A stagecoach was plowing through heaven towards the frontier between Equestria and Ikaruga, pulled by three pegasi and four more around it as an escort. Inside the stagecoach there was Princess Celestia, Lady Twilight Sparkle and her dragon lover Spike.

“Nervous, Twilight?” Celestia asked her student, who didn’t take her eyes off the window.

“Of course not, just… I still can’t believe we’re going to meet the king in person and walk through the capital of his kingdom. They say the valley it was founded on was created by King Asura when he used the power of the Brahmastra to stop the war. I’m so excited! I wonder if the king will let me take a look at the library. Oh my goodness, just thinking about those giant books dragons must use makes me so excited!” She said, clapping with joy.

“Let’s hope seeing those books doesn’t give her a heart attack. It has a library, doesn’t it?” Spike joked.

“Of course. And they contain much more than war chronicles. I am sure Ragna will not mind you taking a look at them” Celestia said relaxed.

“Ragna” The lovers asked.

“That’s it. We all know that Ragnarok is a very long name. But do not call him by his nickname, unless he asks you to or authorize you, okay?” She said, winking at them both.

Later, the stagecoach ran into the path of a group of dragons with armor. Twilight and Spike attentively looked out the front window to the formidable beasts that were approaching at high speed when something incredible happened: they shrank, becoming slightly larger than the Pegasi. The stagecoach slowed down as the dragons formed a perimeter around them while one of them, surely the leader, was approaching the leader of the royal guards.

It was a black dragon with two big horns extending from behind his eyes to the front of his face and a smaller horn that sprang between his eyes to his forehead like his whole head was a big trident. Unlike the rest of the dragons, this one had no armor, except a silver bracelet with a red gem at the center he had on his left wrist. He used no armor because his own scales were formed in large plates that covered entire sections of his body like they were an armor. In addition they had pointed and sharp edges on his arms, legs and tail. In other words, his whole body was a weapon.

He and the lieutenant who was guiding the pegasi exchanged some words and a little after they continued their crossing, not before the black dragon looked at the couple inside the stagecoach with his sparkling blue eyes.

“That dragon scares me” Twilight whispered.

“Do not worry. That is Captain Agnus, warrior of confidence of the king. Ragna insisted to send him and a clawful of his best warriors to escort us as an additional protection until we arrive at the capital” Celestia said calmly.

“Why? Is there something we have to worry about?” Spike asked.

“No, but after what happened when Cornelius and Zira travelled to Equestria some months ago, Ragna insisted us not to take any risks”

“The ambassadors?” Twilight asked, not familiarized with the names.

“Correct. You surely will have the chance to know them”

A few hours of flight and the travellers could see in the distance the imperial city: Rennes le Chateau. Giant walls guarded the city, behind which stood gigantic buildings. The differences in architectural proportions with Canterlot were immense. What for the capital of Equestria was an avenue, here it couldn’t even serve for an alley. The strange thing was many buildings and houses had small entrances, too small for any adult dragon to enter and yet they did it, shrinking at the moment they entered like the dragons who were escorting them had done.

“Princess Celestia, how do they do that? In the books you sent me there was nothing about dragons being able to change their size. Especially not so many species” Twilight said confused.

“Be patient, Twilight. Don’t forget that’s why you’ve come. Leave your doubts to the king” She answered funnily by the eternal curiosity of her student.

Celestia turned her attention to her adopted son, who was looking out the window with his nose pressed to the crystal. Everything was better than he could have expected. There was commerce, arts, government buildings, including education. How is it possible he didn’t know about this?

“See? I said you and your species had more to offer than fire and brute strength” Celestia said, putting her forelegs on Spike’s shoulders.

He simply smiled at her.

They finally arrived at the majestic palace. A glorious yet intimidating building with gothic architecture surrounded by high walls, though without the excess of towers like in Canterlot. Instead this was a more practical structure with plain walls and small windows. Certainly the place was more conditioned as a fortress than a residence. The stagecoach stopped on a clearing close to the gardens, where one of the pegasi opened the doors of the stagecoach so the princess and the couple could leave it.

“Princess Celestia, it is my honor and joy to have you back” Captain Agnus said, kneeling before her.

