Spike

“All aboard! Next stop over: Manehattan!”

The conductor walked along the train car, asking for tickets and checking on the ponies that bought them. Rarity glared at the stallion when he recoiled, seeing Spike in one of the seats. The dragon turned away and stared out of the window, feeling his heart in his throat.

He felt Rarity’s hoof on his claw after a few minutes, as the conductor left. She had lectured the pony on showing some manners when addressing her friend, but Spike tried not to listen. Once again she sat opposite the dragon, having moved back after her little talk. “Spike?” she said. “Dear, are you alright?”

Spike shifted his gaze from the isle of the car to lock eyes with Rarity. Ponies all round him were conversing loudly, speaking about where they were going and what they would do once they arrived. Some were running around with their children, attempting to control their foals, most likely out of fear that they would disturb the other passengers or trip and fall along the isles, injuring themselves.

“I’m fine,” muttered the ambassador after a pause. “I’m used to it.”

His reassuring words didn’t seem to convince Rarity. She frowned, not removing her hoof. “Your expression doesn’t give the impression that you’re used to it. And how could you be?”

Spike shrugged, his shoulders feeling unusually heavy, trying to sound nonchalant about it. “I-I’ve accepted it is all. I mean, I’m…I’m not that…friendly looking anymore.”

“Nonsense, you’re still Spike.”

“Yeah. Spike the grown-up, sharp teeth and claws dragon.” He chuckled, finding no real humour in his reply. He glanced out of the window once more, trying not to see the fashionista’s reaction to his comment. His hand stayed in place, happy under Rarity’s hoof as he went on. “I know how ponies like that see me. They take one look at me and think that I’m dangerous.” Spike turned back to look the seamstress in the eyes. “I suppose I could be.”

Rarity answered with a gentle smile. He loved that smile. “My dear Spike, we all have the capacity to do bad things, but I know you would never harm anypony on purpose. You are one of my closest friends, and I would never dream of changing that.”

“Really?” he asked, staring into those twinkling eyes of hers. They glinted with tears and sincerity.

She nodded. “Really.”

He felt elated suddenly, like those last five minutes hadn’t mattered. Except for her being there talking to him, the bits in between never even happened. Spike smiled back at her, a real, genuine grin. Rarity nodded again, and removed her hoof from his clawed hand. Her words tumbled into his mind. “I would never dream of changing that.”

She turned her head to peer out of the windows at the lands that they were leaving behind, seeming to miss the dragon’s change in composure. The realisation hit Spike immediately, like a punch to the gut. “…friends…” He followed Rarity’s gaze out of the window in silence, trying not to think.

Ponyville was a little speck in the distance now, but Spike knew that it was a long way from Ponyville to Manehattan. They would have to spend the night on the train. Normally he wouldn’t have had any problem with sleeping on the train with her, because the others would be with them. This reminded him of the time that they had traveled to Appleloosa, when he was ten, but this time it was just him and Rarity.

Nervously, he tried to distract himself from the heat that he was rapidly feeling in his cheeks. Spike found himself admiring the craftsponyship of the train interior. It appeared to be so much different from the area he had been in on his way down. This was the luxury car, placed in the middle of the car line. Where he had been so cramped in the other cabin that he could barely move his tail, the purple dragon was able to freely move his tail whichever way he desired.

The carpet was velvet, instead of the beige he had taken to staring at on his last trip. The seats were made from ebony and on top was a fluffy, deep amaranth cushion. He had looked into their bed room earlier, and had been impressed with the comfy mattress and blankets provided. On his last trip from Canterlot it hadn’t been necessary for him to need a bed, but he recalled sleeping in one on his trip to the colony in buffalo territory six years ago. Along the walls hung little lanterns that Spike had assumed could be taken down and lit to find a bathroom or a place to collect one’s self late at night.

“Spike,” Rarity whispered, making the dragon turn to face her. She was still staring out the window, but now had a look of reminiscence in her sapphire eyes. “It’s raining.”

The dignitary followed her gaze and found that she was correct. It was quite a downpour, the clouds shrouding the sky in a dark grey haze. The train sped along at a steady pace, causing the rain droplets to flow almost horizontally passed the windows.

“I have always loved watching the rain fall, no matter when it should occur.” She spoke wistfully, as if to herself. Spike tilted his head in recognition, in the hopes that she would continue. “It’s odd I know, for a mare such as myself to enjoy the rain, but it’s just so calming. I know some ponies say that they think it’s such a dreary day out when it’s raining; however, for me it’s as if…how should I put this?”

