Lore Finder nudged the door shut behind her with a rear hoof, giving a tired sigh as she entered her home. It was now a little past noon and the mare's errands had her already thinking of her bed. She had been asked the day before by some associates if she would be willing to swing by Ford Junction's local university to take a look at some photographs sent from a recently started dig site. The find had apparently been a total accident, and so the archaeologists working the site weren't entirely sure what it was they were excavating beyond that it was old. Though they had their theories, someone there had had the sense to simply defer to a higher authority on the matter of ancient civilizations instead of wasting time puzzling it out themselves. This was a task Lore Finder was more than happy to accept, not only because she loved history, but also to snub the intellectual snobs at the university who looked down on her dear draconic friend for not fitting what they believed an archaeologist should be like.

The pictures she was provided were mostly of pottery and partially uncovered homes, but it was more than enough for her to identify which culture and time period they originated from. After sharing her information and getting the confirmation that her name would be mentioned when everything was compiled and done, the pegasus set out on the next task of her day; having coffee with one of the only ponies at the university that she considered both a colleague and friend.

Lore and a young earth pony mare by the name of Tome Reader, a librarian and Daring Do enthusiast, went to a small, out-of-the-way cafe and chatted. Admittedly, Tome wasn't really a colleague quite yet as she was still working towards her PhD in ancient history, but she had read just about every book in the library she ran and knew her stuff. It was only a matter of time before the mare entered the field.

The two talked about this and that, mostly discussing the past and occasionally the subject of Prose's most recent works. Lore took Tome's attempt at getting info on her husband's next book with a chuckle and smile, informing the mare that she couldn't talk about such things. This, of course, led to one of the reasons Lore Finder liked the mare so much as they soon started talking about Amethyst Thistle. Unlike most people who thought themselves better than the dragoness because they had gone to school, Tome Reader greatly admired the explorer for her desire to actually go out and uncover history with her own claws instead of simply reading about it in books. "I hope to be able to contribute at least a fraction as much to our historical knowledge as Ms. Thistle has," the mare would often say.

After they had finished their drinks, the two said their goodbyes, set a date for their next get-together, and parted ways with Lore heading out on her next errand with two chai lattés sloshing around in her stomach. The pegasus eventually took wing and arrived at a super market to get the bulk of her shopping done, walking down various aisles to collect her groceries; milk and eggs included. From there, she had her purchases placed in paper saddlebags and she soon made her way to a local jeweler. She chatted with the diamond dog owner, an old friend of hers and the main supplier of Amy's gems, and soon exchanged bits for a pouch of diamond dust meant for cutting stones.

After a few more stops, the pegasus tiredly returned home. Now she stood, grocery bags weighing heavily at her sides and hooves aching slightly. Knowing her work was not yet done, Lore pushed on, entering the kitchen and setting about unloading her saddlebags. Once everything was in its proper place, Lore finder turned her attention to what she had left out. Sitting on the kitchen counter was everything she needed to set about baking a fresh loaf of sweet zucchini bread; her husband's favorite dessert. If I'm going to be making Amy's favorite diamond dust and Parmesan soufflé, then I should do something for Prose too. A small smile played at her lips. It doesn't hurt that I like it as well.

By the time she had everything mixed and slapped into the oven, it was already rounding one o'clock when she heard the door open and shut. Turning her head, she saw Prose Worthy wander into the kitchen, looking as tired as she did when she had gotten home. "How did the meeting with the publishers go?" Lore asked after checking the knobs of the stove and turning to fully face her husband.

He sighed moving up to his wife and giving her a loving nuzzle. "As well as expected I suppose. I met with Edgar first to go over what was going to be discussed at the meeting. Heh, he spent just as much time chewing me out as he did giving me advice." At this, Lore winced a little. Edgar was Prose's agent and a good gryphon. She knew well that he really did care about her husband, but the old bird could be quite outspoken when he didn't agree with something, and he really didn't agree with Prose's decision to put Daring Do on the back burner so he could work on something new. He called it "fiscally irresponsible."

Prose poked his head over to the mixing bowl, sniffing the remaining content and smiling. "Mmm, zucchini bread, my favorite." He licked some of the mix from the rim.

The mare chuckled, giving his muzzle a playful swat. "Don't do that; there's raw egg in the mix and I don't want you getting sick." She started towards the living room. "Come on, I need to get off my hooves and I'm sure you do too. You can finish telling me about your meeting on the sofa."

