The previous day had ended with me getting scolded by Twilight for getting bitten by a wyrm pup, but after I explained what led up to it and what happened afterwards, she let me off the hook and we just went to sleep early. As had become more common recently, we shared a bed -- mine, this time -- which gave both of us a most restful sleep.

As I woke, it was to a dark room, which meant I had awakened earlier than normal. Twilight was still asleep, nestled next to me under my extended wing, while I lay on my stomach. As usual whenever she got a good, restful sleep, Twilight’s hair was adorably mussed and sticking up in different directions, but to me, it was still one of the most beautiful sights in the world. To think that after all these years of knowing each other, we would pair up; it was surreal, in a way, but definitely an enjoyable turn of circumstances. We couldn’t lay in bed all morning, but for a few minutes, I afforded myself time to just lovingly watch over Twilight as she slept.

“If you were anyone else, that’d be creepy, you know.” she mumbled sleepily, opening one eye to look at my startled expression. Though at first seeming annoyed, her face eased into a gentle, affectionate smile as she let out a happy sigh through her nose. “But you’re not anyone else. This isn’t the first time you’ve kept me safe, and I know it won’t be the last.”

My surprise gradually changed to a warmth on my face, and in my chest, as I moved forward to connect us in a chaste peck on the lips. Pulling away, I answered, “Yeah, but I didn’t get to do that until recently. Besides, there’s not much to protect you from inside your own castle.”

Regardless of the fact that Twilight had chosen to commit to a relationship with me, it was still easy to make her blush with just a short, casual kiss. In much the way that I imagined Fluttershy would, Twilight shifted her wings from underneath mine, hiding all but her eyes behind one of them as she muttered, “Well I still felt safe. I never said we have to be in danger for me to feel that way.” After a few seconds of us just looking at each other, smiling, she glanced at the clock and sighed. “It’s a bit early, but we’ve got to go over those guard reports today. I’ve cleared out a good block of time in our schedule for it, and the more prepared you are, the better.”

I’ll admit, I let out a whine, but pushed myself up and crawled out of the bed. “Fine. I’ll get breakfast started while you clean up. Come downstairs when you’re ready.”

Twilight walked over to the door with me and out into the hallway, leaning over and placing a kiss on my cheek. “Mmwah. Thanks, Spike. You’re the best.” I couldn’t help but grin like a fool as I watched her walk away, letting out a lovestruck sigh before heading to the private kitchens.

While Twilight’s castle was massive on the inside, it was predominantly for looks. Like a museum, most of the rooms, furniture, and fixtures were largely for decoration, as they were either rarely used, or never, in some cases. For example: the grand dining hall was only slightly smaller than the one in Canterlot Castle. While large, and opulent, it was primarily just for show, as we had only used it once since the castle sprang from the earth. Twilight, being a master of forethought, had decided it was best to put powerful enchantments on these rooms that would repel dust, so long as they remained unattended. I mean, let’s face it: if not for Twilight’s spells, it would take the two of us all week to clean an entire castle, and by that time, we’d need to start again; it would be an everlasting battle against dust that we could not win.

This was all important because of the fact that there were two separate kitchens: one for the private apartments, and one for the public floors. Both were well-stocked with kitchenware and dishes, but the “royal” kitchen had never actually been used, while our private kitchen was used nearly every day. It was important to have a separation between the public areas and our own, because regardless of the fact that the castle was a major landmark and place where ponies could meet their local branch of royalty, it was also our home, and we needed our privacy. Besides, I didn’t want just anyone seeing me in my frilly “kiss the cook” apron.

It took some time to sterilize and wrap my hand wound, but I was soon cooking a fresh, healthy breakfast for the two of us, which also included a small pile of gemstones for me. Due to the inherent magical nature of dragons, I had to consume some form of magic every now and then to remain healthy -- the amount increased whenever I needed to heal from injuries, as my body used that magic to help mend my body. Gems, being natural storage vessels for ambient magic, were simply the easiest way to get magic into my body. The other was to hunt, but for obvious reasons, gems were much simpler to find, process, and consume.

Twilight entered the dining area just as I brought out our breakfast, dressed in a simple v-neck tee and skirt, obviously opting for function over fashion, since we would be spending the day studying. Nonetheless, she still looked innocently cute, which was a type of beauty only a few ponies my age could easily pull off. That and, maybe because Twilight was one of the most dedicated students alive, she rocked the schoolgirl look. She unhurriedly made her way to her chair, offering me a loving kiss on the cheek as I bent down to set her plate on the table. I allowed myself a smile as I walked back over to my side, unfolded my napkin in my lap, and began eating to energize myself for the day ahead.

The guard reports were largely monotonous, with simple time and date marks showing that the dragon rarely left the cave it had claimed, only doing so for short amounts of time to hunt some of the other undesirables in the area. Thankfully, even for the guards or other curious ponies that approached close to the lair, the dragon did not attack them; other than a roar and some warning firebreathing, the dragon did not actually do anything that was a danger to anyone. In fact, simply going by what was documented, the dragon seemed to only want to be left alone, which matched what we had learned from our time in the dragon lands. Much of our research involved going through the guard reports and cross referencing the behavior with our notes on dragons, but when we came upon the descriptions of the dragons, our work became far more intensive.

One of the things we had documented while in the dragon lands was the different dragons we met, recording detailed descriptions, names, and even their prominent personality traits. The reason for this was simple: dragons were not restricted to one color, and came in a variety of hues, body types, and even demeanors. Dragons, unlike ponies, were a more primal race, and though they had evolved beyond mere beasts, the majority of them were still bound by their genetics in such a way that it could even affect their behavior, depending on the clan they came from. Color usually related to clan directly, so one could make an accurate assessment of which clan a dragon came from simply by the color of their scales. So, while the color of skin might not mean much to a pony, it was incredibly important when dealing with dragons.

