Chapter 23
Ember was a tough dragoness, and there was no denying that, but Luna was in a class all her own when it came to battle prowess and durability. Besides Ember’s personality, dragons had evolved to be bigger, stronger, and more resilient than most of the other races on the planet, so for Ember to be as bruised and swollen as she was, it was clear her little “play fight” with Luna would be considered downright barbaric by the standards of normal ponies. I only found out later that an entire side of the stone wall surrounding the guards' training grounds had to be rebuilt, and there was a suspiciously fresh crater that had appeared on that same side. This meant something very heavy had fallen from a decent height, or something comparatively light had impacted at an insane velocity. Frankly, I was in disbelief that Ember miraculously didn’t have any broken bones.
Still, in the wee hours of the morning, Ember was groaning as she woke, making it clear the ache and soreness had set in. It was an unpleasant fact that injuries tended to hurt worse the next day, and it was obvious Ember was feeling like getting out of bed was just too much to ask at the moment.
I was privy to Twilight sleepily rolling over and giving a kiss to the cheek of Ember before stumbling out of bed, murmuring that she would get the dragoness a fresh ice pack from the other room. Ember either was in too much pain to make a fuss about the kiss or was too shocked to call the pony out for it, but either way, we both waited for Twilight to fetch another cooling ice pack; I wasn’t going to bring it up, mostly because teasing Ember in her current state wouldn’t be conducive for my continued wellbeing.
Twilight mercifully returned a few moments later with a fresh ice bag, and gently placed it on the dragoness’ face as she guided her hand to hold it there. Ember hissed and cursed quietly, but gave a word of thanks to Twilight as she held the cooling bag there.
“Well,” Ember began, her speech slightly handicapped due to the swelling, “I’m glad I had the honor of having a scrap with your aunt, but if I ever try and do that again, stop me.”
Despite my worry for her injuries, I shared her laugh. “I knew if I told you no, you’d find a way to do it anyway, so the only way to get you to stop would be to get it out of your system. I imagine you won’t be doing that again anytime soon, right?”
Ember groaned as she shifted the ice bag a bit. “That's a big nope on that one. Like I said, I’m glad I got to have that experience, but it’s not one I’ll be repeating in the near future...or ever. Once was enough, I think.” Since the eye on Twilight’s side was the swollen one, she turned her head a bit to catch the eye of the alicorn princess as she teased, “Not the worst way I’ve woken up though, Twilight. Do I need to look out for more of that?”
Twilight lit up in a deep blush as her eyes fell to her lap, and she fidgeted with her fingers. After a moment of silence, she replied, “...instincts, mostly. Usually I’m waking up to Spike, and since you’re scaly, I just...acted. I made it weird, didn’t I? I didn’t want to make it weird. I’m sorry, I’ll make sure that-”
“Twilight,” Ember interrupted firmly, not yelling, but in a firm tone of voice that cut across the room like a sword. The mare immediately went silent, and Ember just looked at her for a long few seconds until, eventually, Twilight raised her eyes to the dragoness again. Ember favored her with a small smile as she assured, “You didn’t freak me out or anything. I can’t say I’m in love with you or anything like that, but it also didn’t weird me out either. I get it that you’re a pony, and besides ponies being more touchy than I’m used to from my own kind, even if just instinctually, you see me as one of your mates. It’s cool. I’m not mad at you, and this doesn’t have to be awkward unless you make it that way.”
I appreciated the latter statement, since we all knew Twilight had a habit of making things awkward that didn’t need to be awkward, and Ember was essentially telling the mare that any awkwardness she felt was subjective. Twilight did relax a bit as her blush died down, and she stopped fidgeting with her hands as she finally released the lingering tension in her shoulders and wings.
Twilight sighed deeply and nodded. “Thanks. I just...I want you to be comfortable around all of us, and I certainly don’t want to be the reason you aren’t.”
“I am,” Ember assured, reaching a bit blindly with the hand on the side she couldn’t see for a moment before finding Twilight’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “You know how dragons are with their dens and sleeping, so the fact I’m cool with sharing a bed says a lot. Besides, as a race that largely depends on itself for safety, dragons can get more dangerous if they’re hurt or blinded, like I am.” She pointed at her swollen eye, which had the ice pack on it. “But...I trust you. I know you wouldn’t hurt me when I’m vulnerable. Heck, I know you’d pick up the slack and protect me, if I needed it...which I totally don’t.”
Twilight laughed at the dragoness’ comment and quipped, “Of course not. Dragon lords are all-seeing, all-knowing creatures of fire and scales. I’m sure you could still fight one-armed, one-eyed, and hobbled.”
Ember gave a laugh of her own before wincing and grabbing her side. “Oh, ow-heh, i-it hurts to laugh. S-stop making me laugh!” She coughed and wheezed for a moment more before settling down and letting out a long breath. “So, what’s going on today?”
Twilight shrugged and looked to me, but I could only return that shrug. With nothing particularly pressing in mind, Twilight answered, “Well, I don’t have anything planned. I can’t do much to lessen the swelling other than ensuring we have an ice pack, but I can get some pain reducing tablets that should take the edge off so we can enjoy some time together, if you’re up for it. Spike has taken them before without incident, so I can only assume they’re safe for dragons.”
Ember frowned briefly at us. “I don’t want you two bending over backwards for me. I’m just sore, but I’ll heal pretty fast. If there’s stuff you wanted to do, go do it. I’ll get a nap or something.”
“Ember,” Twilight began, sighing and placing a hand on the dragoness’ shoulder as she looked her in her good eye, “I don’t want to exclude you. If you really don’t want to spend time with us, then I’ll respect that; I’ll get you some pills for the pain, and leave you alone, but we -- I -- want you with us. I’m well aware that even close friends and family need time apart from time to time, but if that’s not what this is, then don’t exclude yourself. Did you want to be alone for a while?” Twilight finished her statement with a determined glint in her eyes, and a serious face.
Though she would obviously deny it aloud, Ember seemed to shrink a bit at Twilight’s question, and after a few moments, shook her head. “...well, no, but I also don’t want you stuck with me when I’m sore and grumpy. We don’t all have to suffer.”
Throwing in my own two-bits worth, I explained, “It’s part of being in a herd, Ember. Twi can correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s not pity that drives this like you might be thinking. Instead, we just want to be with you, even if that means you don’t feel good. We know that if we aren’t feeling good, we feel better when our friends and loved ones spend time with us, and we want to do that for you. When you’re happy, it makes us happy, so we don’t want to deprive you of company when you probably want it, even if you wouldn’t normally admit it.”
Ember tried to cross her arms over her chest, but it didn’t work very well since the ice pack fell off her face and she had to scramble to catch it. Upon gently pressing the cooling bag against the swelling once more, Ember grumped, “...fine, maybe I don’t wanna be sitting here alone, but I feel like I’m cutting into time you could be doing other things. If I had my choice, and it was just me and Spike, I’d want him in here, loving me and taking care of me, but that’s not fair to- what? What’s that face for?”
Twilight had the type of bright expression that said she just had a major epiphany that would fix a misunderstanding. She leaned closer and wrapped an arm behind Ember’s lower back, hugging the dragoness close for a moment. Just before Ember opened her mouth to question just what was going on, Twilight said, “Ember, I’m not competing with you for Spike’s affection. I think that’s where the disconnect between us is happening here: I think you might be under the assumption that if we were to spend all day here and just make sure you were taken care of, I’d somehow feel cheated because I didn’t get to spend the day doing all kinds of stuff I wanted to do. Ember,” she gave the dragoness another squeeze, smiling happily at her, “we’re in this together, for good or ill, in times of health, and in times of suffering. We’re a herd, and I’m sure Rarity and Fluttershy would tell you this exact thing: the herd comes first above all else, and that means I care more about you than I do whatever activities I might have wanted to do.” She gave a vague wave to the air. “Yesterday, before you came back from your little bout with Luna, I was thinking maybe we could spend the day in the library, researching some crazy things about history that I’m sure you would love, but I wanted to do it because it would be something I could do with you. If all you want to do is relax and be pampered in your time of need, then I want to do that, because I get to do it with you. Don’t you see? It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, so long we get to do it together.” I can admit Twilight pretty much hit every part of what I was feeling, so while I didn’t get to add the same supportive speech, I nodded to Ember when she looked at me, and I got the feeling she understood I wholeheartedly agreed with Twilight’s assessment.
“We just want to be with you, Ember,” I clarified. “Nothing more, and nothing less. If that means taking care of you while you’re ‘sore and grumpy,’ then that’s what we’ll do. Besides, the great thing about Twilight’s interests is that most of them can be done indoors anyway, and my own interests are varied enough that I can entertain myself just about anywhere.” With a placating hand on her cheek, I assured, “If you feel better later, we can go out somewhere and do some stuff, but for now, just relax and let us help you not feel so cruddy.”
Ember just gave a wry grin at us. “You both can’t just let me wallow in my misery, huh?”
“If I have to be bad at something, I’m fine with ruining a good wallow,” I quipped, bumping my shoulder into Ember as she chuckled softly.
Just as Twilight opened her mouth, her stomach growled loudly, and mine seemed to respond in kind, as if rehearsed. The alicorn blushed a bit before saying, “Before we do anything, let’s get some breakfast.”
Since she was injured, Ember was treated to a meal of both regular food and gems, the latter of which were sourced from the gem caverns underneath Canterlot itself. Coffee helped Twilight and Ember feel a bit more awake, and after finishing with breakfast (provided promptly at 8:00am sharp by the castle staff, at Twilight’s request), Twilight recommended something that caught Ember (and me, if I’m being honest) completely off-guard.
“...are you sure?” Ember pressed, though she confided in me later that she had actually thought she was hearing things.
Twilight was blushing a bit, but nodded with determination. “Yes, I am. As you’ve made clear to us, nudity isn’t taboo among dragons, and even though we weren’t together until fairly recently, Spike and I have seen each other naked enough times that I’m comfortable with him. Besides, like I said, the herd always comes first, and I want to do this for you. If you’re uncomfortable, then I understand, but-”
“N-no, I’m…” Ember began, stopping for a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, “...it’s just, I know it’s serious for you. You’re right, dragons don’t think much about being naked, but Spike explained to me how important modesty is for ponies. I know this is a big step for you, and I just…”
Deciding to step in, I ventured, “I think what Ember’s trying to say is that this is a little overwhelming for her. Correct me if I’m wrong,” I sent a look to the dragoness, “but I think she’s surprised that you’re committing so strongly to her being in the herd. Up until fairly recently, we were all just friends, and since dragons live so long, I think it’s a safe bet they usually move pretty slow in most things...and that includes relationships.”
Ember ducked her head a bit, but nodded. “...yeah, that’s pretty much it. You said that with the way herds work, I’m not just Spike’s mate, I’m also yours. When I think about it that way, I get this weird tingle in my stomach, and something tells me this is moving really fast. ‘Course, I don’t know what fast is for ponies, and I’m not sure why I feel like ‘moving fast’ even makes sense. I mean, I’m naked pretty much all the time, but now I feel like seeing a pony naked is…” She trailed off, unable to accurately put what she was feeling into words. I understood how she felt at that moment, and her frustration with being unable to articulate her emotions.
Twilight smiled gently and laid a hand on Ember’s as she scooted a little closer to her on the bed. “We’re not locking you in or anything. If at any time you feel like it’s too much, all you have to say is ‘stop,’ and step out of the bath. Neither of us is going to be mad at you for setting your own pace, even if that pace means you have to stop doing something that makes you uncomfortable.” Twilight then glanced at me and blushed a bit more. “Spike and I have only bathed together twice, and both times were when he was much younger, so it’s not like this is something we do all the time. But, I want to take care of my injured herd mate, and that’s more important to me than anything else.” Looking back to Ember, Twilight gave another winning smile. “This is your choice, Ember. Say the word and it won’t happen.”
Ember’s eyes darted from Twilight and I for a few seconds before she glanced down at her hands and fidgeted with them for another moment. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before looking up at Twilight and giving a nod. “I want to try it. I’ve never been the type of girl to back down from a challenge, and you both have shown me that a lot of things I was unsure of turned out to be amazing. So, let’s try it. You said this type of thing happens in an Equestrian herd, and if I’m being honest,” she ducked her head as a blush ran up to her head spines, “it sounds kinda nice to be pampered like that. I’m not usually a ‘pampering’ kind of dragoness, but being taken care of sounds pretty good right now.”
Smiling brightly, Twilight got up and made her way over to the bathroom door. “I’ll get a nice hot bath set up, then. Join me when you’re ready.”
Ember and I watched the princess leave for a moment, and after the door shut, Ember furrowed her brow and looked at me. “I thought you and Twilight haven’t mated yet. How have you seen her naked?”
I shrugged with a nervous chuckle. “We live in the same house, and have for over 10 years. Even before we became an item, Twilight and I fairly regularly shared a bed, and we use the same bathroom. It’d be kinda weird if I never saw her naked up until now. Plus, Twilight likes to sleep in the buff during the summer, since she gets too hot; there’s been a few times when I’ve walked into her room to wake her up in the morning, only to find her sleeping on top of her covers in nothing but her birthday suit.”
Ember cocked a brow at me. “What the heck is a ‘birthday suit’?”
I smirked as I explained, “It’s exactly what we wear the day we’re born, which is…”
“Nothing,” Ember finished, nodding in understanding. She then gave her own smirk and teased, “So, you’ve gotten a good look at her before, eh? I know you well enough to know that at least once, you just let her sleep while you took your time to slowly ‘analyze’ her form.”
I now had my own blush, but could only mutter a mildly ashamed, “...maybe.”
“Does she know?” Ember asked with a grin.
I shrugged, resigning myself to explaining a shameful moment in my life. “About all of the times I did it? No, but she caught me once, and she’s not so oblivious to assume that was the first time.” I gave a mirthless laugh as I thought of how scared I’d been when she caught me. “She didn’t speak to me for a week after, and honestly, I thought she was going to kick me out of the house. She almost did, she admitted later; if I’m being honest with myself, I kinda deserved it, and I wouldn’t have blamed her. We can’t see the future, so there was no way to know we would have ever been in a herd together. I was just a creepy teenaged dragon that was peeping on my roommate while she was sleeping.” I laughed again, this time meaning it, and added, “Y’know what’s weird though? A month after it happened, she went back to not locking her door, so either she trusted me enough to have learned my lesson, or she wanted to catch me again. I never did it again after she caught me, too afraid of what would happen if I did, but I also never asked her about it, because if I did, she would know I checked to see if the door was locked.”