Licking his lips, Prose Worthy smiled. "As you command, my princess," he said playfully as he followed, earning a tail flick to the nose from his wife. The stallion chuckled, climbing onto the couch after his mate and taking a seat next to her. "Well, after that, the two of us went to meet with the publisher, and I kind of just let Edgar do his thing, you know? Putting the pizzazz in the pitch. Yeah, not a whole lot of good that did. I mean, when they had agreed to let me write something new it was already begrudgingly, and missing the first deadline hasn't helped any."

Lore worried her lip. "They're not going to drop you, are they?"

His eyes widened when he heard the concern in her voice, and he waved a hoof frantically. "No, no! Nothing like that's going to happen! They're getting impatient, but Edgar did a good job of reminding them how much they've made off of me, I'm a best-selling author after all, so they can't afford to let me go."

This placated the pegasus, and she released a breath of relief. Even so, she looked her husband in the eye, and asked, "But...?"

"Buuut they want a finished draft by next month," he answered a little glumly. "It's just; I have everything done, except for the ending. I just can't get it to feel right." Seeing the worry returning to his wife's eyes, he quickly added, "But that isn't too much of a problem. If worst comes to worst, and I can't figure out the ending by then, then I'll just put a placeholder in. Who knows? Maybe someone there will have an idea for an ending that I like."

The yellow mare thought it over, and, all in all, it sounded like things with the publishing agency worked out well enough for her not to worry. "Good," she finally said with a small smile, getting one in return from her husband. "Really good actually. Things have been going quite well for everyone; Amethyst is getting along well with her little brother, I've been making good headway in my various research projects, and, despite some snags, your latest book is well on its way to completion." Though she was really just speaking her thoughts out loud, the musing caused a strange look to cross Prose Worthy's face. Something akin to anxiety. "Is something wrong, dear? You look a little uneasy."

The unicorn blinked a few times then chuckled nervously. "Oh, uh, it's nothing. I was just thinking that if this was a book, this would be the part when something bad happened; when everything is looking up."

Lore's face was blank a few seconds before she started giggling. "Prose, I love you, but sometimes you spend far to much time with your stories. Nothing bad is going to happen," she began, leaning over to touch her nose to his and continuing in a seductive tone, "I think it's time you take a break from your writing and just relax... In fact, I can think of a few things to help the process along."

A blush came to the stallion's cheeks and he stuttered, "L-Lore, we can't do that right now; what if that friend of yours and her brother get back while we're... relaxing?"

This got another laugh from the pegasus. "I didn't mean right now, you pervert, I meant tonight. I was thinking you could put that sound dampening spell of yours on our room this time so we could afford to be a little more... loud, without disturbing our house guests." She got up from the couch and started back towards the kitchen, putting a little more sway in her hips this time. "Besides, I still have a meal to make, so you'll just have to wait."

Trying to save face, despite his now being beet-red, Prose Worthy jumped on the new topic as he got up to follow her. "R-right, dinner, of course. What else are you making besides the bread anyway?"

Lore was already done rinsing the big mixing bowl when he asked and was now washing her wings. "I'm making cheddar and almond soufflés for us and a diamond dust with Parmesan version for Amy and Spike along with a salad," the pegasus said, becoming engrossed with her cooking in much the same way she did with her books. "I'm going to get the batter ready now, and refrigerate it until it's ready to put into the oven when Amy and Spike get back."

Knowing that his wife was nigh impossible to have a conversation with when she began to work, Prose decided to leave her to it. "Well, I guess I'll just get out of your mane then. Call if you need anything; I'll just be reading through what I have so far... See if an ending comes to me," he said, the last words devolving into a mumble.

Lore responded with a simple, "mhmm," as she used her wings to separate egg whites from the yolks. The feeling of slime in her feathers was unpleasant, but the discomfort would be worth it to see her family smiling around the dinner table and enjoying a delicious meal together.

I hope Spike likes my cooking. If those pancakes are any indication, then he's probably used to eating good food on a regular basis... Not to mention growing up in the Equestrian Royal Castle. Her brow pulled together as she imagined what kind of things the younger dragon had been served by the chefs up there. I'll just have to put extra effort into this meal then. I doubt I'll hear any complaints from Amy if I do.