Rarity brought her head to face Spike and held her hoof up to her chin in thought. “I feel as though the clouds are sharing in my sadness and happiness, as well as the tears that we shed, whether good or bad. Taking away some of the weight that always seems to be upon us; like the rain itself has those feelings. It’s rather silly, I know.”

“I don’t think that’s silly.” His mouth moved so effortlessly it felt like those words had already been out for her to hear. Spike knew it was all over his face, as he stared at her.

The white pony flicked a strand of violet hair out of her eyes, smiling bashfully. “Y-yes…you’re kind to say, Spike. I think…I think I find it uplifting in a way, as though I know I’m not alone when I feel upset. It reminds me that I have good friends to lean on, when I am in need of such comforts.”

“I had no idea. You’re truly an amazing pony, Rarity,” Spike replied, feeling his heart rate increase once he realised what he had said. Rarity herself turned a bright red at the compliment, obviously taken off guard by his response. She turned away, trying to distract herself with fixing her mane. Nervous giggles escaped Rarity’s lips as she looked anywhere except the dragon ambassador.

He always loved her laugh, and seeing her so flustered because of what he had said just made her look even more beautiful. Spike stared out of the window after a moment, trying to appreciate the rain in the way that the seamstress had just confided to him.

Peering outside, Spike caught glimpses of mountains looming off to the west. He knew them as the Dragon Spire mountain range; some of the tallest peaks in Equestria were counted among those crags. The tallest of those cliffs, of course, was Mount Dragon Spire itself, having the rest of the line of mountains named in its honour. He flew over it many a time throughout his travels, and he remembered that it had been a unicorn by the name of Cepheus Spirit, a notable explorer and climber, who had first reached the peak of that great mountain.

He recalled an interesting adventure he’d had that involved him flying over that very peak.

“Rarity, look,” said Spike, nodding slightly to the distant massifs. He saw out of the corner of his eye that she glanced at him briefly, before following his gaze out of the window. “That is the Dragon Spire mountain range. I’ve flown over those several times during my travels west. It’s truly a sight to see from the air.”

“It looks beautiful.”

“Yeah. It reminds me of the last mission I went on. We’ll actually be going in that direction when we reach Manehattan.”

“What were you sent there to do?”

The dragon chuckled. “Well, it was much less of an enjoyable journey than flying over those mountains. Princess Celestia told me about how the Republic of Girania was around for many hundreds of years, being quite a prosperous nation, but had been having problems with keeping the senate together. To those neighbouring the republic, and even to some within it, there seemed to be powerful families in the senate that were betraying lesser families for their own gain. The nation had grown much in the last few years and the republic found it difficult to keep all of the family seats at an even level of influence. I was sent to see if anything could be done to strengthen the relationship between Equestria and Girania and work out what was going on.”

“The Pardalis family had one of the most powerful seats in the senate. It had the most influence as to what laws were passed and what positions each republican magistrate was given. For instance, a praetor administrates civil law and controls provincial armies and a censor could admit citizens into the senate or expunge those in it. Consuls have the most power of these magistrates. They have supreme power in civil and military matters, though each of those elected only served for a pre-determined amount of time.”

The unicorn nodded her understanding and raised a hoof. “And I’m guessing that this Pardalis family was influencing these elections?”

Spike nodded. “I didn’t know it at the time though. As soon as I was admitted into the capital city, I was imprisoned. Senator Pardalis accused me of conspiring to supplant the republic and enlist a new state of government under Equestrian rule.”

Rarity gasped and held a hoof up to her mouth. “What did you do?”

“What could I do? If under the circumstances of being accused of such a thing, my diplomatic status was overlooked. I went along with them. In court I pleaded not guilty, saying that there was no evidence proving one way or the other. I said that I would find who was actually attempting to break the senate and the republic apart. Princess Celestia sent me a message after learning of this, saying that some giraffe families were still loyal to Equestria and to Girania. Those that hadn’t been influenced by whoever was trying to establish a new government said that they would help me clear my name.”