“Or, maybe she wanted you to see,” Ember suggested, groaning as she stood and pulled me up with her.
Ember leaned against me, and I wordlessly took her weight as we began shuffling slowly to the bathroom. Her statement kinda caught me off-guard, and while I immediately wanted to shoot down her suggestion, I had never asked how long Twilight’s had romantic feelings for me. I had assumed she never thought about it before I brought it up, but I didn’t know. Still, I shook the thought away and replied, “Well, that’s one can of worms I’m not going to open again. Right now, it’s clear she’s okay with me seeing her body, at least in this setting, so I’m just going to assume everything’s fine and enjoy the present for what it is. Twilight is already anxious enough without me bringing up past events where I violated her trust in me.”
Ember bobbed her head from side to side, admitting, “That’s fair.”
When we reached the door, I knocked with a knuckle, and heard Twilight laugh a bit and answer, “For stars’ sake, we’re bathing together. You’re going to see everything anyway. Just come in.”
With a steadying breath, I pushed the door open and entered the large tiled bathroom, where against one wall, an oversized tub was filled with steaming water and suds. Twilight was wearing her bathrobe, and was sitting on the edge of the tub, horn glowing as she ran her fingers through the water. Upon the sound of the door opening and closing, she looked up to us, and smiled bashfully.
The alicorn motioned to the tub, which, now that I took a second look, was not bubbling because of jets or something, but was actively boiling. “I’ve cast a spell on the water to keep it at a constant 380 degrees*, and a spell on myself to keep from becoming a morbid pony stew.”
Ember looked surprisingly startled at Twilight’s words, and with a concerned look at the alicorn, asked, “Are you sure it’s safe? That sounds really dangerous, Twilight.”
Twilight smiled again, clearly grateful for the concern. “Of course. I’ve created a field around my skin that alters normal thermodynamics, allowing excess body heat to escape, but external heat sources cannot transfer that energy back to me.” She dipped her hand in the water and raised it out, showing that the water was quickly evaporating, but wasn’t hurting her. “See? Perfectly safe. The spell lasts for a few hours without being recast. I know you and Spike can’t feel heat unless it’s very hot, so I set things up so that you both can enjoy it like a normal pony could. However,” she stood and motioned to the tub, which was easily large enough to hold ten ponies, “even with this volume of water, the intense heat will evaporate too much of the water to be useful within fifty-seven minutes, by my calculations.”
Once again, Ember was reminded of just how powerful and skilled Twilight was in just casual, everyday life. What seemed incredible by the standards of most ponies (and dragons) was foal’s play for Twilight. Ember saw fit to compliment, “I wonder when I’ll stop expecting things to be normal with you, Twilight. Seems every time I let my guard down, you’re doing some amazing new thing that’s just regular for you.”
Twilight blushed with a happy smile, and shrugged. “Well, I’m glad I amaze you. Now come here and step in so we can get you taken care of.”
Ember did as she was told and made her way over to the tub, and I followed after discarding my pajamas. As Ember stepped into the heated water, she gave a happy groan at the first touch on her foot, and let out a deep sigh of happiness when she fully submerged herself. I stepped in next, and hummed in amazement that I could feel some of the heat, before settling myself to one side of Ember. Twilight watched both of us sit down in the water before hesitantly grabbing the ends of her robe.
I turned my head away to give Twilight a bit of privacy, but was surprised when she said, “No, Spike...w-we’re mates, and I am serious about us. Y-you don’t have to look away. It’s okay.”
While it was true I had caught glimpses of Twilight before, this was the first time since we were together, and what’s more, she was openly giving me permission to do so. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t equal parts nervous and excited.
I slowly turned my head back to look at the mare, after she had dropped her robe behind her. She was covering her chest with an arm and her private area with a hand, but after a moment, removed both with a visible effort of willpower and courage. Her horn lit up and a faint sheen of magic washed over her fur, revealing quite a few imperfections that she normally hid with an illusionary glamour. Her fingers fidgeted at her sides as she stood before me, completely free from all clothing, purposely for the first time since I was only a few years old. My eyes fully drank in Twilight’s form, and I’ll readily admit to mentally committing the image to memory.
Twilight gave herself a bit of a shake as her wings fluttered, before sitting on the edge of the tub once more, pivoting, and sliding down into the boiling water. With another visible effort of will, she did not hide herself beneath the water, and after a few quiet moments, finally raised her eyes to meet mine. She was blushing, and due to her charm on herself, couldn’t claim it was from the heat. She eventually commented, “...well, here I am, warts and all.”
While she didn’t have any warts to speak of, there were quite a few scars over her body that usually couldn’t be seen by the naked eye; Twilight was a scientist at heart, and not all of her research and experiments were safe. Twilight was still a beautiful mare in my opinion, but she hid the true state of her body from the whole world due to how the public would view the visual imperfections. Even though none of them asked for it, alicorns were likened to deities by many, even if the thought was never articulated, and as stupid as it sounded, the Equestrian princesses needed to look the part to keep from causing more problems than needed.
Twilight was built modestly as a unicorn, even as an adult, with what she herself referred to as a “scholar’s body”: she was feminine, but her assets were modest in all parts of her body, giving her a rather “flat” shape overall. She had never been particularly vain, so it hadn’t bothered her, but because of that self-image, her ascension caused some unforeseen problems. Along with an immediate modest increase in height (as well as her body actually growing again), the infusion of earth pony and pegasus magic altered the shape of her body, turning her from a modest librarian to an almost supermodel-esque beauty. Now, Twilight had a body most mares would kill for, but had never really acclimated to that fact, and was still uncomfortable with ponies admiring her. To put it simply, her mind still told her that no one should think she was physically attractive as, say, Rarity, and yet she was, which caused problems due to the disconnect between reality and her self-image.
The mare that sat in front of us was only a head shorter than Luna (still making her taller than most of our friends), was wonderfully proportioned with a sizable bust, a figure only slightly more round than “hourglass,” and even had a bit of muscular definition in a few places, namely her legs and stomach. But, what Twilight often kept hidden were the large network of scars that ran along her arms, torso, and even parts of her face. Just from where I sat, I could see cuts, gashes, punctures, and burns, coupled with missing fur to match many of those places. From far away, they wouldn’t be noticeable, but up close, they were impossible to overlook.
I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but needed to show her that I didn’t care, and that I still thought she was beautiful. So, I shimmied through the water and gave her a quick kiss on the nose before embracing her from the front. Yes, it was nice how her soft bits pressed into my chest, but even better was when she let go of a sigh in my ear, and returned the hug wholeheartedly a moment later.
As we pulled away, Ember added, “Twilight, don’t feel bad about those scars. Heck, if you want, I’ll show you right now all of the ones I’ve got. Every scar tells a story, and I’m sure you’ve got a story to tell about every one of yours, just like me.” Ember reached out and put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder as she nodded with a supportive smile. “Your mate still finds you attractive, and your...herdsister?” She looked to me for clarification that she was using the right word. I nodded, and she was immediately, visibly pleased she was learning the lingo. Continuing, Ember said, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with ‘em. You don’t need to hide them in front of us. We’re not gonna judge you for them, and dragons from the dragon lands actually wear them with pride. For dragons,” she pointed to a decently-sized scar of her own, running along the shoulder of her right arm, “scars tell the story of a time when the world tried to end us, and failed.”
Twilight allowed me to move back to Ember’s side, and after giving the both of us a grateful smile, she nodded to Ember. “Thank you, Ember. Anyway, let’s get you taken care of. As much as I love getting complimented, we can do that later.” She lit her horn and levitated a brush, a sponge, and several soaps, including one specifically designed for dragons. She dropped the brush in front of me, pointing to the dragoness. “Since you’re more familiar with how sensitive scales and dragon wings are, you take care of her back and wings. I’ll get started on the rest.”
Giving a mental shrug, I grabbed the hand-brush from the water and some scale soap. With a quick lathering, I pivoted Ember and got started on gently scrubbing her upper back, causing the dragoness to immediately let out another happy sigh as she relaxed from our ministrations. And, as I did so, I was able to watch as Twilight began washing Ember’s front, gently and carefully, ensuring the dragoness was well taken care of.
Nonetheless, as I worked my way from her back, to her wings, and finally to her rump and tail, Ember practically melted. Contrary to pegasus wings, dragon wings were not nearly as sensitive, so while I was careful not to hurt her, I didn’t have to worry about unintentionally getting Ember hot and bothered. True, Ember was still going to be a bit sore, but a good bath with two loving herdmates was going to go a long way toward making her feel better, not to mention helping Ember and Twilight bond more. My work on Ember’s tail did a good job of keeping her calm and relaxed as Twilight used her sponge and hands to tend to Ember’s legs one at a time, then her arms, before beginning on the dragoness’ torso.
Even though I could tell Twilight didn’t have naughty thoughts in mind, the way she was slowly washing Ember was very...intimate. While the dragoness was in a very vulnerable position, half-asleep and eyes closed, the pony was showing Ember that she could trust Twilight completely...as well as the fact that Twilight was very thorough, though whether that was because of her innate neuroses or something else, I wasn’t able to tell at that time.
Twilight had started out sitting beside Ember, with the dragoness facing her at an angle, but eventually the mare had decided to kneel on the floor of the tub as she worked on Ember’s body. However, when I looked after finishing with her tail, Twilight had apparently worked her way in between Ember’s legs so that she could get closer, and Ember had surprisingly not stopped her. I wisely decided to not open my mouth and ruin the moment, but silently enjoyed watching Twilight move her slick, wet body closer and closer to Ember as she worked, seemingly oblivious to the fact she was nearly pressed up against the dragoness. As if the universe was answering my silent wish, Twilight’s pony pillows pressed up against Ember's chest as she finally finished with her shoulders, and both girls locked eyes. No, they didn’t kiss or anything, but even though I couldn’t see Ember’s face, I imagined she was giving Twilight another grateful smile. Twilight slowly, gently, brought the soapy sponge up to Ember’s face and began washing, taking extra care around the bruises and swelling. Ember tensed up and hissed a few times, but remained still, and through it all I just silently held her from behind.
After finishing her work, Twilight dropped the sponge into the steaming water, and just held Ember’s face in her hands for a moment before bridging the gap and pulling Ember into a firm embrace with one arm, and cradled the dragoness’ head with the other. For once, Ember didn’t hesitate as she brought up her own arms and wrapped them around the mare, and for a few seconds, there was silence other than the sound of the boiling water.
As they pulled away from each other, Twilight ended the embrace with a quick nuzzle, and hurriedly rubbed her nose as she sniffled. Her sad eyes told me how she felt and why she had felt the need to hug Ember, but for the dragoness’ benefit, she explained, “...I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. I don’t like seeing my friends hurt, least of all one of my herdmates. I know that in a few days you’ll be fine and this is all just a temporary thing, but I still don’t like that you hurt and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
Ember shook her head. “Don’t apologize. It’s good to know you care so much about me, and I’ll admit, while this has been a new experience for me, it was really nice. I’m still sore, but I do feel better. Thanks, Twilight.” She then nodded to the mare still in her arms. “Do you want help washing up too?”
Twilight giggled as her cheeks reddened a bit, but gave a shake of her head. “No, today was just about you. Maybe in the future, when you’re not injured, we might do something like that; for now, I just want to make you feel better. Besides,” she lit her horn, and in the span of a few seconds, a miniature waterspout formed around Twilight, with a few squirts of shampoo. In only a few seconds, Twilight had washed herself, and as the water neatly fell back to the tub, she was just smirking at the dragoness, “If I want to get clean, I can do it in seconds. For me, there is such a thing as bathing for pleasure if I want, because hygiene is quick and easy with the right spells.” She then stood and stepped out of the tub, and I swear she wiggled her rump a bit as she did so. Nonetheless, with another application of magic, she levitated four towels over, and after ensuring a towel was on each side of both of her wings, she gave the appendages a good shake and fluff. Twilight then levitated the towels quickly over her body, turning her into a fluffy pony.
I stood and helped Ember out of the tub, and though my instincts were pushing me to explore the mare’s body inch by inch, I knew Twilight was still hesitant about getting too physical. With that in mind, I grabbed one of the other towels from the bathroom counter, and methodically dried Ember from head to toe. The dragon soap had done what was intended, and now Ember’s skin was soft, and seemed more vibrant. The few scales she had shone like polished sapphires, and I’ll admit my hands wandered a bit as I dried her.
But, after only a few minutes, all three of us were clean and dry, with Ember looking a bit better with the bits of dried blood wiped away, and her hide looking far more vibrant than before. Like most ponies, Twilight had let her fur grow out due to the winter season, which gave her a much fluffier look following a bath. That all would be remedied in due time by a good brushing, but for now, she looked like a big, stuffed plush toy for foals. Twilight caught me looking at her and offered a shy smile, but didn’t cover herself as she levitated out four brushes and began smoothing her coat down. While Twilight was still reluctant to commit to sexytimes with me, it was clear she enjoyed the thought of me admiring her body, even in the nude. Twilight was a modest pony though, so I knew I had to enjoy the moment as much as I could, since I wasn’t likely to get the chance too often.
Ember and I followed Twilight back to the bedroom, the alicorn still running brushes all across her body, before I found myself offhandedly suggesting, “Y’know, that might go faster if I gave you a hand or two, Twi.”
It had just slipped out, but I couldn’t very well suck those words back in now. Twilight heard them, and hesitated her brushing for a moment before continuing, giggling softly. “Maybe another time, loverdrake. I do genuinely appreciate the offer, though. I have to admit, that was pretty smooth.”
I pretended to pout as I playfully grumbled, “Not smooth enough, it seems.”
“Is there a reason you’re so against mating with him?” Ember asked aside as she gently crawled back onto the bed to relax.
Twilight stopped again, this time nearly dropping the brushes, before letting out a soft sigh and continuing. It only took her a few more moments to finish slicking down her coat before teleporting the brushes back to the bathroom, and levitating some comfortable loungewear over to relax in. After dressing and giving a flap to her wings, she made her way over to the bed and sat down, beginning the meticulous process of preening her wings. Twilight didn’t fly as often as, say, Rainbow Dash, but messy feathers to a pegasus or alicorn was akin to walking around with unbrushed hair, so she preened a few times a day as a daily routine.