At the thought of her friend, her face relaxed and a gentle smile spread across her lips. Last night, Lore had entered the living room on the tips of her hooves to check on her and her husband's house guests, and was overjoyed by what she had seen. For the first time in a good, long while, Amy's sleep was peaceful. Instead of the strained face and silent tears, the dragoness was resting peacefully with a small line of drool hanging from her parted lips. In one night, Spike had done what Lore had wished she could do for years, and for that, she loved him.

Looking to the clock, Lore saw that it was well past the lunch rush, and she idly wondered when the two dragons would be wandering in. While it's not an appropriate time to eat dinner yet, I wouldn't be averse to spending some more time with Spike before he returns to his home in Equestria. I hope Amy gets back soon.

"You really must calm down, Twilight; Spike will return to us in time, and worrying yourself sick isn't going to change that."

Twilight halted in her pacing and looked to her mentor. "I know, Princess, it's just, Spike's in a foreign city outside of Equestria. What if he gets lost, or foalnapped, or... or worse!?" The unicorn's mane began to fray as her mind produced more and more nightmare scenarios. Spike was a baby dragon after all, and Twilight knew slavery still existed in some isolated parts of the world; her little brother would probably fetch a high price and would be stuck in a cage and-

"Twilight, breathe! You're going to faint if you don't calm down." Though Celestia hated to use it, her strict tone succeeded in halting her student's hyperventilating and got the young mare to make eye contact with her. "Now, Spike isn't alone Twilight; he has Amethyst and her friends there to watch over him. I'm sure they will keep him safe until the ticket arrives tomorrow. So please, come over here and finish your tea."

Twilight bit her lip. "R-right, I'm just being silly," she said as she returned to the cushion across the table from Celestia. The Princess had invited her to have afternoon tea in the gardens, and, as worried as Twilight was for her little brother, there was no way she would say no to the solar princess if she could help it. Thinking about it, Celestia had probably invited her to tea because she was so stressed. It would be just like her mentor to take time out of her busy schedule to try and soothe her student's frayed nerves.

"Thanks for trying to take my mind off of... well, everything, Princess. I know you probably have more important things to be doing than to be here keeping me from driving myself crazy," Twilight said, ashamed of being so emotional in front of her mentor.

"Now, none of that. There is nothing I could be doing that would be more important than being there for a friend in their time of need," Celestia said before levitating her teacup up to her mouth and taking a sip. "Besides, I always take a break for tea, so you're not keeping me from anything I wouldn't already be away from anyway, so don't worry."

An embarrassed blush came to the smaller mare's cheeks that she tried to cover with her teacup. "Yeah," she said from behind the ceramic shield hovering in front of her lips. "I guess I kind of forgot about that, what with everything that's happened." Realizing that she had yet to drink any tea, Twilight did so and lowered the cup hastily, resulting in a small splash that she was forced to capture in her magic before it stained the table below.

Celestia chuckled as her student carefully returned the droplets back into the cup. "You may have forgotten, but I'm reminded of the many times we've shared tea together in this very garden." The solar alicorn gained a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Though, the first was the most memorable."

Twilight's blush intensified and she stuttered, "O-oh? I don't recall; that was a long time ago, after all." Her eyes dropped to her beverage and squinted as if to examine it. "Say, this tea sure is good, what kind is it? I taste a bit of citrus."

"White tea with a hint of lemon," said Celestia. "You really don't remember? Why, you were so nervous about not being a good student that when I commented on the tea getting cold in an attempt to get you to drink some, you thought it was a test and tried to heat it up with your magic."

"I'd performed that spell perfectly before! I swear!" Twilight burst out. "I didn't mean to blow up the tea pot or make the guards think you were under attack!"

"Oh yes, that I had almost forgotten," Celestia said, bringing a hoof to her lips, suppress the urge to roll around laughing to just a particular intense giggle fit. "After the excitement of the exams, the royal guard had become quite high-strung. They'd hardly let me out of their sight for months afterwards. I had to put my hoof down when one tried to follow me into the bathroom."

"I'm glad you found it entertaining; I was too busy panicking that I was going to be hauled off to the dungeons at the time to find the humor in the situation," Twilight said abashed, but with some amusement at the memory.

"When you've been around as long as I have, you learn to look for the funny side of situations, and watching you dive under the table as guards surrounded the remains of a teapot, ready to attack was definitely funny."

