The Feelings We Keep Inside

by jw278

Chapter 5

As Ember began to stir, she shot up in a panic. It took a second before she looked around, confused to find herself in a room, lying on a bed. Just then, the door opened. Spike walked in, “You’re awake. How are you feeling? You gave us all quiet a scare,” Spike said as he placed a glass of water on the bedside table.

Ember quickly took the glass and gulped down the water and wiped her mouth before she said, “Thanks. I needed that.” As Ember’s smile faded, she said, “Spike, I need to talk to your princesses right now. It’s an emergency. We don’t have time to waste.”

As she unsteadily stood up from the bed, Spike held her arm to support her and worryingly said, “Take it easy. You haven’t had time to fully recover. As for the princesses, Twilight got worried by your sudden arrival and the princesses and the elements, are all here and are waiting in the Cutie Map room.”

As Ember patted Spike on the head to reassure him, she smiled before saying, “I’m ok, Spike, but I really must talk to them. I'm glad they’re all here. It will make things easier that way.”

Curious, Spike asked, “What’s got you so worried, Ember?”

As Ember started to make her way to the door, she sighed and said, “It’s better if I tell you all at the same time. Come on,” as she walked out the room with Spike following right behind.

As they come to the Cutie Map room and open the door, they step through to see everypony in the room turn to look at them with smiles and grins from ear to ear. Taken aback by this, Ember gives them all a crooked smile as she leans towards Spike, without taking her eyes off them and asks “Err, are they ok? Is this some sort of pony thing I’m just not getting?”

Spike chuckled and said, “It’s not you, Ember. They’ve been like this for the last 30 minutes or so every time I come into the room. They’re just happy, is all.”

As Spike finished saying that, Princess Celestia stood from her chair and said, “Dragon Lord Ember, it is good to see you well. Please forgive me for asking this so straightforwardly, but before you passed out you said, 'They are coming.' What’s going on?”

As Spike and Ember made their way over to the Cutie Mark table and sat down, Ember took a slow breath out and said, “I am no longer the Dragon Lord.”

“What!?!” Everypony shouted before Spike asked, “But how can that be?”

Ember sighed as she said, “I let my guard down and now Zeri has declared war on the ponies and is leading his army to invade your territory. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”

“But why? I thought dragons and ponies were getting along so well. Why would this new Dragon Lord want to go to war with us?” Twilight asked worryingly.

“No! You misunderstand,” Ember said sharply as she clenched her fist, "Zeri isn’t the new Dragon Lord. He is The Dragon Lord!”

As everyone looked at Ember confused, Spike said, “What do you mean he’s The Dragon Lord?”

Ember smiled weakly at Spike and said, “Forgive me, Spike. I sometimes forget that you were brought up by ponies and don’t know anything about our past.” As Ember sighed, she continued, “We dragons were once ruled over by our own king and queen. Our king was the strongest of all the dragons, while our queen was wise and cunning. Together they were an unstoppable force.”

As Ember took a calming breath, she said, “Due to the royal blood of the king, he could command the dragons at will. However, he had a little brother, who also held this power. His power was not as strong as the king's, though, so he was given the title of The Dragon Lord.” As Ember scratched her head, she said, “Anyway, long story short, about 1,500 years ago, the dragon race was under threat of attack. Our king and queen went head to head with our enemy by themselves and crushed them, saving the dragon race.”

As Ember started to get excited at telling the story, she stood up from her chair with the biggest of smiles and said, “They were the truest of dragons. No other dragon could come close to them!” As she looked around at everyone, looking at her, she got a little embarrassed and cleared her throat as she sat down and continued to say, “Anyway, after the battle, the king and queen both succumb to their injuries. But before they passed, the king created the sceptre, deeming his brother unworthy to rule. Of course, Zeri wasn’t happy about that and in the end, the king and queen used what little power they had left to imprison him for the good of the dragons. With our king's final words, he entrusted the sceptre to my father, who became the first Dragon Lord to rule, under the condition that every 1,000 years or so, the dragon in charge would set up a challenge to test those who were worthy of becoming the next Dragon Lord. At least that is how the story is told to us as hatchings”

As Ember closed her eyes she said, “Now The Dragon Lord has escaped and in the confusion, he destroyed the scepter. All dragons are now under his control and he’s coming for the ponies.”

“Wait. All dragons? What about Smolder?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Ember replied, “What part of all dragons did you not understand?”

“Wait. If you said Zeri now controls all the dragons, how is it that you are here telling us all this? Shouldn’t you be under his control also?” Twilight asked.

Ember opened her eyes and breathed out slowly as she looked over at Spike and said, “It would seem the only dragons he has no power over are those that become Dragon Lords. I’m guessing since the king was more powerful than him, it somehow makes you immune to his orders. At least that’s the best guess I’ve been able to come up with since the same seems to be true for my dad, the former Dragon Lord. This also includes you, Spike. Although, you only held the title for a few moments, you did inherit the title of Dragon Lord and thus are also immune to his orders.”

Just then, Ember shot out her chair, dropped on one knee, lowered her head to Spike and said, “Forgive me, Spike. When you passed the sceptre to me, it was so your pony friends would be safe. I have failed to do that. I’m sorry.”

“Whoa, Ember. Knock it off. Will ya?” Spike said as he ran to her and helped her up before saying, “None of this is your fault, and even though you lost the sceptre you still came to warn us. Thank you.” Spike said as he looked at her with a smile, before asking, “What about your dad? If he isn’t under the control of this Dragon Lord, where is he?”

Ember sighed and said, “My dad has most likely been imprisoned in all of the confusion when The Dragon Lord escaped and destroyed the sceptre. My dad, along with those that still had enough will to fight off his orders at the time, held him off for as long as they could, giving me enough time to escape and warn you all.”

Just then, Celestia stood up and said, “Your father is a wise dragon, Ember. I’m sure he is safe,” as Celestia bowed to Ember, she said, “I know it cannot have been easy for you to leave your father’s side at such a time,” as Celestia rose back up and gave Ember a warm smile, she continued, “But, on behalf of the ponies, I thank you for bring us this information.” After taking a calming breath, Celestia turned to Luna and said, “We have work to do, Luna. Go back to Canterlot and ready our troops. Cadance, return to the Crystal Empire and do the same. We must be ready for when they attack. If it is a fight he wants, then we will meet him head on.”

Luna and Cadance nodded before the former said, “I will also send word to our allies and inform them of what is happening, less they be caught off guard." Celestia nodded her head as both Luna and Cadance teleported away.

“What!?!” Twilight said in surprise as she looked to her former teacher before saying, “Celestia, you can’t be serious. There has to be another way!”

Celestia turned to look at Twilight with a serious look and said, “Twilight Sparkle, you are a princess now. Like me and the other princesses, you have a duty to protect Equestria and all ponies that live in it. This means making the hard choices, which others cannot. Even if this is something we do not want to do, we must for the good of our citizens. That is the burden and the weight that comes with the crown that sits on your head.”

As Celestia continues to look at Twilight and starts to see tears come into the corners of her eyes, Celestia sighs. She walks up to her and cups her cheek before giving her a warm motherly smile and saying, “Oh, my sweet little former student, I know this is not easy for you. The truth is, it has never been easy for me either. The thought of sending my little ponies off into danger has never been easy for me to accept, but sometimes we must do the best we can with the cards we have been dealt. We have to try our best to keep them safe. That is our duty and what is expected of us.”

As Celestia pulls Twilight into a hug and starts to get teary herself, she says, “Please, try to understand, little one. This is like nothing you have faced before. This isn’t a group of young dragons, but fully grown dragons. Each one is as strong and powerful as the next. Not only that, but it’s going to be all of them. We have to do what we can to protect the ponies, Twilight.”

As Twilight broke their hug, she weakly smiled at Celestia as she asked, “What can I do to help?”

As Celestia smiled back and said, “Our first objective will be to evacuate Appleloosa and Dodge City. The dragons will most likely come from the Badlands, so those ponies will be most at risk.”

Twilight nods before turning to the girls and saying, “Girls, we got work to do. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, I want you to go to Appleloosa and tell your cousin Braeburn what’s going on. Tell him and everypony they have to evacuate to Ponyville. They are only to bring the essentials. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, you are to go to Dodge City and tell the ponies there the same thing. If any pony tries to kick up a fuss, you tell them it is a royal order from all four princesses of Equestria. Understood?”

“We’re on it, Twi. Come on girls, it’s looking like it’s gonna be one of those days.” Applejack said as her and the other girls charge out of the room on their missions.

Twilight walked over to the Cutie Map and looked at it as she said, “Based on what we know about dragons, they’ll come straight and hard, most likely for Canterlot. If we meet them head on at the borders of Appleloosa and Macintosh Hills, we can reduce the chances of any innocent ponies getting hurt and stop their attack before it starts. Ember, any insight you can give us into dragon tactics would be greatly appreciated.”

“Hmmm, I concur, Twilight. This seems to be the best and safest option to us. Good thinking,” Celestia said as she smiled at Twilight.

Just then, Rarity cleared her throat and said, “Twilight, is there nothing I can do to help?”

As Twilight looked to her friend, she said, “Of course, there is Rarity. I’m sorry. I just wanted to get things moving. I need you to go and inform Mayor Mare of the situation. Tell her that she should prepare for a mass of refugees. That any pony with spare room will need to help out as best as they can. Also, have a word with Granny Smith. See if she will be willing to make up some sort of camp for those that need shelter. We’re gonna need food, water, and as many blankets and sheets as we can get our hooves on. Think you can manage all that?”

