The sixth day of the Summer Sun Celebration had arrived, and with it, the Great Festival of Canterlot. The preparations had been going all week, with bakers, costumers, and performers overworking themselves to ensure their readiness for the day. And a glorious day it was. The sun was rising over the city, a rich gold that spread its light over the streets below. The city itself was like a pot full of joy, boiling all week and ready to tip the lid and spill as of today. The powder was primed, the shot loaded, and all that was needed was a single spark. That spark would, of course, be provided by a dragon, as that is what dragons do best.

At least, that's what Spike thought. He had managed to disguise himself, ironically, underneath a costume of a dragon that was intended to be moved by two or three ponies. This had really been the only costume that could fit him, and forcibly reminded him of Nightmare Night some years ago, where he had dressed up as a dragon in a misguided attempt at humor. Regardless, he now moved through the crowd, dancing and shaking a little bit to give the impression of several ponies inside. Twilight was in costume as well, thought her performance would not be as...spectacular as his.

The ritual was very simple. As the sun hit the town square, the light would descend into the streets. As the first rays of sunlight hit them, ponies everywhere would shed their costumes, tossing them aside to be revealed to the world as who they really were. Each was a great secret, and many ponies went to rather extreme lengths to ensure that nopony knew who they were. Craning his neck, Spike could see several Wonderbolts, some dragons such as himself, a few vamponies with high hoods, and other assorted characters. Several torches burned as well as lanterns, which would be extinguished with the rise of the sun.

Conversation rose and fell throughout the square, and Spike contented himself with hopping from one foot to the other, maintaining his illusion. Twilight was in the crowd somewhere nearby, but separated from him as well. He twirled gracefully, flaring the cloth coverings over his wings. Several onlookers cheered in approval. The dragon grinned. They hadn't seen anything yet. Twilight had come up with possibly the best idea ever last night, and he was eager to try it out. It wouldn't be long now. The sun had steadily been creeping down over the spires of the castle, and was already pooling in the highest streets.

The conversation ceased as the sun struck nearby buildings, illuminating the freshly cleaned windows and newly hung decorations. Gradually it crept downward, and Spike turned his gaze toward the castle. Princess Celestia herself stood on her balcony, gazing down at the city. His excellent vision was just enough to make out the smile on her face as she watched her subjects celebrate. He turned his attention back towards the streets. Ponies on the other side of the street were beginning to strip their disguises away, and soon the crowd did so en masse. At last, Spike was the only clothed one in the square.

Ponies began to call out for him to remove his costume, joking and pointing at the group who refused to shed their disguise. He shook his head and did a ridiculous jig. All attention was on him. Perfect. He listened to the conversation around him. Waiting for that perfect phrase, he was not disappointed. One Pegasus leaned in to his wife, saying loudly "Maybe it's a real dragon!"

Spike grinned, stretching his neck to the sky. He inhaled deeply, and expelled a bright green flame, which shot up into a column of whirling heat and light that caused the crowd to scramble back in alarm. The fire spread from his mouth to the specially treated costume he was wearing, which also began to dissolve into green flame. The costume disintegrated rapidly, and soon the dragon was standing naked in Canterlot Square. For added dramatic effect, he extended his wings and roared.

There was a beat of silence, and then the crowd erupted into cheers and exclamations of approval. Spike was swarmed by the mob, who recognized the now famous dragon from the rumors around Canterlot. Grinning, he extended his wings to the side. Ponies who realized the danger scrambled away, while the less fortunate were buffeted to their knees by the powerful downsweep of Spike's wings as he lifted himself into the air. He took off, several Pegasi in pursuit.

The dragon pumped his wings harder, exerting himself to challenge his much more nimble and swift pursuers. He swooped low over the city streets, weaving in between some of the larger buildings, and heading for the walls. He lost some scant few of those flying next to him, but knew only the most dedicated would be following him here. Wheeling, he headed for the airship docks, a flock of Pegasi right behind him.

The docks were currently home to the Equestrian Third Fleet, one of the larger of the Navy's six fleets, and numbering about forty ships. The airships in question were currently docked for the holiday, flags flying and details of ponies in dress uniform standing on the decks, all facing the sun in the east. Unfortunately for them, Spike was approaching from the west. The Pegasi and unicorns on deck were therefore caught completely by surprise when a dragon skimmed through the narrow space between their balloons and their decks, with a flight of fifty starstruck Pegasi in tow. They were even more surprised when the majority of the ponies followed the dragon through that space, most of them impacting either the large expanse of magically strengthened canvas on top or the decks and sides on the bottoms. When the disaster that was a dragon had sped through their fleet, the crews were thoroughly disheveled and had gained about forty extra Pegasi in various states of consciousness.

Spike looked over his shoulder, spinning to see who was still following him. Not surprisingly, the crowd had thinned drastically after that maneuver. Spike counted four left, as he hovered in midair. He wasn't at all surprised to see both Soarin' and Spitfire of the Wonderbolts nearby, as well as one other pony he vaguely recognized as a competitive racer, as well as a coal black Pegasus with a Cutie Mark in the shape of a bunch of grapes. He laughed, seeing the prank he has wanted to pull had gone off without a hitch.

The other Pegasi seemed exhilarated as well, sharing in his laughter. "That was a pretty sweet maneuver, Spike!" Spitfire exclaimed, once the laughter had died down.

The dragon gave a bow in midair, folding one claw over his chest. "I do what I can. All credit goes to Twilight for the prank though, she has a devious mind like you wouldn't believe!", he replied, as the group made their way around the back of the mountain towards the part of town Twilight had wanted to meet in, which contained a large park.