“In court, Senator Pardalis had accused me of making some influential family leaders disappear right before I arrived. But no concrete proof could be found that I was responsible, so I was allowed to search for a real answer. Through those loyal to the republic, we found evidence that pointed directly to the Pardalis family. Either through fear or bribery, many of the other families were told to follow the decisions of the senator. Consuls, praetors, censors, the most influential magistrates in the republic, they were always elected to office through his conspiring. Those who he couldn’t control, he had disappear.”

“One of the other families found out where the other senators had been removed to. I went to free them and they said that Senator Pardalis used his influence to dispose of those who would oppose him. Whichever censor was in office at the time was told to elect a giraffe picked by Pardalis himself; one that would follow his orders. Seeing how a republic had failed to control such a growing nation, Pardalis would move to dissolve the senate and the republic and instate a new government that put him in control of the economy and the military.”

“A dictatorship,” Rarity concluded.

Once again, Spike nodded grimly. “The court found the senator guilty of high treason and revoked his family’s seat. They reinstated those that Pardalis had removed and I was found innocent of all accusations. All of those in the senate thanked Princess Celestia and I greatly for our aid. After all that had happened, a new trade route between us was established to improve relations further.”

“Terrific darling. I’m truly impressed with how you handled that complicated situation. You’re certainly not the same little dragon I remember.”

Spike waved a claw in dismissal, feeling blood rush to his cheeks. “Aww, I didn’t do anything. The republic had more strength than Senator Pardalis thought. The other senate members saved me from being accused of what he did.”

Rarity leaned in, eyes locked on him sternly. “Nonsense dear. You helped those giraffes greatly. If you hadn’t been present, they might not be a republic anymore. Princess Celestia thinks that you are dependable; otherwise she wouldn’t have made you a foreign ambassador at all. I for one think you do a splendid job. I don’t want to hear you doubting yourself anymore, alright?”

Spike blinked in surprise at her response. He nodded at Rarity, feeling a grin forming on his face. The unicorn smiled in return and the two sat in relative silence for a few moments. Spike took to glancing around at the other passengers around him. The car certainly wasn’t as full as the one he’d taken on his trip down to Ponyville. Most ponies here were business types returning from a vacation or large families taking a special trip to celebrate something.

He heard a few conversations here and there: ponies talking about what they had seen on their travels or discussing important and interesting developments in Equestria and beyond.

“So, do you have any idea of where we might begin, Spike?” asked Rarity, interrupting his imaginings. He turned back to his friend, seated across from him.

“I did some research back in Canterlot. I asked Princess Celestia about where those dragons fly to on their annual migration.”

“And?”

“They actually fly all over. The area we went to was just one stop over. There are a few more colonies of dragons that make their own way to different islands or continents for the seasonal changes.”

Rarity raised a curious eyebrow. “Has the migration not already occurred though?”

Spike nodded gently. “Yes. They will be in their summer dwellings right now. If anything is known about dragons, it’s where to stay away from. So on the maps, it shows all of the locations of mountains and volcanoes, anywhere a dragon colony has been spotted. Though those that saw those places only ventured so close. They’ve never seen the inside of the dwelling.”

He noticed her blink in what he suspected was disbelief. Rarity leaned in slightly, sapphire eyes not leaving him for a second. “So…when we followed you to that colony of dragons…”

The purple dragon nodded gently, knowing what she was trying to point out. “You’re probably the only three ponies-three creatures other than dragons to see what goes on within those places.”

Rarity looked stunned at this information, seeming to re-evaluate her first experience with a colony of dragons. She sat back in her seat, looking contemplative. “I never thought about that. I suppose I was just too worried about you being hurt to care about anything else. But now I wish I could have taken a closer look at everything there.”

Spike smiled softly at the knowledge that Rarity was worried for his safety back then. “Well, if we manage to find any dragons, I’m sure you will have another chance.”

“I’m certain that I will,” replied Rarity, focussing back on the ambassador. She raised a hoof in a questioning gesture. “You do have a map of sorts, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure that what I have is still accurate,” said Spike. He saw the inquiring look on Rarity’s face and decided to continue. “When I asked the princess about the dragon migration, I…was a little vague on the details. I didn’t want anypony to know what I was researching. I tried to ask about small things, so she wouldn’t become suspicious and tell Twilight.

“I still think that Princess Celestia knew, but she pointed me to look at the library in the Crystal Empire. It has books there that were written more than two thousand years ago, back when relations with dragons and ponies weren’t so bad. Ponies were still not allowed into dragon lands, but they at least talked to one another. She thought that if any written information on dragons could be found, it would be there.”

