• Published 18th Jul 2014
  • 23,278 Views, 658 Comments

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.

  • ...
63
 658
 23,278

Chapter 22

Author's Note:

Another year down, eh? Well, for those of you that won't read this until the morning, Merry Christmas/Happy Hearth's Warming. Hope you all enjoy this one, so please drop a comment with any questions or reviews you have. Enjoy.

*the melting point of basalt, the most common form of metamorphic stone, is 1200 degrees C, which will give you an idea of how hot Spike's fire might be.

*In medieval times, if two strangers were to meet on the road, and they meant no ill will, they would extend their right hands -- the dagger hand -- and clasp it with the stranger's as a show of goodwill. Alicorns, being long-lived creatures, understand the meaning of the gesture for the same reason.

Not much happened on Sunday. Other than a few odd or sympathetic looks from the rest of the girls (I didn't get an answer as to why), as well as a distinct absence of a certain rainbow-maned pegasus, most of the day was spent preparing for our foray into the elites of Canterlot the following day. I shared a meal with my herd (all of them), and shared sleeping quarters with Twilight, Ember, and Fluttershy.

Monday morning, as always, was a chore, even before the fact that Twilight was racing around the castle to be sure everything was ready when our carriage arrived...even though we had spent the entire day on Sunday preparing. Though the carriage wouldn’t be arriving until 08:00, we woke up at 05:00 because of Twilight’s mania. Let it be said that waking up a slumbering dragoness that early was not a good idea, and though Ember later apologized, she had roared at Twilight and chewed her out for it.

After a generous cup of black coffee, Ember was quite a bit more alert, and by 06:00, she was watching with amusement as Twilight dashed around the castle rooms like Pinkie on a sugar high. Twilight had already packed bags for all of us to be sure we were prepared for the trip, but like always, she was fretting about the “maybe’s”. I suppose that was one of the prices that came with being a super-genius.

“Spike, did I pack my dress that-”

“It’s in the dress bag.”

“And what about-”

“The reports are in the scroll cases, in the main bag.”

“Okay, and what about-”

“Two sets of toiletries for each of us, just in case we lose one, ample winter clothing for you and Ember, Ember’s decorative armor for the party, scented, warming massage oil-”

“I-I didn't ask-”

“Your blush says you don’t mind. Lastly, I packed enough survival rations for a week, sixteen charged mana crystals, a charged spell scroll for a portal to the castle throne room that’s keyed only to us, and 5,000 bits, 400 of it in smaller denominations.”

Twilight’s bright blush told me the massage oil had been a good choice, but for the rest, I had just followed the itemized list she had prepared nearly a week beforehand. While Twilight’s mania could get a bit tiresome, she was nothing if not prepared, and that trait actually helped, in this situation. Some things never changed about her, regardless of how many years went by.

Of course, my mention of said massage oil caught the attention of the dragoness. I shrugged as she looked at me, and clarified, “I’m not sure if you’ll be able to feel the warmth, but I’ll still make sure you get in on the action. Promise.”

Clearing her throat and patting her cheeks to try and calm the blush that had bloomed within her face, Twilight replied, “Spike, we’re going to Canterlot for business, not pleasure. I-I don’t know if that’s the time to be-”

“Unless you’ve set it up where a few random ponies are going to be sharing our room, what I do with my herd-mates in private is no one’s business but ours,” I countered, my tone brooking no argument. “Besides, if the last few times you’ve had to meet with the upper class is any indication, you’re going to need the stress relief, and Ember will need it to keep her from literally biting one of them.” Ember played along by snapping her jaw loudly, ensuring a loud “click” was heard from the jaw bones colliding with enough force to break a bone.

Another blush erupted on Twilight’s face at the dragoness’ action, and I tilted my head at her. ‘Is she...nah, I’m looking too much into it’ It was probably embarrassment. At least, that’s what I told myself. Then again, I had to remind myself that attraction between herd-mates was common within a herd, and I knew Twilight didn’t have a gender preference for who she found attractive, so I guess it was possible.

And suddenly, I had to forcefully shake my head to rid myself of the arousing mental image of Twilight and Ember becoming...intimate.

“Okay, I think we need to go and release some of the pressure there, Spike,” Ember loudly announced, taking my hand and escorting me from the room. Twilight seemed to understand what was going on, so she just nodded and went back to her fretting.

As our bond had grown and the power of the brands had become more deeply entrenched, I had begun feeling Ember’s emotions when they were particularly strong, and I could only imagine she felt the same from me. This was why I didn’t question as she pulled me away to the pocket dimension to “release the pressure,” as she put it. We had already done so once before, but due to my long history of strict control of my draconic heritage (and thus, my magic), it was still a learning experience. Following what we had done before (and what was going to be a habit from now on), I removed all my clothing before stepping with Ember into the pocket dimension.

As was the norm now, though the walls had been scrubbed clean of soot and ash, they were permanently scorched a stark white and warped due to my last “outlet” session. Ember took her place at the far side of the chamber, and I stood right in the center, ignoring the protection spell Ember was casting on herself as I began humming. As the song filled me, I began drawing the four characters -- the only time so far I’ve needed four for a spell -- ensuring the characters for “in,” “fire,” “release,” and “burn” were as good as I could get them. To be sure the spell would stop when I wanted it to, I only added light padding to the characters before rolling them in my palm and pressing that palm to my chest. As usual, the spell flashed before fading to dark, but immediately afterward, the flame within me roared to life. My hide seemed to catch fire with emerald flames as I became a standing inferno, and the flames only burned hotter and brighter every second. I couldn’t feel the heat other than a slight warmth, but as I watched, the stonework of the room began to glow a dim red color, and the stone beneath my feet became soft enough that it began to feel like thick mud*. Ember was crouched in the corner of the room, her wings shielding her as they glowed magenta with a shielding spell. I waited a few more seconds, noticing the flames beginning to lessen, before taking a deep breath and focusing on making the flames recede. I was still new at this, so it took nearly a minute of deep focus, but eventually, my hide was its normal purple again, and the flames had dissipated completely. The air was still rippling from the intense heat of the now-glowing room, but I knew it would take hours before it completely cooled, so I didn’t let it bother me overmuch. True to the reasons for doing it, my mind was now clear enough to enjoy the thought of two of my mates being “close” without putting me on the edge of trying to coax such a situation into being.

I calmly walked over and tapped Ember on one of her wings. After a moment, the magenta glow floated away in motes of flame, and she uncovered herself and took my hand to stand. She glanced around the area before whistling aloud. “Yeah, this is why the dragon lands are all rock and volcanoes.”

I glanced around the room as well and idly mused, “What would have happened if we had tried this the first time you had to ‘calm’ me?”

Ember blushed a bit at the memory of that day, but answered, “Imagine a bomb going off strong enough to level a mountain. Assuming you were able to direct the shockwave outside your body instead of coming from your core and…” she trailed off, but I understood where she was leading, and winced at the mental image “...you would have still destroyed anything around you for a mile or so.” She gestured around the room. “I don’t know exactly how this pocket dimension works, but if there’s a way to destroy it, that could have happened.”

Due to living with Twilight for so many years, I was well aware of just how dangerous uncontrolled magic could be. The thought that I could have easily killed myself was less shocking than the realization of just how powerful I was (or maybe it was dragons as a whole). I wasn’t a beefcake, I wasn’t a wandering hero, I wasn’t a soldier, and I wasn’t a “knight of the realm”: I was just “Spike,” and I wasn’t exactly a guy that liked to fight. Truthfully, I had no need for power...or, at least, I didn’t until recently. As Ember repeatedly beat into my head, dragons are drawn to protect that which they value the most, and that requires strength. My home, my friends, and my family were what I wanted to keep safe, and unknowingly, my body was built to do just that, even if I wasn’t particularly one to look for a fight. Dragon magic was powerful, primal, and wild in a way that most unicorns couldn’t understand. Unicorn magic (and pony magic as a whole) could certainly be used for battle, but was tooled more toward utility than combat, to the point that utility and support spells outnumbered combat spells at a factor of 30:1. Dragons, by comparison, only fairly recently (within the last three hundred years or so) began creating and modifying spells for peaceful applications, and nearly all of the rest of their history was focused on survival, and protecting the hoard.

I could understand why ponies thought dragons were brutish. Most of dragon culture was centered around self-defense and fighting for what you wanted. Those without the strength to protect what was theirs were often insulted and cast out; most of the culture revolved around the basic idea of “strength,” and those that were not strong were hazed mercilessly, even as whelps. It was why teenaged dragons like Garble and his posse treated me the way they had when I was younger. I still couldn’t say that Garble and I were by any means friends, but there was now a foundation of respect for me, and at the very least, he knew it wouldn’t be smart to mess with me or those I care about. Dragons like me were not the norm in the dragon lands, which was why I was treated with ridicule and laughter when they first met me.

Now though, I was learning more and more about my people and heritage, thanks to Ember. And, in learning these things, I was learning more about how my instincts would direct (not control) my behavior, so I could more easily account for my own nature. Even now, I shudder to think what might have happened if Ember hadn’t helped me vent my excess magic. I had never particularly been a tail-chaser, but now I found myself with a sex drive directly linked to my magic, the latter of which needed to regularly be "burned" if I didn't want to become some lust-crazed fiend.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, long enough for the room to cool down so that the air within wasn’t so hot it would ignite the expensive items inside the physical world of the castle it was connected to, Ember and I left, I dressed again, and made my way back to the commons room, where Twilight was finally settled down and reading a book as she waited.

Twilight looked up at us as we approached, and raised an eyebrow to us. “Everything okay?”

I glanced at Ember briefly before nodding. “Yeah, I’m good. Just gotta bleed off the excess magic to keep from losing control and whatnot. The last thing we need is me leering at random mares up in Canterlot.”

Twilight pursed her lips for a moment before adding, “You know...I’d like to see what those sessions are like, if you don’t mind.”

I glanced to Ember again, who gave a nod before stepping forward to take control of the conversation. “I mean, I don’t see a problem with it. You’ll need a sustainable shield that’ll protect you from sustained dragonfire, but other than that, I don’t see why you can’t. I don’t think it’s particularly interesting, though. Spike just catches on fire for a minute or so-”

“He what?

“-and then, it goes out. Nothing all that spectacular or awe-inspiring, at least not by my standards,” Ember finished, smirking at Twilight’s gobsmacked expression.