Rarity smiled as she said, “Of course, darling. Leave it to me.”

“What about me, Twi? What can I do?” Spike asked.

Twilight warmly smiled at Spike and said, “Spike, you’ve got the most important job. I need you to coordinate with Mayor Mare and keep things running. There’s gonna be a lot of scared ponies coming and we need to make sure to take care of them. I’d do it myself, but I’m needed here. There’s no one I trust more than you, Spike. It’s going to be a lot of hard work, but if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

Spike smiled back at Twilight as he saluted and said, “Leave it to me, Twi.” Before he and Rarity both left the room to complete their task.

************

For the next few hours, Spike was working with Mayor Mare at her office. He finishes writing his list and puts it on top with the pile before letting out a big yawn. Just then, a cup of coffee comes floating in front of him. As he turns to see Rarity standing there with her own cup, he gives her a warm smile, as he takes the cup and says, “Thanks. I think I need this,” before taking a sip of coffee. As he watches Rarity sit next to him, he asks, “What are you doing up? I thought everypony would be asleep by now?”

Rarity puts her cup down and says, “Well, now that all the ponies from Appleloosa and Dodge City have settled in, I suppose I should try to get some sleep, but I figured you’d still be up working and decided to see if there’s anything I can help you with.”

As Spike shakes his head, he smiles at Rarity and says, “Na, I’m good. I just finished in fact, but thanks for the offer.”

As Rarity takes a quick glance at the pile of paper, she asks, “What is all this any way?”

“It’s a list of where everypony from Appleloosa and Dodge City is staying. Although, it’s pretty easy to remember since the majority of them are either at the school of Friendship or at the farm and since one or two are staying with friends in Ponyville, I just thought it was a good idea to have a list just to be safe. I even put it in alphabetical order.” As Spike let out a little chuckle, he said, “Will you listen to me? I guess I really have spent too much time around Twilight. I’m even starting to act like her, making all these list and sorting them into alphabetical order”

As Rarity let out a little giggle of her own, she said, “Knowing Twilight, she was most likely going to ask for some kind of list any way. You just beat her to the punch.”

As Spike finished laughing and leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of coffee, Rarity asked, “Are you worried, Spike?”

Spike turned his head slightly to see Rarity have a worried look on her face and he smiled as he said, “Nope. Not one bit. I mean, we got all four princesses here with us and then there’s you and the girls. What’s there to be scared of? Right now, Ponyville is the safest place in Equestria.”

“That’s not what I said, Spike. I didn’t ask if you were scared. I asked if you were worried,” Rarity said. “I can’t imagine this is easy for you, Spike. I mean, we are literally preparing to go to war with the dragons. I know you were brought up around ponies, but dragons are still your race. Now you have to stand against them. I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you.”

Spike sighed as he lent forward in his chair and said, “Truth is, I haven’t given it much thought. All I know is this Dragon Lord has it out for the ponies for some reason and if he thinks for even a second that I’m gonna let him get anywhere near my family, my friends, even you, well, he better be ready for one heck of a beat down.”

As Rarity blushed slightly, she pulled him in close as she said, “Just don’t do anything stupid, Spike,” as she gently kissed him, before saying, “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

Spike grinned at Rarity and said, “What? Me? Do something stupid?”

“I’m serious, Spike!” Rarity said sternly as she looked at him, almost in tears.

Spike cupped Rarity’s cheek as he moved his face in closer to hers and said, “So am I. If this Dragon Lord even looks at you in a way I don’t like, he’s gonna pay,” as he leans in and kisses Rarity. After they part, Spike strokes Rarity’s cheek as he continues to say, “I finally get to be with the mare I love. Nothing in this world is going to keep me from you. I promise.”

Rarity holds Spike in an embrace and says, “I’m going to hold you to that, my Spikey-Wikey,” as Spike just nods his head, they just stay there in their embrace, listening to each other’s heart beats and slow breathing as they gently drift off to sleep.

************

The next morning, Spike wakes up to the noise of the birds chirping. As he opens his eyes slowly, he realises he’s still being held by Rarity. A little embarrassed, he slowly moves the blanket away, being as careful as he can not to disturb Rarity as he tries to move. That’s when it hit him as he thought, “Where did the blanket come from? And where did all that paperwork go?” A Smile comes onto Spike’s face, as he whispered, “Twi.”

Just then, Rarity begins to wake up and as she stretches and opens her eyes, she grins at Spike and says, “Morning, Spike. Spike!” In a panic she tries to get up and they both end up falling to the floor.

After a moment of both of them sitting on the floor just looking at each other, Rarity blushes a little, as she says, “Sorry, Spike. I guess I was just surprised. It seems we were both more tired than we thought.”

As Spike stands up and helps Rarity up, he smiles at her before walking over to the coffee machine and asks, “Do you want some coffee?”

As Rarity sits down, still a bit flustered, she responds, “Yes please, Spike.”

After a few moments, Spike places a cup of hot coffee in front of her and asks, “So, how’d you sleep?”

As Rarity takes a sip of coffee and grins, she says, “Surprisingly well considering it was in one of these old chairs.”

Spike laughed as he said, “Yeah, me too,” before taking a sip of his coffee, and saying, “I’m going to drink this and head back to the castle and freshen up a bit. Probably a good idea to see what the situation is as well.”

“Hmm, sounds like a plan. I think I’ll do the same. I’ll finish this and head home. Once I’m done, I’ll meet you at the castle,” Rarity said, as she sat back in her chair and leaned on Spike, letting out a satisfied, “Mmm,” in the process.

Spike couldn’t help but grin, as he asked, “You cold or something? Cuz, if you are, I can put the blanket over you.”

As Rarity took a sip of her coffee, she smiled slightly, as she said, “No, I just wanted to get comfy while I enjoy my morning coffee. I hope that’s ok with you.”

Spike gulped and pulled Rarity closely as he said, “No complaints from me,” with a smile on his face as they both sat there enjoying their coffee.

After the coffee was gone and a quick peck on the cheek from Rarity, Spike headed back to the Castle of Friendship to freshen up and see what was happening. When he got back, he popped his head into the Cutie Map room to find Twilight and the other princesses talking and going over things as they looked at the map while Ember joined in where she could, snacking on some gems in the process. All the other Elements of Harmony were there, but due to the fact that they had been working most of the night, they were all taking a well deserved nap on their thrones.

Deciding not to bother anyone, Spike went for a shower and after spending admittedly, longer than he should have in the shower, he made some coffee for everyone and walked into the throne room. As he handed a cup to everypony, he made sure to give Rainbow Dash a bit of a nudge to wake her up, as everyone was now up and even Rarity had finished freshening up and had joined them all.

As Spike sat on his throne and sipped his coffee, Twilight sat down next to him and breathed a sigh of relief as she took a sip of her own coffee before looking at Spike with a little grin and asked, “So, sleep well, Spike?”

Spike continued to drink his coffee, playing it cool before he said, “Can’t complain. I take it you got my reports and list of ponies, then?”

Twilight just grinned as she said, “I did. Good work by the way. I’d expect nothing less from my number one assistant.” As she saw a grin come onto Spike’s face, Twilight looked at all her friends and said, “That goes for all of you. You did great helping all those ponies. Thank you.”

“Indeed. You all did wonderful. I’m grateful for all the aid you were able to give us,” Celestia said as she smiled at them all.

Just then, Shining Armor came in, surprising everyone. As Cadance ran over to him and hugged him, she asked, “Shining, what are you doing here? Where’s Flurry Heart?”

As Shining Armor broke their hug and kissed Cadance, he smiled at his wife and said, “Don’t worry. I left her at the Crystal Empire, with Sunburst, Starlight and Trixie.” As Shining Armor got a serious look on his face, he continued, “As for why I’m here, it’s simple. If you think I’m going to let my wife and little sister go off and fight a war while I sit at home and do nothing, then you married the wrong guy.” As he finishes saying that, his horn lights up and a light goes around his body. When it dies down, he is stood wearing his old Captain of the Royal Guard gear and walks up to Celestia and Luna before bowing and saying, “Former captain of the Royal Guard reporting for duty, your majesties.”

Luna and Celestia quickly glance at each other before looking over at Cadance. Cadance trots up to Shining Armor with a sorrowful expression and says, “Shining, my love, I know you want to help and you mean well, but-

“No!” Shining Armor shouts cutting Cadance off, as he continues to say, “I’m a soldier. It should be me going to the battlefield, not you or Twily, or anyone else here. As a soldier, it is my duty to protect all of Equestria and its citizens, along with the Royal Family. You can’t tell me to stay at home knowing the mother of my child and little sister are off fighting a war.”

Cadance start’s to get teary eyed as she says, “Oh my beloved, don’t you see. If anything should happen to us, then Flurry Heart, will be the last hope of Equestria. I need you to keep her safe,” as Cadance begins to cry, she says, “I wish none of this was so, but I need you to keep our baby safe. I need to know she will be safe. Please, Shining, can you do this for me?”

As Shining Armor pulls Cadance into a hug and holds her, tearing up as he says, “This isn’t right. It should be me.”

Spike got off his throne and walked up next to Cadance and Shining Armor with a serious look as he said, “Shining, I won’t let anything happen to them.” As Shining Armor turned to look at Spike, Spike smiles at him, as he goes on to say, “I promise.”

As Twilight sat on her throne she looked over at Spike as she said, “Spike, you’re not going to the battle.”