“Blue.” Twilight read aloud as she looked over the dragon’s description from the guard reports. “From the lustre of the scales, it appears to be a younger female, likely only a short stretch past adolescence.”

I nodded my acknowledgement, looking over the extensive notes we had on dragons. “Blues belong predominantly to Clan Narrowscale, an older dragon clan that can trace its roots thousands of years into history. They are shrewd negotiators and diplomats, and Valla, one of the more notable members, was once able to convince a rival dragon to hand over its hoard, using nothing more than words. Because of this, they are more commonly known as ‘the Silvertongues’, and they are feared due to their intelligence, which is rare for a dragon.” I frowned at that note. “I mean, not to say that other dragons are dumb, but I suppose these are just known to be some of the best and brightest.”

“Dragons don’t really share their knowledge with many outside of their own clan, so ponies can largely only guess at what they are capable of, and what they know.” Twilight placated while still looking at the reports. “One can’t rightfully assume someone is stupid, simply because one doesn’t know anything about them.”

I nodded in agreement, looking back toward our notes. “The last time we were in the dragon lands, the leader of Clan Narrowscale was Torch. Through the competition years ago, it was decided that his daughter, Ember, would succeed him when he decided to pass on the reigns of leadership.” Memories sprang forth at the mention of Ember and the competition we were dragged into, and I couldn’t help but smile fondly at them. “It’s been awhile since Ember’s returned my messages, but I guess dragons aren’t really keen on mail, at least as much as ponies are.”

Suddenly, as if being physically struck, I flinched as realization overcame me: Ember was a blue female dragon, as was the dragon I was supposed to meet. I felt stupid for not realizing it earlier, but before I could voice my thoughts, Twilight beat me to it.

“You don’t think…” she muttered, looking up and over at me with an unsure expression.

Catching her eyes, I gave a firm nod in confirmation. “It would make sense. I mean, if it is Ember, I guess she would be more comfortable around ponies than most other dragons would be, which would explain why she chose a location so close to us. What I can’t figure out is why she wouldn’t just send a letter or something if she needed to see me, assuming it is her.”

Twilight shrugged helplessly. “I can’t say, and the only way you’re going to find out is when you go to meet the dragon tomorrow. Although, if it is Ember, please let me know via dragonfire so I don’t have to sit in Canterlot worrying about you until the next day.” She frowned slightly as she looked at the reports again. “Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure who it is until you get there. I hate going in blind like this, but we don’t have another choice.”

I stood from my desk and walked over to Twilight, ducking through her circle of floating guard reports. My sudden arrival startled her a bit, but her surprise was short-lived as I gently took her chin and captured her lips with my own. Twilight and I both let our eyes drift closed and enjoyed the moment of closeness, followed by a tender hug between the two of us. Sometimes there were no words needed, so I was content to just hold her close and do my best to assuage her fears.

We released each other and Twilight took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she opened her eyes and looked to the reports again. “All right, let’s see what else we can learn. We already know the basics, but maybe there’s something in the description that would mean more to someone acquainted with dragons.” She began going through the reports again, and with nothing to do until she found something, I pulled my chair over and brought the journal to sit nearby. Other than the shifting of parchment in the air, the study was quiet, and I decided to just offer my silent support as Twilight did her thing.

“Wait…” she muttered as she reached and snatched one of the reports out of the air. Looking over it, she hummed to herself for a few moments before requesting, “Turn to the section about clan marks. I think I’ve found something.”

“Clan marks” were essentially tattoos, the dragon equivalent of pony cutie marks; since dragons were a far older race than ponies, the practice technically came before cutie marks, or ponies, for that matter. In simplest terms, dragons used a combination of precise scorching and inked pricking of their hide to create colored designs that were used as both decoration and identification. Some of the more intricate designs covered whole swathes of the body, or even the face, but those were often the marks that were for decorative purposes only. Clan marks, by comparison, were often simple, small, and were always situated on the forehead or chest.

Opening to the requested section, I handed the journal to Twilight, which she held in front of her as she compared it with the reports. Her eyes darted back and forth a few times before she nodded and looked to me as she turned the book around and pointed to the mark. “It’s a current dragon lord. There are only six -- one for each clan -- and only two of them are Blues, so there’s a one-in-two chance it’s Ember.”

I took the book from her magical grasp and looked over the mark -- a stylized dragon head with a circle over the top and three horizontal lines underneath. I brought my hand up and rubbed my chin as I thought, wondering what a clan leader would want with me. I mean, if it is Ember, why hadn’t she contacted me before now? If it wasn’t, however…

“This just got a whole lot more complicated.” I mumbled, letting out a sigh of frustration.

“And potentially dangerous.” Twilight reminded dourly. “We could be dealing with an unknown dragoness clan leader, and if she is here for you, and it’s not Ember, things could be quite volatile.” She magically gathered up all the reports and stacked them before putting them back in the folder. With that done, she turned to me and pulled me into another hug. “I’m going to say it again: I don’t like this.”

Bringing my hand up to cradle her head, I nodded gently as I held her close. “I agree with the sentiment. Gotta do this, though, so I’m going to make sure I’m as prepared as possible. I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not nervous, but this is the kind of thing a royal has to do for their people, sometimes. And,” I preempted Twilight’s rebuttal, “I know my title as Celestia’s son is kept a secret, but this is still my home, and I'm going to do what I have to in order to protect it.”

Twilight remained nestled against me before letting out a long, slow breath as she looked up at me. “A part of me knows that we have little to worry about -- if the dragoness wanted to cause trouble, she’s had ample time to do it -- but the fact that we don’t know what she wants is what’s worrying me the most. I almost hope she just wants to steal you away and elope, because at least that would be something relatively simple to deal with.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought, and ran my claws through Twilight’s mane as I worked to assuage her fears. “I’m coming home, Twi. AJ will take care of me tomorrow night, and I’ll see you the following day. Just like everything else, we’ll figure this out, and we’ll all have another story to tell and likely laugh about.” Twilight giggled and nodded in agreement, so I counted it as a win.