Despite herself, Twilight giggled, getting a grin from her teacher. "I never really thought about it like that," the unicorn began. "Even after you told everypony that there was nothing to worry about and that I wasn't in trouble, I could only ever remember how mortified I was at making such a big mess in front of you."

"Yes, it can be quite difficult to see the bright side of seemingly dark events as they happen, but it often becomes clear in reflection." Celestia expression once again returned to the wise smile she so often wore. "I believe the current situation with Spike and Amethyst is going to be like this."

Twilight's smile faded into a look of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that when you look back on it, I believe you will realize that not everything that has happened recently has been bad. Who knows, maybe something very good will come of all this."

While she wanted to believe in her teacher's words, Twilight couldn't bring herself to do so. Even so, she forced her smile to return. "Yeah, maybe you're right, maybe something good will happen."

She idly wondered if she had actually managed to fool the princess when Celestia nodded her head. "Yes, I'm sure Spike is safe and sound with Amethyst and that he's enjoying his time seeing a new city outside of Equestria. I remember him being a tad dejected at having been left behind while you and your friends went on your adventures, so I'm sure this is quite the welcome change of pace for the young dragon."

Twilight simply nodded and took a slow sip of her tea, not even noticing how much it had cooled. The lavender mare remembered her little brother saying as much to her, and now wished she had done something to cheer him up at the time. If she had done so instead of reminding him of the dragon migration and using it as an example of why he had to stay where it was safe, maybe he wouldn't have been so quick to run off after that dragoness. Amethyst was a world-class adventurer and Twilight was just a librarian, after all. Now, because of her boring, bookish nature, her Spike was in a strange and dangerous city with threats all around him.

Get a hold of yourself, Twilight, the unicorn thought with an internal shake of her head. Celestia is right. Even if I don't want to admit it, Amethyst Thistle is a capable, strong dragon; Spike is probably just fine... And being hard on yourself isn't going to change anything, so stop it.

With that determined thought in mind, Twilight slammed the rest of her tea... only to have a shiver run down her back. "Yuck, it's cold," she said, sticking her tongue out.

Celestia chuckled. "We have been out here for some time, it looks like I'll have to have the staff bring us a fresh pot."

Twilight was struck with a thought and called out, "Wait!" Celestia stopped and looked to her, golden shod hoof midway to flagging down a servant. "I can heat it... I've gotten a lot of practice since I was a filly." She punctuated the statement with a half joking, half serious expression.

When the princess laughed and gave her the go ahead, Twilight began focusing her magic into her horn and concentrated on the teapot at the center of the table. Right before casting the spell, the unicorn's thoughts drifted back to her little brother. He'll be just fine; he's probably even having a blast going on his own little adventure.

When Spike opened his eyes, it was only to be greeted with the same darkness as had been there when they were closed. Feeling fabric against his face, the young dragon's groggy mind came to the conclusion that he had simply covered his head with a blanket in his sleep, and went to push them away. When he found he was unable to move his arms, he became a little confused. When he realized that his legs were in a similar state, he began to worry. When he tried to open his mouth, only to be unable to do so, he panicked.

It was the sound of muffled screams that awoke Amethyst as her eyelids slowly peeled back. Upon seeing nothing, she too tried to move like her brother, only to experience the same results. It was at that moment that she remembered what had happened in the alleyway and her eyes shot wide open. A few more tugs of her limbs revealed that she was bound at the wrists and ankles by thick, rough rope. She wanted to yell curses to the heavens, but the rope tied tightly around her muzzle hindered the attempt, instead leading to more muffled sounds to join those that had already been filling the air. Amy's mind ground to a halt for a few seconds as she realized the significance of what she was hearing. In that moment, her ears twitched in the direction of the source and she rolled over.

Spike was now wheezing through his nose to replenish the air his screams had robbed him of. Though he would have much preferred to be gasping through his mouth, the slowed process of catching his breath gave him time to think on his situation and realize that screaming wasn't going to get him anywhere.

The last thing he remembered was the flash of red light, the feeling of being pulled apart and squished at the same time and then appearing in a poorly lit room. There were words spoken amongst the abductors, as well as some none too polite ones coming from him when the big dog had simply dropped his sister to the floor. The horned zebra then walked over to a desk and retrieved a small bag before approaching the young dragon to blow a pinch of dust from the pouch into his face with the words "Sleep tight." That was the last thing he heard before waking up here. He was in the process of trying to figure out where "here" was when he felt something push against his back.