After settling into a mindless rhythm of preening, Twilight finally answered, “Well, it’s probably not what you’re thinking. I’ve had lovers before, and even a secret tryst or two, so I’m not the stereotypical virgin bookworm most ponies probably think I am.” Twilight frowned as a particularly stubborn feather refused to move the way she needed, so with a quick pluck and a wince, she held the feather up, and noticed it was bent halfway down. With a satisfied nod she went back to her work. “Anyway, to put it simply, I read too many books on romance when I first ventured into the world of dating, and I built up an unrealistic expectation about how they were supposed to go. Spike and the girls have always tried to tell me otherwise, but in my mind at least, I’m convinced I screwed all my previous relationships up.” She absently tapped her head with a fingertip. “Logically, I know that’s not the case; relationships require at least two individuals, after all, so simply by statistics alone, it’s almost impossible that every failure was my fault...but that’s how it feels.” Twilight briefly focused on a mussed feather, carefully spreading out the individual barbs to create a mostly-uniform surface. Seemingly satisfied with the vane, she moved on and continued her explanation. “Well, save for my attempt with Golden Harvest, which was my fault,” she shot a look at me, and I relented with a nod, “all of my other failed relationships had one thing in common: I progressed to physical expressions of love very quickly.” Clearing her throat with a mild blush, Twilight said, “I assume I don’t have to explain what I mean by that.”
Ember’s face was utterly surprised, complete with a dropped jaw. After a few quiet seconds, she answered, “N-no, I know what you mean. I’m just surprised; I wouldn’t have expected something like that from someone like you.”
Twilight’s face scrunched like she had a bad taste in her mouth as she glumly replied, “Yeah, I didn’t expect it of myself either, but it happened. Like many mistakes I’ve made, I took it as a learning experience, and moved on with my life.” She then glanced up to meet our eyes briefly before going back to her preening. “...what I have now, with Spike and all of you, is not something I want to mess up like I have every other relationship I’ve been a part of. I know it’s stupid, but there’s a primal fear telling me that if I submit and just...give in, again, to my baser urges, it’ll all fall apart. Again, I know it sounds stupid, but fear tends to be illogical.”
I just sat quietly next to Ember as she thought about what she’d heard for a few moments, letting Twilight preen in peace. Eventually, Ember had apparently worked through her thoughts, and asked, “...so, you are attracted to Spike? It’s not that you think he’s ugly or anything?”
Twilight couldn’t help the laughter that escaped from her, and it momentarily interrupted her work as she had to fight the giggles away. But, after a few seconds, she choked out, “N-no, hehe, no that’s not it at all.” Turning toward me with a decidedly lascivious almost shark-like smile, she commented, “Spike is very pleasing to my eye, and more than that, I know he also is attracted to me, despite whatever faults I might have.” Turning her attention back to Ember, Twilight shook her head. “Attraction is not the issue, I promise. You have very good taste, Ember.”
Ember smiled at the half-compliment, and gave a nod to Twilight. “Okay, so you do have urges then, you just choose not to act on them.”
Twilight gained a mild blush again, but nodded. “Yes. Under the crown, I’m still a mare, after all, and I still have a sex drive. Luckily, a fairly new industry has begun in ‘carnal pleasures’, including apparatus’ that are shaped like a male’s sex organ, among other things. Equestria has ways to ‘sate one’s desires’ without being promiscuous.”
Ember, for reasons that mattered mostly to dragons, was very interested in this. “Wait, so there’s things ponies can use that don’t result in laying an egg?”
Twilight looked confused for a second, before apparently equating “laying an egg” to “getting pregnant”. With a look of realization, she giggled and nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. Mares go into heat twice a year, and while there are over-the-counter medications that can reduce the symptoms to a manageable level, nothing sates the desire quite like giving into the carnal urges. Of course, during estrus, a mare can become pregnant, which causes a problem for mares who don’t feel ready for a foal.” She shrugged with a lopsided grin. “And thus, the sex toy industry was born.”
Ember glanced down at her fingers for a moment, fidgeting before mumbling, “...I might need to look into some of those.” When she glanced up, she noticed both Twilight and I staring at her, prompting her to clarify, “Dragons can have offspring at any time, provided both mates are fertile. No heat season, so we have to be a bit more selective when we mate.”
Twilight stopped her preening to stare at Ember in surprise. “I...I didn’t know that. Wow, that must be extremely difficult to deal with.”
Ember just shrugged. “Nah, not really. We don’t get all randy at certain times of the year like ponies do, we just need to cast a contraceptive spell before we do anything.” She then bobbed her head from side to side. “Problem is, in the heat of the moment, it can be kinda hard to remember to cast the spell. Would be better to just have an alternative when the ‘need’ strikes.”
Twilight blushed a bit, so I decided to toss in, “Not sure how long that’d last in the dragon lands, though. Most of them are made of silicone and rubber, which...melts pretty easily.”
Ember playfully threw up her hands and cried, “Gosh, it’s like we can’t get any of the good stuff back home! Oh well,” she let her raised arms fall to her sides as she reclined back on the plush bed, snuggling into the pillows and rumpled comforter, “guess I’ll need to just spend a bunch of time around here, then.”
“Oh dear, how will we cope?” Twilight snarked, giving a toothy grin.
Following that, we fell into a more comfortable silence as Twilight finished preening her wings, then went about writing out a list of books she was going to have brought to the room. True to her word, she was planning on spending the whole day with Ember, in our room, catering to the dragoness’ every need. I would be doing the same, of course, but even though Ember didn’t say it aloud, I got the feeling she was touched that Twilight was still willing to put aside her free time and a beautiful winter day all to take care of her. The bond between them was strengthening more with every day -- every hour, even -- and I’ll readily admit it brought a bubbly warmth to my heart.
Hours later, Twilight and Ember were seated next to each other at the head of the bed, reading the books Twilight had brought to the room. As for me, I was spending time on a little tlc for myself, filing my claws down to blunt ends, and ensuring there weren’t any cuts or tears in the webbing of my wings (there weren’t). Mostly, it was a quiet time for the three of us, and with the stress of the day before, it was nice to just have some time to ourselves. The quiet was broken when, unprompted, a knock came at the door. The three of us looked at one another before Twilight and I stood, and approached the door.
Opening the door revealed a servant mare that we didn’t recognize, with a serving cart in front of her. She bowed as we opened the door, and announced, “Lunch is served, your highness.”
While it normally wouldn’t have, this put us on edge due to the altercation with a certain noblemare the day before, as well as the fact that we hadn’t ordered lunch. Sure, maybe we were paranoid, but we had basically spat in the face of Rosy Glow, and even if she wasn’t involved, there were likely plenty of nobles in any number of houses that felt slighted because of that, and they weren’t known for letting said slights go without retaliation.
As if we had rehearsed, and without even speaking to each other about it, I distracted the mare with some small talk while Twilight lit her horn and analyzed the contents under the steel domes that covered the food. I caught sight out of the corner of my eye of Twilight’s eyes widening, before she subtly pushed the cart away from the doorway, off to the side, leaving only me and the mare standing there. Without warning, she grabbed the mare in her magic and yanked her inside the room, slamming the door shut as she forcefully pinned the mare against the wall.
Before the mare could scream, a film of Twilight’s magic covered her mouth, and the serving pony suddenly found herself unable to make a sound, even as her mouth opened wide with what I could only assume was a scream of fear. Twilight flared her wings wide as she snarled at the pony and said, “I’m going to ask you some questions, and if I don’t like what I hear, you might find yourself in a dark dungeon cell for a very long time, and that’s if I allow you to make it that far. Now, WHO SENT YOU?”
The latter part of Twilight’s demand was layered with her magic, so much that I could feel the thick, syrupy tingle of raw magical power flowing throughout the room almost like a liquid. I was used to it, but by the sudden gasp off to the side, Ember was not, and I had to fight to stay put to support Twilight instead of rushing over to the dragoness. I knew Ember would be fine, and Twilight needed me right now.
The mare in Twilight’s magical grasp looked to be on the verge of soiling herself, and before she was allowed to speak, Twilight cast what I could only assume was a silencing charm around the room, as a wave of magic washed over us and seemed to adhere to the walls of the entire room. Twilight then dispelled the charm on the mare’s mouth, released her from her hold, and ordered, “SPEAK.”
“I-I don’t know! Th-they caught me in the north corridor only a few minutes ago, and threatened to kill my foals if I didn’t do as they said!” she whimpered pitifully.
Twilight knew she wasn’t going to get any useful information out of the serving mare if she was too terrified to think straight, so she took a deep breath to settle herself before speaking again. “What’s your name?”
“Ch-Cherry Cobbler, your highness,” the mare stuttered out, clearly still terrified of Twilight, but a bit more calm than she had been before Twilight stopped drowning her in her magic.
Twilight nodded to the mare and motioned to the closed door, just outside of which was the serving cart. “Do you know what you almost did?” The mare hesitantly shook her head, so Twilight clarified, “You almost poisoned Spike and Ember, enough to kill both of them.” Due to the mare’s horrified, yet confused expression, Twilight explained, “Dragons can’t have raspberries or blackberries. A tiny amount can cause a reaction similar to an allergy, including swelling and anaphylaxis; a large amount, like that in the food you were told to serve us, can cause internal hemorrhaging and critical organ failure in less than 20 minutes.”
I watched Cherry Cobbler’s reaction to try and gauge whether she was acting, or really was just a patsy that had been blackmailed into nearly killing me and a dragon lord. The way her ears flattened against her head, the way her tail nervously anxiously twitched from side to side, and her wide, frightened eyes definitely spoke of a pony that was afraid, but I couldn’t tell of what. Was she afraid of what Twilight might do to her, or was she afraid that she had almost killed two creatures without knowing it? Among the many powers I now knew how to use, I couldn’t read minds without destroying the mind in the process, and obviously, I didn’t want to do that. Still, we had to find out what this mare knew quickly.
“Tell me everything you can remember about the one that spoke to you, including any distinguishing features, what they were wearing, what their voice sounded like, the way they walked; anything you can remember might be important,” Twilight urged, conjuring a pencil and notebook into existence, ready to take notes.
The servant mare swallowed thickly as she began to describe the one that had apparently wanted her to kill us. “I-I couldn’t see who it was, because they were wearing a large dark blue cloak that covered their body, with gold trimming. The v-voice was rough, and either a mare with a deep voice, a stallion, or either of the two disguising their voice. Black gloves were worn, and they provided the serving cart for me t-to bring. They were taller t-than you, princess, but their steps were nearly silent as they walked away, which I found odd.”
Twilight frowned down at her notebook for a moment before absently asking, “Anything else?”
Cherry Cobbler thought for a moment before gasping and adding, “T-they had a limp! When they walked away, they favored their right leg.”
Twilight wrote down the last note before lighting her horn again and summoning a scintillating crystal to her hand. She held up the crystal in front of the mare and asked, “Do you know what this is?” At the mare’s slow shake of her head, Twilight explained, “This is a truthteller crystal, and it will force you to tell the truth in its presence. I’m going to ask you two more questions, just to be sure we can trust what you’re saying.” The mare gulped as Twilight pushed a spark of magic into the crystal, causing it to glow brightly and cast light all over the mare. With the spell active, Twilight asked, “Has everything you’ve told me been true to the best of your knowledge?” The mare hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Is there anything you haven’t told me that you think might be relevant?”
The mare seemed to struggle for a moment before begrudgingly blurting, “M-My h-husband is a servant in House Gem!”
Twilight looked up at the mare and frowned in pity, muttering, “Well, now we know why they targeted you. You were easy to reach because you’re a palace servant and wife of one of their house servants. Though...I don’t recognize you. How long have you worked in the palace?”
Cherry Cobbler sniffled as tears came to her eyes and admitted, “Only a week, your highness. The recommendation for this post came from Miss Rosy Glow herself, which is how I got the job.”
Twilight pursed her lips and nodded in understanding. “It makes sense. She knew we were coming, and might have wanted someone in here that she had leverage over to do her bidding, knowingly or unknowingly.” Twilight cut the power to her horn, causing the crystal to stop glowing. Twilight then slid the crystal into her pocket before turning back to the mare and sighing. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this. I’ll order some guards to your home to protect your foals until we can figure out who was the contact that gave you the cart, and how they’re connected to Rosy Glow.” Twilight moved to the door and opened it, snapping her fingers to get the attention of a passing guard. She wasted no time and asked, “Can you get in touch with the lunar guard’s captain and have him meet me here immediately? Thank you.” Without waiting for a response, she closed the door again and trudged over to the bed, flopping down onto it with a huff.
“So much for a quiet day, huh?” Ember remarked wryly.
All was quiet for a few moments before Cherry Cobbler ventured, “Umm...d-do you want me to leave-”
“No,” Twilight answered, laying back on the bed with a sigh. “I’m going to have the guards escort you home, and I’m going to tell Celestia and Luna what’s going on, so they don’t wonder why you’re suddenly not there. I’ll also pass on a message to the head of interior, so they don’t mark you as leaving your post without authorization; a threat to your family definitely exempts you for at least a day.”
“Oh...th-thank you, princess,” the mare shyly mumbled.
Twilight groaned and shook her head, eyes closed. “Don’t thank me. As far as I can tell, you’re just an innocent mare that got caught up in political games, and that’s our fault, not yours. I’m doing what I would want somepony to do for me if I were in your position. If you want to make it up to me, when you get home and ensure your foals are safe, hug them, kiss them, and think about moving away from Canterlot...for their safety just as much as yours.”
Only a minute later, there was another knock on the door, and since I was the only one still standing, I answered and allowed the lunar guard captain entry. He saluted and said, “Captain Silent Night, reporting. How can I assist you, princess?”
Twilight sat up and pointed a finger to Cherry Cobbler. “A threat on the lives of her foals has been made. Escort her home, and have a few guards stationed around to protect her while we work things out.” At the stallion’s raised eyebrow, Twilight just shook her head ruefully. “Political games with House Gem.”
The captain clicked his tongue. “Ah, say no more. I’ll assign five of my best to ensure they’re well-protected. Anything else?”
Twilight nodded and used her magic to float her notepad over to the captain, who gingerly took it from the air as she explained, “An attempt on the lives of Spike and Dragonlord Ember has been made, and while we believe House Gem is involved, we have to track down the one responsible for blackmailing Miss Cobbler here. Those are my notes on the suspect, and the serving cart that was provided to Cherry Cobbler is in the hallway. Put the castle on alert, and find this individual before they can escape the city. Code gray*, lockdown the city. No one enters or leaves without our say-so until we find who did this.”
At the mention of attempted murders on two important individuals, the captain straightened a bit more and nodded firmly. “At once, princess. Consider it done. Come, Mrs. Cobbler; let’s get you home to your foals.” With that, the captain escorted the mare out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving the three of us alone once again.