Giving me one last squeeze, Twilight pulled away and straightened her clothing before setting her face in a determined glare. “All right, we finished earlier than I predicted, so we should get things caught up so that you and I don’t have to come back to be swamped with paperwork and appointments.” She snapped her fingers and held her hand open, and two folders flashed into existence in her open hand. She handed one to me and nodded firmly. “Since I have to meet with the Ponyville guard detachment today, I’ll handle the errands on the east side of town, and you can handle the west. Pick up Lyla and Fluttershy on the way back, and I’ll get the rest of the girls gathered so that we can all head to Sweet Apple Acres together to have dinner with Applejack. I think that should end the day quite nicely.”

My stomach let out a loud rumble of agreement, which I could only bashfully smile at, but nodded regardless. Grabbing the folder and opening it to do a quick skim, I quickly followed Twilight out of the castle via our balcony, eager to get some good food in me.

My half of the errands consisted of doing a quick patrol of the Everfree border, gathering samples from the soil around Sweet Apple Acres, and filing a report with Town Hall about what I would be doing tomorrow regarding the dragon. Needless to say, news of the dragon had been intentionally kept a secret, as was my role in dealing with it. Having a crowd of ponies milling around a dragon’s cave would complicate things, and I already had enough to deal with without that being a factor. I just hoped that no gums had been flapping in Canterlot, because the last thing we needed was a noble house trying to make a power play somehow, and causing innocents to be hurt.

Thankfully, when I arrived at Fluttershy’s, it was to the serene scene of her lovingly tending to Harry the bear in her front yard, brushing his fur in long strokes as the large mammal ate his fill of fish to prepare for hibernation. This was always a busy time for Fluttershy, being one of only three ponies who assisted the wild animals in preparation for winter, so it didn’t bother me so much that she had little time to meet with friends. I knew the following week would be different, but until then, we would have to grin and bear it.

Hehe, bear, because she was brushing...ah, whatever, that was funny.

Harry nudging her with his nose and pointing in my direction caused Fluttershy to look at me, and though she blushed a bit, she still waved with a gentle smile. It seemed she was still a little shy about what happened the previous day, but she wasn’t dashing inside her house like the old days, so that was a good sign. Nonetheless, I still needed to apologize for sticking my foot in my mouth and embarrassing the hay out of her by implying I would like to see under her dress. I readjusted my wings and walked toward her as I returned the smile and wave, trying to think of a way to apologize without causing further unneeded embarrassment to her. After a few moments, I concluded that was impossible, so I decided to suck it up and do what had to be done.

Stopping by Harry’s head to offer him a good scratch behind the ears, I focused my gaze on Fluttershy and chose to just be direct. “Fluttershy, first, I’d like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I said some things that were inappropriate, and I’m sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me.”

Exactly as I had predicted, Fluttershy’s face quickly flushed as embarrassment overcame her, and she did that adorable squeaking thing she does when she was trying to say something, but was too embarrassed to form coherent words...or a pitch that was audible to ponies. Her soft pink mane worked well as a shield as she retreated her face behind it, even going so far as holding up a wing to cover herself and attempt to shut out the world. I knew both were a coping mechanism for her shy nature, so I stood silently by her side, gently laying a hand on her back above her wings and rubbing soothingly as she trembled, likely fighting to not bolt from the mortification alone. The fact that I had suggested I was jealous of the ponies she had unintentionally flashed was what I was apologizing for (or, at least, the fact that I said it aloud), but I knew Fluttershy was probably reliving the embarrassment of the entire situation, at that exact moment.

“I-I forgive you, S-Spike…”

In traditional Fluttershy fashion, the words had been genuine, but so quiet that calling it a whisper would be more accurate. It was completed by a single teal eye peeking out at me and a slightly wobbly smile, but Fluttershy wouldn’t have said she forgave me if she didn’t mean it. Things between us might be awkward for a bit, but it was good to know that we were back on solid friendship ground again.

I nodded to her with a reassuring smile. “I really am sorry, though. It was stupid for me to say something like that, especially in public, so I’m going to think of a way to make it up to you.”

At that, she practically burst forth from her barrier of soft locks and feathers, shaking her head fervently. “O-oh, no Spike, you don’t have to do that. Really, it’s-”

“Too bad,” I interrupted firmly with a smile, “still gonna do it.” I tried not to chuckle at the pouty lip she gave me, as even though she turned away with what most would think was a frustrated huff, I caught the smile that crossed her lips before she turned away. Replacing my hand on her upper back and rubbing gently, I shifted subjects. “Anyway, that wasn’t the only reason I came over, though. Since I’m going on my little ‘adventure’ tomorrow, and Applejack is at home, Twi thought it’d be nice if we all got together at the farmhouse for a dinner together, tonight.”

At the mention of my mission the following day, I felt as every muscle in her back and shoulders tensed, and she froze completely still. It didn’t take a genius to know she was worried about me -- no matter how you looked at it, the situation was scary -- but the fact that she started trembling again worried me. The love and support of her friends had helped her come out of her shell a little more over the years, but Fluttershy had a tendency to bottle up her more uncomfortable emotions, unwilling to become anything like her “new Fluttershy” phase. Fluttershy’s very nature was that of a worrier, so I knew that she had likely been purposefully not thinking about it in an effort to not work herself up into a tizzy. My mention of what was coming had probably brought all that to the forefront of her mind, and so she was having to deal with it, now.