Twilight just stared for a few more moments before forcefully shaking her head and closing her book. “Okay, whatever. Since neither of you are particularly worried about it, I’m just going to file this under the ‘somehow normal for dragons’ section of my brain, and worry about it later. Right now, we should get our supplies downstairs, because the carriage should be arriving within the next hour or so.”

With that said, we began to get all our equipment to the front door of the castle. Thankfully, Twilight was not Rarity, so we only had to deal with what we had mutually agreed upon as “necessary” instead of half a wardrobe and enough makeup to make clowns out of all of Ponyville. That said, there was still a good deal of stuff to take, so it took the three of us two trips to get it all downstairs. Following that, however, we all made our way to the private kitchen, where Fluttershy had stayed long enough to make us a nice breakfast. She smiled at me as we entered, and pointed a spatula to the table.

“Breakfast is ready, I’m just serving it. Take a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” she requested, smiling happily to us.

Ember whistled, suitably impressed. “She can stare down a dragon, and she cooks?” She glanced at me with a coy grin. “Can we keep her?”

Fluttershy fluttered her wings and blushed self-consciously, but still gave a bright smile as she brought two plates to the table, setting them down in front of Ember and I before returning to fetch two more for her and Twilight. After sitting down to join us, the pegasus answered, “W-well, as long as you treat us well, y-you can keep me as long as you want.”

Fluttershy’s demure response, complete with the cute smile, had the desired effect on Ember, and I could see her fidgeting with her hands before picking up her silverware and digging into the meal provided to her. Even though she hid it pretty well, I knew Ember was torn between upholding her tough persona and squeezing the adorable pegasus until she squeaked like a toy. Ember had confessed to me that finding things cute was a fairly new phenomenon for her, and she was having trouble with it, considering dragons generally didn’t find things “cute”. Heck, the traditional language didn’t even have a word that translated to “cute” or something similar; the closest the language had was “small” and “breakable”. Besides all that though, I knew that Ember wasn’t in a state where she would allow herself to willingly hug one of the ponies, even if she were close with them...and even if she kind of wanted to.

I let my tail reach out and wrap around hers from under the table, and she sent me a loving, grateful look. With that little “crisis” over with, we all settled into eating. The meal was simple yet filling, so we enjoyed idle chatter and a nice breakfast lovingly prepared by Fluttershy.

The meal was finished in short order, and after ensuring the dishes were done so that Starlight wouldn’t have to clean up after us, the four of us left the castle and waited out in front of the main doors. Twilight was talking magic with Ember, her inner scholar in full swing as she inquired about the capabilities of dragon magic, while I held Fluttershy’s warm body against mine as we waited for the carriage team to appear in the sky. In Fluttershy’s case, she hummed a wordless tune and traced her fingers over my hands as I embraced her from behind. I enjoyed the embrace as much as I could, since I knew it would be at least two days before we saw each other again, and I didn’t like leaving her alone during the winter. Besides the fact it was always a privilege to cuddle with Fluttershy, she had very little to keep her busy during the winter months, and I didn’t like the thought of her sitting alone at home.

I pushed the thoughts away, burying my nose into the fur of her neck and inhaling deeply. I committed her scent to memory, and smiled at the giggles my action got from the cute pegasus.

“Don’t worry Spike, it’s only for a few days,” she quietly assured. I pulled my head away and looked at her questioningly, but she only smiled shyly and explained, “What you’re doing...it’s similar to what some of my animal friends do when they don’t want to leave me.”

I snorted once, holding in a laugh at the image. “Oh, so I’m one of your animal friends, am I?”

Fluttershy giggled a bit before turning around and leaning in close. I thought she was suddenly going to kiss me, but she instead gave my lips a quick lick before pulling away, giggling once again. “W-well, I’d never do that with my animal friends. That’s only for my special somepo-erm, somedrake.”

Her action had caused me to blush a bit, but after gathering myself, I couldn’t help but smile as I tightly embraced her once again. After a moment of silence, I mumbled, “...you’re right, I am going to miss you. I know it’s only been a few days, but now that you’re part of the herd, I really don’t want to be away from you.”

I felt as she ran her soft fingertips along the sensitive webbing of the fins on my head. She then affectionately nuzzled the side of my face and said, “I’ll miss you too, Spike. In two or three days, you’ll be back home, and we can see each other again. I won’t be going anywhere, so I’ll be here waiting for you. Maybe I’ll spend some time with Lyla or Rarity to pass the time; I think Lyla and I should get to know each other better, so maybe I’ll do that.”

“Spike, they’re here!”

I turned my head toward Twilight and gave a nod before focusing on Fluttershy once again. I leaned in and gave her an affectionate nuzzle before pulling away. “Well, it’s time we get going. Take good care of yourself, Shy. We’ll go on a date together when I get back.”

The pegasus smiled with a happy flutter of her wings. “Oh my, that sounds lovely. O-okay then, Spike. I’ll see you in a few days.” She gave me one last hug before allowing me to walk over to Twilight and Ember, who were waiting patiently for the carriage and its crew to come in for a landing.

I rejoined my two other mates just as the crew was on their final approach, and waited patiently as they swung low over the town before touching down surprisingly gently at the wide end of the main street in town. The four stallions were all wearing the ornamental royal guard armor, with matching blue crests on the helmets. The stallions were specifically chosen for their ability to carry large objects in flight, and it showed in their massive wings and powerful muscles. Frankly, the only reason mine were more impressive is because I was physically larger than them; if not for that fact, my wings would look downright dinky next to theirs. I set a mental reminder to exercise more. While I didn’t think my stunning good looks was the reason I received the love and affection I did, I was supposed to be a strong pillar of the community that was able to protect it if I had to...and maybe it was time I started looking the part. I had already put on a fair bit of muscle thanks to Ember’s training, so an actual exercise routine could only help things.

One of the guards at the front unhooked himself from the harness he wore, and stepped around the side to open the door. With a hand gestured to the interior, he greeted, “Thank you for your patience, everyone. Go ahead and pile in, and we’ll get into the air. We should arrive in Canterlot within the next 20 minutes.”

Ember began walking toward the open door before stopping and glancing at me questioningly. “Wait, what are we gonna do with all these bags?”

I smirked as I recognized another opportunity to teach Ember something about “ponyland”. “Just bring it inside. You’ll see.”

Ember just smirked back and rolled her eyes, doing as I told her. “Fine...keep your secrets. I’ll have you know-”

Those words died on her lips as she stepped into the carriage, and realized that impossibly, she was stepping into a room the size of one of the bedrooms of the castle...which were quite large. She stepped back out of the carriage, took a look at it, then back in. Before she could waste more time, I playfully shoved her inside and pulled our bags with us, Twilight bringing up the rear.

After we were all inside, and Ember glared at me for making her stumble and flail like an idiot, we closed the door and set our bags down. Twilight and I were used to this kind of thing, with Equestria being on the forefront of magical technology and Twilight herself being at the forefront of that, so we just took a seat on a plush purple couch. I pat my hand on the empty space next to me, but Ember instead decided to explore a little more. The room wasn’t giant by any means, but like Twilight’s castle, the room inside didn’t match the physical structure outside, which was a novelty for dragons. Ember had once told me she thought the enchantments were ingenious, and eventually wanted to incorporate them into the dragon lands. I mean c’mon, a cave twice the size than it actually physically took up? Dragons would fall all over themselves for magic like this.

“You Equestrians are nuts, you know that?” Ember mused aloud, not really at anyone in particular. She finally walked over and flopped down next to me, wasting no time in cuddling up close. “Still, this is wild...in a good way. We could really use this kinda stuff back home.”

Twilight hummed aloud to herself as she tapped her chin and turned her eyes to the ceiling in thought. “Theoretically, it’s possible, but I’d need some help from the two of you to create a lasting enchantment that dragons could use without pony intervention. While I don’t doubt relations between the two species are better than they have been in centuries, I know dragons are prideful by nature, and would much prefer to be able to do things on their own.”

Ember smirked at the alicorn. “Hit the nail on the head there, Twilight. Yeah, a lot of the older dragons have turned down a lot of good ideas, just because they’d have to get help from the other races to get them going. If we were to look up ‘pride’ in the dictionary, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see a ‘note: see dragons’ as part of the definition.”

Twilight snickered quietly at the book humor, and nodded. “Well, I’m happy to help when we have the time. If not for the dragons themselves,” she looked directly at Ember, and smiled, “then for a good friend, and an important part of our lives.”

Ember blushed a bit, but returned the smile. “Thanks, Twilight. I know stuff like this would do a lot of good in the dragon lands. I really do appreciate the help.”

While Ember wasn’t necessarily the kind to fake-gag and harp on about how sappy moments like this could be, she wasn’t exactly what most would call an openly affectionate, caring dragoness. Because of this, it was nice to see her having a small moment with Twilight, and it warmed my heart to see her getting closer with another one of the most important people in my life.

There was a light jostle to the room as the crew took to the air, likely after finishing their safety checks. Ember looked out one of the windows to see the open sky and the town below us growing smaller and smaller. I’ll admit, the face of wonder that she made was adorable, and I wish I'd had a camera on hand.

Ember returned to us a moment later, and we decided to let idle chatter fill the air as we comfortably relaxed and allowed the trained team to ferry us to our destination.


True to the words of the flight crew, the trip was relatively short, and we were soon landing at the private staging area that was used for governmental VIP’s and royalty. This allowed us to avoid much of the traffic that normally came with landing in the city, and we instead disembarked into the company of only a handful of ponies, including Princess Celestia herself. For the first time that I could remember (my greed growth years ago didn’t count), Princess Celestia actually had to tilt her head to look up at me...and I’ll admit, it was weird to be the tall one between the two of us. For everyone else, including me, the Two Sisters were larger-than-life ponies with stature to match. Now, with my recent growth, the elder alicorn was looking up at me with a wry smile, even as she practically rushed forward to embrace me.

“Well,” she mused aloud, “I suppose I can’t call you my little drake anymore, can I?”

Keeping my voice low, I blushed a little as I whispered, “I’ll always be your little drake, mom.” Still, I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips as her face lit up in joy, and she embraced me even tighter for a few moments. After she finally released me from her stranglehold, I let her greet Twilight with a friendly, affectionate hug between teacher and student. Finally, she looked to Ember, and I introduced her. “You’ve already met once or twice, but for the first time, I’d like to introduce you to Ember, dragonlord of the Narrowscale clan, and my mate.”