For a few more moments, none of us really knew what to say, but eventually Twilight once again broke the silence with, “My plans for the day remain unchanged. It would be safer for all of us to stay in this room anyway, and I don’t particularly want to risk meeting one of the nobles out in the city right now. I don’t trust what I might say or do at the moment. This time, I’m going to actually order us some lunch, and now that the castle is on high alert, I know we don’t have to worry about any tampering with our food.” She pushed herself off of the bed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
I stared at the door for a moment before making my way back to the bed, flopping down beside Ember, and growling, “Buck this day. Wish we could just start it over.”
While the solar guard projected a unified front of power, intimidation, and visibility, the lunar guard (also known as the “night guard”) was their opposite in most ways. Subtle, secretive, and efficient, the lunar guard corps were called in to assist in more delicate matters in the world, and by their nature, most ponies never even knew when they were carrying out an operation. While they served as a sort of black ops for the military in today’s world, the original reason for why they were established was quite simple: to fight and kill an alicorn. The original lunar guard was created by Luna herself, just before she took on the mantle of Nightmare Moon, and was created to counter the might of Princess Celestia, the solar ascendant. Lunar guard training was far more rigorous than any other guard unit or branch of the military, and among those who knew about their operations, they were widely considered to be the pinnacle of military might.
Because of all this, it was unsurprising when the lunar captain himself returned to our room only hours later, having located five possible suspects, including one who had requested to see us personally…
“Capper?” I questioned in surprise.
The Abyssinian grinned at the mention of his name, bowing shallowly with a flourish, somehow making the act look dignified even while in shackles. “Always a pleasure to see old friends.”
Twilight frowned at the lunar captain. “Captain, what is the meaning of this? He’s a trusted friend.”
The guard captain merely shrugged helplessly. “I’m just following the orders you gave, ma’am.” He pointed to the padded feet of the cat-person. “The soft pads would allow him to slink around nearly silent, and as much as I want to deny the possibility, it would be foal’s play for Mr. Capper to do the deed.”
Twilight sighed heavily, but gave a resigned nod. “I understand. One moment.” She stood from the bed and made her way over to Capper, picking the truthteller crystal from her pocket igniting it with a spark of magic. “Now, Capper, what are you doing in Canterlot?”
The truthteller crystals only caused problems when a subject fought their power, but if one were to be truthful anyway, they felt nothing. Because of this, Capper only gave another sharp grin and calmly answered, “I was actually here to check up on Rarity’s store, and maybe even have a nice lunch with that pretty mare that manages the place. Unfortunately, it seems that some kind’a hubbub has put those plans to bed, so I’m all tied up, at the moment.” He raised his bound hands to us with a laugh.
“Do you know anything about a plan to poison Spike and Ember?” Twilight asked directly.
At that, Capper’s jovial demeanor cracked and fell away, leaving his jaw dropped in silence for a few moments before he could clumsily answer, “I-I’m sorry, someone tried to do what?”
Releasing a relieved sigh, Twilight dropped Capper’s shackles to the ground with a flurry of spells, then levitated the bindings over to the captain. “He’s safe, Captain. Continue your investigation, and leave him with us. Thank you for your diligence.” Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, the captain bowed before backing out of the room, all too happy to retreat and keep from possibly angering Twilight.
With our new guest freed and left with us, I stood and gave Capper a half-hug as a greeting. “Hey, it’s great to see you. How have things been?”
The cat returned the embrace with an arm, and just gave a lazy grin as he pulled away. “Oh you know, a bit ‘a this and a bit ‘a that. This cat ain’t bound to a town no more, so I go wherever the wind takes me. Just so happens, some fair winds brought me here.” Capper glanced at Twilight and Ember for a moment before asking, “So, who’d you tick off to get put on a hit list?” At my raised brow, Capper rolled his eyes. “Spike, I used to be all about that life; I know how it works.”
Hesitating briefly, Twilight replied, “Rosy Glow, aunt of-”
“Cozy Glow. Yeah, I know her. Mare makes the ol’ commander look like a cute ‘lil puppy,” he mentioned, not needing to clarify for us who “the commander” was.
As it usually was, Twilight was a little caught off-guard by just how knowledgeable and informed Capper was. For all his joviality and laissez-faire attitude, he seemed to know everything about everyone. Frankly, I didn’t have the courage to ask just how much he knew about me.
Twilight hesitated once again before confirming, “Y-yes, that’s her. Anyway, Spike, Ember and I met with her and the nobles yesterday to address the fight Spike had with a dragoness in the mountains bordering Equestria, and all three of us practically spit in her face, publicly calling her out for her little political games and challenging her authority. Needless to say, she didn’t like that, so while we can’t directly prove it was her right now, she has more than enough reason to try and do something like this. I just never thought it would happen so soon, or be so severe.”
“Or,” Capper held up a finger, interrupting Twilight’s train of thought, “maybe killing these two scaled lovers was never her intention.” At our collective questioning look, he explained, “Well, if it was me in her place, killing the both ‘f ya would cause more problems than it solves. If I were a bettin’ cat, which I am,'' he paused with a toothy smirk, “I’d bet my money on her knowin’ ‘lil miss Princess of Friendship here would catch on to this. Personally, I don’t think killin’ either of ya was the intent; I think she just wanted all ‘f ya to know that you got her attention, not in a good way, and she can getcha at anytime, anywhere. She prob’ly wants ya nervous, scared, and always lookin’ over your shoulders for the next time she might strike. Could be all she wants is ‘t scare ya, ‘t keep all ‘f ya from makin’ her look stupid like that again...or she could be playin’ the long game, and it might be she is plannin’ to get rid of both ‘f ya when she can do it without havin’ it connect to her.” He bobbed his head from side to side. “Can’t say for sure right now, but you three sure know how to pick your enemies.”
Conceding to the fact his assessment made a lot of sense, I made my way to the head of the bed and took a seat next to Ember, immediately wrapping an arm around her as I sighed heavily. “Oh boy, one more enemy to add to many others. Fantastic. As if they didn’t hate me enough already.”
Capper just shrugged helplessly before finally turning his attention to Ember, giving a simple nod. “Pleasure to see you again, miss dragon lord. Why d’you look like a blueberry someone stepped on?”
Ember shot me a glare as I worked hard to keep from bursting out in laughter, but gave the tom a wry grin as she answered, “Princess Luna.”
One of Capper’s eyebrows raised as he gave a whistle. “Gotta admit, I’m impressed you’re not in the morgue. If the stories I’ve heard had even a grain of truth to them, I’m surprised you’re still among the livin’.”
Ember rubbed her sore cheek with a wince. “She was going easy on me, and even a proud dragon can admit that. Honestly, with how much power she has, I’m even more impressed at the amount of restraint and control she has. For beings as powerful as her, living around ‘normal’ creatures must feel like living in a world made of tissue paper.”
“The princesses have been alive for a very long time,” Twilight added, frowning thoughtfully. “I can only imagine how much of that time was spent simply learning not to break everything. It was easier for me, because my power is increasing gradually, and I’ve had very good teachers and safe environments to learn and relearn control every time my power grows. But for two alicorns with no one to guide them or teach them the dangers of magic…” Twilight shivered at the thought, and I have to admit that I was a little disconcerted by the fact, as well. How much of the land was irreparably changed by the unwieldy power of young alicorns; how many lives were lost?
“I mean, how do you think the Deadlands might have been created?” Capper asked, tapping his chin in mock thought.
The Deadlands were a barren wasteland, devoid of both life and magic, that stretched for hundreds of miles in every direction. It was considered a scientific mystery and a morbid “wonder of the world”. Now that Capper mentioned a possible answer to how it was created, the location seemed all the more terrible. I had always known that the past of my mother and aunt wasn’t exactly all nice and kind, but I tried to not think about how much damage a mistake with that much power could cause.
“...maybe. I kinda don’t want to know, to be honest,” I answered with a mumble.
For a long few moments, the room was quiet. Eventually though, Twilight thankfully decided to break the silence as she announced, “Anyway, are you going to be staying for Hearth’s Warming?”
Though he hid it well, I could tell Capper was happy to have something else to talk about. His relaxed demeanor aside, his fall from grace and time in Klugetown had left him with a strong desire to keep life positive, and so he always tried to be upbeat. The cat gave a grateful smile as he gently shook his head. “Nah, can’t do that. Just was stoppin’ by to say hey, then headin’ out tomorrow mornin’ t’ see if I can catch a train out west. Maybe see that town with the buffalo, Apple-somethin’.”
“Appleloosa,” I corrected automatically, tapping my own chin in thought. “Y’know, if I remember correctly, they have their own celebration for the holidays that rivals Canterlot’s. I think you’ll have a lot of fun there. And if the buffalo decide to join in, it’s gonna be one hay of a party.”
Capper gave a winning grin and idly commented, “Now that sounds like my kind’a scene. Guess Appleloosa is where I’m headin’, then.”
The next half-hour was spent just catching up with the suave tom, including allowing Ember to get to know him a bit better. Since Capper could generously be called a vagabond, I didn’t expect the two of them to become best friends or anything (he moved around too much to really form many strong ties), but it was still nice to see them getting along. If nothing else, the impromptu bonding session helped time pass as we let the guard do its work, and once the captain appeared once again to give the “all-clear,” we asked the captain to have Capper escorted out of Canterlot to be sure he didn’t get caught up in whatever was going to happen next, for his safety as well as ours.
Capper traveled light, so other than a satchel and messenger’s bag that were both hidden under his overcoat (the only piece of clothing he regularly wore), there wasn’t really any “packing up” for him to do. After only a minute of the captain reappearing, Capper was ready to leave, and stood near the doorway as we said our goodbyes.
Leaning into him again and giving a firm half-hug, I bid him a safe journey. Twilight did the same, fully embracing him and nestling herself against the taller cat as she nuzzled him affectionately. Ember gave a firm handshake and a nod to him, suggesting he stop by the dragon lands next time he was in the area, so she could show him around.
With that done, Capper gave a lazy smile and a wave as he stepped out of the door, joining a few guards that would lead him to the train station. Giving one last look back at us, he smiled. “Well, looks like this is goodbye for now. You all take it easy, a’right?”
Answering for the three of us, I returned Capper’s smile and replied, “And you stay safe, Capper. We want to see you again one of these days, and not behind bars.”
Tisking, he returned, “Please. Can’t keep this cat down for long. I’ll be fine, don’t you worry none.” With that, he gave a nod to the gathered guards, who began escorting him to the train station so he could leave the city.
It was good to see Capper, but an instinct in me also felt relieved that we were alone again; logically, I knew Capper wasn’t a threat to Ember in her injured state (and even if he physically could be, he wouldn’t), but I recognized how stress I hadn’t noticed before seemed to release from my muscles and wings after Capper left the room. It seemed every day I was learning more and more about what it meant to be a dragon, and the more I understood, the more I could prepare for.
As if waiting for the perfect moment, another knock at the door heralded the arrival of our food, which Twilight had ordered some time ago. It was likely the food tampering from earlier had slowed everything down, which was why we were just now getting the food we ordered nearly an hour ago, but I wasn’t complaining. The palace chefs were some of the best in Equestria, and what’s more, there were certain dishes available in the palace that weren’t available anywhere else. The scent of a pony-friendly seafood dish had Ember practically salivating, and I’ll admit to barely keeping from drooling as the smell of hot food invaded my nostrils.
While it wasn’t normally her job, the head maid Misty May had apparently decided to deliver our meal personally, likely because she wasn’t sure who else in her department might have been compromised by an outside influence. She was an older mare in her sixties, but she still carried the youthful bounce and professionalism of a pony half her age, and her kindly face fit her position perfectly.
Misty May gave the three of us a smile as she bowed, pushing the cart into the room. “Good afternoon, everyone. Apologies for the wait, but as I’m sure you can imagine, things have been rather hectic today.” She pushed her multicolored bangs out of her eyes, blowing out a long breath. “To think something like this happened on my watch. Disgraceful, is what it is.”
Twilight was quick to jump to the defense of Cherry Cobbler. “The mare was threatened with the murder of her foals, Misty. You know better than most just how ‘persuasive’ some upper-class ponies can be when they want something done. Like many before her and many that will follow, she was just an unwitting pawn caught in a long, convoluted game of chess where the stakes are Equestria, and the pieces are regular ponies.”
“Well,” Misty answered with a sadistic grin, “I was never good at chess. I find a crowbar to the knees tends to get ponies to do what I want much easier than trying to be nice.”
Also, it should be mentioned, Misty May was an ex-mercenary, and terrified me more than I care to admit. She hid it well with a proper wardrobe and kind smile, but the mare knew at least six ways to kill someone with a spoon.
Twilight had grown up around the mare though, and was used to her off-handed, casual quips about violence. The alicorn only gave the head maid a smile and commented, “Well, if I ever need to squeeze an asset, I’ll know who to ask, won’t I?”
Misty May merely smiled before stopping at the foot of the bed, gesturing to the covered trays. “I’ll let the three of you distribute the meal as you will. I’ve personally overseen the preparation, and two sets of mage corps soldiers have scanned these, to be sure they are untainted and safe. And,” she reached below the top shelf of the cart, pulling out a steaming teapot and a trio of teacups, “this is a favorite brew of mine that I myself have used in the past. It has a natural anti-inflammatory effect that should help with some of the pain, and I can personally attest to its effectiveness. It is bitter, however, so I’ve also brought some honey to offset the bitterness.”
Ember looked skeptically at the teapot and commented, “Gotta be honest, I’m not really crazy about tea.”
“Neither am I,” Misty May replied, bringing up a folded arm from the cart, and setting the teapot on top of it, “but I promise, it helps, and lasts for longer than most over-the-counter remedies you can buy. I’ve been in a fight with Princess Luna before, so I’m well aware of what you’re going through.”
Ember’s eye widened in surprise at the off-handed comparison from also fighting the night princess. “...you fought Princess Luna?”
Misty May untucked her shirt and pulled up the hem, revealing a large, extensive scar that ran across her stomach. After giving us a moment to admire the battle scar, she tucked her shirt in again and explained, “Power isn’t everything when it comes to a fight, and sometimes, it isn’t even a factor. Skill and strategy are, in my opinion, far more important, and history is full of stories about smaller, weaker forces overcoming more powerful enemies by using superior strategies. And before you ask, no, I didn’t win when I sparred with the princess...but I was the first in over a thousand years to finish in a draw.” She nodded to the dragoness. “If there’s one thing you should teach your people, for their own safety, it’s to never underestimate an enemy, even if they appear weaker. The more healthy caution we all have for each other, the more peaceful our world will be.”
