> Spike's Kingdom
>  by Guardian Dragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Dragon Lord Spike
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike makes haste into the narrowed foyer, panting and breathing heavily through his nose with many dragons flying to reach the ultimate prize within the Gauntlet of Fire; The Bloodstone Scepter. The Bloodstone Scepter is a volcanic stone with a claw-like top holding a blood-red stone gem. Spike sees where the prize is, resting upon an orange-red crystals foundation. Twilight and Rarity are disguised as boulders with two eye peepers to see where they are going. 




Hours ago.

Spike was called to the Gauntlet of Fire when his body flashed when he was with Rarity, extracting gemstones within a bat-infested cave. There he went with Twilight and Rarity in their disguise; Spike met with unfortunate familiar Dragons such as Garble and his cronies, others from the Dragon Migration, and the Princess of the Dragon Lands and daughter of former Dragon Lord, Torch. Princess Ember. 

Seeing Ember for the first time and how she behaved towards her father with some resentment, Spike felt awful for her. Also, he observes the elegance and beauty in Ember's sight. Though Spike has eyes on Rarity, something is telling him that he should look elsewhere, and it's in front of him. 

Now, Spike is determined to win more than ever on two occasions; Saving Equestria from the Wrath of Dragons and forming a friendship with Princess Ember. 

The first trial started during the pathway to Flamecano Island. Spike is the only Dragon without a pair of wings to navigate him, but he has an ace in his sleeve; Spike is a good swimmer, and judging from the other Dragons getting knocked out of the sky, he makes haste to Flamecano Island. However, one gets whiplashed by a geyser shot by a water-eel-like-dragon and drowns. Spike dives underwater and rescues the Dragon wearing concealing armor. 

Spike arrives at Flamecano with the Dragon he rescued while Twilight and Rarity follow closely with seaweed, twigs, and starfish encasing them so Dragons don't bat an eye, especially, Garble. Spike hears the Dragon coughing and removes the helmet, only to see Ember. Spike is somewhat surprised and thrilled to see Ember. Ember interrogated Spike about his presence until Rarity blew her cover, remarking Ember's question with an answer. Ember unveils the disguise to see Twilight and Rarity exposed, and she gets mad about Equestrian Ponies trespassing on Dragon Land territory. Spike explained that Twilight and Rarity are his friends and came to show support. Ember specifically states that Dragons are not fond of friendship until Spike proclaims that he does and knows how to express it. 

Spike proposes Ember team up when the boulders start striking Dragons in the skies. With the fear of getting injured by the mass and velocity of the boulders tossed by Dragons' tails, Ember reluctantly agrees to pair with Spike until she decides to embark solo. 

Spike and Ember work diligently together, enduring grueling obstacles at Flamecano; they avoid the boulders, spiky rocks clashing like chattering teeth during a winter storm, and sharped-end crystals stabbing in different directions in the tunnel passageway leading to a chink with many entrances down below. Shockingly, Twilight and Rarity are wearing new disguises near the edge of the entryway. Spike and Ember question their ability to appear in the right place at the right time. Spike wonders if they borrowed Pinkie's power to pop next to him. 

Rarity nearly falls into a pool of boiling lava when Spike makes the save from a geyser of magma. Ember is amazed that Spike willingly put himself in danger to save a pony; also, the ponies put themselves in danger to support him. That's when Spike mentions that friendship is vital to everything; friends help one another when love, care, and unity come into play. Spike asks Ember about having any friends which she rudely replies and excludes Spike from being her friend. Ember scolded Spike that there was only one winner, one Scepter, and one Dragon Lord. Ember remarks that if she was in Equestria, Spike and she would have been friends, but since they're not, Ember departs and leaves Spike behind, hurting his feelings. 




Present.

"I can't believe I'm the only dragon to make it this far!" Spike shouts in excitement. 

"You're not!" Garble caught up to Spike and approached him. "And I'm not losing to a puny pony-loving dragon like you!" Garble grabs Spike's head and hoists him, preparing to drop him in the chasm where pointy rocks would pierce his scales. 

Rarity yelps in horror while watching the display in front of her and Twilight. "We have to do something!"

Twilight sees a blue blur coming closer. "Look!" She uses her eyes to point to the blue blur coming closer. 

Ember spears Garble; the collision causes Garble to collide with Twilight and Rarity. Also, the crash released Garble's grasp; Spike closes his eyes and freefalls into the chasm, flailing his arms when Ember swoops down and catches him from impalement. 

Spike opens his eyes and becomes happy to see Ember rescuing him from a possibly fatal blow. "Ember! I thought it was every Dragon for themselves!" Ember safely puts Spike down on the pathway to the Bloodstone Scepter. "Why did you save me?!"

"That's what friends do!" Ember finally admits and accepts Spike as her friend. "And I am," Ember briefly pauses when explaining her true feelings. "I mean, we are," Ember felt a little remorseful. "I never should have left you back there. Agh, please don't make me talk about my feelings!"

"What the?" Garble gets up from the impact. He sees the ponies that messed with him and wants retribution. Garble slowly walks up to Rarity and Twilight near the edge, preparing to give them a severe beating unlike any other. 

Spike and Ember observe Garble's motive, and Ember decides to help Spike by sacrificing her will to win the Gauntlet of Fire. 

"Spike! Get the Scepter!" Ember takes off while Spike runs for it.

Evil intent is within Garble's eyes, but his foolishness blinds him from Ember's assault to Spike's friends' defense. Ember tackles and pins Garble to the wall with all her might; however, by getting pinned, Garble sees Spike making his way to the Bloodstone Scepter. Garble matches Ember's strength momentarily and tosses her aside with adrenaline overriding his body. Garble flies directly at Spike, hoping to grab him and harm him. Ember recovers quickly and soars after Garble, grasping his tail and tugging him away from Spike. 

Spike continues his path and turns after hearing a loud thumb behind him. Ember and Garble are enduring a power struggle during their fight. Spike looks at the prize and back; he attacks Garble, freeing Ember from his clutches. Garble grabs Spike and throws him away. Spike hangs on dearly while Ember and Garble lock claws in another power struggle pushing each other with all their might. 

"I'm sick and tired of you two helping each other! Dragons don't do helping!" Garble frustratedly grunts while pushing Ember. 

"These dragons do!" Ember proclaims and does a front flip, grabs Garble's shoulder, and maneuvers a reverse German Suplex toss. Garble gets winded by the impact. 

Rarity and Twilight applaud the teamwork of Spike and Ember in defeating Garble. They overhear more Dragons arriving and put on their disguises. Ember helps Spike get up and allows him to retrieve the Bloodstone Scepter. 

Spike climbs the orange-red crystals foundation and picks up the Bloodstone Scepter. He feels intense prowess within the staff as red flares seep through his body, deeming him the new Dragon Lord. Spike raises the Bloodstone Scepter, activating the power. A surge of vivid red energy bursts through Flamecano Island, quaking the chambers and concluding the Gauntlet of Fire. 

Garble gets up to attempt a sneak attack when Spike sees his activity. In a booming, echoing authority, Spike said: "Leave her alone!" 

"Wh-What?" Garble turns to see Spike wielding the Bloodstone Scepter. "You?! You have the scepter?! But that means that you're..."

"The Dragon Lord," Ember finishes Garble's comment. "Dragon Lord Spike," Ember corrects the term and respectfully bows. Many Dragons present follow Ember's lead in showing their new Dragon Lord grace. 

Garble sees Spike and groans. He reluctantly kneels pitifully. "Dragon... Lord... Spike..." 

"That's right!" Spike gets a devious idea to give Garble his just desserts. He wickedly smirks while imagining the possibility of Garble embarrassingly giving hugs to every Dragon, no matter how tough, rough, crude, and brutal they are. "Now, go start your long journey home. And give every Dragon you see on the way a hug. Don't tell them why, Garble."

Garble groans bitterly. "Awww! But that'll be super embarrassing!" He whines a bit. 

"I command you to do it!" Spike said with authority. 

Grable grumbles, making his way to the first Dragon he sees. "I can't believe this..." Garble hugs him and takes off. That Dragon couldn't help but smile and laugh. 

"Dragon Lord Spike. Hm, has a nice ring to it," Ember says, putting some thought into seeing a brighter future with Spike in charge. 

"It sure does," Spike sees his reflection through the gemstone of the Bloodstone Scepter. 

"Congratulations, my Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity shouts after Spike draws Garble away from her and Twilight's presence. 

"What the?" The other Dragons near Rarity and Twilight get startled for a second. 

"Nice one, Rarity!" Twilight becomes agitated at Rarity for exposing themselves again. 

The Dragons remove their disguises, preparing to pounce on the Equestrian Spies. 

"Don't harm them!" Dragon Lord Spike decrees. The Dragons reluctantly accept the command of their new leader. 

Rarity and Twilight gallop to hug Spike and congratulate him properly since the Dragons won't harm them. 

"So, Spikey-Wikey. Now that you're Dragon Lord, you're staying, right?" Rarity nervously asks. 

"Of course not, Rarity. Spike's home is in Equestria; with us!" Twilight said, knowing that Spike would make the right decision. 

"Uh, actually, about that," Spike holds onto the Bloodstone Scepter and contemplates, making his decision within the moment. 

"Yes, Spike," Twilight and Rarity turn to him. 

"As Dragon Lord, I'm not returning to Equestria," Spike firmly states. 

"Wh-Wh-What?!" Rarity and Twilight shout in shock. 

"You can't be serious, Spike!" Twilight shouts. "I need you back home! We need you! Please, come home..." Twilight doesn't want Spike to remain in the Dragon Lands. 

"You'll do fine without me, Twilight," Spike takes a deep breath. "Look around you," Twilight does so to understand Spike's point of view. "I'm not only the Dragon Lord; I'm among my kin. I go home with you; I'm a Dragon living in a nation full of Ponies. The only Dragon." 

"But Spike," Rarity complains. "Be reasonable. Who'll be there for me when I need help in the boutique or extracting gemstones in the caves? Who'll help carry things whenever I go to places? Who'll be there for moral support?" 

"Who'll help me back in the Castle of Friendship, Spike? Who'll be there for me when I need help? You can't stay! You're my Number One Assistant and friend!" 

"Twilight, Rarity," Spike taps the Bloodstone Scepter on the ground, making his point evident on what he wants to do. "I have a purpose here. To lead these Dragons into prosperity now." 

"But Spike," Rarity reaches for Spike. "You don't belong here. What would we do without you?" 

"Continue without me," Spike replies. "I fulfilled my purpose of saving Equestria from the wrath of other Dragons," Spike stares at Twilight and Rarity. "My mind is made up. You can't convince me to go back to Equestria." 

Twilight's jaw dropped at the seriousness written in Spike's demeanor. "I need you, Spike! Don't you get it?!" Twilight is in tears. "I hatched you, raised you, and you've become important to me in life! Please, come home!" 

Spike looks down. "You hatched and raised me; you've given me love throughout my time in Equestria. I'll always be grateful for the times we shared. Now, you have to let me go." 

"No!" Twilight stomps her front hoof harshly. She doesn't want to leave Spike. She wants him home with her. "As Princess, I demand you come home with me this instant!" Twilight demands in her royal voice, booming loudly within the cavern. 

Spike's eyes widen from the desperation in Twilight's tone. He taps the ground with the Bloodstone Scepter. "As Dragon Lord..," Spike starts tearing up since Twilight is stubborn. "I hereby declare that you and Rarity leave the premises of the Dragon Lands." 

"Spike, NO!" Rarity doesn't want to leave without her Spikey-Wikey. 

Twilight realizes the error she made when her emotions get the better of her, trying to control Spike when he's the leader of the Dragons. "Spike..."

"Leave. Now," Spike walks away from Rarity and Twilight. He stands next to Princess Ember. 

"Spike!" In a desperate attempt to lure Spike back to Equestria, Rarity thought of a quick lie. "I love you, Spike!" 

"So did I," Spike admits. "However, I found someone else," Spike looks up at Princess Ember with a warm smile. Ember slightly blushes and looks away; the feeling is mutual with the startup of building companionship with Spike. 

"Spike..," Twilight's gaze is on Spike. "I'm sorry for how I reacted. Please.., come back with us." 

"No," Spike shakes his head. "Dragons!" Spike sees a bulky blue Dragon in armor and a lavender Dragon in armor. "Escort my friends out of the Dragon Lands into Equestria. I have one last task to complete."

"Yes, Dragon Lord Spike," The two Dragons approach Rarity and Twilight. 

"No! Get your dirty claws off of me!" Rarity whines and wails as the bulky blue Dragon grabs Rarity and flies out of the cave. 

The lavender Dragon attempts to grab Twilight. 

"No," Twilight flaps her wings. "I'll follow," She turns to Spike. "Goodbye," Twilight leaves Spike. She's sad to leave him behind in the Dragon Lands and ponders explaining everything to her friends and the Princesses in Canterlot. 

Spike sighs deeply. "Ember, mind carrying me to your father?" 

"Not at all, Dragon Lord Spike," Ember hoists Spike and puts him on her back. 

"Follow me to former Dragon Lord Torch!" Spike shouts with excitement, hoping to rally the Dragons within Flamecano Island. 

"YEAH!" All the Dragons present follow Princess Ember to former Dragon Lord Torch.
> The Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Dragons put Rarity on Equestrian soil near a train station as Twilight lands beside her friend and feels devastated that Spike, her friend, has decided to remain Dragon Lord instead of relinquishing his title to Princess Ember, a Dragon known as Royalty in the Dragon Lands. Rarity is upset that her friend Spike won't be returning to Ponyville with his new acclaim title as Dragon Lord, which is a glaring problem on her end, indicating no extra helper, carrier, and friend that understands her. Even though she lied about having a love interest with Spike, it's evident that Spike had fallen for the Princess of Dragons; she is now jealous. Twilight is unsure about breaking the disheartening news, especially to the Crystal Empire, Crystal Ponies, and, more importantly, Princess Celestia and Luna. Without Spike, Twilight has no means of alarming Princess Celestia instantly on any occasion, whether good or bad. Now, she has to rely on the mailing system to deliver letters to Princess Celestia and pray that nothing gets interrupted during the delivery. 

"Why didn't Spike renounce his title to Princess Ember? He could have come home with us?" Twilight speaks to herself, not noticing that she's talking more loudly than in thought. 

"I won't lie, Twilight," Rarity sighs. "What Spike did was selfish! I believe the power of ruling a nation will go to his little head and corrupt him!" Rarity states, imagining Spike as a dictator, hoarding all the gemstones in the world, refusing to share or allow any pony to take them away. Rarity also imagines lewd thoughts of Spike and Ember being intimate with each other. She closes her eyes and screams in frustration.

Twilight sees a train arriving at the station. "Let's go to Canterlot and hear what Princess Celestia and Luna have to say about this," Twilight teleports her friend and herself to the platform to board the train. 

Spike rallies the Dragons behind him while Princess Ember flies to her father's location; Torch expects a proud mighty Dragon with brute strength and agility to arrive as the new Dragon Lord. Instead, he's disappointed to see his daughter with the baby Dragon on her back. 

"What is this?" Former Dragon Lord Torch demands an explanation of how a puny Dragon seizes control of the Bloodstone Scepter. 

Spike takes a deep breath, steadily his mind to speak with assertiveness. "I AM THE NEW DRAGON LORD! ADDRESS ME AS DRAGON LORD SPIKE!" Spike's commanding voice echoes throughout the Dragon Lands; holding the Bloodstone Scepter grants him that ability. 

Torch blinks twice and glares at the young Dragon with interest; he starts laughing. "Well, I'm impressed that a half-pint such as yourself exceeded the Gauntlet of Fire competition. A Dragon with no wings, strength, or speed successfully obtains the Bloodstone Scepter. You should all be ashamed of allowing a puny Dragon to run over you!" Torch bellows, causing many Dragons to cover their heads where most creatures would have ears. He groans and then gets agitated when Garble hugs him. "What is the meaning of this?!" 

"I can't tell you!" Garble complains and flies into the horizon as other Dragons laugh at his misery. 

"Dragon Lord Spike," Torch fixes his gaze on the new Dragon Lord. "You have my blessing. Now, lead us however you see fit." 

"Don't worry. I have many ideas to lead every Dragon into prosperity. Also, I'm dating your daughter." 

"WWWWWWWHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Torch screeches in terror that the Dragon Lord wants to date his daughter. 

"It's true, Dad," Princess Ember smiles at her new lover. During the flight, Ember's heart exploded in happiness after experiencing trust and Friendship for the first time. Dragons don't help each other often, but being close to Spike reveals a new emotion to embrace. "I have..," Ember takes a deep breath. "I'm in love with Dragon Lord Spike!" Princess Ember vigorously expresses her true feelings for Spike despite knowing him for a few hours. Something about Spike's presence makes her feel more lively than before. 

Torch growls at the revelation; however, since he's no longer the Dragon Lord, Torch cannot install a law that forbids any Dragon from dating his daughter. He closes his eyes and sighs in defeat. "Very well," Torch flaps his wings. "I'll get going," Torch flies home. 

"Ember, can you turn around for me to say a speech to all Dragons?" Spike politely asks. He wants to address all Dragons can benefit, a future where every Dragon can live happily with no hatred. 

"Sure thing, Dragon Lord Spike," Ember turns around, allowing Spike to see many Dragons waiting anxiously for their leader's speech. 

"Dragon Nation!" Spike shouts with authority. He sounds genuine, honorable, and comforting. "From this day forth, I shall bring a new era of love and peace with ourselves and neighboring countries. We will help one another and spread Friendship to create a better tomorrow. I will bring something new for all Dragons to enjoy soon enough!" 

The Dragons applaud and praise Dragon Lord Spike by chanting his name. Spike relishes the Dragons chanting his name; it's like the Crystal Empire, where the Crystal Ponies worship, chant, took pictures of him. 

"So, Spike," Ember hopes she doesn't have to repeat the Dragon Lord title to Spike. 

"Yes, Ember," Spike smiles lovingly at Ember. 

Ember blushes slightly and shrugs it away for a few moments. "What will you do now?" 

"Write a letter to Princess Celestia, letting her know that my life is changing for the better; also, do the Dragons have paper and pen to write?" 

"Uh-uh," Ember shakes her head. "We don't have resources as Equestrian Ponies provide. We have gemstones, lava, and rock." 

"Oooooooh, booooooy," Spike takes a deep breath and keeps a mental note; Dragons don't have much, as Equestria seems to have everything. Since the Dragons have rocks, Spike will have to write stone tablet letters to Princess Celestia and anyone he has in mind to transport letters. 

"You!" Spike points the Bloodstone Scepter at a bulky brown Dragon. "Get me some stone tablets for me to write!" 

"Yes, Dragon Lord Spike!" The Dragon bows and takes off to a mountain to gather smooth rocks for carving words. 

"Is there anything sharp enough to carve words into the stone?" Spike asks every Dragon else. 

"Spike, my armor has a sword; You can use it to write what you need to say," Princess Ember suggests, hoping it'll please her lover. 

"Thank you," Spike smiles at his lover. He hopes more of Ember's love can blossom nicely. 

It's been a quiet three-hour trip for Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. In their minds, they replay the same sequence when Spike refuses to pass the Scepter to a worthy royal Dragoness. They feel Spike is still too young to handle responsibilities that'll drive anyone inexperienced into madness. The Royal Guards see Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rarity leaving the train and escort them to Canterlot Castle; they are curious about the missing presence of Spike. 

Inside Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia finishes talking with Raven Inkwell for tomorrow's session since she'll lower the sun, allowing her sister to raise the moon. The two see Twilight and Rarity strolling in the corridors looking distraught and heartbroken; also, Princess Celestia notices that Spike isn't with the two of them. 

"Excuse me, Inkwell," Princess Celestia needs to speak with Princess Twilight and Rarity about Spike's absence. 

"Of course, my Princess," Raven Inkwell trots away, leaving the Princess to take care of private affairs. 

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Princess Celestia asks with concern. 

Twilight looks up at her mentor and down on the floor in sadness. "Spike won." 

"He's not coming home..," Rarity sniffs; Her beloved friend, Spiky-Wikey, is gone. 

"Well, what did you expect?" Princess Luna strolls down the corridors and interjects herself into the conversation. 

"You knew?" Twilight turns to Princess Luna. 

Princess Luna nods. "Indeed. Spike winning the Gauntlet of Fire meant that he'll become the new ruler of Dragons, and no leader cannot leave a nation unattended." 

"But there was a Princess there, Luna!" Twilight barks back bitterly. "Princess Ember! Spike could have transferred his authority to her!" Twilight stomps angrily. 

"A Princess participated in the event?" Princess Luna and Celestia didn't foresee that outcome. 

"Yes!" Twilight frustratedly shouts with some anger. 

"Maybe he'll transfer the title to Ember in due time, Twilight," Princess Celestia ponders some likely scenarios within the Dragon Nation. One of them could be Spike teaching the values of Friendship to every Dragon and having them embrace love and unity; then he'll test Ember to see if she has the qualities that the elements of harmony represent. 

"Spike was being selfish!" Rarity pettily expresses. "He chose power over friends! That'll lead to corruption! You should have a talk with him about important matters!" 

"Since we heard from your perspectives, what were Spike's motives?" Princess Luna knows Twilight and Rarity have not explained the whole story; they're letting their emotions speak for themselves. 

"Uuuuuh," Twilight and Rarity looks at each other. Then a poof noise with green sparkles flares, and a heavy stone tablet lands on them. "OOOOW!" 

"What the?" Princess Celestia lifts the stone tablets with her magic. "Are you two okay?"

"Who would warp something heavy when there are other alternatives, like paper or a note sheet?" Rarity asks while rubbing her left side with her hoof. "I'll need a day at the spa to relieve the pain!" 

"Dragon Lord Spike," Princess Celestia confirms after reading the first dialog on the stone tablet. 

"WHAT?!" Twilight and Rarity shout. 

"It says: Princess Celestia. I am the new Dragon Lord in the Dragon Lands, and I want to confirm that I'm resigning my title as Twilight's Number One Assistant. I will lead my nation and show them the benefits of Friendship that I've learned with my friends in Equestria, also expressing the same passion for neighboring countries. However, as far as things are concerned, the Dragons are not affiliated with Ponies of Equestria; with that said, I want a conference meeting with you and your sister to discuss several demands we have in mind. Princess Twilight Sparkle should not be involved; I see her erratic when she sees me and would want to guilt-trip me into giving up my reign. I will arrive in Canterlot tomorrow with the Princess of Dragons, Ember. See you soon, Dragon Lord Spike." 

Twilight Sparkle feels betrayed that Spike doesn't want her in the conference meeting tomorrow while being left out on important matters with aligning an alliance with the Dragons, a crucial, vital achievement for the record books. 

"What about the Elements of Harmony? Can we be involved with the meeting?" Rarity asks the Princess of the Sun. 

"I'll write a response letter and send Spike scrolls for him to use; otherwise, every pony will have to wear armor to shield themselves from impending drops of stone tablets," Princess Celestia replies. 

"In the meantime, I'll head into the dream realm to locate Spike's door when he slumbers, to have a private discussion about his decision to maintain his role as Dragon Lord," Princess Luna leaves the group and trots to the balcony of the castle to raise the moon. 

Princess Celestia starts writing a response letter to Dragon Lord Spike about involving the bearers of the elements of harmony. Also, to understand Spike's situation from his point of view rather than hearing the explanation from Twilight and Rarity. Princess Celestia dismisses Twilight and Rarity, allowing them to sleep in the castle tonight since it'll be a while until Spike responds. 

Dragon Lord Spike is near a river where Dragons go to drink water; he sees how every Dragon uses their claw to scoop the water to slurp. Throughout the day, Spike witnessed many problems within the Dragon Lands and understood why Dragons hate Ponies. Dragons are basically living in the stone age, with no technology, no farms, no electricity, and not even a bathroom. Princess Ember taught Spike that Dragons hunt for food and gemstones; they do their business elsewhere and sleep on rocks or the ground. Equestria has all the best resources, while the Dragons are behind, dead last. 

Spike sticks his claw into the water and slurps what he can. He turns to Princess Ember. "Mind if I bunk in your home?" Spike doesn't know where to sleep for the night since his bed is back in the Castle of Friendship. 

"Of course, Spike," Princess Ember has gotten used to saying Spike and is the only Dragon who doesn't have to address him as Dragon Lord. Every Dragon else has to say Dragon Lord Spike.

Spike burps a letter written by Princess Celestia. Then several more burst out of his mouth. He falls to the ground, holding his stomach. "Knock me out! Make it stop!" He continues burping scroll after scroll, feeling the excruciating pain like when Discord turned Twilight and her Friends into the opposite of themselves. Tears swell in Spike's eyes, and they become red. 

Princess Ember becomes horrified watching Spike endure such pain. She sees him on the verge of tears and takes the Bloodstone Scepter. "Forgive me, Spike!" Ember jabs Spike's head with the handle of the Bloodstone Scepter hard, knocking him unconscious. Ember tears up and picks Spike up. "No more." Ember growls and flies Spike home with her. Tomorrow, she'll have a word with the Princesses.
> Discussion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours passed since Ember knocked Spike unconscious from the spam mail he burped; Princess Ember knows whenever someone was to harm the Dragon Lord, they initiate war unless the Dragon Lord had the final authority to override a sacred decree from the previous Dragons Lords. Former Dragon Lord Torch detests his daughter for sharing a room with the new Dragon Lord; it's an added insult to injury about some puny Dragon dating his daughter, and the puny Dragon doesn't have wings!

Spike wakes up and feels his head spinning from the jab and his stomach hurting from burping many scrolls Princess Celestia delivered; he sees the bed is not comfortable but hard as a rock. Ember discusses initiating war with Spike since he suffered, but he turns down the suggestion and explains that the incident happened before with Princess Celestia; he also theorizes that being outside the land of Equestria caused the side effect of the spell to break down. Instead of burping everything in one shot, it sent one by one.

Discord appears in front of Spike after he wakes up bursting through a celebration cake on a momentous achievement; he's delighted to see the young Dragon ruling over the entire Dragon Nation, but he's surprised that having the authority did not corrupt his mindset. Ember is dazzled by the physics and wonders of the Draqonecuus; she has never seen a creature with omnipotent creativity reveal himself through a delicious sweet treat for kicks. Spike rolls his eyes and chuckles at the Lord of Chaos.

"Hello, Discord." Spike gets off the rocky bed to greet his friend. Sure, Spike and Discord don't talk often, but the times they do, it's always pleasant conversations.

"Dragon Lord Spike!" Discord bows to show respect to the new ruler of the Dragon Lands. When he stands, confetti explodes behind him and in front of Spike. "It's an honor to be in the presence of a King."

"Uh..," Ember looks at Spike. "Who and what is this doofus?" 

"Doofus?" Discord snaps his claw, making Ember wear a dunce hat for those in detention. "Why I outta," Discord wants to punish Ember. 

Spike grabs the Bloodstone Scepter and uses it to block Discord's attempt for anything chaotic to his lover. "Princess Ember, that 'doofus' is the Lord of Chaos, Discord." 

Ember's eyes widen in shock, and she gulps a little; she has some knowledge of the Lord of Chaos' prowess and ability to create anything wicked and powerful for his amusement. 

"Relax," Discord snaps his eagle's claw, teleporting a comfort couch for Ember to rest. "I am reformed. It's against my principle to do severe harm to any creature." 

"Wow... WOW..! ...aaaaaaaaaaaah..." Ember releases a satisfying sigh as she feels the softness of the cushion and leans back. Ember can't believe how comfortable the couch feels compared to laying on rocks for years. 

"Better?" Discord asks, looking for approval from Ember's state of mind. 

"Much better," Ember leans on her back, taking in the pleasures of relaxation. 

"So, I heard you have a meeting with Princess Celestia and Luna?" Discord turns to Dragon Lord Spike. 

"Yea," Spike nods. "You heard correctly. I suppose you eyeballed the conversation that Princess Celestia possibly discussed with Twilight and the girls?" 

"Well, more like Princess Twilight, Luna, and Rarity. The others weren't at the castle when I disguised myself as a bird, chirping awfully to disrupt the other birds' singing routine. Twilight and Rarity seemed distressed that you didn't give up your authority to Princess Ember, feeling that you're too young for leading a nation with a butt-load of responsibilities." 

"Say, what!?" Ember is fuming at that statement. She finds it offensive that Spike's so-called friends would doubt and belittle Spike for being a ruler of all Dragons. 

"I know, and how hypocritical for Princess Twilight to say when she is the youngest Princess of the core," Discord said, agreeing with Ember's outburst. 

"When she became Princess, I supported her... When I became the Dragon Lord, all Twilight thought about was taking me back home," Spike deeply sighs in sadness. "She doesn't believe in me; the way I believe in her success as a Princess." 

"It's shameful and unfortunate behavior from a Princess who represents Friendship. So, Spike? What are your demands to mend a peace treaty and alliance with Equestria?" 

"Well, I see the Dragons living in the stone age, so I thought about bringing some luxury and technology to the Dragon Lands, helping them exceed while showing them how prosperous the future will be." 

"Stone age, huh? Well, that's one way of looking at it from a pony's perspective," Discord replies to Spike's luxury demand. 

"Pony's perspective?" Spike is confused about that logic; he wants to bring the joys of Equestria for every Dragon to relish.

Ember looks strangely at Discord for making a bold statement at the Dragon Lord; she watches him closely, hoping that his chaotic nature doesn't influence the young Dragon negatively. 

"You've been a pony all your life, Spike. When are you like a Dragon, not a helper, assistant, or test subject that Twilight uses in her experiments?" 

"What..?" Ember turns to Spike; she didn't like the last comment about being used for experimentation. 

"I..," Spike stutters a bit; he did have a moment of turning into a full-grown Dragon that went rampant during a greed-hoarding spree. Then he had a blast at the Dragon Migration but learned that teen Dragons do things differently. Honestly, Spike ate gemstones, but not much of them since Twilight Sparkle controlled his portions. Memories become dimmer as all Spike knows how to live is through the visions of Ponies. "I'm a pony inside of a Dragon's body..," Spike painfully admits and sheds a tear. 

"HEY!" Ember shoves Discord fiercely. She hates the fact that Spike feels less of himself.  

Discord allows the shove to impact his body when his spine snaps. Ember gasps at the sound; However, Discord laughs at Ember for foolishly believing she can harm a chaotic deity. 

"It's okay..," Spike wipes his eyes. "Discord is right. I don't have the experience like a Dragon, only a Pony. I'm pretty bad when I claim to be a Dragon when, during this entire time, my mindset has been nothing but a Pony. I'm already making decisions for the Dragons as a Pony, not a Dragon!" Spike groans irritatedly at his shortcomings. 

"Tissue?" Discord holds a box of gemstone-scented tissues. 

"Thanks," Spike takes some and wipes his tears. "Crud, it will take a while for me to write another stone tablet follow-up letter to Princess Celestia about suspending the meeting tomorrow." 

Discord reads Spike's body language and understands the gravity of the situation Spike is enduring as Dragon Lord, also the weight he carries for not understanding the Dragon's culture, just making careless decisions without much thought process. 

Spike is having second thoughts about his reign already, and perhaps he should go home, back to Twilight, and ask for forgiveness for not listening to her instead of trusting himself to be a leader. He looks at the Bloodstone Scepter's reflection and sees a Dragon full of promise and determination. Spike can feel a spark igniting in his heart, saying not to give up so easily, take the next step, and ask for help. 

Spike smiles and ignores the dark thoughts within his mind; he turns to Princess Ember. "Ember." 

"Yes, Spike?" Princess Ember hopes her friend and lover is feeling better. 

"I need you to teach me the lifestyle of becoming a Dragon!" Spike commands. 

"Teach you?" Ember is stunned to hear Spike's command. She's unsure how to teach the Dragon Lord. 

"YES!" Spike excitedly shouts with pride. "During the Dragon Migration, Garble and his friends wanted to teach me how to become a Dragon, but my heart wasn't in the right place, considering I was still with Twilight and the girls in Ponyville. I've partied, eaten like no tomorrow, and endured the games, trials, and mockery. There was an event Garble and two other Dragons wanted me to partake in, the Phoenix Swipe. They wanted me to smash the Phoenix egg and kill the unborn child, but I couldn't; I didn't want to believe that Dragons are cruel monsters that instinctively hunt and kill prey so devilishly." 

Ember sighs at the task but embraces it since Spike grew up as a Pony, not a Dragon. "Of course, Spike. Also, in return, you teach us Dragons how to express Friendship." 

"Without a doubt, that's one of my main objectives, to show, teach, and reveal the qualities of Friendship. Once my training is complete, we'll discuss with the Princesses about building an alliance during the conference meeting." 

"Hey, Spike," Discord wears secretary glasses and a business suit; he has a pen and notepad, ready to write what Spike wants to say. "I'll write you a letter for you to send. Say, and I'll copy." 

"Dear Princess Celestia. I have decided to postpone the conference meeting to a later date since I'll undergo training to become a Dragon. All my life, I was taught to be like a Pony with the mentality of one; however, I cannot be the Dragon Lord with the mindset of a Pony; therefore, I'll be spending quality time with my species, understanding their world, practices, culture, and much more. I will keep in touch with you and give Twilight my regard; I love you all and will see you soon. Sincerely, Dragon Lord Spike."  

Discord finishes writing the letter on the notepad and gives it to Spike; he wrote it in macaroni. Spike rolls his eyes and uses his fire breath to teleport the letter to Princess Celestia; he hopes his decision didn't upset Princess Celestia and ruin her schedule. 

"Thanks, Discord," Spike offers his claw to give Discord a proper handshake of appreciation. 

"Ah, you're welcome," Discord shakes Spike's claw with his lion's paw. "So what do you have in mind, Dragon Lord Spike?" 

"Discord," Spike looks at his friend seriously with an intriguing topic to discuss. 

"Yes?" Discord sees Spike's demeanor changing from excitement to seriousness. He wonders if Spike's next question is mature or immature. 

"Are you a citizen of Equestria?" 

Discord glances at Spike, then does a double take with the question asked. "Technically, no, but Princess Celestia wants to use my magic for her purposes; Why did you ask that?" 

"You're the only friend that wanted to help me, spoke truthfully about my current circumstance, and woke me up as the creature I am. I need friends like you here in the Dragon Lands. I have a gut-wrench feeling that Twilight and Rarity may overexaggerate my entitlement as Dragon Lord to the girls and attempt to make me see reason to give up my reign. Would you like to become a citizen of the Dragon Lands?" 

Discord is stunned to receive a citizenship question; He's amazed by Spike's maturity, wanting friends like him who are honest and straight to the point. "Can I express my chaotic nature to the Dragons without repercussions? Am I allowed to use my chaos magic however I want?" 

"First, you need the Dragons' approval to see how you enact your chaos magic; if they like how you utilize your power, you'll have the go-ahead. Secondly, you'll have a piece of the Dragon Lands to spread your chaos undisturbed unless you invite friends over. Third, you'll become my Ambassador to the Dragons, helping them in the foreseeable future."

"Wait.., WHAT?!" Discord didn't anticipate becoming an Ambassador for the Dragons. "You want me to..?" Spike nods before allowing Discord to finish his question, as he already knows what he'll say. "Wow.., I feel honored." 

Whenever Discord used his chaos magic in Equestria, ponies shamed him for creating something abnormal and annoying, except Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Mainly, ponies would want Discord to turn things back to normal and get back to their lives. Discord believes that the Dragons would find him awesome and amazed by his creativity and welcome him into their family since he is technically part Dragon. Also, it gives him great joy to exploit a different species for his chaos magic. Being an Ambassador holds responsibilities he's not familiar with, but none of the Princesses wants to give Discord anything to do unless it's to help clean up a mess. As Spike, this is a learning curve with a new purpose in life. 

"Well, Spike," Discord laughs in delight. "You've convinced me. I'll stay and see how things pan out. I'll become a citizen in the Dragon Lands." 