“A pleasure to see you again, Captain. But have they not taken too many precautions because of our visit?” She said while looking at the walls of the palace, where she could see a considerable amount of dragon guards.

“After the recent events in his kingdom, King Ragnarok didn’t want to risk an incident happening during your visit” He replied calmly and then he turned his head to look behind the Princess.

“Is it them?” He asked, looking at the couple, who was leaving the stagecoach.

“That’s it. Say hello, you two”

“Lady Twilight Sparkle… Guardian of Harmony and keeper of the element of Magic” Twilight said, not very used to using her full title.

“Nice to meet you, Captain. I’m Spike… Just Spike” He said ashamed, realizing how ordinary he actually was.

Agnus looked at both the lovers, alternating his attention from one to the other like he was waiting to find something.

“Is something wrong, Captain?”

“N… No… Captain Agnus, ‘The Black Terror’. I’m sorry. I expected the ones who attracted the interest of the king to be… Different. Whatever, follow me. I’ll take you to the king”

The four entered the palace, which had obviously been constructed to house creatures much larger than any of the ones who lived inside.

The interior of the palace was decorated in a simple way, unostentatious. If it wasn’t because the few ornaments that there were, like statues, chandeliers and other, were made of pure gold or were crystal figures that weren’t made of crystal, but some gem like emerald, ruby, sapphire…

Agnus guided the group through the palace where the dragons paid special interest to the couple, who were getting looks of surprise, disbelief and amazement. Some of them exchanged words when they saw them pass, but it was difficult to know if they were saying good or bad things about them. Finally the group stopped in front of a big red and golden gate. Agnus entered alone, indicating the group to wait for the door to open. Shortly after the doors opened and they heard an unusual but beautiful chant that sang a melody similar to trumpets when an important pony entered Canterlot Court.

“Enters the Royal Chamber Princess Celestia! Ruler of Equestria, Goddess of the Sun. Accompanied by Lady Twilight Sparkle: Guardian of Harmony and keeper of the element of Magic; and Spike… The young dragon…” Agnus concluded the presentation of the new arrivals.

If the royal chamber of Canterlot was big, the one from Rennes le Chateau was massive. Easily, not only all the ponies in Canterlot would fit in there, but also all the ponies in Ponyville and maybe there would probably some space left. The place had large paintings on the side walls with images that surely represented important moments in the history of the kingdom and there was a considerable amount of gold chandeliers on the roof for illuminating the place. On the right side there was a group of dragons who were dressed in white robes and with gold necklaces and the same bracelet that that all the dragons who were able to make themselves small used. And at the ending, sitting on his throne, there was the owner of that place. Dressed in an elegant cape with white laces and gold buttons, there was a red dragon with golden eyes who was bigger than anyone in there. From his head there stretched a pronounced circular crest from which three horns sprouted to his back whose longevity evidenced his royal provenance, even without his crown. He gestured with his claw and the chorus of dragons stopped singing.

Celestia kept walking to his throne, where she gave a little bow the king returned. Twilight and Spike kneeled before him. The king stood up on two legs and walked towards them very seriously until he stopped in front of the princess.

“Welcome, Princess Celestia. It’s my pleasure to enjoy the spectacle of your beauty once more” He said kindly in a voice that indicated the king was quite young.

“The pleasure is mine, because of the honor to be the only pony by whose beauty you sigh, mighty King”

“Perhaps, but I’m sure your beauty would be noticed more if instead of a princess tiara you used a crown that matched more your beautiful eyes” He said seductively.

“I’ll think about it the day you stop making it sound like you’re doing me a favor, Ragna” She said mockingly.

Spike and Twilight got surprised… Not to mention they were scared that such contempt of flattery could do to them in that place. Their surprise got bigger when the king started laughing intensely.

“Leave us alone” He said to the other dragons when he stopped laughing.

The dragons left the chamber, curtsying before leaving. Finally Ragnarok looked at the couple face to face and smiled at them warmly.

“So it is you. Welcome, Lady and gentledragon. I am Ragnarok ‘Hellfire Blast’, king of Ikaruga. Nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you too. It’s a great honor you’ve invited us to your wonderful palace” Twilight said.