While there were only five ponies outside to greet us, all of them (including the solar alicorn) gasped at my use of the word “mate”. Unlike the previous day, where I had said it to my herd on impulse, I specifically chose the word because I knew how ponies viewed it. I was letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that Ember and I were serious, and committed to each other; this was not simply a political relationship, and I was going to be sure everyone knew it.

Princess Celestia’s smile became as bright and radiant as the sun itself, and she actually pranced happily on her hooves as she exclaimed, “Oh, that is the most joyful news I’ve heard in years! Dragonlord Ember,” she approached the dragoness, and dipped her head in respect, “I welcome you to Canterlot, and to my extended family. I do hope we can get to know each other better, since we both hold Spike in high regard.”

Ember was a little intimidated by the slightly larger, yet magnitudes older pony, that suddenly invaded her personal space and hugged her tightly. The only ones in the private airdock were four of Celestia’s honor guards, as well as her personal assistant Raven, so she could afford to let go of her courtly decorum a bit. Frankly, I found it pretty funny to see the dragoness practically glomped by a pony widely considered to be one of the most powerful and wise creatures on the planet, because the entire time, Ember had a look on her face that said she couldn’t decide whether to hug the pony back, or scream in fear.

Thankfully, before Ember could faint from the shock, the princess released her and stepped back, gesturing to the open marble passage behind her. “Come, let’s get the three of you settled in. Raven, if you would?”

The petite, gray bespeckled mare pushed her reading glasses up a bit more on her nose before clearing her throat and handing a folder to Twilight. “Princess Twilight, this is the guest list that details who will be attending the gathering. As you requested, we’ve ensured security will be tight, and everypony has been advised of all three of you, and your statuses. Guards will be on standby in case anypony attempts to harm any of you, but we do not expect any trouble. I must warn you, however, that a VIP from one of the first-tier houses will be present.”

At the last sentence, Twilight and I froze, the words causing both of us to feel very nervous. Twilight found her words first, and asked, “...w-who is it?”

Raven grimaced before answering, “Rosy Glow.”

“Buck!”

I stared wide-eyed at Twilight after the loud curse escaped her lips. She had hurriedly clasped her hands over her mouth after the fact, but the damage was done, and now everyone was staring at her. She blushed deeply and covered herself with her wings in an attempt to disappear from this plane of reality by will alone. After a few moments of silence she popped her head out and cleared her throat, explaining, “...Rosy Glow is the aunt of Cozy Glow, and has made it quite clear that she was...displeased with the stone imprisonment of her niece.”

It was at that point that even Ember began cursing, though in ancient draconic, so none of the ponies understood what the heck she was saying. Still, the context was enough for them to understand what she might be saying, and that meant everyone was now staring at her. Unlike Twilight, however, Ember didn’t particularly care about the stares, and just threw her hands into the air. “Seriously, the first time I have to mingle with a bunch of Canterlot nobles, and we have to hang around the relative of one of the biggest threats the world has seen in a long time?” She glanced to Twilight, half-seriously asking, “Can I bite her? Please?”

Twilight went conspicuously silent for a few moments before quietly mumbling, “...I’m seriously debating that with myself.” She then sighed heavily and amended, “Legally speaking, we can’t do anything to her unless she threatens us or, however unlikely, gets physical with one of us. Our hands are tied unless there’s an actual threat.”

“I think a dragon’s definition of a threat is a whole lot different than a pony’s,” Ember grumbled, understandably displeased with the legality of her desire to protect me.

I nodded with a loud sigh, following behind everyone as Princess Celestia began to lead us out of the landing dock. “And telling her that it would be part of dragon culture to be that protective would only be inviting her to provoke you. If she can make you look like the brute some ponies think dragons are, she can discredit anything you might say, and could even rally the noble houses behind her to demand your expulsion from Canterlot.” I fell into step next to Ember and took her hand in mine, running the thumb of my left hand over her soft skin. “I know it’ll be hard, but don’t let them get to you. Instead, prove to them that their petty political games are so far beneath you, that they don’t even matter. You want to get back at them? Show them how little they mean to you by being as dismissive as possible. Be polite, but act like she’s beneath dragons in every way.”

Ember gave a wry smile. “So act like the dragon elders. It sucks, but I think I can pull it off if it means driving her to do something stupid.”

Having listened from her place in front of us, Twilight chimed in with, “That’s actually a really good plan. Any pony worth their salt knows that friendship and trade with the dragon lands would be extremely lucrative, and since you have no assets in Equestria, she can’t leverage any power over you. Sure, she can try and make life Tartarus for Spike and the rest of us, but she can’t do that without moving a lot of assets around the chessboard, and it would be very noticeable. Granted, she’d be playing the long game, but as three creatures that will live longer than she could ever dream of,” Twilight glanced back and winked at me, “we can be more patient than her.”

Ember frowned with a long breath through her nose. “I haven’t exactly learned that kind of patience in the face of some prissy mare threatening my mate and his hoard.”

“Which is exactly why we need it. She’s no doubt going to press your buttons to try and get you to slip up,” I explained, giving her hand a squeeze, “but if there’s one flaw nearly all of the upper nobility has, it’s arrogance. If you can show them the slings and arrows they send your way go unheeded, they’re going to get angry, and anger leads to mistakes. We just have to outlast them.” I nudged her with a grin. “If dragons can outlast global calamities and physical aging, surely a dragon lord can outlast a group of self-important nobles.”

Ember knew that I was prodding her pride, but even knowing that, it still had the desired effect on her. Her posture straightened, her eyes narrowed, and her grin became decidedly sharper. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. There’s no way I’m gonna let a bunch of holier-than-thou’s provoke me into acting stupid. Besides,” she pointed at the young alicorn in front of us, “if worse comes to worst, I know Twilight will step in and tell ‘em off.”

We heard a snort up ahead, and Twilight practically growled, “No pony messes with my dragons.”

Ember laughed aloud as she challenged, “‘Dragons’? Plural?”

Realizing what she had said, Twilight blushed and turned her head back to the front, but still answered. “W-well, technically speaking, herds are one big relationship between all members. So, you’re not just in a relationship with Spike, you’re in a relationship with all of us. Th-that means that Rarity, Fluttershy, and Lyla are all your special someponies, just like you’re our special dragoness.”

Ember raised a brow at me, and I confirmed with a nod of my head, rubbing the back of my neck and smiling sheepishly. “Right...I might have forgotten to mention that. I just want to stress that you’re certainly under no obligation to be intimate with anyone else, but in the eyes of Equestrian society and the other members of our herd, you’re everyone’s prospective mate, not just mine.” I thought for a second before clarifying, “Well, you’re already my mate, but you know what I mean.”

Ember’s jaw had dropped open during the explanation, and while her feet were still moving thanks to my lead, she was otherwise unresponsive.

After a few minutes of threading through the sprawling corridors of the private wing of the castle, during which time Ember showed a bit more life as she came to her senses, we entered the restricted area of the castle, where only royalty or the castle staff was allowed without a permit. Her third shock of the day came when we walked through the royal kitchen to see the night princess, Luna, sitting at a small circular table in a fluffy white robe with shiny, damp hair, nonchalantly eating a plate of haybacon and eggs while she read the morning paper.

The dark alicorn glanced up at us as we entered, and attempted a greeting, only to almost choke on the food she was chewing. After pounding on her chest a few times and standing (causing me to jerk my head away as her robe opened, revealing she was wearing nothing underneath), she happily greeted, “Good morning to all of you, friends! It is wonderful to see you have arrived hale and hearty.”

“Umm...L-Luna, your robe, um…” Twilight stuttered.

After a moment and a swish of fabric, Luna replied, “Forgive me, modesty does not come naturally. Spike, it is safe to look, I promise.”

Turning my head back to my aunt by adoption, I was pleased to see her robe was now closed and tied around her otherwise naked body. If it weren’t for the fact that I thought of Luna as my aunt and she readily assumed the role, things might be different, but as it was, I didn’t want to see any of my adoptive family in the buff. It brought up confusing feelings that I didn’t need, and didn’t want.

Luna gave me a loving smile before turning to Ember and dipping her head respectfully. “Ember, it is good to see you again under more civil circumstances. How have you been?”

Ember gathered herself at the mention of her name, and did her best to keep her voice level as she answered, “I’ve been good. Equestria is surprisingly nice, and Spike has made it even nicer to be here.”

Smirking mischievously, Luna returned, “I am sure he has.”

I’ve never seen Ember blush so much.

Clearing my throat loudly, I butted in to keep things moving. “A-Anyway, we’re meeting the noble houses later today, so we’re just settling in for now. Are you doing anything for the next few hours?”

The night princess shook her head with a small smile. “No, not at all. This is my light week, so I have plenty of free time. What did you have in mind?”

Nudging the nearly-catatonic Ember, I suggested, “I was thinking we could just spend some time together, and you could get to know Ember a little better.”

Though she later denied it ever happened, I was privy to Ember’s eyes lighting up with excitement at the thought of getting to know a creature that was older than many of the living dragons, and was revered for her battle prowess and strength. She quickly schooled her expression though, and idly commented, “Yeah, that would be nice.”

If the smirk on her face was any indication, Twilight caught on to Ember’s act, but didn't comment on it as she agreed. “Yes, I think it’s been too long since we’ve spent time together, and I would love to talk about astronomy with you.”

Even after over ten years, Princess Luna was still positively giddy at the thought that an entire science had been developed that revolved around her domain of power. She let out a reserved giggle, but nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, that sounds wonderful! Very well: let me dress, and I will meet the three of you in the solarium. Sister,” she nodded to her sister, “I will bring them to the dining room for lunch.” She then hugged her sister tightly before rolling up her newspaper, gulping down her coffee, and trotting out of the room, a lively bounce in her step.

Princess Celestia giggled at her younger sister, and smiled at all of us. “Luna is always overjoyed when you visit, Twilight.” She then nodded to Ember. “And though she seems reserved about it all, she is excited to get to know Spike’s dragon beau.”

Twilight absentmindedly cleared up the plate and crumbs from the small table the dark alicorn had been using, and deposited them in the large washing basin before turning back to us. “Well, let’s get our things to our room so we can meet her in the sunroom.”

Ember was noticeably more interested now, knowing she would get to talk to someone that was so powerful, and so battle-hardened, that even dragons gave her a wide berth. Ember wasn’t a scholar like Twilight, but she had a strong interest in history, and living history even more so. Getting to talk with Princess Luna candidly was likely a dream come true.