"Which also means amnesty whenever you stir trouble in Equestria," Spike searches for loopholes in the future when the conference meeting arrives. He hopes that Discord doesn't abuse his Friendship with Spike with the possibility of having amnesty. Spike prays his decision doesn't backfire on him. 

"Trust me, Spike!" Discord reaffirms Spike's decision-making as Dragon Lord. "You will become the wisest leaders in any nation as long as you believe in yourself and those around you." 

Spike smiles and appreciates Discord's statement. "Thank you, my friend," Spike's stomach starts growling. "Got any grub, Ember?" 

Ember smiles. "Your first lesson of being a Dragon starts now, with a hunting session!" Ember grabs Spike's claw and walks out of her home. 

Discord follows the duo; he wants to see how the training session flows when his alarm clock rings. "Oh, that's right. Tea time with Fluttershy at her cottage," Discord snaps his eagle's claw and teleports to Fluttershy's home.
> Tea Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy is in her cottage, humming a soft melody while preparing the tea and teacakes. It's 7:30 in the evening; Angel Bunny helps decorate the table for Fluttershy and Discord. Fluttershy wonders how her friends are doing since hearing the news about Spike's glow and participation in the Gauntlet of Fire; she's worried that her friends are in grave danger but believes Twilight will whisk her and her friends away from trouble. Discord arrives in front of Fluttershy's cottage feeling happy and excited about the great news as he'll deliver some heartbreaking news to Fluttershy about Spike; he wonders if the two have a strong bond as friends or not. 

Discord knocks on the front door, expecting to hear his friends say: "I'm coming." On cue, Discord heard Fluttershy say those exact words and open the door. 

"Come inside, Discord," Fluttershy smiles and stands aside, allowing Discord to enter her home. "Please, sit and get comfy." 

"Sure thing, Fluttershy," Discord hovers by the couch, bringing it closer to the table. "Need any help, my dear, Fluttershy?" 

"No, thank you, Discord," Fluttershy happily responds while going to the kitchen; she brings the teapot as Angel Bunny brings the plate of teacakes, sandwiches, and cookies. As a reward, Fluttershy gives Angel Bunny two chocolate chip cookies and a slight pat on the head. Fluttershy pushes a chair for her to sit and fellowship with Discord. 

"How have you been, Fluttershy? It felt like eons since I last saw you," Discord chuckles while grabbing a teacake; his lion's paw reveals its' shark-like jaws, consuming the delectable. Then it blushes with a satisfying smile and purrs like a cat. 

Fluttershy giggles at the spectacle. "Such a cutie," Fluttershy strokes Discord's lion paw; it coos, causing Discord to chuckle since it's tickling him slightly. "I've been good, Discord. I'm worried about Twilight and Rarity since they went with Spike to the Dragon Lands. Being surrounded by those awful.., scary.., firebreathing.., Dragons!" Fluttershy scares herself by mentioning the terrors of Dragons. 

Discord's demeanor changes when Fluttershy refers to Dragons as scary and awful. "Do you honestly believe Dragons are horrifying?" 

"YES!" Fluttershy quivers at the thought of Dragons rampaging and destroying everything with their strength and firepower. She murmurs frightfully at the images of huge-scaly Dragons burning the landscape, bringing ruin and misery. 

"Is that how you view Spike?" Discord wants to know about Fluttershy's reaction to Spike's appearance. 

"WHAT?!" Fluttershy shrieks at the bold question coming from her friend in sadness and horror. "NO! SPIKE IS MY FRIEND! I DON'T FIND HIM TERRIFYING AT ALL! HE'S A CUTE AND ADORABLE!" Fluttershy exclaims, proclaiming that Spike is far different from the other Dragons. 

"Spike is a Dragon who will someday grow up and become a full-size Dragon. Will he still be your friend; would you find him terrifying and stay away from him?" 

Fluttershy's heart sinks with that question; the idea of Spike as a full-grown Dragon does frighten her, but she knows that Spike is a good Dragon and wouldn't harm his friends. "Spike is not a monster. He's my friend." 

"So? Spike gets a bypass because he's the only friendly Dragon while you're assuming all others are threatening?" Discord is learning something new about Fluttershy's perspective on Dragons. Also, it'll help him enable the experience to comfort other Dragons based on their viewpoints. 

Fluttershy tears up a bit; the statement now sounds like an accusation of being a racist against other species. "Why are you asking me these questions, Discord?" Fluttershy sniffs as tears stream down her face. 

"Spike won the Gauntlet of Fire and is now the new Dragon Lord; he decided to stay with the Dragons." 

"Why would Spike stay and not return home?" Fluttershy wants to know why her friend decided to stay with the Dragons rather than come back home to Ponyville. 

"Quick question before I reply; do you see Spike as a Dragon or Pony?" Discord wants to understand where Fluttershy stands concerning Spike. 

"Well..," Fluttershy thought about Spike's personality and understanding; in her eyes, Dragons are vicious, cruel monsters that wreak havoc, especially that one Dragon who slept in a cave that nearly put Equestria in smog. However, Spike is a gentlecolt who cares about his friends, always lending a helping claw, happy, and friendly- "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh," Fluttershy understands Discord's perspective about the difference between a Pony and a Dragon. 

"Do you get it?" 

"Loud and clear..," Fluttershy sadly sighs and shields her face in shame by covering them with her hooves and wings. 

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, her family, and her friends raised Spike as a Pony, not a Dragon. A major difference among species." 

Fluttershy nods, agreeing with Discord's comment about raising a youngling. "You're right..." 

"Your definition of Dragons would include Spike since he's among them; The way you've expressed them sounds discriminating. Accusing all of them because of some experiences is wrong, Fluttershy. Never judge any creature based on its appearance and history; some are friendly; however, they never got a chance; since their reputation as a species is discomforting and untrustworthy by those who give them a bad name." 

"Wow.., I've never thought of it that way before..." Fluttershy is appalled at her behavior for convincing herself about the terrible Dragons that roam on the planet. 

"Do you believe all Dragons are as evil as you named them to be?"

"No!" Fluttershy shakes her head after learning a life lesson from Discord; she doesn't want to discriminate against any species and starts believing they are good creatures among them. "I have to see it for myself before I make a claim!" 

"That's better," Discord said in relief; he's glad  Fluttershy is turning a new leaf about Dragons. 

"So, with what you told me, why did Spike choose to stay with the Dragons?" Fluttershy still hasn't received a proper explanation about Spike's circumstances. 

"Throughout Spike's life, he has little knowledge of his race; Spike wants to learn what it means to be a Dragon. The Dragon Migration didn't help much, considering he was with Teenage Dragons, who gave him bad influences. Now, with his title as Dragon Lord, he can embrace the life lessons of becoming a Dragon. Also, since he's in charge of the Dragon Nation, Spike believes he can teach them the qualities of Friendship, leading his people into everlasting prosperity." 

"He found his purpose!" Fluttershy smiles in delight; she's proud of Spike for finding a life worth living, considering staying in a castle is no good for a youngling. 

"He did. Spike winning the Gauntlet of Fire means he's free of being in some pony's shadow. Spike can become his person, one to go on adventures, explore new regions, and be one of the greatest leaders in the history books."

"I'm so happy for him!" Fluttershy couldn't help and clap her hooves in astonishment. "How did Twilight and Rarity take the great news!?" 

Discord groans a little, spoiling the cheerful mood. Fluttershy frowns and suspects that Twilight and Rarity did something wrong. 

"Twilight and Rarity weren't thrilled that Spike won the Gauntlet of Fire; they expected him to give up his reign to the Princess of Dragons, Ember." 

"Why?" Fluttershy feels disheartened that her friends want Spike to give up a purpose in life. 

"According to them, Twilight and Rarity feel that Spike is too young to handle kingship; also, they believe Spike may wind up corrupted with power due to his inexperience. They claim that Spike chose power over his Friends." 

"That's absurd of them to think of the worst!" Fluttershy blows a fuse; Discord licks the index finger and thumb of his eagle's claw and puts out the flame before it blows over. A sizzling sounds off on Fluttershy's head. "Thanks, Discord." 

"Don't mention it. Anyway, back to the explanation. Twilight and Rarity told the Princesses about what happened; Spike sent a stone tablet letter, addressing his resignation of being Twilight's Number One Assistant and confirming a conference meeting tomorrow." 

"A conference meeting? To discuss what?" 

"A peace treaty and alliance with the Dragon Nation; Spike had some demands he wanted the Princesses to obliged too." 

"What time tomorrow?" Fluttershy wants to know if the bearers of the elements of harmony would be present since the meeting is about alliances and Friendship. 

"It would have been tomorrow morning, but Spike postponed the meeting," Discord confirms; He pours himself a cup of jasmine tea to drink after talking for so long. 

"Why did Spike postpone the meeting?" Fluttershy is curious about Spike's sudden decision-making. 

"I talked with Spike; made him realize that his doings were from a Pony's perspective. I woke him up, reminding him he was a Pony inside of a Dragon's body. Spike envisioned bringing luxury from Equestria to the Dragon Lands. After proclaiming them to be in the stone age, last to revolutionize in anything compared to Ponies of Equestria." 

"Wow.., you're maturing into becoming a great friend, Discord. I'm proud of you," Fluttershy smiles, seeing the goodness bloom in Discord. 

"Thank you," Discord nods, concurring with Fluttershy's statement about being a caring friend. 

"What else happened?" Fluttershy pours a cup of jasmine tea and relaxes on her chair, wanting to know more about Spike's progress. 

"I read Spike's body language, and he had second thoughts until he saw his reflection in the Bloodstone Scepter; then his attitude changed, beaming with pride. He announced to learn more about his kind and become a Dragon to lead, not a Pony. He asked Ember to train him the ways of being a Dragon. Also, since I'm the first friend who wanted to help and support him, Spike made me Ambassador of Dragon!" 

Fluttershy's jaw drops at that turn of events. She's stunned that Spike dubbed Discord Ambassador of Dragons in goodwill. "That's fantastic, Discord. Also, does that mean I'll see you.., less..?" Fluttershy hopes that isn't the case. 

"Well, being Ambassador of Dragons also meant being a citizen of the Dragon Lands. Also, Spike gave me citizenship since I told him about my outcome in Equestria. Princess Celestia only uses my power for her purposes, while Spike allows me to be myself, using my Chaos whenever as long as other Dragons don't mind my business. He's even giving me a piece of land to spread my majestic magic, undisturbed unless I invite friends. Spike is already a good leader for allowing me to be myself and not someone else!" 

"Wait? Princess Celestia only uses you for what exactly?" Fluttershy wants to know her friend's situation through the hooves of the Princess. 

"Princess Celestia wants me to control my Chaos, exploiting it to clean up messes caused by villains or mishaps. She doesn't want me to handle a crisis, only you and the girls to solve whenever she calls. Even though I made the mistake of trusting Lord Tirek, Princess Celestia hasn't forgiven me; she doesn't trust me to help. Just sit back and do nothing except clean." 

"That's horrible..," Fluttershy looks down. 

"Spike is giving me purpose, either than my title as the Lord of Chaos. Princess Celestia limits my usage, and I have unprecedented timing in using my power; every pony backlashes me, demanding things back to normal. The only other times I can be myself without facing any problems are with you and at my home. With Spike being the Dragon Lord, I'm free to do as I please without receiving headaches. It's like a burden is off my chest. And Fluttershy." 

"Yes, Discord?" Fluttershy stares into the eyes of the Draqonecuus. 

"I will always make time for you. You are my best friend," Discord lifts Fluttershy and hugs her tenderly. "Never forget that." 

Fluttershy giggles. "I won't. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Fluttershy recites and performs the Pinkie Promise ritual. "So, right before you left, what was Spike doing?" 

Discord chuckles. "Ember initiated Spike's training with his first lesson on how to be like a Dragon. Ember and Spike are hunting for food!" 

"WHAT?!" Fluttershy shrieks in horror, scaring the daylights of birds, causing them to fly away by the sudden noise of terror.
> Lesson #1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia received a letter from Spike, but it had inscriptions in macaroni that confused her. However, she quickly realized that it was Discord's work. "Oh, Discord." She chuckled, amused by his playful way of helping Spike. She felt happy knowing Spike would be a great Dragon Lord and looked forward to the upcoming conference meeting. "I should inform Twilight about Spike's decision to withdraw from the meeting." 

Princess Celestia lowers the sun with her magic, allowing her sister to raise the moon; she hopes that Princess Luna can communicate with Spike in his dreams due to Discord stretching the truth with his storytelling. Princess Celestia strolls down the corridors to the guest room and meets Princess Luna; they hug and embrace each other, knowing Spike will do well as Dragon Lord. Princess Luna tells her sister about finding Spike's dream door when she enters the dream realms later on; Princess Celestia explains the letter Discord wrote for Spike, detailing the recalibration of the meeting to a later date once Spike completes his training. Princess Luna is impressed with Spike's sudden change and respects the wishes of the new Dragon Lord, embracing his heritage to become the leader the Dragons desire. 

Princess Celestia trots down the hallway to the guest room where Twilight and Rarity are bunking. Inside the room, Twilight looks out the window; in the direction of the Dragon Lands. She couldn't help but think about Spike and wonder why he would choose the Dragons when learning from them didn't work out the first time at the Dragon Migration. He seemed happy in Ponyville, always beside her in every way, sharing memories, playing games, and laughing; more memories appeared in her mind, causing her to shed tears. Rarity is blabbing about Spike finding someone else rather than an elegant, beautiful mare such as herself. She can't stop talking about Princess Ember, and her jealousy gets the better of her, calling Ember names. 

When Princess Celestia stepped into the guest room, Twilight and Rarity hurried over to her, eager to ask a barrage of questions before giving the Princess a chance to speak. Twilight was curious about the conference meeting and the significance of the bearers being present; Rarity was more interested in Spike's love life and whether he had changed his mind about Ember and was now interested in her. Princess Celestia remained calm and composed, patiently addressing each question. 

"Girls, listen," Princess Celestia said calmly with authority. Princess Twilight and Rarity shut their lips; they hope to hear good news. "Dragon Lord Spike has postponed the meeting tomorrow." 

"Why would he request a conference meeting and cancel immediately? What made Spike change his mind?" Twilight asks first before Rarity bombards Celestia with questions about Spike's love life.

"Spike seeks to learn all about the Dragons before making any decisions for his kin," Princess Celestia replies and shows the duo the letter Discord wrote for Spike. The two read carefully about Spike's decree and his training; Rarity is first to speak. 

"During the Dragon Migration, Spike was misled by those awful Dragons. What makes you think Spike will learn anything like those monsters?" Rarity crudely states about the Dragons; she's still hurt about Spike turning her away, setting his eyes on Princess Ember. 

Princess Twilight Sparkle remains quiet and ponders her thoughts about Spike's possible learning lessons. Would they be impactful or turn him into a Dragon that brings ruin? Ember is only one Dragon, and hundreds are out there, giving and instructing Spike to become a possible tyrant since he's just a young baby Dragon, and most Dragons despise Equestria. 

Princess Celestia is disappointed in Twilight for the behavior she's showcasing since Spike became Dragon Lord; Celestia feels that Twilight should be more understanding and relate to Spike about learning something impactful for all life. For Twilight, it's about Friendship; for Spike, it's about his birthright. Princess and King; learn the values of importance to become better rulers for their nations. Like staring into a mirror, reflecting on the lessons to achieve greatness. 

Princess Celestia is also disappointed with Rarity for calling Dragons monsters. That attitude could draw the Windigoes if her subjects believe that Dragons are an awful race, while the Dragons feel the same for Equestrian Ponies. 

"Girls," Princess Celestia gets serious. "I require you two to reflect on your emotions, destress, and discuss your experiences with other species your friends with. Also, answering your question, Spike will learn what it means to be a Dragon and understand the two worlds in one body. The wisest will encourage and teach Spike all he needs to learn and grow."

Rarity doubts that wise Dragons would give Spike wisdom, just teaching him to hoard and be greedy. Twilight, on the other hoof, believe Ember to be an inspiring teacher, but she has little faith in Spike to become a better Dragon. She wants to protect Spike from the dangers of other mean and cruel Dragons that would abuse him for being a weakling despite his title as Dragon Lord. She hopes Spike will return home, ruing his decision about becoming Dragon Lord. Also, Princess Celestia didn't answer Rarity about Spike's love interest. 

Princess Celestia doesn't say another word and leaves, hoping that Twilight and Rarity see the error of their ways before it's too late to make amends for their careless mistake, allowing their emotions to drive them away from facing the truths. 

It's 8:30 at night. Ember drops Spike and hides behind a bush in a forest an hour away from the Dragon Lands' borders. Ember scouts the forest quietly while Spike tipped-toe silently, following Ember's movement. Spike notices footprints on the dirt ground; it looks fresh, but he can't determine what animal Ember is tracking. 

"Pssst, Spike," Ember shouts quietly to draw his attention; also not disrupting the animal, Ember found with her hunting techniques. 

Spike slowly advances to Ember's position and peeks through the bush; Ember is tracking down a Manticore; the Manticore is a fusion of a lion with a red mane, dragon wings, and a scorpion tail. Spike gulps at the behemoth. Spike is unsure about hunting a vicious animal in the forest; however, watching Ember from a different angle, looking upward at her divine beauty, Spike couldn't help but stare at her movements. 

Ember's irises slit and change into predator mode; she roars loudly, allowing the prey to either be brave to fight or petrified and flee for its' life. The Manticore turns to Ember's war cry and growls, accepting the brawl he'll endure to win. Spike is speechless and watches how Ember flies directly at the Manticore; it tries clawing viciously at Ember, but she dodges each swipe, left and right, up and down. The Manticore attempts to stun her with his stinger; however, Ember grabs the tail and unleashes a wave of her blue flames, incinerating the Manticore's tail to ashes. The Manticore aims to take flight away from Ember's onslaught but fails to recognize Ember's wings; Ember flies in front of the Manticore swiftly and ax-chops the head of the Manticore with brute force, causing it to crash land and sustain injuries; It whimpers in defeat while Ember approaches it. 

"Spike!" Ember calls for Spike to come out of the bushes; she hoists the Manticore with one claw, displaying her strength while her irises return to normal. 

Spike approaches Ember after watching the spectacle of Ember's fighting techniques during an encounter with the Manticore; Ember shows no fear, keeps her guard up, reads the body language, and devises the finishing blow to weaken the Manticore. The Manticore's eyes become bloodshot, starts grasping for air, and Spike realizes that Ember is choking the creature's life out; it scares him since he's never seen another animal killing another. 

The neck of the Manticore snaps as Ember lets go of her grip; she turns to Spike and becomes awestruck by Spike's dreaded look. Spike witnessed a killing, something Equestrian Ponies under any regard don't practice. 

"Ooooooooooh," Ember starts realizing that Spike has much more to learn. 

Spike walks to the deceased Manticore and places his claw on its' chest, trying to find a heartbeat or any signs of life. He breathes heavily after feeling nothing within. 

"You killed it..," Spike is appalled to understand that Dragons are more dangerous hunters than Changelings when they desire love. 

"Spike," Ember tries to sound sympathetic to Spike since he's young with no indication about the Dragon's life. She looks around and locates an abandoned camping ground to roast the Manticore. "I'll reveal more about our culture while heating this tasty, delicious meat I know you'll savor." 

"Okay," Spike follows Ember to the abandoned camping ground; there's a bonfire with smaller rocks forming a large circle; Also, there's a long rod that Ember uses to tie the wrists and back legs of the Manticore to it, using some rope left behind by other campers that once used it. Ember breathes blue flames underneath the Manticore, allowing it to cook for a while. 

"Ember," Spike is nervous about the info he'll receive from Ember about Dragons being carnivores. "Do Dragons gain a growth spurt from eating meat, and what qualities does consuming flesh bring to Dragons?" 

"Eating meat gives Dragons protein and energy; it also helps our spikes and body gain height and muscle mass. Some Dragons look bulkier, and others look skinny; however, those Dragons that look slim are stronger than their appearance." 

"What about vegetation? Does that help Dragons grow as meat would?" 

"No," Ember shakes her head. "Eating vegetables delays our growth and strength; eating much of it can sustain fatigue, causing us to become less durable. How much of it you consumed in Equestria, Spike?" 

"Well," Spike scratches the back of his head. "I had a broccoli casserole before coming to the Dragon Lands; I had steamed asparagus, zucchini, and squash for dinner last night; I made spinach pasta for Twilight and her friends when they came over the other day; oh boy..," Spike looks down and recalls the many veggies he consumed throughout the years; he does mention the sugary sweets like ice cream, cake, cupcakes, and candy. He questions Ember about eating Equestrian junk food. 

"I can't say I've eaten those sugary treats, but judging where you stand, I guess it's a pass. Are they similar to eating gemstones?" 

"Not quite," Spike responds. "Also, I don't eat as many gemstones as I would in Equestria; Twilight controlled my portions and feared that I may regress, fearing that eating more would start a different growth spurt that could go rampant." 

"By not eating enough Spike, you'll succumb to any illness mother nature will throw at you and suffer more with injuries doctors in Equestria can't repair." 

"WHAT?!" Spike panics at the sound of becoming sick by eating fewer gemstones, including succumbing to injuries. 

"Gemstones are delectable within our community, but they hold another purpose for our bodies; they replenish cells too damaged to heal, give us newfound energy, restore any organ that sustained an injury from anything, and keep us full whenever we can't find meat." 

"Wow, I would have never known that..," Spike is astounded by how gemstones have such a magical effect on Dragons like Spike. He's absolutely speechless about their purpose, but it's clear that they give him an incredible boost of energy. He noticed that whenever he ate them, he effortlessly lifted Rarity's suitcases and Twilight's books throughout the castle's libraries. Even more astonishing is gemstones seem to have a pain-dissolving effect on him. Whenever he's had minor injuries, they dissolve his pain and make him forget about the ache. It truly is remarkable for Spike!

Ember spends a few minutes turning the rod of the Manticore, anticipating what questions Spike may ask and mentally preparing to answer each one. "Any other questions you want to ask?" 

"Have you tasted a vegetable?" Spike asks out of curiosity since he thinks he's the only Dragon that ate anything vegetation. 

"I have; the ones you named are some I've tried. They taste good, but it's not nourishing to our bodies; meat and gemstones are our best sources of nutrition when building muscle mass, strength, speed, and endurance. So is weightlifting boulders and mountains to gain muscle mass; however, that's a different story." 

"What meats are best for consumption?" Spike is interested in hunting those younger than older whenever they are no gemstones. 

"Anything except for our kin, Spike. The same goes for fish that swims in waters," Ember says, breathing more flames into the bonfire. 

"Even Ponies?" Spike asks since they would be delicious to any Dragon during starvation. It was hard to say since he cared about his friends in Equestria. 

"Only those who trespass into our lands unannounced or looking for trouble. Throughout centuries, some out there gave us a bad name, and many Unicorns and Pegasi thought of slaying us out of pride, sport, and to become legends," Ember said bitterly with anger and disgust. 

Spike inhales deeply; he imagines the horror that Equestrian Ponies would stir conflicts to make a name for themselves with the story in the mind of defeating a tall terrorizing monster that breathes fire. "Well, uh..."

"I know," Ember already knows what Spike is trying to say even though it's a rough topic of discussion. "Equestria won't document all the facts of their history, unlike us; we Dragons know the truths and have drawn hieroglyphics depicting all events of Dragon Kind. We know that horrid pasts are imperative knowledge to learn and grow better; that way, history won't repeat." 

"So.., uh.., what was the worst thing Equestria has done to the Dragons..?" Spike is already regretting asking that question; he hopes Ember doesn't have an answer. 

Ember grinds her teeth, and her irises become slit; she bellows her roar in anger at the thought of the crime committed by Equestrian Ponies. That causes Spike to sweat nervously and gulps in fear at Ember's sudden change in demeanor. Ember balls her fists and stomps left and right, thinking about the atrocity Ponies did to Dragon Kind, something that former Dragon Lord Torch wanted to initiate but couldn't at the time. 

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THOSE SCUMBAGS HAVE DONE TO OUR RACE!" Her anger boils with every fiber in her body; she breathes flames at the Manticore, nearly incinerating the flesh in rage. "YEARS AGO, THOSE PONIES LED BY A WRETCHED PRINCESS CAME TO OUR LANDS AND STOLE DRAGON EGGS!"

Spike hears the echoing of Dragon Eggs in Ember's voice in his mind while his heart drops and shatters into a million pieces. His eyes roll up, and he passes out from the shocking revelation. 

"Spike!" Ember rushes over to him. Her anger becomes worried over the new Dragon Lord. "Spike, are you okay? Please, answer me!" Ember picks him up and checks his heartbeat. "Still beating," Ember wonders why he passed out. Then it hits her like a dagger piercing someone's back. "Oh.., no. No, no, no," Ember shakes her head. She doesn't want to believe Spike is a survivor of the egg raid Ponies devised years ago.
> Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Here we go," Princess Luna is on the balcony, preparing to enter the dream realms to locate Spike's door in the Dragon Lands without an issue. 

Princess Luna concentrates on her magic, transporting herself into the dream realms. Within the dimension, Princess Luna sees many bubbles full of good dreams and nightmares her subjects are enduring. The plains are light blue with sparkling dots as stars in the background. Usually, her priorities are to subdue every pony's nightmare so that they can sleep soundly and peacefully heading into the following day; however, her objective is to find Spike and understand his motives as Dragon Lord since Twilight and Rarity explained with their emotions going erratic and Discord has the tendency of speaking vaguely to keep everyone guessing. 

Princess Luna's eyes turn white as she ignites her horn, creating a pathway to follow. She flies down the path while seeing different dreams that her subjects are enjoying blissfully or suffering. "Forgive me." Princess Luna formally apologizes to those that cannot overcome their nightmares due to the stress of their day or lives. 

An hour within the dimension passes; Princess Luna is in front of a shallow territory unknown to her. She extends her left hoof across a black line; it's the Equestrian Borders of the dream realms. "Interesting." There is no blockade, and she continues her path to locate Spike. 

Princess Luna follows the light, leading away from the Dragon Lands and into a forest not far from the Dragon Lands' border. Only one door is present, and Luna hears Spike's cries within the dream bubble; it's dark, pitched-black as Spike screams. It was enough for Princess Luna to enter his dreams and defeat the demons that attempted to corrupt Spike's mind. 

Spike can't escape from a dark abyss with walls around him; he tries to scratch the surface of it, hoping to find the light to end the shadows that shroud him. Then, all of a sudden, the walls start cracking like an egg, light outshines the darkness, and everything goes blank with the arrival of Princess Luna, pulling Spike out of his dream and into the dimension. 

"Princess Luna..?" Spike didn't anticipate seeing the Princess in his dreams. It's a first since Spike normally envisions himself being with Rarity or eating dozens of gemstones to his delight, never getting a belly ache. Then, it hit him; Spike groaned that he passed out after hearing the awful revelation from Princess Ember mentioning the Dragon Eggs raid.

"Hello, Dragon Lord Spike," Princess Luna formally addresses the new leader of the Dragons with respect, from one royalty to another. Also, she wonders why Spike sounded distraught after he groaned. 

"Why are you here?" Spike wonders what business Princess Luna inquires about. Could it be about the withdrawal of the conference meeting, how Discord wrote the letter addressing the situation, or his status as Dragon Lord since Twilight believes he can't rule a nation into prosperity? 

"Princess Twilight and Rarity revealed their perspectives on your achievement to become Dragon Lord; I read what Discord wrote about you, and now I want to hear from you." 

"You don't believe I'll be a great leader, don't you?" Spike believes that Twilight wanted Princess Luna to discuss the decision about returning to Twilight and forfeiting his status to Princess Ember or some other Dragon. 

"I know you can and will achieve great things in life, Spike. You saved the Crystal Empire, and the Crystal Ponies endorsed you as Spike the Brave and Glorious. You are the only Dragon with vast knowledge of Friendship to educate all Dragons within your kingdom. There's no other Dragon that values Friendship like yourself; also, you are the one who wrote the Friendship lessons detailing what Twilight and her friends learned for Princess Celestia. As far as things are concerned, you obtained more than anyone and will apply those lessons to your nation. I know you'll be a wise King, taking the time to understand and learn how Dragons operate to make better decisions that benefit them and not yourself." 

"Thank you, Luna," Spike smiles. He needed to hear from a different Princess who believed in him, unlike Twilight, who belittled him and sought to control Spike with authority, attempting to override the command of the new Dragon Lord. "Princess Luna, can I ask you a favor?" 

"Sure, Dragon Lord Spike. What can I help you with?" Princess Luna wonders what Spike would want besides a comfortable bed. 

"Ask Princess Celestia how Equestrian Ponies procured Dragon Eggs years ago." 

That question stuns and bothers Princess Luna. She feels uneasy about her subjects hoarding Dragon Eggs, knowing it's unlawful in every way to kidnap an unborn youngling from any sentient species. The idea of an egg raid makes Luna want to vomit by how sickly and demented the plan is.

"I-I-I-I will," Princess Luna stutters with the idea that her sister committed a crime worse than her tyranny as Nightmare Moon. "What gave you the idea of Equestrian Ponies accumulating Dragon Eggs, Spike?" 

"Princess Ember told me that years ago, a brigade of Ponies led by a wretched Pony Princess stole Dragon Eggs; I believe Ember saw the fallout and held the grudge for many years. I think I'm a survivor of that invasion." 

Princess Luna feels heartbroken that her sister would stoop to a new level of wickedness, stripping many families of the Dragon Lands of their newborns; she covers her mouth with her front hooves, quieting her gasps as tears stream down her face. Nightmare Moon was the darkness that wanted an eternal night to rule with an iron hoof on her subjects; however, if what Spike said is true, what Princess Celestia committed is a felony of epic proportions. 

"How.., can you be certain.., Spike?" Princess Luna needs one more piece of evidence to commence her investigation. She hopes Queen Chrysalis devised a ruse to lure Dragons into starting warfare with Equestrian Ponies; she hopes that her sister wouldn't arrange a twisted directive. 

"If what Ember saw was true, I want to say other Dragons her age witnessed the outcome and developed egg hunting. Dragons target smaller creatures for sport; also to smash the eggs since they believe that's what Ponies have done to their kin. From one twisted angle to another, it's their way of having fun and possibly coping. I was part of a Phoenix Swipe with Garble and his friends; when I caught an egg, they encouraged me to break it. However, I did not." 

Princess Luna's jaw drops; she becomes devastated that her sister's influence tainted the younger Dragons into practicing horrid atrocities. Learning that Spike partook in the event is all that she can bear. "Grrrrrrrr!" Princess Luna's irises turn, similar to a snake with the shade of hue of Nightmare Moon; she's livid. She growls in anger. 

"Princess?!" Spike gets startled at the sight of Princess Luna in an enraged state. 

The dimension around the two changes from blue with white dots for stars into pitch black; Princess Luna snarls while imagining the misery, mourning, anguish, and woe that many families in the Dragon Lands suffered from her sister's course of action. "Never again!" Princess Luna shouts in her royal tone and stomps her front hooves on the platform, shattering the dimension from blackness to light. 

Spike is clinging to a dream bubble when Princess Luna shatters the ground; he's scared about Princess Luna's motives. "Princess!" Spike still can't fly and is worried about falling into an endless chasm. 

Princess Luna exhales heavily and uses her magic to levitate Spike on her back. "Sorry that you saw that," Princess Luna sighs deeply. "I understand the food chain network of different creatures; however, Equestrian Ponies are not carnivores. My subjects taking Dragon Eggs makes no sense unless..," Princess Luna's eyes widen in horror. "That stupid school of the giiiifteeeed!" She groans as the answer becomes apparent. 

"What about the.., no..," Spike shakes his head in disbelief. "No, no, no, no, no! NOOOOOOO!" Spike refuses to accept that Princess Celestia took Dragon Eggs for young Unicorns to use their magic and bring birth. He starts crying.

Princess Luna shares her sadness with her friend after realizing the horrific divulgement of the unborn Dragons that never experienced life due to unfortunate mishaps caused by younglings in Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. 

After shedding tears, Princess Luna puts Spike on the ground, ensuring not to worry about falling. "I have to go; however, I want to visit you about my progress during my investigation." 

"I'll inform my Dragons of your arrival for private affairs with Princess Ember. If what Princess Celestia has committed validates your evidence and eyewitness testimonies from the brigade and Dragons, we will hold a trial where your sister will receive due punishment." 

Princess Luna nods in agreement. Although the idea of watching her sister enduring a trial she may not win, no one should ever separate an unborn child from their family. It's unlawful, no matter the status and reputation anyone upholds. 

"If found guilty, I'll remove my sister from her position and take control of all Equestrian province. Then, we'll mend a peace treaty if Celestia is found guilty. If my sister is innocent, we will find the culprit." 

"That we will, Luna, that we will," Spike sees Princess Luna departing. The dream realms turn black, and Spike hears Ember's voice echoing; she's calling his name. 

"SPIKE!" Ember finished cooking the Manticore. She held onto Spike and hoped that he woke up after passing out three hours ago. 

Spike blinks several times and yawns. He turns to Ember. "Ooooooh, what happened..? OOOF!" Spike feels Ember hugging him too tight and feels some tears from Ember. 

Ember looks down at Spike after hugging him; she's worried. Genuinely worried about Spike's state of mind after hearing what she said about the Dragon Egg raiding. Spike sees the distress written on Ember's face and enjoys the hug, even though she's scared. For Spike, it's an embrace of trust and love.

"Ember," Spike sits up and stares at her with concern. 

"Yes, Spike?" Ember mentally prepares herself to answer another question and hopes the next answer doesn't cause Spike to faint a second time. 

"Princess Luna came to me while I was dreaming; there's something you should know about."
> Lesson #2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ember ignites her claws to dig into the Manticore's fur and peel it; the pelt comes off smoothly, despite being cooked, as Ember tosses it aside along with the Manticore's feet; she cleaves them off with her claws after slashing them. Spike is drooling at the aroma of the Manticore; he wants to sink his teeth into the tasty meat Ember cooked. 

"Hey, mind sharing that delicious meal with my bro and me?" An orange Dragon with purple spikes and blue irises approaches Dragon Lord Spike and Princess Ember. 

"Ah, geez," Garble is embarrassed about being in the presence of Spike; he feels awkward after going on a hugging spree for many hours. "Can't we hunt elsewhere?" Garble whines, not feeling comfortable being close to Spike. 

Spike sees Garble and his younger.., older.., but he doesn't know the age gap between their sizes and height; for now, he's waiting until Ember introduces the other Dragon or if she calmly expresses herself. 

"I'm Smolder, Garble's younger sister, Dragon Lord Spike," Smolder shows respect in front of her King by bowing gracefully.  

"You two can stay and grab a bite to eat," Spike doesn't want to deny the Dragons a meal. Plus, the Manticore Ember caught, killed, and cooked is an adult size; there's plenty to go around.

"Awesome, I am starving!" Smolder sits down and relaxes; she encourages her older sibling to enjoy the company of the Princess and Dragon Lord; however, she remembers the unfortunate tale of Garble forcibly hugging every Dragon on the way home without an explanation. 

Spike deeply inhales while clearing his thoughts of punishing Garble for bullying him during the Dragon Migration and wanting to beat up his friends after the failed Phoenix Swipe and during the Gauntlet of Fire. 

"Garble, I know we had a moment of brotherhood when you dubbed me Rookie Dragon after witnessing my belly flop into the lava pits. We had fun before the Phoenix Swipe. I know, deep inside, you still wanted to teach me the qualities of being a Dragon without the bloodshed of Ponies." 