“My pleasure, Lady. I was very surprised when Celestia talked to me about your unusual union. Actually, I thought she was teasing me. But seeing how seriously she was speaking I knew she was saying the truth. I was looking forward to meeting such a unique couple”

“We are also very excited to meet you”

“One of you seems to be more nervous than excited” He said while looking at Spike.

“I… I’m sorry, my King… I mean, King of mine, I mean…” Spike babbled.

“Calm down, boy. You’re acting like you’re on your first job interview. I look forward to knowing you thoroughly. But you are my guests, so you’ll make the questions first, for don’t forget the purpose of this visit is to allay any of your concerns about what dragons really are and the dangers and benefits that this might pose to your relationship in the future”

“Oh, oh! I have a question!” Twilight said.

“Yes, Celestia has spoken to me about your inexhaustible curiosity” She said, looking at the sorceress’ mentor.

“How do you and the other dragons manage to shrink so much? It’s obvious that when they built this palace, it was made to house giant creatures, but you and the others are so small…”

“A very good question. But before starting, we’ll have a little ‘introductory course to the history of dragons’. Celestia, if you don’t mind I’d like to guide these two by myself”

“And what do you expect me to do in the meantime?”

“Why don’t you meet with the members of the Trade Council? We’ve been working on some proposals I am sure they will interest you”

“It seems a good idea” Celestia said.

Entrusted to a guard to guide where councilors were, Twilight and Spike said goodbye to their princess and followed the king in the opposite direction. They both were a bit nervous. After all they were two strangers in a strange land next to someone who called himself ‘Hellfire Blast’.

“I’m not going to eat you, my dear guests. Stop looking at me like that” The king said, who was walking next to them.

“A thousand pardons, Majesty. It’s just that…”

“I know, I know. It’s already pretty bad to be in a strange place miles from home, but regrettably ponies have a very bad image of us dragons. That’s one of the biggest impediments Celestia and I have had to deal with to be able to unite our kingdoms, you know?” He said annoyed.

“Do you believe it’s possible for Equestria and Ikaruga to form an alliance?” Twilight asked.

“Of course. In fact, thanks to you, I’d say we’re a step closer” He said optimistic.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve arrived” He said, stopping in front of a big door that had carved the face of a dragon with his mouth opened, showing its teeth.

“Welcome to the Chamber of the Rulers” He said, opening the door.

Inside the place there were several statues of different dragons, probably full-sculpted. The first one was a statue of a strong and imposing dragon with two big horns towards his back and an immense sword-shaped one on his nose. He had four wings on his back and behind them the symbol of his divinity: a halo with flames outwards with the form of Sun and an infinity of strange symbols in the middle.

“Here he is, Spike. The father of our kind: Izanagi. After a long journey across the universe, our beloved Ancients restarted their difficult labor to create life. After Gaia, the venerable mother of Celestia, created our beautiful world, it needed a shape. Izanagi had the important task of dividing the land and the seas, creating all the continents and islands of our beautiful world. When the rest of the Ancients finished their task, the time came to choose where they would take care of their villages” Ragnarok narrated proud while looking at the statue of his ancestor.

“Izanagi came to these lands to take care of his children by the side of his wife… With whom he got divorced before ours became a civilization and that’s why you won’t see her statue here” He said with mocking irony.

“Well, Izanagi raised his three children: Quetzalcoatl, Leviathan and Shenron equally. He taught them all his knowledge about war and told them that like the most powerful creatures in the world, their destiny would be greatness… It was never enough for any of the three” He sighed heavily, walking to the next statue, where they could see the three brothers fight fiercely.

“Quetzalcoatl, Lord of the Soil; Leviathan, Master of the Oceans and Shenron, Ruler of the Sky. They all knew they would achieve great things in their lives, but nothing so great like their father and even less with the competence of their two other brothers. Divided by pride and ambition, they corrupted the teachings of their father and guided their respective peoples to war in a dreadful conflict well known in the registers of all the civilizations in our world”

He walked to the next statue. This one was an ordinary pure dragon. His two wings and his four limbs. The only things that highlighted were the spines on his back significantly fewer in number but larger in size and two protrusions on his front shoulders like he used a sharp armor. He wore a long ceremonial cape and used a simpler version of Ragnarok’s crown.