Princess Celestia and Raven led us through the corridors until taking a right at a considerably narrower one that led to the guest rooms. Seemingly picking a random door, a guard that had followed us stepped forward and opened said door, beckoning the princesses and the rest of us inside. As with most of the guest rooms in Canterlot Castle, the room was well-lit and had ample space to combat winged creatures’ natural claustrophobia that cropped up when indoors, but was well-furnished through three rooms, which included a large “princess-sized” bathroom. Other than that though, the most important details (for Ember especially) was a large stone hearth, and thick, insulated windows that shut out the winter cold. With an idle spark of magic from her horn, Princess Celestia ignited the logs of the fireplace, which would soon fill the room with a cozy warmth.

“These shall be your quarters for the duration of your stay,” the elder princess explained, gesturing to the room. “As you can see, it should have everything you need for comfort, but should you find you need anything additional -- whether that be extra blankets, towels, or even scale wax,” she winked at me with a smile, “simply touch the red crystal by the door, and a serving pony will be by to fetch you whatever you might need. Other than that, I will leave you to get settled in so you can meet Luna in the solarium. Until lunch, take care.” With that, the tall alicorn strode out of the room, Raven following behind her princess.

With a mental shrug, the three of us went over to our bags and began unpacking.


I had been to the solarium a few times before, but it was still a privilege to see the opulent, comfortably-furnished sunroom where, though named after the sun itself, both the sun and moon took turns bathing the interior in their light. It was a room where the two Canterlot princesses could unwind in private, and so only a select few others were permitted access to it when not accompanied by the two princesses themselves.

Twilight, Ember, and I approached the room from a quiet corridor of the castle, and the guard at the door simply nodded before pulling the door handle, allowing us entrance to the private area. Princess Luna, the Guardian of the Night, was thankfully fully-dressed this time in one of her well-loved cotton shirt and trousers ensembles she wore day-to-day, even in court. While obviously the more serious of the two Canterlot alicorns, Luna wasn’t a dress-wearing mare, and preferred comfortable, functional clothing to dresses or even skirts. Honestly, while I enjoyed the feel of a well-tailored suit as much as the next guy, I could understand her feelings on function vs. fashion.

Princess Luna brought her eyes up from the book she was reading as we entered, and smiled brightly at the sight of us. “Friends! Welcome, welcome. Come, take a seat. Help yourself to coffee, hot chocolate, and biscuits.”

Needing no other invitation, the three of us made our way to the princess, taking seats in the small nook she had claimed. Immediately, I knew this was going to be an entertaining visit when Ember reached over to the tray, picked up a biscuit, and took a bite. After a moment, she squinted at the princess and argued, “This is a cookie.”

Princess Luna furrowed her brow a bit. “No, 'tis a biscuit.” She picked up a small tin to the side and held it up for the dragoness to see. “See? It says so on the container.”

Ember grabbed the small tin from the alicorn’s hands, squinting at the words before shaking her head. “Biscuits aren’t sweet. Biscuits are little bready things that you put cheese or meat on, not...this.”

“Ah,” Luna answered with a nod, “you are speaking of savory biscuits. I apologize for the confusion. These come from Trottingham, and the language, while technically the same, developed to use different words for different things than most are used to. Does that mean you would like a savory biscuit? If so, I can-”

“Oh, no, this is fine,” Ember assured, her face relaxing into a smile. “They’re good, I was just confused about the taste when you said biscuit. I was expecting something different.”

Luna looked visibly relieved, and again relaxed against her plush seat. “Good. Now then, I must say I am surprised, yet pleased, at the fact that the brand was not merely a choice of the moment. To know you directly refer to each other as mates gladdens my heart.” Smirking at the simultaneous blush from Ember and I, she then looked to Twilight. “I assume you have told Ember what a herd relationship means, yes?”

Now was Twilight’s turn to blush, and she nearly choked on her tea. After taking a moment to hack and cough, she composed herself a bit more and quietly answered, “...briefly, and just as we were walking to the castle. It may have...um, slipped my mind until Celestia brought it up.”

Luna frowned a bit, but nodded in understanding. “I see. Well, let’s start there, first.” Luna sipped her own drink (it smelled like a tantalizing mix of coffee and hot chocolate) before beginning. “The idea for herds first came into common use following the age just after the unification of the tribes, and was put into place to maximize breeding so that the decimated races of Equestria would not go extinct. While the magic of friendship prevented the founders themselves from becoming blocks of ice, Equestria was still a playground for the windigoes, and was indistinguishable from the frozen mountain peaks that border this nation. Many died before the founders decided to cast aside their differences and work together, so many, in fact, that were it not for herding among the remaining populace, ponies as a species would have gone extinct.” Taking another sip of her hot beverage, Luna nodded to us. “Equestria as a whole tends to be a female-dominant society, more so by the numbers instead of the culture itself...at least, that is how things are in the current age. Let it simply be said that for a time shortly before Celestia and I appeared in the world, things were....bad. Stallions were basically property to be traded and used like any other good. Sister has worked hard in the past 500 years to ensure equality between the races, but it was not always so, since ponies naturally give birth to more fillies than colts.”

As expected, Ember found that odd. “Why is that? I mean, can’t you just change the...oh, yeah. Right, ponies don’t lay eggs.” At the questioning glance of the elder princess, Ember explained, “Well, the growing whelp inside of an egg is sexually ambiguous, and its gender is wholly dependent on the temperature at which the egg is incubated. Up until the last two months before hatching, a cooler temperature creates a female, while a warmer temperature creates a male. Because of that, the ratio in the dragon lands is pretty close to 50/50, so hearing that Equestria naturally has a gender disparity is...weird.”

“And what do you think of the concept of herds?” Princess Luna queried, raising a brow at the dragoness.

Ember bobbed her head from side to side for a minute. “Well, I’m not gonna lie, it’s still kinda strange to me, but I get why it’s done. The closest I’d compare it to is a big family, but dragons don’t even have that -- even family tends to be really spread out, and because of the natural independence of dragons, we don’t really talk to each other all that much.” She then glanced at Twilight. “But...I can see the appeal. As a dragon, we’re taught from a young age that strength is everything, and that you can’t count on anyone to watch out for you. Here though...well, most of you ponies aren’t as strong individually as a dragon, but when a bunch of you group together, you’re capable of incredible things. And…” she paused again, a light flush coming to her, “if I’m being honest, it’s kinda nice to just be accepted without question, just for being me. Spike already gave me that, and somehow, the rest of his hoard does the same.”

Luna just smiled knowingly, and nodded to Ember. “That is what it means to be a part of an Equestrian herd. It is true, after so long in isolation from the other races, this land is still learning, but if you are accepted, it is wholeheartedly, with no reservations; that also goes for the herd you’re a part of. Luckily,” she nodded to Twilight, “you are a part of a herd with some very good ponies.” She reached over and placed a hand on the dragoness’ shoulder, and her smile settled for something more caring, and supportive. “I know that for a dragon, this is all very new, and even scary, but whatever fears you may have are unfounded, I believe.” She gestured to Twilight. “You have the privilege of being a part of a good herd, and none of them would do ill unto you unless you gave them a reason.” She then motioned to Twilight directly. “And, with the Princess of Friendship, I would imagine anything but a malicious betrayal could be forgiven.”

“She’s right, Ember,” Twilight added, placing her hand on the dragoness’. Ember jerked at the contact, still not quite used to being touched by others, but didn’t pull away. Twilight sought out the larger female’s eyes, and when Ember finally looked at her, Twilight gave her the best, warmest, reassuring smile she could. “I don’t know you that well as a herd mate yet, but I know you’re good. True, sometimes you can be a bit abrasive, but just like I can be a little scatterbrained, I'm not going to hold that against you. You’re a good person, and that’s more than enough for me to want to know you, both as a friend, and as a member of this new family.”

By her expression alone, it was clear Ember was overwhelmed. She came from a society that was largely individualistic, almost to a fault, and she herself had a rather...strict upbringing as a result of being the daughter of the last dragon lord of her clan. Ember was a strong, confident dragoness, so it wasn’t often that she just plain didn’t know what to do in a given situation. It was, however, nice to know she could still be surprised. Besides that, it made me not feel so insignificant next to her. Ember was only a little older than me, but because of her confidence and vast knowledge, I often felt like a little whelp next to her, physical size notwithstanding.

While Ember didn’t tear up or anything, the shaky tone with which she thanked Twilight told us she was moved by the words of the young alicorn.

It was after a few moments that we collectively remembered Princess Luna was there, and looked to see her with a warm smile on her lips. At the questioning look of the dragoness, she clarified, “It gladdens my heart to see such bonds forming right in front of me, in real time. Creatures have been forming relationships of all kinds since the dawn of rational thought, and yet it is still a privilege to see it happen.”

Ember was noticeably embarrassed by the attention, but smiled when both Twilight and I wrapped arms around her.

“Well,” she mumbled after a moment of enjoying the warmth, “like I said, this is still kinda weird to me...but weird in a good way? Can ‘weird’ be good?”

Princess Luna was a warrior, but she was also in many ways the personification of the night itself. This meant she embodied revelry, subtlety, dark wonders, and debauchery. By the sharklike smirk on her face it was clear what she wanted to say, but just as she opened her mouth, I pointed a claw at her and shouted, “NO! She is not ready for that! Keep that to yourself.” At Ember’s startled, questioning look, I clarified, “Luna has a dirty mind and was going to make a sex joke.”

Ember just raised a brow. “I’m not exactly a pure, virgin mind here, Spike.”

I shook my head and mumbled, “Trust me, you’re not ready.”

Princess Luna took the initiative and leaned over to the dragoness, cupping her hands and whispering into the dragoness’ ear. As a few moments turned to a few seconds, and then a minute, Ember’s confident demeanor deteriorated, and a blush began to bloom more vividly than I’d ever seen before. When the elder alicorn eventually pulled away, Ember was at a complete loss for words. When she finally composed herself enough to form words, she appeared horrified. “N-no way! Ponies actually do that?!”

Princess Luna just took her seat once more, looking completely unruffled. “It is not for everypony, of course, but Equestrians are...shall we say, ‘open to experiment’. My memory is a bit spotty, but I may have been the first.”

Ember stared in open-mouthed shock at the night alicorn, eventually moving her disbelieving gaze to me. I shrugged with a helpless expression. “I don’t want to know what she told you, but Luna isn’t a liar. Whatever she told you is probably true, to the best of her knowledge.”

Ember continued to stare for a few moments before responding with, “Your family is both incredible and terrifying. I’m not sure which would earn you more respect back home. If that doesn’t work, seeing Luna here lay the smackdown on a dragon on your behalf will remind all the other dragons why they shouldn’t do what Sapphira tried to do to you.”