"Bloodshed?" Garble is confused about that statement; sure, he had thoughts about pounding the daylights out of Twilight and Rarity for trespassing into enemy territory unannounced. He had an awful notion of tormenting the two when Ember stopped him from delivering the onslaught. He sees Spike as someone else, not a murderer like him, during the Egg Swipe. Also, Garble wanted to teach Spike the values of being a Dragon, bringing the code of honor to live life to the fullest while showing him survivor skills to hunt anything alive. He closes his eyes and groans in defeat; the truth is evident about his motives before the Ponies spied on their progress. "It's true; I wanted to teach you how fun being a Dragon is compared to being part Pony." 

"Garble," Smolder sounds displeased about the Phoenix Swipe; she's not fond of it since she knows what it means to separate a youngling from family. "You know better. We can't mimic what Ponies have done to us." 

Garble balls his claws in anger and grits his teeth. He thinks he knows better, but his heart says otherwise. "I know..," Garble bitterly says about his faults for following a nasty habit. He sits next to Smolder. 

"Did you suffer losing a Dragon Egg during the raid several years back?" Spike asks Smolder and Garble since they are distraught. 

"Garble, you were there when it happened; please explain," Smolder said; she was only two years old during the unfortunate events. 

Garble looks down and sheds a tear. He looks at Dragon Lord Spike and sighs; the mere memory becomes severe. "It was a day unlike any other." 

Garble's current age is nineteen years old. He explains his youth at the age of five years old. During that time, Garble asked his mother to visit the Dragon Egg that would be hatching in a few weeks; she granted him that request while taking care of Smolder. Garble ran to the Volcanic Dragon's Nest, hoping to see his next little brother or sister. 

Garble met with his friends, Clump and Fume, both eagerly to meet with their siblings and become an older brothers. They talk about gaining their wings, flying like their fathers and mothers, becoming better Dragons, and exploring the world together. The trio grabs gemstones to snack on, on the way to the Volcanic Nest since they're not old enough to hunt. 

Many Dragons their age want to tag along to watch their siblings hatch since Dragon Lord Torch had a meeting with the elders of the Diamond Dogs for the usual gold for gemstone negotiation. Garble mentions that many younglings were the most optimistic generation in Dragon Land history. They wanted to show the world that Dragons are not monsters as other species named them to be. 

"Diamond Dogs?" Spike is curious about their involvement in the story and why they played a crucial role during the invasion. 

"Diamond Dogs and Dragons do business every three months. Since the Dogs love anything shiny and precious, we struck a deal," Ember explains. 

"Anyway," Garble resumes the story.  

When they arrived at the nest, Garble explained the horrors that unfolded; he remembers seeing a Pony Princess adorning armor and a helmet to conceal her face from recognition. She led a brigade of white stallion armored guards to attack the Dragons protecting the Dragon Eggs. The invasion happened in the absence of Dragon Lord Torch, who was still preoccupied with royal affairs. Garble details the magic and weaponry the guards armed themselves to defeat the Dragons. Their magic stunned them as spears pierced into areas that'll render them defenseless. A total of a hundred and forty-one Dragon Eggs were lost. 

"Where would Ponies strike with their spears?" Spike interrupts the story. 

Garble turns Smolder around and points at the back neck, where the spine is. "There. Those punks had excellent precision with their attacks, permanently removing movement. Some were wounded when Ponies used their spears to impale Dragon's wings and pin them, preventing their flight." 

Spike cringes at the thought of being pierced by spears. The closest memory is being used as a pincushion for Rarity, having those needles inserted deep into his scales.  

"I saw how they operate," Ember interjects herself into the conversation. "They listened closely to their leader, awaited commands, and brought down some of the Dragon's finest protectors." 

"Do you remember the color of the Princess' fur or mane?" Spike asks, hoping to thin out the decision between Princess Celestia and Cadance. Luna was Nightmare Moon still imprisoned; Spike couldn't recall other Princesses in Equestria.

"No," Garble and Ember shake their heads. 

"The Princess' armor covered most of her body; if I saw any features from the Princess, I would have told my father, and Equestria would be nothing but ashes." 

"Ponies are scumbags that deserve every affliction coming their way. Those that are nice are pretending," Garble warns Spike since he was traumatized from the raid. "If they saw the real you, the Dragon you, would they still be your 'friends' or end you?" 

"Not everypony is vile, Garble. I met many nice Pony folks during my travels with Princess Twilight and her friends; Also, my neighbors are not hostile; they are friendly and show love and compassion. There are evil and tyranny in Equestria, Ponies who are willing to do devilish atrocities with magic, time, even cast shadows to bring endless torment." 

"Are there really nice Ponies in Equestria?" Smolder has doubts about Dragon Lord Spike's claim. 

"Not a hundred percent cause there are some out there that are nasty, but like a good seventy-five through eighty percent of the populous that is good." 

"Hmm, better than nothing, I suppose," Ember said, hoping to support Spike's statement since he resided in Equestria before becoming the Dragon Lord. 

"So, anything else that happened during the raid?" Spike wants to know more about the travesty. 

Garble reveals the brutalities armored guards unleashed; the guards trampled on some Dragon Eggs to retrieve a dozen, they used their spears to separate the younglings away to avoid killing them, and the Princess used her magic on the protectors, making them collide with each other. 

Garble, Clump, and Fume attempted to retrieve the Dragon Eggs that belonged to their families but got hit by the backend of the spears and flung them into a rock wall. Many younglings pleaded to the invaders about leaving their unborn brothers, sisters, and cousins go, but they ignored them; the Princess inserted herself and cast a bubble shield to repel the younglings away from her brigade and withdraw the Dragon Eggs away from the Volcanic Nest. 

Ember reveals that eighty-seven Dragon Eggs got taken to Equestria, and fifty-four died from trampling and magic beam misfire. Her father, Dragon Lord Torch, arrived late and saw the ravages on his kin and the sorrow written on everyone's faces; He roared in mourning for the fallen unborn Dragons that died. Her father taught every youngling that the world is cruel and only the strong survive. Dragon Lord Torch told the younglings to be assertive, mean, and dominant whenever another invasion happens; every Dragon can slaughter the unwelcome guests. 

"That would explain why you had no problems attacking Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash when they defended me from you and the others..," Spike said, now understanding the viewpoint of Dragons on Equestrian Ponies. 

"I took delight in imposing fear on them before you shouted to run away. Also, when I read the letter from Princess Celestia, I wanted to show you my true colors about them, but, at that moment, in front of the guys, I went with mockery instead of blatant disrespect. The guys laughed and followed my lead because.., I knew you had to be one of the survivors from the raid." 

"You did?" Spike is stunned by that comment; he starts putting pieces together. 

"Yes," Garble sounds serious. "The moment you mentioned a region from Equestria's borders, I knew you had to be one of the survivors from the raid. I couldn't allow myself to scream in fury and interrogate you." 

"Oh," Spike looks down and theorizes that one of those questions must be about the other Dragons hatching in Equestria. 

"Say, while in Equestria, did you happen to see any other Dragons your age?" Smolder asks, beating Garble to the punch. 

Spike quietly says no in sadness. "I'm the only Dragon that was living in Equestria." 

"Oh.., no..." Smolder sadly says while imagining all the other Dragon Eggs decimated. 

Spike may regret asking this. "Do you remember the Dragon Egg that belonged in your family?" 

"I don't," Smolder says and turns to her older brother. "You?" 

Garble sighs. "Purple. A purple Dragon Egg with dark purple polka dots." 

Spike's eyes widen in shock, and he faints a second time. 

"He fainted! That means-" Garble and Smolder now realize they just spoke to their long-lost brother and pass out from the shock.  

"Great!" Ember facepalms herself, now having to deal with three Dragons that fainted.
> Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ember is sitting on a rock, using her right claw to hold her head while waiting for Spike, Garble, and Smolder to wake up; she wonders if the trio awakens simultaneously as a family would. Ember starts reheating the Manticore meat since the trio has been out for two hours; she hopes Spike, Smolder, and Garble get up after smelling the aroma since they haven't eaten. 

On cue, Spike, Smolder, and Garble wake up with their bellies grumbling, pleading for food since it's been hours since they last ate; for Spike, it's been the early morning when his body glowed; as for Garble and Smolder, the early afternoon before Garble departed for the Gauntlet of Fire. 

"Good, you're awake. Here I thought you three would hibernate like all the other animals during the winter season," Ember said while recooking the Manticore meat. 

"Dude!" Garble looks at Spike and regrets bullying him during the Dragon Migration; he tears up after missing many years of his life since Equestrian Ponies stole Spike away from his family. 

Smolder burst into tears of happiness. "You're hooooome!" Smolder pulls Spike for a family hug with Garble; Smolder believes she'll never get to meet her long-lost sibling in her life; now, she gets to be his older sister to Spike. 

"So, uh.., sorry for the times I gave you a headache, bro?" Within an instant, Garble changes his demeanor; he no longer resents Spike but welcomes him as his brother. 

"Don't worry about it. I'm relieved to find my family; Honestly; I thought I'll never find them cause before accepting Twilight and her friends and family as my own, I thought my parents abandoned me or something." 

"We'd never abandoned you, Spike. Never-ever," Smolder said, speaking on behalf of her brother, Garble. 

"From this day forth, we're sticking together as a family," Garble said, smiling with pride and proclaiming to be the awesome brother Spike deserves. 

"Hungry?" Ember uses her claws to cut a chunk of Manticore meat; the aroma made Spike, Smolder, and Garble drool. 

"Yeeeeeees," The trio sticks their tongues out, wanting to devour their meal. 

Ember rips the leg off of the Manticore for Spike to try first. "This is the drumstick, Spike." 

Spike looks and holds a massive drumstick; his stomach growls louder, urging him to eat it. He bites into the delicious, tender meat of the Manticore and roars in satisfaction. "THIS IS AMAZING!!! WHERE WAS THIS IN MY LIFE?" Spike gorges on the drumstick while his siblings and Ember laugh. 

Spike has tasted the vegetation lifestyle, always making sure to eat right, according to Twilight; however, unlike veggies that are wet or steaming, meat feels right and natural, so juicy, flavorful, and fatty; you can't go wrong. Some vegetables don't have flavor, but Spike learns that meat can hold different textures with tastes. Now, he wonders what chicken tastes like; the same applies to cows, pigs, rabbits, raccoons, fish, and much more. 

After Spike finishes the drumstick, Spike Garble, Smolder, and Ember help themselves to gorge on the Manticore meat. Twenty minutes later, all that's left are the bones. Spike, Garble, Smolder, and Ember are lying on the ground with big bellies, staring at the night sky. 

"That was good," Spike burps in satisfaction; he can't remember the last time he ate blissfully without any restrictions. 

Garble and Smolder chuckle after hearing Spike burp after a good meal; the two wonder if they can bring Spike home and have them meet their mother. Ember is glad a family is reunited and hopes to find others in Equestria still alive from the raid. She doesn't want to believe that all the other eggs besides Spike's got wasted.

"Well, it's getting late; I say it's about time to return home," Ember said, getting up and stretching. 

"Hey Spike, wanna meet your mother?" Smolder asks while flexing her wings to fly. 

"I'll meet her sometime during the week; I have questions for former Dragon Lord Torch to answer about the duties of being the Dragon Lord." 

"Sounds good, bro," Garble fist-bumped Spike's left claw with his right claw. "See you soon!" Garble and Smolder take off into the wild night yonder. 

"Let's get going, Spike," Ember yawns. "I need some shut-eye after watching you snooze for so long." 

"Alright then," Spike climbs onto Ember's back, and she takes off. While holding onto the Bloodstone Scepter, Spike views himself in the reflection and sees someone new, not a Dragon raised in Ponyville, but a Dragon reborn. Spike looks up at the night sky, gazing upon the stars; he wonders if Twilight is staring at the same stars in the sky, missing him dearly, or having selfish thoughts run amuck. 

Rarity is asleep in the guest room; Unfortunately, she talks in her sleep,  calling Ember names again while trying to fight for Spike's love. Judging from Twilight's perspective, Rarity is losing. Twilight couldn't sleep because of Spike's decision and her mentor's message; Twilight wrote in sticky notes to jot down crucial evidence between her and Spike. 

Spike obtaining the Bloodstone Scepter, Twilight saw an act of selfishness when Spike could have transferred his authority to Princess Ember, a noble Dragon with royalty in her genes. She admits her emotions overwhelm her and override her decision to forcefully decree a horrid command, which in turn, causes Spike to issue a decree, to make her and Rarity leave the Dragon Lands.

"I thought Spike found a place among us after the Dragon Migration episode; Even the Crystal Empire adores Spike. How could he leave all of that behind..?" Twilight looks out the window and sighs sadly. "Why did you have to leave me? Don't you know I need you? How much I love you..? Why did you choose power over Friendship?" 

Twilight watches her friend suffering in some nightmare and hopes Princess Luna can uplift the troubles in Rarity's dream after visiting Spike; She envisions Spike going through hardship for being the youngest ruler in the Dragon Lands amongst the ruthless, brutal, downright terrifying Dragons that lack the guidance of love and unity. 

"You'll come back to me, Spike. You'll understand the regrets you made by choosing power over me, your friends, family, and everyone else in Equestria. I hope you contemplate your actions and realize that a young ruler with no experience shouldn't lead anything. Plans fail when you lack counsel; right now, only one Dragon supports you in the Dragon Lands; that isn't enough." 

Discord is outside the guest room's window, hearing Twilight's proclamation. He's disgusted by Twilight's demeanor; she's showing no faith in her friend when she doesn't have any experience leading Equestria. "This is the Princess of Friendship? Friendship my behind! She should be ashamed for making those accusations about Spike! Especially when he supported, helped, and even cared for her! Some friend you are, Twilight." Discord had the intention of helping Twilight as he did for Fluttershy hours ago, but now, Discord will allow Princess Celestia to help with that regard. Discord leaves but will return later in the morning.
> Morning: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna returns to the balcony from the dream realms; she is infuriated that her sister could potentially provoke war and lose her sovereignty due to the raiding of the Dragon Eggs several years ago. The idea of unborn Dragons becoming lifeless due to unfortunate magic misfires from young Unicorns at the School For Gifted Unicorns causes Luna to become grief-stricken; she imagines many families in mourning daily and yearly due to the unimaginable events. Princess Luna doesn't want to believe that Spike is the sole survivor of the invasion; she hopes that others are out there in Equestria, living life with purpose. 

Princess Luna leaves her room and strolls in the corridors of Canterlot Castle with her eyes shut; she contemplates the next course of action while, at some point, asking her sister how her school procures Spike's Dragon Egg. She inadvertently collides with her sister, Celestia, causing the two to stumble back; Princess Celestia was trotting with her eyes closed, probably contemplating due to Twilight and Rarity's behavior. 

Princess Celestia smiles elegantly at her sister and wants to help her; she's enthusiastic about Luna's findings with Spike within the dream realms last night.

Princess Luna gazes at her sister and detects no deceit, dishonesty, malice, or wickedness; she's honorable, respectful, and loving. Princess Luna comprehends her sister would only attack when necessary due to unfortunate inconveniences regarding the safety of her continent; Luna shouldn't misjudge Celestia's rationales unless she, in secret, conspired a small army to compile Dragon Eggs away from the nest. However, there is the suspense of Queen Chrysalis disguising herself as Celestia while her Changelings transform into the Royal Guards to frame Celestia's name and reputation. 

"Luna, what's wrong?" Princess Celestia asks with concern and love for her sister; she wonders if it regards the likelihood of Dragon Lord Spike and his first day governing a nation. 

Princess Luna hears the words emitted by her sister; she sounds genuine, with no amount of fraud within her tone. "She's herself, not some pony demented to ravage families for voracious desires; also, Spike wanted me to ask her the question." 

Princess Celestia reads Luna's body language and determines an eerie distraught unlike any other; she hopes Spike is well as Dragon Lord and not getting bullied due to his size and sensibility. 

"I spoke with Spike, and he shared some insight, especially something horrendous beyond cognition."

"Please elaborate on the info Spike shared with you, Luna; I need to access the information to write a letter addressing the qualities of ruling a nation into prosperity." 

The expression registered on Celestia's face; the worry of someone she cares for, loves, and honors are more than enough validation to ensure that Celestia is not the culprit who commenced the raiding. 

"We must discuss privately, Celestia; the walls have ears," Princess Luna nudges her head to the left, exposing the eyes of the lurking Draqonecuus' eyes who are witnessing the meeting. 

"Discord!" Princess Celestia's voice booms in the halls, stunning the Draqonecuus; she temporarily has no forbearance for Discord's pranks and shenanigans. 

"Oh, my apologies, Princesses of Equestria," Discord formally addresses their titles than names, which is very peculiar to Celestia and Luna; they believe something is amiss with the Draqonecuus. 

"Discord, what business you inquire with my sister?" 

"Oh, Luna, you with the formalities; I have an announcement to make with Princess Celestia regarding my position in Equestria," Discord chuckles in delight; he can't wait to embrace the new servitude with the Dragon Lord in the Dragon Lands. 

"We'll discuss after a private affair with Luna regarding Spike's case as Dragon Lord; afterward, I have an assignment for you to achieve," Princess Celestia responds, hoping to satisfy the Draqonecuus in playing a little waiting game. 

"Will I be informed of Spike's status or cast aside as duties are beyond my clarification?" Discord asks; he wants to experiment with the conviction Princess Celestia still upholds despite his unfortunate regress when he worked with Lord Tirek. 

"The topic of discussion is classified; only those with leadership qualities may obtain the knowledge contributed by Luna from learning Spike's situation within the dream realms," Princess Celestia calmly replies, softening the blow so that Discord doesn't become offended. 

Discord smirks; he perceives that Princess Celestia has the conviction that he would manipulate Spike, allowing him to be polluted with power and dominion since he is the Lord of Chaos. "Very well, Celestia," Discord imagines the reactions he'll address to the sisters after their conference meeting; he's thinking about taking Rarity's comfort couch and eating popcorn, to their dismay. 

Princess Celestia and Luna trot to a different room in Canterlot Castle; the two sisters cast a silencing ring spell to repel anyone from listening to their conversation, including an intrusive Draqonecuus. 

"Sister, Spike required you to answer a pivotal question regarding his birth," Princess Luna addresses the situation with a requirement. 

"Well, what is it? What does Spike want to know, Luna?" 

Princess Luna inhales deeply despite Celestia showcasing no evil intentions, even knowing the possibilities of the Dragon Egg raid could expose her as a demon. "Spike's query," Princess Luna heavily sighs, since she expressed the disheartening damages caused by the Dragon Egg raid and the probable deaths that followed. "How did your school acquire his Dragon Egg?" 

Princess Celestia comprehends the emotional distress her sister spewed is quite the quandary; due to having no recollection of the eggs taken for the young Unicorns' entry exams. Celestia closes her eyes, stretching her memories to the day of Twilight's entrance exam and days prior. 

"Celestia," Princess Luna is optimistic about any intel her sister could transfer in the next few moments; she hopes to follow up with Spike in his dreams later tonight, describing her discoveries and demonstrating her sister's innocence. 

"The School For Gifted Unicorns probably received Spike's Dragon Egg during an extracting expedition to locate eggs of different species across the lands of Equestria; it's possible that Spike's family may have abandoned their egg within our lands and have forgotten about it. If you ask if I went with the journey, the answer is no, I was attending the Canterlot Hospital to read a story to the young, sick foals." 

Princess Luna's eyes widen in fright; she's silent since she's aware of Spike's story, the Dragon Egg raid; the pieces don't correlate to Celestia's explanation. 

"Luna, what's wrong?" Princess Celestia is worried about her sister's condition when she reveals the probability of her school receiving Spike's Dragon Egg. 

"Celestia..," Princess Luna held back her tears when she heard Celestia mentioning an expedition; then anger arose. "Spike told me there was a raiding in the Dragon Lands!" 

"A WHAT?!" Princess Celestia is mesmerized to hear the awful revelation. "WHAT KIND OF A RAIDING?!" 

"Spike told me that a Pony Princess led a regiment and took Dragon Eggs away from the Dragon Lands!" Princess Luna huffs after clamoring in rage. 

Princess Celestia starts tearing up. "Lu-Lu-Luna..," Princess Celestia stutters with her emotions running rampant. She starts panting and frowning. "Luna.., I-I-I..," Celestia shuts her eyes and breathes heavily. "I would never..," She places her right hoof near her chest, acting like she's swearing an oath. "I would never commence an evil ploy such as that... I love all creation and the beauty; the world offers..," Princess Celestia collapses. "I would never desecrate life..!" She bursts into tears and cries her heart out. 

Princess Luna observes in horror and feels heartbroken for placing her sister through profound despair; it embodies her innocence since no evil creature would demonstrate this extensive sentiment. 

"Celestia.., I'm-" Celestia interrupts Luna's apology. 

"I never; I would never; I would never; I would never; I would never; I would never; I would never; I would never ever, ever, EVER strip families of their loved ones, Luna!" Princess Celestia hyperventilates, with her sadness becoming erratic. "You have to believe me! I would never jeopardize any family to endure the horrendous hardship of losing an unborn child!" Princess Celestia holds her sister closer, meeting eye-to-eye, showing the severity of her innocence. 

"I'm sorry," Princess Luna pulls Celestia into a loving embrace, softly cooing her sister while she continues to cry her eyes out. "It has to be Queen Chrysalis; I doubt Princess Cadance would be heartless to commit a sinful deed." 

After half an hour, Princess Luna releases her hold on Celestia; she takes a few minutes to recover from the outburst of sadness. Princess Celestia declares an investigation to uncover the truths of her school's knowledge about Spike's Dragon Egg and the potential of others she's unaware of. Princess Luna informs Celestia about reporting to Spike and discussing other leads to locate other Dragons within Equestria. 

Discord is outside the room, smoking candy cigarettes, waiting until the conference meeting concludes to alarm Princess Celestia about his new purposes in life, being the Ambassador for all Dragons, working alongside Spike, and elevating him to become a better leader than soon-to-be, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess Luna leaves the room and hovers away while Princess Celestia sits on a cushion, drying her tears as her eyes are red. 

"Celestia..?" Discord is keen about Celestia's condition since he believes Luna spoke something so devastating it caused Celestia to cry. 

"Let's talk, Discord," Princess Celestia is ready for a quick session with Discord to begin her investigation by reading the record book of the School for Gifted Unicorns. She wants to help Luna answer questions about the raiders that took the Dragon Eggs.
> Morning: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Princess Celestia and Luna spoke privately, Discord watched his friends, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, leave the guest room; they wanted to head back to Ponyville and alarm their friends about Spike's inconvenience. Discord feels insecure about Twilight's mentality when she explains Spike's motives and proclamation about maintaining his role as Dragon Lord; he is hopeful that Fluttershy could straighten the barriers of belief.

Discord fears Twilight and Rarity may allow their emotions to corrupt their judgment of Spike's decision, convincing the others to guilt-trip his reign about leaving his friends in Equestria behind. When he's through speaking with Celestia, Discord will monitor Twilight and Rarity's progress before returning to the Dragon Lands and understand the value of being an Ambassador for Dragons. 

Discord hears loud wails from the meeting room; he pretends to be oblivious about the discussion in the conference meeting; after all, anything related to Dragon Lord Spike is of utmost importance to him. The Dragon Egg raiding intrigues Discord, and he wants to find out how Celestia's school received Spike's Dragon Egg and all other eggs for the entry exams for young Unicorns. 

"Forgive me for intruding on your conversation; I must know all about the current conditions of Dragon Lord Spike; also, as King, I suspect him of hiding crucial evidence away from certain creatures untrusted." Discord thought to himself; he watched Princess Luna leave the room with certainty about her sister. "Whoever devised that raiding is clever to create an unfortunate scenario that'll draw interest, leading Princess Celestia to take the fall." 

Discord enters the room and sees Princess Celestia's eyes red a little due to her crying; the logic of accusation got the better of Celestia, especially her love for all creation. "Celestia..?" Discord pretends to be keen on Celestia's stability after her conversation with Luna. 

"Let's talk, Discord," Princess Celestia desires the meeting with Discord to swiftly conclude so she can scrutinize the documents of her school concerning the expedition. 

"Celestia, I'm here to announce my citizenship in Equestria and the line of obligation you immerse me into." 

Princess Celestia is perplexed about the topic of discussion regarding Discord's establishment in Equestria. "What's on your mind, Discord?" 

"Well, Celestia," Discord chuckles; he imagines Princess Celestia's reaction when he declares his new role with Dragon Lord Spike. "I will no longer be a servitude to your rationales, Celestia." 

"What?!" Princess Celestia's eyes broadened in shock, with her mouth dropped. She believes Discord may go astray with his Chaos Magic roaming freely without any bounds or consequences. 

Discord takes a snapshot of his album; he inserts the perfect picture on page three, next to Fluttershy and him having tea for the second time. 

"Discord, I need you-" Discord interrupts Celestia's speech. 

"Celestia, all you have me do is clean up messes ever since I reverted when I teamed up with Lord Tirek; you haven't assigned me to other jobs, you gave those to Twilight and her friends, and I'm wasting away when you promised me more opportunities to utilize my Chaos Magic. However, I will become something better with my title as the Lord of Chaos. With that said, I'm not a resident of Equestria, and you have no authority over what I do." 

"What purpose do you hold since relinquishing your privilege to live in Equestria and work with me?" 

"Dragon Lord Spike gave me the obligation to become the New Ambassador of Dragons," Discord smirks, relishing the moment. 

Princess Celestia is silent and stunned to hear Discord's new position, especially working with the Dragons and Spike instead of her and the Equestrian Ponies. Princess Celestia fears that Discord would operate Spike like a puppet for his demented causes, exposing his Chaos Magic upon the Dragon Lands and bringing ruin since he'll be unsupervised. 

"Amazing, I know," Discord takes another snapshot of Princess Celestia's stunned and terrified face. "With my prestigious title as Lord of Chaos, Spike is blessing me with many opportunities with any job he has in mind. Also, I'll know better about Dragons than any of you in a dozen lifetimes." Discord laughs in triumph. "On a serious note, Spike believes in me to help better than you, Ms.I-Hold-Grudges-And-Never-Let-Them-Go!" Discord accuses Celestia of being untrustworthy after his mistake.

Princess Celestia does hesitate on certain decisions with Discord due to his childlike chaotic demeanor. "Discord, you're unpredictable due to your nature; you have fallen out of grace for selfish desires; it takes time to rebuild that trust." 

"You won't permit me to demonstrate myself as a deserving asset; I watch you write missives concerning jobs and dispatch them as duties for Twilight and her friends to accomplish, rejecting me to do nothing. Spike trusts me to execute certain purposes for the Dragons; I already see him as a better ruler for pardoning my transgressions when I helped Lord Tirek gain stronger to unleash his wrath."

"I understand..," Princess Celestia sighs deeply at her mistake; however, she still believes Discord would be a bad influence on Spike in granting him the role of Ambassador. 

"Princess Celestia, before I take my leave, I have one comment that'll hinder your choices from now on," Discord grabs Celestia's attention with helpful wisdom down the road. Princess Celestia slowly nods, accepting the advice given by the Draqonecuus. "Be mindful with those closest to you; neglecting them may ascend them to darkness." 

Princess Celestia is unsure about the wisdom emitted from Discord's mouth; she doesn't remember ignoring any pony close to her; she loves all her subjects and would fight till her final breath for them. "Thanks, Discord," Princess Celestia graciously accepts the riddle even though she recollected no memory of ignorance except for Luna when she became Nightmare Moon. 

"You're welcome, Princess. Oh, and please, have a good day," Discord walks to a window and opens it; he snaps his lion's paw and turns to leafs, riding with the winds. 

Princess Celestia leaves the room and trots down the corridors, pondering what Discord had said and the Dragon Egg raid; she sees Raven Inkwell and officially declares to postpone all appointing schedules until further notice. Celestia wants to help her sister answer many questions about her school's Dragon Egg collection.
> Morning: Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity board the train leaving Canterlot; the two are silent due to Spike's decision yesterday and how Princess Celestia and Luna weren't bothered by his stunning determination to remain Dragon Lord than to relinquish his title to Princess Ember. 

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Fluttershy is trotting to Sugarcube Corner to greet Pinkie Pie and have her gather their friends swiftly for a Friendship Meeting; she hopes that Pinkie Pie doesn't think twice until Applejack and Rainbow Dash are inside the Castle of Friendship. When she entered the store, Pinkie Pie lunged at Fluttershy, causing her to shriek loudly. Pinkie hugs her tenderly and lovingly; she stops when she sees Fluttershy instead of Rainbow Dash. 

"Sorry, Fluttershy," Pinkie giggles at her blunder and helps her up. "I thought you were Rainbow Dash; You see; we're doing pranks on each other at unexpecting moments!" 

"Oh.., say, Pinkie. Can I ask you a favor?" Fluttershy asks quietly and yet confidently. 

"Okie-dokie-loki," Pinkie summons a tray of cupcakes out of nowhere and gorges them in one bite. "Want one?" Pinkie offers a golden yellow cupcake with light pink frosting and sprinkles. 

Fluttershy smiles at her friend's kind gesture and softly declines the offer; she takes a deep breath before speaking. "Mind grabbing Applejack and Rainbow Dash; I need you three at the Castle of Friendship for a consequential meeting." 

Pinkie gasps excitedly. "Wow! A forum of importance without Twilight and Rarity?! Are you going to announce your love interest with Discord? Are you considering about planning a surprise, chaotic birthday party?!" Pinkie gasps. "Holy Moly! I don't even know Discord's date of birth!" Pinkie gets sidetracked by her anticipated session with her friends regarding Fluttershy and Discord since the two spend quality time together.

"Wait, Pinkie! I didn't explain the-" Fluttershy watches Pinkie darting to Sweet Apple Acres first to retrieve Applejack. "reason." She reddens about the concept of her and Discord as lovers. 

Applejack is in the northern orchard of Sweet Apple Acres with Rainbow Dash, Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo for a crucial assignment; gathering apples to make delicious apple cider three days before cider season. Applejack promises Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to have their own barrel if they help the family. 

"This is awesome! Working with my sister, one of my best friends, and her family!" Scootaloo shouts with glee; also, she'll have a barrel like Rainbow Dash after they complete the job together. 

"Remember, after this, we gotta sort the apples, the good from the bad, then we can make the cider, understood, Dash?" Applejack leans down, preparing to race Rainbow Dash like the Running of the Leaves. 

"Loud and clear!" Rainbow Dash stretches her wings, preparing to take outrun Applejack to buck many trees filled with apples down into the buckets they placed. 

"All your marks, get set-" Applejack inhales deeply. "G-"

"GIRLS!" Pinkie shouts loudly to grab every pony's attention. "And Big Mac," Pinkie Pie knows better to address her cousin since he's not the same gender as the others around him. 

"Hay-ah, Pinkie Pie," Applejack turns to greet her friend. 

"Hey, Pinkie. No pranking today; I'm helping Applejack with an important chore," Rainbow licks her lips, tasting the soon-to-be apple cider. 

"Fluttershy needs us at the Castle of Friendship! It's vital!" Pinkie shouts; she hopes Rainbow and Applejack can drop their activity to hear what Fluttershy needs to say. 

"Can it wait, Pinkie? I need to get these apples down for cider season," Applejack replies; Granny Smith always throws a fit whenever the apples don't get collected according to schedule. 

Pinkie stomps ahead of Applejack and Rainbow Dash; her eyes are narrow as Pinkie uses her right hoof to dig deep into her mane, pulling out a stash of glowing pink sugar cookies. 

"Uh, what are those?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash ask their friend out of curiosity. 

"Hyper-Cookies!" Pinkie declares and noms on one; her mane and coat produce an aura of pinkish energy like she's going super. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Big Mac step back to observe in awe and wonder. Pinkie's eyes turn white with lightning roaming around her body. "Hyper-Pinkie!" Pinkie darts with pinkish lightning trails behind her. 

In a moment, even Rainbow Dash is envious of Pinkie's fierce speed, Pinkie Pie bucks all the trees, assembles all the apples then divides the good from the bad. Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac become dumbfounded by Pinkie's urgency in ending their labor within a minute. There's a mountain pile for all the bad apples grown while the good apples remain in buckets. Pinkie Pie rockets past the Apple Family to deliver the good apples in front of the barn house, where Big Mac runs to make the apple cider. 

Pinkie returns swiftly. "You two, come with me!" Pinkie snatches Applejack and Rainbow Dash before allowing them a chance to respond. 

"Daaaah!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash shout when Pinkie grapples them, whisking them away. 

"I wonder if Pinkie Pie is a long-lost cousin of Discord instead of our family," Apple Bloom said, dazed at the events displayed by Pinkie's prowess. 

"Eeyup," Big Mac concurs with Apple Bloom's statement. 

Fluttershy mentally prepared herself to clarify what Discord revealed to her last night, especially about Spike preserving his position as Dragon Lord and Discord becoming the Ambassador for the Dragon Nation; she expected her friends would comprehend Spike's decision to be among his kind and understand the core values of being a Dragon, not a vicious demon like how she characterized them to be.

Pinkie Pie bursts through the castle's doors while holding onto Applejack and Rainbow Dash; the two are silent due to Pinkie's astonishing feat due to sugar cookies. Pinkie slowly puts her friends down and reverts to herself. 

"Dash, remind me to bring Pinkie Pie over for cider season," Applejack whispers in Rainbow's ear. 

"Duly note," Rainbow whispers in Applejack's ear. 

Fluttershy would be impressed by Pinkie's antics; however, spending time with the Draqonecuus changed her perception of unpredictability. She's glad her friends arrived. 

"So, Flutters," Rainbow Dash turns to her childhood best friend with curiosity. "What's on your mind?" 

"Yea, and where's Twi and Rarity?" Applejack thought those two would be at the castle by now. 

"Yea!" Pinkie giggles. "Where's Spike?" 

"Oh, you see.., about that..," Fluttershy takes a deep breath. "Spike won the Gauntlet of Fire; he is now the new Dragon Lord." 

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Pinkie Pie grabs the backends of her mane in shock. "WE NEED TO CELEBRATE HIS MONUMENTOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHEN HE ARRIVES!" Pinkie Pie reaches to pull her party cannon at absolutely nowhere. 

"What Pinkie said," Applejack concurs with Pinkie's statement. 

"WOW!" Rainbow Dash shouts in excitement. "Spike will prevent those monsters from waging war on our lands!" 

Fluttershy now understands Discord's standpoint of affirming Dragons as monsters since she and they never met most of them; hearing her best friend calling Dragons monsters feels uncanny and unnerving. She frowns that Rainbow would claim Dragons as heartless creatures hellbent on ravaging territories wherever they go. 

"Girls," Fluttershy grabs her friends' attention. "Spike isn't coming home to Ponyville." 

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack shout in horror. 

"That's nonsense! Why would he stay with those monsters?! They're going to bully him and disregard his title as Dragon Lord, and I should know; Twilight, Rarity, and I stood our ground against these teenage Dragons who wanted to brutalize us for stopping their advances," Rainbow said, reflecting the memories of the Dragon Migration several years ago. 

"Dragons are super-duper scary!" Pinkie Pie remembers seeing titanic Dragons flying, breathing fire, and causing damage with their smoke. 

"Fluttershy, how did you know all of this? Who told you about Spike winning the Gauntlet of Fire?" Applejack turns to Fluttershy when the girls hear spooky laughter and thunder. 

Discord descends from the mini storm clouds and lands on Rarity's comfort couch, eating chocolate mint ice cream. "It was moi," Discord throws his ice cream away. "I told Fluttershy the great news about Spike's progress." 

"They're not great, Discord. Spike has chosen to be among monsters instead of coming home," Applejack says; she is considering going with her friends to the Dragon Lands to rescue Spike from creating an awful decision. 

"THEY'RE NOT MONSTERS!" Fluttershy shouts, defending the entire Dragon species from harsh accusations. The way Fluttershy angrily expresses herself surprises Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. 

"Fluttershy..," Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie step back from Fluttershy's outburst. 

"WHAT?!" Fluttershy snarls at her friends like an animal. 