Spike turned to look at Twilight, surprised as he started rubbing his ear and said, “Excuse me? I must be going deaf. What did you say Twi? Because, for a moment there, it kind of sounded like you said I wasn’t going with you.”

Twilight got off her throne and said, “No, you heard right, Spike. You’re not going.”

Spike started chuckling as he said, “Oh, I think you find I am, Twi,” before turning back around to look at Shining Armor and saying, “Like I was saying, you got nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure to keep them safe, Shining.”

Just then, Twilight slammed her hoof to the floor in anger. As everyone went silent, Spike turned back around to see the angry look she was giving him as she said, “I’m not playing this time, Spike! I said you’re not going and that’s the end of it!”

“Hmmm, I see,” Spike said sarcastically, as he folded his arms and nodded his head to his sisters words before looking at her and saying, “That’s great and all, Twi, but I think you’re forgetting one thing.”

“Oh? And what is that, Spike?” Twilight asked as she continued to look at him.

Spike unfolded his arms and grinned at her before saying, “You may be the Princess of Friendship, Celestia, the Princess of the Day, Luna, the Princess of the Night, and Cadance is the Princess of Love, but you rule over the ponies of Equestria. Not the dragons. I can do as I please. I always could. I just chose to listen to the orders of the princesses, but not this time.” As Spike quickly glanced over at Rarity and then back to Twilight, he said, “Besides, I made a promise.”

As Spike got a serious look on his face, he continued, “Also, you need all the fire power you can get if you’re going up against all the dragons and from what Ember has said, thanks to us both being Dragon Lords, we’re safe from having to listen to him. Right now, there’s a whole lot of dragons coming to take my treasure, Twilight, and nothing is going to stop me from making sure that doesn’t happen. That’s why I’m going whether you like it or not!”

As everyone just continues to stand there watching in silence, Twilight gets a knowing grin on her face as she says, “Hmmm, I see. You make a fair and logical point, Spike. I’d expect nothing less, from my number one assistant. However, you also seem to have forgotten something.” As Spike looks at Twilight with curiosity, she says, “You may be right that as a princess my rule is only over the ponies that live in Equestria, but I don’t care. I am your big sister. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you are a pony, dragon, or any other creature you can think of. What I say goes.”

As the two siblings continued to stare at each other, seeing which would give in first, Ember said, “I don’t want to get in the middle of whatever this is, but Spike’s right, Twilight. I don’t want to sound mean when I say this, but dragons are just stronger than a normal average pony. It’s a fact. Even for his size, Spike could take on a number of ponies with ease. What do you think an army of full grown dragons could do? You’re going to need both me and Spike out there.”

Hearing Ember say that, Twilight quickly shifts her glare to Ember. Just as she’s about to say something, Celestia puts her hoof down and shouts, “Enough!” As everyone looks at her she gives Twilight a sad look before saying, “Twilight, I know you want to keep Spike safe, but Ember and Spike are right. We need their help in this. That is also why we need Shining Armor to return to the Crystal Empire and watch over Flurry Heart. We must do everything we can within our power to keep Equestria safe. Everyone must play their part.”

"But...but Spike..." Twilight struggles to say as she tears up.

Spike sighs as he walks up to her and says, “Twi, I know you don’t want this and I’m sorry, but I gotta do this.” As he pulls her into a hug, he says, “Besides, I said long ago we would do everything together. This is part of everything.” As Spike felt Twilight tighten her grip on him, he continued, “You better than anypony else know that we are stronger together.”

As they break their hug, Twilight looks at Spike, teary eyed and says, “Fine, but you better stay where I can see you, mister.”

As Spike warmly smiles back at Twilight, he says, “You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll be right by your side just like I always am.”

Shining Armor, walks up to them both and says, “It seems like I caused more trouble than good, huh?” As they both smile at him, Shining pulls them into his own hug and says, “Watch out for each other and keep each other safe.”

As they break the family hug, Spike says, “Will do, bro.”

Twilight smiles warmly at both her siblings and says, “We got this together. You just go back to the Crystal Empire and keep an eye on that cute little niece of ours and make sure to give her a big hug from her auntie Twilight.”

Shining Armor chuckles a little as he rubs Twilight’s mane and says, “I’ll be sure to hug her extra hard just for you, little sis,” before walking over to Cadance and giving her a hug and a loving kiss as he says his goodbyes to everyone and leaves.

After Shining Armor left and everyone went back to looking at the Cutie Map to discuss their plan, Rarity pulled Cadance to one side and said, “Cadance, I know now might not be the best time, but I never had the chance to thank you for what you did for me and I ju-“

Cadance put a hoof over Rarity’s mouth to stop her and after removing her hoof, gave Rarity a warm smile as she said, “You don’t have to thank me, Rarity. It’s my job to help in matters of the heart. But I won’t lie when I say I was more personally invested in this than I would like to admit. I mean, I'm part of Spike’s family, so it’s only natural that I want to see him happy. I guess what I really want to say is I’m happy for you both.”

Rarity smiled at Cadance and said, “Well, thank you all the same.” As Rarity started to trot back to the table, she said, “Oh, before I forget, you really did a good job at acting like me. I’d love to see your impressions of the others someday.”

As Cadance and Rarity both started to giggle, the door to the room swung open and a royal guard came rushing in with a letter, getting everyone’s attention. As he bowed, Celestia took the letter off him and started to scan it. She sighed and said, “The dragons are making their move. It’s time. The army is in position and awaiting our arrival.”

Twilight’s horn lit up and a box appeared in front of her. She opened it and took out the Elements of Harmony. As she passed each one of her friends their element and watched them put them on, she placed hers on her head and looked to Spike and asked, “Ready?”

Spike and Ember looked at each other, before Spike took a breath and said, “Ready as I’ll ever be, Twi,” as he gave her a weak smile.

Celestia, Luna and Cadance’s horns lit up as a bright light went around them. When it had faded, each one stood ready in armor as Celestia said, “Then, it’s time to go.” As she looks around the room at everyone, they nod their heads to confirm they are ready and her horn lights up once again as she teleports them to the battlefield where the rest of the royal guard was waiting.

The army salutes them as the captain walks up to the princesses and bows as he says, “Your majesties, the dragons have been spotted by our scouts. They are just over the Macintosh Hills and will be upon us soon.”

Celestia nods her head and says, “Good work, captain. Ready your troops.”

The captain turns and shouts out, “Stand ready! And remember, work together and stay in your units, but most importantly, do not underestimate your enemy!”

As everyone sees the serious looks on the soldiers faces, Spike turns and takes a few steps forward and sees dark clouds looming above the Macintosh Hills. Celestia stands by his side and says, “They’ll be here soon, Spike. I truly hope you are ready, because this will be like nothing you have seen before. Like nopony has seen before.”

Spike nods his head, not taking his eyes of the dark clouds and says, “I’m rea-“

All of a sudden, Spike drops to the floor grabbing his head, and screams in pain. Twilight and the other Elements rush to his side while Celestia shouts, “Luna, Cadance, do it now!”

As soon as Celestia said that, a magic bubble went around Twilight and the girls, trapping them inside. As they started banging on the bubble, Twilight shouts, “Celestia, what are you doing? Let us out!?”

Celestia keeps her eyes on Spike as he continues to scream in pain and says, “Sorry Twilight, but I can’t do that. This needs to happen for the good of every creature.” She takes a breath and says, “Spike, the dragons are coming! They are going to kill us all! All of Equestria will burn to nothingness! Your friends, your family!” Seeing Spike, rolling around in pain as he still clings to his head, she takes a quick look at the girls and seeing Rarity banging on the bubble with tears in her eyes. She turns back to look at Spike as she shouts, “Rarity! They are going to kill her Spike! She will die screaming! And the last thought on her mind will be why her Spikey-wikey couldn’t keep her safe!”

Spike continued to scream out in pain as the magic pentagrams appeared around him and shattered. “No... Not Rar... NOT MY RARITY!!!” Spike screamed. A green flame surrounded his body and shot up into the sky like a tornado as Celestia was blown back into Luna, freeing the girls in the process.

Twilight ran straight over to the flaming tornado and was about to touch it, but Luna shouted, “Don’t! It’s too late. All we can do now is wait.”

As the dragons drew ever closer, everyone looked on in horror at what was going on. Twilight turned to look at the three other princesses and asked, “Wait for what?!”

************

Spike suddenly woke up in a panic, and looked around. He wasn’t on the battlefield anymore, but instead inside a dark corridor. As as he looked around, he shouted out, “Twi? Rarity? Anypony? Where am I?”

No one answered as he stood there, not knowing what to do. All of a sudden, the lanterns on the wall lit up, showing him a path. With no other options, Spike followed the path of lanterns until he came to a giant door. As he pushed the door open and popped his head inside to have a look around, he saw two thrones and a giant fire pit in the middle of the room. Not seeing anyone, he decides to go into the giant room and look around. As he does, a massive flame appears in the fire pit. The flame was so big that it looked like it was hitting the ceiling as a voice said, “So, you’ve finally come. Took you long enough.”

Spike jumped back in surprise, as he stuttered, “Wh... who’s there? Show yourself,” as he looked around the room but couldn’t see anyone.

The voice laughed as it said in a mocking tone, “And why should I do as you say? Who are you to tell me what to do?”

Spike grew agitated and said, “I’m Spike the Dragon, number one assistant and little brother of Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship! Now show yourself!”

“Oh, impressive, but that means nothing to me. I ask again. Who are you!?” the voice in the shadows asked in a more demanding tone.

Getting angry, Spike shouted, “I told you who I am! I don’t have time for these games! My friends are in trouble and I need to help them. Now, show yourself!”

