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Chapter 52,131 words
Chapter 62,671 words
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Chapter 92,477 words
Chapter 102,530 words
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Chapter 122,319 words
Chapter 132,196 words
Chapter 142,492 words
Chapter 151,771 words
Chapter 163,412 words
Chapter 172,204 words
Chapter 181,987 words
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Chapter 212,144 words
Chapter 222,131 words
Chapter 233,047 words
Chapter 242,156 words
Chapter 251,921 words
Chapter 262,299 words
Chapter 272,659 words
Chapter 282,094 words
Chapter 292,569 words
Chapter 302,133 words
Chapter 312,728 words
Chapter 322,008 words
Chapter 331,886 words
Chapter 341,869 words
Chapter 352,169 words
Chapter 362,274 words
Chapter 372,254 words
Chapter 381,494 words
Chapter 393,168 words
Chapter 401,707 words
Epilogue: Happily Ever After3,149 words

Chapter 31

Applejack entered the leisure room with a sigh and a smile on her face. When she saw the others looking at her with smirks, she inquired, "What?"

The trio giggled, no doubt Sunset had recently made amends with Rarity and Fluttershy and they in turn forgave and accepted her. Now together they were ganging up on Applejack.

Rarity said with a smile, "Darling, you're swooning…"

Fluttershy tittered, "And it's so adorable."

Sunset scoffed in amusement, "You are so head over hooves…"

Applejack blushed and stammered, "Come on now, that's just…" but she couldn't denide it even if she wanted to. Besides, why would she want to? Spike was hers now and she was his… A dreamy look came on her face and the girls giggled again. She said, "Okay, fine, you got me."

Rarity squealed, "Give us all the details!"

Sunset demanded playfully, "Right now!"

So she did, she shared what happen during her time with Spike as the girls gushed and cooed. When she was done, they sighed.

Rarity said with a hint of sadness, "You really are his true love… You're so lucky. I hope I'll have what you have someday…"

Applejack gave a tiny smile and touched the unicorn's shoulder, "I'm sure you will. You're kind, generous, and glamorous that you'll have an army of stallions waitin' for you when you get home."

Rarity flipped her mane, "How very true."

They laughed at her statement.

Sunset pointed, "Same goes for Fluttershy." she addressed the pegasus with remorse, "I knew right off the bat you were going be one of the few to make it to the top but I thought you would get scared and beg to leave in the end."

Fluttershy admitted, "I wanted to leave on the first day, but Spike helped ease my worries and later… I…" a tiny blush crept on her face, "I found I didn't want to leave… and it wasn't because Spike."

This peak the girls' interest.

Rarity questioned, "Fluttershy, is there a certain someone that you've met, that you're not telling me about?"

Fluttershy replied, "Well, we all have met him on the day he showed up out of nowhere to introduce himself…"

They gaped and uttered out, "Discord?!"

Suddenly said spirit of chaos popped up, "You called?"

Sunset said, "No, we didn't, but as long as you're here you might as well answer our question about you and Fluttershy being together."

Discord turned to the butter-colored mare, and whined, "Flutters, we said we weren't going to say anything! Don't you remember what happen to Twilight Sparkle and what's-his-name?!"

She nodded bashfully and apologized, "I'm sorry, Discord, it just came out." then her voice became stronger, "Besides, I don't want to hide what we have! You mean too much to me!"

The girls awed while Discord sighed, "I don't want to hide it either, sweetheart, but we have to wait until after the Selection is over. You are not a free mare until Spike dismisses you."

Applejack muttered under her breath, "No duh…"

Discord continued, "And that can't happen until this one here," points to Applejack, "gains approval from the big bad dragon lord."

AJ objected, "Hey! Don't go blaming this on me! The dragon lord is nothin' but a tyrant and he wants to keep everything around him in control!"

Discord clicked his tongue, "You may have honesty, but you really don't know when to keep quiet. You have Spike's heart, Miss Applejack, but if you make a really bad impression, then your princey-boy will just have to choose someone else, mainly Miss Rarity or Miss Shimmer."

Applejack bit her lip while the others looked on in sympathy.

Sunset then wrapped an arm around her, "Well all she needs is a little coaching. You just leave it to us, and we'll make sure Spike has that chance to propose to her."

Fluttershy and Rarity agreed making Applejack feel touched.