At this point, even Harry was looking up at his caretaker, a worried expression clear even on the bear’s face. Just as I was about to verbally ask if she was going to be okay, all of the tense muscles relaxed, and she unhurriedly put the brush down on the nearby worktable with all the gentle ease she normally embodied. She then turned slowly to me, and I was unfortunate enough to witness “sad Fluttershy”, complete with a lip bite that any other time would be adorable, and the teary turquoise eyes of a heartbroken pegasus cutie. The lip tremble was the final straw, and I immediately closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms and wings around her in a powerful hug. The sound of shifting beside us preceded two large, furry arms enveloping the both of us, as Harry and I did our best to comfort the distraught pegasus.

Unhealthy as it likely was, Fluttershy rarely let out the entirety of her true emotions. Even now, nestled in the protective embrace of two of her friends, she still only released a stifled cry every now and then, unwilling to truly let go, as she probably should have. Still, I knew that if she was being affected even this much, she was likely feeling much worse inside, so I did my best to comfort her.

“I’ll be okay, Fluttershy.” I assured, tucking her head underneath mine and ensuring she was as secure in my grasp as possible. “If the dragon wanted to cause trouble, it’s had ample time to do so. And besides that, I’m fireproof.”

“...b-but you don’t know that for sure!” her soft voice vehemently argued. The worry had driven her voice to a volume much louder than normal for her, though even calling it a raised voice was ludicrous, by anyone else’s standards. “Y-you can’t know that you’ll be okay, Spike!” She pushed herself up until her face emerged from the cocoon of arms and wings around her, and she looked me square in the face with an intense, pleading stare. “Please Spike...please don’t do this. I-I’m so afraid something terrible is going to happen, and I don’t want you to be hurt…”

The glassy, teary eyes of Fluttershy nearly broke my will, but a single thought was all it took to put me back on track.

I reached a hand up and affectionately stroked her soft, pink locks as I let out a deep sigh. “I have the best chance of coming out of this unharmed, Fluttershy. The dragon doesn’t seem to be here with the intent of purposefully starting anything with the local populace, but every time one of the guard patrols has gotten close, it’s noticed them, and warned them to keep away. How do you think I would feel if one of our friends got hurt because of something gone wrong with this situation? How would you feel if Twilight, or any of our other friends ended up severely hurt?” I saw the uncertainty in her expression, so I pressed my advantage. “I don’t like this either, and neither does Twilight, but we’ve gone over all the data available to us, and the chance of me actually getting hurt is very low. Dragons generally don’t respond well to non-dragons, which is why I was the most logical choice. I’m doing this to prevent my friends from getting hurt, Fluttershy. It has to be done.”

Her soulful teal eyes just stared back at me, as if judging my words and searching for any deception in them. Finally, after a few silent moments, Fluttershy released a resigned, shuddering sigh as she pressed her face into my hand and nodded with a sniffle. “...o-okay, Spike. I’m still scared for you, but I know you aren’t someone who does dangerous things for no reason. Just…” she swallowed hard and looked to me again, “just promise me that if things go bad, you fly as fast as you can to safety. Don’t worry about being brave o-or noble, just get away and be safe. I...I-I don’t know if I could handle it if something really bad happened to you.”

Rubbing my thumb and forefinger along the lower part of her ear -- and earning a pleased sigh in the process -- I nodded firmly. “I promise. You can trust me when I say I’m in no hurry to die.”

Again looking deeply into my eyes -- almost looking through me, it seemed -- Fluttershy finally nodded with a gentle, if nervous, smile. “O-okay, I believe you.” She pulled away from me, so Harry and I released her from the impromptu “safe-zone” we had created with our arms, and she rubbed the tears from her eyes with a final few sniffles. “W-well, I would love to share a meal with my best friends. I have some things to finish up here though, so can we meet in front of Sweet Apple Acres in twenty minutes?”

Nodding an affirmative, I replied, “Sure. I have to go and get Lyla anyway, so I’ll be doubling back that way regardless. I’ll see you soon then, Fluttershy.” Another gentle nod was my answer, so after giving another good ear scratch to the large brown bear, I headed to my next destination, hoping that I had helped settle some of Fluttershy’s nerves...and also hoping I hadn’t been lying when I said I’d be fine.

Lyla and I exited her home, with me looking a little less put-together due to her rather...spirited show of affection she’d heaped on me as soon as I arrived. I had barely crossed the threshold into her home when I was pounced upon and shown exactly how much she had missed me in the past few days. In some ways, it was like having an affectionate puppy for a marefriend: whether it be a few hours or a few days, I was given love and affection as if we hadn’t seen each other in months. Not that I was complaining at all, of course.

After finishing buttoning up my shirt and straightening my trousers, I took Lyla’s hand in my own and walked with her toward the main town. I found myself reminiscing about the earlier days of Lyla’s life in Equestria, we had also held hands when walking together, though more for her safety than anything else. Now, the simple contact was a way for us to show our feelings for each other -- both to each other, and to those curious enough to watch us. I was quite adamant in publicly acknowledging the relationships I had formed, even in little ways, so that the less romantically-confident ones -- Lyla and Twilight -- were reassured that I wanted this with them, and was not afraid to show others. Twilight had her own hang-ups about a relationship, due to her past experiences, but Lyla had never had one before, so I was just fine with taking the lead and showing the town that I was secure in my choices.

Besides, though I worked every day to keep my draconic nature in check, sometimes it needed to be sated in more overt ways. The simple act of holding hands with a chosen marefriend of mine was asserting to anyone watching that they were mine, and that actually worked quite well to keep “Spike Want” quiet.

After crossing through the town center and taking the long walk to the north fields, we crested a final hill and saw Sweet Apple Acres. A familiar rainbow-headed mare was sitting on top of the sign, talking to our yellow pegasus friend as they waited for us to arrive. Rainbow, being the one facing the road, spotted us first, and shouted a greeting as she waved happily. Fluttershy turned around and gave a much more demure smile and wave, though she was no less happy to see her friends.