Though she didn’t say it aloud, I could tell Ember was once more surprised by a pony, and even impressed. She did, however, give a slow nod, and smiled as she answered, “...I think I can do that. Dragons want peace, as well. I think that’s something most of us can agree on, at least.”
Misty May returned the smile and gave a respectful bow. Upon rising, she said, “Anyhow, it was a pleasure seeing you again, Spike and Twilight,” turning her gaze to Ember, she added, “and also a pleasure meeting you for the first time, Ember. Enjoy your stay, and don’t be a stranger.”
Misty May excused herself and closed the door behind her, leaving the three of us to stuff our faces.
The remainder of the day had been quiet, which I was happy about. We ended up not doing anything in the city (Ember still didn’t feel all that great), but it didn’t matter, because we still enjoyed the day spent together. Time got away from us though, and before we knew it, a servant pony was knocking on the door to ask if we wanted to join the princesses for dinner in the private dining room. Ember felt well enough for that, at least, and gave the okay for us to spend a little time outside of the room. It was only after the maid left that she realized she would be meeting Princess Celestia, my mother in all but blood, and wielder of the sun, for the first time as my mate, in private. Something about that made her nervous, and even though I assured her everything would be fine, she wouldn't be calmed.
“Spike, you don’t understand,” she whined, “I’m meeting your mother for the first time in private, as your mate, and I look like...well, like I got in a fight with your aunt. It makes me look weak and unable to watch your back, and…” it was...odd seeing her somehow go pale as she whispered, “...oh ancestors, I didn’t even ask for her permission to become your mate before we...mated.”
Her anxiousness had apparently taken over, since she seemingly didn’t even notice how achy she was as she paced back and forth in the room, her tail lashing frantically as she did so. I approached from my spot on the bed and reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder as I assured, “Ember, I promise, it’s okay. Mom isn’t going to-”
“It’s not OKAY!” she all but shouted, whipping around to face me, her good eye wild and her breathing coming fast and shallow. “I told you, Spike: family is extremely important to dragons. Basically, until we are formally accepted by the sire and dam of the one we’re interested in, mating is completely off-limits. If she was a dragon, I might as well have spat in her face!”
I opened my mouth to try and calm her, only for me to come to a very worrying realization: what she just referenced, I hadn’t done with her parents. And they were dragons.
“Stop making that face, Spike. My dad’s been pushing me to brand you since the gauntlet of fire,” she assured, seemingly picking up on my worries as clearly as if I’d said them aloud. “Besides, I’m already freaking out. I need one of the two of us to be calm, and it isn’t going to be me right now.”
While her words did calm me a bit, they only brought up another question. “Wait, since the gauntlet of fire? Ember, I was a little kid!”
“Doesn’t matter,” she answered absently, still pacing. “You might not have been sexually mature yet, but if our feelings had been strong enough for the brand to activate, which they might have been, securing you as a mate for the future would have been like finding a stash of gems bigger than a mountain. Maybe you don’t think all that much of yourself, but you’re extremely desirable, which is why Sapphira came after you, even though she knew it was my right. You hadn’t been branded yet, so if she secured you first, anything I said wouldn’t have mattered.”
“...pretty sure there’s laws against pedophelia in Equestria. Not sure how well that would have gone over with my mom,” I mumbled, kinda glad what she mentioned hadn’t happened.
Ember stopped in her tracks and frowned at me. She fidgeted for a moment before sighing and pulling me over to sit on the bed next to her, as she, herself, took a seat. “Spike, dragons don’t mate with whelps either. That’s not what it is. Dragons once believed that every drake and dragoness has one mate, just one, that is destined to be theirs from the time they’re hatched. If we find that mate, we brand each other to be bonded for life. That was the original reason for the brand, and it’s why it can’t activate unless a strong enough bond of romantic love is present. Even then, it won’t activate unless it ‘decides’ we’re right for each other.” She shrugged slightly. “I don’t know exactly how it works -- I didn’t develop the spell for the brand, after all -- but I do know that not one branded pair has ever separated in the history of dragons. Only death can separate the two that carry a brand, and even then, the surviving member will never love another quite the same.”
I frowned as well at that. “Wait, but you said the brand can influence the way we feel about each other a bit. Doesn’t that mean that a branded pair was influenced to stay together? What if they would have chosen differently if the brand didn’t exist?”
Ember shook her head, finally smiling a bit. “If that were true, you would have never desired other mates. You would have left Rarity when I branded you, and the hoard you’re building would have never happened. The magic of the brand doesn’t enforce emotions or thoughts on us, it only deepens a bond that already exists, and lets us know and feel each other like no other. Had I branded you as a whelp, none of the ‘adult’ feelings would have taken effect until you matured. I’ve seen it happen a few times before, and not once did whelps get frisky until they reached adulthood. After all, like I said, the point of a mate...is to mate.” She blushed a bit at the explanation. “Can’t exactly procreate with sexually immature individuals, now can we?”
I reached up and absentmindedly rubbed my brand. “So if I’d gotten this during the gauntlet of fire...what would have happened between us?”
Ember shrugged. “Can’t say. We probably would have fallen in love a lot sooner, and the incident with Sapphira would never have happened, but it would have done wonders for dragon-pony relations. You would have been the best thing to happen to the dragon lands. I think you still will be...it’s just happening a little later, is all.”
I nodded, finding myself smiling a bit. “Yeah...I think I can do a lot of good for our two nations.” Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on Ember’s shoulder again. “I know you’re worried, Ember, but I promise: you don’t have to worry about my mom. She is going to love you. Besides, we met when we landed in Canterlot, remember? She didn’t say anything then.”
Ember looked down at her lap and began wringing her hands nervously, though she didn’t start pacing again. “Yeah...I know. But we were around other ponies, and maybe she just didn’t want to cause a scene. Maybe she’s been planning what to do with me this whole time, and maybe I’ll end up as a set of dragonscale armor in her armory or something.”
I shrugged, joking, “Nah, she doesn’t like dragonscale armor. She says it itches and interferes with spellcasting.”
Calling Ember’s expression “horrified” would be an understatement.
I couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped. “Ember, I’m joking. Dragons are wary of alicorns, so I’m sure either her or Aunt Luna butted heads with them in the past, but she’s not going to hurt you. The fact that she adopted a hatchling dragon proves she has no ill will toward our species. She’s going to ask you questions, and she’s going to grill you a bit, but that’s just normal family stuff. I imagine your parents are going to do the same when I see them again.”
My words seemed to reassure her a bit, though Ember still looked a little nervous. Regardless, she conceded the point. “...yeah, I guess that’s true. Fine, but if I end up as a scorch mark on the floor, I’m going to haunt you forever.”
“If anyone could burn a dragon to death, I guess my mom could,” I mused aloud, earning a punch to the shoulder from Ember. Shooting her a grin, I assured, “It’ll be fine, I promise. We’re going to eat dinner with them, you’re going to realize your fears were unfounded, that under the crown, the status, and the power...she’s just a pony. She’s not some deity that needs to be feared and worshiped, she’s just my mom.” Forestalling her counterargument, I raised a hand and added, “I get that I’m kinda biased, but I’m just asking that you trust me. You’re safe, and my mom isn’t going to be mad at you or anything. Besides, because of how long mom and Aunt Luna have been alive, they have a...unique perspective on a lot of things, relationships being one of them. They’re probably going to embarrass us, but no one’s going to hurt you.” She still looked unsure, so I decided to distract her. “Y’know, you’re adorable when you’re all flustered like this.”
Ember growled deep in her throat, snarling, “I am not adorable.”
Grinning and poking her in her side, granting me a squeak of surprise, I argued, “I disagree. You are quite adorable.”
Her glare softened a bit, and she instead pouted, knowing she was beaten and I wasn’t going to budge. After a moment of pouting, Ember relented. “...fine, just don’t call me that in front of my parents or something.”
“No promises,” I teased, nudging her shoulder with my own.
She rolled her eyes just as the door opened, and Twilight stepped in. The alicorn princess had changed into a relaxed evening gown, a bit more reserved than she had worn the day before, but still tasteful and it made her look beautiful. As I admired her though, I noticed something startling.
“...you’re not wearing your glamour,” I said in surprise.
It was true, Twilight’s normally-hidden blemishes and imperfections were on display. Twilight was nothing if not meticulous when it came to her daily routine, so I knew she hadn’t forgotten to apply the charm. Instead, it was apparently a conscious choice on her part not to apply the spell before leaving the room.
Twilight fidgeted with her fingers a bit before answering, “...well, we’re in the palace, and I figured that if my herd mates can accept me, I should be able to accept it as well, at least here. In public I’m obligated to look and behave a certain way, but here, where the guards and servants are sworn to secrecy, I can afford to be who I really am. That includes my physical appearance.”
I made my way across the room, and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder in what I hoped was a comforting manner. “Twilight, you know I’ll support you in almost whatever you might do, but you don’t need to do this if it makes you this uncomfortable.” I pointed to her wings, which were shivering with nervous energy. “I can tell you’re anxious.”
“Of course I’m anxious,” Twilight replied, shrugging a bit, “not even my parents have seen most of these. But, something Luna once said to me made me realize that, even though I said I was committed to any relationships I might have, I was still holding something back: how can I expect those closest to me to fully accept who and what I am if I can’t even accept myself?”
Ember narrowed her good eye at the alicorn. “I never had you pinned as someone that was anxious about herself. You seem pretty confident in who you are, to me.”
Twilight frowned and glanced down at the floor. “...yeah, I’ve always had a knack for illusions.” Twilight gave a long sigh and looked down at her hands, where plenty of imperfections could be seen. “I’m not as vain as, say, somepony like Rarity, but I do admit to taking a small amount of pride in my appearance. Basic hygiene ensures I don’t get smelly, and levitation helps with getting ready for the day, but even with all the advances in medicine ponykind has made, the pony body evolved to create scar tissue to heal from large wounds. The only way to mitigate that is with an illusionary glamour spell.” Looking up at Ember, Twilight explained, “I’m confident in what I can do and who I am, but as Spike can attest, I’ve always had problems with my self-image. Couple that with the expectations the populace has for its princesses, and I’ve had to use glamours to ensure what I naturally look like doesn’t cause problems. And before you start,” she held up a hand to stop Ember as the dragoness opened her mouth, “I’ve already made my peace with it and I understand why it must be done, but it’s necessarily psychologically conditioned me to see those physical flaws as something to be ashamed of, and hidden.”
Ember waited until Twilight finished before saying, “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to comment on how it’s stupid that you have to look a certain way just because you’re a princess. As long as you do your job and you’re not a jerk, it shouldn’t matter.”
Twilight dipped her head a bit. “Thank you for saying that. I agree with you, but ponies can be very judgemental. It’s better to just follow along than try and power through their expectations; it would cause more problems than it solved. The socio-political upheaval would hurt a lot of ponies, so it’s just not worth it.”
Ember thought silently for a moment before suggesting, “You should visit the dragon lands again. Besides the fact I think it would be a good idea to meet my parents again, since we’re essentially both mates of Spike,” Twilight still blushed at the term, which was cute, “once you prove yourself to be powerful and honorable, no dragon would care what you look like. In fact, like I said earlier, scars are something to be proud of in the dragon lands. You’d fit right in, I think.”
Try as she might, Twilight wasn’t able to hide the smile that slowly crept on her face. She lightly pat her cheeks to try and get the blush to die down before shaking herself and saying, “You made me forget why I came here. The dining hall is prepared, and I’m here to lead you there.” With the situation back in mind, Ember stiffened again. Though she didn’t say it aloud, Twilight was aware enough to notice that the dragoness was clearly anxious about going to the dining hall. A room wouldn’t put this type of anxiety on Ember, and Twilight knew that, so she was quickly able to surmise, “...are...are you afraid of the princesses?”
“NO!” Ember immediately shouted, wincing at the volume of her own voice. She wilted under the raised eyebrow of Twilight, eventually admitting, “...okay, so maybe I’m a little nervous, but only a little!”
Twilight didn’t hesitate in walking over to Ember, and extending her hand. Ember stared at Twilight’s hand for a moment before taking it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. When she stood upright, Twilight placed both hands on Ember’s shoulders, looking into the dragoness’ eyes, and said, “Ember, Spike and I would never let anything happen to you. If either of us thought you were in any danger, we wouldn’t ask you to come. You’re not in danger, and you’re safe with us. I swear on my wings and my horn, nothing bad will happen to you tonight.”
Ember lowered her eyes for a moment before shooting off a weak denial. “I’m not afraid Twilight, so stop treating me like I am.”
“What you say and how you’re acting don’t match up,” Twilight rebutted, glancing to me as I stood and wrapped my arms around Ember from behind. The dragoness flared her wings a bit, startled at the action, before relaxing and letting out a long, steady breath. When Ember finally looked back up to Twilight, the mare smiled comfortingly and assured, “It’s okay to admit you’re scared, Ember. Spike and I won’t think less of you, and we’re not going to tell anypony. Anything you say to us in private is said in confidence, and I’d never judge you for being afraid of someone that could, in all reality, squish you like a bug if she wanted to.” Ember’s unamused frown made Twilight laugh a bit. “But, I am going to tell you the fear you have is baseless, since I know who Celestia is as a pony, and I know she would never harm you unless you tried to hurt her, her ponies, or her son. You haven’t done any of those, so you have nothing to fear.” Upon noticing Ember wasn’t particularly reassured, Twilight gave a sigh and gently tugged the dragoness to the doorway. “C’mon. It’s clear what Spike and I are saying isn’t really working, so the only way to get over this is to do it.”
To say Ember was still nervous would be an understatement, but she was never the type to let fear stop her from doing what needed to be done. With that in mind, she gave a physical shake to herself as she let us lead her into the hallway, and toward the dining hall. “Fine...but if we’re doing this, is there any way you can make me not look so beat up?”
Without even turning to look at Ember, Twilight’s horn lit up. Sparkles flowed off of her horn and whirled in the air around Ember. As each spark fell, her physical appearance changed, point by point, until she looked like a normal, uninjured dragoness. Twilight glanced at her from the corner of her eye, and explained, “The tea you had will be what’s best for the pain, but at least you’ll look more presentable now. Just so you know, the princesses wouldn’t have faulted you for showing up looking otherwise, but I know it makes you feel better, so I’m glad to help. Don’t ever be afraid to ask me for help.”
Ember smiled slightly. “I mean, if you’re offering, I might need to do that. Never been the kind of girl to ask for help, but it’s nice to know it’s there, if I need it.”