Though her smile was reserved, I could tell Luna was positively ecstatic at the thought of the coming honor battle. “I think we will all enjoy it. It has been quite some time since I have been able to...cut loose, so to speak. There is no need for a battle-hardened warrior in times of peace, so I have found myself growing quite bored, most of the time.”

“And,” Ember picked up from there, “while it might not be the actual reason for it happening, I’ll admit I’m looking forward to a few of the more elitist dragons to get brought down a peg or two. Dragons are powerful creatures, and there’s no doubt about that, but some of them fancy us the end-all, be-all of power. A little humility would do us all some good, I think.”

The princess nodded sagely. “I have lived for quite a long time, and I have seen the downfall of many powerful leaders and nations due to arrogance. Power is all well and good, but when untempered by humility, it leads to weakness due to overconfidence.”

Ember nodded along. “Agreed. It’s one of the things I’m trying to change about our culture. Isolationism will do that, though, and we’ve been isolated from the rest of the world for a very long time. Dragons kept to their own for centuries, but thankfully, Spike and Smolder did a great job helping to open the roads of friendship with the other nations. And, I’m doing what I can at home.”

I felt a bit self-conscious, and gave a cough of embarrassment. “I mean, I didn’t really do much. I was raised around ponies -- all I’ve known until fairly recently is Equestrian life -- so I didn’t do anything.”

“But you’re a dragon,” Ember pointed out, giving my knee a squeeze. “Even if you were raised around ponies, by ponies, you being who you are proves that the behavior of most dragons is due to nurture, not nature. That behavior, that attitude, was taught, not inborn. If something can be taught, it can be changed.”

Despite my embarrassment, I couldn’t really deny her assertion with any logic. So, with a resigned nod and sigh, I answered, “I guess that makes sense. Hope you don’t plan on me teaching dragons about friendship and all that, though. They might recognize my place as your consort, but that doesn’t mean they’ll respect me as my own dragon. I’m just some stupid kid, to them.” Ember immediately frowned, but before she could correct me, I added, “I didn’t call myself a stupid kid, I said that’s how they see me. Tell me I’m wrong.”

This time, I was aware of both Twilight and Princess Luna staring at us, and Ember felt suddenly put on the spot. I could tell that part of her wanted to comfort me, to tell me a kind lie to spare me from any perceived pain, but eventually, she conceded and shook her head. “...no, you’re not wrong. Dragons are a stubborn people, and the only way you’ll change their minds is to show them through force. That goes against your very nature, because I know you don’t like to fight, so proving your worth to any of the others is going to be...difficult.”

I had expected that type of answer, but it still disappointed me. Following that, though, a more worrisome thought came to mind. “Wait...are they going to try and break us apart? I mean, if they get some crazy notion about me not being ‘worthy,’ then they might try and get rid of me, right?”

Ember glanced at me and, thankfully, shook her head. “No. With our brands, your place at my side is solid. The only way they could remove you would be to kill you,” at my audible gulp, Ember waved my concern away, “but even if they think ponies are weak, they would not risk pissing off five alicorns. Not even the most dumb-as-rocks dragon is that stupid. The most you’ll get is a drake or dragoness trying to insert themselves between us somehow, but all you gotta do is tell ‘em to buzz off. You might not be a dragon lord, but your word has weight because you’re my mate, and even if they won’t like it, if you tell one of ‘em to get lost, they’ll do it to keep from incurring my wrath.” She then tapped her chin as her eyes rolled to the ceiling in thought. “Not that I’ve given them much reason to fear me yet, but the union of our two families is too volatile of a volcano to prod.”

While the metaphor was a little different than Equestrians were used to, the comparison was close enough to our common saying of “kicking a nest of hornets” for all of us to understand what she meant, and it held true. Even though I didn’t often think about it, I had the protection of a lot of powerful, influential individuals in Equestria, and hurting or (stars forbid) killing me would bring a retribution on the enemy the likes of which the world had never seen before. I was powerful in my own right, but the legends of the capabilities of alicorns was long and harrowing. Even if a people didn’t like Equestria, they still respected the pony nation, and knew it would be extremely stupid to attack it. Only Fizzle had gotten as far as she did because she neutralized all but one alicorn, and even though Twilight was powerful, she had not truly come into her power until years later.

My horrified expression calmed to something more akin to annoyance as I thought about my experience with most dragons thus far. “Here’s hoping it won’t come to that. I don’t like dropping names as a way to keep people in line. Hay, I don’t even do it here.”

Ember gave me a sympathetic look as she replied, “Well, I won’t lie to you and promise that won’t happen. Testing boundaries might as well be an instinct for dragons, so it’s pretty likely you’ll have a few testing those boundaries. And, if you let them walk all over you, they’re going to see you as weak. I know you like to keep the peace, and that ‘love and harmony’ is a part of Equestrian culture, but dragons are going to use that against you, if you let them. You don’t have to be a jerk, but you do need to be ready to stand up for yourself and be firm in your decisions. Any indecision or passiveness is going to be seen as a weakness that others back home will capitalize on.”

I gave a solemn nod, all at once realizing that meeting with dragons was going to be just as difficult as meeting with the nobles, like we were today, though in different ways. “Okay, I get it. Dragons are going to expect the consort of a dragon lord to be just as strong as they are, so they’re going to test me.”

Ember chuckled and shook her head ruefully. “Not all of them. Some of them are just jerks.”

I bobbed my head and gave a helpless shrug. “Well, I wasn’t going to say it, but I’m glad you agree. I thought it was just me.”

“Some ponies like to throw their metaphorical weight around as well,” Twilight reminded me, alluding to our up-and-coming meeting with some of the noble houses. She nodded to Ember, “Dragons just happen to have very literal weight. It makes sense that some of them might not be particularly respectful. ‘Jerkiness’ spans all races and nations, it seems.”

“And the times have not changed that much, in that regard,” Princess Luna added with a roll of her eyes. “Disrespect has spanned through the ages, and I imagine it will not cease until life itself ends.”

Princess Luna glanced to a clock on the wall, styled like a sundial, and blew a soft breath out of her nose. “Unfortunately, it appears our time together must end, at least for now.” She brought all of our attention to the time. “The function begins in two hours, and I would imagine it would be smart to be sure you all are perfectly hygienic, so as to give the more uptight ponies less to gripe about. And Ember,” she looked to the dragoness, “I will allow you the use of some of my own armor polish, if you would like to ensure your armor is in pristine shape. It is unfortunately true that some of the more snobbish nobles will find any reason to talk down to you, and since you do not wear clothing in the common sense, your armor that you will be wearing would be one of the things they will criticize.”

Ember considered the offer for a moment before nodding gratefully. “You know what? That sounds like a smart plan. Thanks for the assistance, Luna.”

“Of course, my friend,” the night princess answered, standing and giving a good stretch of her body. “Now then, if you all would like to join me later tonight, if you are not too wearied, you will find me in my study; Twilight knows where it is. Until then, I bid you all farewell, and good fortune in this endeavor. I hope you will not need it, but it never hurts to be cautious.”

I stood as well, and met the princess in a tight embrace. “Thanks, aunt Luna. I think we might take you up on that ‘after-party’.”

Twilight followed me and gave a hug to the elder princess as we left, and Ember curiously did not follow immediately. Instead, as she stood and met the eyes of Princess Luna, she extended her right hand to her. Princess Luna, being a traditional pony that knew the ways of chivalry and honor, appreciated the gesture, and met Ember’s hand with her own*, giving a good shake before allowing the dragoness to leave. Twilight quirked a brow at the dragoness, but smiled once she noticed Ember smiling happily, and we left the room in high spirits.

Whatever happened later that night, I knew we could make it through, provided we leaned on each other.


“I can’t get the blasted...oh, thanks Spike. Doing this on my own is always a pain.”

Ember’s armor was polished to a near-mirror sheen, and was nearly identical to the armor she had worn at the Gauntlet of Fire, years prior. She had reforged it years ago to fit her larger form, but with that size increase, it had become a bit harder to put on alone. I was happy to help, and I shamelessly admit to getting a bit handsy in the process.

Just the same as her old armor, her new armor consisted of a treated leather garment that worked like a bodysuit (made of some sort of fireproof hide, though I never found out what), followed by a sort of plated armor made to look like -- you guessed it -- large dragon scales. She would forgo the helmet, since it would be seen as more respectful to show her face, and the tailpiece that was covered in spikes would be left behind, as well. Her winged boots were already fit snugly to her feet, and as I helped strap on the other shoulderplate, she was finally dressed fully in her armor. The only major difference between this armor and the old armor was a purple and green ceremonial tabard depicting a stylized bloodstone scepter, as well as the clan mark of the dragon lords; the tabard had been cooked up by Rarity in an afternoon, and she had recommended Ember wear it to give a bit more of a “refined” look to the armor. Cloth wasn’t normally a useful material to dragons, being as flammable as it was, but Ember accepted the advice and garment, and now wore it proudly. The reason for the color choice was kind of obvious, and it would work further to firmly establish the connection between Ember and I for all the ponies that would be in attendance.

Finally finished with dressing Ember, I came around her front, leaning in without hesitation and planting a loving kiss on her lips. Ember, while momentarily surprised by my action, only hesitated a heartbeat before returning my kiss with fervor, moaning happily into it. After we both pulled away, I playfully commented, “As Rarity would say, you look positively ravishing, darling.”

Ember blushed slightly, but smiled with a roll of her eyes. “You’re such a goof...but thanks. Been awhile since I’ve worn this getup, and I wasn’t sure how it was gonna look.” She gestured to my simple attire of a vivid cyan with sapphires embedded in the buttons and cufflinks. “Gotta admit, I’m kinda jealous you get to wear that. My armor will always be my go-to, but it’s not exactly something I’d wear to be comfortable.”

I rolled my own eyes at her comment. “You’re the one that didn’t want ‘fancy stuff’. Besides,” I lasciviously licked my lips as I purposefully eyed Ember up, “you look like quite the snack. Might have to take a bite or two if things get boring.”

Having become used to my teasing by now, Ember only snorted with a grin. “Well, I wouldn’t mind, but Twilight might. Can’t imagine two dragons getting physical in view of ‘polite company’ would be okay with her.”

