike ends up with the Mane 6, Lyra and Ember, but I'm curious to see if Starlight sneaks her way in as well.
Poor Scoots. At least she has Rainbow there to help her - who is hopefully back into her normal self now. Hard to say though, grief is a fickle thing, and Luna's warning definitely comes to mind.
I kind of expected the portal - though the rest of Twilight's lab was a pretty amusing scene. The reminder about the upcoming get-together of everyone reminded me about Thorax wanting to talk to Lyla. Only thing I can think of off-hand is asking her why she never underwent the change - or he's heard rumblings from Chrysalis.
Anyways, thanks for the chapter! Excited to see where things go from here.
I thought, Rarity left?
Anyway, another amazing chapter. Love the feel of this story!
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Applejack was the one that headed home.
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Yeah, before they got to the castle. Rarity left after Twilight's reveal;
Unless I'm wrong, in which case, my bad.
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So she did. Whoops
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Lol. Hey, if nothing else, it really shows that I pay very close attention to your work!
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It's been fixed, but yes, I appreciate it. I edit all my own stories, but I'm certainly not perfect.
Another great chapter. Love that this gate had been made for future use so Ember can easily be a part of the herd and not be away for long periods of time.
*reads chapter 1*
2014 was a time
*skips to chapter 18*
... I think the site is broken. I was
Reading a Spike harem story and now I’m in a “Scootaloo is dead” story.
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Scootaloo is not dead. This is merely part of the progression of Spike's relationships. It'll make sense, I promise.
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You’re right. Scootaloo is not dead. My bad. Just her parents and nameless ponies. Back to sexy times!
wow its been some time since i was here reading the story again ;) but i cant wait for the next chapter :D gotta read some more
started reading this story and i like it, the conflicts, the relationships, its all interesting and i wonder how its all going to turn out.
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no problem ;) BTW how are things going on on your end of the world? is everything ok? Its been some time since i saw any updates on the story and im just wondering
This story is a wonderful piece of art, and I can't wait for this to update. Please keep up the good work.