Full Chapter this time! Huzzah!

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The Story Thus Far

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Two beings. A dragon and a unicorn. Two beings forever intertwined in fate. Siblings, of the most unusual sort.

Their story began years ago, when the stars aligned and a series of perfect coincidences matched up. A shy yellow pegasus filly just happened to be picked on in the presence of a very hot headed and loyal cyan filly with a rainbow for a mane. A race occurred, and the cyan filly's desire to be the best drove her to surpass limits considered impossible by most ponies.

A sonic rainboom, and thus, destiny would forever be changed.

The specific instance of a dragon and a unicorn only happened because a startled unicorn filly, nervous and defeated, was shocked into digging into an impossibly power magic reserve causing a dragon that was never meant to be come into existence. It hatched from a dud egg. This dragon would grow up with this unicorn, learning alongside the filly he had come to consider family. Had things stayed on the right course, he'd have stayed a baby for a much longer

For want of a nail, they say.

Instead of ignoring it as he usually would have, the young drake felt horrible about some negative comments about a friend he had made, the aforementioned yellow pegasus. When going to apologize, he ran across a timberwolf attack where he had to tap into an impossible power in order to protect his friend.  The baby dragon began to grown into a teenager, and began to develop strange new power.

All was not well, though. A heinous plot to capture Canterlot was launched and Spike, the dragon, and his friends pulled together to defeat the enemy but at a terrible cost. The Princess of the Sun, Princess Celestia, died protecting Spike, who she had come to view as a son. The wielders of the Elements of Harmony took over along with the Princess of the Moon, Luna, and of Love, Cadence, to try and fill the massive gap that Celestia had left, while Spike had decided to venture forth and become stronger.

This is where our story truly begins. These... are the Adventures of Spike.

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Spike of (Saddle) Arabia

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He didn’t know what he was doing. That much was certain, as he shielded his phoenix companion under his robe. A rumor of a rumor had led him to this vast desert, looking for the ancient oasis kingdom of Saddle Arabia, rumor of an ancient and wise creature who knew everything. Spike had known ancient and wise beings, and a mare that seemed to know everything on top of it and to be honest, he wasn’t hopeful that they could help.

One thing was certain. Pony knowledge of dragons was utterly nonexistent, and to be honest, he was mildly suspicious. The changeling queen, as much as he loathed her, had known something about him. Even Zecora had told him a few things, mentioning something about a dragon's code of honor that each of them lived by, but either the mysterious zebra didn’t know much more than that, or didn’t want to tell him.

The reason he was now heading to Saddle Arabia was that it was the birthplace of modern mathematics and science, according to Twilight, and a place filled with such intelligence was bound to know more about dragons. Because as useful as his other… what would he call it? It was too aware of outside events, things he couldn't know, to be his subconscious, but too centered on him and his own thoughts for him to figure out what else it could be. It was still decidedly female, but in the beginning it had been male. It seemed to know things that were going to happen and that it was playing a huge game with him as the playing board. It was helpful, but at the same time, it was utterly terrifying like anything else that wasn’t understood.

To be honest, he felt as if he were the unknowing agent of a much higher power than even Celestia. He hadn’t been the most religious of dragons. Religion wasn’t that big of a deal in Equestria. The alicorn sisters were deities, and there was an afterlife. Wicked ponies went to Tartarus. Twilight had studied a little about the religions of other cultures and species, but he personally never really thought about it. Religion, to him, was just more magic, and that was Twilight’s thing. Granted, he himself could now do some forms of magic in the sense of his teleportation fire breath and his magically summoned wings, so maybe magic wasn't just Twilight's forte any longer.

But as useful as it had been, there was something scary about it and its power, and Spike was determined to get some answers.

It had been two months since he left Ponyville, and he had happened on the formerly small town of Appleoosa. No longer was it a few buildings on dead land. The buffalo-pony alliance had built it to a very large and bustling township that reminded him of a sandier Ponyville. The local watering hole was as good as a destination as any, and really, it was likely the best place to get the gossip he desired.

Spike had listened in a little bit to the conversations around him as he had sipped on a water, and sure enough, he overheard a few stallions talking about a trip one of them had taken to the capital of Saddle Arabia.

The dragon had been out the door no sooner than the words “wise sage stallion guy” had left out of the recent traveler’s mouth.

Thankfully, Appleoosa was on the very edge of the borders between the two countries. The plains eventually turned into desert and soon desert became more desert.