“You’re right, so I’d appreciate it if you saved it for when we’re in private,” Twilight added, stepping into the room wearing her own evening wear. It was a stunning red silk dress with a scandalous dip down the front, the tops of her “pony pillows” covered only by lace to give the appearance of modesty. The dress hugged her body in a way that would normally invite the very real danger of tearing, if it weren’t made from enchanted spidersilk. Nonetheless, it distinctly set her apart from the other alicorn princesses of Equestria with her own style, one of youthful daring, wrapped up in class. The (likely real) ruby earrings she wore and her done-up hair made her look incredible, and I willingly admit I almost started drooling.

Twilight’s cleared throat brought me out of my stupor, and I found her biting her lip as she shyly asked, “Um...w-what do you think? Rarity said it would look good, so I thought I’d try something different.”

I tried to speak twice before I could actually form a sentence. “Twi, I...I mean...y-you look amazing. I always thought you were beautiful, no doubt about that, but stars above, this is a new level of ‘gorgeous’.” I shook my head and smiled lovingly at her. “If I have to be in a room full of stuffy ponies, I’m glad I have two beautiful mates to stand with me.”

While I often reminded those in my herd of their physical attractiveness, it was always nice to see them dress up in a way I’d never seen before. Ember represented a sharp, dangerous sort of beauty, like that of a master-crafted sword that might cut you from simply looking at its precisely-honed edge. Twilight, however, was a traditional sort of fairytale beauty that one only usually saw (or imagined) from storybooks; it just so happened she was royalty, so I felt no irony in saying she was a beautiful princess.

Twilight practically lit up from the compliment, smiling brightly and dipping her head in thanks. “Thank you, Spike. I was worried it would look silly, because I don’t normally dress this way. You know me; I usually go with whatever’s comfortable and practical, as long as it matches.”

I nodded with a smile of my own. “All the more reason for me to enjoy it then, because I know you won’t dress like this often. Still, I’m glad you did. Anyway,” I glanced to the clock above the door of our room, frowning slightly at the time, “it looks like it’s about that time. Let’s get going, shall we?”

We made our way out of the room, and even though I knew the way, allowed our assigned guards for the night to escort us to the ballroom. I walked silently, but could hear Twilight drilling Ember about a few things regarding Equestrian customs and what would be expected of us. I trusted Ember to keep her cool, but it was still nice to know Twilight was ensuring she wouldn’t essentially be jumping into the ocean without a raft.

The walk only took about 10 minutes, and before I knew it, we were approaching the large archway that led to the ballroom itself. Even from our distance, I could see many ponies already milling around inside, both nobles and serving ponies, and was glad it was set in such a way that Twilight and I wouldn’t have to be first, and greet everyone as they entered, like Mom and auntie Luna often did at the Grand Galloping Gala. Still, this also meant that every eye would be on us, all at once, when we entered, and our first impression was going to be important, especially for Ember. With that in mind, I dropped back to Ember and Twilight, taking my place on the unoccupied side of Twilight (since, politically speaking, she was of higher rank than me), and glanced at her and Ember with a determined look. Both nodded to me, and we all simultaneously faced forward as we walked the last twenty or so paces to the ballroom entrance.

The night guard standing at the left of the archway noticed our approach, and turned to face the crowd as he announced, “Presenting, her royal highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her guests Spike and Ember, dragonlord of the Narrowscale clan.”

The announcement had its intended effect, drawing all eyes to us as we entered, and I silently gulped as I focused on staying in step with Twilight as we walked into the ballroom. Ember’s choice of attire, of course, prompted hushed whispers and muttering to roll through the crowd, and even though outwardly she looked unflappably calm, I could feel she was becoming annoyed by the gawking and stares. Still, Ember walked into the large, opulent room with a straight back, measured steps, and her head held high, projecting the very image of a clan leader. Twilight, of course, was more relaxed, being far more familiar with how the “game” was played, and how she was expected to act. Her wings were closed, but relaxed, and her tail almost playfully swung back and forth behind her in a slow, lazy pendulum. As for me, I was faking calm hard, and if not for the fact I didn’t want to blow the roof of the building, I would be screaming at all the staring ponies to stop their gawking, eat their bucking food, and mind their own bucking business.

Obviously, I didn’t say those things, but oh, did I want to.

And of-bucking-course, the first pony to come up and greet us was none other than Rosy Glow herself, the older mare garbed in enough clothing to ground an airship. Maybe it was my own personal biases, but I swear she seemed to flow across the room in an almost snake-like way, and the smile on her face was as fake as the makeup she wore to give herself the appearance of a healthy glow in her face. Nonetheless, I had spent an hour mentally preparing myself for this very meeting, so I was able to offer a polite smile in return as the mare made her way over.

The crowd itself seemed to part around Rosy Glow, all of them well-aware of the beast they didn’t want to poke, and allowed her to sweep into an exaggerated standing bow to Twilight. “Your highness, thank you for gracing us with your presence.” As she rose, I swear I caught the moment she almost snarled at me as she continued with, “...and you’ve brought guests. Wonderful.”

“Disrespectful” isn’t a strong enough word for her tone. If the subtle clenching of Ember’s jaw was any evidence of her thoughts, she wholeheartedly agreed.

I’ve convinced myself I did not smirk as the mare was far more cautious in her greeting with Ember. “And Princess Ember, you honor us with-”

“That’s Dragonlord Ember, Miss Glow,” Ember interrupted sharply, her correction cracking in the air like a whip. “I ask that you please do not disrespect my mate again. Thank you.” She then immediately turned away from the mare, all but spitting in her face. Internally, I was fist-pumping and cheering, but on the outside, I carefully schooled my face into neutrality. All at once, Ember had asserted her rank to everyone around, plainly announced her and I were mates, and chastised a high-ranking noblemare for disrespecting me, and by extension, Ember herself. It was a hay of a first impression, and had everyone in the room on the edge of their metaphorical seats at the thought of what would happen next.

For lack of a better description, I can only describe Rosy Glow’s face as the look someone gets when they are slapped in the face with a fish: shocked, outraged, and confused, all at once. It took a moment for the mare to gather herself. “I...I am Rosy Glow, head of House Gem, and-”

“I don’t particularly care who you are, Miss Glow,” Ember interrupted once again, causing the mare’s lip to curl into the beginning of a snarl. “I have already said what I needed to say: do not disrespect Spike, my mate, again. To do so is to disrespect me, and I do not take kindly to that. Am I understood?”

Rosy Glow was caught between a rock and a hard place, and she knew it. On the one hand, her pride demanded she save face in front of all the other nobles, but on the other hand, she was smart enough to know that digging in her heels against Ember was only going to hurt her more in the long run, as well as make her look like a petulant foal. With a furrowed brow, she made her decision, and bowed her head slightly. “Forgive me. It was not my intention, I assure you.” At Ember’s challenging look and raised brow, Rosy Glow eventually looked at me and reluctantly said, “...welcome to Canterlot, Spike. We are honored to have you.”

While I kinda wanted to torture the mare a bit, since I never had the chance before, I knew there would be nothing to gain by doing so. Instead, I nodded respectfully, smiled, and answered, “And it is an honor to be here, Miss Rosy Glow. Thank you for having us.”

My sickly-sweet greeting was like salt in a wound, and I knew Rozy Glow was already making plans for how she was going to make us pay for showing her up in front of a whole room of nobles. The mare stepped aside as we entered the room proper, and though I knew we were going to pay for it later, the shocked-to-the-core look on most of the other nobles present made the future attempts at retribution all the more worth it. In truth, putting the mare in her place was simply a bonus; Ember had been briefed on how she would need to handle such a situation, and knew how important it was to establish her status immediately, with absolute authority. Ember wasn’t an Equestrian princess, but being a dragon lord, she was sovereign in her own right, and needed to assert that authority when it was challenged or disrespected.

With that tense greeting out of the way, the three of us made our way to the raised window that overlooked the city, which gave us an elevated position to be able to see all of the gathered ponies in the room. In an expert display of well-rehearsed discipline, our guards for the evening broke off into two groups, flanking us on either side, as Twilight, Ember, and I took seats on three plush chairs that had been set up specifically for what happened next.

With all of us seated and the nobles all at attention, Twilight cleared her throat and spoke loud enough for all of them to hear. “As you all are aware, we have joined you today to address the incident that happened in the mountains. I am sure there are questions that must be answered, so we will open the floor for those questions. You may ask me, Ember, or Spike directly, or all of us if you choose. Please speak one at a time when I call on you, and we will answer what questions we can. I hope we can soothe some of the fears some of you no doubt have.” At her word, several of the ponies moved forward, and silently agreed on an order as they lined up. Twilight pointed to the stallion in front, and said, “Please state your name, your house, your rank within said house, who you are addressing, and your question.”

The orange-coated stallion nodded and answered, “I am Golden Pike, house guard of House Smith, and this question is for all three of you.” He nodded to us, and I was glad the first question was from a lower-tier house, and the house guard himself. “I will ask the burning question most of us have, I believe: just what happened in the mountains that day?”

I let some of the tension leave me as the simple question was the first one to lead us into the event. I glanced to Ember and Twilight, silently asking them if they wanted to go first, before turning my attention back to the stallion. “Well, to put it simply, one of the canterlot guard approached us about a rogue dragon that had taken up residence in a cave close to pony settlements, and he asked me to see if I would be able to coax it into leaving. All the guards and scouts he had sent were turned away with threats, so he didn’t want to risk lives needlessly if I could handle the situation myself. Much as relations have improved between Equestria and the dragon lands, dragons still tend to be more comfortable dealing with other dragons. Since I was the only one in Equestria at the time, that job fell to me, so I accepted.”

Twilight picked it up from there, sending me a look that thanked me for staying calm. “I didn’t particularly like the idea of Spike handling this alone, but in dragon culture, they are expected to meet alone, so I couldn’t go, and neither could anypony else. Much as I don’t like being a mare of cold calculations, Spike did have the best chance of resolving everything peacefully, which is why he went. For Equestria, he put his wellbeing at risk, to protect the citizens of our nation.”

“Things started out fairly amicably until she grabbed me like a toy and announced she was taking me back to the dragon lands, against my will,” I continued, fighting down the annoyance from the memory. “She told me I was the reason she was there, and she was bringing me back with her. That never happened though, since, against my wishes, I was followed anyway by two of my friends: Rainbow Dash, and Lyla.”

Being fair, most of the nobles didn’t actively hate changelings, but they didn’t trust them. It was nice to see some looks of pleased surprise on the faces in the crowd.