Lyla and I extended our wings and flew the last few dozen paces, landing moments later in front of the main gate to the farm. Some quick greetings from our friends preceded the four of us walking at a sedate pace through the dormant apple fields, making our way to the old farm house in the distance. At this point, only a few of the trees even had leaves left on them, so the vibrant fields of Sweet Apple Acres looked far more barren. We all knew that come springtime, the trees would blossom beautifully, and they would continue with another year of vibrant life, but even when I was young, the sight of the leafless trees unnerved me -- it just seemed...wrong, somehow.

I didn’t have to think about it all for very long, since within only a few minutes, we were standing in front of the farmhouse. Voices could already be heard inside, and Rainbow Dash wasted no time in pushing open the door to let us in, closing it firmly behind us. Immediately the warmth of the home permeated my body, and I found myself smiling as the atmosphere of the old, yet well-kept house soothed my mind and body. Judging just by the familiar voices, it was clear the four of us were the last to arrive, which was further evidenced by Twilight’s familiar scarf hung on a coathook, and Rarity’s “fashionable-yet-functional” white coat. The last of the group, Pinkie, surprised me from behind by wrapping me in a tight hug and nuzzling the spot between my wings.

While moderately surprised, the familiar scent of my bubbly baker friend caused my smile to widen, and after using my tail to reach up and tickle her ribs, I turned around and greeted her with an embrace of my own. Even with the night just beginning, I could already tell this was exactly what I needed to steady myself for the mission the following day. Somehow, just the presence of these important ponies already made the whole thing seem not so big and intimidating, and I felt more confident that everything would be fine. In addition, it was the little things like a Pinkie-hug that reminded me of exactly how much I had to come back to. Not that I didn’t already have reason enough to make sure I made it back to Ponyville, but it was always nice to have little reminders of just how great my home was.

“Spike, ‘s that you? Ah could use some extra hands in here!” Applejack’s voice called from the kitchen, so I quickly freed myself of Pinkie’s grasp and made my way through the home.

The kitchen was a bustle of activity, with Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, Rarity, and even Twilight in it (though the latter seemed to be focused on grabbing the needed utensils and pans, instead of actually preparing the food). With it being so full, I quickly headed to the sink and washed my hands before looking to Applejack for direction.

She pointed with her good arm toward the table against the wall of one side, where the produce was settled. “Ah’d appreciate some peelin’ ‘n choppin’, if ya could. We’ll take care’a tha cookin’ if you can get tha food ready.” I nodded my assent before heading to the table and grabbing the peeler, starting on the potatoes first. It was monotonous work that didn’t take any thinking, so I let my body do the work as I let my mind blank out everything but the current task. Before I knew it, the table was now full of peeled and chopped veggies and apples, so with my work done, I took the skins and put them next to the barn in the pig feed trough before making my way back inside the house.

Upon my arrival, Mac nodded his thanks to me before shooing everyone that wasn't an Apple out of the kitchen, rumbling that they'd take care of the rest. So, with that done, I joined the crowd in the family room, where a few of Mac's herd were gathered, including the other stallion: Caramel.

I had known Caramel for awhile. Being a Ponyville native and the older brother of Bon Bon, he was a common sight around the market district of Ponyville. He lacked his younger sister’s proficiency for making sweets, but he was well known as one of the best and most reliable construction ponies around, which, in a town like Ponyville, was a high-demand job. While a good deal older than me, he had always been a laid-back stallion that was a friend to any and all, so long as they didn’t cause trouble in his town. Even though she’d never admit it, Twilight even had a bit of a crush on him for awhile, when we first came to Ponyville.

The tan-coated stallion glanced over to me as I entered the family room, and flicked his thick, wavy hair out of his eyes with a jerk of his head. Offering me a smile and a fist to bump, he greeted me warmly with all the hospitality of any other Apple family member -- though he wasn’t born into the family, Mac had once commented that he somehow just “fit” into the herd so well, it was like he had belonged there all along. This was evidenced by the clear love and affection he had for the mares he herded with, and the loving attention he gave to the little Ruby Pinch, who was currently slumbering on his lap.

In honesty, since there weren’t too many others in Ponyville, I secretly modeled a lot of myself after him and Macintosh, when it came to being a stallion.

I took a seat on the opposite end of the large, L-shaped couch in the room, and was quickly joined by Lyla and Rarity -- the latter deciding to claim my lap. For the first time in awhile, there was nothing I had to do and no one I had to impress, so I just settled into my cozy seat and held my two girls close, content to let all the friends catch up and enjoy themselves for the night. It was a night together we all needed, I think, for several different reasons. The Apples -- and Applejack in particular -- needed a nice family night to give love and support to the injured family member, and the most common way of doing that was a large family dinner. For Twilight, Rarity, and the other Elements, the night was a way to reassure themselves that Applejack was okay, and to show their support for their dear friend. And, for me, it was a good way to recharge after a stressful past few days, as well as to prepare for the mini-adventure I’d be a part of the following day.

In addition to all this, for the Apples themselves, hosting a dinner was as natural as bucking apples, or working on a farm; it was no imposition to them at all, and Granny Smith herself had been quite clear on that, as Twilight had explained to me. When I really thought about it, it all made sense: the Apples were spread across all of Equestria, but were known to be a very close-knit family where foals grew up knowing four or five different pairs of grandparents, just as many aunts and uncles, and dozens of cousins. Quiet and solitary was simply not the life they were used to, so in actuality, they were quite comfortable with -- and even desired -- a home full of family and friends laughing, telling stories, and sharing their life experiences with each other. Their doors were truly always open for family and friends that were ready to help out, tell good stories, and share a good meal. Though it seemed simplistic to a lot of city ponies, I still find it impossible to explain in words just how the atmosphere of the home, the ponies in it, and the history of that home infused one’s body, relaxing away tension and bringing a smile to the face.

That must be why, with just the two of us, Twilight’s castle felt so empty.

