Return of a Friend

Mist clung low to the ground as the amethyst purple drake waded through the small river. Muck from the shores drifted over towards him, latching onto his exposed chest. Beneath the water he could feel the fish that populated the river swimming past his legs and occasionally brushing by them as if he wasn't even there.

Singing from some unknown source drifted in the air. Such sweet melodies could be heard as the singing rose and fell with the wind, with the current in the river. Overhead he could catch the faint glow of stars from the moonlight night. For a brief glimpse, he was able to see all of the stars before they were clouded over by the thickness of the mist.

"Spike..." The amethyst drake froze when his name being whispered was cradled in his ears. Opening his mouth, he went to shout back, but couldn't. His jaw was agape, but no sound came out. "Spike..." Again the drake jerked his head around, trying in vein to see where it was that the voice was coming from. "Stop thinking with your mind young Spike... Listen to your heart..."

Spike kept thrashing his head back and forth trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded familiar, too familiar, yet he was unable to put a name to it. "Spike..." A deeper masculine voice called out his name, but it sounded more like the voice was directly behind him. Whirling around, he was stunned to see his father, standing in the river with him. The muck began to latch onto the older drake's golden robes, but he paid it no mind. "Spike."

Since he was unable to speak, Spike simply bowed to his father, making sure not to dip his head into the murky water. "That is not needed son. A simple nod or hug would suffice." Spike did as his father asked, bringing him in for a hug. Just before their arms could touch however the older drake passed right through his son. "Seems you didn't listen." He chuckled. "Don't think, listen, feel. Only you can clear this mist around us, only you can hug me, but you must feel it, hear it, in here." The older drake tapped his breast, right over his heart.

Spike only nodded as he closed his eyes and tried to do as his father asked. For a few minutes he stood still. When his eyes opened, he was frustrated to find that the mist was still swirling around them, and that his father was still passing through him. "Take a deep breath, and try again." As the amethyst drake closed his eyes, his father said, "The first step is to clear your mind. Find someone that you truly love, and focus solely on them. Nothing else but them, just what they look like, what their scent is, how they act, their laughter, their heartbeat, just focus, and listen to what your heart says about them. Listen Spike..."

The mist that swirled around them began to lift off towards the sky, leaving behind in its wake the tree line that surrounded the river. A soft elegant turquoise glow was given off from the trees, while the grass glowed a faint glimmer of orange and the water glowed from the moss that lined the bottom of the river, a beautiful light sky blue. The leaves of the trees glowed a soft amber color, giving the area a warm, inviting feeling of safety, and home. "Rarity." Slowly, Spike opened his eyes to gaze upon the forest around him, laughing when he saw the light show that surrounded him. "This is beautiful."

The drake raised a hand to his lips. He could talk again. "Yes Spike, this forest is beautiful. Welcome to Xŷlan, the forest of light. This is where I live, along with a mutual friend that we seem to share."

From the corner of his eye, the younger drake caught the faint glitter of white glowing scales. Turning to look, he was surprised to see the most beautiful dragoness that he ever laid eyes on. Pure crystal white scales that seemed to hum with life in each one. Twin stripes of silver ran down her back, one on either side. Her snow white eyes stared back into his emerald green ones, and he could see how young she was, yet how much wisdom she held. She was garbed in a pair of silk shorts that fell down to halfway above her knees, and a simple cloth wrapped around her breast.

Spike could feel his heart starting to beat faster as she grew closer, but somewhere in his heart, he felt it begin to ache. It began to call out for Rarity, and for once, he listened. As he began to think about the mare whose hands held his heart, he began to berate himself for ever thinking anything about the dragoness striding over to them. Releasing the breath that he was unknowingly holding, he opened his eyes to look at the dragoness. He could not deny that she was beautiful, the most beautiful dragoness that he had even seen, but to him, Rarity was the most beautiful creature to have ever caught his eyes.

"Young Spike. A pleasure to meet you once more." Her voice was soft, loving, and made his mind began to wonder just how much better she would be than Rarity. Again he had to berate himself for thinking such thoughts. He watched as she climbed into the river with the two drakes. "You don't remember me Spike, but my name is Glitter, Glitter Summerwinds."

Memories from when he was in the hospital flashed back to him. She was in his dreams then, when he had talked with his father, when he had seen the statue of himself and Rarity. He remembered seeing her dressed up as one of the nurses to come check up on him while Rarity was in the shower one day, of how she had cast a spell on him to make him forget everything about her, until now. "I remember you. You were there when I was in the hospital."

"Yes, I was there. Both in your mind and in the room. I was there when you announced your love for Rarity on that beach, I was also there when Rarity defeated Thunderlane. Even when you killed Lightning Dust, I was there." She giggled. Upon seeing the drake's eyes go wide however, she whistled towards the tree line. Stepping out, was his mother, dressed up in the flowing white dress that she always wore for the Summer Sun celebration. "That we must discuss first, with the ruler of Equestria." Turning to look at the mare, the dragoness bowed low, letting her lips graze the cool water of the crystal clear river, "Lady Celestia."

Spike just stood still as she too waded into the river, a soft glow radiating off of her majestic form. "Spike, my son. Ryder called me after you left. He told me what he had seen, but said that you and Rarity would tell me the whole story."

"Yes mom. I... We will."

"Good." She looked towards the elder drake with a graceful smile, "Can you bring Rarity here too?" The elder drake nodded back with a sly grin. His eyes glowed a brilliant white as he searched out for Rarity's mind.

---

"Spike? Spike?" Rarity continued to shake the drake, tears falling from her eyes. She could see that she was still alive, evident by the rising and falling of his chest. For two hours she had been trying to wake him up. During the first hour she had heard several police cars pass by the Boutique, but none of them stopped.