"This is not like you..," Rainbow Dash remembers how Fluttershy reacted about watching the Dragon Migration and her refusals of not going to watch the events. 

Applejack turns to Discord, eating his buttered popcorn. "Stop using our friend as your puppet, Discord. It isn't funny!" Applejack assumes Discord of manipulating Fluttershy to voice his justification. 

"Sorry, Applejack. What Fluttershy's doing has nothing to do with my Chaos. It seems you've upset her for reasons I know." 

Fluttershy huffs and closes her eyes. "Girls, if you truly believe that all Dragons are monsters, that would include Spike, right?" That question jolts her friends tremendously. 

"Oh boy..," Rainbow Dash sees her flaw in her statement of accusing Dragons of monsters; she feels guilty for putting Spike in that category. 

"Wow. Flutters, that was.., deep..," Applejack feels awful; she should know better than to judge. "I guess if we're calling all Dragons monsters, we are putting Spike among their ranks." 

"Girls.., are we.., monsters?" Pinkie asks her friends due to their remarks. 

"Well, more like misguided of not knowing most of the Dragons and setting your records straight based on few occurrences," Discord answers Pinkie's question. "Each of you believed that Dragons are ruthless, cruel, heartless, and monstrosities." 

"Shucks," Applejack face-hoofs herself in shame. "I can't believe I assumed than getting to know more of Spike's kin." 

"Maybe that's why most Dragons hate us; we're giving them a bad name..," Pinkie's mane deflates, for she detests making anyone upset regardless of species. 

"I called them lame, especially mocking Spike in a bad comparison," Rainbow Dash reflects more on the insults she spewed, including at Spike when it seems it was all fun for her. 

"You don't think he's holding a grudge based on what we did to him that seems harsh now..?" Pinkie Pie asks her friends with nervousness and dread. 

"I can guarantee each of you that Dragon Lord Spike wants to improve his nation; there is no ill will in his manner," Discord comments; he finishes eating the chocolate mint ice cream and starts consuming half of the couch. "Ah, nice and crunchy." 

The girls sigh in relief; they are joyful that Spike is looking to improve the Dragon Lands and become a better ruler. Starlight Glimmer strolls down the corridors hearing the commotion and listening to Spike's crowning achievement of becoming Dragon Lord. 

"So, we won't be seeing our favorite Dragon no more?" Starlight wants to know everything her friend will endure during his reign. 

"Well," Discord speaks before any of the girls would come up with suggestions and theories. "Spike will endure training to become the Dragon version of himself since he's a Pony in a Dragon's body. I expect him to bring some of his companions for visitations, to allow both nations to fellowship in peace, get to know each other, and have fun." 

"I'm going to miss him in the castle; however, I'm grateful that Spike has found his calling in life than being a prisoner in a castle like the Princesses everyone reads about in Fairy Tales." Starlight smiles, knowing her Dragon friend will do well in his next chapter in life. "I hope to see Spike soon." 

"That you will, Starlight. I'm monitoring Spike's progress," Discord replies proudly. 

"And why is that, Discord?" Applejack asks; she believes Discord is up to no good when it comes to his chaotic nature. 

"Yea? Why are you spying on Spike?" Rainbow demands to know about Discord's antics and motivation. 

"Ah, well, you see," Discord holds his chuckles; unfortunately, his lion's paw fingers grow mouths and laugh for him. 

"What's funny, Discord?" Applejack doesn't trust Discord; she finds him untrustworthy ever since the Lord Tirek incident. 

"Yeah!? Why are you laughing?" Rainbow chimes in; she wants answers from the laughing Draqonecuus. 

"My apologies, everyone," Discord opens his chest like opening a safe's door, pulling out a camera to take a snapshot for his album. "You see, I'm preparing to take a snapshot." 

"For what exactly?" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight asks in unison. 

"I renounce my citizenship in Equestria because Spike dubbed me Ambassador of Dragons!" Discord prepares to take the snapshot. 

"SPIKE DID WHAT?!" Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight shout in shock. Discord took four different snapshots. Applejack's mouth opened wide with her eyes open; Rainbow's eyes were closed with her jaw hanging loose; Pinkie Pie was laughing in shock; Starlight's mouth made an O with her eyes shut. 

"Oooohohohooo, these are keepers," Discord puts the photos in his album for safekeeping. 

"Why would Spike make a reckless decision like that?" Applejack asks loudly, which offends Discord. It's another sign of some pony not believing in him. 

"Applejack, Discord was the first to show support to Spike; you should have more confidence in what your friend decides," Fluttershy says, defending Spike and Discord. 

"Not to be rude, but, Discord is the only creature that can get a hold of Spike and has easy access, unlike Celestia and Luna, who are preoccupied with their royal affairs in Canterlot," Starlight adds to Fluttershy's statement after analyzing Spike's possible viewpoint. 

"Be glad you won't see me often in Equestria, Applejack," Discord is aware of Applejack's resentment, the honesty after a betrayal. "As I mentioned, I renounced citizenship, indicating that I no longer live here nor oblige to Princess Celestia," Discord starts poking Applejack's chest with his eagle's claw index finger. "Un-like-you," He jabs her three times before Applejack bites Discord's finger off. 

Applejack snorts, fixing her gaze on Discord in annoyance. 

"So, what happened with Twilight and Rarity?" Starlight asks Discord. She wants to know how they feel about Spike becoming Dragon Lord and him as Ambassador of Dragons. 

"They're on their way here. Twilight and Rarity slept over in Canterlot after returning Spike-less. They seem bitter at Spike's decision for longing answers and to be with his kin. You can say possessiveness leads to obsession, and obsessions know no bounds." 

The girls are clueless about Discord's statement, except for Fluttershy, since she knows the truth. 

"Well, with that said, I must get going. I have some packing to do," Discord is wearing a Hawaiin shirt and sunglasses. There are two suitcases next to him by the door. "Sayonara," Discord waves bye and leaves the Castle of Friendship. 

"Alright, Dash. Let's head back to the farm. I'm sure Big Mac needs the extra horsepower for the cider," Applejack leaves the Castle of Friendship. 

"Coming," Rainbow Dash soars in the air, flying to the barn house at Sweet Apple Acres. 

"I better head back; the Cakes may need me," Pinkie Pie leaves after hugging Starlight and Fluttershy. 

"With Twilight and Rarity possibly coming here later, mind staying with me for a while, Fluttershy?" Starlight asks since she doesn't want to be alone in the castle now that Spike is elsewhere in the Dragon Lands. 

"Sure, I may need to level down Twilight and Rarity for overthinking their rationale over Spike's decision, especially informing the duo about Discord becoming Ambassador. 

Starlight smiles. "Thanks, Fluttershy." 

"What are friends for?" Fluttershy smiles at Starlight.
> Lesson #3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike is on Ember's back, flying across the Dragon Lands to learn more about his culture; he embraces his new family last night after discovering an unfortunate dark truth about the Dragon Egg raiding years ago. Spike hopes Princess Celestia didn't initiate such a wicked, devilish, unforgiving scheme to withdraw the eggs and paralyze many Dragons guarding the newborns with their lives. 

Many Dragons down below and soaring in the skies wave at Dragon Lord Spike, hoping for recognition while enjoying a new day with many possibilities of becoming anew under the new ruler. Princess Ember imagines unity within her species and spreads love and Friendship across many neighboring countries while representing the true nature of Dragons and not the rumors and name-shaming by other creatures that acclaimed them to be. 

Spike is eager to see Garble and Smolder, but more importantly, his mother for the first time. Curiosity gets the better of Spike with many different color combinations of his mother's appearance, and would she be proud of him for living among Ponies or surprised that he survived such cruelty? 

Last night, former Dragon Lord Torch informed Spike about the magic inside the Bloodstone Scepter, it can sense any Dragon the ruler desires to search for, and the Bloodstone Gem glows brighter whenever the Dragon is near. 

Right now, Spike is using the Bloodstone Scepter to locate Garble and Smolder's cave; before learning more about his heritage, he yearns to greet his mother and possibly father since Smolder and Garble forgot to mention their dad. The Bloodstone Scepter glows, indicating that the duo is at Garble and Smolder's cave. 

"I'm so excited!" Spike hops off Ember's back as she hovers down. 

"I'm happy for you, Spike; it's not often for a youngling stolen to reunite with family after so many years," Ember responds; she looks up at Garble flying by with Clump and Fume. 

"Yo guys, wanna come by?" Garble politely asks his friends, and they find him weird by his sudden change of attitude. 

"No way, man. Whatever hugging spree the Dragon Lord put you through, we don't want any of that," Fume flies away. 

"Later, hugger," Clump laughs and mocks Garble for his unfortunate task from yesterday's decree from the Dragon Lord and follows Fume. 

Garble grumbles and turns to Dragon Lord Spike and Princess Ember, widely smiling while whistling into the caves, alerting Smolder about their brother's presence. 

"Coming!" Smolder hears her brother's call from her room; she flies out and greets her brother and Princess Ember at the entrance; She and Garble tackle-hug Spike with a loving embrace. 

"Welcome home, bro!" Garble and Smolder shout loud enough to wake their mother from a peaceful slumber. The echoes of their claim made it to the ears of their mother. 

"Thanks," Spike hugs his siblings, relishing the love from the two Dragons. 

Garble and Smolder stop hugging and escort Spike inside their home. Princess Ember follows the trio inside while imagining the happiest reaction from a mother Dragon who yearned to reunite with a lost brood. 

Within the cave is a structure to enact a stone age family design with many stoned furniture and a bonfire in the middle. There are many hieroglyphics depicting the family tree dating back many centuries on the walls within the cave. A loud thump echoes in the cave, revealing a titanic Dragoness with red-orange scales, a yellow belly scale, and red spikes running from the head to the tail. Her eyes are ruby, and she smiles at the Princess and Dragon Lord Spike. 

"Spike, this is your mom, Crimson!" Garble and Smolder announce their mother's name to Spike. 

"Mom..?" Spike approaches Crimson, extending his left claw to touch her face. 

Crimson leans down, smiling elegantly at her long-lost child, holding back tears; however, her smile fades. She starts sniffing Spike. 

"Mom? What are you doing?" Garble asks; he's suspicious about his mother's motive towards his younger brother. 

"Why are you doing that?" Smolder is confused about the Crimson sniffing Spike. She and Garble know Spike is the long-lost sibling taken by the Ponies years ago. 

"Oh..," Crimson sheds tears of sadness, not gladness. "I'm sorry, Dragon Lord Spike..," Crimson shakes her head, displeased at the sudden revelation. "I did not conceive you; you are not my long-lost child." 

"WHAT?!" Garble, Smolder, and Spike shout in horror. 

Ember feared this outcome more than any Dragon, with over a hundred eggs taken during the raid years ago, and Spike will now have to travel all over to find his actual mother. 

"How can you be sure, Mom?" Smolder fights back the tears of sadness, knowing Spike is not related. 

"You and Garble have my and your father's scent; it's our way of detecting our children from separation whenever Dragon Lord Torch isn't with us with his Bloodstone Scepter. For eons, parently Dragons will use their scent of smell to track their younglings wherever they stumble on; It's how I can find you and your brother when you don't return after curfew." 

"No...NOOOOO!" Garble slams his fists on the floor, cracking it with his strength. "You told me what our egg looked like! Purple with dark purple polka dots!" 

Crimson shakes her head. "Garble.., I said pink egg with purple polka dots..." 

"You mean..," Smolder gets an eerie feeling that her sibling is somewhere in Equestria or dead.

"The status of our long-lost relative is unknown for now... I'm sorry..," Crimson grabs Smolder and Garble, holding the two as they mourn together. 

"Long ago, in a journal I helped write, I read that friends are considered part of the family. I may not be related to you, but I want Smolder and Garble to become my brother and sister. I would hate for sadness to continue in my country. That is why I'm creating an extended family." 

Crimson is stunned by the wisdom shared by the young Dragon Lord and wants to uncover the many marvels Spike endured to obtain the advice. Spike shed tears after discovering his family won't be easy to find; he should have known better than to become over-optimistic. 

"I must be patient and ask many Dragonesses about their missing eggs to find my mom." Spike thought to himself. He wants to use the Bloodstone Scepter to locate his mom; however, Spike still wants to learn more about his kin. 

Smolder and Garble convince Spike to partake in another fun day with the teenage Dragons since they'll submit to Spike's authority over a possible reformation decree about belittling and ridiculing any other Dragon regardless of age. Spike ponders over the thought and decides to go forth; hopefully, hearing the testimonies of other Dragons present at the raid can inform Spike more of their memories concerning the Dragon and their remaining families in attendance near the foundation of the Dragon's Nest.

Spike climbs Ember's back and takes off in the wild blue yonder with Garble and Smolder following pursuit; Garble's friends decide to follow him to the volcanic territories for a nice soothing, relaxing lava bath.
> Reality Check
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rarity depart the train at Ponyville Station and notice Rainbow Dash flying as Applejack gallops to Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie Pie is hopping to Sugarcube Corner, oblivious to recognizing her two best friends standing by the train station. The duo look at each other and sigh in unison, agreeing to divulge the heartbreaking tale of Spike's departure from Equestria and residing with the Dragon Nation as the Dragon Lord. 

"Pinkie!" Twilight and Rarity shout to gain their friend's attention. The pink party mare turns and smiles gleefully at Rarity and Twilight. 

"Hi, girls!" Pinkie Pie, within an instant, appears with some dust clouds forming behind her due to Pinkie's swift movements to greet her friends. "How was your trip?" 

"Not well, Pinkie..," Twilight sadly sighs, trying to muster enough confidence to declare Spike's achievement and status. "You see, Spike is-" Pinkie interrupts Twilight's sad speech. 

"Discord stopped by earlier and filled us in on Spike's status," Pinkie exclaimed, her signature giggle punctuating her words. She hoped the news would brighten Twilight's spirits.

"WHAT?!" Twilight and Rarity ragingly exclaim since the Draqonecuus have revealed such information without their consent; also, they feel upset that Discord spied on them and didn't encourage Spike to stand down and uplift his kingship to Princess Ember. 

"Yea," Pinkie laughs at the shocked faces; she's clueless about the angry expression written on them. "Discord told us about Spike becoming the new Dragon Lord and his decision to remain with the Dragons to learn more about them." 

"More like becoming viciously brutal to every creature that steps in their country, Pinkie," Rarity rudely responds. 

"That's not nice, Rarity. We can't assume all Dragons are as mean as we name them to be..," Pinkie Pie understands Fluttershy's frustration when she defends the other Dragons no other Pony has met. "Not all Dragons are cruel and meanie, Rarity." 

"Spike is getting an attitude adjustment, Pinkie. Rarity and I nearly got brutalized when Garble and other Dragons wanted to harm us!" Twilight bellows at Pinkie, huffing in her rant that she's losing Spike. 

"Girls, are you listening to yourselves?" Pinkie Pie shakes Rarity's and Twilight's heads with her hooves. "We're supposed to represent Friendship, not accuse other species based on personal feelings!" 

Twilight and Rarity slap Pinkie's hooves away and step back; they look at Pinkie differently, with their feelings hurt. Twilight is losing Spike to Dragons that would abuse him, while Rarity is without the Dragon she loves. What Pinkie said struck them but didn't go through to their heads. 

"I'm going home, Pinkie," Twilight trots away from her friend. Rarity follows, knowing Twilight needs support from somepony who understands her pain of losing someone very close. 

Pinkie sighs and hopes Starlight and Fluttershy can help Twilight and Rarity see the reason to believe Spike will be better than they expect of him. 

Twenty minutes later. Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy are having jasmine tea in the kitchen, mentioning the possibility of seeing Spike and Discord with a group of Dragons visiting Ponyville; The two laugh, imagining many Ponies fleeing from the group while the Dragon Lord calms everyone down, allowing the peace to settle and become unified. 

Twilight and Rarity enter the Castle of Friendship feeling gloomy when they smell the scent of jasmine tea; it's evident Fluttershy has decided to fellowship with Starlight since she was alone for a while. The two trot to the kitchen, hearing the laughter of friends in bliss. 

Starlight sees her friends entering the kitchen and welcomes them with open hooves. "Welcome home, you-" Twilight interrupts Starlight.

"We know you and Fluttershy comprehend Spike's kingship as Dragon Lord. Pinkie told us that Discord came and revealed the info." 

"Aren't you glad Spike saved Equestria from the possible wrath of other Dragons and wanted to renew his country into prosperity?" Fluttershy asks her friends; she's eager to know the current circumstances her friends' feelings are in. 

"Well..," Twilight froze and hesitated with her answer. Yesterday, Spike achieved his moment of glory by obtaining the Bloodstone Scepter, thus earning the title of Dragon Lord; however, his decision to remain with the Dragons made her upset, like she was losing someone wholeheartedly since the beginning of their bond when Spike got birthed during her entrance exam to potential bullies and monsters. "I was ecstatic when Spike won the Gauntlet of Fire competition and showed kinship with Ember into embracing the glorious of Friendship."

"Twilight and I leapt for joy when Spike declared the victor; however, we expected Spike to come home with us. Instead, he'd fallen in love with the Princess of Dragons.., Ember..," Rarity sheds a tear after failing to admit her love for Spike, though in hindsight, it was a ploy to lure Spike back to Equestria. Now, Rarity feels jealous that Spike's attention is on another lady with authority and high class. "Now.., my little Spiky-Wikey will become corrupt and won't accompany me to the caves to extract gemstones, help me in my boutique or even comfort me when I need comfort!" Rarity burst into tears, curling on the floor. "I LOST MY BEST FR-FR-FRIE-FRIE-FRIE-AHAHAHAH-END!" 

Fluttershy flies over to Rarity and softly coos her, rubbing her sides with her wings for comfort. "Spike is not gone, Rarity. It's not a goodbye but a see you later." 

"Twilight," Starlight turns to Twilight after Rarity gets emotional. "If you were ecstatic, why are you gloomy?" 

"Spike is still a baby Dragon and the weight of being a Dragon Ruler has me concerned, especially when other Dragons like Garble would want to harm Spike despite his entitlement. I genuinely believe Spike will be abused and won't have the protection I can provide him. Also, I don't believe Spike can be a compatible ruler at such a young age." 

"I understand the concerns, Twilight, but you're acting hypocritical over Spike's kingship," Starlight responds, knowing the truth will upset Twilight. 

"WHAT?!" Twilight snorts at the rude remark from Starlight. "Explain to me how I'm a hypocrite right now!" 

"For starters, aren't you the youngest Alicorn in Equestria?" Starlight uses her left hoof to point at Twilight when she makes her claim. 

Twilight does a doubletake when she hears about the assumption of being the youngest Alicorn. "Yes! Well," Twilight takes a deep breath. "Princess Celestia is teaching me the steps about being an Alicorn, to become a ruler of Equestria. I've taken precautions to understand my role as Princess of Friendship, and I've taken the liberty of studying the works as Princess of Equestria when it's my time to rule Equestria." 

"And, while you're studying, who's there to help you during your studies? Who's there to read your work when someone has to organize your notes whenever you hang out with your friends? Who's been writing the letters and journal entries whenever you or your friends uncover a new Friendship lesson?" Starlight pesters Twilight with questions, referring to Spike and his involvement with Twilight's ascent to becoming a future Princess of Equestria. 

Twilight listens to Starlight and becomes sad when the answer is obvious; Spike is much more involved with her elevation than any of her friends combined since he's the one who recorded virtually everything she and her friends experienced. She looks inward and asks herself what kind of friend would assume the worst and not the best. "How can I be stupid? Spike is more mature than any of us and never showed doubt when I earned my Alicorn wings." Twilight flexes her Alicorn wings as a reminder of the day she earned them and looks down in disgrace since she feels like a failure. "He was always by my side, encouraging me, loving me, helping me.., Spike even took care of me..." Twilight shed tears about how she'd viewed Spike and how she sought him. "I've taken advantage of my friend; I left him all alone whenever I went out with my friends.., not even considering Spike my own... Oh, Celestia..." Twilight looks at the ceiling of her castle with the sudden revelation that makes her question the Friendship she created with Spike. Twilight's title of Princess of Friendship makes her blind to the one true friend she mistreated when the memories of Spike's noninvolvement are evident in many adventures, get-togethers, and even parties she and her friends attended. Twilight sits on the floor, covering her face with her hooves with glaring and unfortunate events. She starts panting with more tears streaming down her cheeks. "I left Spike behind on my BIRTHDAY and went to Canterlot! I left him behind whenever Princess Cadance invited my friends and me to the Crystal Empire! The Crystal Ponies adore Spike, and I kept denying Spike the chance to come with my friends and me!" "FORGIVE ME, SPIKE!" Twilight shouts at the top of her lungs, wailing in sadness as more daunting memories flood her mind, reminding Twilight of every event she excluded Spike from. 

Starlight trots to Twilight and offers to hug her; Twilight accepts and imagines Starlight as her Spike, the friend she used and forgot on many occasions. Memories of Spike getting mistreated unfairly spawn in Twilight's mind, making her feel awful for not standing up for her friend and defending him whenever somepony were to mock or prank him. 

Fluttershy and Rarity wonder what is happening with Twilight and her state of mind, especially with her outburst of emotions when she wants Spike to forgive her for the many errors she committed and not concede them. 

"Hmm, well, I didn't think Twilight would have a change of heart." Discord spies on his friends, hoping to see how Twilight reacts to his involvement with the Dragons; instead, he's witnessing Twilight becoming a better Pony. He's disguised as Owlicious as Twilight's pet is elsewhere napping. 

Rarity and Fluttershy comfort Twilight, reminding her how great of a friend she is; however, Twilight informs her friends about not sharing the same likelihood with Spike and wants to renew her Friendship with Spike. Twilight vows to become the friend Spike yearned for and becomes more encouraging and optimistic that Spike will become a great Dragon Lord as she will become a great Princess. 

"Spike, I have faith that you'll become the best Dragon Lord unlike any other, and I'll treat you as a real friend should, just as I value Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Starlight. I swear in Celestia's name. I'll treat you far better than my Number One Assistant!" Twilight thought to herself and stood up, beaming with pride. "See you soon, Spike!" Twilight smiles, knowing the future is bright for the young Dragon.
> Discord's Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour after leaving Garble and Smolder's cave, Dragon Lord Spike, Princess Ember, Garble, Smolder, and many teenage Dragons arrive at the lava pool and notice something odd about the area. Spike knew immediately about the commotion but wanted to see his brethren and sistren react to the confusion laid out by the Lord of Chaos, Discord. 

Cotton candy clouds are raining all sorts of gemstones; the lava is pink with a lavafall running upward; a table full of meats of every animal that exists in the forests and wilderness cooked into perfection with many drinks as well; a gigantic hoard of gemstones piled up like a mountain; there's a cotton candy cloud stationed with a disco ball as many lights reflect it, creating light beams for partying and dancing; many clones are sweeping the ground, making it smooth and rough for any activity the Dragons come up with. 

Every Dragon except Spike's jaws drop in shock and amazement at the display devised by the Lord of Chaos; a clone wearing a security uniform is stationed on a floating booth, twirling a baton, informing the Dragons to land at the new entertaining center. Every Dragon lands and sees Discord's clones jumping into the pink lava pool while the original approach the Dragons. 

Dragon Lord Spike hops off Ember's back to welcome the Draqonecuus. "Every Dragon, this is the Lord of Chaos, Discord. He's a Chaotic deity that consists of every creature, including Dragons." 

"Greetings, everyone!" Discord waves his eagle's claw to every Dragon present; he hopes to make a great first impression by inventing an area where every Dragon can hang out and appreciate his art of creativity with Chaos Magic. 

"Dude..," Garble, Smolder, Clump, Fume, Charcoal, Billy, Fizzle, Maar, and many other teenage Dragons meet Discord for the first time and are stunned by his body physique and magic prowess. 

Princess Ember understands more about Discord's Chaos magic and feels comfortable with his presence. 

"Every Dragon! Discord will be living among us as he has another title. Not only he's the Lord of Chaos, he is also the Ambassador of Dragons!" Spike announces; every Dragon except for Princess Ember gasps. 

"Indeed, every Dragon," Discord snaps his lion's paw, conjuring a pig with wings flying away. 

"Oh, no, you don't!" Clump flaps his wings and flies after the pig; it squeals loudly, giving everyone a good laugh before it gets scorched. 

"Hey bro," Garble flies up to Discord's neck, putting his left arm around him. "You'll fit in quite nicely." 

"Heck yea!" Smolder agrees, doing a fist bump with Discord's lion's paw. 

"Hey! The pink lava feels better than regular lava!" A lavender dragon named Maar says, enjoying the heat while relaxing. 

"Awh!" Charcoal releases a satisfying sigh after tasting the gemstones from the mountain pile. "These are delicious!" 

"Surfing upwards is awesome!" An orange Dragon named Billy is surfing the lava on a lava-rock surfboard. He performs a flip and landing on top, and the lavafall starts running downward. "AMAZING! It changed direction!" Billy slides down on the lavafall, using a small cliff as a ramp to perform a 360 spin.

Garble invites Discord to participate with the King/Queen of the Hoard while many teenage Dragons come to compete. Discord accepts the proposal and declares he won't use any magic for leverage during the competition. Spike remembers how he was lucky the first time he partook in the event during the Dragon Migration and hopes to succeed without luck. Spike announces he wants everyone to try their best since he refuses to win due to his rank as Dragon Lord. Every Dragon starts cracking their knuckles, preparing for a stellar match to become either King or Queen of the Hoard. 

The rules are simple, the last Dragon remaining wins; Knockdown anyone by any means. A clone of Discord shoots a flare with his eagle's claw, shouting GO!

Every Dragon climbs and starts shoving each other left and right; Garble and Smolder decide to team up and tackle other Dragons attempting to climb to the top; Clump tosses the burnt pig at Fume, knocking him off the hoard and eliminating him from the competition; Maar grabs Clump's mace-like tail, uses her strength to swing him off of the mountain pile, Clump lands on Fume who is tapping out due to his overweight; Charcoal decides to ram others with his horn however, Discord couldn't help himself and dresses up as a matador, tempting Charcoal with the red cloak, Charcoal falls for it and collides with Fizzle, eliminating the two from the competition; Ember sneaks behind Discord and grabs his cape, tossing it on his head, and shoving him off the mountain pile; Garble sucker punches Ember which infuriates her, Ember is boiling in rage as Smolder tackles her off the mountain pile; Garble grabs Spike's tail, preventing him from climbing any further and chucks him away from the top; Garble climbs and declares the victor when Maar tugs his wings and yanks him off the top as the only Dragon remaining. 

"Queen of the HOARD!" Maar bellows with a victorious roar. Every Dragon and Discord congratulate her and laugh off the pain they inflicted on each other. 

"Dude! How did you dress up so fast?" Charcoal asks Discord after getting suckered. 

"It's part of my Chaos Magic, though I didn't use any hypnosis to deceive your mind. I'm quite surprised you fell for a classic," Discord laughs. 

"Oh wow, I thought you actually did," Spike thought  Discord would lure Dragons with a matador routine. 

The next fun activity is gorge surfing; Spike experiences the thrill of surfing lava with lava-rock surfboards though he fumbles and falls into the lava pool a few times. Spike watches how every Dragon else nails the surfboard as some slip and fail. It's all good laughs, especially with Discord, who uses himself as a board. Every Dragon woos and awed the display that Discord is a great surfer despite using a clone. 

After an hour of surfing, every Dragon decided to enjoy the food, the gemstones, and the drinks Discord provided for everyone; never had they tasted anything that delicious, especially cooked meat, since each flame from Dragons, is different. Discord explains that he can change the color of lava and make it hotter than usual or leave it as is, depending on the mood. He even tells his tales of how he was once evil and ruled Equestria twice before becoming the Draqonecuus he is. Most teenage Dragons still despise Equestrian Ponies, which explains the continual hatred for Ponies when the Dragon Egg raid occurred years ago. Discord knew when he overheard Princess Luna and Celestia speaking of it earlier in the morning. Spike wants the hatred to end but knows it'll take time; he'll need help to uncover the mystery Princess that arranged the raiding. 

The rest of the day went eventful, with every Dragon satisfied. They enjoyed Discord's company and welcomed him wholeheartedly to the Dragon Lands as an official brother. Everyone adored his Chaos Magic and cannot wait to see more daily whenever he's around. Spike informs Ember about tagging with Discord to become closer to his friend and talk about private affairs. Spike ensures Ember he'll return after their discussion. Ember trusts Spike and watches him ride on Discord's back elsewhere in the Dragon Lands; she wonders if their conversation would regard the raiding or something else that can be vital for the Dragon Nation.
> Audio Logs: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Status Report: School Record Retrieval 

Submitted by: Bright Light

Establishment: School For Gifted Unicorns' Basement

Date: April 9th

Duration: 10:43 p.m.

Subject: Archives & Theories

Category: Top Secret

Case #1994

{Now playing audio log #2293} 



Princess Celestia, 

As your lead investigator executing this case, I must inform you; all school documentation regarding Dragon Eggs was erased, burnt, and vanished with traces of magic used decades ago. I compiled magical particles from the evidence pile for further testing and analysis; the results will verify within a few days. I have obtained eyewitness testimony in variants audio logs that will be deciphered and transmitted to the Lunar Guard District Justice Department within a few days. 

I have interrogated several retired instructors and judges concerning young Unicorns during their entrance exams and have a vast knowledge of Dragons during the hatching sequence. Each Pony describes the giver as Princess in magic armor concealing her face, body, mane, and aura. The remembrance of the voice from the giving Princess remains unknown from each testimony remembering a different tone within the mouth movement. 

My team and I have theorized that Queen Chrysalis is the catalyst for operating the Dragon Egg raids due to glaring issues.



Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess Cadance, her youth and magical prowess with inexperience in leadership, would be pressured. Leading a squadron of Royal Guards in invading the Dragon Lands would become too formidable for the young Princess to overcome. 

Princess Cadance, during the duration of her youth, during the time of the raiding, babysat Princess Twilight Sparkle before and during her time at your school. Also, she was dating Shining Armor, training to be a Royal Guard. 

No other villain in Equestria's history has power beyond Queen Chrysalis' capacities to frame your image and turn you into a scandalous. Lord Tirek remained imprisoned in Tartarus; Discord, Lord of Chaos, stone-statue imprisonment at your garden maze; Nightmare Moon, imprisoned on the moon for another fifteen years. 


We will continue to operate until more evidence is available for disclosure. I, Bright Light, Lead Investigator of Celestial's Crime Insurgence, shall continue my research until the truth unfolds.   



{End of Recording}





[This audio log will be submitted in a written document and sent separately to the Princess' quarters under Code Black for Top Secret.]









Status Report: Analyzing Magical Particles

Submitted by: Star Blaze

Establishment: Canterlot's Magistry Laboratory 

Date: April 11th

Duration: 4:27 p.m.

Subject: Magic Identification

Category: Top Secret

Case #1994 

{Now playing audio log #2294} 



Princess Celestia,

As a top scientist and conveyor of sorcery, the magical properties within the evidence that Bright Light brought to me are inconclusive. My team and I cannot trace the source of the magic user, spell, and enchantment within our database. Our knowledge of different forms of magic doesn't connect to the particles emitted. 

We scanned and read every book, scroll, and note dating back to the days of Starswirled the Bearded and your secret library you forbade the public of entry. We disregarded the books from The Castle of the Two Sisters due to Princess Twilight Sparkle's interference. She has a reoccurring theme of visiting the old castle for conventional wisdom to become a better Princess. 

I request the books in Twilight Sparkle's possession be transferred to Canterlot's Magistry Laboratory for further development and study to confirm the origin of the magical particles. 



{End of Recording}





[This audio log will be submitted in a written document and sent separately to the Princess' quarters under Code Black for Top Secret.]









Status Report: Deciphering Audio Logs

Submitted by: Moon Shade

Establishment: Lunar Guard District Justice Department

Date: April 13th

Duration: 7:04 a.m.

Subject: Theories & Testimonies

Category: Top Secret

Case #1994

{Now playing audio log #2295} 



Princesses, 

After hours of listening to all the testimonies from everypony within your school, we have determined that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess Cadance, has voluntarily sought to possess Dragon Eggs according to a vision she experienced. Professor Lionheart cited the lack of eggs for the next young Unicorns' entrance exams and would need an immediate replacement to meet the requirements and time frame before Princess Celestia's arrival to welcome her new students. 

Despite Bright Light's theory of Queen Chrysalis being a catalyst to proceed with the Dragon Egg raidings, during the timeframe, we only had two Princesses before having four. My team and I consider Princess Cadance to commence the invasion, and her vast knowledge of magic wipes her memory to extract all trauma and experience of wreaking havoc on the Dragon Lands. 

During your reign before Princess Luna returned, you had Equestria secured in peace for over a millennium. The Changelings as a nation underwent many Queens who did not seek Equestria for love to satisfy their hunger. We believe Queen Chrysalis would not come across the Dragon Nation, provoke their wrath, and withdraw their eggs. 

Many instructors remember the tale about the vision and how crucial some Dragon Eggs were for the benefit of Equestria. The purple egg with purple polka dots was mentioned during every audio clip; we now know that every instructor that testified refers to Spike's Dragon Egg and how he played a vital role during his span in Equestria. The judges remember welcoming Spike's infancy for the first time when a young Twilight Sparkle succeeded in hatching and increasing his mass with an overloaded surge of magic power. 

My team and I drew some conclusions after reading every document about Spike's involvement in Equestria and the Crystal Empire; we theorize that Princess Cadance's vision resulted in Spike saving us from potential warfare with the Dragon Nation since the raiding, for they have personal vendettas and laws that would spark tensions to a never-ending nightmare. 

Until more evidence arrives, Princess Cadance is classified as a suspect until further notice. We need more compelling evidence to override our accusation of Princess Cadance's involvement before proceeding with locating a Changeling willing or conveniently exposing the truth about the Dragon Egg raids. 



{End of Recording}





[This audio log will be submitted in a written document and sent separately to the Princess' quarters under Code Black for Top Secret.]







"Good grief!" Princess Celestia sighs heavily after hearing the first three audio clips and reading the case files, each one with compelling discoveries, theories, and evidence to help find answers to solve the mystery. 

Princess Celestia is reluctant to involve Princess Twilight Sparkle in the investigation; however, she believes Twilight is best suited for redeeming any Friendship crisis. If Discord didn't renounce his citizenship in Equestria, he would have become either Celestia's shoulder devil or angel, giving her advice and suggestions left and right, allowing her to make the right decision. 

Princess Luna enters Celestia's room with a letter from Spike and notices the devastation written on her sister's face. Before rereading the letter, Princess Celestia reveals everything her investigation team uncovered during the first week of Spike's reign in the Dragon Lands; Princess Luna is unsure what to believe after listening and scanning through all documentation, in the back of her mind, Luna hopes Queen Chrysalis is the culprit rather than Princess Cadance. 

Celestia asks Luna what Spike mentioned in the letter he wrote; Luna reads the following statement: 

Dear Princesses, 

I understand wholeheartedly why most Dragons despise Equestrian Ponies after speaking with those impacted by the raidings several years ago. It comes to my attention that many families are disturbed, miserable, and dismayed by the Ponies of Equestria since the younglings endured hardship and trauma during the events. Many families haven't healed, especially with some Dragons paralyzed during the invasion. 

Princess Celestia, I understand that you may want Twilight to help gather information to solve our mystery; however, I ask you to refrain from making that decision. Twilight Sparkle has much on her plate as the Princess of Friendship; she may never rest, and I'm not sure how she's dealing with life without me. Twilight Sparkle has her duty to teach Friendship lessons to Starlight Glimmer and the responsibility of answering any Friendship Quest when her cutie mark glows. She has much more to learn, and adding another job that could take decades and maybe centuries of answering is something I don't think Twilight has time for when you and Luna are still teaching her the concepts of ruling Equestria as a future Princess.