The memory of what happened that day to Lyla brought a nausea to me that I had to fight down, but I powered through and continued my story. “Anyway, my friends showing up made things go sideways really quick. Long story short, Lyla told the dragon to release me, the dragon refused, and Lyla transformed into her soldier form to fight the dragon.” The looks of horror on the faces of some of them was oddly cathartic, even at that moment. It was nice to know they remembered exactly what Lyla and her caste were capable of, but that might have been why they didn’t trust changelings. I guess I couldn’t blame them, by that token.

I glanced at Ember, since my memory was blank shortly after that moment, so my dragoness mate picked things up from there. “Anyway, Spike wasn’t willing to leave Lyla to fight a dragon alone, so he knocked her out with an admittedly impressive flying maneuver, and then after he got his friends out of there, he began hoarding the treasure in the cave to force himself to start growing; his plan was to get strong enough to hold off the other dragon while Rainbow Dash got Lyla medical attention, and fetched Princess Luna. Unlike the dragons back home, who learn from a young age to keep a level head during a growth like that, Spike lost all rationale and became little more than a feral beast. The remains of the battle he had with the encroaching dragoness are plain for all to see. However,” Ember couldn’t exactly keep the disappointment out of her voice during the next part, “dragon culture demands retribution for what she tried to do. When Spike won the Gauntlet of Fire and passed the Bloodstone Scepter to me, in dragon culture, he was basically proposing far more than just friendship. Because of that, I was able to use what happened those many years ago to rightfully claim Spike as my own mate, and forced the dragoness to leave. The problem is, for both our sake and that of Equestria, that leaves us with an unresolved issue named Sapphira, the dragoness who tried to abduct an Equestrian citizen.”

Twilight picked it up from there. “As I’m sure most of you can assume, most dragons are not going to respect Equestrian law on this issue, so they will not submit themselves to a court. Instead, there are measures in place within dragon culture that will allow a resolution of sorts, and we will be sure some trusted Equestrian citizens will be there to witness it. In addition, as I’m sure some of you will be pleased with, we are opening up the site of the incident for excavation for that mountain only. Besides the treasure that was buried in the collapse, there are millions of tons of useful stone and ores that could be quite lucrative for Equestria to possess.”

While it seemed like pandering (and, to be honest, it was), offering businessponies a way to make more money was always a good way to calm tensions, as was evidenced by the interest many of them now showed. The house guard himself seemed satisfied with our answers, and gave a shallow bow before stepping away from the line.

While the next pony would have once caused me to groan in annoyance, Blueblood’s appearance didn’t evoke the response it once did. While I can’t say we were close friends, he had explained his behavior in the past, and we had a base of mutual respect between us. No matter what ponies might think of the stallion, Blueblood was a savvy investor, businesspony, and a fantastic source of information, and one would be stupid to blow him off. Blueblood, despite his public behavior, was loyal to the crown, and was what one could easily refer to as a “double-agent” in the nobility.

Blueblood gave a respectful nod to all of us, even me, and stood before us with a relaxed posture. “Good afternoon your highnesses, and Spike. I am Prince Blueblood of House Rose, second in line to my house, and I come before you today with a bit of a personal question that, while frankly not anyone’s business, I feel we should address now. I believe you can guess what I’m going to ask.”

Yes, I could guess what he was going to ask about, and while he was correct, it wasn’t anyone’s business, the nobles were under the impression that the lives of royalty were open to investigation, since it was (admittedly) true that our personal lives could affect the public. Such was the life of a high-profile individual whose actions could affect the nation as a whole. I still didn’t like it, years later, but I had accepted that our “privacy column” (which is what Twilight called it) was relatively short compared to a normal pony’s.

All three of us sat up a little taller, and Twilight nodded to Blueblood. “Yes, we have a feeling we know what you’re going to ask about, so go ahead.”

Blueblood gave a nod in return, keeping his relaxed nonchalance (though I knew him well enough to recognize he always had a reason for the things he did and said). “Well, I’ll just come right out with it: is it true that Spike here has started a herd, and that you are a part of it, Princess Twilight Sparkle?” Murmurs among the nobles immediately started after he finished his question, and it was clear that he was far from the only one that had heard the rumors. Of course, with Blueblood’s information network as extensive as it was, I was sure he already knew, and had another reason for asking the question. The only question for us was why he was asking, and how it was going to affect us. Since there was no one but us in front of him, he gave the three of us a wink, and that settled quite a few of my worries about his intentions; whatever he was doing, while it may benefit him in some way, it wasn’t going to hurt us, or it may actually help us.

Twilight blushed a bit at the question, clearly a bit worried about going public in Canterlot of all places, so early, but steeled herself and nodded resolutely. “Yes...yes, that is true. Spike has indeed started a herd, and I am a part of that.” The murmurs became quite a bit more energetic at that admittance, and I had to physically restrain myself from shouting that it was none of their bucking business. Ember’s supportive hand on my shoulder helped keep me grounded enough to project an air of calm neutrality, but it was a fight nonetheless.

Blueblood momentarily glanced back at the other nobles behind him, before looking back to us and said words that immediately shut everyone up. “Well...let me be the first here to congratulate you on your new relationship. That was all, your highnesses.” Though his words and question seemed short and even a bit flippant, Blueblood was a political tactician, so I knew he had another reason for saying what he did. Still, as he stepped down, the three of us gave our thanks to him for his kind words.

I always felt like I was on the losing side of a chess game, when I spoke with Blueblood.

The next to step up was a mare I didn’t recognize, garbed in a functional, yet fashionable, gown and hoofshoes. The way her mane was done and the minimalist makeup told me she was either a career businessmare, or one of the few nobles who didn’t focus on their looks to show their status. Instead, she used her voice and the way she held herself to do all that, and both worked well to establish that she was a no-nonsense pony that desired efficiency.

The mare cleared her throat before speaking. “Greetings to the three of you. I am Gilded Quill of House Gem, seneschal of the house, and this question is for Dragonlord Ember.”

Ember gave a nod to the mare, sitting up a little straighter. “I am listening, Miss Quill. Please continue.”

“Will your new relationship with Spike affect Equestria’s dealings with the dragon lands?” she asked, picking an honestly good question that those with hands in the economy would want to know.

Ember considered the question for a moment, bobbing her head from side to side, before answering, “...it may, though I can’t say by how much. You have to understand, I am just one dragonlord among many clans, and each clan tends to handle its business separately. That’s not to say we can’t work together as one people, but trying to get dragons to do anything all together can be...difficult. Suffice to say, we’re a very individualistic people, and dragons generally don’t like being told what to do. I have a fair bit of say in my own clan, but as I had to explain to Princess Twilight, dragonlords don’t rule the same way the Equestrian princesses do. Instead, we more or less guide our clans, and they will only do as we ask them if they respect us. I have respect in my clan, but they are still individuals, and unless I want to cause a political upheaval, I can’t make them do something they don’t want to do. Instead, what I would recommend is to deal with my clan members as separate entities, and I will do my best to facilitate relations. Relations are better than they have been in centuries, but we’ve been isolated for so long that it’s going to take time for trade and things like that to stabilize. Still, just from what I’ve experienced in my short life, I know there’s a lot we have to offer each other, and I’ll do everything I can to help us work together.” She smiled wryly. “Sorry, I know I got a bit off topic there, but the short answer out of all of that is that, while I have a personal stake in Spike’s happiness and safety, no, our relationship will largely not affect dealings between Equestria and the dragons as a whole, simply because we’re all individuals. A connection between us can help...but it also might not. It just depends on the dragons in question, and how they feel at that moment.” The mare in question, and the nobles as a whole, seemed a little dissatisfied by the answer, so Ember decided to elaborate a bit. “Okay, let me give you an example: let’s say one of you wanted to trade with my clan, and found a dragoness or drake that had something you wanted to barter for. As the dragonlord, it is my place to ensure your safety, but I would have no place in any trade dealings with the individuals in my clan. I have no right to decide whether a deal is fair or unfair for either of you, because, to put it bluntly, it’s not my stuff. If one of you gets hurt or hurts one of my clan, then it becomes my problem, but if you get screwed out of a deal because you were outsmarted, then there’s nothing I can do. Does that make sense?”

It was clear that some of the nobles weren’t happy that Ember didn’t have direct control over trade like the Equestrian princesses could, but Golden Quill seemed at least satisfied with the answer. “Very good, Dragonlord. I hope our people can find mutually beneficial arrangements. Thank you for your time.”

I felt the tingle of a spell being cast before Twilight leaned over and said, “Considering she’s a part of House Gem, I’m surprised she was as respectful as she was. I kinda expected Golden Quill to poke at Ember a little.”

Based on the situation, I could only assume Twilight had cast some sort of charm that either silenced or muffled our speech outside of a certain area, and just let the thought go as I answered, “Well, the seneschal is kind of the steward of the house, and she keeps track of the books and such, as well as facilitates many of the trade deals. For her, I imagine it would be, let’s say, ‘inefficient’ to cause problems right now. That’s not to say she can’t or won’t in the future, but I imagine there’s nothing to gain from angering Ember right now. There was already a bit of a tiff with Ember and the leader of the house when we got here, so starting something right now would only cause problems.”

Twilight looked at me in surprise. “That’s...surprisingly well thought-out. I thought you said you don’t like politics.”

“I don’t,” I answered immediately, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t understand why somepony might act a certain way. I’m not going to be outsmarting you or Auntie Luna anytime soon, but I can figure some basic things out here and there.”

Twilight nodded gently as she turned back to the crowd, but reached over and took my hand in hers as she pointed to the next pony who had been patiently waiting for her. Luckily, it was a pony we both knew, and liked. He was technically lowborn, but was granted noble status for services to the crown. This, of course, drew the ire of many of the well-established houses in Canterlot, but none of them could deny how much influence he had, or how good he was at what he did.

“Good afternoon, Highnesses! I am Fancy Pants, first of the Pants house, and I have a question for Spike,” he greeted, smiling brightly.

I couldn’t stop the smile on my own face, and gave a nod to the stallion. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Pants. What did you want to know?”

“Well first,” he began, straightening his handlebar mustache with his thumb and forefinger, “I would also like to congratulate you on your new herd. It’s been a long time coming, Spike m’boy, and I’m happy you’ve found love. Second, I would like to ask if you would be taking an active role in royal duties should you and Princess Twilight one day marry.”