"Spike. Please get up. Please..." She began to openly sob more as she continued to try and awake her lover. "Please..." A hiccup escaped her. "Spike!" Moisture clung to the sheets beneath him as she laid down over him, seemingly as though she was trying to protect him from the outside world. When she rose to her feet, she could not look anywhere but at the drake. Years of neglect, of pain, of suffering, of fighting, they were all meaningless. She knew Spike, and she knew that he was alive, but she was afraid that he was lost.

Crawling back into the bed, she buried her head into his chest. "Please Spike, I love you. I love you so much." Sobbing, she slipped out of her undergarments to lie naked next to her dragon. "Claim me if you wish. Just please don't leave me. I can't live without you. If you go, then take me with you. A life without you in it is a life that I don't want to live."

She pulled the sheets closer, wrapping them together as she continued to cry into his chest. "Take me with you..." Closing her eyes, she wrapped his arms around her. Feeling loved, wanted, needed, that was all she had ever asked for. When she finally found somepony who could return the love that she was giving out, could make her feel wanted, needed, and above all else, like she mattered to him, she was afraid of losing him.

---

The elder drake's eyes returned to their normal golden shade. A few tears escaped his eyes as he said, "She's coming. But I suggest that we all um, look away when she comes in. It is her first time coming here, so she will need a bit of help from her lover." Spike's face went a bright shade of red while both Celestia and Glitter giggled. "Spike, son." The amethyst drake turned to see his father smiling at him. "She loves you very much. You two are very lucky to have each other Spike. Never forget that, and don't mess it up. Your love is strong, your bond is strong, but that does not mean that everything will be alright."

"I know father. Fights between us are bound to happen, just as they did when we were just friends. But through those fights, we will be stronger. I don't care if she acts like I am the worst dragon in the world, even the most greediest, I could never leave her. She is my world, she is the only reason that I keep fighting, without her, I'm nothing..."

All four smiled, none aside from Glitter aware of the two sapphire eyes that was staring at them. "S-S-Spike-e..."

Never blinking, the amethyst drake allowed his gaze to fall to the silvery-white mare, who was hiding behind one of the turquoise glowing trees. Nodding to his father, mother, and Glitter, they all nodded back before turning around to face away from the drake and his mare. He motioned for her to come out, which she did so, hesitantly.

With each step that she took she was afraid that the three would turn around to look at her. That they would judge her for being in the nude. Not that she was afraid of them seeing her, even though she wanted only Spike to see her this way, she was more afraid of them saying something about it.

Unbeknownst to her, but the three were trying to stifle their laughter as the mare made her way into the cool water. A gasp escaped her as she felt the water engulf her whole being, the crystal liquid feeling cool, soothing, and strangely, comforting. It felt as though Spike was holding her close, and refusing to ever let her go.

Wading steadily through the water, she soon found herself wrapped up in the warm, loving arms of her dragon, and could not be happier. "Well, I thought that you wanted to get married before we went this far." He chuckled as she playfully swatted at his arm. "Love you Rarity."

"Love you too Spike." They shared a kiss.

"Rarity, I need you to concentrate. You need to imagine yourself in clothes, any kind that you want. But do so quickly, mom wants to talk to us about what happened last night." She nodded, a single tear falling from her eye into the river below. Neither one was aware of the sparkling light that emanated from the tear. The elder drake was, and it made him catch his breath for a brief moment. Glitter heard his sharp intake of breath, and when she concentrated, she did the same.

After Rarity was clothed in flowing silver robes made of the finest silk in Equestria, she leaned back against her dragon while his arms went around her stomach, playfully rubbing his fingers against the soft flesh, to which Rarity smiled. "Okay. You can turn around now."

The two dragons turned to look at the young couple, each one seemingly knowing something about the dropped tear, but afraid to say anything. With a lingering sigh, Celestia turned to face her son, a smile touching the corners of her lips as she watched the young couple. "Just like us." She muttered. "Tell me Spike, what did happen last night?"

"It was Thunderlane again."

"Again?"

Spike mentally face-palmed, suddenly remembering that he had only ever talked about Thunderlane with his father, never once with his mother. "Yes mom. For years a bully stallion by the name of Thunderlane has been making my life, and by extension, her life, a living hell." Celestia noticed that Spike pulled Rarity closer, as if he was shielding her from something, or someone. "That bastard has tried countless times to rape Rarity. It was him that put me in the hospital weeks ago. He almost killed me last night mom. What happened, was an accident."

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened..."

---

After what seemed like two hours of retelling what had happened the night before, and the countless times that he had tried to rape Rarity over the years, Spike was finally silenced by Rarity crying into his chest as the memories of torment came washing over them both like a tidal flood. Her tears made his own fall, making him wrap his wings around her in comfort. Spike's father placed his own wings around them in comfort.

Glitter watched on in envy of what Spike had. A lover, somepony to come home to at the end of the day. Though she was always told that she would never be allowed to love, Glitter still wanted to feel what it was like, even if only for a moment in eternal bliss.

Princess Celestia sat on the edge of the river's embankment, processing what her son had said along with analyzing Equestrian law. By all rights her son was innocent, but would the courts rule in his favor though. With Ryder and Rainbow Dash being the only testament as to what really happened verses more eye witness claiming that Spike was a monster, it was not in his favor. The courts themselves hated dragons just as much as any pony. Even if she were to claim Spike as her son, it would only cause problems for her rule, and for his eventual rule.

"There must be a way to fight in his favor without looking like I am..." Celestia was too lost in thought to notice when Glitter had taken a seat beside of her. Being as silent as a black cat in the bitter darkness of night, the crystal dragoness nudged the princess in the side. "Huh?"

"Anything I can do to help Princess?"

"Not unless you are a good lawyer. Spike's going to need one, a damn good one at that. I can afford the best, but it will look a little shady if he can get the best, especially since it has to be a pony."