I want you and Luna to use any resources to help uncover the 'Princess' that commanded the brigade into stealing Dragon Eggs and finding all other hatched Dragons possibly living in Equestria without anyone noticing. I can't be the only Dragon that got to live, right......?

Sincerely,
Dragon Lord Spike

Princess Celestia ponders for a few moments after her sister finished reading the letter; she had thoughts of involving Twilight in solving the mystery; now, she wants to honor Spike's request since Twilight could be stressing herself and trying to become the better Princess of Equestria someday. "Okay," Princess Celestia sighs heavily after making her decision. 

"What's the verdict, sister?" Princess Luna hopes Celestia respects Spike's wish of not having Twilight implicate the situation of the Dragon Egg raid. 

"I'll accept Spike's request of not involving Twilight Sparkle unless the map in her throne room summons her for the occasion. I'll have a stash of documents hidden for her arrival when the time comes." 

"Fair enough, considering the unpredictabilities of the map in Twilight's castle for any Friendship crisis within the lands; perhaps when we're near the answer, all of Twilight's friends would accompany the journey to creating peace with the Dragon Nation." 

Princess Celestia writes a response letter to Dragon Lord Spike, indicating his wish not to include Twilight Sparkle in the search and will provide evidence detailing the culprit of the raiding. With what both Princesses know, they decide not to reveal the possibility of Princess Cadance becoming a suspect due to close relations with the Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia and Luna want the Crystal Empire to be affiliated with the Dragon Nation to avoid costly nightmares and warfare. 

In the back of Celestia's mind, Discord's statement about being mindful of those closest and neglecting them may ascend them to darkness makes her think about Twilight and a possible descent to madness. "Are you warning me about Twilight or any of her friends? Princess Cadance? Who are you referring to, Discord?" Princess Celestia want answers to Discord's riddle when he departed Canterlot days ago.
> Crystal Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike's reign as Dragon Lord has slowly changed the Dragon Nation with his teachings and the pearls of wisdom he shared with every Dragon about the values of love and Friendship; he demonstrated how friends should cooperate even when there's indifference among species. Having Discord around for his teachings proved to be a blessing in disguise; with the younger generation understanding how Friendship works, the name-shaming can die down, allowing neighboring species to give Dragons a chance for peace. 

What surprised Spike more was greeting the adult and elder Dragons that partook in the class. They want to instruct their broods into becoming better Dragons, not hellbent on rage and destruction upon those they hate. They even appreciate Discord and his childlike behavior with his age and how mature and patient the Draqonecuus is whenever they were to act up rudely or disrespectfully since they endured harsh treatment from outsiders. 

Spike and Ember traveled around the Dragon Lands, finding his mother after asking every Dragoness about the eggs they conceived. Even Discord was obliged to locate Spike's birth mother; however, his Chaos Magic could not detect the whereabouts of Spike's mother or family. The Bloodstone Scepter has a hard time tracing and sensing Spike's biological parents; former Dragon Lord Torch doesn't understand why the Bloodstone Scepter has difficulties when he uses it occasionally and not once has any tribulations. Torch taught Spike everything about the Bloodstone Scepter and warned him about the other abilities he didn't discover. He told Spike that the magic within held many properties since the birth of the Dragon Nation. 

It's been three months of his reign, and Spike enjoyed every bit of his species. Thanks to Ember, Garble, Smolder, and all the other teenage Dragons he spent time with, Spike became a skillful hunter knowing how to spot tracks and ambush most creatures. Spike asked the Dragons how they obtained their wings. They spoke about the Molt, an unruly transformation filled with side effects that feels like a sickness. The Molt can happen to any young Dragon randomly, and they advise Spike to prepare for the unexpected. 

Dragon Lord Spike sits at the edge of a mountaintop in the Dragon Lands, pondering about visiting Ponyville or the Crystal Empire. He misses his friends but worries that Twilight and the others want him to give up his reign. Discord poofs next to Spike, hovering while eating a bowl of peanut shells. 

"What's the matter, Dragon Lord Spike? Feeling lonely?" Discord munches on the peanut shell, complimenting the crunch and saltiness of his favorite food. 

"I'm grateful to be among my species and helping them every way I can, but I miss seeing my friends. I miss going to the Crystal Empire," Spike sighs heavily. "I want to visit, but I can't leave my nation unattended..," Spike takes a deep breath. "Any suggestions or advice?" 

"Just go, Spike. You are the King among your people, and you decide what's best for everyone and yourself. You have more freedom to do anything and should not stress yourself. You're not abandoning your kingdom for visitations. A visit is a visit. Go out and enjoy yourself. Perhaps there are answers outside that can solve any problem with the Dragon Lands, and you can use that experience to your advantage." 

Spike chuckles at Discord's straightforward answer. "Thanks, Discord. You're the best." 

"Happy to help and represent. Also, as Ambassador of Dragons, I advise you to take a small group to either the Crystal Empire or Equestria to show that Dragons are not what Equestrian Ponies believed them to be. Show how wrong they are and prove that Dragons can co-exist with Ponies." 

"I would have never thought of that, Discord. It'll be perfect for an engagement exercise!" Spike is glad Discord thought of an ingenious idea. He smiles widely at the possibility of creating a better tomorrow. "Thank you, my friend!" 

"Ah, what are friends for?" Discord throws the bowl of peanut shells away to hug Spike. He puts him on his shoulders and flies to his home. 

Discord's home is at the corner of the volcanic island near the Dragon Land's territory; it's the only piece of land abnormal across the nation. The ground is a massive garden with flowers producing candies; the smoke from the volcano smells like chocolate, and the lava within is chocolate ice cream; the rocks are gumdrops. Discord planted trees with faces on them that talk and alert anything dangerous. His actual house is a log cabin to have that cozy feeling; however, within the home of a Draqonecuus, there's a labyrinth maze with stairs going upward, sideway, and downward that will give any creature nausea and motion sickness. The wallpaper consists of bubble wrap and polka dots that open portals into different areas of his home. 

Discord and Spike enter the log cabin and jump into a polka dot portal; the duo gets teleported to the basement where Smolder, Garble, and Ember are taking lava baths. 

"Hey bro, how are you feeling?" Garble asks Spike since he needs time to be alone earlier. 

"Better, and I have an announcement." 

"What is it?" Smolder is eager to know about Spike's decision. 

"We're going on a field trip to the Crystal Empire!" Spike shouts with pride, hoping to energize his family and girlfriend. 

"CRYSTAL EMPIRE?!" Garble and Smolder get excited and imagine everything edible since crystals are part of the gemstone family. 

Princess Ember knew about the Crystal Empire from the many tales Spike spoke of, but to visit the location where Spike is known as the Brave and Glorious, Ember is curious about the residents of the Crystal Empire and how they would feel about Dragons among their kingdom. She hopes the Crystal Ponies are friendlier and more optimistic than Equestrian Ponies, who are quick to judge. 

"Indeed. We're going tomorrow, and I'll show you how awesome the Crystal Ponies can be," Spike smiles more at the idea of Crystal Ponies and Dragons getting along nicely without any issues whatsoever. 

The following day, Spike entrusts Discord with watching over the Dragon Nation while he rides on Ember's back to the Crystal Empire. Garble and Smolder follow Ember's path and listen to Spike's direction. Discord offered to teleport the core there, but Spike respectfully declined the proposal. He wanted his friends to remember the pathway to the Crystal Empire whenever they wanted to visit. 

Four hours later. The flight has been rough since Spike forgot his way to the Crystal Empire, and he should have suggested following the train route than guessing where to go. Flying over the snowy mountains reveals the stunningly beautiful Crystal Empire in all its glory. Green pastures all around the kingdom; crystalized pillars with three rhombus geode crystals floating up and down, representing the gate to the Crystal Empire; a tall white magnificent castle with reflective surfaces of crystals to make itself sparkle and shimmer in radiance. There are many shades and colors of crystal and gemstones, operating as the housing for all the Crystal Ponies. 

Smolder, Garble, and Ember are awestruck and astounded by the beauty of the crystals and the kingdom itself; however, the inhabitants are nowhere in sight. Spike wonders where the Crystal Ponies have gone to. Spike commands the trio to fly toward the Crystal Castle to speak with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. 

"DRAAAAGOOONS!" Several Crystal Guards shout in horror. They see Garble, Smolder, and Ember descending. 

"Cadance, bring Flurry inside!" Shining Armor commands while instructing the Crystal Unicorn Guards to fire magic blasts at the ferocious Dragons. "First gotta deal with a Changeling, now Dragons!" "OPEN FIRE!" Shining Armor ignites his horn and shoots multiple magic beams at the Dragons descending. His squadron proceeds to attack the Dragons. 

Garble, Smolder, and Ember gasped horridly at the assault; they were expecting a warm welcome. Spike launches himself off Ember's back and uses the Bloodstone Scepter like a baseball bat in a swinging motion to intercept the attack from the Unicorns; he redirects it at a building, shattering it to protect his friends and family. He lands on the ground, not sustaining any ankle injury from above a hundred feet in the air. 

"WHOA!" Shining Armor, several Crystal Guards, Ember, Smolder, and Garble shout in unison; they are shocked to see Spike reflecting immense magic power away with the Bloodstone Scepter. 

"I have never seen my dad using the Scepter to block magic-based attacks like that!" Ember thought to herself. She lands next to Spike with Garble and Smolder. 

"You made us attack the Brave and Glorious!" Several Crystal Guards are irate that Shining Armor gave the command to fire on their beloved champion. 

"Spike! Thank heavens it's you!" Princess Cadance saw the fallout and is happy to see someone she trusts. She's unsure about the Dragons behind him. 

Shining Armor tries to put two and two together about Spike's involvement with the Dragons. "Spike, who are they?" 

Garble wants to break Shining Armor's neck for having the nerve to attack his sister and friends but refrains from ascending into hatred. Spike's teachings are to forgive those who didn't know better. 

"I am Princess Ember of the Dragon Nation!" Ember formally announces her entitlement to scare Shining Armor for making a bold move attacking the Princess of Dragons. 

"Pr-Pr-Princess?!" Shining Armor's heartbeat skips a beat in horror. He doesn't want to initiate war with the Dragon Nation due to his blunder. 

"We're Garble and Smolder," Garble and Smolder address themselves to everypony. 

"Forgive us for attacking the Brave and Glorious' friends. We thought you Dragons were evil," The Crystal Guards are first to apologize. The statement of calling Dragons evil hurt Spike and the others. Spike had hoped the Crystal Ponies knew better than to name-shame Dragons. 

"Spike?" Twilight Sparkle arrives at the Crystal Castle with Starlight Glimmer. It's the first time since the duo saw each other three months ago. 

"Twilight," Spike sees Twilight approaching, and he has some bitterness since Twilight used her royal tone, demanding him to return to Equestria. 

"Hey, Spike, long time no see," Starlight is elated to see Spike and smiles at his friends. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire!" 

"Finally!" Garble shouts in relief after somepony greeting his kin in politeness. He flails his arms up like he's praising a hallelujah. "Someone not looking to attack us!" 

Twilight steps back a bit; She's fearful of Garble and wonders who is the other Dragon that resembles Scootaloo. 

"I'm terribly sorry for commencing violence instead of asking questions; the Crystal Empire is.., well..," Shining Armor stutters with his speech since he nearly caused a war between Dragons and Ponies. 

"Under lockdown with everypony on edge due to a Changeling sighting," Sunburst says, using his magic to levitate Flurry Heart's crib to greet every creature. He's calm seeing Ember, Garble, and Smolder.

"A Changeling?" Twilight is stunned to hear another monster looking for trouble within the Crystal Empire. 

"That's not good," Spike believes the Changeling could be a spy scouring the area, looking for any weaknesses to subdue everypony within the Crystal Empire. 

"No, it's not. After Queen Chrysalis took my place at our wedding and invaded Canterlot with her army of minions, we're not taking any chances," Princess Cadance said; she remembers the horrors and scars Queen Chrysalis inflicted and nearly dominated all Equestrian Ponies during the Canterlot Seige. 

"Changelings feed off of love. And ever since Flurry Heart's Crystalling, the Empire is filled with more love than anywhere in Equestria. It's possible they've come for the baby," Sunburst said, theorizing the cause for the Changeling's motive. 

Smolder, Garble, and Ember growl in anger; the idea of a creature stealing youngling triggers their enraged state. 

"No one is taking a youngling and getting away with that!" Garble shouts, pounding his palm with brute force, causing a loud pop, indicating he wants to throw down. 

"I agree! We should stay and hunt that punk!" Smolder said, hoping to fulfill some purpose that could be helpful when searching for the culprit that took the Dragon Eggs away. 

Everypony steps back from the enraged Dragons and wonders why they feel aggressive. Throughout Spike's reign as Dragon Lord, Spike asked Princess Luna not to reveal the Dragon Egg raiding information to anypony else, especially Twilight Sparkle. Spike knows that Princess Celestia wants to help uncover the mysteries and locate all other Dragons born across Equestrian lands. Also, Spike hasn't informed Princess Cadance and Shining Armor about his ascent to Dragon Lord; he wonders if Twilight and her friends spoke about his accomplishment. 

"We have posted the extra guards for security reasons due to Changelings' unique abilities to copy everyone's physique. That's why we're asking for identification," Shining explains the crisis in the Crystal Empire. 

"Twilight, Spike, we're sorry for all of this. Flurry Heart's really been looking forward to seeing you," Princess Cadance sincerely apologizes under unfair circumstances revolving around a threat. 

Twilight approaches Flurry Heart and smiles lovingly at her niece. "Oh, she's gotten so big! Starlight and I will do whatever we can to help protect her." 

Starlight nods, agreeing to Twilight's proposition. 

"To be honest, having you here is already a big relief," Princess Cadance knows by having Twilight around, the Changeling will get captured and taken care of. 

A Crystal Guard whispers in Shining's ear with excitement. "Hmm. The Crystal Guards were wondering if Spike the Brave and Glorious would like to join in the search for the Changeling." 

"We're with you, Spike," Smolder does a fist pump, letting Spike know that she, her brother, and Ember got Spike's back. 

"No," Spike shakes his head. "As Dragon Lord, I want you three to interact with the Crystal Ponies." 

"Dragon Lord!?" The Crystal Guards are unaware of Spike's ascension to kingship and become overjoyed about his crowning reward. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were in the dark about Spike becoming a ruler of the Dragon Nation. 

Twilight forgot to mention Spike's sovereignty when she wrote to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor during the three months. She focused on elevating Starlight Glimmer's Friendship studies, going around on Friendship Quests, and hanging out with her friends. Twilight yearned to be with her family since Spike stood with the Dragons. 

"As you wish, Dragon Lord Spike," Ember, Garble, and Smolder reluctantly accept Spike's command. Ember is not fond of leaving Spike alone with the Crystal Guards, but she trusts his decisions to tackle the situation at ease. 

Twilight is unsure about allowing Spike to go along with the Crystal Guards. Her motherly/friendly instinct kicks in. "Uh, I don't know if that's such a good idea, Spike. It sounds dangerous."

Spike had hoped Twilight understood and respected his authority. Unfortunately, Spike sees Twilight still babying him due to his size. "Twilight, I am the Dragon Lord; I can make my own decisions. Also, during my time with the Dragons, I underwent training to became a hunter." 

"A.., WHAT?!" Twilight doesn't like the sound of Spike possibly hunting other animals for food. She thought Spike would know better that eating greens are healthier for the body than anything. 

"You know how to hunt, Brave and Glorious?" A purple Crystal Guard asks Spike out of curiosity. He and his brethren are intrigued by the prodigious technique for locating enemies. 

"Yes. I've hunted many creatures and know what to look out for." 

"That settles it. Spike, my second platoon shall aid you for the hunt," Shining Armor commands a unit of ten Crystal Guards to follow Spike's command. 

One of the Crystal Ponies leaves their hiding spot and greets Spike immediately. More of them appear, shouting praises, taking pictures, and chanting his name. Garble, Smolder, and Ember no longer doubt Spike whenever he mentions how Crystal Ponies adore him for saving the Crystal Empire. Spike points to his statue behind the trio. They see him holding the Crystal Heart in his claw. 

Spike tells his peers to interact with the Dragons standing aside; the Crystal Ponies turn their attention and speak with them, asking many questions and asking if they want to devour gemstones they've grown. Despite the Changeling sighting, the Crystal Ponies pleaded with Princess Cadance to set up the Crystal Faire in honor of Spike and his Dragon companions. Princess Cadance complies with one condition. The Changeling must be apprehended first before initiating a wonderous event. 

Spike leads the second platoon outside the Crystal Empire, heading into the snowy region near Yak Yakkistan. Spike looks at the snow to find tracks directing to a hiding spot. 

"Spike the Brave and Glorious; you've faced the evil Changelings before. What can you tell us?" A yellow Crystal Guard asks Spike. 

"Changelings are tricky to come across since they can transform into any living creature. They could have the perfect appearance, but they do not obtain any memory. They vaguely speak if they didn't study who they go after," Spike calmly replies as he navigates his team. Usually, the topic of Changelings would fear him, but since he went out on his own and hunted vicious beasts during his reign as Dragon Lord, Spike doesn't think Changelings are that monstrous. Another thing, the Changelings are a nation, and Spike believes in the possibility of greeting friendly Changelings. 

"You hear that? These monsters can look like any of us, so be on guard, guards! Even more than normal!" The Crystal Guard alarms his brothers in case of any suspicious activity during their travel. 

"Changelings can be anywhere, so we better cover as much ground as possible," Spike looks around the surrounding area, determining where to send each group to investigate. "Do any of you have a compass?" 

"Right here, Brave and Glorious," A Pegasus Crystal Guard tosses Spike his compass. It's a crystal shard with a magic arrow pointing. 

Spike catches it and reads the compass. "Alright, we're in the south, leaving us three different sections to inspect," Spike takes a deep breath. "You five," Spike points at the Pegasi Crystal Guards. "Search the east side of the snow regions!" Spike witnessed how swiftly they moved without flying. "You five," Spike points at the Unicorn Crystal Guards. "Search the west side of the snowy regions!" Like the Pegasi unit, the Unicorns move swiftly, leaving Spike to search the north and around the area. "Impressive." 

Spike walks around slowly to see if the Changeling has decided to transform into a smaller animal to evade the idea of leaving tracks for anyone to follow pursuit. Spike looks around for the smallest detail to inspect before proceeding to the mountains. He notices a rock with a slight crack on the bottom. 

"That looks interesting." Spike walks towards the rock and feels the snow is hollow. "Gotcha!" Spike pierces the snow with the Bloodstone Scepter, creating a hole that turns out to be a mistake. Spike falls and slides down an icy cave. "Not good! Not good! Not good!" Spike yells and observes a rock sticking out. He grabs hold, preventing himself from falling into a dark chasm. Spike sighs in relief. "Next time, I'm bringing Ember!" 

Spike gets up and walks over to a reflective surface. He sees himself without the Bloodstone Scepter. "Don't even try to run Changeling." 

"Darn, it! I thought you wouldn't notice!" The Changeling disposes of his transformation, revealing his true self. 

Spike reads the Changeling's body language and detects no malice. He senses sadness lingering in the Changeling's heart. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm not.., well..," He turns away in shame. "I've been soooo lonely and starving. You think of me as a monster, don't you?" 

"No," Spike shakes his head. "I remember seeing your species attacking during the wedding at Canterlot," Spike hears the Changeling sighing in frustration. 

"I was part of the attack on Canterlot during the royal wedding, and I witnessed Friendship, Love, and Unity in its' purest form; I couldn't just steal and feed on it. I wanted to share it! All I want is a friend. I couldn't live with my kind anymore since they don't share. I set off looking for love to share, but..," Thorax sighs heavily. "There's so much love in the Crystal Empire, and it's drivin' me crazy!"

"That would be the Royal Crystalling. It's a giant outpouring of light and love for a new baby," Spike explains why the Crystal Empire recently received so much love. 

The Changeling sighs and looks down. "Ooooh, who'll want to be friends with a Changeling?"

"I would," Spike offers a claw to shake the Changeling's hoof; the Changeling looks up, surprised that someone wants to be his friend. "I'm Spike," Spike smiles to show kindness. "What's your name?" 

"Oh.., uh.., I'm Thorax," Thorax shakes Spike's claw; he's happy to have Spike as his first friend. Then he hisses at Spike for sensing his love to make new friends, but Spike doesn't flinch at the hissing. "You.., You aren't afraid?" 

"Honestly, Thorax," Spike chuckles. "I hunt vicious animals whenever I get hungry. A Changeling hissing at me due to hunger is nothing compared to avoiding a Hydra from eating me." 

"Well, it was kindness that triggered the hissing. You're brave, Spike, of not flinching when I hissed." 

"In the Crystal Empire, I'm known as Spike the Brave and Glorious!" Spike does a signature pose that matches his statue. 

"What about outside the kingdom?" Thorax wants to know more about his new friend. 

"I'm Dragon Lord Spike!" Spike does a new pose while holding the Bloodstone Scepter with his left claw. 

"Wow, I'm shocked. My first friend is a King over the Dragon Nation. Do they share love like the Crystal Ponies?" 

"I'm sure when I speak to them. They'll welcome you with open arms and hooves. The Crystal Ponies trust me; they'll believe you're a great friend since we're friends. Come with me to the Crystal Empire. I would advise turning into a Crystal Pony first so we don't attract unwelcome attention with fear running amuck," Spike reassuringly says when he puts his right claw and arm around Thorax's neck.   

"And the Dragons?" Thorax hopes they'll be as friendly as the Crystal Ponies. 

"They welcomed Discord, the Lord of Chaos as an official brother. The Dragons will welcome you as well. I'm teaching them that hatred is not the way of life or living. Hatred is strong, but love overcomes hate." 

Thorax feels confident and transforms into a light turquoise Crystal Pony with a dark arctic bluish-gray mane. His cutie mark is an urn vase with horseshoes on, resembling the color of his body. 

"Nice form. Follow me, and you'll embrace the new friends that await you," Spike confidently says, knowing the Crystal Ponies will adore and befriend Thorax without having an issue. 

As Spike navigates Thorax to the Crystal Empire, Garble, Smolder, and Ember are having a blast with the Crystal Ponies for hours. They are eating crystal corn and compliment that it tastes similar to gemstones, trying to play the flugelhorn and failing miserably but laughing at each other's attempt, listening to their stories of Spike the Brave and Glorious. Ember, Garble, and Smolder told the Crystal Ponies story after story of how Dragon Lord Spike has slowly turned the Dragon Nation into a friendlier, peaceful nation, speaking about how love triumphs over hate and how they want to extend their Friendship with neighboring countries. The Crystal Guards patrolling the streets saw the Dragons and apologized again for their blunder when they obeyed Shining's commands. 

Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunburst, while carrying Flurry Heart, come out with a squadron of Crystal Guards, wanting to speak with Ember, Garble, and Smolder about Spike's progress since he hasn't written them any letters about his reign. They find the Dragons hanging out with a swarm of Crystal Ponies by Crystal Beau's backyard. Crystal Beau is a stallion with a light teal coat, deep teal mane and tail, purple eyes, and a cutie mark of a bow and arrow; He's the one grilling the crystal corn as Smolder shows how Dragons cook a chicken. 

The Crystal Ponies are in awe of learning about the Dragons' culture. First, they didn't know that Dragons needed to consume meat since it's equivalent to eating veggies. One of the Crystal Ponies named Ivory Rook, another earth stallion with a light yellow coat, blue mane, tail, light blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a crenelated tower, asked what veggies do to their bodies since they don't eat as much. Garble replies, letting every  Crystal Pony know eating greens would delay Dragon's growth and strength; eating much of it can sustain fatigue, causing them to become less durable. Ember interjects the explanation about the importance of gemstones. Not eating enough will allow Dragons' immune systems to fail, allowing sickness and injuries to overwhelm them. 

Twilight overhears the explanation and feels queasy about controlling Spike's gemstone eating habits. She would give him small portions in fear of having too many would allow Spike to become greedy and turn into a raging Dragon hellbent on hoarding everything he sees as precious. She now understands how crucial meat is for a Dragon and how sickening the side effects of eating veggies can restrict Spike's growth and strength. 

Princess Cadance flies into Crystal Beau's backyard, asking the Dragons for a private session with the Crystal Guards. Every Crystal Pony groan, not wanting to have their activities halted due to Princess Cadance's request. Ember, Garble, and Smolder comply with the private discussion, informing everypony they'll return once the conversation is over. The Crystal Ponies cheer and decide to bake a gemstone cake to surprise the Dragons when they return. 

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor lead everyone to the Crystal Castle to discuss Spike's progress. They went up a long flight of stairs to the throne room, where many Crystal Guards were in position to protect everyone from the Changelings. Ember, Garble, and Smolder look at the beauty all around before fixing their gaze on the Princess and her friends. 

"What's up? Why did you want us here?" Smolder asks. She wants to hang out with the Crystal Ponies in Beau's backyard. 

"Yea, what's is this all about?" Garble is curious about the sudden summoning. 

"Does it relate to Dragon Lord Spike?" Ember asks. In the back of her mind, maybe Spike's friend, Princess Celestia, told them about the Dragon Egg raiding and uncovered solid evidence for finding the culprit that initiated the atrocity. 

"Yes," Princess Cadance nods. "We haven't heard or seen Spike in a long time." 

"Also. We wanted to know why some creature taking younglings made you three upset. Last I recalled, Garble and other Dragons went on a Phoenix Egg raid, wanting to smash the eggs," Twilight painfully reminds Garble of his regretful deed. 

"Look, there's a reason why we reacted the way we did; when it comes to younglings. We will gladly explain the details if Dragon Lord Spike permits it," Smolder replies. 

"Please, don't bring up my past," Garble hates the character he used to be when he took many eggs and smashed them for fun. "I'm different now than I used to be." 

"Why do you need Spike's permission?" Sunburst asks the Dragons. "It's your history and reason we need." 

Spike comes in with Thorax disguised as Crystal Pony. He hears the commotion about the possible discussion of the Dragon Egg raid. "Because there are pivotal events no other country should know of yet." 

"Spike?" Everyone turns their attention to Spike and his new friend. 

"Hey, Spike, who's your friend?" Twilight turns to Thorax's disguise. 

"Oh.., um..," Thorax hesitates with his answer and comes up with a name on the fly. 

"Crystal Hoof," Spike pitches in for Thorax with a brilliant cover name. It's until things settle down for him to explain to everyone. 

Princess Cadance has met with all her subjects during her reign and has never seen Crystal Hoof before. She trots up to him. "Well, any friend of Spike the Brave and Glorious is a friend of mine," Princess Cadance warmly greets Spike's new friend and stands aside to allow him to greet her daughter. 

Thorax's heart is pumping with excitement from the kindness given by Princess Cadance. He sees how everypony else is smiling at him, showing love and affection for greeting a new friend. Ember, Smolder, and Garble read Thorax's body language, and like all the other Crystal Ponies they hung out with, they deemed him cool. 

Thorax comes closer and sees Flurry Heart for the first time. His eyes widen with astonishment and happiness. "Oh, she's so beautiful! There's so much l-love around her...! I.., I...!" Thorax reverts from his disguise and hisses in hunger, scaring the daylights out of everypony. 

"Whoa!" Ember, Garble, and Smolder jump back and believe the Changeling is about to devour Flurry Heart's love to feed. 

Thorax sees the hostility from everypony. Twilight and Starlight are preparing themselves to attack Thorax. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are disgusted that a Changeling attempted to feed the love out of Flurry Heart. The Crystal Guards are preparing to apprehend the Changeling. 

"I..." Thorax hisses. "I'm so..." He hisses again while stepping away. "...sorry...! I can't.., Can't..." Thorax hisses in hunger. "...stop!"

Ember, Smolder, and Garble hear the terrifying words of a Changeling that sounds remorseful. They know there's good inside of him by reading his body language. 

"Spike! Get away from the Changeling!" Twilight instinctively suggests as a mother/friend would. She ignites her horn, conjuring magic to attack Thorax. 

"Wait, no! You don't understand!" Spike said, defending Thorax as he continued to hiss. 

"This Changeling replaced your friend to get close to the baby! What other explanation could there be?!" Sunburst exclaims, pulling Flurry Heart's crib behind him with his magic. 

"Stand aside so we can apprehend this monster!" Shining Armor demands. He and the Crystal Guards trot closer to arrest Thorax. 

"HE'S NOT A MONSTER, AND HE'S MY FRIEND!" Spike angrily bellows and uses his Bloodstone Scepter to strike the floor, causing a small earthquake to show he's serious. The entire Crystal Empire felt the earthquake, and every Crystal Pony worries about the crisis. 

Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight, Starlight, Sunburst, and several Crystal Guards stumble and fall from the rough quaking Spike unleashed. Flurry Heart starts crying. 

"You can't be serious, Spike!" Shining Armor stands up, using his right hoof to point at Thorax. "Changelings are monsters that feed on love! They imprisoned my wife, possessed me, and nearly dominated Equestria! Monsters like him don't belong here!" 

Thorax is ready to cry when Ember, Garble, and Smolder stand beside him. Thorax feels the love coming from the Dragons. 

"THE ONLY MONSTER I SEE ARE THOSE QUICK TO VIOLENCE!" Spike stomps up to Shining Armor angrily. 

"Spike, calm down!" Twilight urges Spike not to allow his emotions to speak on his behalf. 

"Spike, Changelings can't be trusted!" Starlight warns Spike wholeheartedly after hearing the tales about what Changelings can do to Ponies. 

"Spike, listen to yourself, Changelings are monsters that feed on love, and it's evident that the Changeling is feeding off your love to manipulate you! Just as how Queen Chrysalis has done to me!" Shining Armor pleas for Spike to snap out of whatever hold Thorax had on him. 

"Do you assume all Changelings are evil just as how you viewed Dragons?" Spike asks everypony that are against Changelings. 

"WHAT?!" Everypony shout in horror. 

"Earlier today, you attacked my friends and girlfriend because you saw them descending. You were only sorry because you saw me; If I wasn't with them," Spike points at his companions. "Would you continue the onslaught?" 

"Well.., uh...," Shining Armor hesitates to answer. 

"Crystal Guards?" Spike turns to them. "Who taught you how to fear Dragons and Changelings?" 

"Brave and Glorious," Some wanted to answer immediately but felt a gut-wrench twisting in their hearts. 

"Princess Cadance and Shining Armor told us about larger Dragons and Changelings are evil. Monstrous with powers and strengths unlike any other," A purple earth Crystal Pony answers while removing his helmet. "When we saw you, we thought you were the only nice Dragon while everyone else are devilish creatures." 

Many Crystal Guards remove their helmets in unison. They sense a scolding from the Brave and Glorious and don't want to hide behind their armor. It's their way of showing respect when they are wrong. 

"If they didn't invoke you with that fear, would you still attack us?" Spike asks the Crystal Guards. 

"No," The Crystal Guards shake their head simultaneously. "We would allow you to arrive peacefully and introduce yourselves." 

"Spike!" Shining Armor becomes agitated. "There is no such thing as a good Changeling. Why are you siding with that monster?!" 

"How would you know about good Changelings? Have you talked to one?" Spike uses the Bloodstone Scepter to tap the ground like a gavel. 

"I've seen thousands of those monsters attacking! You've seen it!" Shining Armor exclaims and glares at Spike. "You are literally standing next to one!" 

"Wanna talk about monsters, huh? Why are you comfortable with Starlight Glimmer!" Spike points the Bloodstone Scepter at Starlight. 

"Huh?" Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and the Crystal Guards turn to her. Starlight Glimmer blushes in embarrassment. 

"Spike, don't bring Starlight into the conversation," Twilight doesn't want Starlight's misdeed to become a topic of discussion. 

"What does Starlight Glimmer have to do with being a monster?" Shining Armor is confused about Spike's rude remark. 

"She stripped many Ponies of their cutie marks for her version of equality!" 

Thorax, Ember, Garble, and Smolder horridly gasp at the revelation; Starlight Glimmer curls on the floor, covering her face in shame. 

"Then, when she wanted revenge, Starlight altered the timelines that brought misery, devastation, and an apocalyptic future!" Spike painfully reminds Starlight of her past sins. The Crystal Guards step away from Starlight. Starlight starts crying. 

"Spike! You've gone too far!" Twilight starts getting angry at Spike for causing a rift. "That's enough from you!" 

"YOU!" Spike points his Bloodstone Scepter at Twilight. "You act like Equestrian Ponies are perfect in every way as a society! Newsflash for you, Twilight! NO ONE IS PERFECT! PONIES IN EQUESTRIA GIVE DRAGONS A BAD NAME, AND THEY ATTACK WITHOUT A THOUGHT! DRAGONS AND CHANGELINGS GET DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AS MONSTERS DUE TO PAST EXPERIENCES! HAVE ANY OF YOU CONSIDERED THAT THERE COULD BE GOOD IN EVERY NATION? IN EVERY KINGDOM? THAT THERE'S A ONE PERCENT CHANCE OF MEETING A NICE CHANGELING?" Spike pants heavily in his rant; he paces back and forth. "YOU GIVE EVERYPONY THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO OTHER CREATURES, THERE'S HATRED, SHUNNING, AND VIOLENCE THAT COMES FIRST BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS OR SHOWING FRIENDSHIP!" 

"Spike-" Spike interrupts Twilight's speech. 

"JUST MOMENTS AGO! EVERYPONY WELCOMED THORAX WHEN HE DISGUISED HIMSELF AS A CRYSTAL PONY! EVERYPONY WAS COMFORTABLE WITH A PONY AMONG YOU, BUT THE MOMENT YOU SAW HE WAS A CHANGELING, HOSPITALITY TURNED INTO HOSTILITY! WITHIN THAT MOMENT, EACH OF YOU THOUGHT OF CAPTURING AND HARMING THORAX WITHOUT GIVING HIM A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF!"

Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunburst listened wholeheartedly to Spike's rant. They look at Thorax, crying because of the fear the Ponies want to unleash when they feel threatened. Twilight sees Spike huffing and puffing while withholding his tears in anger and sadness. They feel guilty about how they reacted. 

"Twilight!" Spike grits his teeth while trying to suppress his anger. He inhales deeply to calm himself. "Do you remember the first time we saw Zecora and how everypony hid from her because she was different? I wrote that letter to Princess Celestia about how we shouldn't judge a book by its' cover. It seems that you've forgotten that Friendship and life lesson."

"Spike, I'm..," Twilight looks at Spike's eyes and sees disappointment written on his face. Twilight feels ashamed of herself for allowing history to repeat itself. 

"I expected better from you, from all of you," Spike walks up to Thorax. He's unhappy with everypony. 

"Brave and Glorious," The Crystal Guards trot up to Spike. "Will we see you again..?" The Crystal Guards are nervous about Spike possibly refusing to return after the hostility shown to Thorax. 

Spike turns to Ember, Garble, and Smolder. "From what you saw, would you consider returning for another visit? Be honest, guys." 

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are more worried than anypony else in the room. They hope the Dragons can give them a second chance to redeem themselves after hearing a heartfelt learning experience of approaching every creature. They want to change their habits and start greeting and being more open-minded to all possibilities whenever someone enters their kingdom. 

"Crystal Ponies are cool! Equestrian Ponies, not cool!" Smolder says, throwing the thumbs down at Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Sunburst, Twilight Sparkle, and Starlight Glimmer. 

"What, my sis, says," Garble concurs with Smolder's statement. 

"I would come and be with the Crystal Ponies because they welcomed us like we were their family. Equestrian Ponies must get their act together before their racism starts a war with another country," Ember coldly states after watching the wrathfulness from everypony wanting to harm Thorax. 

"RACISM!?" Princess Cadance, Twilight, Shining Armor, Sunburst, and Starlight Glimmer felt hurt by that awful remark. 