Yes, both Twilight and I blushed, but neither denied the possibility of marriage. Since Fancy had said he was asking me directly, I decided to be the one to answer. “Well, firstly, thanks for the congrats; I really do appreciate it. But second, I...I don’t know. Maybe. Twilight and I both feel it’s a little early to commit to marriage right now, but…” I looked to Twilight beside me, and I could see the love in her eyes as she returned my gaze. “I think we’ll get there at some point soon. Personally, I’d rather leave the decisions up to ponies more qualified to deal with them,” I finally looked back to Fancy, with a smile on my face, “but I’m sure you’re well aware that sometimes, we just have to roll with what life throws at us. So, my short answer is that right now, I don’t know. Time will tell, but I’m open to the idea if Twilight and the other princesses one day think I’m ready.”

I didn’t have to look at the crowd to know the very thought of a “commoner” having any say in the way the country was run was not something they liked, but then, I didn’t particularly want to rule anyway. Maybe one day would come where I had to for some reason, but it wasn’t something I fantasized about, to be sure. I saw how much stress it was for Twilight, and even though it was a bit selfish of me, I didn’t particularly want to deal with that if I didn’t have to. Maybe that made me a bad mate or son to Princess Celestia, but I already screwed up things in my own life; screwing up a country was not something I wanted to be responsible for.

The major questions seemed to be out of the way, since the line started to break apart as the nobles started to go back to mingling, but there was still ponies who had questions, so Twilight waved the next one forward. The next was a young stallion noble with too much product in his mane that had a self-important look in his eye that I was well-acquainted with, unfortunately.

“I am Silken Thread, of house Grove, second son of my father, Oaken Cask, and my question is for Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the stallion spoke, his words calm and measured, yet somehow slightly condescending. Maybe his tone? I’m still not sure.

Twilight smiled kindly at him and gestured to him with a hand. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Thread. What is your question?”

Standing a little taller at Twilight’s approval, he jumped right into it. “Princess Twilight, I ask for consideration for your royal herd!”

While Twilight was not scowling (even though I could tell she was on the cusp of doing so), her nearly-silent sigh told me she was halfway expecting this question at some point during the night.

Apparently the important questions had finished at this point, and now the social climbers came out to play.


“Ooh...yeeeeesssss.”

Twilight groaned happily beneath me as I worked my fingers into her back, the warming oil doing its work to relax her and allow me to work the knots out of her muscles. I chose not to comment on how she had not thought the oil was necessary this morning, but now was completely on board with it as I massaged the tension out of her neck, spine, and shoulders.

Of the ten questions for the remainder of the meeting, six were asking for acceptance into the herd, two were passive-aggressive shots at me for destroying a mountain, one was for Ember, asking if the dragoness would be opposed to exchanging some smithing skills, and one was for all of us, asking what we thought about chocolate-covered strawberry hot chocolate. Yes, the last one was Pinkie Pie, and no one knew how she got there, how no one noticed her, or where she went after we answered. Needless to say, the sudden appearance of the pink pony had slightly unnerved Ember, and she spent most of the rest of the gathering on the lookout for our friend. But, all in all, the function went well, and the rest of the time after that was spent casually mingling, eating, and drinking. That said, Twilight was still stressed by all the nobles that kept schmoozing her, and having to keep up several conversations at once pretty much the rest of the day. While she was the princess of friendship and had come a long way from the sequestered bookworm she once was, Twilight still had bouts of social anxiety, and talking to a bunch of possibly two-faced nobles (because we usually couldn’t tell until it was too late) had made her...tense, to say the least.

Ember, on the other hand, had left with Luna when we were making our way back to our room, accepting the elder princess’ offer to talk a bit more, and maybe even spar in the training grounds.

This all left Twilight and I alone in the room for the time being, and I had made good on my promise to give her a good rubdown. Contrary to what she had said in the earlier hours of the day, she did need it, and her groans, while usually not words, let me know she was thankful for my loving care.

Since my aim was to relax her and not rile her up, I avoided her sensitive wings, and instead focused intently on all the other areas of her body that held tension and wouldn’t be considered progressing to “sexytimes”.

After about forty-five minutes, I was finishing up with her hooves, and slowly pressed my fingers firmly against the soft flesh surrounding it, as well as rolling her ankles around to make them nice and loose. Twilight, while not asleep, was a puddle of relaxed bliss, and had a happy, lazy smile on her face as she kept her eyes locked on me the whole time.

“You’re so good to me, Spike,” she whispered, her voice barely loud enough to carry to my ears even in the quiet room.

Finishing up and gently placing her leg down on the bed, I shimmied up to her and lay down beside the princess, taking care to gently fold her wing out of the way before propping myself up on my side, so I could look at her. “Of course I am. I love you.” I leaned down and gently, slowly gave her an unhurried, lazy kiss that we just mutually enjoyed for what it was. No pressure to start making out, nor an obligatory kiss “just because”. It was one of those kisses that you give to the one you love, simply because you love them and want to remind them with just your lips.

When we separated, she looked as happy as a pony princess could be, and snuggled up to my side with a soft sigh of love and affection. With nothing else pressing us and nowhere to be, we just relaxed the time away, and enjoyed a quiet moment next to each other.

Some time later, the door opened, and Ember stepped into the room, fully armored, though something was different. First, her armor was dented in a few places, and the left shoulderplate was hanging by the leather straps that normally secured it in place, and when Ember finally turned so we could see her…

“W-what the buck happened to your face?” I stammered out, nearly leaping out of the bed in concern.

Ember rubbed her swollen cheek and eye, wincing a bit, before smiling at me with a laugh. “I got too cocky with Luna, and she...well, let’s say she showed me a weakness of mine. No we’re not mad at each other, and we’re both cool. This is what happens sometimes when you fight someone, even when just sparring; you should know that, Spike.”

Remembering the many bruises I had gotten from my bouts with Rainbow Dash, I winced and nodded. “...okay, yeah. That makes sense. Still, do you need some ice or something?”

Ember brought her hand up from her side, showing a cloth bag that was filled with something. “Already got some. But, could you do me a favor and help me get this armor off? I’m kinda sore, heh.”

Relieved that she hadn’t been attacked by some assassin or something, I rolled my eyes and nodded, chuckling despite it all. “Yeah, sure. Come here and let's get you out of this stuff so you can chill. Sounds like we’re getting an early night, then.”

One of the things dragons and ponies had in common when it came to those they cared about (or mates, in our case), was that they didn’t particularly like it when those ones got hurt. Following that instinct, Twilight stood without prompting and helped me get the armor off of Ember, unable to completely stop herself as she gave a comforting brush here, or nuzzle there. Ember, contrary to what she had probably thought in months past, seemed to enjoy the attention more than she was likely to admit out loud, and let Twilight essentially undress her without a fight.

Between the two of us, it didn’t take long to expose Ember’s nude body to the air, and the dragoness took a deep breath of satisfaction once she was free of the armor. Twilight levitated all the armor to the far side of the room, setting it on a ponykin specifically made for the purpose, and advised, “I’ll get you something warm to drink, and we’ll get an early night. You could use the rest, and even though Spike and I didn’t fight a princess, I think we could all use a good sleep right about now.

I nodded in agreement as I took Ember’s hand in mine and led her over to the bed. “Yeah, I’m pooped. C’mon, lets get comfortable while we wait for Twi to get back.” The door closed behind Twilight, and I wasted no time in whipping off my shirt and trousers, pulling on my pajama pants, and following Ember to the bed she now lay on. I gathered the dragoness in my arms and pulled her close, and she happily nestled herself against me as we just lay silently in much the way Twilight had before Ember had returned. I planted kisses over her face, gently on the bruises and swollen bits, before grabbing the nearby ice pack and laying it on her swollen eye. Ember hissed, but mumbled a “thank you” before she let out a long sigh and lay there silently.

After a few minutes, Ember commented, “Y’know, I’m kinda surprised that meeting with the nobles went as well as it did. Other than that thing at the beginning with that one mare, things went pretty smooth otherwise.”

I nodded slowly, hugging my mate against my side as I slowly ran my fingers up and down the scales of her belly. “Yeah. You did good, and there wasn’t much they could do in terms of political games without immediately revealing their poker hand, so to speak.” Ember’s uncomprehending look prompted me to explain, “Simply put, any games they might have wanted to play would have been foolish to push at that time, because they would have revealed all their intentions, thus giving us the ability to shut them down easily. That wouldn’t work in their favor, so they’re playing nice for now.”

“And I’m guessing it won’t always be that way,” Ember stated, alluding to the fact she already knew what I was going to say.

I nodded again. “Correct. Just because they’re playing nice for now doesn’t mean things will stay that way. They’ll be poking for ways to work you over, make no mistake. But for now, we’re not gonna worry about that.” Twilight walked in the door at that moment, carrying a steaming cup of what smelled like a hot toddy, which she brought over as I sat the dragoness up with me. “Instead, you’re gonna drink this, and then we’re gonna get a good sleep tonight.”

Ember gave a sniff and smiled, her good eye sparkling as she looked at Twilight gratefully. “Thanks Twilight.”

“Of course, Ember,” Twilight answered, and in a single flash of magic, swapped out her dress for her pajamas, before taking her place at the other side of Ember, ensuring the dragoness had one of us on each side. I recognized it as another instinct ponies had, to protect those that were sick and injured while they recovered, and silently thanked Twilight with a smile of my own as Ember finished off her drink.

Once Ember had drained the last of the still-steaming beverage, Twilight levitated the empty mug to sit on the dining table a room away, switching off the bedside lamp and closing the curtains before coaxing Ember to lie down with us. It only took a moment for Ember to settle herself, as achy and tired as she was, but it was impossible for her to ignore the way Twilight snuggled right up against her. As opposed to the other times we shared a bed together, this time, Ember hesitantly pulled her arm up and wrapped it around Twilight, hugging the smaller mare against her as we lay there on the bed in darkness. Twilight’s quiet intake of breath told me she was surprised as well, but even in the dark, I could see the smile on the mare’s face as she closed her eyes and lay her head on Ember’s shoulder, angling her horn away from the dragoness’ head.

While it was silent for a few minutes, eventually, Ember saw fit to say, “...y’know, this is kinda nice.”

Even as the exhaustion of the day was catching up with us, Twilight and I laughed quietly before simultaneously giving the dragoness a squeeze, and opting to finally close our eyes to submit to the realm of dreams. Finally, it seemed, Ember was beginning to see the appeal of having a loving herdmate besides me with her, and was accepting Twilight as more than just a friend. While I couldn’t foresee at the time how close she would get with Twilight, it was heartwarming to see those emotional barriers lowering for the first time.