"Who ever said that it had to be a pony? Not you. I know you Princess, and I know that your courts are open to all who are in the practice. Allow me to take a shot at it. In the morning I can arrive at the court and claim to be his attorney, then we can go from there. Nothing shady about that, I just need a crash course in being a lawyer and your law."

"Well, I suppose we could do that, but there is still the matter that this will go to my highest court. Canterlot Courts are run by ponies who hate dragons, hence that is literally their domain."

"No your highness. It is yours. You know your law better than anypony else, you know what you have set forth. You love all of your subjects, dragons as well as ponies. Let us have a fighting chance. Make sure that the courts are fair, and punish them if they are not."

"I-I can't Glitter. They'll turn on me, and life is already hard for me being away from my son, that will just complicate things."

"It can, or it can make you seem more of a leader, a true ruler who favors neither ponies nor dragons separate, but together. You will be seen as a ruler who looks after all under her, no matter who they may be." Celestia's late husband sat beside of his wife, taking one of her hands into both of his. "Listen to him if you don't believe me."

Celestia looked towards the drake seeking an answer as to what she should do, but none came. Instead, he looked up towards the clear night sky. "They are beautiful, aren't they." Celestia looked up. "If you wished it, I would pluck one out of the sky for you, but not now. Now is the time that I ask you to pluck one for me. Tia, my dear sweet Tia, you know I love you with all of who I am, but now must be the time that I ask you to set aside your fears, to set aside your worries, and just follow me. If you get scared, if you need to seek guidance, I am always here for you. Don't let down our son, your subjects, his friends by showing that you want to keep everypony happy. You and I both know that you can't do that."

"It's true Princess. Whenever I see you, I feel like laying my life down to protect you. Though your husband was slain by a dragon, you still love them. You know that they are not all evil, that they are not all greedy like his father." She pointed to her husband. "That will never be forgotten, but we have looked past it, all of us. We can't change what once was, but we can always change what will be. Nothing is set in stone."

"Think about it this way Tia. If the courts win against Spike, then what? You think it will stop there? If a dragon is caught anywhere near a crime they will be blamed and put in jail, or worse, executed. You know that it won't stop with Spike, unless you enforce your law, your will. You told the world that you were still allowing dragons to live among ponies, tensions have been high, and this is just the push you need to deter them. You won't look in favor of the dragons, but you won't look in favor of the ponies either. It will be divided equal, if you will. Tia, do this, for me if not for our son."

"I-I-I'll try."

"No, don't say that. If you say that you'll try, your are setting yourself up for failure. What I need you to do is promise me that you will. I know you can Tia. You have to."

When he pulled her head down so that he could look into her eyes, he had to hold back tears. Water was already leaking from the corners of her own, but it was out of a mixture of worry, fear, and love for her drake. "I promise Nuyendár."

Nothing else was said as the drake pulled Celestia closer, their lips coming together in a kiss. Glitter made herself scarce by making her way back over to the younger couple. Both were calmed down by now with Spike slowly stroking a talon down Rarity's back as she placed kisses on his cheeks. Every now and again the drake would slip a hand from the water to let some water cascade down the mare's back. She giggled at the soothing feeling it gave her. The crystal dragoness could not help but smile, even if she was a little envious. "Spike, Rarity, we need to talk about something."

Neither one moved, but just turned to look at the crystal dragoness. "Is it about tomorrow." She nodded. "Alright then."

"Spike, you know that they are going to arrest you for what happened. You will be blamed for the death of Lightning Dust, you will be accused of being a monster, and you will be tried, found guilty, and probably killed." Spike said nothing, just lowered his head. "But, there is a different way. You will be arrested, but you are also given one phone call. With that call say that you are calling your attorney, me. Instead you will be calling Rarity's home, which is where I will be tomorrow morning. After we arrive, I will fight for you in the court of law. Celestia has already promised your father that she would not let the courts have an unfair trial."

"That sounds like mom. Always promising things to father. When she does, she is a mare of her word."

"That's what I am counting on. Now, because we are dragons, we are going to be having a lot the jury against us, as well as the judge. Not that it is going to stop us, but it will be much harder to prove your innocence. With Rarity's testament, I could prove to the courts that Thunderlane has tried on numerous accounts to rape her, that will at least open us up and get our foothold in."

"When are they coming for me?"

"Soon Spike. Here is where we must depart I am afraid. I will be seeing you tomorrow Spike. Sleep well, if you can, and don't forget to call. Though I doubt that they will let you."

"Yes they will. Shining Armor will have heard of this and will be my personal guard."

"If that is true, then I will be sure to have Rarity answer it. Goodbye for now Spike. We will meet again soon." Spike closed his eyes as he felt the beauty of their forest slip away. As he returned to his body, all he could feel was like he had hit a brick wall with full force.

---

Spike groggily opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling above him. Water clung to the stone. Against the far wall of his cell was a drawing of flowers done by a talon scraping against the wall. Probably from one of the previous occupants. From somewhere further down he could hear an eerie moaning coming from one of the other cells. "Shut up you! Quite your whining!" A younger dragon was locked up in the cell, his face showed that he was barely older than ten, and he was crying for his mother.

Hatred for the pony guard welled up inside of Spike. All he wanted to do was give the guard a beating, but he knew that it would do no good. Sighing in defeat, he punched the cell bars above his head before lying on his side, remembering the day before.

Two police ponies burst into the room, seeing Rarity disrobed and Spike only wearing his undergarments. Assuming that he was trying to rape her, they tied his hands together before they proceeded to beat him with their night sticks. When Rarity tried to stop them, the bigger one had said, "Ma'am. Don't worry, his mind control spell will wear off momentary, once we beat him enough to release his grip on you." They continued their assault until Spike was barely able to breathe from the amount of times that he was struck in the chest.

Afterwords he was hauled downstairs where seven more officers were waiting, they threw him into the back of a police van, and took off.