Saddle Arabia was a unique country in the fact that it was largely nomadic. The Arabians would move to an oasis and actually settle it. Instead of staying and making a town, or camping out until it was dry, each herd would move in a cycle every year, moving to each little Oasis city and building upon it. Different ponies (horses?) would do different tasks. From what he gathered, horse magic was more similar to Earth Pony magic while having hints of weather manipulation like Pegasus magic. They maintained each oasis and grew them, as impossible as it sounded, with each settlement. To make it stranger, not every one of these horses moved, either. Some stayed and maintained a more permanent residence (though any stay longer than 10 years was rare) and others still broke off and went to find other oases for further settlement. The only city that maintained actual permanence was the ancient city of Rideyadh, the capital of Saddle Arabia.

Spike continued on, the harsh sun beating down on him.

“Just gotta keep going, right, Peewee?”

The phoenix chick chirped what Spike hoped was words of encouragement. He took it like they were. They needed all the optimism they could get.

- - - -

“I miss Spike.”

Twilight was surrounded by her five closest friends as they ate their lunch. Her words were met with silence and nodding.

“Yeah, the little guy was sorta like our little brother, wasn't he?” Rainbow Dash spoke up. Rainbow had been training with the Wonderbolts, but not in the way she had wanted. Currently, she was getting crash courses in military tactics. Eventually, she was going to be the Royal Defense Advisor, in charge of most military matters, her authority only being topped by Princess Luna. Still, Dashie thought it was great, because in her time off, Spitfire herself would fly with her, trading acrobatic techniques with each other. While Rainbow was above and beyond capable of out-speeding the orange pegasus, Spitfire was much more technical than her and they both improved with each other's help.

The group shrugged. They were much more somber since the invasion. Fluttershy looked almost horrified at the thought of Spike being a little brother, given her feelings. She cared about the dragon a lot, and not like a little brother. However, he WAS a dragon and a very scary one when he became large. She was very confused about the whole matter, and she wasn't going to talk to anyone about it. It was simply too embarrassing.

Fluttershy hadn't really found her place in the court yet. Her talent was dealing with animals, not politics. But her friends needed her and so she stayed on, offering an ear to listen.

Pinkie Pie was in charge of recreation. She had decided in the wake of such a horrible event, fun was needed more than ever and the festive party pony was doing her best to help uplift the spirits of all of Equestria. She had had actually been the busiest of the unofficial new princesses, going back and forth to different cities and towns and trying to throw festivals and parties. Even the constantly vibrant mare seemed to be wearing down, though.

Applejack had taken over as a head of agriculture, dealing with all of Equestria's farming and everything from how it was taxed to revising trading routes. It wasn't actually too far away from managing the Sweet Apple farms, and since her family held quite a monopoly on a large part of the market, things were easy to work with a lot of times.

Rarity's ability to maneuver through the complexities of Canterlot's elite social hierarchy proved invaluable in rebuilding the city, as did her keen attention to details and her sense of beauty. She was also the voice of the new Royal court towards the Canterlot elite and had most of the dealings with the other most powerful ponies of Equestria.

Though she did delight in lording her new found power over Blueblood.

“I just hope the little darling is okay... all alone in this great big world.”

The girls sighed and finished their salads in silence.

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Spike couldn't go much further. And thankfully, he didn't have to.

In front of him was the massive stone doors that would open to the great city of Rideyadh. Two horse stallions stood outside it, decked in armor. It was made of iron, a dull grey color, but vicious in appearance. Upon each foreleg, the armor had blades attached to the end that were actually retractable, though how they worked Spike didn't know. The helmets even had an iron unicorn-like horn on them used for headbutting and ramming opponents. The back legs were armored, and the horseshoes they wore were thick and heavy.

There was nothing that these horses didn't seem prepared for, in terms of battle. Thankfully, he wasn't there to fight, he was there for learning. He began to get closer, and the guards noticed him.

“Halt, dragon! State your business immediately!”

It was at this point Spike realized that dragons might not have the best reputation, given how hostile the two horses seemed to be getting.

“Oh, boy...” he muttered under his breath. He held his arms out, claws out in what he hoped would be perceived as a peaceful gesture.

“Hi! I'm Spike. I'm on a journey to discover myself and heard there was this sage guy living here and was kinda hoping he could direct me along my proper path and all.”

The two stallion warriors looked at the dragon with a deadpan expression. The young drake gulped, starting to get nervous.

“Oddly specific, but with the week we've had... However, the sage's great wisdom isn't just available to outsiders, and especially not to your kind,” the left horse said in a gruff voice.