“Always,” Twilight answered without hesitation. Looking to the doors to the private dining hall, which we had approached as we talked, she nodded to the two royal guards standing at attention. “Good evening. Are the princesses already present?”
The one on the left, which looked the same as all the rest due to an armor enchantment, nodded to Twilight. “Yes, your highness. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting for you. Enjoy your meal.” With that, he bowed and pulled the door open, granting us access to the dining hall.
Compared to the public dining hall, this one was smaller, less opulent, and felt more “lived in” than the other. Rather than intricate carvings on all the walls and a table made of black marble, actual photos hung on the walls, showing friends and family from ages long past, and the table was a bland, but well-used glossy maple. The chairs were built for comfort instead of status, and the table was made to seat only a total of ten, instead of up to fifty. Owing to the symbolism that the princesses were equals in the land of Equestria, neither sat at the head or foot of the table; instead, both were sitting right next to each other toward the end of one side, and were already sampling a few platters of appetizers that they had received while they waited.
Both were facing the entryway, so they immediately noticed our entrance. Celestia waved happily and beckoned us over. Ember momentarily hesitated, but allowed herself to be led by Twilight when the alicorn grabbed her hand. I brought up the rear with a silent smile, more happy about spending time with family than the embarrassment that was sure to come. It would be worth it, in the end.
“Spike, Ember, and Twilight, thank you for joining us,” Luna greeted, raising a glass of wine in greeting. “Come, come and sit. A servant will be along with the entrees a bit later. In the meantime, please help yourselves to the first courses while we wait.”
“Oh yes,” the eldest princess added with a cheeky grin, “we have so much to talk about!”
Taking my place beside Ember, I leaned in and whispered, “Remember when I said they were going to embarrass us? Well, here it comes.”
“So,” my mother began, sipping a bit of wine to draw the moment out, “when can I expect grandchildren?”
We hadn’t even taken our seats yet, and she had already caused Ember (and me) to nearly fall over. Had it not been for the fact the table was there for me to brace my hand on, we would have. And even though she wasn’t the target of the teasing (yet), even Twilight lit up in a brilliant blush almost immediately.
Ember, however, recovered much faster than I anticipated, and had clearly (and rightfully) seen this as a test. She hesitated for only a moment before answering, “Just as soon as we have a way to reliably travel between our lands quickly,” she didn’t look at Twilight, but I did notice she purposely gave Twilight’s hand a squeeze as she was now leading the alicorn instead of the other way around, “it shouldn’t be too long after that. A year, maybe two, I think.”
I almost choked on my own tongue at Ember’s response. She was already ready to make a family with me?
“Spike, breathe before you faint,” Ember ordered with a prod of her finger.
I sucked in the precious, life-giving oxygen as spots appeared in the corners of my vision; Ember was right, I had essentially stopped breathing, and was on the verge of passing out. The lightheadedness passed with a few more gulps of air, and I sat down across from my aunt. After taking a moment to compose myself, with Ember sitting beside me and Twilight on the other side of her, I chastised, “You couldn’t have started with a reasonable question first?”
My mother feigned offense, bringing a palm to her chest and scoffing. "And what could be more important than ensuring a strong, royal bloodline carries on? Besides, I'm not getting any younger, and I've never had the privilege of being a grandma before. I want to experience the joy of spoiling my beloved grandfoals rotten, and sending them home to their parents, hopped up on sugar and caffeine; you know, the kind of thing every grandparent longs to do."
"My mother would agree, unfortunately," Twilight threw in. Deciding to change the subject, she announced, “Anyhow, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a glass of wine or eight.” At Celestia’s raised brow, Twilight grimaced. “Someone tried to kill my two mates today. I don’t want to hear it, Celestia.”
“Mates?” Celestia echoed, “As in, plural?”
The color seemed to drain from Twilight’s face as she went stiff as a board, furiously muttering to herself, “I did not just say that out loud, I did not just say that out loud. I DID NOT just say that out loud!” Twilight began hyperventilating as her pupils became panicked pinpricks, and strands of her hair and tail began sticking up randomly, signaling an impending “Twilypanic” freakout.
Somehow, and she’s never explained how, Ember had the brilliant idea to shock the neurotic alicorn out of her panic. And, even more surprising, was the way she accomplished it. As I watched with fascination, Ember leaned over to Twilight, and snaked out her long, prehensile forked tongue. She deftly ran the forks over the tip of Twilight’s ear, causing the mare to shriek loudly, nearly falling out of her seat, and I had the privilege to watch as all of Twilight’s fur poofed up. Needless to say, her longer winter coat made her look quite fluffy, and saying it was amusing would be an understatement.
Regardless, as Twilight furiously rubbed her ear and glared at the dragoness, the action had its desired effect: Twilight was no longer on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, and was calm enough to slowly realize how silly she had been.
After a few moments, and her frown lessening significantly, she finally sighed and mumbled, “...I was being a silly pony again, wasn’t I?”
“A little, yeah,” Ember answered, nudging Twilight with her shoulder, “but...it’s growing on me. Life around you is never boring, that’s for sure.”
Twilight childishly stuck her tongue out at Ember, but only for a moment before turning back to Celestia. She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before answering, “...y-yes, they’re both my mates. Ember was a bit of a surprise for me, but now that I’ve gotten to know her, she’s a wonderful addition to the family that brings a unique perspective and so much knowledge. I mean, did you know she knows stories that are tens of thousands of years old by heart?” Realizing she was about to start “geeking out,” she reigned in her excitement a bit and gave a firm nod. “She is a valuable addition to the herd, and I welcome her wholeheartedly. Maybe her original reason for adjusting to a herd was so that she could adapt and fit into Equestrian life,” she then glanced over at the dragoness, and a small, warm smile crept onto her lips, “but I really care about her, and she’s made life better. So yes...she’s my mate.”
A momentary look of surprise crossed the elder alicorn’s face before Celestia smiled broadly. “I’m proud of you, Twilight. Your understanding of friendship and accepting all creatures, no matter where they come from, has served you well. I have no doubt all three of you will continue to impress me as the years go by.” She then looked to the dragoness, who stiffened when she noticed Princess Celestia looking at her directly, now. “And what do you think of all this, Ember? My memory is a bit hazy from so many centuries ago, but I don’t think dragons practice polyamorous relationships, do they?”
On one side, Twilight extended a feathery wing across Ember’s shoulders, and I took the dragoness’ hand in mine. Both actions calmed her considerably, enough to answer the question. “...nah, not really. I mean, we don’t exactly have written law like Equestria does, but if we did, polyamory might be illegal.” She tilted her head toward me for a moment. “The way Spike explained it is that, basically, males are vastly outnumbered in Equestria, so it’s part of your culture to share mates as one big group instead of just one male to one female.” She shrugged and continued, “Dragons don’t have that problem, since the gender of a growing hatchling can be changed while they’re still in the egg, so things are pretty much even back home, in terms of the numbers of drakes to dragonesses.” Ember gained a thoughtful look on her face as she continued her answer. “As for how I feel about it...I’m still figuring that out. I know I like feeling like I belong, and that I have support pretty much everywhere I turn. I like that Spike is well-protected, and that every one of his mates has something unique that they bring to the relationship. But…” she bit her lip, “...it doesn’t happen often, but my instincts do rear their heads every now and then. The one I have to beat down most often is the instinct that tells me I should hurt or kill anyone that tries to seduce my mate.” She again tilted her head to me briefly. “Unlike Spike, my parents trained me to overcome most of my instincts, rather than letting them control me. I’d never harm any of the others that Spike calls his, but the instinct will always be there, pushing me.” Taking a deep breath, she finished with, “But...leaving feelings all out of the equation and just looking at the hard facts of things, I understand how good having a herd is for everyone involved. It would cause problems in the dragon lands, simply because it’s not a part of our culture, but here, in Equestria, where it’s normal and encouraged, it’s something that makes you stronger, and better. Anytime anyone’s sick or injured, they have like four or five others that will protect and take care of them until they get better. More people living together also means a pooled income, so financial burdens get spread out across more people, reducing the individual responsibilities. And lastly, is all the knowledge everyone shares. Instead of having just one other that we can learn from and teach, you Equestrians have houses full of people that know things and have skills that they can pass on to each other. Objectively, herding is an amazing system that gives a lot of power to Equestria, and even I can see that.”
“So,” Luna began, popping a cracker with cheese into her mouth, “if I understand, you seem to readily accept that herding is a good thing for Equestrians, and Spike, but dragons are innately more possessive of their mates, and do not like to share.”
Nodding slowly, Ember glanced at me with love in her gaze. “I love Spike, more than I ever thought I could love someone else, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we can be together. If that means I have to adapt to certain parts of Equestria’s culture, then I’ll do it. Besides,” she smirked, “Spike has some good taste in mates. All of them are intelligent, powerful, and strong-willed. Even Fluttershy, which surprised me.”
“Oh?” Celestia said with even more surprise. “I was unaware that Fluttershy had joined your herd. Congratulations to all of you, and pass along that same congratulations to her when you return home.” She folded her hands together on the table and stared intently at us. “Now, I believe we have important matters to discuss involving the incident that happened earlier today.”
With the embarrassment momentarily abated, Ember, Twilight and I sampled the appetizers as I nodded to my mother. “Yeah, and we’re pretty sure we know who facilitated it. Rosy Glow wasn’t exactly pleased with the way we publicly disrespected her, and she’s known for holding grudges. We haven’t heard from the captain though; did he find anything?”
Luna snapped her fingers, and one of her night guards dropped from the shadows of the rafters, startling both me and Ember. It was a mare, that much I could tell, but the shadows themselves seemed to cling to her, so I couldn’t tell who it was beyond that. The guard held out a manila folder to her monarch, then retreated back to the rafters with a powerful flap of her webbed, bat-like wings.
Luna wordlessly passed the folder to me, which I took and began reading. In it was a short report of the investigation, including the one confirmed suspect, due to the fact they fit all of the descriptors provided by Mrs. Cobbler, they were seen on and around the palace grounds by several different workers, they had only a weak alibi, and they had been seen weeks prior entering and leaving Rosy Glow’s home. Some of the information made it clear that only the most skilled and experienced investigators could have captured this individual...since it was a changeling.
The surprise must have shown on my face, since Luna saw fit to advise, “We’ve already sent for dear Lyla, and she should be here within the hour. Her help would be invaluable.”
I found myself unable to form words, but luckily, Twilight was still thinking and was able to voice her concerns. “Do we know what hive it’s from?”
Luna shook her head. “No, and since we can no longer rely on chitin accents, only another changeling would be able to tell, since this one is not feeling particularly talkative.”
I nodded and sat back in my chair. “Well, I guess we should just eat dinner in the meantime. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Now that the difficult business is out of the way,” my mother clapped her hands loudly, and a veritable army of servants entered from the wings with my serving carts laden with covered trays, “let us enjoy the night together. Ember, do you drink?”
From Ember’s clearly confused expression, I saw fit to clarify, “She means alcohol. Like wine and such.”
Ember’s mouth formed an “oh” of realization. “Yeah, sure. Something sweet, if you got it.”
Celestia smiled broadly with a nod. “A dragoness after my own heart.” She levitated a bottle from the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room, and poured it in a square glass. After putting the stopper back in the bottle, she levitated the glass over to Ember, which was now filled with a clear, goldenrod liquid that seemed to shimmer a bit in the light of the dining hall. “Here, try this and let me know what you think.”
Ember took the glass from the air, and gave a sniff before shrugging and taking a sip. As the trays of hot food were set down and uncovered, she swished the drink around a bit before swallowing, smacking her lips thoughtfully. Finally, she hummed and bobbed her head. “Not bad. Tastes almost like that one candy, the one you gave me when I was feeling under the weather, Twilight.”
“Butterscotch,” Twilight answered, just after pouring her own glass of the same liqueur.
Ember gave a nod with a smile. “Yeah, that’s the one. Honestly, if I didn’t already know there was alcohol in this, I wouldn’t be able to tell. This stuff could be dangerous.”
“Well, it certainly could be. It’s 180 proof,” Celestia offhandedly explained.
Twilight nearly spit the mouthful she had out over the table, just barely holding it back. After swallowing and shooting a glare at the older princess she grumbled, “You could have warned me that this was going to get me trashed. At least then I could be prepared to make a fool of myself.”
I wisely decided not to mention that the actual reason Twilight didn’t like to imbibe too much was because she tended to become extremely amorous. Besides the fact it would embarrass Twilight for me to say it, the effects would be a lot more fun to just see rather than be told.
Luna only gave a mischievous smile. “Oh, we would not want that, now would we? Come Twilight, eat, drink, and be merry. Your mates will not judge you, I am sure, and neither will we.”
While Twilight was no longer the one to deify the older princesses, she still respected and trusted them. I imagined she knew she was in a safe, judgement-free atmosphere, since it only took her a moment to relent. “...okay fine, but no pictures. Promise me that.”
I silently did the motions of the Pinkie Promise, which was enough of a vow for Twilight to smile. With the reassurance that this wasn’t going to turn into some PR nightmare, she took a more relaxed drink of the liqueur in her glass, humming happily at the taste.
With the mood lightened and business taken care of, Luna turned to Ember and asked, “So, I regretfully was unable to check on you after our friendly bout. How are you feeling?”
Ember waved her hand over her face. “Well, as I’m sure someone as magically-skilled as you can tell, this is just a glamour Twilight did for me. Dragons are tough, but we don’t heal that fast. But, as for how I feel...well, I feel like I got the scales beat off of me. I mean c’mon, I knew I wasn’t going to beat you, but I had no idea what I was in for.” She then closed her eyes and bobbed her head from side to side for a moment. “However, I’m glad I got to have that experience. From one leader to another, I’m sure you’ll agree that humility is important.”
Luna gave a sage nod. “Verily. Power without control is dangerous, and while you are quite powerful, it is always safe to assume there is another, somewhere in this world, more powerful and skilled than you are. Even my sister and I have been shown that we can be laid low and defeated, whether by power or superior tactics. Dragons are not the only race to have the weakness of arrogance, I assure you. But,” she pointed a fork at Ember, “the fact you are willing to accept defeat with dignity and grace shows you are an honorable individual who is willing to learn. A praiseworthy attribute indeed.”
Ember squirmed a bit at the praise, mumbling a happy, “Thank you, Princess Luna.”
Rolling her eyes, the alicorn of the night chastised, “Come now, there is no need to stand on ceremony. As you are Spike’s mate by right of your customs and the brand you share with him, we are family. Please, simply use my name, and that will be enough.” Her expression then grew decidedly predatory as she added, “Or, you could call me auntie, if you prefer.”