When he awoke he found that he was already in the cell, and they refused his one phone call. When Twilight came by to see him, the guards claimed that Spike was controlling Twilight's mind and beat him some more. When the drake had started to cough up blood, the lavender alicorn left, not wanting her little brother to suffer anymore.

The amethyst drake clutched his ribs, feeling them shift beneath his fingers. "Damn pony guards." He muttered. He coughed.

"No noise. Or do you want to get beat some more, eh?" The pony guard's armor clanked heavily with each step that he took. It echoed down the hallowed halls, silence following each echo as it faded away.

"Screw you."

"What was that you filthy beast?" The guard gritted his teeth as he stared at the dragon. Said dragon's eyes were staring right back into the guard's.

Spike began to laugh as he shouted out, "Screw You!"

"That's it."

The guard opened the cell door and was about to lay into the dragon when Spike grasped the pony's wrist and twisted it behind his back, sliding out of the bed as he did so. Keeping a firm grasp on his wrist, the dragon threw the pony against the bars of the cell. His teeth were showing as he snarled at the guard. "Now, I am going to tell you once. Dragons do not use mind control, we can barely do the simplest of spells. And if I ever catch you abusing a young kid again, I will personally kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?"

"Screw you."

Spike tightened his grip, making the pony gasp. His sharp fangs parted with his snarling and it soon turned into a threatening growl right next to the guard's ears. "What was that?"

"I said crystal clear sir."

"Thank you. Now get out of my sight." Throwing the pony out of the cell, Spike watched as he stumbled over his footing before tripping and slamming into the floor. "Hope that hurt." When the pony began coughing, he just grinned. "It did." Nothing more was said as the guard left Spike alone. Silence fell in the halls. Every now and again a cough or the flapping of wings was heard, but not a single word was so much as uttered. All occupants knew that if they talked there was going to be hell to pay, thus their fear held their tongues.

It was not long before the silence was broken by the heavy thud of three armed guards making their way down the hallowed halls. Each clanks or chink of armor rang in the drake's head, just as he was sure it did with all of the occupants. Looking down the row of cells across from his, he could see that many of the younger ones hid in the dark corners of their cell, while the older ones just glared at them with hatred. Spike remained sitting on his bed, watching the guards as they drew closer.

One guard was tall, the leader, with thin shoulder width and very skinny. The other two were shorter and significantly built. Clearing his throat, the leader stepped forward to glare at the drake with malice, and hatred. "Sergeant Hoofstriker to escort you to the court house filth. Take a good long breath as we march in, for it will be your last. Murderer, rapest. You dragons disgust me. Bunch of coward bastards who can't fight worth a damn."

"Speak for yourself." Spike muttered.

"What was that prisoner?" Hatred was pouring out of the stallions ears.

"I was just wondering what sets the metal detectors in the court house off first, the lead in your flank, or the crap in your brains." He began to laugh wildly while the two buffer guards began to snicker to each other. Hoofstriker turned to glare at them, silencing them instantly. "Jeez, take a joke. I'm coming."

As Spike emerged from the cell, the lead guard went to strike at the drake. Quicker than a speeding arrow, the drake grasped the pony's throat firmly in his hand. The strength of the other two guards was not enough to pry the drake's hand loose from their commander's throat. When they reached for their sticks, the drake simply said, "I wouldn't do that." Spike stared intently into the stallions eyes, showing that he was not angry, but just determined. "You hit me again, and I'll make sure that your own wife won't recognize you, got it?" The guard nodded as best he could. "Good." Spike released his grip.

Hoofstriker rubbed his throat as they emerged from the prison block to stand in the center of Canterlot. Sunlight pierced the drake's eyes, making him squint. Fresh clean air was being blown through town on the back of a gentle breeze. Birds chirped as they chased one another across the water laden ground. It smelled of fresh rainfall, yet no clouds could be seen.

Across from them was the royal Canterlot Courthouse. It was there that all major crimes were dealt with, most involving the case of execution or a life sentence to prison. If he was going there, the penalty of failure was steep. The building itself was beautifully crafted out of brick and covered with a fine glossy paint of gold. Two giant marble pillars stood in front of the building, holding up a balcony on the second floor. Winding around the pillars were the carvings of ancient alicorns, both of power and of royalty. Two banners hung beside of the giant open doors, one of Princess Celestia, the other of Princess Luna.

Gulping, the drake lost his attitude of confidence as they began to ascend the steps to the massive building. As the doorway grew closer and closer, he could feel his heart beating faster, he could feel his breath coming in sharply, and sweat began to drip from his brow. He stumbled on his footing as they took the final step forward, passing the threshold of no return. Knowing that he was about to be before his mother, a jury, a full court, and possibly his best friends, made his sick to his stomach. He felt as if he was going to vomit, but he held it in. He knew that he needed to be strong, especially if Rarity was in the courtroom.

Taking a deep breath, he remembered what Glitter had said to him the day before. "We have a fighting chance." He mumbled. Thankfully nopony else heard him nor questioned him. They were too focused on the hallway ahead, taking the third door on the right. Passing through a twin set of double doors, Spike was astounded at the size of the courtroom that they were in.

Sitting against the wall opposite of him was the judge's seat. Beside of the seat were two empty seats, each one with a microphone in front of it. To the right was a large section of seating where thirteen ponies sat, staring at the drake with the same malice and hatred as the guards. Two tables were set up before the judge's podium, behind one sat Glitter, behind the other a pony with silver fur, black suit, and one emerald green eye, the other ghostly white.

Behind of the judge's seat were two throne seats, one housing Princess Celestia, the other Princess Luna. Across from them and behind the tables were an array of seats, each one housing either a pony or dragon. In the front row behind Glitter he could see his friends, his family, and his love. Seeing Rarity made his heart flutter, but it also made him worry more. Further back behind her, grinning evilly, was Thunderlane, who just winked towards Rarity and blew a kiss towards her. Spike paid him no mind, instead he focused on his mother and nodded as he was taken over to Glitter.