Discord even smiled at the sight, as he commented, "You know, I have seen every Selection that has happened over a thousand of years and none of the Elite has ever been as close as you girls."

Sunset questioned with a smirk, "Let me guess, they were all cutthroat and selfish?"

Discord smirked back, "Pretty much. Of course this is also the first Selection to have an actual love story since every other dragon prince choose a mare that was willing to do whatever it took to win."

Applejack nudged Sunset, "Looks like you would have won in any one of those previous Selections."

Sunset gave a smug look, "You bet I would have." then her face softened, "But honestly I'm glad of how this Selection turned out… While it's disappointing to lose at the same time, I don't mind it."

Discord held a finger, "Ah, but it's not over yet. Until Miss Applejack can prove she's well-behaved, you may to have brace yourself to be chosen."

Fluttershy shook her head, "Oh, Discord… You need to have faith that Applejack can do this, and it's like Sunset said, we'll be helping her."

Applejack commented, "Which I am grateful for because I'm goin' need all the help I can get to stop myself from speaking out too much."

Discord clapped his hands, "Excellent! Now, there's some business I must discuss with you ladies. As of this moment you are the last four mares standing in this competition and the public must be made aware of that. So, tomorrow night look your best as I make the announcement."

"And that's it?" asked Rarity, "No interviews or anything like that?"

Discord shook his head, "Nope, all you have to do tomorrow is smile and wave." he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash.

Rarity addressed the girls, "Right then, shall we begin with our lessons?"

Sunset motioned Applejack to the couch, "Take a seat, AJ, as we show you the proper way to be reticent."

Applejack questioned, "Retic-what now?"

Sunset explained, "In other words, reserved or controlled. Take Fluttershy and Rarity for example, they demonstrate on a day-to-day basis of being ladylike and composed. Now I'm not saying you should be completely like them but they do know when to be compliant and that's what you have to be at this point."

Rarity pointed, "Now Applejack, say I was a brutish dragon that insulted you-"

Applejack injected, "That won't work, I can handle insults being directed at me but when it comes to how unfair punishment is done in Dragonia or how others are insulted then that's when my tongue starts to loosen."

Rarity started again, "Alright, say the dragon lord was punishing someone you thought was unfair, what would you say?"

Applejack stood up on the couch and motioned, "Hey! What have they ever done to ya?!"

Rarity muttered under her breath, "Oh, dear…"

Sunset told the prim and proper unicorn, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

As Spike was reading his comic, he caught Ember going pass his room and asked, "Going somewhere?"

She replied, "Yeah, to talk with the prisoners, want to come with?"

Spike slightly frowned as he got up and started walking with her, "Sure I won't act like a weak link?"

Ember sighed, "What Dad said… that was low even for him… Believe me when I say this Spike, that even though other dragons see you as insignificant I see you as something special…"

Spike felt touched and uttered, "Thanks Ember, between you and Applejack, I feel I can go the distance."

"As much as I am glad you've found a mare you care for and she cares for you but if she doesn't prove herself then you may have to think of a different mare to marry."

"Applejack won't let me down, Ember. She knows perfectly well what's at stake here." Our happiness… he added in his thoughts.

"I hope you're right." she stated before stopping in front of the guarded dungeon door, with a simple command the guards let them in.

They went down the rows of cells before stopping at the one that held a griffon and pegasus.

Gilda saw them and gruffly inquired, "Come to gloat that the griffons are the losers while the dragons are the winners while having our idol?"

Ember rolled her eyes, "And I keep telling you, we don't have your dumb idol."

Gilda screeched, "IT'S NOT A DUMB IDOL! That idol was the pride and joy of Griffonstone until you dragons stole it from us!"

Rainbow Dash immediately calmed her hybrid friend down by saying, "Look, Gilda, even if I agree that they took the idol, we have to cooperate on what they want from us." she narrowed her eyes at them, "Just why are you here?"

Ember spoke, "You can tell us why you think we dragons stole from you…"

Gilda huffed, "I don't think… I know you stole from us… My Grandpa Gruff and a group of other griffons saw a dragon bursting into the Griffonstone castle to steal the Idol of Boreas."

Spike asked, "What did this dragon look like?"

Gilda cleared her throat and started mimicking in an old voice that was presumably her grandfather's, "He was the scaliest dragon you've ever seen! Red like blood, with eyes that burned with hatred! He took the idol without a second thought! We chased after him only for him to torch us out of the sky! We never saw the idol ever again or our pride…" she used her normal voice again while glaring, "When the idol went missing, Griffonstone fell into destitute. So I'm trying to find it and bring it back so Griffonstone will be what it was, cool and not a dump."