“Even now it’s surprising it wasn’t one of the dragons the one who stopped the war, but one of their subjects: my great-grandfather, Asura: a powerful dragon sorcerer who had lost his wife during the conflict, he spent entire decades looking for a spell who gave him power to put an end the war. My grandfather used to tell me stories about the uncountable nights his father used to work tirelessly in his desperate pursuit of power… And vengeance for his wife” Ragnarok paused and then looked at Twilight, who was staring at the statue captivated by the story.

“You’re a sorceress, Twilight. Can you tell me what’s the difference between how dragons and ponies use magic?”

“Yes, my King. The magic of ponies, like every living being that uses it, comes from within, from the harmony between the body, the mind and the soul itself, according to some. But whereas the magic of ponies use their emotions as fuel, dragons use the force of the nature. They manipulate water, shoot electricity beams, they shake the ground and can release fire at will”

“Exactly. My great-grandfather knew magic would give him strength to end the war, just as he knew he would have to use a different kind of magic from his rivals’. That’s why he decided that instead of using the forces of nature, he would use living beings’: feelings. And he managed to gather the most abundant and powerful energy that had been harvested during the centuries of war: Wrath. And after several years of experimenting, he managed to materialize it into a weapon…”

“The Brahmastra” Twilight muttered.

“Correct. It was here in this same valley where my great-grandfather faced alone the three brothers and their armies. While they were fighting, he descended as a comet and let the power of Brahmastra explode from within. All opposition was crushed… My great-grandfather had become very powerful, too powerful. His strength now matched the Ancients’. A mortal turned into a god. Asura the Destroyer, Asura the Redeemer, Asura the ‘Executioner of Samsara’. And with the tyrants dead, just like the fighting spirit of their peoples, my great-grandfather unified the three clans, crowning himself as their king. That’s how Ikaruga was born”

“My King, forgive me for interrupting you”

“Yes, Twilight. What’s the matter?”

“It’s just… Why doesn’t the Brahmastra appear on this statue of King Asura?” She asked confused.

“Because the Brahmastra was inside him. My great-grandfather feared what could happen if the weapon with the power of gods fell into the wrong claws, so as soon as it was finished, he put it inside his body. Don’t ask me how because I don’t know. I think not even my grandfather Kiryu ever saw the Brahmastra directly. Maybe that’s why no one could find it after the death of my great-grandfather”

“Then didn’t his sons hide it?” Spike asked confused.

“No. Asura kept the weapon inside his body. And though it gave him the powers of a god, it also burned his body, which wasn’t made for holding so much power. At the moment of his death, his body burned with an intense light like a red sun’s and escaped into the horizon like a shooting star, leaving the throne to my grandfather, who was young: Kiryu. But in his autopsy, the forensic scientists found nothing. Some said Asura’s soul merged with the Brahmastra and reached a new level of existence, similar but different from the Ancients’. Others say it was all part of a spell that would made the weapon hide after its owner’s death so it could never be found again. Others say the Brahmastra developed its own conscience and when its owner died, he went to find a new one. Anyway, no one ever knew about it in this or another land”

Finally, the three walked to the next statue. A slender dragon with three columns of spines on his back, the ones at the center being bigger than the lateral ones.

“Our second king, my grandfather Kiryu ‘Knight of the white Moon’. That sure is a long title, isn’t it?” He joked with his guests.

“Why do dragons use titles like that, King?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know. Why do ponies name themselves with puns like ‘Twilight Sparkle’” He answered.

“… Touché” She said, smiling uncomfortably.

“My father used to say this about traditions: ‘not because they are things we’ve done for thousands of years doesn’t mean they aren’t incredibly stupid’. And that’s what this is all about, my guests. That’s why we’re here: to change things, to prove dragons and ponies can live and work together. When ponies invaded Ikaruga after a long journey, my grandfather had no choice but honor his ancestors and guide our people to war with theirs. It wasn’t until Celestia and Luna descended from the sky that the war came to its end and peace was achieved between the two kingdoms, but the scars of hatred and resentment have never healed. But the time for that to happen has finally come”

“Was that why you offered to help us?” Spike asked.

“Yes, it’s incredible it had to pass almost six thousand years for another union between a dragon and a pony to exist”

“WHAT?!” The couple asked.