The voice burst out laughing and said, “Well, you certainly have courage. I’ll give you that. Or is it that you are just too stupid to understand the situation you are in. Hmm?”

That was it. Spike had had enough. His friends were in danger and this voice was doing his head in. As Spike turned around and started to head for the door, he said, “I don’t have time for this. I’ll figure out where I am and how to get back to my friends by myself.”

Just then, Spike heard another, yet gentler voice say, “Now, now, be nice. Forgive him, Spike. He can be a bit silly at times. We can help you return to your friends.”

Spike spun around at hearing that and asked, “Really!? How do you know my name?”

The gentle voice giggled a little and said, “Yes, really.” Choosing not to answer his other question, the voice said, “That flame in the middle of the room, is your way out, or rather, that is the key to your real power.”

Spike looked at the flame, confused as the voice said, “What I mean is that is who you are, Spike. Since you broke the seals on yourself, it has been calling to you, but you haven’t been able to hear it till now. Everything you’ve done with your life has been leading to this point. Now, step into the flame. It's time for you to fulfill your destiny.”

“I… I don’t understand! What do you mean my destiny?” Spike asked.

The other voice said, “Geez. I’ll make it simple for ya then kid. You want to save your friends? Then step into the flame and become who you were always meant to be. That is the only way you can save them all. Show me your strength. Show me your courage. Save them all!”

Spike gulped and without a moment of hesitation, jumped into the flame. As the flame engulfed him, he started to scream in pain. After a few minutes the pain had stopped and his eyes began to shimmer green. He looked down at his claws as he clenched them closed and reopened them a few times before looking around and saying, “This is awesome. I’ve never felt anything like this before. But how do I get home? How do I get back to my friends?”

That’s when the gentle voice says, “You never left them, Spike. Your still there. This is all in your head. You just have to wake up.”

************

As we return to Twilight and the others. Twilight repeats herself with more anger in her voice, “I said, wait for what!?!”

Celestia looked at her former student and said, “For Spike to wake up and fulfill his destiny.”

Just as Twilight was about to ask Celestia what she meant, a guard shouted, “Dragons!” As everyone looked up they saw two dragons coming down slowly from out the clouds. They looked almost see through as they got closer.

Celestia shouted out, “Stand down! They’re with us,” to the soldiers. As the two dragons got closer and landed not too far way from everyone.

As the two dragons stood there looking quite solid and at the same size as the princesses, the dragoness smiled at them all and before anyone had a chance to say anything, Ember screamed, “This is impossible! It can’t be real! What’s going on?!”

The dragoness looked at Ember before placing a claw under her chin and saying, “Hmmm, impossible, no. Real, sort of, little one,” as she giggled.

As everyone looked curiosity at these two new dragons, Twilight turned to Ember and asked, “Do you know who they are, Ember?”

Ember rubbed her eyes, in amazement before nodding her head and then dropping to a knee as she said, “They are the king and queen of all dragons!”

“What!?!” Everyone shouted in surprise as they all looked at the two dragons before Twilight said, “But, I thought you said they died!”

“They did! Why do you think I’m so surprised to see them standing in front of us!” Ember responded.

The dragoness giggled some more as she said, “Yep. It’s true that we died, but with a little bit of magic we’re able to be here for this. Oh, yeah, could you stop kneeling? There’s really no need.” As the dragoness watched Ember stand back up, she then turned to look at Celestia and Luna with the biggest of smiles, before she ran up to them both and pulled them into a hug and said, “Tia, Lulu, I’ve missed you!”

As the two princesses hugged back with tears in their eyes, Celestia said, “I’ve missed you to, Kyoto.”

As the king cleared his throat, he said, “Kyoto, we don’t have a lot of time.”

Luna grinned at him and said, “Hello again, Kuroshin. It is good to see you also.”

“Hmm, yeah sure. Whatever you say. Kyoto, can we just get on with this?” Kuroshin said in a annoyed tone.

Luna smirked at him and said in a playful tone, “Awww, what’s the matter with the grumpy little dragon? Do you need a hug?”

Kuroshin glared at Luna and said, “Watch your tone, little pony! Unless you want me to skin you alive!”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try, dragon!” Luna said as her horn lit up and they glared at each other as everyone watched on in shock and worry.

Kuroshin grinned as he glared at Luna before letting out a laugh, as he said, “It is good to see you again as well, little pony princess.”

As Luna’s horn died down she giggled a long, as she smiled at him and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Kyoto giggled as she looked at everyone and said, “You’ll have to forgive my husband. He’s always been a bit weird.”

Kuroshin huffed at that and said, “I don’t want to hear that from the dragoness that had ponies as friends growing up.”

Kyoto laughed a bit more as she said, “Not just any ponies, but princesses.” making Luna and Celestia laugh along.

“Wait, you’ve known Celestia and Luna that long?” Twilight asked with curiosity and the biggest of smiles on her face.

Kyoto nodded her head and said, “Yep. We were great friends growing up,” as she looked at Luna and Celestia, she sniggered and said, “Do you two remember the time you got me to show you how to increase your voice volume?” Kyoto laughed harder before she continued. “You even gave it a funny name. What did you call it again?”

Both Celestia and Luna went bright red as Celestia said, “Royal Canterlot voice,” as everyone just looked at them in shock.

“Yeah, that’s it. You guys always did make me laugh,” Kyoto said as she wiped a tear from her eye. As Kyoto stopped laughing she said, “But Kuroshin is right. We don’t have much time here. Besides, the dragons are coming,” as she pointed behind her at the dragons that were now clearly getting even closer.

Kyoto walked up to the tornado and said, “Come on now, little one. It’s time to wake up. Your friends are waiting for you.”

As the tornado started to fluctuate, Kuroshin sighed as he said, “Concentrate. Take the form you wish to be. There is no reason to be afraid. Don’t fight it. Accept it. Let it flow through you.”

As the tornado burst open and disappeared, Twilight and Rarity went to run towards Spike, but stopped as they saw a dragon the size of Celestia standing in Spike’s place. As they edged closer, Rarity called out, “Spi... Spike? Is that you?”

As Spike rubbed his head and opened his eyes to look at Rarity, he gave her a smile as he said, “Yeah, Rarity. It’s me,” before grabbing his throat in surprise and saying, “Wow. Is that what I sound like now?”

“Spike, you’ve grown!” Twilight said, shocked. As everyone looks at him.

Spike stretches and says, “Yeah, I guess so. So, what do you think?”

As Rarity looks at Spike in awe, she says, “You look amazing Spike,” a bit louder than she meant to, making her and Spike blush as everyone looks at them.

Twilight hugs Spike as she says, “I’m just glad you’re ok, Spike.”

As they broke their hug, Spike smiled at Twilight and said, “Yeah, me too.” As everyone walked up to him and congratulated him on his new size, Spike happily smiled at them all and thanked them.

Cadance gave Spike a little grin as she said, “A dragon can grow when there is an overwhelming need to protect their treasure or something that is important to them. Although, I must admit that was some show you put on, Spike,” making him blush slightly.

“So, what are you going to do about them?” Kyoto said as she pointed to the dragons that were now in sight of them all.

Spike looked at Kyoto with a confused look and said, “That voice. I know that voice. It’s the same voice I heard in my head.”

Kyoto giggled slightly as she walked over to Spike with a warm smile and said, “Well, yeah silly. Of course, you know my voice,” as Kyoto starts to get teary, she places her claw over Spike’s chest and says, “You may have never met us, but we’ve always been here.”

Tears start to pour out of Spike’s eyes as he struggles to ask, “Ar... are yo... are you my...”

Kyoto cups Spike’s cheek as she cries and says, “Look at you. You’ve grown into such a handsome drake, my beautiful little egg.”

Hearing Kyoto say that, Spike breaks down in tears as he says, “Mom!?”

Kyoto pulls him into a loving embrace as she says, “That’s right. Mommy’s here.”

Everyone watches the scene in silence and cries along. Spike, still crying, asks, “Where have you been? Why did you leave me?”

Kyoto broke their embrace and said, “I’m sorry, little one, but we’re out of time. I wish it didn’t have to be this way bu-“

Spike pulled her back into a hug and screamed “No, you can’t go! I just found you!”

As Kyoto cried she said, “I know, I know. I wish it wasn’t so, but we have to go,” as she broke their hug once again and stood over by Kuroshin. She cried and said, “I’m sorry, my love. I stole all your time with him. Forgive me.”

Kuroshin pulled her into a hug as tears came down his face and said, “It’s ok. You said more to him with your actions than I ever could.” As they both started to fade away, Kuroshin looked at Spike and said, “Spike, hear me, my son. We will always be with you and never forget you are our son. Our blood flows through you. I’m proud of the drake you have become. We love you, son. Now, fulfill your destiny and save them.”

As they both faded away with smiles on their faces, Spike jumped at them and hit the floor, as he cried out, “No! It’s not fair!” As he slammed his fist against the ground in anger.

Rarity ran over to Spike and pulled him into a hug as they both sat there, crying. Celestia walked over to them and wiped her tears away as she said, “I’m sorry, Spike. I know you’re hurting right now, but we need your help. You are the only one that can stop this.”

As Spike wiped the tears from his eyes, he looked at Celestia with anger now in his eyes and shouted, “You’ve known all this time! You’ve known who my mom and dad were and you never said anything!”