Rarity’s eyes widened considerably. “That library is absolutely gigantic. So many books are stored there that I dare say even Twilight couldn’t read them all…” She paused to place a hoof to her muzzle, before looking back at Spike. “…but you must have found something.”

He lowered his head down below the seat and pulled up the saddlebags he’d brought along. Spike flipped the flap open and took out a rolled up scroll, unrolling it carefully as Rarity came to sit next to him. “I found a map of all of the known locations of dragon lands. Some of the more social dragons must have told ponies where they lived, so that they could avoid a dangerous confrontation. Some of the names of the islands they inhabited were also named in the books I found: Drokhast, Kohirene, Veidormahn. Even then, it’s still pretty vague, but we’ll be going to a place called the Scorched Lands.”

“It’s a start,” Rarity smiled at Spike as she looked up from the map. “Speaking of vague…this is a little off topic, but you never did tell me about what happened with Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”

“O-oh, well I-I’m not really…”

“I thought you said it went alright.” The white unicorn tilted her head to the side, her mane following along with it gracefully. Her eyebrows knitted with worry at Spike’s discomfort. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Spike sighed and turned to face her properly. “For the most part it was okay. We had a few races, which Rainbow Dash usually won, but I could fly and run for the longest amount of time. Applejack won a few strength tests, and had the fastest time bucking apples and…well…” He felt a lump in his throat. All of the chatter going on around the ambassador seemed to stifle his breathing. He inhaled deeply and saw the patient, caring expression on Rarity’s face.

The dragon managed a smile, chuckling softly. “It’s actually kind of embarrassing. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both bucking apples pretty quickly, but I was too worried about how strong I was. I didn’t want to hurt anything. They kept saying that I should try it and that it would be alright. I suppose they stopped after a while, once they saw how upset I was, but soon all I heard in my head was them repeating what they had said. I kicked the apple tree straight out of the ground.”

Rarity muffled a gasp. “Oh my.”

Spike nodded in shame. “Applejack apologized profusely afterward, saying that she shouldn’t have pressured me into it. Rainbow Dash is still probably laughing about it. It’s my own fault anyway. I still don’t know my own strength. I’ve…never had anything to test it on.”

“It’s not your fault,” said Rarity. Her hoof was on his claw again. “It was nopony’s fault; although I might have a word with Rainbow Dash about manners when we come back. I-is the tree alright?”

Spike lowered his head, his eyes lidded and sullen. “I don’t know. I left before anything could really be said. I was just…too ashamed.”

“It was an accident,” she said, patting his claw gently as she lifted his head back up with the other hoof. “And I’m sure Applejack has the tree back in its spot safe and sound. We could go for a visit to Sweet Apple Acres when we return as well, if you like.” She smiled reassuringly at him, and Spike felt a little bit better about that day.

“Whoa, you’re a dragon aren’t you?” a colt asked from behind him.

Spike turned to face into the train car and spotted a colt in between isles, staring intently at him. “Yeah, I am.”

The pony’s smile only seemed to widen with his response. He was slightly taller than Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo, still far from fully grown, Spike imagined. He had a dark amber coat and orange coloured eyes. He was slim, and his mane was shaggy, while he seemed to hop slightly on his hooves. His mane and tail were a tangelo shade with a streak of light amber off to the side. For a cutie-mark, he had a red joystick. “Cool. I’ve never seen a dragon before, except in books and video games. You look much smaller than those dragons though.”

“Button!” called a distinct motherly voice from the other end of the train. Spike knew that tone well, from when he was living with Twilight. Sure enough, a mare with beige fur and a light brown mane and tail with ties at the ends trotted up to the smaller pony, looking upset. She had a milk bottle over top of a pink heart as her cutie-mark. Her turquoise eyes narrowed at the foal. “What are you doing? Are you bothering these two?”

The younger pony shook his head as he turned to her. “No! I’m just talking.”

“It’s okay,” Spike spoke up, sinking into his seat as he thought about what she would say in response. “I hope I didn’t worry you.”

She turned to him and the crease in her eyebrows lessened. “Well, the only thing I’m worried about is my son upsetting folk on the train. He can’t sit still for two minutes without one of his games in his hooves. I’m Linda, Button’s mom.” She placed a hoof to her chest, and smiled at Spike.