“Does that mean we’re not the first pony/dragon couple in history?” Twilight asked shocked.

“Eh… Did… Didn’t you know?” Ragnarok asked confused.

“No, no one had told us anything”

“I see… Well, the thing is this: with the end of the war, one would think dragons and ponies wouldn’t want to see each other again in a long time. But the truth is that from the ashes of the conflict, there blossomed love between a dragon and a pony. That dragon was my great uncle and brother of the king: Prince Fafner. He and his secret love knew their union couldn’t have blossomed in worse conditions, so they escaped to where they wouldn’t be judged by their love”

“And what happened to them?” Twilight asked.

Ragnarok sighed heavily.

“What had to happen… Their love came to an end. She came to her senses, to call it somehow, and said to the prince it was best for them to forget about one another, but Fafner… He wasn’t willing to accept no as an answer, so he tried to change things. Needless to say he couldn’t and met a tragic fate”

“Did he die?”

“Not exactly. But he did lose his title of nobility and got exiled from Ikaruga. She returned to Equestria, where fortunately, her romance never became public domain. But in any case it was a tragic outcome”

Twilight and Spike looked at each other’s eyes worried their relation might have a similar ending.

“But don’t be afraid, my guests” He said when he saw their anxious glances.

“Your love won’t meet such an ending. You have received the blessing from your friends, family and even the princesses. And now your king too”

The couple looked at the king full of hope.

“I brought you both here because Celestia told me you have doubts and worries about what the future may bring you. Especially everything that concerns the unknown nature of dragons”

“The Princess gave us several books about dragons, but most of them are…”

“Old?”

“I was going to say obsolete, but never mind”

“Well then, I guess it’s enough history for now. Let’s go to the library so you can check all the information you want that’s current and accurate. But before that, I’ll answer the question you asked me a while ago, Lady Twilight. Yes, this palace, like all the old buildings of the city and the kingdom were built for ‘actual size’ dragons, but my grandfather noticed even the humblest houses for a family of four required a lot of raw material, so he ordered the construction of these” He said, showing the elegant gold bracelet on his left arm.

“Mahakala bracelets. Unlike most creatures that are related to magic, dragons increase the amount of magic they can project and control naturally; and as they grow up, their control and bond with their more akin magic strengthens. The bracelets basically suppress the natural manna of our body, allowing us to shrink and we save millions in natural resources, textiles, food and construction”

Spike’s eyes lit up like Christmas lights. He had to have one of those things! It would be the solution to a million of problems.

“The only problem is they’re difficult to use and even more difficult to make. And they’re not cheap either” Twilight and Spike’s smile got erased.

“But don’t worry. I gather that your growth is far from being a problem. Come on, follow me. You’ll like our library, Lady Twilight”

“Only Twilight is fine, Majesty” She said, walking next to the king very excited.

After a while of walking through the palace, the dragons and the unicorn arrived at the library, which to the naked eye was three times bigger than Canterlot’s, with books that were bigger than the king himself. Twilight ran back and forth while laughing and shouting with excitement.

“Is she… Fine?” Ragna asked, finding the fascination of the unicorn for books amazing.

“Yes, leave her. She likes books a lot” Spike said carefree.

“That’s sure. What I’m worried about is for her to over stimulate too much. But well, let’s talk” He said seriously.

“Yes, my King” He said after a pause.

They sat down facing each other in a circular table near the entrance while Twilight was very happy like a filly in a doll factory.

“I hope you know you’ve chosen a very difficult path, boy”

“I know, Sir. Though as you said, thanks to the support of Princess Celestia, our friends and family, things have gone very well”

“Except the incident that happened with the one who was going to be your brother in law” He corrected Spike.

“Yes…”

“Was it the first time you had to fight for your life?”

“Not actually… About two weeks before I had faced a manticore in the Everfree forest close to our home”

“Surprising for someone your age. Fifteen years? How did you escape there alive?”

“I climbed onto the back of the manticore and I used its stinger to pierce its skull” He said, not feeling very proud.

“Did it feel good the power in that battle? Or when you fought the ponies? Your ex-brother in law told me for a moment you had him at your mercy while you were strangling him with your tail. How did you feel?”