"Shining Armor was the one who attacked us. Who also commanded the attack without allowing us to explain our reasoning for visiting a beautiful kingdom. Watching the display of approaching the Changeling made me sick to my stomach. You, as a nation, a species, need a reality check. It seems for anypony that comes, there is peace. A different species, whatever name Ponies named them to be, shun, hate, or attack without reason. The hate you have for Thorax because he's a Changeling, is your motivation. Our motivation is love. Which is why we're taking Thorax to our land, where he will be safe!"  Ember turns to Thorax, throwing the thumbs up. 

"We got you covered, brother," Garble pats Thorax's head. 

"No one will be messing with you anymore," Smolder reassuringly expresses, showing and sharing love with Thorax. 

"Thank you..," Thorax cries in happiness. He feels that he made three new friends with the Dragons. 

"Come with us; we have a party to return to before going home," Ember leaves the throne room with Garble and Smolder. They want to bring Thorax to Crystal Beau's home. 

Spike stands with his Bloodstone Scepter in hand after watching his friends depart. "Crystal Guards are welcome to join us at the party," Spike takes a deep breath. "As for each of you standing. Your way of Friendship is flawed. There's good and evil in all countries, but don't focus on the negativity. It'll discourage you from making new friends who can be crucial later in life," Spike says and turns his back. He walks and leaves the throne room, hoping his message will impact and make them see change before it's too late. The Crystal Guards follow Spike, not wanting to align themselves with those Spike is not fond of. 

Starlight sniffs and watches Spike leave. She heard everything from his rant to a pearl of wisdom. "He's right. I was a monster. I had the audacity of attacking that Changeling, thinking he was a monster without hearing his side of the story. What kind of friend I am?" 

Twilight feels sadness and remembers how distant Zecora felt when she first arrived in Ponyville. "I'm supposed to represent Friendship, and I wanted the Changeling gone! I didn't even bother listening to him! What kind of Princess am I that doesn't give Friendship to someone different?!" Twilight imagines herself face-hoofing in anger. 

Princess Cadance trots to the balcony and sees many of her subjects welcoming Thorax, offering him hugs and high hoofs. She's amazed by how quickly the Crystal Ponies are open to extending their Friendship to a creature she feared. "Why did I allow fear and anger to overwhelm me? I'm the Princess of Love that didn't show any to a nice Changeling. I showed hate because of that invasion..." Princess Cadance sheds a tear at the mistake she committed. 

Shining Armor sees himself in the reflection and sees a strong stallion capable of anything when he puts his mind to it. He had no problems welcoming a brother like Crystal Hoof since he's close with Spike. When he witnessed his Changeling form, his instincts took over, wanting to slay the demon that once took possession of him, locked up Cadance, and nearly destroyed all of Equestria. Now, he's remorseful of his actions and remembers a time when Princess Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, longing to bring the eternal night and suffering, King Sombra ruling the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof, from Twilight's testimony about Trixie seizing Ponyville and enslaving the town with the Alicorn Amulet, the time when Twilight mentioned a mare named Sunset Shimmer who nearly took over one world and wanted to conquer Equestria. There are many Ponies in Equestria who committed heinous crimes across the lands, and who is he to judge? 

Shining Armor turns to his wife on the balcony and notices Princess Cadance tearing up. He looks around and observes each of his friends and sister in disarray. "Alright, I admit. I'm in the wrong for allowing personal reasons to override my rationales about Changelings and every other creature that are not Ponies. I understand why Spike would call us racist. Our forefathers hated each other, and since we're united, the hatred turned to different creatures not native to us. I have a lot of mental training to endure to become a better Pony willing to talk with every species." 

Sunburst takes Spike's message to heart and vows to wait and listen before assuming the worse whenever he greets different creatures across the globe. He wants to earn Thorax's forgiveness and become friends with him. 

Spike sees the crowd greeting Thorax and showing no fear. He smiles, and a group of Crystal Ponies comes from behind, hoisting their champion in the air while carrying him to Crystal Beau's party in the backyard. The group couldn't help but take pictures of Spike and chant his name in delight. Spike couldn't help but chuckle and savor the attention.

"Ah, crud!" Smolder forgot about the chicken she cooked. It's burnt and black on the grill. 

"Heya, Dragons!" An earth Crystal Pony named Fleur De Verre comes out with a seven-layer gemstone cake with the help of a few Crystal Ponies. Fleur De Verre is a mare with a cream-colored coat, pink mane and tail, purple eyes, and a cutie mark of a fleur-de-lis. 

"Oooooooooooooooooooooo!" Spike, Ember, Smolder, and Garble see many colorful gemstones sticking out of the cake and inside once Ivory Rook cuts a slice for his favorite champion. 

Thorax smiles and holds his stomach. He's craving to digest love when several Crystal Ponies form a heart-shaped ring around him. "Huh? What is this?" Thorax is confused but feels the warmth and kindness of each Crystal Pony. 

An earth Crystal Pony mare named Sapphire Joy speaks on behalf of her brethren and sistren. Sapphire Joy has a light blue coat, bright pink and purple mane and tail, deep blue eyes, and a cutie mark of plant growth. "From what our Princess warned us about the Changelings, you feed on love. However, from the Brave and Glorious's perspective, he treats you like a brother. So, we will treat you as our friend. We want to share our love so you can feed." 

Thorax sees the other eleven Crystal Ponies nod in agreement. They smile lovingly, allowing Thorax to feed the love. Thorax opens his mouth, allowing a surge of pinkish energy to come from the hearts of every Crystal Pony. The Crystal Ponies start to feel fatigued, and Thorax closes his mouth, allowing his friends to regain their strength quicker. 

"Oh, wow! That tasted delicious!" Thorax licks his lips and hopes the love he consumes will be enough to travel to the Dragon lands. "Thank you, everypony! I needed that meal, hehe." 

"You're welcome, bro!" An earth Crystal Pony stallion named Rubinstein says. Rubinstien has a purple coat, light blue mane and tail, deep blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a crenelated tower.

"We're always happy to assist any friend with Spike the Brave and Glorious!" A Crystal Guard says. Every Crystal Pony concurs with the statement. 

Spike burps the loudest after eating the delicious gemstone cake. He, Ember, Smolder, and Garble ate their full and continued to party with the Crystal Ponies. They sing, laugh, dance, and eat different foods. 

After two hours of fun, it was time to leave. Spike thanks every Crystal Pony for taking the time to learn and make new friends. He appreciates them and promises to return again. Every Crystal Pony cheered joyfully. They chanted we love you. 

Spike climbs on Ember's back and holds on tightly. "Thorax, follow us to the Dragon Lands. Once we're there, I'll help you settle in your new quarters." 

"Sounds good! I'm so excited to meet more Dragons!" Thorax couldn't contain his excitement. "I'll see every Crystal Pony soon!" 

"Let's fly!" Garble takes off first. 

"Race ya!" Smolder flaps her wings and flies ahead of Garble. 

"You're on!" Garble flies after her sister. 

As Ember takes off, Spike looks back at the Crystal Castle and hopes his friends understand the gravity of the situation. Also, he wanted to apologize to Starlight for adding her as the monster subject when his rage got out of control for defending a friend in need. "Be well and listen well." 

From the balcony of the Crystal Castle, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunburst wave bye to Spike. They have much on their mind to improve themselves for everyone they see. They want redemption for the mistreatment they gave Thorax and for upsetting Spike. More so with Shining Armor since he was the first to show aggressiveness to the Dragons when they first arrived.
> Spike & Discord Talk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Throughout the flight back home, Spike feels unhappy about his erratic behavior towards the Princess of Love and Friendship; he regrets involving Starlight Glimmer and making her cry. Garble and Smolder explain to Thorax how great the Dragon Lands and every Dragon are during Spike's reign as Dragon Lord; Thorax can feel the love expressed by the duo while listening to how Dragons enjoy spreading Friendship and Love all around the lands; he can't wait to greet the Lord of Chaos, Discord. 

Spike commands Ember to stop by the mountaintops so he can think about the next phase for the following day; Ember complies and notices the sadness in his tone; she believes something else is amiss. Once Spike hops off Ember's back, she orders Garble and Smolder to follow her and Thorax to Discord's log cabin to help settle Thorax; they comply and say bye to Spike. 

Spike closes his eyes and recollects the moment he freaked out and went on a tirade of outrage, barking at his friends and severely reminding Twilight of the Friendship lesson she'd forgotten; Spike groans in gloom and hides his face in guilt. 

Spike walks over to the cliff's edge and sits down, staring at the magnificence of his country and the stars in the night sky; he imagines the stars aligning with the sadness on Starlight's face when he invoked her in the rant. 

"Where did that fury come from......? Why....?" Spike had it in his heart to sing in honor of his Friendship with Thorax; he looked at his claws, quivering from the grotesque voice he emitted in front of his friends. The rage that carried forth his rationale. "I'm supposed to show empathy and sympathy; instead, I displayed callousness," Spike looks at the Bloodstone Scepter. "Did the magic inside you cause my uncontrolled outburst?" 

Spike continues to reflect on his words and actions from today's trip; he should have written a letter and had Discord deliver that message to alert Princess Cadance and Shining about their arrival ahead of time to avoid complications. Spike facepalms himself for making a crucial error when he had all that time yesterday; he feels like an idiot for making that blunder. 

Spike looks down in disgrace for the actions he committed and questions his beliefs about his justification; There's nothing to justify his actions that could consider grotesque. "Will she forgive me....?" Spike refers to Starlight Glimmer than anypony else in the throne room at the time. The outburst was hurtful and truthful, but that wasn't his intention; what was to display a glimmer of hope that no matter what others may say, love conquers hatred, the light outshining the darkness, that every creature, no matter the appearance can be friends to the end. 

Discord poofs next to Spike after not seeing him with the newest resident in the Dragon Lands, Thorax the Changeling. He sees Spike's depression written on his face and becomes worried. He's aware of Spike standing up to the Ponies that were somewhat harassing Thorax and defending his Friendship. 

"Hey, Discord..," Spike sighs heavily at his friend's sudden arrival. 

"Spike, your friends, your newest friend, and Ember briefed me on everything that occurred during your voyage to the Crystal Empire. You should feel no remorse for reminding those ludicrous Ponies about authentic Friendship and what it represents to welcome it with new faces." 

"I'm the one that's irrational, Discord..," Spike lowers his head in dismay; he remembers the horrific experience of making Starlight Glimmer cry. "I made my friend cry during a rant."

"You know; Not even I knew that Starlight Glimmer hindered time and space during her vendetta to screw the Magic of Friendship, and that's hardcore. Using her as an example was wise, considering that all eyes were on the Changeling that sought Friendship, calling him names and even threatening his likelihood. For some creature from an enemy nation to leave behind and seeking for prosperity takes a lot of courage and guts; Thorax has my respect, and I'm surprised that the Princess of Friendship didn't step forward and address one of her boring, drawn-out speeches to give every creature a chance, no matter how others feel. There's always light within every species, and for some, it's harder to find it than some." 

"Discord, while I admire your straightforward explanation about the good I've done for defending Thorax's innocence, I don't feel like an honorable Dragon; the way I spoke in anger, I wanted to sing and tone down the hostility. Instead, I raised the stakes and continued the momentum onto them. I felt possessed within that period that kept going and going; Also, I should have written a letter and had you delivered yesterday to avoid an altercation. I'm making terrible mistakes, and it's eating me alive!" Spike yells out his frustrations. 

Discord puts an arm around Spike's neck, bringing him closer, then he uses his magic to produce a mirror with angelic wings in front of Spike so he can view his reflection. "What makes a leader great is admitting the faults and seeking to correct them; To learn from them and elevate yourself in the right direction. Since you've felt possessive during your argument with everypony in the throne room, channel your emotions into positive motives. Also, apologize to Starlight Glimmer since you feel sincere about your rationales during the enraged state; let Starlight know how much you cherish your Friendship with her." 

Spike inhales greatly and releases a long sigh after hearing Discord's comforting, encouraging, and enlightening speech. He sees himself in the mirror and closes his eyes, imagining a new world filled with Love and Friendship while being best friends with every nation. 

"Discord, I need you to send a letter to Princess Twilight Sparkle about my arrival in Ponyville. Let her know I'm coming to visit my friends for the day, and I'll be bringing Ember, Garble, Smolder, and Thorax." 

Discord is surprised to hear Thorax's name as a guest going to Ponyville, even after what transpired earlier today. "Is it wise to bring the Changeling?" Discord wants to be clear about Thorax's involvement in the trip tomorrow. 

"Yes. To achieve a better tomorrow for every creature, we must display goodness and kindness, showcasing to everypony that Dragons and Changelings are not vicious as they believed them to be. Tomorrow could be a joyous victory for creating peace and unity with Ponyville, a stepping stone in the right direction. Hopefully, I don't flip out as I did earlier today. Also, I want to apologize to Starlight Glimmer for my actions as a horrible friend that made her cry. I won't sleep well until I put that horrid image to rest." 

"Understood, Dragon Lord Spike," Discord writes a letter of importance to Princess Twilight Sparkle about Spike's arrival with friends tomorrow morning or afternoon in macaroni. Discord puts the letter in an envelope and shapes it into a paper plane, flicking it away to fly to Equestrian soil. "Say, I invited every Dragon to come over and welcome their newest brother; would you like to drop by?" 

Spike chuckles. "Let's go," Spike feels at ease with Discord helping him. The duo jumps off the cliff, descending into a dark abyss; however, with Discord around, the darkness becomes light, and they land on a comfy couch in Discord's log cabin. Every Dragon and Thorax welcome Spike to the party; They laugh, sing, eat, and enjoy each other's company for the rest of the night.
> Dragon Town
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After receiving the letter from Spike, Princess Luna devoted her time to uncovering all other Dragons that were taken from the raid, locating them in every region in Equestria for many nights; By doing so, she neglects her duty to rid nightmares from the Realm of Dreams, which many Ponies are becoming restless due to the never-ending demons that plague their dreams. 

Princess Luna searched every town, village, and cave throughout the Equestrian landscape for many days and nights, coming up short throughout her travel. Princess Luna traveled to Baltimare, Manehattan, Foal Mountain, Ghastly Gorge, Los Pegasus, Smokey Mountains, Vanhoover, Galloping Gorge, San Palomino Desert, Appleloosa, Dodge City, and Neighagra Falls; each location had little results in finding any Dragons from Unicorns that hatched and kept them. 

Throughout the three months and spending time with the locals, there's one location Princess Luna did not search, and it could be the last chance to find Dragons. Fillydelphia. With everypony reporting Princess Luna of not having Dragons living among them, she becomes hopeless and sad that Spike could be the only Dragon that got to live. 

Princess Luna is on her balcony, preparing to travel to Fillydelphia, when her sister, Princess Celestia, enters the room.

"Luna..," Princess Celestia is doubtful about the circumstance and the possibility of writing Dragon Lord Spike about the Dragons' disappearance. 

Princess Luna looks down at the heaviness of her decision; she knows many Ponies throughout Equestria have suffered during the night and want rest. "I'll resume my nightly duties after visiting Fillydelphia, Celestia; we can't write Spike about the empty handiness of our progress; We can't let Spike down and have him inform the families affected that they may never see their loved and lost ones..." 

"I know..," Silence reigns within the room about the severity of the situation if Princess Luna returns empty-handed on her trip to Fillydelphia. 

"See you soon," Princess Luna lifts the moon and flies to Fillydelphia with slight expectancy lingering in her heart as Princess Celestia lowers the sun with her magic. 

Even on the coolest of nights, whenever Princess Luna flies, she can hear her subjects screaming due to the vicious nightmare they succumb to; neglecting her nightly duty has always been the more difficult choice; however, Princess Celestia's busy schedule doesn't allow her to make any time for the investigation. Her teams are figuring out the mysteries of the 'Princess' that invaded the Dragon Nation. 

The screams are restless during her flight to Fillydelphia, but those are nothing compared to a mother and father's wail for losing a child. Princess Luna will help everypony soon; right now, she cancels the screams with her magic to focus on her objective. 

It's 9:00 at night. Princess Luna lands in Fillydelphia and inadvertently approaches Officer By The Book and Hard Case. Officer By The Book is a green Unicorn Stallion, a high-ranking detective for the Fillydelphia police department. His cutie mark is a police badge with a mustache. Officer Hard Case is a yellow Unicorn Stallion, a detective for the Fillydelphia police department. His cutie mark is a magnifying glass with a hat.

"Princess Luna!" Officer By The Book is amazed to see Princess Luna visiting Fillydelphia as the two detectives investigate a crime scene. He bows in honor of the Princess' glory. "It's an honor to have you visiting Fillydelphia." 

"What brings you here?" Officer Hard Case rudely expresses the out-of-nowhere approach of Princess Luna's sudden arrival. 

"I'm searching for Dragons living among us," Princess Luna goes straight to the point. 

"They're in Dragon Town," Officer Hard Case explains while entering the crime scene to uncover the mystery of the burning building. 

"What..?" Princess Luna smiles widely, which disturbs Officer By The Book, making him cringe. 

"Walk down Filly Junction Street, then make a right turn, walk another ten blocks. You'll find two golden Dragon Statues," Officer By The Book leaves Princess Luna and follows his partner inside the burned building. 

Princess Luna sprints away in a flash. She's eager to meet the Dragons in Dragon Town. After a few moments, Princess Luna gasps happily. She found them. Dragons. Dragons of all ages live in Harmony, and she questions herself about overlooking them in the Realm of Dreams. 

Every Dragon within Dragon Town turns to Princess Luna in confusion; they see her in a trance until one of them approaches her. 

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Although the young Dragon is withholding her feeling and excitement of greeting her favorite Princess of Equestria, she has questions about her sudden arrival. 

Princess Luna wakes from her trance, closing her eyes and shaking her head to reawake herself. "Yes," Princess Luna inhales deeply after months of searching; she's at ease and ready to probe the Dragons about their stories. "What is your name?" 

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Mina!" She shouts gleefully. Mina is a smaller Dragon standing just as tall as an average Pony. She has blue scales along her chest and stomach, blue horns, short wings, a heart-shaped scale at the end of her tail, and pink hair.

"Mina, were you hatched here some time ago?" 

"Duh!" Mina giggles at Princess Luna's jaw-dropping expression. "All of us were born in Equestria and came here to live in Harmony, sort of speak." 

"Those freaking Ponies always blame us for crimes we didn't commit when something like a fire burns any of their homes or businesses!" A random Dragon blurs in anger. 

"We're sick of their curfews whenever they deem us as monsters!" Another Dragon complains to the Princess about the mistreatment and judgment. 

"Yeah! They have magic to spark fires and use us to elude their tracks!" A youngling raises her claw in anger. 

Princess Luna approaches the crowd, speaking on behalf of everypony in Equestria rather than Fillydelphia. She apologizes for their rude remarks and behaviors towards different species and wants to accommodate every Dragon. Princess Luna hears many tales of how Ponies hatched and straight-up abandoned them due to concerns about raising Dragons or the probability of creating hazardous situations that could ruin their neighbors. Many Ponies made rude remarks and claimed every Dragon evil, including the parents of the foals that raised their younglings into doing something great. 

Mina mentions a teacher that hatched Dragon Eggs in a classroom as a presentation and remembers the harsh words from her when she was with a cleanup crew. "Get rid of this monster before it produces offspring." 

Princess Luna becomes heartbroken during each tale and understands why Dragons would detest Equestrian Ponies after hearing every testimony. She finds it amazing that despite the name-shaming, ridicule, and abandonment, the Dragons decided to live in Harmony rather than revolt and turn to hatred. 

"Have any of you heard about the news in the Dragon Lands?" Princess Luna wanted to be sure that every Dragon knew about Dragon Lord Spike. Mina and the others shake their heads. Everything they learn about Dragons is within Dragon Town. They don't know about their heritage and homeland. 

Mina speaks on behalf of her species. "There's not much we know about our homeland. We don't know where to find the Dragon Lands due to Equestria's lengthy lands expanding as far as the eye can see." 

"Just like Spike before he became the Dragon Lord. There was little he knew about." Princess Luna thought to herself. 

Many Dragons look lost despite making friends to cope with the feeling; some are sad and want answers but don't know how or where to find them. Dragons that are parents share the same expression and try not to let their younglings be discouraged. 

"Sometimes, we feel separated despite growing together like a family," Mina doesn't shy from the truth as others do. "Can you help us understand?" 

Princess Luna seizes the opportunity to make her statement, to reveal to the Dragons of Dragon Town that they have families that yearn to reunite with their lost loved ones. "Yes," She smiles warmly at every Dragon. "I can answer some of your questions." 

Princess Luna speaks about how Dragons were brought to Equestria years ago during an unfortunate event that made many Dragons sick to their stomachs; however, listening more in-depth about the newest Dragon Lord wanting every Dragon to reunite with their long-lost family made them ecstatic. The Dragon Egg raiding was relentless during the years of Luna's banishment, and her sister had no control over the Pony who provoked the invasion; Princess Luna promised them that the culprit would be in custody, facing justice soon. 

Princess Luna also explains the concepts of the Dragon Lands and how they utilize Friendship to the fullest with love, care, and understanding. She speaks about Dragon Lord Spike teaching the values of sharing Friendship among others and not allowing discrimination, ridicule, and name-shaming to be their drive and motivation. Many Dragons become elated after learning how the new Dragon Lord is extinguishing hatred since every Dragon in Dragon Town grew up experiencing hate and malice due to being different than Ponies. 

"Daddy..?" A young blue Dragon approaches his father. "We go home?" 

A tall purple Dragon wearing a business suit picks up his son. He turns to Princess Luna. "Yes!" He burns his clothes, removing the attire some ponyfolk designed for him, and extends his wings. "We're finally going home!" He roars with pride and love that burns in his heart with passion. 

Many Dragons roar in excitement, scaring the daylights of many Ponies within Fillydelphia; some believe the Dragons are revolting and may subdue the police. 

"Let's goooooooooooooooooooo!" Mina breathes her pinkish flames at the sky; she's excited to meet her family that lost her moons ago. 

"Follow me!" Princess Luna shouts with her royal tone, flapping her wings and ascending in the skies. 

Every Dragon in Dragon Town gathers some belongings, grabs their broods, and takes flight, following the Princess of the Night. Princess Luna announces one pitstop for the night before continuing to the Dragon Lands. Ponies in Fillydelphia wave bye, and some say good riddance to nuisance.
> Before the Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's 12:30 in the morning at Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia is awaiting more intel from her research team regarding the mysterious magical particles Canterlot's Magistry Laboratory couldn't uncover with their vast knowledge and understanding. She refuses to sleep knowing the answer is near, and the devious 'Princess' who led a brigade into stealing Dragon Eggs during her reign without noticing.

Weeks ago, Princess Twilight Sparkle transferred all of the books from the Castle of the Two Sisters to Princess Celestia for analyzing the mysterious magical particles. So far, within the investigation, the evidence is inconclusive due to an unknown source beyond comprehension. Star Blaze and her team need additional assistance to decode the magic within. 

Princess Celestia wished to be more useful despite her royal affairs becoming problematic with the royals and nobles, screwing with her timeframe to help her sister and the investigating teams. 

A labeled envelope marked 'importance' appears beside Princess Celestia. She unveils it and starts reading the following report:

Dear Princess Celestia,

My trip to the Crystal Empire with my pupil Starlight Glimmer has been surprising, to say the least; actually, bizarre is the key word to describe today's outcome. Starlight Glimmer and I met with Spike for the first time since he became the Dragon Lord. We found out my brother Shining Armor apologized for initiating an attack on the Dragons when everypony was on edge due to a Changeling sighting. 

As you know, Changelings feed on love, and the Crystalling became a magnet for one. The Crystal Guards asked Shining Armor if Spike the Brave and Glorious would accompany them to seize the Changeling before it made a move. I acted like Spike's mother and disrespected him in front of his subjects and our family. Spike departed and returned several hours later with his friend, who was actually a Changeling in disguise.

Mid-paragraph, Princess Celestia's eyes widen in happiness; she hopes the Changeling will be willing to discuss any secrets Queen Chrysalis shared with her armies. 

After exposure, everypony except the Dragons got prepared to assail and apprehend the Changeling after risking to devour the love from Flurry Heart; that is what we thought; however, we were wrong. We dismiss the pleas and dismay from Spike's friend because he's a Changeling. Spike's outburst revealed our colors about treating other species differently than Ponies. 

I have never seen Dragons defend a Changeling in Friendship, Love, and Unity; Spike stood his ground while my brother berated the Changeling. Spike stated how quick Ponies are to attack first, then ask questions later when he reminded everypony in the room how Shining Armor commenced the attack without second thoughts with no hesitation with his decision-making. My brother continued with the ridicule of deeming all Changelings monsters and never thought about finding good within the Changeling Nation. Spike, in his response, brought back an unfortunate tale about my student, Starlight Glimmer's sinful days with depriving everypony of their cutie marks and varying timelines to prevent my Friendship with Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity; also, each timeline created a pathway for destruction, doom, and desolation. 

Spike reminded us that we're not perfect, acted in perfection, opposed to other species, and behaved oddly, except for Ponies. He stated that we're inadequate for portraying other species as evil, monstrous, and malicious without knowing them. Lastly, he made me remember an essential Friendship Lesson I forgot years ago; it was when Zecora came to Ponyville, and everypony ran from her, thinking she was evil. The lesson was to never judge a book by its' cover. 

Spike asked his subjects a vital question about revisiting the Crystal Empire shortly; they said yes but told us, Equestrian Ponies, to get our act together before our racism starts a war. That stung us. We're lucky that the Dragons and Crystal Ponies are in unison with Friendship; otherwise, the Crystal Empire would not have the Dragon Nation as their allies. 

Now that you know what happened earlier, here's what's happening tomorrow. Spike is bringing his Dragon friends and Thorax to Ponyvile; I would admire you and Princess Luna arriving and introducing yourselves to Thorax, proffering a token of Friendship to the first Changeling setting hoof in Ponyville with love and kindness. We must demonstrate our Friendship to atone for what we did to them. 

Sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle

Princess Celestia finishes reading the letter and sighs while imagining the outburst of hurt feelings Spike expressed himself to defend his new friend. 

Princess Celestia thought to herself. "Twilight, there is still much for you to learn, and it's important to remember the lessons of the past; Otherwise, history will repeat itself." As she yawned, she contemplates her words when she eventually speaks with Twilight tomorrow. 

Princess Luna navigates all the Dragons of Dragon Town to Canterlot Castle without any headaches; she confirms to every Dragon that they'll spend the night at the castle and then fly to the Dragon Lands after everyone is well rested. Princess Luna sees her sister by the balcony, contemplating the next phase of operations concerning the young Dragon Lord. 

"CELESTIA!" Princess Luna bellows with her royal tone, alerting Celestia of her arrival. 

Princess Celestia fixes her gaze at Princess Luna, returning with many new faces. "DRAGONS!" She shouted gleefully and hoped all one hundred forty-one Dragons were present to inform Dragon Lord Spike of the best news since becoming Dragon Lord. 

Princess Luna lands on the balcony to hold her sister in a loving embrace; Mina takes a snapshot of her favorite Princess having a sentiment moment. Princess Celestia does a headcount and notices that only eighty-six out of one hundred and forty-one Dragons are present; she excludes the younglings within their parents' arms and flying side-by-side. 

"We're housing these Dragons for the night; then, we'll continue our flight to the Dragon Lands." 

"That won't be necessary, Luna," Princess Celestia smiles widely at every Dragon hovering in the skies, wondering what will happen next. "Dragon Lord Spike is visiting Ponyville tomorrow! We're all going there; then he'll take you home!" Every Dragon roars in a voice of triumph; this causes panic in the streets of Canterlot as many Royal Guards prepare to defend the Princesses from the Dragons' onslaught. 

Princess Celestia stands aside, allowing every Dragon to enter the castle through her balcony. Mina is the first to enter and gaze at Celestia's beauty and smiles at her kindness when she sees her fellow Dragons dodging-

"SPEARS?!" Mina shouts horridly at the sudden attack. 

Dozens of spears are thrown at the Dragons by the Royal Guards when many royals and nobles scream in fear about the sudden arrival of Dragons. Princess Luna flies out of the balcony when a Dragon crashes into her after dodging. Some are unfortunate and fell from the skies when they were protecting their younglings. Many children cried for their brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, mothers, and fathers when the weaponry from the Royal Guards pierced their wings. Princess Celestia attempts to command her Royal Guards to stand down when several younglings crash into her to avoid getting maimed. 

With the many cries of Dragons in anguish from the attack, Princess Luna's rage ignites; she flies out to confront the Royal Guards who had assaulted honored guests. "CEASE FIRE!" Princess Luna bellows at the charging Royal Guards and realizes they made a grave mistake by upsetting the Princess. The echo boomed and caused windows from many buildings to shatter, displaying her anger towards the sudden attack.

Several Dragons collide with the homes in Canterlot after their wings get injured from the attack; Princess Celestia is heartbroken that her Royal Guards attacked first and never asked questions. Reminiscing the letter Twilight mentioned validates the belief within everypony when it comes to other species; Princess Celestia is dismayed with an afterthought after watching the tragedy unfolding. 

"Mommy!" A young yellow Dragon flies down to see her mother in critical condition. She cries while holding onto her left claw. "GO AWAY!" She barks at the Royal Guards that came by. 

Princess Luna and Celestia descend to confront their Royal Guards for blatantly attacking the Dragons. The Royal Guards drop their spears and lower their heads, fearing the Princesses' deathly glares that make any brave warrior tremble. Many civilians flee from the Princesses' possible scolding about treating other creatures like how they enjoy the treatment. 

One Royal Guard removes his helmet after gulping nervously about the punishment awaiting his brethren. "My apologies, Princesses. We were following protocols of removing the enemy upon Canterlot grounds, not noticing the Dragons are visitors and guests..." 

Many of the Royal Guards nod in unison, concurring with the statement spoken by the only guard of the platoon. 

"Ugh..., ouch...., my wings hurt....," A teenage Dragon attempts to flap instinctively and feels the pain jolting his body. "OOOOOW! Son-of-a-mother-" A younger sibling covers his mouth from finishing the statement. 

The Royal Guards of the Pegasi platoon cringe; they understand the sensitivity of having an injured wing from their experiences and feel ashamed for inflicting damage. 

"Get this one to the infirmary for immediate repairs!" Princess Celestia commanded her subjects to carry the wounded to the Canterlot Hospital. Her direct order implies every other Dragon that fell from the attack. 

An hour later. Princess Luna is with Doctor Red Cross after he examines the injuries of eleven Dragons that fell. 

"How long until they can fly, Red Cross?" Princess Luna watches Red Cross trotting with medical documentation. 

Red Cross is a red Unicorn doctor with a small black mohawk mane and razor tail; his cutie mark is a red plus shape with a black outline. "The spears thrown by the Royal Guards impaled ligaments within the expanded-skeletal wings, thus removing their ability to fly. The estimated recovery time will be three months unless you get the Lord of Chaos for instant healing. We've given these Dragons analgesic to diminish the pain since Dragons' wingspans are different than Pegasi."

Princess Luna groans angrily that the Royal Guards caused such a calamity; she doesn't want to tell Spike that the Royal Guards attacked Equestrian Dragons without questioning. 

"If these Dragons are traveling elsewhere, I suggest the train or other modes of transportation until further notice, Princess," Red Cross states while reading the charts of other Dragons' injuries within the hospital. 

"Understood..," Princess Luna sighs; she wonders if Celestia is scolding the Royal Guards that attacked the Dragons. 

In the throne room of Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia is attended by the Royal Guards who had previously attacked the Dragons. She is livid about the situation getting out of hoof. Princess Celestia commanded the maids and butlers to escort the Dragons unharmed to the guest rooms and alarm them for the morning breakfast. 

"Princess.., we're-" The Royal Guard hesitates when he sees the anger written in Celestia's eyes. Behind her, flames arose, meaning she was irate. 

"Why?" It's all Princess Celestia can say about the Royal Guards' impetuous judgment to attack when she and her sister did not authorize the initiative. That one word made every Royal Guard quaver in their armor; they were more afraid of Celestia's wrath than exile. 

"We...we....we....we...we... were............following.......protocols whenever........fear....spread....in the streets of Canterlot....." A different Royal Guard honestly answers while stuttering with his speech. 

"I did not instruct the Royal Guards to attack unless mandated by either my sister and me or the Captain of the Guard. Now, I'll ask. Who initiated the attack?"

A Royal Guard steps up to answer Princess Celestia's question as firm. "No one commanded us to attack the arrival of the Dragons, Your Highness. We saw dozens of Dragons and thought they were a secret invasion, like the Changelings when they infiltrated Canterlot and nearly dominated us. We wanted to strike before evil spreads once more." 

Mina is outside the throne room, hearing the commotion since the doors are slightly open. "Like the police, they see us as monsters..." Mina had thought the Royal Guards would be better than Fillydelphia's police department; now, she knows that any protection agency can determine Dragons as villainous. 

"Is that how you viewed Spike during the years? As a villainous, evil Dragon?" Princess Celestia wants to see how her Royal Guards respond to the claim of Spike being in the category they mentioned about the other Dragons. 

"Spike is not evil!" 

"Spike is a good, kind, caring Dragon!" 

"Spike will do us no harm!"

"Spike will never seek to destroy us!" 

"Spike will never plot to seek the destruction of Equestria, especially the friends he made!" 

"Spike loves everypony to the fullest and saved the Crystal Empire! He's a hero!" 

Princess Celestia hears the statements from her Royal Guards; they divulge all the positives and not an ounce of malice from their viewpoints of Spike. It made Celestia frown on certain levels. 

"So, you're willing to disregard Spike as evil despite being a Dragon?" 

"Well, not to be rude, Princess. We've got to know Spike and understand who he is," Some Royal Guards answer Celestia's question. Others remain silent after answering the question in their minds. 

Princess Celestia sadly sighs after hearing the response. She raises her right hoof, pointing at the Royal Guard of the Pegasi platoon. "Royal Guards, I expel you from your position." 

"No... nononononononononononono no Princess! Please!" The Royal Guards don't want to lose their positions after the hardship they endured to become who they are. 

"My decision is final!" Princess Celestia stomps her right hoof on the floor, shattering it powerfully to make her point evident. "LEAVE!" 

The Pegasi leave with their heads down after realizing their deplorable mistake when they answered a question and how their colors exposed themselves to other Dragons except Spike. 

Mina watches the Pegasi take the walk of shame by their actions and reactions; she feels guilty about them despite what they did to Dragons a while ago. She doesn't wish for anyone to suffer because of the occurrence. 

Princess Celestia leaves the throne room and notices Mina's reaction to what she possibly heard. "How much do you know?" 

"Enough to know the Royal Guards sees us as monsters despite living among Equestrian Ponies all these years..," Mina sheds a tear; Princess Celestia wipes it away with her right hoof. 

"No need to feel gloom, Mina," Princess Celestia reassures Mina. "We need to make necessary changes for the betterment of Equestria since we continue to create bad names for other species living within Equus." 

"Thank you," Mina smiles; she believes Princess Celestia can help Equestria go in the right direction for making peace with other kingdoms. 

"You're welcome," Princess Celestia hugs Mina. 

It's 1:47 in the morning at the Castle of Friendship. Princess Twilight Sparkle couldn't sleep with the possibility of everypony going beserk over Thorax's soon-to-be-sudden-arrival later in the day. Starlight Glimmer watches Twilight sprint back and forth with worry and anxiety running amuck; although she is tired, Starlight uses her magic to hold Twilight still. 

"Twilight, you need to calm down before you give yourself a migraine," Starlight yawns, watching her teacher pant many times with a paper bag she conjured with her magic. 

"Spike is coming with his friends! Not only Dragons but a Changeling! Imagine Ponyville rallying as rioters to seize Thorax or attempt to impair him!" Twilight continues to breathe heavily into the paper bag until it pops. 

"I suggest you gather your friends and strategize a proper way for all of Ponyville to welcome the Dragons and Changeling," Starlight suggests; her eyes flicker more, and doze to slumber. 