Twilight looked at Spike worryingly and said “Spike. Calm dow-“

Celestia cut Twilight off by saying, “No, Twilight. He has every right to be mad at me.” As Celestia looked at Spike with tears in her eyes, she took a breath and said, “Yes, Spike. I’ve known who your parents were and how you came to be with us ponies all along. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn’t. Your mom, Kyoto, was one of our closest friends. She made me swear to keep it a secret from you. She said that when the time was right, you would know who they were and also who you really are. I’m sorry for keeping this from you, Spike. Truly I am.”

Seeing Celestia looking so sad, Spike took a breath and calmed down before asking, “What do you mean who I really am?”

That’s when Ember walked over to Spike and kneeled before him, as she said, “She means that you are the prince of the dragons and the true heir to the throne, Your Majesty.”

“What!?!” Spike shouted.

As Celestia warmly smiled at Spike, she said, “That’s right, Spike. You are the son of Queen Kyoto and King Kuroshin. You are the rightful ruler of dragons. You are Spike, the crown prince of the dragons. Now, stand and take your rightful place as ruler. Fulfil your destiny.” As Celestia bowed, she said, “Your Majesty.”

As Spike stood up, everyone looked at him with smiles on their faces as they bowed to him. Spike wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked to Celestia and began to panic as he said, “What!? I can’t be a prince! I don’t know the first thing about ruling! And what am I meant to do? I don’t know how to stop this!”

Celestia chuckled as she rose back up and said, “Oh, but you are, Spike. It’s a fact. You also know more about ruling than you think. Spike. After all, you’ve been helping all us princesses for years. Why else do you think we always called upon your services? It wasn’t just to help us, but to teach you. You just didn’t know it at the time. As for stopping the dragons, well, it’s like Kuroshin said, Spike; their blood flows through you. You have the power inside of you. You always have. Now, call to them. Make them hear you. Make them listen!”

Spike turned around and looked at the oncoming army of dragons and gulped. He closed his eyes and as he tried to calm his nerves. He could hear his father’s voice in his head say, “Never forget, you are our son. Our blood flows through you.” Spike opened his eyes and took a step forward. As he did, his eyes shimmered green before he let out a massive roar so loud the girls all had to cover their ears. The dragons all stopped in their tracks as Spike shouted out, “Enough! I order you to stop this at once!”

As the dragons all stood there dazed and confused, looking around and wondering how and why they were there. Smolder came flying over to everyone and asked, “Headmare Twilight, what’s going on? Why are you all here? Better yet, why are the dragons here?” After rubbing her head she said, “Why does it feel like I’ve been bashing my head against a rock for weeks?”

As everyone laughed at what Smolder said, Twilight said, “I’ll explain everything to you later, Smolder, but for right now I’m just glad you’re you again.” Before looking at Spike with a smile and saying, “Good job Spike.”

Spike rubbed his head in embarrassment, as Rarity kissed him and said, “My hero.”

As Smolder could be heard saying, “Wait. That’s Spike?!”

Just then, a mighty roar could be heard from behind the dragons and as a massive dragon made its way to the front of the other dragons, it laughed as it said, “So, the prince has finally shown himself. Such a small drake. Do you really think you can stop me?” Come, face me and let us see who the rightful ruler is! Dragons, hear me! I, Zeri, the Dragon Lord. Here by challenge the prince for the right to rule!”

“What!?! Prince?! What did I miss?!” Smolder shouted.

As Twilight stood next to Spike, she said, “It seems your roar didn’t work on him. No matter. We got this together, little brother.”

Spike shook his head and said, “No, Twi. This I must do alone.”

“What!?” Everyone said in surprise, as they looked at him, before Rarity said, “You most certainly don’t need to do this by yourself, Spike.”

That’s when Ember stepped in and said, “No, he does. You can’t intervene. This is an official challenge to rule. As Zeri is the Dragon Lord and Spike is the prince, they both have a claim to the throne. If you get involved now, the dragons will have no choice but to see Zeri as the rightful ruler and he can do as he pleases. You must not get involved.”

“But that’s absurd!” Rarity shouted as she looked at Ember.

Ember sighed as she said, “You may not like it, but this is the way we dragons do things. If Spike is to rule, then he must follow our customs.”

Spike took a breath and said, “I understand. Please, everypony. Stay out of this. I won’t be able to fight him at full power if I have to worry about you getting caught up in this. I know you want to help, but I have to do this alone. I need to know if I have what it takes, please understand.”

As Rarity looked at Spike worryingly, she said, “Bu... but Spike it’s to dan-“

Just then Twilight, walks up to Rarity and places her hoof on her shoulder and takes a breath as she says, “We understand, Spike. Go and take care of this. You got this, little brother.” She smiles warmly at him as everyone else looks at her in surprise at what she just said.

Spike smiled at Twilight and said, “Right. Leave it to me, sis,” before looking at Rarity and saying, “Don’t worry, Rarity. I’ll be fine.” As Spike cups Rarity’s cheek, he chuckles slightly as he says, “Besides, I told you before, if he looked at you in a way I didn’t like, I’d beat him down.” As he leaned in and kissed her, he whispered, “Nothing’s going to keep me from you. I promise.”

As Spike gave her one last quick smile, he turned around and flew off. As Rarity stood there with tears in her eyes, she said, “Twilight, we’re not gonna let this happen, right?”

Twilight smiled as she said, “Of course not. If that Dragon Lord thinks I’m gonna let him hurt my baby brother, he’s got another thing coming. If things look like they’re taking a turn for the worse, we’re gonna get involved. Be ready just in case.”

As everyone smiled at hearing that, Ember stood there shocked and said, “What? Are you crazy? Look, I don’t like this anymore than you do, but if you get involved it will definitely mean war!”

Twilight turned to look at Ember with a serious look on her face as she said, “I don’t care. If it means keeping my brother safe, I’ll take the whole world on. If that’s what it takes and if anyone here has a problem with that, you better stay out of my way.”

As everyone nods their heads in agreement, Ember started to laugh as she says, “You know, it’s a shame you guys are ponies, cuz right now you sound like some great dragons.” As everyone looks at her, Ember smiles and says, “Count me in. Sounds like fun,” making everyone smile at her.

As Twilight turns back around to see Spike land in an open space, she says, “But, I believe in my little brother. If he says he can do this, then I trust him. He’s never let me down when I needed him. He’s stronger than he looks.”

As Spike stands ready, Zeri flies over and lands a distance from him and says, “I’ll give you this; at least you have the courage to face me,” as he starts to shrink to a size just a little bigger than Spike, he says, “I wouldn’t want anyone to say I didn’t play fair when I kill you!” before he glares at Spike.

Spike gulps and says, “What? Look I don’t want to fight you! If you are Kuroshin’s brother, then doesn’t that make us family? Why are you doing this? There has to be another way!”

Zeri starts to giggle before bursting out into a fit of laughter and saying, “You sound pathetic! You are meant to be my nephew? What was my brother thinking allowing that fool Kyoto to give you to those weakling ponies, it’s no wonder you sound so much like them!”

Zeri growls and says, “I can smell you from here. You stink of ponies.” As Spike just looks at him, Zeri continues to say, “You have your mother’s eyes, little prince. The eyes of a fool. Your mother was a joke of a dragon! Thinking we could ever get along with such weak creatures. That is why I’m doing this; to prove once and for all that dragons will always be superior. When I am through with you, I will burn Equestria to the ground and in so doing, crushing those little ponies she loved so much!”

Spike could feel his anger growing as he listened to Zeri and shouted out, “NO! I won’t let you!”

“Hahaha, it seems you do have a fighting spirit after all. That’s good,” Zeri said, as he grinds at Spike, “Very well. You have your mother’s foolish eyes. Now, let us see if you have your father’s strength to back up your claim, little prince!”

As Spike digs his claws into the ground, his eyes begin to shimmer green as he says, “I’m no prince. My name is Spike: number one assistant to the Princess of Friendship and if you think I’m going to let you hurt them, you’ve made a grave mistake!”

Zeri chuckles before shouting, “We shall see!” As he shoots a flame out his mouth.

Spike standing his ground, shoots a flame out his mouth and the two mighty flames clash, causing an explosion. As the smoke settles, Spike loses track of Zeri and as he starts looking around, he hears Rarity scream, “Spike, behind you!” Just then, Zeri appears behind him with a grin on his face and goes to swing his claw down at Spike.

Thanks to Rarity’s warning, Spike jumps out the way, avoiding his attack and swings his tail at Zeri in the process. But, Zeri grabs his tail and starts to swing Spike around as he says, “You have to do better than that,” as he lets him go and Spike goes flying across the floor. “You’re a dragon! Now, fight like one!”

Spike stands back up and shoots a few fireballs at Zeri. Which he avoids easily and as he crashes into Spike. They lock claws as Spike gets pushed back before he digs into the ground and they come to a stop. Now standing there locked claw to claw and face to face, Zeri grins as he says, “You need to get serious, Spike! Now, show me your real strength! This is a fight to the death after all!” As he starts to push Spike back, Zeri smirks as he says, “I think after I kill you, I’m going to kill those friends of yours, starting with that white one. She looks tasty. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into that plump rump of hers.”

Hearing that, Spike snaps in anger and as his eyes begin to shimmer green, he screams out, “NOOO!!!” As he head butts Zeri in the face knocking him back and off balance. Spike uses this to his advantage as he tosses Zeri over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground and then swings his claw down as he screams, “I’ll kill you!!!”