“I… I liked it” He admitted.

“Of course you did. The chase for power is what defines our kind. It’s no coincidence that we get larger as our greed grows. It’s so that we are ready if we have to face powerful enemies in our pursuit for wealth. Our power increases regardless of our wishes”

“But how can we… How can I prevent myself from turning into a monster? During my first birthday in Ponyville I lost my mind, my greed took over me and I almost destroyed the town” He asked very distressed.

“We’re dragons, not monsters. There’s no smart creature in the universe that’s unable to decide if the powers they’ve been born with are a blessing or a curse” He severely corrected.

“And how can we choose?” Spike asked.

“With will and purpose” He answered.

“Power without a purpose is useless and insignificant, Spike. Like everything else. You can learn all the self-control techniques you want, but without a purpose to use them for, they won’t be more useful than those banal instincts, which will take you away from your loved ones. Tell me, Spike, what do you love most in this world?”

Spike, without hesitating, looked at his beloved unicorn with her face between the pages of a book that was two times bigger than her.

“Twilight Sparkle, my King”

“What would you be willing to do in order to be forever by her side?”

“Anything” He answered without hesitation, only to get hit in his head.

“No, stupid. You’re talking with me, not your marefriend. What would you be willing to do to be with her? Remember the story of my great uncle. He was ready for anything, and see where it took him. You need to thing about something more realistic or at least possible. What are you willing to do the day the world turns its back on you?”

“I… I don’t know. So far I’ve only been afraid of what could happen the day I lose control. Afraid to lose control of my instincts again and do something I can never forgive myself for. I promised I’d never let something like that happen again and though sometimes I forget it, I always try to be aware of what I do, for fear something may escape”

“Maintaining control is important, but being always alert is very stressful and creates paranoia. Don’t worry; you’ll have time to prepare yourself for all of that during your stay here”

“Stay?”

The couple, the king and the princess were sitting in the royal dining room, waiting for dinner, accompanied by a couple of snake dragons. The male was green and had red eyes. He looked just like a king cobra, but with spines on the contour of his hood. The female was yellow and had blue eyes and two columns of the same color of small spines on her back. Having no arms, they wore their Mahakala bracelets as necklaces.

“Then you’re the ambassadors of Ikaruga. Nice to meet you” Twilight said.

“Nice to meet you too, dear. Spike had told us a lot about you” Said the ambassador Zira.

“Though he never mentioned you two were couple” Said her husband Cornelius.

“It’s because when we talked that time, we weren’t couple yet” Spike explained.

“And have you thought about it well?”

“Yes, many times. Is it so difficult to believe?”

“Not at all. In fact, we always thought these kind of relationships would happen at some time after the union of our kingdoms, but we never imagined they would happen before” Cornelius answered.

“Then we’ll stay with you for a month?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. You’ll stay at our home and everyday you’ll be able to come to the castle. We’ll teach you all the basics about our race and culture” Zira said.

“How exciting! Thank you very much”

“I’m still surprised. Did you already know Twilight and I aren’t the first dragon/pony couple, princess?” Spike asked.

Celestia immediately got silent. Her eyes widened and her white fur like alabaster turned into a ghostly pale.

“Princess?”

“I’m sorry… Forgive me. I did know it, but… I didn’t tell you because I thought it wasn’t important. It was in another time and in another place and is a sad story to remember. But yours will have a happy ending. That’s why we’ve made this journey” She said, smiling as best she could.

Twilight was going to ask her about it when she noticed she had gotten nervous, but suddenly the doors opened and entered the kitchen staff, led by the chef. They served different dishes, many of which were covered.

“Enjoy your meal!” The chef said as the servants uncovered the dishes.

“AHH!” Twilight screamed terrified, which exalted everyone there.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Spike asked anguished.

“King Ragnarok, your dinner… Your dinner… And Spike’s” She said while looking at the dish they had served the king.

“This is leg of lamb. And what Spike has is smoked pork loin”

“B… Buh… But…”

“Twilight, calm down. Dragons eat meat. You’ve spent half day in the library, you should know” The princess tried to calm her down.

“But they are living beings” She replied.

“So what? So are fruits and vegetables. Just because they don’t cry or complain doesn’t mean they’re not living beings” Ragnarok replied.