"Great idea!" Twilight teleports to gather each of her sleeping friends without warning for an emergency Friendship meeting at the throne room; she includes Starlight Glimmer since she's still a student. 

At the throne room, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy are still soundly asleep despite Twilight arriving in each of their homes, using her magic to teleport them to each other's homes. Twilight inflates a balloon to pop, waking her friends with adrenaline and giving them the energy to stay awake for a while. 

The girls scream in terror except for Pinkie, who knows what balloon pops sound like. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie angrily, thinking she was the prankster of the night; however, Twilight intervenes with an announcement of a Friendship emergency. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash apologize to Pinkie Pie for accusing her of a prank. However, in Rainbow's mind, she respected the thought of using a balloon for a pranking spree down the road. 

"So, what's the emergency, Twilight?" Applejack yawns, tiredly looking at her friend, who seems panicked. 

"Spike is visiting Ponyville later today," Twilight calmly says.

"FINALLY!" Pinkie shouts with glee and jumps up with confetti exploding behind her. 

"About time," Applejack says with satisfaction. She and her friends have yearned to see their friend after all this time. 

"I'll have the opportunity to propose to my beloved!" Rarity hasn't given up on becoming Spike's one and only; her friends tried to persuade her, but Rarity didn't listen. She hopes Spike will allow her to become his lover or at least have a harem to share the love!

"Is something alright, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash notices Twilight's worrisome facial features written on her body. 

"Uh..., yea...," Fluttershy realizes Twilight's stillness when she mentions Spike's arrival later today. She's worried about Twilight's well-being. "What's wrong, Twilight?" 

Twilight lowers her head and remembers the scolding Spike and the Dragons had given her. "He's bringing friends to Ponyville," Twilight sighs deeply, not informing them about Spike's new friend.   

"Well, the more the merrier, I say!" Pinkie's excitement gets the better of her. "We need to get Power Pony Comics! Gemstone Cakes! Some animals from-" Pinkie Pie gets interrupted by Applejack and Fluttershy. 

"NO!" They shout angrily at Pinkie for devising the usage of their animals to feed the Dragons. 

"Sorry! Don't hurt me!" Pinkie quivers at the shout of her friends with stern faces. 

"So, who's Spike bringing, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash breaks the ice when everypony gets distracted by Pinkie's suggestion of using farm and care animals to feed the Dragons. 

Twilight looks up at each of her friends; Starlight Glimmer is fast asleep and snores like a gorilla. Her snoring frightens Fluttershy; she has never heard a wild snore before. 

"Well, don't leave us hanging, Twi. Who's coming with Spike?" Applejack asks her friend calmly after reading Twilight's sickening body reaction. 

Twilight frowned and wanted to speak so quietly that Fluttershy wouldn't hear the murmurs. "Spike is bringing a handful of Dragons and... and.........." She pauses and imagines the horrid reactions of her friends and sighs heavily. 

"AND?" Everyone except Starlight Glimmer repeats Twilight's comment, eagerly waiting to hear who else is coming for a visit.

Twilight shuts her eyes; she can't see their faces when she announces the species Spike is friends with. "A Changeling..." Twilight finally reveals the truth about Spike's friend.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Everypony shouted in horror at the mere mention of the species' title. Surprisingly, they didn't startle Starlight in her slumber. 

"You can't be serious?! Why would Spike bring a horrible-looking creature to Ponyville?! Changelings are monsters, not friends!" Rarity exclaims; she refuses to have common sense for the Changeling. 

"WHY WOULD SPIKE BE FRIENDS WITH A MONSTER SUCH AS A CHANGELING?!" Rainbow Dash is livid about Spike's decision to befriend a love-depriving demon. "THAT CHANGELING COULD BE A SPY, WAITING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVEAL OUR SECRETS TO QUEEN CHRYSALIS AND SLAY US ALL!!" 

"Nope! Na-da!" Applejack disapproves of Spike's newest friend since she remembers what Changelings had done at the Canterlot Wedding. "That fiend is nothing but trouble." 

"Changelings..? I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I don't think I can trust a Changeling, not after what happened during the Canterlot Wedding," Pinkie admits, considering the prowess of the Changelings, and could kidnap Spike to become the Dragon Lord to instill massive warfare disguised as Spike. 

Fluttershy recollects her thoughts and remembers what Discord had mentioned during their tea party. "If Spike trusts the Changeling, I'll try expressing Friendship with him or her." 

Twilight is stunned to hear her friends' reaction, except for Fluttershy. Since she's friends with an all-mighty Chaos Lord, it made sense for her to accept the arrival of a Changeling. She's glad that Fluttershy didn't express distasteful thoughts and expressions. 

"I had similar feelings about Spike's Changeling friend earlier today, hostility since everyone but the Dragons wanted to apprehend the Changeling from making any bold moves on Flurry Heart without hesitation; however, Thorax acted on his hungered instincts, apologized for the terror, wept, and pleaded," Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity gasped after hearing the explanation of the Changeling's name and his attempt to resolve a probable issue caused during his hunger state. Twilight heavily sighs after reliving the memory of Spike's outburst for articulating every creature monstrous and not acknowledging some within their boundaries. 

"So, this Thorax is a good Changeling?" Applejack wanted to be sure of what she heard. She has her disbelief about several creatures seeking change due to a Chaotic Deity that once betrayed their Friendship for freedom. 

"From what I saw from the balcony, the Crystal Ponies adored and transferred their love to feed Thorax. By now, he's receiving a warm welcome at the Dragons Lands, feasting upon the love Dragons are sharing with him while getting to know him better. From the Dragons' perspective, they view us as racists." 

"How profound of those ruffians!" Rarity is stunned to hear the horrid statement from Dragons, calling Ponykind racist when they represent Friendship. Applejack and Rainbow Dash concur with Rarity's claim since they believe the Dragons are absurd for calling Ponies racists. 

"There's no denying that statement, girls. Do you remember how we assumed Zecora was a monster because no one knew her?" Twilight asked her friends the question Spike painfully reminded her of a Friendship lesson she'd forgotten when she first learned it years ago. 

"That's different, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash knows the difference between knowing who's evil or not. "We fought Changelings and defeated them when they held Princess Celestia cocooned in that gross green slime, roamed the streets of Canterlot, defeating the Royal Guards, weakened Shining Armor, and nearly succeeded in ending us all! All Zecora had done was spooked everypony because of the rumors spread by everypony else. Mainly Pinkie Pie." 

"HEY!" Pinkie Pie didn't like that accusation. 

"My point is, there is no such thing as a good Changeling. For all we know, this 'Thorax' could be pretending after an intense training session with Queen Chrysalis to infiltrate our borders, learn more about us, and exploit our weaknesses to seize us! It's a textbook military operation for espionage, Twilight! You have to be pretty dumb to trust a creature that attacked us!" Rainbow Dash stomps her hoof to make her point evident and wake up Twilight about allowing a Changeling she doesn't know about to enter her homelands. 

"Discord attacked us, and I helped him become better. All he needed was a friend to set him on the right path. I believe the same applies to Thorax when he arrives in Ponyville later today," Fluttershy refuses to accept Rainbow's theory since it's disheartening. Discord unleashed his wrath before and has learned never to allow his ambitions to get the better of him. 

"Are you listening to yourself, Fluttershy?!" Rainbow Dash glares at Fluttershy for making an absurd statement to trust an enemy of Equestria. 

"Yes, I am!" Fluttershy raises her voice, startling the proud Wonderbolt Cadet. Everypony but Starlight blinks twice in awe from the sudden uproar; Starlight is still asleep. "From what Twilight said, Thorax sounded sincere, and I believe in giving every creature the benefit of the doubt. We apply that with everypony, so why not every creature?"

"Wow, Fluttershy..," Applejack pauses with her statement after rethinking. She had the notion of agreeing with Rainbow Dash's comment when she redrew the conquest of the Changelings seizing Canterlot and not once thought about the few that would be against the idea of a hostile takeover. Discord is living proof of a vile, malicious creature that sought good and became better. Another example would be her friend, Starlight Glimmer after she took her cutie mark and altered several timelines. Applejack knows better than to be judgemental towards the possibility of greeting new friends in her life. "Well, I'll be darned, I reckon I agree with ya, Fluttershy."

"SAY WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash and Rarity are dreadful at Applejack's sudden mood change, aligning herself with Fluttershy for trusting a Changeling that may betray them in the long run. 

"I don't want to be a meanie, so I'll bake an absolutely, totally deliciously cake that tastes like love for Thorax to consume!" Pinkie Pie doesn't want her good nature and reputation to taste sour with the untrustworthiness of a potential new friend. She wants to embrace a new livelihood with another species and understand more about Thorax and his renewed lifestyle. 

"I made a mistake a while ago when I had the opportunity to present Friendship to Thorax. Now, I have a second chance to undo the damages, turn a new leaf, and welcome Thorax as a brother in Friendship." "Also, I don't want to disappoint Spike a second time in back-to-back days. I need his forgiveness for assuming all Changelings evil when I never consider the one percent chance of goodness in everything."

"I suggest you two should rethink your opinions and let go of the darkness Changelings have a hold on you. We can keep our guard up; however, it shouldn't be evident to create awkwardness. Or, is it too much for the awesome Rainbow Dash to overcome?" Fluttershy entices Rainbow Dash by using reverse psychology. "I mean. I guess my awesome childhood friend would drop twenty percent less cool if she opposes the suggestion." 

"No way, Flutters!" Within an instant, Rainbow Dash refuses to drop her coolness over a silly grudge. "You watch as I'll become friends with Thorax before you can!" She shouts with pride, then covers her mouth with the sudden realization of the commitment she spewed. 

"Good!" Fluttershy yawns. "I'll look forward to watching you laugh with Thorax," Fluttershy hopes Rainbow Dash stays dedicated to becoming friends with Thorax. 

All eyes are on Rarity; she's the last to admit her faults about trusting a monster when it's evident with Fluttershy how Discord has become a decent creature to associate with. She has heard many tales during their time hanging out. Also, Starlight Glimmer was a monster that befriended another. Her ideology has started to betray her thoughts, but she remains persistent until further notice. 

"He'll have to earn my trust first before I'll allow him to befriend me. I am unsure about Changelings since they are love-thirsty demons," Rarity finds it disgusting to associate with Changelings in fear of them draining her dry from magic power then love. 

The girls sigh with some relief. 

"Good enough," Twilight yawns. "I would appreciate you girls sleeping over to help prepare for Thorax and the Dragons' arrival." 

"Sure thing, Twilight," The girls say in unison. They want to help welcome Dragon Lord Spike, the Dragons, and Thorax to Ponyville. Twilight hopes Princess Celestia and Luna extend their love to embrace Thorax as an honored guest and new friend.
> The Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dragon Lord Spike wakes up and remembers the party he celebrated with Thorax and the other Dragons last night. Thorax is now an official member of the Dragon Lands, the first Changeling to become a citizen and perhaps not the last, with many possibilities of more Changelings seeking change after years of drought and sadness. Dragon Lord Spike feels Ember's claws wrapped around his waist and smiles, remembering the fun the two had when everyone feasted on the appetizers Discord conjured with his magic. 

Spike takes a deep breath and slowly removes Ember's claws to fly quietly to the next room and discuss with Discord or at least one of his clones possibly awake for their arrival in Ponyville. 

Spike arrives in the maze labyrinth, following the arrows to Discord's quarters to discuss approaching Ponyville in style or by modes of transportation due to his blunder yesterday of arriving unattended without notice. After ten minutes, Spike enters Discord's inner sanctum, where personal thought bubbles filled with dialog speak loudly. A clone of Discord wearing a mafia business suit and hat is at the end of a wooden conference meeting table, drinking a hot mug of chocolate milk while smoking a cotton candy cloud cigar. 

"Greetings, Dragon Lord Spike," The clone of Discord inhales his candy cigar after drinking his hot chocolate. He wonders what's on the young Dragon Lord's mind since today is a critical, involving Friendship. 

"Morning, Discord," Dragon Lord Spike chuckles at the new persona from Discord's clones. He appreciates the new tone with each conversation the duo has. 

"What is on your mind, Dragon Lord Spike? Have you decided to decline the get-together in Ponyville from yesterday's fiasco?" 

"I'm not postponing nor withdrawing the meetup. I'm going forth with my objectives to elevate Friendship in Ponyville. I sense the Princesses may present themselves to Thorax as a token of Friendship, opening a new chapter filled with possibilities of seeing the good in every nation, no matter what percentage many will say." 

"Your optimism meets no bounds, my friend," The clone respects Spike's decision-making. The outburst from yesterday, regretting it wholeheartedly, and yearning to undo the rude remarks spoken when his emotions took control. 

"I want to apologize to Twilight about how I reacted when something possessed me to say what was said yesterday," Dragon Lord Spike look at his claws, still shaking from the realization during the trip back home. He sighs greatly, hoping that history won't repeat itself. 

"I'm sure Princess Twilight Sparkle thought hard and invoked theories left and right to own up for her mistake, apologize for her behavior, renew her relationship with you as friends, and be open-minded with Thorax, creating the first bond between Equestrian Pony and Changeling." 

"You know, Discord. I believe today will be a great day," Dragon Lord Spike extends his left arm, opening his claw to call for his Bloodstone Scepter. In a few moments, the magic within the Bloodstone Scepter answers his call, flying towards Spike's claw for him to grasp and twirl it. 

"What time do you want to fly?" The clone of Discord transmits a telepathic message to the original using a memory-link spell. 

"An hour after having breakfast with everyone," Spike rubs his belly. "I can go for bacon and gemstones." 

"I'll initiate the breakfast buffet," The clone of Discord opens a portal, leaning back on his chair to fall back and prepare the meals necessary for every Dragon and Changeling. 

The breakfast bell chimes within Canterlot Castle, and many maidens and butlers knock on every guest room where many Dragons slept after having an off night. The revelation of Dragon Lord Spike coming to Ponyville with friends and reuniting with many siblings lost during the Dragon Egg raid years ago; also the unfortunate event that allowed many Royal Guards to unleash their barrage of spears upon the Dragons, injuring eleven in total, has the Princesses on edge, especially the possibility of knowing Queen Chrysalis' objectives from Thorax later today. 

Princess Celestia raises the sun after her sister, Princess Luna, lowers the moon, allowing a new day to begin with hopes of no disasters. Princess Celestia made it official with several Royal Guards of the Pegasi platoon to fly carriages for the injured to Ponyville; Princess Luna hoped the Draqonecuus would accompany Dragon Lord Spike and their friends to Ponyville to help relieve the pain from the eleven injured Dragons and restore their flight. 

Princess Celestia and Luna commanded their cooks to bring the breakfast buffet to the throne room, allowing every Dragon to partake and enjoy Canterlot's finest cooking. It didn't take long for every Dragon to walk and hover in the throne room, gazing at the beauty of the stained glass windows, pillars, and decorations. Most Dragons are disappointed that gemstones are not for breakfast; however, that won't stop them from enjoying their meal with the Princesses as they are more excited to go home. 

Although seeing the happy faces of many Dragons to reunite with long-lost families, the Princesses are more eager to meet with Thorax and learn possible secrets Queen Chrysalis might have shared with her armies regarding the Dragon Egg raid to uncover many clues to answer many questions. They hope Thorax is not a deceptive operative when they ask him certain specifics about Queen Chrysalis' purposes after the Canterlot Wedding Seige became a dud. 

Nurse Red Cross escorts the injured Dragons into the throne room after receiving a telegram from Princess Luna an hour ago. He explicitly told the injured Dragons to refrain from flapping under all circumstances to reduce swelling and otherwise increase the pain and create discomfort in the healing process. 

The Dragons grab plates of pancakes and different fruits since they are similar to gemstones. They gorge themselves with many servings since they aren't sure about the visitation in Ponyville, considering the change of plans once Dragon Lord Spike sees and greets the Dragons who got taken away during the invasion and raid. Princess Celestia and Luna ate well enough to focus on their interview with Thorax later today. They are hopeful to ask Dragon Lord Spike permission to speak with Thorax privately since the duo believes Thorax may have already become a citizen of the Dragons Lands and given immunity of some sort. 

Many younglings ate over five full-course breakfast meals, which concerns the Princesses about the residency the Dragons endured during their time in Dragon Town of Fillydelphia. Mina notices the Princesses' demeanors and explains that food within Dragon Town is sustainable and, at other times, scarce. They were taken away by the Fillydelphia Police Department when they felt Dragons were the culprits of many crimes. Mina's explanation made the Princesses sick to their stomachs with the horrid treatments Dragons received and went unnoticed all this time. 

Several teenage Dragons wanted and demanded gemstones as a substitute; however, the Princesses addressed the situation about not having edible gemstones since they are displayed as jewelry for their subjects to wear for fashion. Many Dragons irritatedly groan since gemstones are a luxury for the Dragons of Dragon Town. They hope to avoid those Ponies glimmering with their favorite food to elude possible interactions. 

After breakfast, Princess Celestia and Luna escort the Dragons to the front of Canterlot Castle, where many carriages are ready for transport. The injured Dragons are riding in style while Princess Celestia and Luna navigate everyone to Ponyville, hoping their coming will meet with Dragon Lord Spike and his friends' arrival. 

When Princess Celestia and Luna departed Canterlot, they informed everypony about enduring the day as usual during their escort and not to alarm any of their bodyguards to engage with the Dragons leaving Canterlot. It was a spectacle for many to witness many Dragons departing Canterlot Castle, similar to the Dragon Migration years ago. The Dragons on carriages barked orders at the Pegasi to fly faster since they were behind the others during the flight and for revenge. 

After breakfast for every Dragon and Changeling, Discord gathers Spike's friends and does a head count. Dragon Lord Spike, Princess Ember, Garble, Smolder, Clump, Maar, Fume, and Thorax are here; most other Dragons refuse to accept any Friendship from thieving Ponies, knowing they're the cause of the separation and senseless violence years ago. 

Dragon Lord Spike respects his subjects' deep personal feelings about Equestrian Ponies; however, he refuses to taint their image after the outburst he unleashed yesterday when he defended Thorax. After living most of his life under Pony's occupation, there's more good than iniquity. 

Dragon Lord Spike climbs on Ember's back, raising his Bloodstone Scepter, informing his friends to follow Discord to Ponyville. Discord wanted to teleport instantly to Ponyville to save time and effort; however, Dragon Lord Spike refrained Discord from doing so, so he wanted his friends to visit Ponyville after befriending the populous on their accord to continue to strive for greatness under the new way of life. Spike prays that no one decides to lynch Thorax since he's a Changeling and greatly feared by the nation. 

Discord leads the way uniquely to Ponyvile since he's not straightforward; he does zig-zags, loop-de-loops, barrel-rolls, dives, and ascension for fun. Thorax enjoyed the flight, laughing along with his friends and hoping that Ponyville Ponies would be as kind as Spike acclaimed them to be. 

Everypony in Ponyville has gathered under Princess Twilight's instructions to decorate the town to welcome Dragon Lord Spike, the Dragons, and Thorax. At first, Twilight Sparkle heard the backlashes from everyone when she announced that a Changeling was amongst the company with Dragon Lord Spike's visitation; however, it was Fluttershy who calmed the quarrels than Twilight and her friends. Her kind nature reawakened basic common sense for welcoming every creature with open arms and displaying fellowship to create new bonds. After the heart-to-heart speech from Fluttershy, it felt magical to decorate the town, like celebrating a holiday with friends and family. 

Twilight Sparkle is with Starlight Glimmer, checking everything according to the list to ensure Spike's visitation is the best to welcome new friends and eliminate the hatred. They are trotting to Sugarcube Corner to inspect the treats they made. 

"Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. How are the desserts and appetizers coming along?" Twilight Sparkle enters the bake shop with Starlight Glimmer after seeing all of the desserts intact than many years ago when Pinkie ate everything the Cakes made. 

"Smoothly, also, Pinkie Pie is with Rarity, gathering gemstones for the Dragons to consume with our delectable treats," Mrs. Cakes says, adding frosting to a heart-shaped cake, hoping it'll express love for Thorax to eat to some capacity. 

"Appetizers are ready for taste-testing, Twilight," Mr. Cake brings a tray of sandwiches, muffins, strudels, puddings, and devil eggs.

Twilight and Starlight taste each of the samples, grading them fairly, which results in perfection; the Cakes know how to craft perfection with their cooking. 

Rainbow Dash zooms into the Cake's bakeshop with imperative information; she seems uneasy about a swarm approaching Ponyvile. "Twilight! The Princesses are getting chased by Dragons!" 

"WHAT?!" Twilight and Starlight depart Sugarcube Corner, following Rainbow Dash to the mere sight of Princess Celestia and Luna leading a brigade of Dragons, not that they were getting chased. 

Everypony in Ponyville watches in awe and splendor as Princess Celestia and Luna continue to escort the Dragons like it was the Dragon Migration; the only exception is the Royal Guards carrying carriages for other Dragons like they are royalty. 

"Ooops," Rainbow Dash realizes that the Princesses were peacefully creating a voyage in the skies for the Dragons, hoping no one would dare to attack due to misconception. "Sorry for the misunderstanding, girls," Rainbow admits her fault; sometimes, another glance is what she needs before assuming the worst. 

"It's okay, Rainbow. I'm just surprised to see more Dragons arriving in Ponyville than I read in yesterday's letter," Twilight is eager to know about the sudden of Dragons the Princesses are escorting. 

The Princesses land in front of Twilight and her friends by Sugarcube Corner; the Dragons riding on the carriages smack the backs of the Pegasi platoon as some formal retribution when they got speared and suffered broken wings. The Royal Guards don't flinch but acknowledge the pain given physically and mentally; they understand what their brethren had committed last night during a misreading of the swarm. 

Pinkie Pie and Rarity return with wagons full of gemstones and become awestruck by the many Dragons present, not taking accountability for the possibility of over a hundred Dragons arriving. They are at least three-fourths short on supply. 

Mina is the first Dragon to approach Princess Twilight Sparkle; she's a bit nervous about making the first impression since last night's visitation went awry before it got calm. Before she can speak, sounds of laughter flood Ponyville, with Discord leading the charge like he's orchestrating a marching band. 

Dragon Lord Spike, Princess Ember, Garble, Smolder, Clump, Maar, and Fume are more surprised by the number of Dragons they don't know. Thorax is astounded by the many new friends he'll make with Equestrian Ponies, the Princess of the Sun and Moon, and the missing Dragons when they reveal the gruesome tale of losing Dragon Eggs years ago. Discord drops like a raindrop; he's shocked by the many potential Dragons going to reunite with loved ones who lost their family during the raid. 

"Dragon Lord Spike!" Mina and every Dragon around the Princesses watch their ruler descend from the skies, hopping off Ember's back with his jaw hanging. 

Mina now approaches Spike; she sees Smolder and Garble walking beside him. The trio locked eyes and smelled each other's scent. 

"No way..," Mina, Smolder, and Grable start tearing up; they know they're siblings, and there is no doubt about it. 

Maar approaches a silver Dragon with a broken wing, wrapped in medical tape for healing. He has two stubby horns on his head and red eyes. They sniff each other, and tears swell in their eyes. 

"Big sister..," Chad, the silver Dragon, reaches for his sister. 

"Little brother!" Maar grabs Chad and pulls him into a loving embrace; she was one of the younger Dragons who witnessed her family's egg taken by raiders. 

Princess Ember spoke with many Dragons about the newly established Dragon Lands territory and how Discord, the Ambassador of Dragons, changed the flow for entertaining purposes. Dragons in Dragon Land are more united with Friendship and Love, continuing to be their guide to happiness rather than spiteful and vengeful due to the raiding years ago.

Discord confirms eighty-six from the one hundred forty-one eggs accounted for, which means fifty-five Dragons are still missing since he's not counting for the younger Dragons in their parent or sibling's arms. 

Dragon Lord Spike is moved by the many family members reuniting for the first time since separation; he uses his Bloodstone Scepter to locate his mother, only leading to some disappointment. Among the crowd, none of the adult-size Dragons has his likeness or any features to determine his brood. Instead of pouting, Spike celebrates the victory of his fellow friends, crying in happiness when they reconnect with the stolen ones from the raid; he's moved by the loving embrace of family, making him yearn to find his mother someday as the Dragon Lord. 

Dragon Lord Spike diverts to Twilight Sparkle after watching his species create wholesome moments with long-lost relatives. "Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Spike addresses Twilight's entitlement formally. 

"Spike, you can drop the formal approach," Twilight had hoped Spike would respond to her as a friend rather than royalty. 

"I'm here for elevation in friendship purposes, Princess Twilight Sparkle; also, forgive me for how I expressed myself yesterday. There were validations I didn't mean to expose. Especially reminding Starlight Glimmer of her iniquity to make a statement. Sorry for involving you in yesterday's rant, Starlight Glimmer; something that overcame me and possessed me into bursting in anger when I intended to sing to display the values of the Friendship I have with Thorax." 

"Apologies accepted, my friend; your outburst was a wake-up call for each of us. Also, we had thorough discussions about greeting new creatures into our lives, like how everyone would accept Thorax," Starlight says, pointing to the crowd slowly coming in contact with Thorax. 

Thorax stares at the many nervous Ponies inching closer to him; he takes a step back for breathing room when Princess Celestia and Luna approach him, showing no signs of nervousness or fear. 

"Greetings, Thorax," Princess Celestia warmly says, showing utmost respect and honor to welcome a new friend into her life. 

"Welcome to Equestria, Thorax," Princess Luna extends her front right hoof to shake Thorax's, hoping to create a new bond with him. 

Thorax accepts the Princesses' greeting and shakes Luna's hoof; the love emitting from the two causes Thorax to hiss, which scares the daylights of the crowd behind Princess Celestia and Luna. "Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!" Thorax panics a bit, knowing from yesterday's experience would reoccur in front of Princess Celestia and Luna; however, he was wrong by witnessing the patience the Princess of the Sun and Moon expressed. 

"No need to fret; we understand how Changelings operate when emotions, feelings, and love surround you," Princess Luna reaffirms Thorax to avoid potential catastrophe among your species.

"Also, if you would mind, I understand you want to partake in the festivities in Ponyville; however, my sister and I wish to speak with you privately," Princess Celestia hoped Thorax would accept her request to talk discreetly about Queen Chrysalis' motives regarding the Dragon Egg raiding and other hostilities soon. 

Discord overhears the conversation after helping Pinkie Pie and Rarity with their gemstone project by conjuring crates full of them; he telepathically sends a message to Thorax's mind. "If you feel unsure or uneasy with the Princesses during your conversation, reach out to me by saying my name in thought. I'll come and rescue you from the Princesses' advances."

"Thank you, buddy. I hope it doesn't regard Queen Chrysalis since I was away for six months. I would hate getting interrogated due to my status as a Changeling." Thorax responds to Discord's telepathic message; he sounds nervous, with butterflies flying in his stomach. 

Thorax inhales deeply, focusing on the conversation with the Princesses. He stares at Princess Celestia and Luna. "Alright, let's talk." 

Princess Celestia and Luna escort Thorax to the Castle of Friendship for their private discussion; Princess Celestia will alarm Bright Light to join in the conference to uncover any secrets Queen Chrysalis may have informed Thorax before his departure to the Crystal Empire. 

Dragon Lord Spike feels concerned about Thorax walking with the Princesses; he approaches them about the situation. "Where are you taking Thorax?" 

"We asked Thorax to have a private conversation, Dragon Lord Spike. We will return shortly," Princess Celestia answers, hoping Spike would not revoke the decision made on Thorax's behalf. 

"Dragon Lord Spike." Discord telepathically speaks within Spike's mind regarding Thorax. "I'm observing Thorax's little forum with the Princesses and will rescue him when he feels uncertain due to temperamental topics."

"Thank you, my friend." Spike exhales in relief, knowing Discord is surveying Thorax's chat with Princess Celestia and Luna. He figures the correlation to the Dragon Egg raiding identification; however, it was disclosed during last night's party when Thorax mentioned not receiving pivotal information about Queen Chrysalis' goals. 

"So, are we allowed to speak with Thorax privately, Dragon Lord Spike?" Princess Luna asks permission, hoping Spike will relent and authorize the discussion. 

"By all means, take your time with my friend," Spike replies, standing aside to allow the Princesses to escort Thorax to the Castle of Friendship. 

Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer approach Spike after watching the Princesses take Thorax away; Spike had hoped that everypony in Ponyville would be the first to express Friendship with his friend. Now, he's hoping that Thorax's conversation will be pleasant and no setbacks with hostility.
> Discussions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie emerges from the crowd of Dragons to greet her friend for the first time since departing on the Gauntlet of Fire months ago; she's elated to hug Spike to finally celebrate his literal crowning-achievement moment when he became the Dragon Lord. 

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack greet their friend amid the hoard of Dragons, greeting each other after what seems to be eons of missing each other; they hug Spike and congratulate him on becoming the new Dragon Lord. 

Despite how Rarity feels about Spike choosing Princess Ember as his beloved, that jealousy keeps her distance from Spike rather than approach him as his friend; she waves at him while willing to give up the gemstones she, Pinkie, and Discord had brought to the Dragons longing to feast on her treasured jewels. Usually, around Spike, she didn't mind having some gemstones getting devoured, but watching the display of nearly a hundred Dragons consuming them was a real-life horror movie; rather than turning away in disgust, she posed a fake smile to back away from the crowd so she can scream about the gemstones for her latest fashion dress crushed to pieces knowing Discord won't conjure a new set for her. 

Spike returns the hug to Pinkie, mentioning how much he missed her, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy; then, he introduces his girlfriend, Princess Ember, to his friends. Embers see the kindness and receive the warm welcome, unlike what transpired in yesterday's event to visit the Crystal Empire, even though Spike made a crucial error of not informing the inhabitants ahead of time. She then turns to Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer, feeling uneasy.

"We're sorry for showing hostility toward Thorax and how quick we were to ignore the pleas of an innocent in front of us yesterday. That is not us; our motives were driven with fear and hatred for the Changelings since they attacked us back in Canterlot a few years ago," Twilight speaks on behalf of her student, Starlight Glimmer, and herself. 

"Spike reminded us to allow everyone the benefit of the doubt until their true color materializes since we trust our species more than others too frequently," Starlight wholeheartedly says while reminiscing her treacherous ways when she stole everypony's cutie marks and damaged the timelines. 

"Well, good!" Princess Ember shows her gratitude with an attitude; she's still upset with their behavior and resentment towards Thorax and would prefer the duo to apologize to her new friend. 

"Easy, Ember," Spike grabs Ember's claw, softly stroking her arm to show love and kindness. "They'll apologize to Thorax on their accord once he's finished speaking with the Princesses." 

Rarity screams internally after watching Spike caress Ember's arm in love; in her mind, she demands Spike to caress her body as his lover. 

Ember painfully sighs in defeat after listening to her lover's wisdom; her ego refuses to allow a simple apology to win since Thorax didn't hear it. She smiles at Spike, patting his head. "You and your words, I swear," She walks by to greet some other residents of Ponyville. 

"Spike, who taught you how to say those fancy words when you spoke with Twilight; do the Dragon Lands have libraries like Equestria?" Pinkie eagerly asks since she doesn't remember Spike speaking academically. 

"Discord gave me a word-of-a-day calendar as a present since the Dragon Lands doesn't have libraries or books; also, in Discord's home, he has literature dating back for eons to read, so during my time in solitude, I read about eloquent speech and using the dictionary to up my game. Impressive, right?" Spike giggles a bit after watching Twilight's jaw hanging in awe that Discord has a personal library dating back millenniums. 

"How many books does Discord have in his library, Spike?" Twilight Sparkle gets closer to him, yearning to know the exact number of knowledge, wisdom, magic, forbidden magic, fiction, and non-fiction. 

"Discord!" Spike shouts to grab his attention; Discord was healing every Dragon injured after hearing their tales about the sudden attack. He flies over to Spike and the girls. 

"Yes, my Lord," Discord bows before the Dragon Lord, showcasing his seriousness to Spike. For Twilight, Starlight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, for all of their knowledge of Discord through their many experiences, even the betrayal when he teamed up with Lord Tirek, witnessing this side of Discord is new to them. Discord laughs internally, seeing the shocked faces written on his friends' faces, especially Twilight Sparkle as a Princess. 

"Twilight has something to say to you," Spike steps aside, allowing Twilight to speak. 

Twilight Sparkle shakes her head to snap back into reality. "How many books have you got in your library since Spike mentioned reading from there?" 

"I've lost track after a billion," Discord doesn't remember the exact amount or care since he's preoccupied with other affairs as Ambassador of Dragons. 

"A BILLION?!" Twilight shouts louder than Pinkie Pie whenever she gets exhilarated with throwing birthday parties or meeting someone new.

"Yooohohohooo!" Mina says after walking with Garble and Smolder with her arms around them. "Having siblings is awesome!" She bows before Dragon Lord Spike. "My Lord, it's an honor to meet you!" 

Spike chuckles. "No need to bow before me, uh -" 

"Mina!" 

"Mina," Spike takes a deep breath. "Discord does it because he wanted to or to shock our friends," Spike stands aside to introduce -

"Yes! The barriers of the Elements of Harmony! Where's the white one?" Mina refers to Rarity. 

"She's somewhere," Applejack responds after watching some ponyfolk approaching the Dragons, engaging in some activities to extend their Friendship. 

"Bro, Mina is fun to have around!" Smolder says she turns to Spike's friends. 

"Hey! You look like Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash sees the familiarities from Smolder's spines resembling Scootaloo's mane and tail to her orange body color. 

"Who?" Smolder tilts her head in confusion. 

"Give me one moment!" Rainbow Dash zooms to retrieve Scootaloo away from her friends and younger Dragons during a game of twister. She returns in ten seconds. 

"Wow, that was fast," Smolder said and analyzed Scootaloo's figure. 

"Well, she outflew my friends and me when we did something stupid," Garble says in his best efforts, not to mention the Phoenix Egg Swipe. 

"You look like me if I was a Dragon!!" Scootaloo says after observing Smolder's physique, the only difference is the horns and eye colors. "It feels like you're a long-distance relative!"

"See what I mean!" Rainbow Dash releases Scootaloo, allowing her to gaze at a possible sister figure if she accepts her Friendship. 

"Wanna be my friend?" Scootaloo extends her right hoof as an offer to shake in acceptance. 

"I'll be delighted," Smolder smiles, shaking Scootaloo's hoof. Also, Spike intended for Dragons to allow Equestrian Ponies to express Friendship and build bonds that can last a lifetime. 

"Got any meat?" Garble asks Spike's friends, which they cringed. Applejack and Fluttershy didn't want to answer rather than lie about the animals they have at their homes. 

While every Dragon and Pony gets acquainted, Princess Celestia contacts Bright Light to appear in Twilight's map room at the Castle of Friendship. Bright Light arrives in the room with a teleportation medallion around his neck. 

"Wh-Who is that..?" Thorax is startled by the sudden appearance of a Pony he doesn't know nor recognize. 

"My name is Bright Light, Lead Investigator of Celestial's Crime Insurgence," Bright Light calmly announces his profession's title and approaches Thorax with an audio recording. "You're not in trouble, son, and I need to document for observation purposes." 

Thorax nervously gulps like he's seated on the hot chair during a good-cop bad-cop interrogation; he glances at Princess Celestia and Luna's gazes. 

"We need to ask you some questions, then you'll rejoin our friends, celebrating a momentous occasion," Princess Luna states, hoping Thorax would calm down and relax. 

"What kind of questions?" Thorax feels a slowly creeping terror tingling his spine, urging him to flee from a disaster that's about to come. 

Bright Light places his audio tape on the table, turning it on to commence the interview for further study to ensure the truth is valid or deceptive; he sets a relic to detect if the heartbeat of the Changeling differs. 

"Do you know anything about the Dragon Egg raiding Queen Chrysalis might have initiated years ago?" Princess Celestia is the first to ask, getting straight into detail. 