After she finished up in the kitchen, Twilight joined the rest of us in the room, and took the place I had left next to me, against the armrest. It was a snug fit for two people with overt wings, but after some maneuvering, I was comfortably nestled into the cushions, surrounded by my three girls. It was warm, and cozy, and after such a busy day, I found myself falling asleep before I even realized I was tired.

What felt like only moments later, I was being gently nudged awake by a certain changeling, who was grinning at me like a loon. The second thing I became aware of was the scent of lovely food, and that worked quite well to rouse me to full awareness -- there were...other things Lyla could have done to wake me, but we were in polite company, so we silently elected to explore those options sometime later.

With everypony else having already taken their places, I headed with Lyla to the last two open seats, nestled between Big Mac at the head, and Twilight along one side. With everyone seated, Macintosh started us off by spooning some roasted vegetables in gravy onto his plate, passing it to his right as another dish was passed to him from the left. This continued until everyone had been served, at which point we began eating, trading stories and comments as conversation flowed freely. The long table itself was easily as large as the one in the dining hall back at the castle, but having it filled with friends and family somehow made it so much better, even though it was carved from oak instead of opulent crystal. Luckily, most of the conversation was focused around the six Elements and their adventures, so I was largely left to just silently eat and enjoy reminiscing about the events mentioned. Eventually, though…

“So what’s this Ah hear ‘bout you goin’ on some solo mission t’marrah?” Granny Smith spoke up, looking directly at me from the foot of the table.

Nearly choking on a bite of roasted turnip, I swallowed hard and focused my gaze on the elder matriarch. “...umm, it’s just a bit of trouble that’s cropped up that I need to go and take care of. I actually can’t really talk about it, at the moment. Suffice to say it’s a state secret for reasons I can’t disclose.”

Granny Smith squinted at me for a few silent moments before raising a weathered eyebrow. “Ain’t no danger ta mah fam’ly, is it?”

Thinking about how to answer properly, I took a moment to myself before replying, “I’m going to prevent danger, not cause it. No pony’s going to be in trouble if I have anything to say about it -- and I do. I promise to do all that’s in my power to keep everypony safe and sound.”

A long stare was the response I got from the old pony, before she nodded gently and returned to eating. “Just ‘slong as ya take care’a yerself. Ain’t gonna do nopony no good iff’n ya get yerself hurt.”

I admit, it was discomforting to see every single one of my friends stiffen up -- even if just for a second -- at the thought of harm coming to me. While a part reminded me that it was just more proof of how important I was them, another part of me hated that I was the cause of this much stress. Much as I detested the very idea, a tiny voice whispered in my mind that I should have kept this to myself, so as to spare them all the worry.

Giving a hard swallow -- and not to clear food out of my mouth -- I nodded firmly to Granny Smith. “I will. I’ll make sure I come home safe.”

With that said, we all went back to eating, and while the conversations never drifted toward that particular subject again, I’m fairly sure I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As a group, we all helped clean up afterwards. With nearly twenty of us on hand, picking up after the meal took practically no time at all, but so as to allow them all time to relax and spend time with Applejack, I elected to help wash the dishes in the kitchen. This left me alone with Applebloom and Granny Smith, but with the older pony rinsing and Applebloom drying, the job went very quickly, even with an entire counter full of dirty dishes.

I tuned out the chatter, for the most part, as it just consisted of Granny Smith asking the youngest sister about school and what her friends were up to these days, but I was aware enough to recognize a dismissal when I heard one.

“Bloom, Ah think we c’n finish tha rest. Go spend time with yer sister.”

“Okay Granny!”

It was clear she wanted to speak to me alone, though I had no idea what it could be about.

We finished washing up the remainder of the dishes, and after putting them away, I leaned back against the sink and looked at the old mare. “I take it you wanted to talk to me privately.”

Despite my light accusation, Granny Smith smiled a wrinkly smile. “Ya catch on quick, sonny.”

Nodding and slowly hobbling over to a free chair against the wall, she took a seat and looked up at me with deep, wise eyes. Most didn’t know it, but Granny Smith was older than she looked (which, without being mean, was hard to imagine). Celestia had once explained to me that every pony subspecies drew ambient magic from the environment whenever they used the abilities unique to their subspecies -- flying and cloud-forging for pegasi, for example -- and a little bit of that magic became a part of the pony every time they used it. Magic was a neutral energy -- it wasn’t inherently good or bad -- but some of the races, such as ponies, had evolved to make it a part of who they were. For ponies specifically, bonded magic bolstered their bodies, as well as slowed the aging process. Granny Smith, for example, often told the story of her traveling and fighting off timberwolves before she stumbled upon the site of what would one day become Ponyville. This, in particular, was all the more impressive when one took into account the fact that Ponyville was founded nearly two centuries prior. Granny Smith had seen and experienced more than most normal ponies had any right to, so when she spoke, you listened.

Settling herself more comfortably, the elderly mare nodded to me firmly. “Right. Now, Ah ain’t gonna nag ya ta be careful again, and Ah ain’t gonna say this all is a bad idea ‘r nothin’ -- Luna knows Ah’ve done mah own share’a things that don’t make no sense ta nopony but me.” She shifted her legs, digging into her pocket and pulling out an old, worn pipe. Pulling out a small plastic baggie of dry brown leaves, which I could only imagine was tobacco, she methodically packed a bit into the pipe before lighting a match and bringing it to the mouth of the apparatus. After a few puffs to get a good, slow burn going, she slowly exhaled the smoke and pointed to me. “Ah ain’t here ta try ‘n’ convince ya ta not do what yer doin’: Ah’m here ta talk ‘bout AJ.”

I raised a brow, confused. “Applejack? What about her?”