“Well, I suppose, but…”

“Calm down, dear. We don’t eat them for pleasure. You’ll learn we can’t maintain our good health after a certain age unless we eat meat regularly” Zira said.

“Then why do you give it to Spike” Twilight continued.

“Spike is carnivorous by nature, besides I’m sure he’s never eaten meat this way. It’ll be good for him” Cornelius said, taking another spoonful of soup.

“In fact, I’ve never eaten meat” Spike said sorrowfully.

Such was the surprise that Cornelius swallowed all his soup with the spoon, which got caught in his throat. Immediately the dragon began to hyperventilate and hit his chest with his tail.

“Cornelius, my dear! Someone help him, please!” His wife cried out anguixed.

“Get bigger, get bigger!” Ragnarok shouted.

The ambassador did it, but in his panic, he got so big that his body knocked the table, throwing all its content on its opposite side, over the visitants of Equestria.

Later, after a second dinner, Twilight and Spike said goodbye to the princess and the king and accompanied the ambassadors to their house, where they would stay: a pretty mansion on the outskirts of the city. Celestia and her guardians would spend the night in the palace. But before going to sleep, she had some business to discuss with the king.

“I can’t believe you told them that old story! They didn’t have to know about it! No one except our families knows it. Why should they know it? It wouldn’t change… Are you listening to me?” She asked even angrier than she already was when she saw the king wasn’t paying attention to her.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t think you would want me to pay attention to you considering we’ve spoken about this about twenty three times” He replied apathetic.

“There is a reason that story is a secret! Your grandfather and father took that secret to their grave and you tell it like you were a paparazzi”

“Hey, hey, hey! Like I had put it on the bulletin board of all the public schools in the city. I just told your student and her dragonfriend” He answered, standing up from his seat.

“Yes! Because you then expected them to tell me about it, to know more”

“Celestia, for the Ancients’ sake, you’re acting like a filly! I didn’t tell them that story to annoy you. Do you understand? I didn’t even mention your name! I did it so they would take into account they have chosen a difficult path. And honestly I thought YOU had already told them” He said.

Celestia tried to counter, but her words wouldn’t escape her mouth. She turned away frustrated and went to the nearest window.

“That wasn’t love, Ragna… I was young and stupid… It’s something I’d simply like to forget”

“And as you can’t forget it, you pretend it didn’t happen?”

“What do you want from me? I’m sorry! I didn’t want things to be like that…” She said, with eyes that were starting to water.

Ragnarok looked at the goddess of the Sun with pity, who he had never seen her so unstable and vulnerable.

“Celestia, I want absolutely nothing from you. Even because of something that happened before I was born. My grandfather forgave you. My father forgave you. And I frankly don’t care. It wasn’t my intention to offend you in any way when I brought back that memory” He said warmly.

“I know… I’m sorry” She said, turning her back on him again.

“My family forgave you, Celestia. When are you going to forgive yourself?”

“One of these days, I hope…" She answered quietly.

“Thank you, Ragna”

“You’re welcome, Amaterasu”

“By the way, what happened with Shining Armor?” Celestia asked, already recovered.

“Mr. Armor was more than willing to give me important classified of your army and your kingdom in return I let him live… So I cut off his tongue so he couldn’t speak anymore. When he saw negotiating wasn’t an option, well… He began to mourn as a baby” He answered mischievously.

“Though I would have liked it if he had had his horn repaired. I bet he would have offered more resistance”

“I know I’m going to regret asking, but… What happened at the end?”

“The head of a coward like him wasn’t worthy to be in my trophy room, so I gave his corpse to the medical school”

“Yes, now I know too much” Celestia said ironically.

“He also had several last words. He said that he would love his wife forever, that he regretted hurting his sister and… Ah yes! He said you were a bitch”

“Heh… It’s okay…” She said.

“And that he hated you and that your sister was an incompetent crybaby and…”

“IT IS ENOUGH!” She shouted, hitting him on the side.

“Hahaha! That’s the Celestia I like” He replied happy.

“That sure was a night to remember, don’t you think?” Spike said, sitting next to his marefriend, who was looking at the stars.

“Don’t make me remember it” She said sadly, looking down.

