Death.

Burning.

Fire.

Rip.

Tear.

Crush.

Kill.

Destroy.

Fortuna?

Spike’s thoughts about what he was going to do with Zephyr died when he spotted the Pegasus from Flight School that he desperately did not want to meet now. Unfortunately, due to being in his way, Fortuna saw Spike and waved a dainty little arm to say hello.

The little Pegasus from grade school had certainly grown since then. The grey mane had grown to levels that could rival Fluttershy’s mane and was expertly curled like Rarity’s. Her white fur was immaculate, with the simple lacy grey dress only dulling, but not stopping, the color from showing off of what was supposed to be a beautiful Pegasus of high class and culture.

Spike knew she was way into that high class stature, however. She always was a stickler for the rules of the nobles.

“Sir Spike! Such a pleasure to meet you!”

“Uh, you too, Fortuna. Heh, how’s it going since, uh, Flight School?” Spike tentatively asked, one claw scratching the back of his neck in an awkward fashion.

“Oh, please, Sir Spike, you must call me by my true name, Miss Fortuna Light,” she giggled, waving a hoof airily around. “However, it may be soon that you’ll be calling me Missus Light. Or rather, Missus Breeze, but I think I’ll keep my name as a symbol to my family legacy.”

“Missus? What, like, you have a boyf – er, a spouse?” Spike corrected himself so he could at least not listen to Fortuna correcting him on matters of how nobility should talk.

“A true spouse, not yet, but a love, yes. Sir Zephyr Breeze, if you must know–”

“YOU’RE SEEING ZEPHYR?!” Spike exclaimed, causing a few ponies around him to glance over and shush at the sudden loud voices. He shrunk his head in to ignore the stares.

“Er, yes, I am. Why, is this a problem?” Fortuna asked, cocking her head to the side. Typically, that stance would be unladylike, but Spike knew Fortuna; if she wasn’t a stickler about noble rules and policies, at least she never lectured about stature.

“I mean, uh,” Spike scratched his neck again, trying to phrase his next words so as not to offend the Pegasus. “See, the thing is, Zephyr has always had a big crush on Rainbow, ever since we met him at Flight School. He was at a charter school somewhere else in Equestria before he came, and apparently he’s the brother of Fluttershy.”

“Yes, that is why we are here with his family. To congratulate Lady Fluttershy in her endeavors to save us from that dreadful Nightmare Moon. I could hardly believe that Nightmare Moon had actually existed until we heard that laugh from Cloudsdale, and the sun wasn’t rising when we had counted the time from our Summer Sun Celebration.”

“…Right. Anyways, he would never take a no from Rainbow. She could handle him easily if he got too pushy, but I… well, I like teaching that punk every once in a while to take a hint and take a hike.”

“Well!” Fortuna spat, “I can assure you that my Zephyr is not like the Zephyr you remember from Flight School! I admit that I did have to teach him a little about manners and class when I became smitten with him, but he has grown wonderfully since then!”

“Oh really?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Then how come he’s getting awfully close to my sister over there, who looks ready to clock out your lover?” he pointed to the wall where his mother, his sister, and Zephyr were together, the stallion leering too close for Spike’s comfort.

Fortuna looked in the direction he pointed and scrunched her mouth in anger. “Why that little…! Sir Spike, please tell your sister to please stop seducing my soon-to-be spouse!”

“What the, this isn’t Rainbow’s fault! It’s obvious that Zephyr is still in love with… and she’s gone,” Spike deadpanned, looking at Fortuna walking quickly (or rather, stomping quickly in a ladylike manner) towards Zephyr. He couldn’t hear what she said to her lover as he walked towards the group, but he saw Rainbow recoil in disgust, glancing rapidly back and forth with Zephyr and Fortuna. As soon as he was within range of hearing, Fortuna took one glance at him before grabbing Zephyr by the hoof and practically dragging him away from the family.

He shared a quick hug with his mother before turning to Rainbow. “So, uh, some news. Fortuna Light and Zephyr Breeze are a couple, apparently. And no, I don’t know how they found each other agreeable, especially Fortuna for Zephyr.”

“Are you sure they’re a couple?” Rainbow seethed as she watched the two lovers go. “That guy was trying to flirt with me as usual. Great, he’s a creep and now a degenerate…”

“Well, at least you can use that mare’s name to ward him off, if he ever tries again.”

“Yeah, I guess I could… wait a sec,” Rainbow turned to her left to see Twilight and Fenella next to her. “Whoa! Don’t sneak up on me like that, Twi! Barely heard ya above this party!”

“It’s not a party, Rainbow, despite what Pinkie may believe. It’s a reception, and it comes from the ancient tradition of–”

“Princess… of… rambling!” Fenella squeaked out, her belly bulging from the earlier food binge as she rested on top of Twilight’s forehead. She slurred her words slightly, feeling the effects of being more than full from all the food she ate.

“Speak for yourself, Miss Chubby Breezie,” Twilight sighed.

Fenella waved her off. “What? It’s like I always, blurgh, said. (Could you not move so much, please?) You ramble a lot to ponies. Ya need ta stop doing that.”

“And you need to stop gouging yourself out on all the food you can get at every social gathering we go to.”

“And ya need ta get a coltfriend so that I’m not the, urgh, only living thing you’ll talk ta for days at a time.”

“You’re not the only thing I talk to!”

“You’re right. You’ll talk ta either Celestia or even your own books, glaring at them and yelling at them to tell ya their secrets if they’re particularly hard books ta read. Bleugh,” Fen gagged.

“Ugh, you’re insufferable…” Twilight muttered, laying her head slightly low intentionally to move Fenella and make her uncomfortable again.

“Speaking of her…” Rainbow asked, a hoof raised at the breezie, “what was up with her suddenly having a seizure of some kind during the ceremony?”

“Oh, she gets random seizures all the time. It comes from her heightened magical powers from when a dark mage captured and tried to experiment on her and her family when she was young.”

Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Firefly recoiled back in shock at both the sudden tragic information and the nonchalant way Twilight spoke about it.

“Wait, a dark mage…?”

“Hey Twilight let’s go see the princess or something since ya know we haven’t talked ta her in a while and just get us away from here and such,” Fenella rapidly spoke, pulling Twilight’s hair to guide her away from the Rainbows.

“Ow, ow, ow, okay, I get it, you don’t want to talk about it. I was just trying to answer the question and–OW!” Twilight mumbled as she walked away from the open mouths of the Rainbow family.

“O… kay… Rainbow, you sure do choose some strange friends,” Firefly remarked.

“Well, we are a pretty strange family, mom,” Spike replied.

“Aw c’mon,” Rainbow complained, “We’re not that weird.”

“AHHHHHHHHH SAME LEG, SAME LEG! I’M NOT THE FOOD YOU BLIND CANTERLOT IDIOT!”

“…most of the time.”

Celestia stared. She had caught sight of the dragon once before, at a Young Ponies hoofball game where she disguised herself as a fan among the crowd to watch up close, and she had seen him play for the Cloudsdale team. She thought him a quirk, but it wasn’t too serious to start wondering if he was good for pony society; yet seeing him without his gear, in his full colors, she recognized immediately who the dragon was.

I’ve got to contact Celly and Molly later tonight, she thought in her head, ignoring the commotion with some ponies near the refreshments table. This is the dragon in both their worlds that is supposed to be Twilight’s assistant.