Zeri quickly rolls out the way as Spike’s claw smashes into the ground and quickly gets back on his feet and jumps back with a grin on his face. He chuckles before saying, “Oh, seems I hit a nerve.” As they both glare at each other, Zeri says, “There you are. There’s the dragon I want to see. It seems this will be a fun fight after all." As he shoots another flame from his mouth, Spike lets out a mighty roar as he shoots out his own flame and as they both stand their ground, the flames clash into each other.

As Rarity stands there watching, worryingly, she shouts out, “Twilight! Spike needs us, now!” As she begins to run off.

Twilight uses her magic to hold Rarity in place as she says, “No! Not yet! It’s too soon. We need to be sure before we take action. We have to let this play out, Rarity.”

As Rarity stands there with tears in her eyes, she says, “Bu... but, Spike.”

As Twilight releases her magic hold on Rarity, she says, “I know, Rarity. I know. But we have to let Spike do this. If we act too rashly, it could do more damage than good. We have to believe in him. You have to believe in your drake. He can do this!”

Rarity takes a breath before wiping her tears away and gets a serious look on her face as she looks back over at the fight and says, “Right! He made me a promise; he’ll win and come back to me.”

As Twilight wraps her arm around Rarity and watches the fight, she says, “That’s right. He’s a drake that keeps his word. He’ll do whatever he has to to keep that promise.”

As the flames wrapped around one another and started to go up into the air, the explosion made Spike close his eyes for a second. When he opened them, he saw Zeri jumping through the smoke. Thinking quickly, Spike grabbed his wrist and flipped him over the top of him and landed on top of Zeri. Spike, in a fit of rage, started to repeatedly punch Zeri in the face as he screamed, “You won’t have her!”

As Zeri lay there helpless to do anything, Spike kept punching as he screamed, “I’ll kill you!!!”

As Spike carried on his assault he saw Zeri smirk at him, as he said, “Now, you sound like a dragon.”

Spike snapped out of his rage at hearing that and looked down at Zeri with a sorrowful look on his face as he stopped his attack. Zeri saw his opening and wrapped his tail around Spike’s neck to pull him back and kick Spike off of him. As Spike stumbled back Zeri got up and shouted, “Why did you stop?! You had the upper claw! You could have ended this!”

Spike looked at him with a sad expression on his face and said, “I’m not like you! I may be a dragon and have all this power, but that doesn’t make me a monster!”

“HAHAHA! You really are a fool! Killing doesn’t make you a monster! It makes you strong and only the strong get to rule!”

“You’re wrong!” Spike shouts back, “The ponies have power, but they don’t go around killing!”

This made Zeri laugh even harder as he says, “You really are stupid, aren’t you! Do you really think your precious princesses are so innocent? Don’t fool yourself. Those princesses have blood on their hooves just like the rest of us. I can at least respect them as they understand what it means to rule. Or what, did you think that all those ponies over there had come all this way just to stand around and talk?! No, they came to kill! To fight for what’s theirs. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to keep what’s yours. If you don’t even understand that, then you aren’t fit to rule! Better yet, if you haven’t got the stomach to kill, then just roll over and die like the weak creature you are!”

As Zeri finished saying that, he charged at Spike, catching him off guard and wrapped his body around Spike. As Spike tried to break free, they stood there as Zeri held Spike’s chin up and made him look at the ponies as he whispered from behind, “They die next. All because you were too weak to keep them safe.”

Spike gets a look of fear on his face as he hears Rarity scream out his name and sees all his friends starting to run towards them, Zeri sniggers as he says, “Long live, the king.”

“NO!” Spike shouts, as he breaks free of the hold on him and uses his tail to trip Zeri up and jumps on top of him. As Spike pinned Zeri to the floor, Zeri looked up, breathing heavily and said, “What are you waiting for?! do it!”

As Spike’s claw came flying down towards Zeri, he remembered what his father had said, “Save them all!” Zeri closed his eyes waiting for the final blow. After a moment, Zeri opened his eyes to see Spike’s claw dug into the ground next to him. As Zeri looked at Spike, he asked, “What are you doing?! Finish me!”

Spike lifted his claw up and stepped away from Zeri and said, “No. I won’t kill you. I understand now what my father meant when he said save them all. He wasn’t just talking about the ponies. He meant everyone. You included. So, I will not end your life. This is my answer. My decision. I’ve learnt a lot from the ponies and if I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that there is always another way. So, come at me as much as you want. I’ll just keep knocking you down. You can’t win, because I’m never going to stop trying to find a better way!”

As Zeri stood back up, he grinned at Spike, as he said, “Congratulations, you passed the test, Spike.”

Wha... TEST?!” Spike shouted.

Zeri laughed as he nodded his head and said, “Yes, test. Anyone can have power, Spike, but it’s what we choose to do with that power that makes us what we are, and you, my nephew, are without a doubt your parent’s child. You showed courage and bravery when you stepped forward and put your life on the line to face me for the sake of your friends and family and you showed wisdom in your conviction when you chose not to kill me. It takes more to rule than power, Spike. You have to have the courage to follow through on your convictions, even when others may think you are wrong I’m proud of you as I know your parent’s would be.”

“This... this has all been one big test!?! But I could have killed you!” Spike shouted.

Zeri laughed as he said, “Yep. I know, but I had faith that you wouldn’t. You are your mother's child after all and she never could stomach hurting others and I was willing to bet my life that you would be like her in that regard.” As Zeri smiled at Spike, he continued, “Like I said, it takes more to rule than power. You can thank your mom for this. She was one crafty dragoness.” Zeri took a breath and shouted out to the other dragons, “Dragons, hear me! The challenge is over. Prince no more, our king has returned! Kneel before our king!” As Zeri and every other dragon bowed to Spike, roars of cheers and, 'long live the king' could be heard, making Spike blush slightly in embarrassment.

As Twilight, Rarity and the others came running over towards Spike, Rarity jumped into Spike’s arms and kissed him all over his face. As Zeri stood back up and grinned at Spike, he gave him a warm smile and said, “Seems you have a way with the females, nephew. It runs in the family just so you know.” As he laughed, seeing Spike blush, he continued to say, “Before your mom and dad left for the battle to protect us dragons, I insisted on going with them, but they refused. They said this was their duty and no one else was to get involved. My brother wanted me to take over and rule in his place if the worse was to happen, but I’m not really the ruling type, so your mom came up with a plan. She would leave you with her friends, the pony princesses, and my brother would make a sceptre for someone to stay in charge until the time you returned. I would then awaken and challenge you for the throne to see if you had what it took to rule.”

“Wait, what?” Celestia said as she and the other princesses landed next to Spike.

Zeri nodded at Celestia and said, “My-sister-in law was a bit of a weird one, but she believed that the dragons could live side by side with other creatures. No doubt having you two as her friends made her believe that. But, it wouldn’t be easy since most dragons didn’t see this as something that could ever work. I mean, yes, my brother could have made them do it, but Kyoto didn’t want to force this on anyone and wanted it to be of their own free will. So, her plan was simple; give you to the pony princesses so you could learn how to be understanding and kind towards other creatures, while I would kick up a fuss about not being ruler, ensuring that when the time came you had a threat to face you and bring out your power.”

“Wait a minute. That doesn’t make sense,” Twilight said. “How could Kyoto have known I would of hatched Spike?”

Zeri titled his head as he looked at Twilight before busting out in laughter, “I see, I see. So, you hatched Spike. I thought for sure it would have been one of these two,” Zeri said as he pointed at Celestia and Luna. “I must admit, you seem quite young for an alicorn princess you must really hold some power in that horn of yours.”

Spike cleared his throat as he said, “Actually, Twi wasn’t an alicorn when she hatched me. She was just a filly unicorn at the time.”

Zeri let out a big belly laugh at hearing that and said, “Really? Wow, that’s even more impressive.” He stopped laughing and looked at Twilight as he smiled and said, “You see, dragon eggs hatch when they get hot enough, but Spike, here isn’t a normal dragon, therefore the way he is hatched is also different. He is royalty and as such, fire and heat aren’t enough to hatch him. It requires a great deal of power to hatch a royal egg.”

That’s when Celestia stepped in and said, “Yes, Kyoto told me that herself the day she handed me your egg, Spike.” Celestia let out a sigh as she said, “I remember it like it was yesterday. Although, some time had passed since we had last met. When Kyoto sent us a letter asking to meet in secret, Luna and I rushed as fast as we could to meet our friend. When we arrived in Everfree Forest, we found Kyoto and Kuroshin waiting for us. That is where we learnt Kyoto and Kuroshin were going to go fight to protect the dragons. Of course, we offered to lend our aid in the matter, but like Dragon Lord Zeri said, they also refused us. So, I asked why she wanted to meet with us if she didn’t want our help. That’s when she handed me an egg,” Celestia smiled warmly at Spike as she went on. “Kyoto told me that it was the most important egg in the world. That inside the egg laid her dreams and future hope for the dragons and ponies to bridge the gap and become true friends. She wished for us to raise the egg and teach it our ways so that when it got old enough it would be able to understand that just because we were different it doesn’t mean we couldn’t get along.”

As Celestia started to cry she said, “Kyoto told us that she was entrusting us with the future of all dragons and made us promise to keep you safe and to not speak a word of this to you. She said she wouldn’t trust anyone else with this task and after telling me how to hatch you, she passed you to me with a scroll and that was the last time we saw our friend,” Celestia broke down in tears as she said, “It broke her heart to have to give you up, Spike, but she did what she had to do for the dragons and for you. To keep you safe. They didn’t know what the outcome was going to be, but they planned for the worse and hoped for the best.”