The guards left to stand by the doors as Spike made his way over to where Glitter was, shaking hands with her before taking his seat. "I hope you got a good plan Glitter." He whispered.

"Oh I do. You might not like how it plays out, but I think that you will like the results though."

"I trust you Glitter."

"I know, and so do Rarity, your mother, and your father. Just hope that I can live up to their expectations."

The leader of the three guards from earlier stood in front of the judge's podium and cleared his throat. "Mares and gentlecolts, please rise for the honorable Judge Juren." All ponies and dragons rose as the judge emerged from behind a secret door to the left of her podium. The mare was garbed in a golden robe, with a black sash around her torso. When she took her seat, the rest did as well. "Now, the court will hear the case of Spike the Dragon versus Thunderlane Winds."

Thunderlane made his way to sit at the other table, smiling as he did so. The lawyer beside him rose, brushing off his suit as he did so. "Spike the Dragon is being charged with murder in the first degree, attempted rape on multiple accounts, and assault and battery against my client. The evidence will show that my client was a harmless civilian in all of this. It will show that Spike tried to rape my client's girlfriend Rarity on many occasions, it will show that Spike forced my client to fight him on the night before last, it will show that this dragon pulled a weapon on my client, it will show that he used that weapon to kill his best friend, and it will show that Spike is guilty of brainwash." The mass of ponies gasped in horror at the final part, mumbling to themselves.

"Order in the court!" Silence encompassed the room.

"That concludes my opening statement."

Glitter rose to her feet while the stallion returned to his. "Mares and gentlecolts of the jury, my client is innocent of these charges. Evidence will show that my client has been bullied by the plaintiff on numerous accounts, it will show that he has almost killed my client many times, and it will show that he committed the murder that my client is being charged for." Silence hung heavy in the room, somewhere a pony yawned. "That concludes my opening statement."

"Very well. Mr. Murk, your first witness."

"I call to the stand as my first witness Mr. Chaser." Wind Chaser stepped forward from the mass of ponies to take his seat to the right side of the judge. "Mr. Chaser, what is your relation to my client?"

"I am von of his best friends."

"And what is your relation to the defendant?"

"I-I-I.." He pulled at the collar of his suit as he looked at the drake, then back to Thunderlane, who subtly nodded. "He has almost killed me tvice in dwo months." Gasps went up from the populace. "Everyday I live if fear that he vill kill me and my friends."

"I see. What exactly happened on the night of September fifth around seven at night?"

"It was just like any other day. Spike was at practice with his friends and trying to seduce Vunderlane's girlfriend Rarity. After practice, ven she vas getting into her car, Spike came up behind Rarity and knocked her out with some sort of evil spell. He took her into the school's gym, vhere Vunderlane and ze rest of us caught him trying to rape Rarity. Ven ve told him to stop, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and vreatened to kill her unless Vunderlane fought him. Ven it looked like Vunderlane was about to vin, Spike vhrew ze knife at Lightning Dust."

Murk raised the knife for the audience to see. "This is exhibit F. Is this the knife that killed Lightning Dust?"

"Yes."

"I have no further questions your honor." Now it was Glitter's turn.

"Mr. Chaser, were you aware of the school's security camera's that watched how Rarity was taken?" Thunderlane's eyes went wide just as Cloud Chaser's did.

"Objection."

"Sustained. Stay on point Ms. Summerwinds."

Glitter walked over to a small table that was hidden in front of the judge and pulled out a picture of the camera above the school. "This picture shows a picture of a camera on top of the school facing into the parking lot. Here, take a look at it." A sly smirk was on her lips as she heard Murk take in a shallow breath.

"Objection your honor. Defense spoke plainly to the witness."

"Sustained. Ms. Glitter, you are testing my patience." Still Glitter's grin never faded, not even when she looked to see Celestia shaking her head. Luna doing the same.

"I have here a digital copy of the footage that was taken that night. At this time I would like to play the footage for the court to see."

"Objection your honor. I have no knowledge of this footage nor the camera, therefore no way to verify if it was a true recording or not."

"Sustained. You may not present this evidence Ms. Summerwinds. It is faulty." The judge smirked. "One more time and I will hold you in contempt of court."

Glitter sighed as she put the tape back, knowing that she was beat. "No further questions your honor." On they went through the rest of Thunderlane's troupe, each one telling their own tale of the night. Then all of Spike's friends including Ryder and Rainbow were questioned, until it finally fell to Rarity.

"Ms. Azure, how do you know my client." He smirked when she looked at Spike, then towards Thunderlane, then back to Spike. His eyes seemed to captivate her. She was entranced by his eyes, and it made her giddy to feel his gaze on her. "Thunderlane is the bastard who has tried to rape me for years." The ponies gasped, as did the dragons, not expecting her to say something like that in a courtroom. Even Murk and Juren were baffled. The jury just stared at her with wide eyes. "He is the one who tied me up on the night of September fifth. He was the one who told Spike that he wanted to fight for me, and that he would rape me in front of him if he didn't comply."

Losing his smirk, and gulping, yet still confident, he said, "Are you sure?"

"Objection your honor."

"Over ruled."

"What do you mean?"

"I said, are you sure?"

"Objection."

"Over ruled."

"Yes I'm sure. Thunderlane tried to rape me those years ago."

"H-How do you know the defendant?"

Rarity sighed as she looked at the stallion, and he could see the truth of her words, and it made him falter. "Spike is my boyfriend. Has been for the last week." Again there was a sharp intake of breath from the audience, but no pony said a word.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Objection."

"Over ruled."

"Your honor. I cannot claim to have a credible witness here. It seems that she is under some sort of mind control spell."

"Agreed. Your next witness Ms. Summerwinds."

"Wait a second." Juren looked back to the mare with a fire in her eyes. "How the hell does me being in love with Spike mean that he has a mind control spell on me?"