"No!" Thorax shakes his head frantically. "My Queen -" Thorax gasps, which causes the relic to illuminate on the table. He takes a deep breath with the initial thought of - "Queen Chrysalis has never boasted about her raidings of any kind to most of us; maybe to her generals and favorite soldiers, but me, never..."

"Have you heard from any of your comrades about secretive information regarding the Dragons or anything specific?" Princess Luna asks out of curiosity to prepare for possible onslaughts Queen Chrysalis might ponder about. 

"Well, I heard some rumors here and there when I was still living at the Hive; however, that was months ago, and I don't remember everything they said. Right now, they could be stirring up something nasty, and I have no clue about Queen Chrysalis' motives."

Bright Light detects hesitation and determines Thorax's heart rate is either fear, anxiety, or withholding the truth; Bright Light knows whether some creature is lying or shy during any interview or interrogation. 

"Does Queen Chrysalis think about an invasion within Equestrian's borders?" Princess Luna accidentally demands sternly, causing Thorax to tremble. 

"I heard some rumors of a possible invasion!" Thorax responds without hesitation after hearing the anger in Luna's tone when she demands about Queen Chrysalis' motives. "There's a possibility that she may send sleeper agents to disguise themselves as friends among Equestrian's borders to lure the heavy hitters into a trap!" 

Princess Celestia, Luna, and Bright Light gasp horridly about possible sleeper agents entering Equestria to discover their weaknesses or feeding the inhabitants slowly, draining their strength and magic power to enslave or destroy Equestria within. 

"Sleeper agents!? Are you among them?! If so, we won't punish you!" Bright Light inserts himself into asking the next question, going out of line to scare Thorax. 

"NOOOOO!" Thorax's heartbeat pounds rapidly, quivering from the seat in fear due to Bright Light's hostile tone. "I'm not one of them! What do I have to gain by exposing myself as a sleeper agent if I was one of them?! I'm friends with the Dragons and a Draqonecuus! Why would I betray them and my new friends when I yearned for Friendship!?" 

"To infiltrate our lands with you being a distraction, a scapegoat, like a sacrificial lamb with all eyes on you and not everypony else who would be trapped and replaced," Bright Light answers Thorax's question with an uneasy theory that could be truthful to any militant to succeed with an invasion. 

The relic illuminates brightly with some notion that Thorax is working for Queen Chrysalis with an ingenious strategy to undermine Equestrian Ponies into allowing monstrosity-looking creatures a chance in love, unity, and Friendship. The Princesses are unsure of Thorax's emotional state of anxiety, fear, or guilt, judging from his body language; there are mixed signals regarding the statement issued by Bright Light's possible theory for Thorax's involvement in Queen Chrysalis' campaign. 

"I need to look deeper in your mind, Thorax, to determine if you're speaking the truth or deceiving us for Queen Chrysalis," Bright Light places another relic on the table, which catches the attention of Princess Celestia before Luna; the artifact allows the wearer to enter the mind of a creature and expose the memories to locate the evidence within forgotten memories. 

"Wh-What is that?" Thorax gazes at the relic with his heartbeat pounding to a near-heart attack; he sees the medallion with an eye at the center. It's a golden orb with a black outline shaped for the eye symbol. 

Bright Light hovers the artifact directly at Thorax's eyesight. "I'm going to see your memories about the sleeper agent initiative; perhaps there's more in there than what you led on as a deceiver or a forgetter." 

Princess Celestia and Luna know this is wrong; however, for the safety of Equestria, especially when trying to become friends with Thorax, the Princesses authorize Bright Light to continue to gather vital information lost in Thorax's mind. It hurt the Princesses, but they hoped for another opportunity to settle and become friends with Thorax; right now, it's imperative to hear specific details within Thorax's memories from other Changelings, possibly discussing before he left or got informed to be the opposite of himself as a distraction to let his kin enter Equestrian soil without notice. 

"No, I don't consent to this!" Thorax closes his eyes, feeling dreadful when he thinks the Princesses wanted to befriend him, not use him to find evidence of Queen Chrysalis and her being the sole purpose for the discussion. "Discord, Discord, Discord, Discord! DISCORD!" Thorax tries to grab his attention; he wants out of this situation. "DISCORD!" 

The walls in the map room explode with Discord coming in, glaring at the Princesses and Bright Light; he's disgusted, judging from Thorax's body language and recognizing the relics used for interrogation purposes. 

"Discord!" Princess Celestia and Luna wonder if Discord issued Thorax to call him for emergencies; Bright Light stares at the Draqonecuus, showing no emotion since he was at work doing his business as Lead Investigator. 

"We're going home," Discord snaps his eagle's talon, teleporting Thorax onto his back as he clutches dearly from nearly getting violated or torn to shreds by anything they may find incriminating in his mind. "NOW!" The irate Draqonecuus made the Princesses feel ashamed for their actions, which spiraled out of control; what was supposed to be a peaceful conversation turned into an intense interrogation. 

During the time Thorax had spoken with the Princesses, Spike told story after story about his training to become a Dragon since his mentality was more Pony than anything else; he also mentioned to everypony how pivotal eating meat is for Dragons and how little value eating greens are. Everyone around, except for Dragons, was unnerved about the idea of cooking different meats for Dragons since they're mainly vegetarians. Applejack and Fluttershy feel the need to protect their animals from hungry Dragons whenever they come for another visit. 

"So, what changes have you made for every Dragon else in the Dragon Lands, Spike?" Twilight asks, having her paper and quill to jot more notes when more of them arrive in Ponyville soon. 

"Well, I taught everyone the lessons you've learned about Friendship thoroughly with the help from Discord; also, there's another reason for the resentment of Ponies, which I won't get into until the time is right, which won't be for a few years, giving everyone space to release all of their emotions due to some being stubborn," Spike answers, it made Twilight smile in delight about her Friendship lessons getting taught to every Dragon back home, which gives her an intriguing idea of someday, opening a School of Friendship to teach every creature far and wide about the concepts of Friendship.   

At first, Twilight was against Spike becoming Dragon Lord, and her thoughts of him made her blind to the true purpose of Spike's reign; now, she's proud of Spike for teaching the Friendship lessons she learned throughout her span in Ponyville. Spike is a true testament that Friendship can be spread far and wide, especially with many Dragons interacting with everypony in Ponyville, laughing, sharing, singing, and dancing. Spike and Twilight appreciate the momentous achievement of their sovereignty; they hug each other since it's been long overdue before the Gauntlet of Fire. 

"Anything else you've been doing as Dragon Lord, Spike?" Pinkie asks after giving every Dragon her specialty cupcake surprise. 

"Searching for my birth parents, even with my Bloodstone Scepter, I am unable to locate my mother or father. No one has seen or heard from them throughout the Dragon Lands," Spike sadly sighs. 

Discord makes a quick appearance. "None of these Dragons from Dragon Town recalled having a purple egg with polka dots on them; I asked a bunch, and they confirmed their descriptions of their broods." 

"Maybe your birth mom resides in Equestria or other countries in Equus!" Rainbow says, hoping to bring energy to Spike's spirit. 

"Yeah, and whenever we're on Friendship Quests, we can do some sightseeing to uncover clues to your birth parent's whereabouts," Pinkie chimes in, uplifting Spike's mood by being her cheerful self. 

"We will contact you right away once we discover a cave of theirs, Spike," Twilight promises Spike, not as a Princess towards a King, but as good friends would. 

"I'll have my animal friends scour far and wide to help unveil the mysteries of your missing parents, Spike," Fluttershy said, hoping Spike would feel better with his cause. 

"I'll have mah apple kin search far 'n wide whenever they're doin' business, Spike," Applejack reassures Spike to finding his family and reuniting them after all these years apart. 

"Thanks, girls," Spike smiles at his friends and wishes Rarity would drop her jealous act since she had more chances to accept his love. He loves Ember and had hoped Rarity would accept the reality of the love life situation. 

"So, thought of bringing a bit of Equestria to the Dragon Lands, Spike?" Twilight asks since it would help revolutionize the culture in the Dragon Lands. 

"One of my first few thoughts, but Dragons in Dragon Lands don't need it. We're fine with what we got, plus we don't need a money-based system, taxes, and jobs as Equestria functions. What I say, that's the law Dragons must heed," Spike replies, finding Equestria's lifestyle redundant for the Dragons, considering Discord's involvement with everyday life for every Dragon. 

"So, if I were Dragon Lord and declared a never-ending party. Then it'll continue until I say stop?" Pinkie asks out of curiosity since Spike mentioned an official decree that Dragon Lords could permit upon the populous. 

"Yeah," Spike nods. "If you were a Dragon and Dragon Lord, what you say follows exactly like the game: Follow the Leader." 

"So, is there a possibility that we can visit the Dragon Lands since we're befriending every Dragon here?" Twilight asks, hoping to spend time with Spike once a week since she's busy elevating herself, learning more about being a Princess, tutoring Starlight Glimmer, embarking on Friendship Quests, and spending time or helping her friends. 

Spike would prefer to say yes; however, with how other Dragons still feel about the Pony Princess who took their eggs, the timing for visitations would be complicated and spark many disputes even after the return of the missing Dragons. Rather than forcing with his decree, he wants things to heal naturally, to allow a new era of love and peace for Dragons and Ponies. 

Spike exhales deeply after pondering what to say to Twilight and hoping she doesn't flip out. "Yes," Spike still says what he's thinking. "However -" 

"What do you mean, however, Spike?" Twilight interrupts Spike's explanation. "Why can't we visit you and the others right away?" 

"Truth be told, Twilight," Spike sighs again. "Many Dragons, stubborn as Tartarus, refuse to allow their egos stand aside. Others still resent Equestrian Ponies after getting the trademark as monsters among the world, and they feel hurt by -" Spike was about to explain to Twilight the hidden dark truth when they see Discord spazzing out of control. 

"Discord?" Fluttershy watches her best friend twitch and fly instantly toward the Castle of Friendship. 

"Ember!" Spike hollers for his lover while he runs up to her. Just by calling her name, she sees Discord taking off and determining something has gone wrong with Thorax and the Princesses. "Follow the Draqonecuus!" 

Ember grabs Spike's claw, places him on her back, and takes off, chasing Discord. Garble, Smolder, and the other teenage Dragons follow pursuit with the worries of their friend Thorax on their minds. 

Twilight and Rainbow Dash zooms after the Dragons flying to the Castle of Friendship while everyone else remains. 

Discord barges the castle's doors and storms into the map room after hearing Thorax frantically calling his name mentally before screaming his name. He bursts through the walls, taking Thorax away from Princess Celestia, Luna, and Bright Light. He's livid about the possible heartache after analyzing the relics on the table used during their discussion, making Discord more furious about the probable questions regarding Queen Chrysalis' motives for the Dragon Egg raiding. 

"Discord, this isn't what it looks like," Bright Light speaks before the Princesses and notices an extensive crowd behind the Draqonecuus. "I'm out!" He uses his medallion to teleport himself from a backlash with his relics to observe more evidence when Thorax mentioned the sleeper agents and his possible hesitation when he addressed Queen Chrysalis as his Queen. 

"Coward." Both Princesses thought after Bright Light bailed, leaving the duo to explain the aftermath. 

Spike and Ember notice the fearful expression written on Thorax's faces; watching him cower and tearful made them not angry but disappointed with the Princess of the Sun and Moon. Twilight swoops in and detects the shame and remorse written on Princess Celestia and Luna's faces; what was supposed to be a joyous celebration of unity and fellowship turned into yesterday's news with Thorax. 

"What happened in my castle?" Princess Twilight Sparkle questions the Princesses about the turn of events that went unseen by many. 

"Thorax, we're sorry about how we approached the situation," Princess Luna calmly and sincerely expresses since she put him wrongfully than Bright Light after hearing an urgent statement about the Sleeper Agents initiative. 

Thorax clutches onto Discord, wishing to be home rather than suffer another interrogation; it somehow mirrored the intense meeting with Queen Chrysalis about his failures as a Changeling in the Hive. 

"What happened? I asked you about proffering a token of Friendship to the first Changeling setting hoof in Ponyville with love and kindness, not flipping the switch because of his appearance! Look at him! He's upset, full of fear, and you've allowed history to repeat itself!" Twilight may not know all the details regarding Thorax's position, but his emotional state proves otherwise in his dismay. 

"Twilight, there's something that -" Princess Celestia gets cut off by Twilight for the first time; she sees a responsible Princess in her, defending and standing in front of Discord in regards to defending Thorax, panting angrily at his gloom since Discord basically knocked down the walls to retrieve him. 

"I don't want to hear excuses, Princess Celestia, or you, Luna! I invited you to come as Princess of Friendship to demonstrate fellowship from one Princess to a visiting creature, which most of us are still afraid of! This opportunity illustrates that we will not be judgemental because of another species due to our ancestry displaying hatred among the three tribes and turning the hate onto a different species out of spite. I invited you to create a new memory. A bonding memory as an atonement due to yesterday's affair! Spike didn't permit you to interrogate Thorax when you wanted to use my castle for your discussion. Spike trusted you! I trusted you, and now you've turned this into a chaotic nightmare! No offense, Discord!" 

"Psst, none taken," Discord rolls his eyes while listening to Twilight's rant. 

"As Princess of Friendship, I hereby command you to leave the premises of my castle and return to Canterlot!" Princess Twilight Sparkle uses her royal tone to make her directive evident. 

"Our sincere apologies, Princess Twilight," Princess Celestia and Luna bow respectively to Princess Twilight Sparkle's order. Princess Celestia is impressed with Twilight's assertiveness and maturity with her entitlement as Princess, which would mean she's another step closer to ruling all of Equestria when she retires soon. 

"We're sorry for the turn of events, Thorax. Please forgive us someday and allow us to atone for our misdeed," Princess Luna apologizes on behalf of her and Celestia since her emotion sparked the interrogation than a simple private discussion regarding Queen Chrysalis and the Dragon Egg raiding. There was a time and place to discuss, and they chose wrong. 

Thorax knows they had every right to ask about Queen Chrysalis' methods, invasion plans, and other operations that would hinder Equestria's survival; however, he didn't want that topic. Last night, he explained to Dragon Lord Spike and Discord about the Dragon Egg raiding, but he doesn't recall any information. All he knows is a deal has been made on that specific date. As to whom it may be, it's inconclusive even if they enter his mind to uncover the memory. Princess Celestia and Luna leave the Castle of Friendship, taking flight to Canterlot with much on their minds and Bright Light's information about Thorax's emotional state, whether it's authentic or falsified.

Twilight turns to Spike after gazing at Discord's reaction to her rant and statements. "Are you staying with us or -" 

Spike frowns and wants to cheer his friend from the trauma he endured. "I think we'll get going, Twilight," Spike hops off Ember's back and approaches Twilight, placing his right claw on Twilight's forehead. Using the magic within the Bloodstone Scepter, Spike has transferred vital information about the possibility of Thorax's circumstance. 

"What did you do, Spike?" Twilight steps back after feeling a shock pulsing in her body. Her memories get swirled into madness with information she never knew of. 

"I'm entrusting you with the information about Thorax's situation and something pivotal for us Dragons. Please, don't tell the others and keep this to yourself." 

Twilight closes her eyes and concentrates on the memory of Spike speaking with Ember about the Dragon Egg raids, why Dragons despise Equestrian Ponies, and the Princess who stole and decimated many of them. She pants and falls back, now knowing why many Dragons don't want Equestrian Ponies on their lands and would want to harm them more. 

"Can everyone leave except Spike? There is something I want to address with him privately," Twilight asks everyone in the room to leave. 

"Every Dragon, leave the castle and wait for me outside. No peeking and no eavesdropping," Spike commands, and instantly, Discord teleports everyone out of the castle. 

Twilight and Spike walk together, sitting on their thrones in the room, being together in silence to allow their thoughts to come together. After ten minutes of silence, the two take a deep breath, almost reading each other's movements to discuss. 

"Do you honestly believe Princess Cadance would do such a heinous crime?" Twilight doesn't want to believe her Sister-in-law would scheme horrifically. 

"I'm fifty-fifty about it, Twilight. It's either Queen Chrysalis to ignite a war between Dragons and Equestrian Ponies or Princess Cadance to help Celestia with the school due to her busy schedule. The Dragons who testified remembered in full detail about the Princess adorning armor, concealing her identity while bringing a brigade of Royal Guards to seize Dragon Eggs." 

Twilight frowns and sadly sighs. "In due time, I'll ask Princess Cadance about any regrets she made as an excuse to say I want to better myself as a future ruler." 

"Do not mention -" Twilight interrupts Spike's speech. 

"My vow to you as one sovereign ruler to another, I will keep the information hidden from our friends. We don't need another dispute regarding unity in Friendship. We failed Thorax back-to-back days, and that already made us Equestrian Ponies look worse." 

"Thank you," Spike gets hovered by Twilight's magic. They both hug each other. 

"I miss you so much, and you've made me proud, Spike. I may not be your biological mother; however, I raised you the best I can, and I want to say sorry for the years I've done wrong with you. You've been the best thing that has ever happened in my life," Twilight smiles widely. "My first true friend and my son," She gets teary. "If you ever need me, don't hesitate, and I'll come for you. I'll drop anything to be with you, my son." 

Spike tears up in happiness. "Thank you -" Spike remembers his youthful days in Canterlot, looking up to Twilight as his mother, his first word during her time at Celestia's school. "Mommy." 

The love between Spike and Twilight gets reignited in that moment, not as friends but as family. Spike forgot about his actual family with Twilight's family with the mindset of being alone, but this moment reawakened Spike's perception about who his family is. He'll continue to search for his biological mother and father, but he will never forget about those who cherished him when he was growing up. 

After the embrace, Twilight and Spike leave the map room and stroll down the corridors to the front doors. 

"What would you do now, Twilight?" Spike asks while preparing his mind to address the situation with Thorax back in the Dragon Lands. 

"I'll have my private talk with the Princesses, lecture them about expressing Friendship rather than hostility, even if that wasn't their intention. They disregarded my one request, so they need to learn about the importance of fellowshipping." 

"I agree with that statement. Everyone needs a painful lesson amid the presence of other species visiting," Spike replies to Twilight's plan. "As for me, explaining to Throax about the purposes of the Princesses' method before it escalated into something horrific while mentioning the kindness of Princess Celestia and Luna. I'm sure he would want to focus on other things to remove the image from what transpired." 

Twilight opens the door. "I'll see you soon, Spike." 

"That you will," Spike leaves the castle and is in awe by everypony befriending Thorax with the aid of Zecora, who explains similar treatment when she first arrived in Ponyville. Twilight is amazed at everypony in Ponyville, except Rarity, opening up to Thorax and becoming friends with a Changeling for the first time. 

The Cutie Mark Crusaders induct Thorax as an honorary member, giving him the cape to wear proudly. Pinkie Pie baked cupcakes for him to try and added love to the recipe; Thorax ate and complimented the sugary treat and felt the love within the pastry. He wears the cape, smiling at the kind gesture from the CMC. Mayor Mare validates Thorax as a member of Ponyville after hearing the opposite world of Equestrian Ponies' lifestyle, decreeing him as the first Changeling to become a resident if he chooses to reside in Ponyville. Thorax thanked her but informed Mayor Mare about his residency in the Dragon Lands, but would visit when he felt like it. 

The Dragons wondered why the Princesses probably showed hostility toward Thorax and believed they were out of character for some reason. An energy flow seems odd, but they don't know why or how to describe the sentiment. Mina hopes the Princesses didn't get possessed by an unknown entity or whatever that drove them into creating trauma on Thorax. 

"So, what's happening?" Twilight asks first before Spike can, and all eyes turn to them. 

"While you and Spike were having an intense discussion, we wanted to enlighten Thorax's mood," Rainbow states, hovering next to Discord and Thorax. 

"Yeah! He was gloomy, and we wanted to bring happiness to him!" Pinkie hops towards her friends. "Here you go, Spike!" Pinkie Pie had already prepared a gemstone cupcake similar to the Sapphire birthday cupcake the Cake family prepared for him. 

"Thanks, Pinkie!" Spike munches on the delicacy. "Delicious!" Spike gives his half to Ember for her to try. 

"Thanks," Ember looks at it thoroughly before tasting a nibble. Then, it went into devouring the cupcake after tasting the flavor. "Wow, that was good!" 

"Thorax, you want to stay and celebrate more, or are you ready to leave?" Spike asks his friend, still concerned about the fallout between the Princesses and him. 

"I'm ready to go home. I want to return and experience a better day with all of my new friends I made as you spoke with Twilight," Thorax replies with the promise of visiting Ponyville, which makes Twilight hopeful for redemption with Princess Celestia, Luna, and Thorax. 

"Very well, Thorax," Spike turns to Twilight. "I bid you adieu, Twilight. Until next time," He smiles and climbs on Ember's back. 

"Another word you learned from your calendar?" Twilight smirks at her son. 

"Yeah," Spike nods. "Discord, open the portal to the Dragon Lands! It's time for every Dragon to reconnect with the rest of their broods!" 

"Right away, Dragon Lord Spike!" Discord tears the fabric of reality to open the passageway to the volcanic of Dragon Lands. "Let's fly!" He flies first into the portal, announcing the incoming wave of returning Dragons that were lost. Everyone flies into the portal before one of Discord's clones zippers the tear and fixes reality for Ponyville. 

"See you soon, my son," Twilight smiles and watches Spike return to his native land; she can't wait to read his messages and see him again.
> It Has Begun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia and Luna return to Canterlot after a discussion with Thorax about Queen Chrysalis and the Dragon Egg raiding that happened years ago; the importance of the mysterious Princess overcame their sense of direction since Thorax is the only Changeling stepping into Equestrian borders without discrimination. They succeeded in bringing the missing Dragons and had hoped, with the permission of Dragon Lord Spike, to seek redemption and befriend Thorax under better circumstances. Now, they'll confront Bright Light, understand his findings, and determine or scold him for fleeing without an explanation to Princess Twilight Sparkle. 

During the flight, Princess Celestia thought about Twilight Sparkle and her ascension to becoming a rightful ruler of Equestria when she retires; Twilight's maturity in handling the situation when everything fell off the grid and Discord's warning about being mindful of those closest to you; neglecting them may ascend them to darkness. She thought about Twilight looming in the darkness because of her emotions about Spike being the Dragon Lord since she knew no other that could end up succumbing there. 

Princess Celestia and Luna decide to visit Bright Light, knowing he's inputting the information gathered from the relics to determine Thorax's emotional state and status to determine whether he's truthful or deceitful. The Princesses enter the Lunar Guard District Justice Department building, trotting to the upper floors of Canterlot's Magistry Laboratory, where Bright Light's office room is. 

"You think he found anything useful with Thorax's hesitations, Celestia?" Princess Luna turns to her sister while hoping Thorax's claims about not knowing are more truthful than Bright Light's theory of Thorax being a scapegoat and used as a distraction for Queen Chrysalis to exploit for her advantage. 

"I'm not sure," Princess Celestia is insecure with the anger from her friends displayed a while ago and wishes the conversation didn't turn into an interrogation; she rued inviting Bright Light for the discussion, which took a wrongful turn. 

Princess Celestia and Luna sigh, then enter the room and find it smeared and coated in an emerald green goo with burnt markings on many relics, scrolls, and books. They gasped and looked up, noticing something stuck in the ceiling, which made both Princesses freeze in horror upon close examination. 

Many workers and guards trapped within the semi-transparent emerald-green pods; some are unconscious, and others look like their color and love have gotten depleted. Princess Luna's jaw hangs loosely with the possibility of stumbling into some of her workers' fate; she's mesmerized by the appalling fact that they're already dead. Princess Celestia gets sudden flashbacks of her cocooning several years ago at the wedding with the unfeeling state of being trapped when Queen Chrysalis overwhelmed her. 

Princess Celestia and Luna fly up and release everypony from their cocoons, lowering them softly and determining who's alive and who's deceased. After a few moments of calculation, Princess Celestia confirms ten Royal Guards are deceased, and seven workers are barely alive. 

Princess Luna discovered the relics used during the interrogation of Thorax are missing and theorizes that the actual Bright Light was captive since they found his body encased in emerald-green goop. 

"Changelings..," Princess Celestia couldn't believe Bright Light was a Changeling during the conference and probably used their fear of Queen Chrysalis as motivation to overwhelm Thorax from a peaceful discussion about finding answers into swerving Queen Chrysalis' invasion plans.., or.., was it something else they original had thought? "Ugh..," Princess Celestia groans with a migraine happening instantly. 

Princess Luna feels a sharp pain in her head, having an eerie similar feeling to her sister's symptoms. "What's happening?" 

Bright Light wakes up weakly; he sees the creatures behind the Princesses. "Behind -" He passes out after a Changeling absorbs his energy and love. 

The Princesses turned and got ambushed by a swarm of Changelings imposing as Royal Guards and workers. As mighty as they are, battling wave after wave of many swarms of Changelings that took over the building, Queen Chrysalis reveals herself as an imprisoned worker, absorbing the magic of Princess Celestia and Luna from behind, allowing her Changelings to encase and trap them as their prisoners. 

Queen Chrysalis laughs triumphantly, licking her lips after devouring the Alicorns' magic, increasing her potency even more than she absorbed Shining Armor's magic. 

"H-How..?" Princess Celestia and Luna glared at Queen Chrysalis with many thoughts about her invasion coming sooner than they thought. 

"My secretive field operative made it clearer for us to infiltrate Canterlot, and Thorax is quite resourceful for the Hive, allowing everyone to lower their guards today; it seems everyone in Ponyville is opening up to Thorax, and they made him an official member of their society. Quite amusing, wouldn't you say?" 

"How did you know that?" Princess Luna asks while watching herself getting enveloped in the emerald-greenish goo. 

"I've sent one of my Changelings to attend another wedding in Ponyville sometime ago; then he disguised as commoner blue Earth Pony called Noteworthy after taking his place in Ponyville. He alerted me twenty minutes ago about everypony opening up after a Zebra confessed a similar experience about being different." 

Princess Celestia and Luna remember the wedding between the two Mules and vaguely recall the fillies and colts cowering away from a Changeling in attendance. Panic filters their minds with Queen Chrysalis covering their Alicorn horns in the green goop, negating any usage of their magic power to call for help. 

"You won't get away with this!" Princess Celestia knows the downfall of Queen Chrysalis' rise will come sooner than she would anticipate; she knows Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends will overcome another obstacle Equestria is enduring. 

"Got anything original?" Queen Chrysalis grows bored of those using an old cliché from distressed captives. 

"You will rue the day you messed with Dragons!" Princess Luna has decided to deem Queen Chrysalis the mysterious Princess who stole the Dragon Eggs. 

"They're next on my agenda with the Pony-Dragon King instilling love and unity in the Dragon Lands, and their love will taste delicious, ripe for the taking! Just as planned!" Queen Chrysalis announces, knowing no one in Equestria would contact Dragon Lord Spike about the Changelings' invasion since Thorax would reside in the Dragon Lands, continuing building their love and unity for his kin to arrive. 

"Planned?!" Princess Celestia and Luna start to panic with more probabilities of Queen Chrysalis' involvement with the Dragon Egg raidings. 

"ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH THE DRAGON EGG RAIDINGS, QUEEN CHRYSALIS?!" Princess Luna demands the Bug Queen of her intention. 

"Hmm, that does ring a bell; however, I'll get back to you when I remember," Queen Chrysalis vaguely remembers her past operations for infiltration since the defeat from the Canterlot Wedding continues to plague her mind persistently, removing the thoughts of the previous goals she'd achieved. "During the night, take them to the Hive!" She commands her Changelings to remove every witness that would alarm Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends of the hostile takeover. "I need to channel more power and love from these Ponies and use the Alicorn Amulet to activate the Staff of Sacanas." 

The Staff of Sacanas has the power to control the weather, but Queen Chrysalis needs to use the staff to possess the sun and moon, making it seem that Princess Celestia and Luna are not neglecting their duties to raise the sun and moon.

She then disguises herself as Princess Celestia, commanding one of her Changelings to impose as Raven Inkwell to follow her routines in the castle, despite knowing how futile, meaningless, and redundant Princess Celestia negotiates her affairs with Royals and Nobles. She would then swarm those foolish ponies and consume their love and power for her Changelings to camouflage themselves as residents of Equestria. 

"In due time, Equestria will be all mine!" Queen Chrysalis laughs in triumph at the probability of winning and succeeding in her goal to feed her Changelings and dominate everypony.
> Possible Theory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dragon Lord Spike watches the happiness and love develop with the Dragons arriving in the Dragon Lands; many of them smell the scent of their missing broods and reconnect with the lost children of the raid years ago. Thorax feels the love and energy emerging from the many families that suffered greatly and hisses due to his nature as a Changeling, which doesn't bother the Dragons since they understand Changelings' habits. 

Garble and Smolder bring Mina to their cave and introduce her to her mother. Chad becomes awestruck after having many visions of his long-lost sister in his native homeland, which is now a reality for him and Maar. Many other Dragons cry in happiness and ask Dragon Lord Spike and Discord to create a celebration of unity, love, and family. 

For Discord, it didn't take long to conjure his clones and create an exciting, thrilling party for everyone to partake in and commemorate the new era of peace and strength. Teenage Dragons helped everyone get accustomed to the Dragon Land hobbies and the Lord of Chaos with his unpredictabilities in magic and how fun the Draqonecuus can be. 

Many clones of Discord had arranged the buffet table, a concession stand for the latest comics and issues many Dragons of Dragon Town loved reading, a lava pool for swimming and cannon balls, cotton candy clouds that rain gemstones and livestock for the Dragons to hunt and cook their food if they didn't want the buffet table, gorge surfing with many lava-rock surfboards available for either upward or downward lava flows. 

Mina, Chad, and every Dragon of Dragon Town become astonished by the many activities the Dragon Lands has to offer, and it's only the beginning; there's more in store for them with family activities and games Discord has thought for the trophy they'll compete in. 

Thorax feeds on the love the Dragons are willing to offer since he keeps on hissing from the powerful aroma of love filtering the presence and becomes satisfied, quoting he won't need to devour anymore for the time being.  

Dragon Lord Spike commands Princess Ember to drop him off at the cliff of his mountaintop; however, she insists on sitting with her partner and discussing the conference between him and Twilight. Spike complies with Ember's request, allowing Discord to take command during his absence.  

Ember flies to the mountaintop, where the lava flows down into a different lava pool; the duo sits by the edge, gazing at the sky together in solitude. 

Ember and Spike hold claws during the silence, with many thoughts clouding their minds about the fallout with the Princesses and Thorax while speaking with everyone else in Ponyville. 

During Spike and Ember's relationship, they haven't dated but trained and hung out with other Dragons and Discord, teaching the values of Friendship and being open-minded about welcoming new friends from different countries. Their alone time would last for an hour unless they're asleep in Discord's cabin, where their dreams intercept each other, having loads of fun and adventures, even when they're silly. 

"What did you and Twilight talk about when you and she asked us to leave a while ago?" Ember breaks the silence when her curiosity gets the better of her. 

Spike exhales and turns to his beloved. "For the longest, I've asked Luna and Celestia to keep our information about the Dragon Egg raidings hidden from Twilight and potentially Princess Cadance due to the possibility of Princess Cadance being the primal suspect as the mysterious Alicorn that led the brigade years ago, besides Queen Chrysalis since we'd already know more from Thorax's testimony. As for Twilight Sparkle, I didn't want her emotions to dictate a bargain of me surrendering my authority for information since she could plot out many loopholes and prepare for any outcome." 

Ember concurs with Spike's statement about Twilight Sparkle after remembering how emotional she was when Spike became the Dragon Lord and how controlling she tried to be when she commanded him to return home as a Princess. "I honestly don't believe Princess Cadance would cause devastation beyond imagination with her entitlement as the Princess of Love, considering her nature when she held onto Fluffy Hard -" Ember tries to remember the foal's name from yesterday's visit. 

Spike laughs at the name Ember botched. "It's Flurry Heart, Ember. Also, Queen Chrysalis may thought things through while misunderestimating her enemy's potency during every circumstance, which is why Cadance and Shining's love for each other blasted Chrysalis and the Changelings away. For Cadance to initiate an awful deed, she would have to -" Spike gasps and pauses with his thought, a terrorizing probable theory that would make sense if someone wanted to hide their dark truth to relieve themselves from the guilt. 

"Spike?" Ember reads his body language and determines the dread radiating from Spike's eyes with a jarring possible conclusion of Princess Cadance's motives. She's concerned about his thoughts since Spike is in a trance for the first time. 

Spike looks at the sky, wishing his mind didn't ponder the thought that would allow Princess Cadance to elude the misdeed she may have committed. "Since Princess Cadance became an Alicorn during Twilight's youth, it may be possible for her to erase the memory of her invasion to maintain her status as the Princess of Love to help Princess Celestia's busy schedule in Canterlot." 

Ember becomes aghast with the eerie possibility of Princess Cadance's crime if she initiates it; then another thought hits her. "The theory is equally shared with Queen Chrysalis since she's on par with many powerful Ponies in Equestria, and she may want to forget her mistakes to better herself from failure after failure." 

"Honestly, I hope it's Queen Chrysalis's operation to create a wedge between us and Equestria rather than Princess Cadance's reckless action to please Princess Celestia about responsibility or remove the guilt from her loving aspect." 

Spike leans his head on Ember's left side, feeling sadder about Princess Cadance's possible involvement with a cruel, hidden regret she had forgotten or refused to admit. He loves Cadance as his friend growing up and refuses to believe she would be an enemy of his kin with death and blood stained on her hooves and mind. Although Princess Celestia had mentioned the possibility in a letter she wrote weeks ago, the thought drifted from Spike's mind with the relentless pursuit of his biological parents and further development on teaching the values of Friendship among his kin. 

Ember holds Spike closely and doesn't say a word, knowing there's a time and place for encouragement and enlightenment speech; right now, the best medicine for Spike is company among loved ones. 

"Do you think it's possible that a different Starlight Glimmer from an alternate timeline may be the mysterious Alicorn to commence war with Dragons and Equestrian Ponies for revenge?" Ember asks with the thought suddenly popping into her mind.

Spike's jaw hangs loose after hearing the time travel concept for a probable cause used for vengeance; he remembers encountering Starlight Glimmer numerously with Twilight to prevent Starlight from deterring Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom. Each resulted in a failure that created distorted timelines filled with misery, dismay, and death. 

"A corrupted Starlight loose to end Friendship..," Spike couldn't utter anything else with his mind in disarray from Ember's theory since he exposed Starlight about messing with the timelines. Why didn't he think about it and time travel to disrupt the peace? "Ember.., that's an ingenious, brilliant possibility about the supposed mysterious Alicorn. I would have never thought of time travel." 

"Would it be possible for two of the same Ponies from alternate timelines to co-exist without knowing?" Ember asks Spike since he has a formidable knowledge of time travel from his experience. 

"I think so, though it was only briefly when Starlight showed us her youthful past. The concept of time travel is something I want to ask Discord privately," Spike replies with new questions appearing in his mind, hoping Discord can answer each one for better understanding to rule out Princess Cadance's involvement as a suspect. 

"Let's talk with Discord," The moment Ember mentions Discord's name - Discord appears behind the duo while holding onto two plates of gemstone cake slices. 

"What are you two doing up here? You're missing the food fight!" Discord points to two large crowds throwing meatballs shaped like snowballs at each other for a bragging rights trophy; one side is native to Dragon Lands, and the other is Dragon Town, with many choosing different sides for fun. 

"Actually, Discord, there's something we must discuss," Spike said, although he preferred to participate in the thrill of catching the meatballs and dishing some back at the opposing team; he needed clarity about the concepts of time with a new suspect for the atrocity committed. 

Discord sets the two plates of gemstone cake slices aside and conjures a cotton candy cloud lounge chair to sit and hover in the air to speak with Spike and Ember since they're at a secluded place far from the meatball food fight. "What's on your mind?"