As Luna pulled Celestia into a hug with her own tears now forming in her eyes, she said, “We never got around to hatching you, Spike. You see, after news of our friend’s fall, things changed. I became more isolated and withdrawn from Tia and everypony else. Eventually, I gave into the loneliness and became Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia broke their hug and cleared her throat as she said, “Forgive me, everyone. I haven’t spoken of that night in a long time and it just got to me a little,” as Celestia wiped the last few tears from her eyes, she continued, “After having to banish Luna to the moon, I thought of trying to hatch you myself, Spike. But, without Luna and the fact that my connection to the Elements was also starting to weaken, I didn’t want to risk it. So, instead I came up with another plan. I knew that the Tree of Harmony would one day choose my successor and when that time came, that pony would hold the power to hatch you. And now here you stand, a dragon raised by ponies that understands what true friendship means and that just because we are different it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” As Celestia took a breath she said, “After you hatched, I was so happy. It was like a little piece of my friend was with me. So many times I wanted to tell you what I knew of your parents but I had to remind myself to keep my promise.”

As Celestia looked at Spike with a sorrowful look on her face, she said, “In truth, I also feared losing you. That was also a factor in why I said nothing to you,” Celestia began to cry as she said, “I had already lost my friend and my sister. The thought of losing you also was too much for me to take. I’m sorry for not saying anything, Spike. Can you ever forgive me?”

As Spike walked up to Celestia, he pulled her into a hug and said, “There’s nothing to forgive. You kept your promise to my mom and took care of me. If anything, I should be thanking you for taking me in and raising me. You have nothing to fear. You won’t lose me.”

Celestia burst into tears in Spike’s arms and after a few moments she broke their hug and smiled at Spike and said, “Thank you, Spike.” After as she wiped her tears away, she used her magic and an old looking scroll appeared in front of her. As she passed it to Spike, she said, “This scroll was meant for you, Spike.”

As Spike broke the seal and unrolled it, he looked at it and started to get teary as he said, “I... I can’t read it. I don’t understand what it says.”

“Here, let me have a look, Spike,” Twilight said as she took the scroll off him. After looking at it she said, “I’ve never seen writing like this before. I don't know if I can even call it that.”

Ember sighed, as she walked up and looked over Twilight’s shoulder before saying, “Of course, you can’t read it. It’s written in dragon. Here, let me,” as Ember quickly scanned over it, she took a breath before reading it out.

My dearest little egg,

If you are reading this, then it means the worst has happened and we are no longer with you. I’m so sorry, little one. I wanted nothing more than to be there with you. To watch you grow into the great dragon you have no doubt become.

By now, you have most likely met your uncle. Don’t be mad at him. He only did what I asked of him. He’s a good drake, if not a bit lazy. Hehehe. I’m sure you wondered why I did all this. Why I didn’t stay with you. The truth is I wanted to stay with you. I wanted to be able to raise you myself, to watch you grow, but I couldn’t. Your father all but demanded I stay with you, but your mommy is a selfish dragon and couldn’t bear the idea of daddy fighting alone, so I put together a plan. I would ask your uncle to test you when you were ready to take the throne.

I also have some amazing friends, Tia and Lulu. They are some of the bestest friends a dragon could ask for. I'll always remember the fond times we spent together and I wanted others to be like that. To be able to experience the joy and laughter I had with my friends, but dragons and ponies don’t get along all too well. So, not knowing how things would turn out, I entrusted you to them. I wanted you to experience the joy of friendship and the love that I had. Then, maybe you could fulfil mommy’s selfish dream of us all getting along and living together.

I’m sure it has not been easy for you. A dragon growing up in a world you don’t understand, but at the same time, I’m also certain that you, like me, have made some great friends by now. The ponies are a wondrous race. They have the ability to see the good in all, even dragons like me. I’m sure Tia and Lulu have taken good care of you and if I know Tia, she’s probably crying her eyes out. Hahaha. Tell them I’m sorry. I didn’t tell them about my plan for your test. I needed it to be as real as possible, so you would take it seriously. If they had known, they would have held back out of kindness. That’s just their way.

Oh, my little one, how I wish I could hold you right now. But I want you to know I’m always with you, even if you can’t see me I’m there. I’m always there watching over you. I want you to know you were brought into this world loved and I’m sure you will make a great king. How could you not? You are our son after all. If I can give you any advice, it is this: live your life the way you choose. Listen to your heart for that will always lead you down the right path even if it may be hard at times. Make sure to eat healthily. You can’t just eat gems. Okay? And make sure to take regular baths. No one likes a stinky dragon. But this is the most important thing, my little one, if you find a nice girl that you like, you make sure to take care of her. You love her like nothing else and most importantly be happy, my sweet little baby. Mommy loves you now and always.

As Ember looked over at Spike to see him with his arm over his face trying to hide the tears as he cried, she said, “That’s it. There’s no more.”

Zeri looked at Spike crying with a sorrowful smile and said, “Your mom was always a bit of a strange one, being friends with ponies and all. But, I’ll tell you one thing. She was the strongest dragon I ever knew, even more so than your father, because she always listened and followed her heart. The proof of that is that you were born and are now standing here, Spike.”

As Rarity goes over and holds Spike, he nods his head as he listens to Zeri. After a few moments, Zeri says, “It’s time. Your citizens are waiting for you, Your Majesty,” as he gives a small bow.

Spike wipes the tears away and says with a confident smile, “I know what I need to do.” Before turning to Rarity and asking, “Rarity, I need your help. Do you think you could use your magic to locate any gems that may be around here?”

Rarity, confused by Spike’s request, says, “Yes, of course, but why, Spike?”

Spike smiled at her and said, “I’m doing what my mom said; I’m listening to my heart,” as he broke their hug, he looked around at everyone and said, “I’ll be back in a bit,” before taking off into the air.

While Spike was gone, Rarity used her magic to find some gems and laid them on the floor in front of everyone. Zeri looked at them with a smile and said, “My, what a great little power you have for finding gems, little pony.”

Rarity looked at him a bit annoyed and said, “My name is Rarity. Please do try to call me that instead of little pony,”

This made Zeri snigger as he said, “And you have a fire in you as well. I like that. It’s no wonder my nephew was drawn to you.”

That made Rarity blush slightly before Rainbow shouted, “Hey, Spike’s back.” As he landed a little bit away from everyone.

Rarity trotted over to him with the gems as she said, “I’ve found some gems, Spike. I do hope these will suffice.”

Spike happily nodded as he said “Yeah, this will do great. Thanks, Rarity,” as he took the biggest one from the pile. He then pulled out a staff made of crystalline rock from behind his back and placed the gem into it.

As everyone looked on, Ember said, “Wait! Are you making another sceptre?”

Spike nodded and said, “Yep. You said the last one was destroyed, so I thought I’d make a new one.”

Confused, Zeri said, “But why? I destroyed it because there was no longer a need for it.”

Choosing to ignore the Dragon Lord, Spike smiled at his handy work and said, “Now for the missing ingredient.” Spike bit on his finger and watched as a drop of his blood hit the gem, turning it into a bloodstone. As he smiled, Spike said, “I always wondered how the bloodstone sceptre was able to get dragons to listen to its wielder, and after finding out that dad was the one that made it, it all made sense. It was his blood. The blood of the dragon king.”

After saying that, Spike turned to Ember and threw the sceptre at her. As she caught it, a magic blast shot out from it and into the air. As Ember looked surprised at Spike, he laughed and said, “Try not to lose this one, ok, Dragon Lord Ember?” As he bowed to her.

“What!?! Both Ember and Zeri said, as Spike continued to laugh.

After Spike had finished laughing, he looked at them both and said, “I don’t want to be king, so I’m running away to Ponyville. To live my life as a happy drake with the mare I love. You got a problem with that?” Spike said as he raised an eye to look at them both, while Rarity and the others giggled with joy.

“Bu... but, Spike, you’re the king!” Ember said, still in shock.

“Yeah, but you’re doing a much better job of it than me. I tried to give out orders once and it didn’t go too well,” Spike said as he giggled. As Spike smiled at Ember, he said, “You understand, right?”

Ember laughed and said, “It’s just like the first time. You’re doing it again.” As Ember smiled at Spike, she said, “Your home is in Equestria with your friends, right?”

Spike laughed and said, “Yep. What can I say? Once an assistant, always an assistant. If you ever need a helping claw, though, you know where to find me. Don’t be a stranger and come visit. Besides, with the School of Friendship up and running, mom’s dream has already come true. Creatures from all over are coming together and learning what it means to be friends. With you as the leader, I know the dragons are in good claws.”

As Spike turned to look at Zeri and smiled, he said, “Sorry, Dragon Lord Zeri. I can’t rule. It’s not who I am. I guess it runs in the family or something. I hope you’re not disappointed.”

Zeri burst out laughing and said, “Not at all, Spike. In that regard, you are just like your mom. You don’t have to call me Dragon Lord Zeri either. You can just call me Zeri.” As Zeri smiled seeing Spike go a bit red, he continued, you follow that heart of yours. But make sure to come visit me, ok?”

Just then, Spike got an idea. He turned to Ember and said, “Hey, Ember, I don’t want to tell you how to do your job or anything, but I have an idea. I know ruling can take a lot out of you, so how does having a right hand drake at your side sound? Someone who will help you in all your day to day task and advise you in matters?” As Spike put his claw to his chin and giggled he said, “Kind of like a number one assistant of your own.”

Ember smiled and said, “Sure. Sounds like a great idea. But, it would have to be a drake that knew their stuff. One that wanted to help me build a place where dragons can coexist with others. Any ideas for a candidate, Spike?”