Laughing, Juren said, "Every pony knows that the only ponies who like dragons are those who have their minds controlled by them."

Rarity stepped down from her seat with a smirk when she saw the rage and fury that was in the eyes of the dragons.

"Very well your honor. I call to the stand my final witness. Spike."

As Spike took to the chair, he gazed out over the audience. A few tears fell from his eyes as he finally sat after swearing that he would tell the truth and nothing but. Murk was grinning as he came up to Spike. "How do you know my client Mr. Spike?"

Spike glared at Thunderlane, then to Glitter, who nodded. "Thunderlane is the bastard who put me here today. He is the stallion who has made my life a living hell, and has made you lie this entire time. You and I both know that I am innocent, but can you prove it without a reasonable doubt is the question right? You can't. Take a look at the fingerprints on the knife, the aren't mine." Juren gasped, as did the rest of the jury, but Murk just smiled.

"So you admit to planting fall evidence?"

"Objection your honor.

"Over ruled."

"No."

"Did you murderer Lightning Dust in cold blood?"

"No"

"Did you try to rape Rarity Azure?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Objection."

"Over ruled."

"You won't believe me any way."

"So you are going to lie?"

"Objection."

"Over ruled."

"No."

"Then why didn't you rape Rarity Azure? You had her in the gym, bound, gagged, and waiting with a knife. Why didn't you just rape her?"

"Objection."

"Over ruled."

Spike felt a wave of rage wash over him, but he pushed it down. Instead, he allowed his sadness to emerge. Tears flowing from his eyes as he let out a light whimper. "Because I love her alright! I never had Rarity tied up. I went into that gym to save her, not rape her. Thunderlane was the one with the knife, he was the one who came at me. I had to fight against him, Cloud Chaser, and Storm Windsor."

"So you admit that you love Rarity. Is that why you brainwashed her into loving you?"

"Objection."

"Over ruled."

"What? No. I would never do that. I just want her to be happy."

"Is that why you tried to kill my client."

"I never tried to kill your client Mr. Murk." There was venom in the drake's voice. "That slimy weasel tried to slip that knife into my throat. He should be the one being charged with murder against his own girlfriend." By now the audience was not surprised by anything that was said. "I love Rarity with all of my heart, just as I love my family. My mother, my aunt, my dead father, and my brothers, and sister. You can never take that away from me."

"We'll see." He muttered and began to walk away. "No further questions your honor."

"Spike." Glitter stepped forward to begin her final interrogation. "Where were you on the night of September fifth?"

"I was practicing my soccer on the field as always until seven o'clock. I left the field with Rarity and my sister Princess Twilight. After we left we talked for a bit about our study session for that night before I went to get a ride with Applejack. Rarity went with Twilight over to their car. Before they could get in they were both bound and taken away to the school gym." Spike told the tale of how he went into the gym, how he found Thunderlane, and how they fought.

"Did Thunderlane pull a knife on you?"

"Objection."

"Sustained. Rephrase the question."

"Did the plaintiff pull a weapon on you?"

"Yes."

"Then what?"

"Objection."

"Sustained. Ms. Glitter that was your last warning, one more time and you will be held in contempt of court."

"Then I kicked the knife out of Thunderlane's hand. It went flying through the air, it wasn't until my adrenaline cooled from the fight that I realized what had happened."

"Was it murder Spike?"

"Objection."

"Spike." Juren looked out to the crowd to see who had spoken. When nopony or dragon said anything she assumed that she was hearing things. "Spike." Again she looked out, but she couldn't see any pony moving. Suddenly, the ground rocked with the stomping of feet. Steadily it grew louder, with it was, "Spike... Spike... Spike... Spike... Spike..." Altogether the dragons began to chant as they stomped their feet. As one they rose to their full height, their feet increasing in tempo.

Just as Juren was about to bang her gavel a single young pony began to join in. His mother watched on for a while, then she too joined in. One by one, the ponies began to chant with the dragons, each one smiling as they did so. "Spike... Spike... Spike... Spike..." Even the jury began to stomp their feet.

"Order. Order in the court. Order!" Like a wild pony Juren began to bang her gavel until the chanting came to a stop. "Enough! Ms. Glitter, you are charged with..."

"Stop right there Juren." Princess Celestia rose from her seat to look down at the judge. "You will not finish that sentence. If you hold her in contempt, or sustain Murk's objections one more time when they are not due then I will personally have you thrown in prison for no less that thirty years. Am I clear?"

"But Princess, you must see what he is doing. This dragon is just like all of the rest, only he managed to brainwash the jury and the other ponies as well."

"Are dragons really all that evil." A booming voice asked. In the middle of the room mist began to gather, making the ponies and dragons watch in awe. With a flash of light, Spike's father emerged from the mist, dressed in his usual robe with his feather behind the ear. "Is that why you all thanked me after the war, even though I was dead? Is that why you all seem to hate dragons, because one killed me?"

Juren stared wide eyed at the figure before her. Lowering her head, she muttered something before crossing an arm over her heart. "Forgive me sir. Forgive all of us. We are still bound by our hatred, and that is a scar that will take a long time to heal."

"I understand that Juren. All it takes to begin the healing though is sometimes a simple step. You must learn to walk before you run when you are young. But you must learn to crawl before you can walk. Let's start crawling here, all of us together. Look at this case as if it was a pony killing a pony, not a dragon killing a pony. Just this one case, for me." Spike's father remained where he was as Juren looked back to Glitter.

"Proceed Ms. Summerwinds."

"Yes ma'am.? Taking a deep breath, the crystal dragoness looked towards Spike. "Was it murder Spike?"

"Objection your honor." Again Murk smirked, but it faltered.

"Over ruled."

"No, it wasn't. It was an accident. I was just defending myself when Thunderlane pulled the knife. I never realized that by kicking out of his hand that it would kill Lightning. I am so sorry."