“Do you think I’ve offended the king?”

“No. And if you have, I’m sure he forgave us after Cornelius turned us all into a buffet”

“Hahaha… The princess’ face was priceless”

They laughed a little and then they continued to look at the stars.

“It’s a beautiful night” Twilight said.

“Yes, it is”

They were both at the garden of the mansion of the ambassadors on the outskirts of the city, lying on the grass and surrounded by exotic and strange flowers they had never seen.

“How much did you read at the library?”

“A little bit of everything. Mostly history and a little more about Mahakala bracelets. Did you know the gem they use is produced only inside active volcanoes and takes between one hundred and one hundred and twenty years to form?”

“That explains why they’re so expensive” He asked ironic.

They remained silent for a while. Twilight was lying on Spike, who was surrounding her with his left arm.

“Didn’t you worry a little when you heard that story about Prince Fafner?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes, a little… But not too much” He said optimistic.

“Why not?”

“Because what Ragnarok told us about it is true. The prince and whoever was his marefriend had the misfortune of falling in love amid the worst case scenario. It was them against the world. Instead, we’ve been blessed, not only with the love we feel, but also with the support of everyone around us to be able to consummate it” He answered happily.

“Yes… We are truly very fortunate”

There was another long moment of silence before Twilight broke the silence again.

“Spike… May I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course”

“Well, I… It’s something complicated” She said nervous.

“What’s wrong?” He asked more interested.

“Since I read your diary, there’s something that’s been biting my hoof”

“Well… Suffer no more, Twi. Let it out”

“If you were always in love with me… Why did you have a crush on Rarity when we arrived at Ponyville?” She asked timidly, but seriously.

Spike got surprised by the question. Definitely, it wasn’t what he was expecting.

“It… It’s ok! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” She said, being afraid of having offended her dragonfriend.

“No, it’s fine! It’s just I didn’t expect that question”

Spike looked away from Twilight and sighed.

“Tell me, Twilight. When did you begin to realize you loved me?”

“A little after the hurricane”

“And before thinking about me as your potential mate, in what way did you see me?”

“As… As my number one assistant… As my little brother” She answered somewhat uncomfortable.

“Very well. And how would you have reacted if someone had told you I’d be the love you had always looked for?” He asked suspiciously.

Twilight processed the question for a few moments until she understood what he wanted to say. She tried to answer but her ideas couldn’t organize and even less her lips.

“Spike, I… I wouldn’t have believed it” She answered.

“You would have choked with laughter, Twilight” Spike corrected her.

And she knew it was true. She would have qualified such an event as scientifically improbable, astronomically unlikely. She would totally and incorrigibly have been suspicious of anyone who told her Spike would be her great love without considering the slightest chance that was possible.

“I’m sorry, Spike. It was… It’s always been my fault” She said very ashamed and with drooping ears.

“You were just you. The pony I love. Before my eyes you’ve always been perfect, Twilight. You’re smart, funny, ambitious, beautiful… Too much for a simple abandoned dragon like me. And I always knew I hardly would achieve you to see me as any other thing than your little brother. That’s why when we arrived at Ponyville, I thought it would be the perfect chance to look for new chances…”

“And Rarity became a chance”

“Exactly”

“I’m so sorry, Spike. All these years you suffered in silence as I didn’t even realize it”

“Don’t beat yourself, my treasure” He said, rubbing his face with hers lovingly.

“The fault was also mine because I never told you anything. I was afraid. But none of that matters now. We’re now together and we’ll always be” he said, trying to cheer her up.

She smiled and kissed him on his lips briefly.

“I think I’ve just found another reason to love you. You’re a master at saying: ‘I forgive you’” She said, snuggling against him.

“Only because you’re so good to say: ‘forgive me’”

“I love you”

“I love you too”

They kissed gently and lovely. Now more than ever they knew no force in the world could separate them. The changes that could happen, the adversities they could face, the enemies that could emerge. But for some reason, nothing caused them fear anymore, even when they both knew there was a lot to be afraid of. But something was sure: they would face it and conquer it together.

Author's Notes:

I really hope you've enjoyed it. Please post your reviews so I can know if you've liked it. Don't forget to notify me the mistakes.