“She cares ‘bout ya somethin’ fierce, Spike -- more’n Ah’ve ever seen ‘er care ‘bout anypony but fam’ly.” My eyes widened at this, but she simply took a long drag from the pipe, letting the breath out her nose this time. “Ah can’t say what’ll happen ‘tween tha two’ve ya, but first, Ah want ya ta make me a promise.” The old pony sat up a little straighter and her expression became very serious as she spoke: “Ah want ya ta promise me y’all will always watch out f’r each other. Keep ‘er safe, but most’ve all, keep ‘er happy. Mah girl’s been through too much ta have ta live without ya. Y’all don’t have ta live in tha same place f’r tha rest of yer life, but Ah want tha peace of mind ta know y’all ain’t gonna f’rget about ‘er one day.”

I could only stare at her for a few silent moments, the only sounds in the kitchen that of her taking slow draws from the pipe and breathing out the smoky air. Maybe I was misreading things, but by the way she spoke, it almost sounded like…

“Are...are you insinuating that I’m going to be a part of Applejack’s love life?”

Granny Smith just stared back with an unreadable expression.

I stared right back at her before fervently shaking my head. “W-whoa, whoa, that is not what’s going on between us at all. We’re just friends, and besides that, she just broke up with her coltfriend. Even if that were my intention, I have no desire to be ‘the rebound guy’. Applejack…” I took a breath to calm myself, and shook my head again. “Applejack doesn’t need some other guy trying to slip his way into her pants, no matter who it is. She’s a friend and family first and foremost, and that’s what I’m going to be to her.” Realizing I had raised my voice a bit, I quieted down so as to keep our conversation private. Taking another calming breath, I let it out slowly before bringing my eyes back to Granny Smith. “I would never forget about Applejack, and I’ll always be here for her. Maybe I’m too young to understand completely, but Ponyville is my home, and I don’t want to be anywhere else. Applejack and all the ponies I care about make it home, so I wouldn’t want to be in a place where I couldn’t be around them anymore.”

Again, the strangely deep eyes of the Apple matriarch bored into me, until she seemingly found what she was looking for, and smiled. With a resolute nod, she replied, “Then that’s good ‘nough f’r me.”

Blinking once, I nodded. “Um...a-all right, good.” I then pushed off of the counter and shifted unsteadily as I thought of how to word my thoughts. “...what exactly did you mean by you don’t know what’ll happen between us? You know I’m not trying to ‘woo’ her or anything, right? She doesn’t need that, especially now.”

“Y’all might be a dragon Spike, but not even tha most magical of critters c’n see tha future.” she replied, grinning softly. “B’cause’a that, ya can’t say it won’t happen. Mah lil’ Apple loves ya like yer already fam’ly, an’ it might be one day she wants more’n friendship from ya...and somethin’ tells me you’d ‘least give it a chance.” She slowly pulled herself to stand, moving over to the sink and pounding out the ash from her pipe into the sink before washing it down. Without looking at me she voiced, “Iffin’ mah mem’ry serves, used to be all yer girls started out as ‘just friends’ too, right?” Finishing washing her hands, she slid the pipe back in her pocket and turned to me, reaching out and giving a firm pat on the shoulder. “Jus’ somethin’ ta think ‘bout fer tha future, sonny.”

With that, she slowly meandered out of the kitchen, likely to go rejoin the rest of the ponies in the home. This left me alone with my thoughts, and It’s a safe description to say they were violently turbulent.

I trusted Granny Smith’s analysis of her granddaughter more than I did my own, so it was okay to take her words at face value. Now, I wasn’t surprised that Granny Smith had said Applejack loved me -- after all, ponies in particular were easily able to understand the fact that there were many different types of love, and referring to love between two people didn’t necessarily mean romance; I knew Applejack loved me, and I loved her back, but as a friend. However, the old mare had clearly seen something I didn’t, and whether it was merely wishful thinking or a true possibility, I couldn’t say. Even with just myself, I couldn’t lie and say I’d never thought of Applejack as attractive, or that I’d never had a fantasy of bagging the cutest “farmer’s daughter” this side of Equestria. The difference is, I’d grown up around Applejack, and she was never the type to be swept off her feet and wooed properly -- frankly, when she initially started dating Thunderlane, I was surprised more at the fact she was dating, rather than who she was dating.

Applejack was a tough farm girl, and wasn’t usually huggy like Pinkie was, and nor was she particularly one known for kisses between friends (much as I didn’t want to admit it, the kiss she had given me was still stuck in my head). Applejack, for the most part, related to her friends in ways that a stallion would -- it was common for her to show support with a reassuring, firm pat on the back rather than a hug, and she was more likely to laugh off something uncomfortable, rather than let it pull her down. Like Rainbow Dash, while her body was clearly “mare”, her personality and the way she handled day-to-day life was more akin to a stallion. While it was easy to look at her from afar and admire her prominent curves -- especially around the rump -- for someone like me who had known her for years, it was difficult to see her as an attractive mare and possible romantic partner. Unfortunately for me, much like it had started for me and Twilight, I was sure this was going to be on my mind for days or weeks afterward, whether I wanted it to be or not; the only difference was I knew there was no chance of Applejack and I becoming an item, let alone just after she broke up with her coltfriend.

With my mind quieted, I nodded resolutely and left the kitchen, determined to be a good friend to a friend in need.

Being a get-together with the Apple family, the night ended relatively early, as farmers rose with the sun. We all said our goodbyes and gave our thanks to the gracious family that had us over, and Applejack surprised me with another hug as her way of saying goodbye. With a whisper in her ear that I would be okay and I’d see her tomorrow night, she released me, and the rest of us headed home.

Rainbow Dash opted to fly straight to her house after a hurried farewell, and Lyla chose to escort the skittish Fluttershy home, which, after parting ways with Pinkie, left Twilight, Rarity and I alone for the night. Since the workload was relatively light the next few days, Rarity accepted Twilight’s invitation to stay the night at the castle.