"Alright, we are going to break for a thirty minute recess. When we come back, we will hear from Spike some more, then from Ms. Azure." Banging her gavel, the ponies and dragons began to shuffle out of the room. None of them where aware of the camera's that had filmed the entire trial, nor the fact that it was being seen across the entire world.

"Whew. That was a close one. Thank you Nuyendár. We were sort of counting on you coming in when you did. Now it will become a fair trial."

"That it will. Where is Spike and Rarity anyway?"

"Spike went with Twilight and their friends to go eat somewhere. Three guards went with them to make sure that they return to the court room when the time is ready." As they spoke, Glitter became aware of the many ponies and dragons that were starting to form circle around them. Each was eager to see Nuyendár after so long. In turn he just smiled at them.

"Greeting my most loyal subjects. It does me good to see all of you together in a time of sorrow. Remember this moment, all of you. It is not truly ready to be, but this is a start. Keep building it up, and stop tearing it down." They all inclined their heads. "We must depart my subjects, but follow your Princess's guidance, she is very wise, and has earned your loyalty in more ways than one." Spreading his wings wide, Nuyendár took to the sky with Glitter soon following after him. He laughed as they began to soar high up into the clouds, the moisture clinging to his robe and scales.

While the two dragons soared in the sky, soon joined by Princess Celestia and Luna, the group of friends were enjoying a nice meal together. Twilight had taken them to a small hay burger shack only a couple of blocks down from the courthouse. Inside it was decorated with black and white checkered tiled floors, the ceiling was a ruby red, with the booths and seats being colored black. At the bar it was colored a pristine silver with red lining. Behind of it was a heavy set pony slaving over the grill, cooking and flipping the hay burgers with only one hand while the other threw on the seasoning.

Pictures hung on the walls of the original owners of the place, and where it had started from. Silence pervaded the air, broken only by the sound of the sizzling burgers for the other customers. A single television was on at the bar, showing a commercial for the latest court case. At times some of the other patrons, two dragons and a pony, would look in their direction. When the cook took a glance at them, he smiled and waved.

Spike sat beside of Rarity while the rest of the group piled in around them in the biggest booth there. Rain and Applejack had to pull over two chairs so that they could properly sit with them. Their three guards sat at the bar, flirting with one of the waitresses. It was not long before she made her way over to the group of friends, a smile gracing her lips. "Welcome to Hay n' Shake, famous for our hay burgers and world class milk shakes. What can I get for you to start with?"

"We are actually ready to order ma'am." She nodded. "We will all take a hay burger special, but put gems on mine if you could please. And for the drinks, let's get a round of your most famous chocolate marble shakes."

"Very well sir, is this all on one bill?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Excellent choices. I'll be right back with your milkshakes." As she walked away, Spike could not help but notice that she had a slight limp to her step. Brushing it off as her feet hurting from the job, he turned back to see that the rest of the group had their heads downcast. Rarity slipped her fingers in with Spike's, rubbing her head against his shoulder for a while.

"Ah reckon this is it 'en. Tha final round an' all?"

"Yes." Their heads sunk lower. "I don't know what you are all sulking for. We have a secret weapon here. Didn't you see the fear that was in both Murk's and Thunderlane's eyes when we left. They are running out of options, and when they watch that footage, they will see that I am innocent. Add that to what Rarity has to say, and you will see that we can't lose here."

Twilight sighed as she looked up towards Spike, "Spike, you don't understand. The judge has respect for your father, but she can't look past the fact that you killed a pony. An enemy of yours no less, that just makes it worse. Even if it was only self defense, that is beside the point."

"Twi, you seem to forget one thing. They will say that it was an unfair fight because of my talons, but do you remember watching all of those cases with my mother when we were younger?" The lavender alicorn nodded. "We have a fighting chance. Yes it will most likely be seen as ponyslaughter, but they can't pin that on me." He could see a glimmer in her eyes. "You see. They can't tie it to me with evidence, only by their word. But with our word, the footage, and the evidence in our favor, this is going to be a synch." Steadily, they all began to smile as realization of what he said set in.

"Here's your orders." The waitress set down their food along with their shakes and departed. As they ate, they all began to regain their hope that Spike was going to win. He was right, there was nothing that they could do to touch him.

---

"All rise." The judge quickly took her seat, the rest following suite. As the final member of the jury was seated, Spike retook the stand and sat without so much as a shred of emotion on his face. Glitter stepped forward.

"Mr. Spike, were you aware of the camera's on the roof of the school?"

"Yes I was."

"Were you aware of the digital footage that they capture twenty-four hours a day?"

"Yes I was."

"Were you also aware that Thunderlane was in the parking lot around the time of the murder?"

"Objection your honor. Defense is trying to link the murder to my client without probable cause."

"Sustained. Ms. Glitter, please don't make accusations without proper evidence."

"Sorry ma'am." She turned to grab the disc, seeing that it was slightly to the left of where she had left it. "This is exhibit C. It is a disc copy of the digital recording of that night. It shows that Thunderlane is the one who took Rarity from the parking lot, that he bound her, that he threw her into the gym, and that Spike chased after them with the intent of saving Ms. Azure's life. With the council's permission I would like to play this tape for the court."

"Mr. Murk? Mr. Murk?" The stallion was too busy whispering to Thunderlane to notice his name being called. "Mr. Murk!" The stallion turned to look at her. "Is that alright with you?"

"Go ahead your honor." Together he and Thunderlane snickered as a laptop was brought in, a projector set up to play it on the blank wall behind the judge. As the lights dimmed, Glitter quickly slipped out the disc from the case and put it into her coat pocket, then she pulled out another and slipped it into the laptop.