“I-I mean, if you really want me to,” Ember muttered, trying to fight down a blush at least until the serving ponies left.
I nudged my dragoness and smiled. “Ember, she’s messing with you. What you’ll find about my mom and aunt is that they are not nearly as uptight as the upper class would have you believe. Relax,” I brought my thumb and index of my left hand and massaged the back of Ember’s neck, “this is how they are with family. She’s teasing you because she likes you.”
Only a moment later, all of the trays and platters had been arranged, and the serving staff quickly left the room, leaving only the four of us (and the hidden night guards) in the dining hall. Princess Celestia gestured to the assembled foods and urged, “Please, help yourselves. There’s more than enough, so try whatever you want.”
We all wasted no time in serving ourselves, Twilight and I taking a little bit of everything while Ember focused on the foods she could identify. Chatter flowed freely as did a fair bit of affectionate teasing from my mother and aunt, but all in all it was a nice night that made the last few days feel a bit less stressful. Ember became more comfortable with my family, Twilight further bonded with the dragoness, and the night helped all of us momentarily forget about the shadow of politics that unfortunately lingered in all of our lives in one way or another; for tonight, we were just family enjoying each other’s company.
After about an hour however, the heavy doors that we had entered from were thrown open, and a frantic changeling soldier entered, making a beeline for me. I stood from my chair and opened my arms to accept the embrace of Lyla, and she practically slammed into me, wrapping me in a hug tight enough to make my spine scream at me. Nonetheless, I readily returned the embrace, and I was half-aware of Twilight joining us while Ember simply watched silently.
It was only after a moment of holding the trembling changeling that I realized she was silently crying. She looked up at me and haltingly blubbered, “W-when I heard what happened, I was so scared I was going to lose you! D-don’t you see?! I was right! These evil, entitled ponies need to be culled!” The latter part of her outburst was said in a multi-layered voice that was reminiscent of a changeling queen, and the popping of magic from her horn and the glow of her eyes told me she was very close to completely losing all semblance of restraint.
Knowing I had to distract her, lest we end up needing to investigate a string of murders, I practically mashed my lips to hers and poured every ounce of love I could into it. The kiss had the desired effect of completely derailing Lyla’s train of thought, and the presence of Twilight and I further calmed her until she was just crying in relief. We eventually disengaged our lips, and I just held Lyla tightly as she let out the stress of the past two days.
Sniffling a few times and pulling away, she gasped in shock when she saw Ember. “W-what the hay happened to you?!”
Ember looked both uncomfortable and confused, and realizing what it was, I helpfully explained, “Um...some changeling soldiers are what you might consider ‘specialists,’ and they are birthed and nurtured to have certain unique characteristics so as to better serve their hive. Lyla has the rather frightening ability to see through nearly any illusion as if it isn’t even there. Along with a changeling’s natural affinity for empathy, it makes it nearly impossible to hide anything from her.”
Ember’s mouth dropped open and she could only give a dumb nod. After a moment to compose herself, she answered, “Well, I wasn’t injured by the one that wanted Spike and I to be hurt, if that’s what you’re asking. I had a friendly little spar with Princess Luna, and got my tail handed to me.”
When Lyla looked to Luna for confirmation, the night alicorn nodded with a crooked smile, and the changeling turned back to Ember with a bit of a scowl. “That was monumentally stupid. She could have picked you apart by your atoms and aerosolized you into the atmosphere.”
Ember had the decency to look sufficiently chastised, shrugging her shoulders. “I knew she wasn’t going to kill me, and I’m not going to pass up the chance to trade blows with a living legend.”
Lyla only stared at the dragoness in silence, seemingly unable to come up with a response to that. Sensing the lull in the conversation, Luna announced, “Lyla, you know why we’ve asked you here. We will have time for business in a short while, but for now, eat and drink with us, and rest assured in the knowledge that your herd members are safe and whole. Nothing will happen to them now that they are under the watchful eye of the moon.”
“...that actually does make me feel much better. Thank you, Luna,” Lyla replied, opting to not use the princess’ title in private.
With the greetings out of the way, Lyla took her seat next to me and cuddled up close, even though the armrests on the chairs made it a little difficult. As usual, Lyla only took relatively small amounts of food, mostly just to taste, since a changeling’s primary source of sustenance was emotion, not physical food. Still, it was nice having her there, and I knew she felt the same. It was times like this that I found myself looking forward to Hearth’s Warming more and more, since I felt we all needed some time to decompress and just be friends again.
The thought reminded me of something I needed to ask. “Oh, mom, have you already set up the security detail for Hearth’s Warming?”
Eyes widening briefly, Celestia nodded and hastily swallowed whatever food she was eating before snapping her fingers. “Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. The royal guard captain has already recruited and vetted the guards that will be on the security detail, and Captain Silent Night will be overseeing the function directly while we’re there. He will want to scout out the area and check all the rooms, so expect him to arrive sometime in the next few days.”
I raised a brow at that. “Silent Night is going to be leading the guard detail? Wow, you really aren’t playing around.”
She just smiled at me. “Attacking five alicorns at once would be considered monumentally stupid, and that’s not even considering the likely hundreds of charms, traps, and wards Twilight has placed on the castle.”
“Try thousands,” Twilight corrected with a nervous smile. “High-strung, neurotic alicorn princess, remember?”
Celestia gave a warm, yet exasperated smile to Twilight. “Indeed. Anyhow, even with the unfathomable power five alicorns command, having all five of us gathered in one place is also a vulnerability. That is why we have planned for the very best of Equestria’s special forces to provide security for the day. One can never be too careful, after all.” She then motioned to the table. “Anyhow, let us finish this meal so that Lyla can meet with the prisoner, and we can still have enough time for a nightcap and some goodies. I have a feeling Lyla will need the relaxation, and I would like to spend some more time with my son and his mates before you all have to leave tomorrow morning.”
We all collectively agreed on that plan, and went back to enjoying the professionally-prepared dinner provided to us.
The changeling in the cell was very different compared to the new changelings, or even Lyla. Like Chrysalis’ swarm, this changeling had the holes in its chitin that told me it had gone years without enough love to properly sustain it, and so its body had begun to literally consume itself. Such was the plight of starving changelings.
The left leg had a makeshift splint wrapped around it, and this changeling lacked both hair and pupils. Instead, it was reminiscent of the changelings that attacked Canterlot, with uniform, ghostly blue eyes, and a single curved horn that was chipped at the end. As Cherry Cobbler had described, it was tall, but willowy, with long, thin limbs and an almost emaciated torso. When we had first walked into the observation room behind a one-way mirror, Lyla was unable to stifle the gasp that escaped her mouth at the sight of the mangled stumps that were the remainders of its wings. Much as I tried to stay impartial, I found myself feeling sorry for this individual; whoever it was, it had clearly been through a fairly large amount of hardship in its life.
“...is it wrong that I actually feel kinda bad for it?” I asked, frowning thoughtfully.
“The circumstances of one’s life does not condone malicious actions,” Luna reminded, also frowning with a furrowed brow. “At the time of my banishment, I believed I was in the right. And though some may sympathize or even agree that I was allowed to be angry and jealous, that does not condone my actions.”
My mother nodded, pointing to the changeling in the other room. “If it is determined that the actions of this individual were brought on due to desperation, we will do what we can to rehabilitate it and prevent that desperation from having reason to grow again. But, the law is clear, and even with community service, this changeling will be looking at quite a few lost years due to this incident.”
I didn’t like it, but justice was not always something that ended with no one getting hurt. There are consequences for everything we do, and this was no exception.
Taking a long, slow breath and letting it out, Lyla straightened herself and nodded firmly. “Okay, let’s find out what this little infiltrator knows.” She glanced at all of us and said, “I’m going to let you know, I’m doing this in a way that a changeling will respond to, so whatever I do or say, just keep in mind that some of it may not make sense to a pony or dragon. Unless, for whatever reason, I’m in danger, don’t interfere.”
Lyla left the observation room before we could respond, and only a moment later, entered the interrogation room through the warded steel door. The prisoner glanced up at her and visibly recoiled in fear. From what I understood about changelings, infiltrator-morph changelings were masters at blending in and remaining undetected, even deep behind enemy lines. They were not known for their battle prowess or physical strength, instead relying on subterfuge and the manipulation of others to achieve their goals. Needless to say, being found out and exposed was a nightmare for an infiltrator, and facing down a soldier-morph like Lyla would usually be a death sentence for them. It was clear, however, that this changeling had gotten sloppy for some reason, though whether that was due to a lack of leadership or personal failings, we didn’t know at the time. One thing was clear: infiltrators were generally very good at what they did, so for this one to get caught, that likely spoke of a fair amount of luck on our part.
“Do you know who I am?” Lyla began, her voice calm and controlled, yet still firm.
The changeling was positively trembling now, but managed a shallow nod, responding in a sexually ambiguous voice. “Y-yes.”
Lyla’s gaze hardened ever so slightly as she sat in the chair across from the prisoner. “Then you know that in addition to Spike being my chosen sovereign, the two dragons you tried to kill are also under my protection. Because of that, let’s say I take personal offense to what you did.”
“Sovereign?” Luna questioned quietly, though my mother and I said nothing as we continued to watch. Truth be told, I was curious about how she referred to me as well, but now wasn’t exactly the time to get an answer.
“So,” Lyla said, her arm lighting up with emerald flames as it became a large, vicious-looking scythe-like weapon, “you’re going to tell me who your master is, and where I can find them. If you don’t, I’ll be taking your horn and an eye.”
All of us in the observation room stiffened at the threat, but stayed put and let Lyla continue her interrogation.
Thankfully, infiltrators were not known for their courage in the face of danger; they were designed and trained to never be caught, after all, so they were supposed to never have a need to stand firm in the face of someone who found them out.
Practically exploding in tears (which, I’ll admit, made me feel a little bad), it replied, “I-I don’t know! We’ve never met face to face, and they found me! I receive my orders at a drop location, a-and I’ll show you! I promise, but I don’t know who it is!”
A now-familiar truthteller crystal was pulled from the small bag on Lyla’s belt, and she held it aloft. Her magic reached out and grabbed it, and with a minor infusion of power, it began glowing as intended while she hovered it in front of the other changeling. “So, just to confirm, you’ve never met your handler face to face, they contacted you, and you’re going to show us where you get your orders from, is that all correct?”
The changeling shied away from the crystal, but nodded. “Y-yes, that’s right.”
“Did you know who you were going to essentially assassinate?” Lyla asked, raising a brow. Meekly, the changeling shook its head, prompting Lyla to continue with, “His name is Spike, and he’s the adopted son of Princess Celestia, mate to Princess Twilight Sparkle, and mate to me. He’s also mate to Ember, a dragonlord, who you were also going to kill. Think for a moment about exactly how bad things would have gotten had you succeeded. Princess Celestia would have burned your hive to the ground with everyone in it, and the dragons of Ember’s clan would have hunted every single one of us, down to the last ‘ling.”
“W-wait wait, assassinate!? No! I-I was just told to get a cart delivered to the room!” the changeling cried, looking honestly horrified at the implications. The fact it was allowed to say what it did meant that, at the very least, it believed what it was saying was true.
Lyla gave a slow nod. “Okay. So, how did you come to be contracted by this mysterious employer?”
At this, for the first time, the changeling showed an emotion other than fear. It looked distinctly embarrassed, and glanced away in shame. “I...I was found in the snow outside of Canterlot about a month and a half ago.” It looked up at Lyla with defeat. “I left the hive, but Equestrians aren’t exactly too accepting of changelings that aren’t backed by royalty. I was already starving when I left, and making the journey here was difficult, and cold. By the time I reached the outskirts of the city...I-I just couldn’t go any further.” The changeling shrugged helplessly. “Well, whoever they are found me and brought me to an abandoned building at the southern end of Old Town. They nursed me back to health, even gave me some love to sustain myself, and offered more if only I’d do a job for them.”
“What job?” Lyla pressed, frowning slightly.
Again, the prisoner looked ashamed. “I...I didn’t know what I was getting into. The first job was to just transport a covered wagon out to the mountains, and dump it in the river there. I was being offered love for the first time in months, so I didn’t ask any questions and just did as I was asked. Come to find out, that wagon happened to be carrying two bodies, and I had been the unwitting accomplice in a murder.” The changeling’s face then soured, and it looked distinctly upset with itself. “...from there, they essentially blackmailed me. They provided me enough love to keep me alive, and threatened to expose me if I walked away or talked.”
Tilting her head to the side, Lyla asked, “What is your name?”
“Windshear,” the changeling replied, turning its head away from Lyla.
“That sounds like a pony name; do you not have a name from the hive?” Lyla questioned, looking more and more confused.
The now-named Windshear shook their head. “I wasn’t born in the hive. I was...I was born to a pony mare on the outskirts of Manehattan. My mother raised me the best she could until her u-untimely p-passing…” Windshear trailed off, voice breaking as they struggled to remain composed. After a moment, they continued slowly. “T-the hive found me, I was only four at the time. I was assimilated into the hive as an infiltrator.”
Like I did (and probably the other ponies in the observation room with me), Lyla visibly began to relax the longer the interrogation went on, and seemed to be starting to believe that this changeling was merely a scared, lonely individual who had been dealt a bad hand in life. That didn’t justify their actions by any means, but with the truthteller gem and their own admissions, I began to feel we could trust that Windshear was not some evil changeling that was out to cause harm to others on purpose.
“Which hive were you a part of?” Lyla questioned, raising a brow at the other changeling across from her.
Windshear winced and mumbled, “Queen Zidorah’s hive, in the Frozen Wastes up north, near the Crystal Empire.”
“And how was the hive able to remain hidden for so long?” Lyla pressed, frowning, likely at the thought that there were more hives out there that we didn’t even know about. Truth be told, I was worried about the same.
“It’s in the wasteland itself,” WIndshear answered, shrugging helplessly. “I don’t imagine many would want to comb over miles and miles of snow, mountains, and ice. As ponies would say, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack...only the haystack is trying to freeze you to death.”
Lyla nodded solemnly, knowing full well most changelings didn’t tolerate the cold very well for long periods of time. While they had an internal structure much like a normal pony, their chitin was segmented, and could freeze at certain joints, rendering a changeling immobile. Furthermore, with only bare skin, changelings had very little insulation, and lost body heat very quickly in cold or windy environments. It was why most changeling hives were situated in temperate, desert, or tropical climates. It simply was too difficult to survive in climates that were consistently cold. Although, I’d imagine that a queen on the run might weigh that danger against being discovered, and apparently this Queen Zidorah happened to be one of those.