Spike turned around and looked at Zeri and said, “Well, what do you think, Uncle Zeri? You up to the challenge?”

Zeri smiled warmly at hearing Spike calling him uncle and said, “I think I can manage that.”

As Spike quickly glanced at both Celestia and Twilight, he chuckled and said, “Good. I’m sure you’ll do great, but there’s a catch.” As the Dragon Lord titled his head in curiosity, Spike grinned at him as he said, “You are to send me regular reports and updates on how things are going in the Dragonlands, and you are to do so personally. Is that understood?” Making both Celestia and Twilight giggle.

Zeri bows as he says, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Spike clears his throat and scratches his nose, a bit embarrassed as he continues, “And... and maybe, if you have time, you might want to spend some time with me? Maybe even tell me some stories or something, about mom and dad?”

As Zeri raised his head back up and looked at Spike with a warm smile, he said, “I would like that. I would like that very much, Spike,” before pulling him into a hug.

After a few moments had passed, Zeri breaks their hug and asks, “So, what now?”

Spike shrugged his shoulders as he said, “Don’t know. Guess I’ll just head home and carry on as normal just like always.”

Rarity cleared her throat and gave Spike a bat of her eyes before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek, making him laugh as he said, “Well, normal from now on anyways,” as everyone started to laugh at him going red in embarrassment.

Zeri smirked at the sight of Spike and Rarity as an idea came to him. He cleared his throat and shouted, “Dragons, show your respect to the king and queen!”

“Oh my,” Rarity said a bit embarrassed as every dragon there bowed.

Spike, going completely red in the face at this point, shouted, “Uncle! We’ve only just started dating! Could you not make things any harder for me?!” Making everyone laugh at how embarrassed he was.

As everyone continued to laugh, Spike chuckled along before stopping all of a sudden and getting a small grin come onto his face, he looked at Rarity and said, “Although, Queen Rarity does have a nice sound to it.” As Spike held Rarity’s chin and moved closer, he whispered, “After all, you’ve always been my queen,” before kissing her.

As they broke their passionate kiss, Spike moved away and giggled as he said, “I think I just found my nickname for you: my little queen of the dragons.” As he watched Rarity blush and gulp in embarrassment, Spike gave her a peck on the cheek as everyone started to giggle and snigger at how red Rarity had become.

Ember cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention and said, “Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but standing around and watching you two make kissy faces at each other isn’t my idea of a good time. So, if we’re done I think I’m gonna go home and take this lot with me. Which reminds me, Dragon Lord Zeri. What did you do with my dad?”

“Oh, Torch, don’t worry. He was thrown into a cell. He’s fine. We can let him out when we get back,” the Dragon Lord said with a smile, as he looked at Ember.

As Ember grinned at him, she said, “I see, but I believe what you meant to say was you can let him out when we get back. Isn’t that right, my number one assistant? After all, I’m sure my dad would like a word or two with you when we get back.”

The smile now gone from his face, Zeri bowed and said, “Of course. As you wish, my Dragon Lord.”

Spike snickered and said, “Seems like you’re gonna have your claws full, Uncle. Don’t overwork yourself.”

As Zeri looks at Spike, Twilight walks over to stand next to Zeri with a grin on her face as she says, “I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Also, when you do come and visit Spike, I would appreciate it if you could take the time to teach Spike about some dragon history and culture. Maybe fit in some reading and writing too.”

“What they hay, Twi!” Spike said with a displeased tone as Twilight turned to look at him with the grin still on her face as she said, “Well, you are the rightful ruler now, Spike. How would it look if the king of dragons can’t even read or write a simple letter?”

Spike raised an eye at his sister and said, “Liar. You just want to have more things to study.”

Twilight started to go a bit red in the face as she nervously laughed and said, “Well, I mean, as your big sister and the Princess of Friendship it’s only right that I sit in on these lessons and make sure you understand them. Not to mention it could help ponies better understand dragons in the long run. I may even add an after school club where creatures can help each other learn how to write in their native language.”

As Spike slaps a claw over his face and sighs, he says, “That just means more work for me.”

Zeri chuckles and says, “It seems I’m not the only one that is going to have his claws full. Good luck, nephew.”

Spike smirks at his uncle as he puffs out his chest and says, “Please, I’ve been working as Twi’s assistant for years. This is just the norm for her. That mare never stops trying to learn all she can. If I couldn’t keep up with her I wouldn’t be much of an assistant now would I.”

“Hey!” Twilight says as she giggles before nodding her head and saying, “Though, it is true.” As everyone starts to laugh, Twilight says, “When we get back, we need to make sure all the ponies get home safe. So tomorrow, after a nice long rest, we can get to work on making a list of what sorts of things we are going to need to know an-“

“Let me stop you there, Twi, before you start to get carried away,” Spike said, cutting her off, before saying, “Tomorrow’s no good. I have big plans for tomorrow, so I guess the list will have to wait.”

Rarity looks at Spike curiously and asks, “My, what do you have planned for tomorrow, Spikey-Wikey? I was hoping to be able to spend some time with you myself.”

Spike grinned at Rarity and said, “Well, that’s easy. I plan to take the most beautiful mare I know out on our first official date. That is, if you’re not too busy tomorrow, my little dragon queen.”

Rarity’s cheeks get a little tint of red on them as the biggest smile comes onto her face and she shouts, “Yes! I’d love to go out with you tomorrow Spikey!” As she pulls him into a hug and gives Spike a quick peck on the cheek and giggles.

“Ok, that’s it. I’ve reached my limit,” Ember says as she flies into the air and says, “Come on, number one assistant. We got our own work to do. You too, Smolder.” Before she looks down at Spike and the others and says, “Thanks for everything guys. And Spike, come visit the Dragonlands some time too. After all, that’s your home as well.”

Spike looks up at Ember and says, “Yeah, will do. Take care Ember and remember if you need anything make sure to get in touch, ok?”

As Ember flies off with Smolder towards the other dragons, Spike turns and Looks at Zeri with a smile and says, “Watch out for that one. She has a bit of a hot temper, but she’s a good dragoness. Be sure to take care of her, Uncle. I’ll see you soon, I hope.”

Zeri pulls Spike into a hug and says, “Will do, Spike, and I’ll see you soon. I promise.”

As they break their hug, Spike smiles at him and says, “I look forward to it,” and as the Dragon Lord flies off after Ember. Spike watches them leave before looking at his friends and saying, “I think it’s time to go home.”

As everyone smiles at Spike, Rarity says, “Yes, I need to get home and start to get ready for my date with you, tomorrow, Spik.”

As everyone looks at her funny, Rainbow Dash says, “Err I don’t think you need that much time.”

“You’re wrong, Rainbow Dash. I need all the time I can get to make sure I look my best for our first date. Why, I don’t even know if this is going to be enough time. A lady must look her best for her drake after all.”

Spike chuckles as he says, “Well, if that’s the case, then you need no time at all, Rarity, because you will always look the best to me.”

“Awww, Spikey, that’s so sweet of you to say,” Rarity says. As she cuddles up next to him and gives him a little peck on the cheek.

“Oh, brother,” Twilight says as she rolls her eyes at the sight before she starts to walk away with the others following behind her as she says, “Let’s go home everyone and give Romeo and his lady some alone time.”

As everyone walks off chuckling, they leave Rarity and Spike behind, lost in their own little world for a few moments before Spike looks over at them all walking away and says, “Hey, wait for us!” As Spike and Rarity give chase with smiles on their faces and hoof in claw.

The End

Comments

[LoveandEdify]

Uh...

Don't get me wrong, I like this story, but to me, it should have ended at Chapter 4.

Also, the dragon king backstory was too forced and added on. The story didn't need that, and it would have been better suited for a sequel.

[jw278]

10658366
Well thank you for liking it & yeah I can see where ya coming from. I guess I could of used it for a sequel or somethink. They are all fair point, so I have nothing to say to that lol I was trying to do something slightly different from my other stories & I guess it didn't work out as well as I thought it was going to in my head

Either way thank you for taking the time to read this story & for leaving comments & feedback, it means a lot, I appreciate it. It all helps in the end. I hope that if/when I do another story you would take the time to read that & be kind enough to leave feedback

[Snivypony]

Great story. Felt that chapters 3 and 5 were waaaaaaaay too long.

[jw278]

10762479
Thanks for taking the time to read it, glad ya like it & I can see ya point. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, any & all feedback is always a good thing so thanks

[Hillbe]

Get a hotel room you two!
Same for you and Discord
Okay if that's alright with you

[jw278]

10905388
Always like to see what your gonna say, thanks for taking the time to read this & for the comment

[JSAR1562]

Wow. That folk lore and dragon history wrapped into this fluffy little fic was brilliant. And the cadence of the writing matched the show very well.

[jw278]

11142872
Wow thank you so much I'm so glad you liked it If i'm honest I don't think this was my best story if you like lore & such checkout Spike's True Secret & it's sequel After the secret. That's probably my fav(even if it was my first lol) & I think it has some good fluff as well, I also liked the one-shot An Apple Made Whole( I was quiet happy with that as it was my first one-shot) Tho now that I think about it I think I just named all the stories I have

Either way check them out if you feel like it & let me know what you think, its always great to get comments good or bad & Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story it means alot to me as I don't really do this writing thing that much or to well lol
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment

[JSAR1562]

11143301
I already went to spikes secret and sequel I adored those too. Just finished them last night.

[jw278]

11147701
Glad you liked them & thanks for taking the time to read them Did you figure out the Secret before it was revealed lol