Twilight’s temporary portal within the private commons area allowed Rarity to step through to her home and fetch a few toiletries and some nightwear, after which we all cleaned the day off of us and dressed down to relax for the rest of the night, but with it being so early, we treated the gathering as a sleepover. This, of course, meant junk food in Twilight’s room while watching silly B-movies, and the three of us laughing uproariously at just how bad the acting and special effects were. It was...nice.

Of course, as we relaxed in our pajamas on a bed, sitting graduated to laying, and simply being close to each other became an impromptu cuddle session between the three of us. Luckily for me, the two mares had been friends for many years, so although there were little bouts of competition between the three of my new herd, there was no jealousy, so it was all in good fun. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that, for the most part, things were turning out exactly like they were supposed to: Twilight and Rarity were different ponies that brought different things to the herd, but they added to it and supported one another, rather than fighting. I guess part of what made it so easy was the fact that we all knew each other, so there was none of that awkward “getting to know you” phase most ponies had to deal with. It was because of all this that the two of them were laying at either side of me, cuddled close, watching and giggling at the silly “horror” movies that were playing. I, of course, was more focused on the warm, curvy bodies on either side of me, and while it was true that I enjoyed a silly movie as well, two gorgeous mares holding themselves against me was quite distracting, to say the least.

Unfortunately, as I found out fairly early in my life, lying on one’s back with wings is not comfortable without the room to stretch them out, so I had to shift to a sitting position against the backboard. This, of course, left my sides uncuddled, but like so many other things in my life, I had to just remember that it was a part of growing up. I mean, at some point, I wouldn’t even be able to fit inside buildings anymore. For that reason, I found myself content with just being able to be near those I cared about. I occupied myself by reaching down with my hands to gently rub the ears of the two mares still laying down, and just watched the remainder of the movie, savoring the simplicity of a quiet night between friends.

As usual, I woke up in the middle of the night, after we had finally succumbed to sleep. I was nestled on my stomach, as was Twilight, while Rarity was turned on her side, facing away from me. Both were pressed tightly against me to conserve warmth on the cool night (though I knew that wasn’t the only reason), so I had to carefully shimmy myself from between the two as I thought about how to get off the bed without waking the two of them. It took a minute, but I finally found my answer when I looked up, and saw the ornate crystal light fixture securely anchored to the ceiling by being part of it.

A little known fact about flying dragons: they can climb really well, too. In the mountainous regions where my kind evolved, flying wasn’t always an option, and so our wings evolved over millions of years to be able to help us climb when the lay of the land became too restricted to allow us to take flight. The sharp, earth-rending claws of our hands and feet were already well-suited to the task, but to give us an edge, our wings slowly evolved to have small claws at the wrist (third joint), which was also where those bony spines were.

Looking at my own wings, I flexed muscles I rarely used (though they were still strong), and a small clawed appendage unwrapped from the base of the bony spine, looking like a finger, except much thicker. I stood and reached my wings up, hooking both of them on two of the arms of the light fixture. Slowly, I pulled myself up and with a quick swing of my legs, let go and let my momentum carry me through the air. Flaring my wings just before landing, I touched down relatively softly, the sound audible, but not enough to wake the two ponies sleeping in bed. I couldn’t help the triumphant grin that crossed my lips, but made sure to keep quiet as I silently left the room.

My first stop was the bathroom, which was the reason I had awoken in the first place, but after relieving myself, I made my way to the large window overlooking most of the town. Gazing out over the slumbering town I called home, I loosed a gentle sigh and smiled as I thought of all the friends I had made since Twilight and I moved to Ponyville. We had traveled a lot in our relatively short lives, and seen more than most ponies do in their entire lifetimes. Even so, with the culture and food of Manehattan, or even the glitz and glimmer of Los Pegasus, Ponyville would always be home for us. Even now, just reminiscing about the many ponies I had grown up with, I could almost see the flower sisters selling their wares out in front of their shared house. Derpy and Time Turner were trotting happily through the park with Dinky, who was not so little anymore. Lyra and Bon Bon were relaxing on a bench underneath their favorite red maple tree, the former playing soothing music on her lyre while the latter tried to look as though she wasn’t enjoying it as much as she was. Octavia and Vinyl, the two local musician big-shots, were playfully bantering back and forth as they walked the streets of Ponyville. Then, of course, were the seven that were far more important to me -- they were family. The strange thing was, it seemed odd now to picture any one of them just on their own. Even Lyla, who had come into our lives years after we had all gotten to know each other, had become a part of the group as if she had always been there. Sure, there were things about her that we still didn’t know (mostly because we hadn’t asked), but who she was as a person...we already knew all that. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Lyla...every single one of them had left their mark on my life, and it no longer seemed right if they weren’t a part of mine. Maybe it was a bit selfish when I really thought about it, but I didn’t want to live my life without any of them. I had already lost one or two important people in my life because I allowed them to drift away, and I couldn’t let it happen to my closest friends.

That, of course, meant I had to be there, too. It meant that whatever happened the following day, I had to make it back to Ponyville, and keep my promise to Fluttershy. Besides that, I had a feeling that Applejack would completely lose it if I didn’t show the next night, because as much as she would never admit it, Applejack was depending on my support as she healed her physical and emotional wounds. It was a little intimidating to know that my safety -- or lack thereof -- was going to be weighing heavily on the minds of seven mares (nine, if you counted Celestia and Luna). They all knew this was one dangerous mission they wouldn’t be able to follow me on, but after years of watching Twilight and the others go on adventure after adventure, I think doing one on my own was acceptable. I didn’t like knowing this was all stressful to them, so I promised myself that I’d return safe and sound, and hopefully, with news of a new draconic ally.

I glanced once more at the sleeping town, feeling the warmth in my heart that reminded me of what home truly was, before I turned on my heel and headed back to bed.