“Why did you desert the hive?” Lyla asked, with a warning tone. While she was an independent changeling, Lyla still had a certain amount of loyalty to the hive she came from, and for changelings at least, desertion was considered treason of the highest degree. There were only a few reasons why a deserter would not be shunned and ostracized by other changelings, which was why the reason was so important.
At this, Windshear lowered their eyes and shuffled uncomfortably. “...I was given an order I couldn’t follow.” When it was clear Lyla wasn’t satisfied with the answer, Windshear sighed in defeat and met the eyes of the other changeling. “I was ordered to assist in the abduction of Princess Flurry Heart, and the hive was planning to use her as bait to draw out her mother and father, and kill the entire royal family of the Crystal Empire in one fell swoop.”
For the first time, Lyla couldn’t hide her surprise as her mouth dropped open in shock, and she stared at the other changeling for a moment, as if waiting for the punchline to a joke. When none came, she violently shook her head and blew out a long breath. “Wow. I mean, I know the Crystal Empire is a fount of nearly infinite love, but taking on two alicorns and a unicorn that can shield an entire city is pretty ballsy, even for Queen Zidorah.”
“It’s a lot easier when you have three nullification rings made from the remains of Chrysalis’ throne, and an infiltrator that had personal access to all three of them,” Windshear mumbled, looking ashamed. “That infiltrator was me. I was in deep cover for years, and had worked myself from a common palace servant to a personal royal servant, and it was my job to ensure the royal family was awake at a proper hour, bathed, and dressed for the day. Because of that, I had access to all three of them in their most vulnerable moments.”
Lyla gave another nod, having composed herself again into a state of stoicism. “And why did you turn down that order?”
For the first time, Windshear showed an emotion other than fear or shame, shooting Lyla a half-glare as they defended, “Because they’re good ponies, who their people love. They weren’t some evil masterminds that were starving us out, and Princess Flurry Heart doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. I…” Windshear suddenly slumped, as if all the fire and energy left them all at once, “I couldn’t be a part of it. So I fled, and knew the best place for me to find a new life would be here, in Equestria. Unfortunately, you know how the story goes from there.”
Lyla once again nodded before cutting the magic to her horn and catching the crystal out of the air. Taking a moment to settle herself, Lyla finally said, “I’ll be honest: your crime can’t be overlooked. But…it’s clear to me you have a good heart, and I swear I’ll do all within my power to help in any way I can. You deserve a second chance at life, and though you made some bad choices, I truly believe you want to turn over a new leaf. For now though, this is goodbye.”
Lyla turned and walked to the door, but before she could leave, Windshear quietly said, “...for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I...I didn’t know what I was doing, but that’s no excuse when I could have killed two innocents. I don’t deserve your help or your forgiveness...but thank you.”
Lyla stopped briefly. Without turning around, she answered, “If you had succeeded, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I would have been where you are right now, because I would have murdered you in cold blood. Let’s not think about the ‘what-ifs’ and instead focus on what we can do from here on out. Good luck, Windshear.”
Lyla finally left the interrogation room, rejoining us only a moment later in the observation room. We watched as two guards entered the interrogation room and escorted the prisoner out, and though Windshear couldn’t see us directly, it had to know we were watching from behind the mirror. Before they left, the changeling offered one last, forlorn, “I’m sorry,” before the room was vacated.
We all watched Lyla stare blankly at the other room, and it was a minute or so before she finally spoke. “...Windshear didn’t deserve this.”
Walking up behind Lyla and taking her into my arms, I laid my chin on top of her head. “Seems they got caught up in a whole bunch of bad luck throughout their life. It’s easy to just say ‘life isn’t fair’ when the bad stuff isn’t happening to you, but when I have to see someone like that, that seems to keep stepping in piles of dung everywhere they walk...it just feels wrong, y’know?”
I felt as the warm hand of the solar princess settled on my shoulder, and she advised, “I am afraid that the old adage holds true...but I will do everything in my power to ensure this poor soul gets a second chance at life.” I looked back to my mother, finding her smiling gently as she clarified, “One of the greatest honors I have is the ability to help those in need. I fear I do not get to do so enough, but when I have the opportunity, I take it. I unfortunately cannot pardon one who was the unwitting accomplice in an attempted murder upon two important individuals, but perhaps if the prisoner helps us right this wrong, the sentence can be reduced, and they can be outside in the free air sooner than normal. That is what I hope for, because I too believe Windshear did not want to hurt anyone, and was simply a victim of bad circumstances.”
“Come,” Luna said, gently pressing my shoulder to get me moving, “I believe it is time to turn in for the night. The perpetrator has been apprehended, and you have done all you can, so for now, leave this in our hands to handle. Besides,” she grinned, “I imagine your dragon beau may need help fighting off an overly-affectionate Twilight.”
I tried to ignore it, but the thought of Ember, trying to look tough as a grinning, inebriated Twilight snuggled her into oblivion was...frankly, hilarious.
Giving a short laugh, I nodded. “Yeah, I guess I should go save Ember from being cuddled to death. Anyway, thanks for your help, mom and auntie.” I turned and gave each alicorn a short, firm embrace before breaking away and taking Lyla’s hand “Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning before we leave.”
“Goodnight, dear Spike. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight Spike, I love you.”
I couldn’t help but blush a bit as I embarrassingly mumbled, “...I love you too, mom.” As Lyla and I walked away from the two princesses, I could practically feel her smug grin. I could only quietly grumble, “...shut up.”
Lyla uttered a happy coo as she hugged herself against my side. “C’mon, it was cute! That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Deciding to turn the tables on her, I composed myself and asked, “So what was that about me being your ‘chosen sovereign’?” I felt my arm be yanked as Lyla tripped and nearly fell from the surprise, and once she found her step again, she was blushing up a storm. After a few moments of silence, I prodded, “C’mon, I want an answer. The implications of naming me ‘your sovereign’ are pretty deep, and I need to know what it means for a changeling.”
Lyla kept walking with me, but fidgeted a bit as we left the prisoner holding cell block. Eventually she answered, “Well, in changeling culture, among changelings, there isn’t really any such thing as romance. Romance involves sharing love between two or more individuals, and since all but the ‘new’ changelings can only consume love, forming a romantic connection with another changeling would be...bad. Since no new love is created, they would eventually starve to death.” She bobbed her head from side to side, her blush starting to die down. “So, instead of dedicating ourselves to someone because we loved them, it became commonplace to dedicate ourselves to a leader, or a master. And no, it’s not as bad as it sounds.”
My mouth had opened, and I closed it momentarily before commenting, “Okay, because I was going to say that sounds a lot like serfdom, or slavery. Like, you follow because you have no other choice but to follow.”
Lyla gave a wry smile. “Changelings are parasites, Spike. We literally cannot survive without the help of another. At the very least, we’re mutualistic symbiotic creatures, but the point stands that we can’t survive on our own. So, to survive, we pledge ourselves, mind and body, to someone else. In the hive, this is the queen, but outside...well, we have to get a bit more creative. Romantic inclinations are not necessary, so our ‘sovereign’ can be something as simple as a best friend, or even an employer. But, romantic love is by far the most potent form of love, and even more so should the love be directed at the changeling in question. So,” she gestured to herself, “for changelings like me, who are lucky enough to earn romantic love from someone special, there is no better source in all the world.” She began blushing once more as she continued. “As for the connotations of you being my sovereign...technically speaking, in changeling society...I am your property.”
Now, I was the one to nearly trip and fall, and only Lyla’s strong grip kept me from doing so. It took a second to steady myself, but when I did, I practically choked out, “P-p-property? L-like as a loved one, or-”
“My entire being -- body, mind, and soul -- is yours to do with however you wish,” Lyla clarified, looking completely unbothered by the whole thing. “But, before you start freaking out, remember: changelings choose their sovereign. Some queens will use force and fear to cow others into submission, but the choice of who to follow is always ours, in the end. I chose you because even before you accepted me as one of your herd, you loved me unconditionally, and without restraint. After only a week of the customary hesitance most creatures feel toward changelings, you cared about me with your whole heart. I am privileged to be a part of your life, and lucky that you found it in your heart to love me back.”
Like a light being switched on, I finally understand just how and why she willingly put herself in the line of fire without a second thought. “So that’s why you were so willing to fight a dragon lord for me.”
Again, Lyla nodded. “As my sovereign, even before my personal feelings, I am duty-bound to ensure you are safe. The fact that I love you, and you I, had nothing to do with it. Even if we were merely friends, I would have done the same without hesitation.”
“Sometimes I forget that you’re a soldier, under all the flirting and teasing,” I commented with a loving smile.
Lyla leaned into me and affectionately nuzzled my shoulder as we approached the room we were staying in. “While a soldier is not all of who I am, it is quite a large part, and it always will be. So, should a pride of manticores threaten our home, don’t be surprised if I transform into my battle form and rush into battle. It’s what I was created to do, and I am very good at it.”
“I certainly can’t argue with that,” I grumbled. “Only a fearless warrior or a fool would jump into a fight with a dragon lord, and you don’t strike me as the foolish type.” Reaching for the door, I pushed it open and ushered both of us inside before closing and locking it behind us. We walked around the small partition wall that separated the entry from the bedroom, and what I saw was pretty much what I expected...but that didn’t make it any less funny.
“H-help me!”
Ember was on the bed, wide-eyed and blushing, as a half-naked, drunk alicorn princess lovingly rubbed her cheeks and nose all over Ember’s face, neck, and chest. While Ember had become a little bit more comfortable with others besides me showing her affection, this was likely pretty overwhelming for her, and only Ember’s restraint kept her from growing to a giant size just to escape from the clutches of an unfairly-strong pretty purple pony princess.
But yes, I still laughed.
“W-would you stop laughing and help me?! She hasn’t stopped since we got back here!” Ember pled aloud, sounding more embarrassed than actually upset.
Getting a hold of myself, I left Lyla’s side and made my way to the bed, wrapping my arms around Twilight’s arms and midsection, and gently pulling her away from the dragoness.
“Noooooo! S-she needs hugs! Hugs make everything better!” Twilight whined, flailing feebly in my arms, unable to use magic due to her inebriation.
I just continued my quiet giggles, wrangling Twilight the best I could and pulling her toward the bathroom. “C-c’mon Twi, hehe, you gotta get showered and ready for bed.”
She pouted with a whine, sticking her bottom lip out foalishly. “You’re mean. I was get-*hic* getting cuddles, and you took me away, now I have no cuddles.”
“When you get done with your shower, I’ll cuddle you all you want, but it’s time for bed, so get clean and get in your jammies,” I ordered in a firm tone of voice, though I was smiling. I turned to the waiting changeling. “Lyla, make sure she does it without falling asleep in the shower.”
Giving a lazy salute, Lyla walked over and effortlessly grabbed the mare from my arms, hauling her to the bathroom. “I’ll take care of it, Spike. See you in a bit.”
I made my way to my bag and rummaged for a moment before finding a pair of pajama pants to change into, and upon changing, made my way back over to the bed. Ember was still blushing up a storm, trying to look as dignified as possible after being forcibly snuggled by Twilight for about an hour.
I took a seat next to my dragoness and wrapped my arm around her, pulling Ember to my side. It took a moment, but she eventually relaxed and let out a short breath. “When you said Twilight would get ‘overly affectionate’, I had no idea what I was in for.”
“I think it’ll help a little bit,” I commented, smiling down at the dragoness when she raised her eyes and stared at me. “I mean, think about it: everyone puts Twilight on a pedestal to some degree,” I gently booped her nose, “even you. While you don’t worship her or anything, you still hold Twilight in extremely high regard, and I think this’ll help you remember that she’s just a silly pony underneath it all.”
Ember twisted her lips a bit. “...there had to be a less-embarrassing way to accomplish that.”
“Not one that would leave such a lasting impression,” I countered, giving her shoulders a brief squeeze. “Besides, you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that on some level.”
Ember squirmed a bit, glancing away from me. “...I mean, I didn’t dislike it.”
I shrugged, playfully challenging, “I give it another month or so, and you will submit to the cuddliness of ponies. None can resist for long, not even dragons.”
“You’re making fun of me,” Ember grumped. It wasn’t a question.
“A little,” I admitted, leaning down and kissing the top of her head, “but only because I recognize you’re trying to keep up your tough persona, as if admitting liking something like pony hugs makes you a less capable dragon lord.”
Ember went quiet as she seemed to consider my words, before eventually relenting. “...fine, maybe it is nice. Sometimes. A little.”
I could tell she was still holding back, but I also knew Ember -- and dragons in general -- didn’t like to display any sort of vulnerability. That was okay, though. Baby steps.
The far door to the bathroom opened with a cloud of steam, revealing a shiny Lyla and fluffy Twilight, the latter of whom was being carried by the former, and Twilight had taken to affectionately nuzzling the stuffing out of Lyla in the process. Unlike my dragoness, Lyla had long ago adapted to just how physically affectionate ponies could be, and since she had the same proclivities, had been able to accept and return them in equal measure. She guided the loopy alicorn over to us, and I took Twilight into my arms when they got close enough, shimmying myself down a bit so that I could lay down properly. Lyla carelessly tossed her outerwear over to a corner of the room, leaving her wearing only underwear as she slid in on the other side of Twilight, cuddling the alicorn from behind. With a gentle application of magic, Lyla flipped the lightswitch, bathing the room in darkness as we all settled in to sleep.
I was sure, as always, there would be more trials to come in our future, but for now, life was good, and I was going to ensure I made the most of it.
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Ahh. Great to see another update. Ahh woo boy, assassins. Man that got serious real quick. Still, at least the love isnt going to let that get in their way.
Great chapter.
I like this. could have Windshear become a servant in twilights castle.
While it probably doesn't much matter, it's interesting to note that Capper never answered the question given to him - not directly, at any rate.
Great chapter, really enjoyed all the fluff, and the included drama. Hopefully WIndshear's given a good chance to work with the guards and alleviate some of her sentence. And that word gets back to the Crystal Empire about this hidden hive. Eager to get back to the rest of the cast - thanks for the update, as always!
I thought i never see the day
But really i hope your life will get better over all and all your problems will end so that you could enjoy better days
A great chapter! I do hope you get over all of your problems sometime soon.
Love this chapter. It was quite long and I enjoyed it immensely. Can't wait for the next part and hope it doesn't take as long. That being said you should take as much time as you need to 'cause this looks like it takes alot of time and thought.