In mere moments the disc was opened and began to play the footage that the camera caught that night. As it caught the three walking out from the field, it also showed Thunderlane and his friends hiding behind some cars and watching them. When Twilight and Rarity drifted over towards their car, Thunderlane dashed out towards them. When he drew closer he jumped on Rarity, pinning her against the car as Storm Windsor ran over with the rope and tied it around her before they went after Twilight as well. It then cut to showing them running into the gym with Spike giving chase, Ryder and his friends quickly following to help if needed.

Whirring steadily, the footage cut to a shot inside of the gym, where it showed the fight, it showed the knife being drawn, and it showed Spike fighting for his life. Afterwords, Glitter turned to look at Thunderlane as the lights grew brighter. "No further questions your honor." Glitter took her seat, while Murk stood up, pulling at his collar.

"Mr. S-Spike. W-Where you aware of this f-false f-footage?"

Glitter just huffed. "No I wasn't. But I have to ask, how do you know that it is false?" For once the judge and jury looked at Murk with the same hatred and malice that was once directed at Spike.

"No f-f-f-further q-questions y-y-y-y-y-your h-h-h-honor."

"I think that we have seen enough here. Jury, are you satisfied enough with the evidence to make a verdict?"

"We are your honor."

"Very well, a ten minute recess before we hear the verdict. Dismissed." Again she banged her gavel. The ponies and dragons waited until Spike had left before following him out, patting him on the back as they passed him by. Some even gave him a 'congratulations' or a 'way to show him'.

He soon found Rarity and the two embraced in a hug. "I think that this is it, I think that Thunderlane is finished. They have nothing on me, and they are reviewing the footage as we speak."

"Spike, I sort of have a request to make of you."

"Anything my dear Rarity. Even if it means plucking a star out of the night sky for you."

She giggled, then gave him a deep kiss. When they parted she said, "Well that could work too." Again she giggled. "Spike, I-I want you to move in with me."

Spike felt butterflies in his stomach as he processed what she had said. "Wait. A-Are you s-serious. Y-You w-want m-me to move in with y-you?"

"It would make me feel safer. Knowing I could fall asleep every night with my star plucking guardian dragon." She shuddered when he placed a kiss on her neck, letting his upper fangs rub against her soft fleshy neck. "Spike, not here."

"Around you, its hard to control myself." He brought her in for another kiss, making her moan into it when his tail began to coil around her own. For the remainder of that ten minutes they spent sharing their love with each other, either kissing her just putting their heads together. Most of the ponies and dragons left them alone, but some of the younger ones just stared on in wonder.

Time came to reenter the courtroom. Nothing was said as the pregnant silence fell over them. For once, the judge was in before anypony else was, looking over her shoulder and conversing with both of the princesses. Every now and again she would nod her head, but most of the time she just listened silently as either Celestia or Luna spoke. After every pony was seated, the judge turned around to face them. With a shuddering breath, she looked at Thunderlane. Turning to Spike, he could see that she had the ghost of a smile, but it faded as quickly as it had come. "Has the jury reached the verdict?"

"We have your honor."

"All rise." Everypony but the jury and judge rose to their feet.

A tall earth pony stood with a piece of paper in his hand. Looking it over, he threw it to the earth mare next to him as he cleared his throat. "We find the defendant Spike the Dragon..." Not a sound was uttered, nor a baby wail. It was unearthly quiet as the stallion looked at his fellow jury members, only to see them nod and smile at him. "Not guilty." Cheers rang up from the crowd as they turned and began to hug each other. Both princesses smiled as they watched how happy this made all of her subjects.

"Spike... Spike... Spike... Spike..." They began to chant as they raised him up on their shoulders, doing the same for Rarity beside him. With their tail intertwining, they were carried out of the courthouse on the shoulders of dragons and ponies.

"As for Thunderlane your honor, we find him guilty of ponyslaughter, attempted murder, falsifying evidence, lying to a court of law, and attempted rape on over twelve accounts."

"Very well. Thunderlane is hereby sentenced to a juvenile hall until he is eighteen, from there he will be taken to Canterlot Prison for no less that thirty years. In affect as of now is an order stating that should he come within a thousand yards of Spike, the dragon has all rights to roast him where he stands." She glared at the pony, who gulped. "May the gods have mercy on your soul. Nopony or dragon else will."

---

Spike sighed as he slipped into the same old Carousel Boutique that he had come to know and love. After the whole parade through Canterlot streets celebrating his victory, Spike returned with Rarity to start packing his things before taking them to the Boutique. With this final box of clothes, he was now finally in. At only three boxes of items he owned, it was a wonder that he never lived on the streets.

"We can unpack tomorrow. Now, we have our own celebration." Spike smirked as Rarity brought him over to the couch, making sure that he was lying on his back as she began to rub his scaly back with her soft delicate fingers. He moaned as she continued her work. "Oh, poor baby. Seems like you were so tense. Maybe you don't need to have your surprise after all."

He whimpered. "Please..."

She sighed. "Maybe, just maybe. But you have to be good." She delicately slipped his shirt off, leaving him in only his jeans. "I think you will like what it is that I am about to give you." Slowly, she licked the back of his neck, going around to his front as she turned him over. Breathless, she managed to fling her own shirt off, leaving her in her own black silk skintight pants and undergarment. "Do it Spike."

Spike looked into her eyes, seeing not lust, not passion, not love, bur care, and want to be his. He knew what she wanted. Mating was always out the window when they started this relationship, they were going to save it for later down the road rather than right out of the gate, but what she wanted now was something that he had dreamed of for years. Thankfully it as a Friday night, so it would give her all weekend to heal.

"Are you sure Rarity. We don't know if we are going to be together long enough to finish this, to see it through all the way."

"Shh." She placed a finger against his lips. "Don't say things like that Spikey-Wikey. I want you to do this. I want to know that I am married, in a dragon sense, to the love of my life. Please, for us, pluck my star from the sky."

"Only, if you are still here in the morning."

"I will be..."