It wasn't hard for Amy to work out that the sounds she had been hearing were her little brother waking to the same things she had, and became panicked when those sounds suddenly stopped. With some effort she rolled towards where she thought he was, an action made challenging by the fact that whatever was around her head encompassed the rest of her body as well. Even so, the effort was worth it when she was eventually greeted by a warm mass against her body and a startled yelp.

The young dragon had no idea what was now touching him, but his still frightened mind was more than willing to supply a few guesses. He was just about to start screaming again when the thing behind him started making familiar, albeit stifled, sounds. Upon hearing the feminine voice, he relaxed and worked to roll himself over. Once facing the unseen mass, he did his best to say, "Hey, Amy," through his tied up muzzle. It was apparently discernible enough, because he got a response of, "Ey Phike," which lifted his spirits greatly. I'm sure Amy will be able to get us out of this mess.

Amy was immensely relieved that her little brother was, as far as she could tell, alright, but the part of her that had been forged through years of traveling the world and honed by fighting for her life did not allow her time to enjoy the feeling. She had to get Spike out of the mess she had dragged him into, and the first steps were getting free and finding out where they were.

It was then that she noticed something that would make the second step much more difficult. Since the moment she had woken up, the floor beneath them had been shaking and she could hear the slight creaking of turning wheels below. With a growl, one thought flashed through the older dragon's head, Damn you Zariba.

Author's Notes:

It's chapters like this that make me really wish I could put a Slice of Life tag on this story. Hope you can find enjoyment in reading it.

On a different note, here's a comment and my response that I thought would be useful to those who like the story, but don't like to look at the comments.
Reader:
Little bit disappointed by a fight involving a bunch of thugs vs. two dragons and none of them were even set on fire very much. I kept waiting for one of the dogs (or maybe the pegasus) to get sent to Celestia, and nothing.
Is there an in-story reason I'm forgetting for Amy and Spike to be so conservative with their fire?
Me:
A fair point as I never actually commented on this in the story, something I'll have to work in down the line, but in my canon, I'd like to think that breathing fire is magically intensive and not something that adolescent dragons do lightly. Like, the little puffs of fire Spike does when he sends a letter once in awhile won't be enough to tucker him out, but at his age, a full-on cone of fire would really take it out of him.
The way I see it, that small puff of fire Spike uses as a baby would be equivalent to a pretty large flame when he reaches adulthood. As in, 5% of Spike's total output now is tiny and he would need to use a lot more magic for his flames to become a worthwhile weapon (and to warp a full-grown diamond dog away), but 5% of a mature Spike's fire would be enough to engulf a diamond dog five times over.
Amy being bigger and older allows her to use her fire far more effectively, but she still had to use a large chunk of magic to do what she did with the wall of fire. There was also a reason she didn't use her fire directly on Cujo, though that will become apparent later when he's not been ordered to keep her alive. Let's just say that, in my canon, all species have magic and that some know how to use it better than others.
All that being said, I can't really think of why she didn't burn up the lesser dogs beyond the fact that when she came upon the scene, a dog was holding Spike and she didn't want to even risk hurting him somehow (irrational protective instinct overriding her knowledge that her brother is fire-proof), and then a short time later, she was getting choked and thus was incapable of breathing fire.
What it really comes down to though, is that dragons are such an epic mythical creature that I kind of had to nerf them a little to keep them from simply burning all obstacles in their way to ash. That wouldn't be a very good story, would it?
Of course, this doesn't mean that dragons are weak in this story. I'd like to think that many creatures in this world have a hidden reserve of magic to call upon when in danger, dragons included and magic dragons especially. Think Gohan in the beginning of DBZ, he had enough ki that when Piccolo threw him at that rock, he obliterated it, yet when simply training and not in a stressful situation, he would be exhausted by launching a couple of comparatively weaker ki attacks. Hope you watched DBZ or that example probably didn't make much sense.
All in all, suspension of disbelief will play a role in this story as it does for all stories, but I hope to keep it low enough as not to have people screaming at my characters through their computer monitors... And now I'll probably be putting this comment at the beginning of the next chapter for those who don't look at the comment section to see. It's pretty informative after all. Thanks for bringing it up.

P.S.
Though Celestia jokes about the guard/bathroom incident, she knows all too well the danger toilet assassins pose; she's been a ruler for a very long time, after all.