Spike glared at the insult that was almost spat in his direction.

“Hey, I'm not like other dragons. I'm born and raised in Equestria, Canterlot even. The princess herself raised me,” Spike replied, pointing his thumb to his chest, “and I'm best friends with the princess's personal student! I'm a good dragon.”

The left stallion shook his head.

“Sure, kid, and I'm a rainbow colored flying pony that can break the sound barrier. Begone, dragon. The city's in a crisis and we don't need the trouble your kind brings,” he said.

Spike didn't expect a hitch like this in his plan. Now he was a little nervous, but he wasn't just giving up. He'd come too far for this and it was his only lead to what he was and what was happening to him.

“What happened?”

The left one ignored him, but the right one spoke up.

“Look, Spike, was it? This is a bad time to be an outsider over here. Our princess got kidnapped by a group of bandits that came to our kingdom, under the guise of looking to learn from our sage. We've closed our borders and everything. I'm actually surprised you got in, let alone all the way to the heart of our kingdom. But then, most of our military is out trying to hunt her down...”

“Wedge! He could be working with the enemy! You didn't need to tell him that!”

“Look, Biggs. He's a kid. And it's kind of goes without saying that most of our military would be trying to find our one and only heir to the throne!”

“You're not supposed to say that either! Now they know she's vital to our government!”

“Of course she's vital, she's the princess!”

Spike watched the exchange and put his hand against his head hoping to ward off the oncoming headache.

“Look, guys. I'll come back later, and I'll keep my eyes and ears open for any sign of the princess, okay?”

The horses paid him no mind as they continued to bicker between themselves, and the dragon turned around and headed back into the desert.

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“Brilliant idea, Spike. Promise to find the princess of a country and you don't even know what she looks like or where to start. Genius,” the young dragon said out loud. The phoenix on his shoulder cooed at him, and he reached up to pat Peewee gently.

“You still think I'm awesome though, right, Peewee?”

He went unanswered.

Spike didn't even have a path in mind. He just began walking. He was now kind of regretting not getting more details about this whole thing. The young dragon almost felt defeated just thinking about it.

If he did, if he actually thought about it, he didn't exactly do a good job saving the last princess that needed help, either. So he did his best to avoid thinking, period. It had been an hour since he wandered away from the city walls, so close yet so far to the knowledge he had sought. Though Dreamy hadn't spoken with him for so long, he figured it was worth the effort.

“Don't suppose you've got any magical princess finding super sight power in store for me?”

He could almost hear the snicker as he found himself transported back to a white void.

“Nothing so specific. You haven't even worked on the stuff you've already got. Besides, where would the fun be in getting given ever cool power you've got in store? You don't just start out a master, purple, you gotta level up first!”

“None of that... makes any sense whatsoever. Come on. It's not just about me and my journey anymore. There's a life at stake!”

The void seemed to get chilly all of a sudden.

“And you honestly don't even care, do you, Spike? You really are more concerned with what you're going to gain rather than the good or bad it could cause. No different than any other dragon."

“Hey! Take that back! I do care! A life is a life and-”

“No, you don't. Sure, on the surface, as a sentient normal living creature that has emotion, yes, you're sad about the potential of lost life. But it's not close to you, and your own life really wouldn't be affected by it either why. It's a big world and you know that if you look and keep searching, you'll find your answers. This is just the first lead you've come across and you're scared to let it go, so don't you dare pretend to be so selfless, Spike.”

He blinked and found himself farther in the desert. The great city was little more than a blur in the horizon, and Spike could only wonder how long he'd been walking.

“I could have sworn time passed by slower talking to her, but...”

The voice in his head was driving him crazy. He growled in exasperation and looked around. Towards the northeast, he noticed, there looked to be a rock formation,perhaps some caves or something. It was hard to tell this far away. Maybe he could look there? Bandits always hid in desert canyons and caves in Twilight's stories.

It was worth a shot.

And so, the dragon began to walk.

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“He's getting closer.”

“He's barely started on his path. He's no idea what he's searching for, just that he's searching for something. The dragon has no idea what his destiny is.”

Two figures stood, cloaked in shadow. A magical orb of light was floating in front of them, but it revealed not the viewers, but a young purple dragon struggling to deal with a harsh and unfamiliar climate.

“The fact that he was even heading towards Rideyadh at all means that he's bound to find it.”

The other figure cackled, but no humor was in it.

“That's what I'm counting on. The Ritual Stones will be mine, and soon, the whole world will belong to me once more.”

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END