Spike uttered, "Wow… that's a really noble cause, don't you think, Ember?"

Ember replied, "Noble, perhaps, but they still wanted to capture us to trade for the idol."

Gilda and Rainbow gawked at that statement with Dash proclaiming, "Who said that?!"

Ember and Spike turned to them in confusion with the dragon princess inquiring, "You mean to say you weren't planning on kidnapping us to get back the idol?"

Rainbow declared, "Heck no! All Gilda and the other griffons wanted to do was get into the castle and demand you hand over the idol, sheesh!"

Gilda explained, "Since attacking Dragonia was suicide but with you visiting Equestria on occasion, it gave us the chance we needed to demand back our idol."

Spike told his sister, "Looks like Dad overacted as usual, thinking the griffons would use us when really they just wanted to see us to get the idol."

Ember pointed, "Well, you couldn't exactly blame him what with them attacking so many times."

Rainbow expressed, "Griffons like to use force to get what they want."

Gilda gestured, "Well we're not like you mushy ponies who rather talk for hours just to settle something."

Dash indignantly replied, "Hey, I am not mushy. And as much as I rather things done at a fast pace here in Equestria, it's still my home."

Ember stated in a hard tone, "And yet you had betrayed your country, such disloyalty is punishable by a whipping in Dragonia."

Rainbow quipped, "Well lucky for me, we're not in Dragonia. And only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can punish me for what I've done. I may have aided the griffons but my loyalty shall always be to the princesses and I will gladly take any punishment they give me."

Spike's eyes widen and muttered, "Whoa…" Now that's what I call dedication.

Even Ember was impressed by that statement as a small smirk crept on her face, "Well said. You just maybe the first prisoner that's earn my respect."

Rainbow mentioned, "Then maybe you'll respect this… The griffons just want what's theirs. If you give them back their idol, Gilda will take any sentence you have for them attacking."

The royal dragons looked at Gilda who nodded in confirmation.

Ember shook her head, "I'm afraid that will have to be determined at your trial. I personally would accept your terms if I had the idol with me this very second but since we still cannot find it…"

Gilda said, "Fine. Whatever. When is this trial supposed to be?"

Ember answered, "In a few days. So if you want to say anything about the idol that could help us find it faster, I suggest you say it."

There was a pause before Gilda said, "There was a reason the Idol of Boreas could bring the griffons together… it had a stone in the middle of idol-at least that's what my Grandpa Gruff told me-and that was able to control the griffons and since it was up to the griffon king to look over Griffonstone he was in charge of it. Only a member of royalty can control the idol or so the legend goes… Personally, I never believed in it because do you know how ridiculous that would be if a stone was the reason we griffons got along?"

Ember and Spike exchanged a knowing look as they both thought of a certain scepter their father was in control of. Then they turned back to the prisoners.

The princess addressed them, "Well, we thank you for this information. And as Crown Princess of Dragonia, you have my sworn vow that the Idol of Boreas will be found and returned to the griffons." she turned to leave and Spike followed after her but not before taking one last look at the captives with surprised looks on their faces.

Spike couldn't help but smile and resumed to follow his sister.

Applejack flopped onto her bed feeling very tired from her entire afternoon of lessons from the girls. Fluttershy helped Applejack to keep calm in harsh situations. Rarity taught her to keep a stiff upper lip should insults arise about her or others. And Sunset trained her how to cave-in to demands. Now that last part made her uncomfortable since it felt she was selling herself to something she didn't want. But Sunset felt sure she would only need to do that under the direst of circumstances such as the Dragon Lord wanting her to do something and that she wouldn't find herself disobeying him.

She spotted a sleeping Winona in the pet bed next to her bed and slightly smiled. These were the last moments she can enjoy life in Equestria. She had no idea what her life would be like in Dragonia, but she did know this as long as she had Spike by her side, she could care less. For he was everything to her at this point and she didn't want him to nearly slip from her grasp again. With that thought in mind, she slowly fell asleep. As she waited for tomorrow to come so she could spend time with her beloved again.

Author's Note:

And here's where I'll be taking that break, as we wait for that episode to air. Please review what you thought of this chapter, as I said before, your feedback is very important to me.

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