He tried to return the smile as best as he could, and shifted in his seat. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Spike, and this is Rarity.” He gestured with a claw as he turned to face Rarity, but found that she had returned to the opposite seat; most likely to see the exchange more closely.

Rarity dipped her head and grinned at the two ponies. “Charmed, dear. Where are you and your son off to, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Linda shook her head, chuckling a bit. “Not at all. We’re going on a trip to Trottingham. It will be good to be out of the house for a while…and away from the video games.”

Button turned to his mother with a glare. “Hey, I’m not that bad anymore. I even brought some playing cards for the trip.”

Linda laughed and nodded. “I suppose you’re not as glued to video games as you were. Say, speaking of cards, what do you two think of having a few games? If you’re not busy, that is.”

“Not at all,” Rarity said in reply. “In fact that sounds lovely, doesn’t it Spike?”

The ambassador nodded his head as he looked from Rarity and back to the two new ponies. “Yeah, it does. I think there’s a dining area with tables at the front of this train. How about we play there?”

“I’ll grab the cards!” Before any of them could respond, Button shot off in the direction that his mother had come from. Linda laughed again and walked to the other end of the car as Spike allowed Rarity to follow right after her. She smiled in thanks and stepped onto the floor, catching up with the beige mare easily.

As Spike caught up and kept behind the two ponies, Linda turned to face Rarity. “Lovely. So where are you two off to? I must say I didn’t expect to see a dragon and a pony traveling together, though I have seen stranger things than that.”

“I was actually wondering…” Spike spoke up, earning the attention of both mares as they halted briefly. “…you weren’t afraid of me when you first saw your son talking to me. I thought you were upset that Button was talking to a dragon.”

Linda looked surprised, her eyes widening slightly, and she quickly waved a hoof. “Oh, no! I was worried about him offending either of you. When he’s excited, Button often doesn’t think about what he’s saying. It’s happened a few times, so I just try to be careful. He’s quite nice though, once you pry him away from his games.”

The brown-maned mare laughed. “But as for being afraid of you, don’t even think twice. When I was younger I always thought dragons were misunderstood. Any creature can be nice. I once played games where dragons could be befriended and trained to fight for their world. That was when I was about the same age as Button though. It’s just a pleasure to meet one in pony-er…dragon, I suppose, in this case.”

Spike waited for Rarity and Linda to take their seats at one of the tables at the end of the car, before he took his seat next to the fashionista. Here it was quite empty, the three of them being the only passengers in this part of the car. It was quiet, being blocked off from the noise of the talking ponies by a sound-stifling spell just before the tables.

“Found it, mom!” Button shouted as he made his way through the spell’s barrier. He trotted over to sit opposite Spike at the table and began to shuffle the cards. “So, is there any game you want to play? Guests have the first choice.”

Spike smirked and looked over at Rarity. He already knew her answer. “Have you two ever played sevens?” she asked with a glint in her eyes.

Author's Notes:

Here is another one. I must say this is also a very good chapter. It introduces several important pieces of information. First, I love the Dragon Spire mountain range and Cepheus Spirit, the pony who climbed it.

Second, we learn of one of the more dangerous diplomatic experiences Spike has had throughout his career as an ambassador. To go more in depth with this point, the Republic of Girania is based off of the Republic of Rome. I love Total War games and I love Rome, so I thought I would create a nation out of one of my favourite historical nations.

I did a lot of research on it before hand, looking up what each magistrate did, how much power they had and how long they served. For another interesting thing, the Pardalis name for the influential family, is taken from the Latin species name for the giraffe. It is the last part of the name Camelopardalis. It fit well, especially when with senator at the front, and it screams villainous. Like senator Palpatine.

Third, it introduces Button and Linda, which I thought was a cool addition to the cast. Button is more outdoorsy now as well, so he doesn't sit in his room all day playing video games. Linda is one of the made up names for Button's mom that I thought was the most fitting for her.

Fourth, we also have more Sparity going on and Spike is becoming more smooth with his compliments, surprising and embarrassing Rarity. Way to go, Mr. dragon. And on the other hand, Rarity is looking out for Spike more. All in all, they make a cute couple. Oops. Not yet. But I'm sure you can tell that it is going to happen. It is a Sparity story, and I'm a huge sap.

I think I have covered everything. So, I suppose that that is it for now. I will continue to post the rest. We're almost to chapter 16. Ta ta! ^^