Soarin' chuckled a bit. He was the oldest of the Wonderbolts, and it showed itself through the faint streaks of grey in his mane. "I gotta tell ya, Spike, those Navy 'flyboys' won't know what hit them! Does my heart good to see their feathers ruffled a bit. And if they give you any grief, you'll find that the Air Corps will be there to back you up."

The racer nodded. "Wait'll the Corps gets ahold of that, they love anything that makes the Navy look bad. Half those Pegasi are in the Navy because they couldn't make in in the Air Corps anyway."

The conversation continued until they had reached the edge of the city, at which point the three Pegasi peeled off and left Spike alone. Spike paused for a minute. Three? Hadn't there been four Pegasi? Spike turned around, searching the sky for the fourth. But the great blue expanse showed him nothing, and Spike made a beeline for the park, wondering the whole way there.

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Twilight watched from the trees as a familiar purple shape manifested itself in the sky, gradually coasting in over the trees and landing with a muffled thud. She galloped across the grass, and Spike caught her in a hug. "That was amazing!" she exclaimed, as she disengaged herself from his arms. "You really made an impression today, Spike. Did your prank go over well?"

Spike nodded, as they walked towards a brightly colored pavilion that was filled with the scent of cooking food. "Definitely one of the better ideas you've had, Twilight. Although we may want to steer clear of the airship docks for a while, I think they might have figured out who did it."

Twilight laughed. "Luckily, I got the go ahead from Princess Celestia last night. I'm sure she was watching what she could see, and she could use a good laugh. She looked a bit tired, honestly." The young mare looked up at the castle. "But, this day is going to be perfect, because it's just you and me today! What would you like to do?"

Spike contemplated a nearby breakfast booth that was filling the air with the smell of sugar and fruit. "How about breakfast?" he asked.

Twilight smiled, walking over to the stand. "Sure thing, Spike. This is going to be a great day, I can feel it!"

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The two of them spent much of their day wandering through the streets of Canterlot, taking in performances, playing games, and enjoying the carnival atmosphere. The duo attracted a great deal of attention, but most ponies though twice about getting too close to the large purple dragon roaming the streets. It wasn't that he was unfriendly, exactly. In fact, he was quite the opposite, smiling broadly, allowing the more adventurous fillies and colts to approach him, and greeting ponies kindly. It was the fact that the smile showed three inch long teeth, and that he had to step carefully to avoid accidentally crushing the life out of the young foals around his gleaming claws, and the fact that his greetings, while pleasant, were spoken in a voice that rolled forth with barely constrained power. Indeed, while most ponies knew consciously that he would never intentionally hurt them, their subconscious minds were screaming in fear as they tried to avoid non-existent disembowelment.

Spike noticed things about those around him as well. The foals that played around him stayed close only for a moment or two, before rushing back into the protective embraces of their parents, who held them maybe a bit more tightly than necessary. His hearing revealed a sea of ever so slightly nervously beating hearts, and his vision was able to see the unconscious tensing of muscles as ponies ignored their fight-or-flight responses. Worse still was a tiny niggling voice in the back of his head, one telling him exactly how easy it would be to carve through the crowd until the streets ran red with blood, and they could no longer threaten him with their wings and hooves and magic. He hardly even realized it was there most of the time. A familiar shame rose in his breast as he took in all of this and more. Flared wings on those Pegasi, an unconscious spark from a unicorn's horn, a nervous pawing at the ground. It was becoming unbearable, and he turned his head in grief.

And then he was face to face with Twilight Sparkle, who had raised him since he was a hatchling and she just a filly. She smiled up at him, completely at ease with who he was. Her pulse was normal, her body relaxed. She was even leaning into him a little bit, indicating trust and love that he could not begin to fathom the depths of. And he looked into the eyes of the unicorn he loved like a sister and a mother and a friend, and he felt that little voice in his head disappear again. Turning, he faced the crowd with a smile on his face again.

The two of them proceeded towards the forum in the middle of Canterlot, hoping to make it in time for a performance by the Wonderbolts. As they walked, the architecture began to take on a different feel from the usual of Canterlot's graceful arches and white columns. This was the Embassy district, where dignitaries from across the world came to do business in the capital of its most powerful country. Twilight's eyes lit up as she began to point out different architectural styles, from the curved roofs of the Quilinese envoys to the ribbed arches of the Minotaur Khanate, to the richly painted domes and intricate latticework of the Gryphonian Oligarchy. An unoccupied building proclaimed itself to be the embassy of the Diamond Dog Tribes, but it was there merely as a formality. Nopony, or indeed any of the other races of Equestria, expected to see the Tribes take to the surface ever again, not after Celestia's Reclamation.

Notably absent were the supposed ambassadors of the Dragon Nation. The eyrie was empty, and looked to have been for a while. Spike understood this completely, as dragons preferred a pattern of migration from their isolated lairs towards a common breeding ground. The building itself appeared to be formed from molten rock, as if it had been superheated and dragons had burrowed inside of it. So fascinated were the two as they walked down the busy avenue by the sights, they forgot to look where they were going. This, unfortunately, led to Twilight colliding with a nearby Minotaur, who let out a startled chuff and spun to face her.

"My apologies, sir!" the unicorn said, an embarrassed smile on her face. "The fault is mine. Are you alright?"

The Minotaur snarled, raising one meaty hand over his head. Spike's thoughts quickened, as he processed the information around him. Minotaurs were strong, and had short tempers, if accounts were to be believed. This one was unarmed, and on a diplomatic mission, but that snarl had not sounded at all friendly, and his eyes gleamed unpleasantly. The muscles in his back were tensing, and Spike could smell the tang of excitement over his rank animal stench. Moving quickly, he began to step forward.

Before he could, however, there was a flurry of feathers, and the barest hint of a lion's tail. Before the blow could be struck by either of them, they paused, noting a Gryphon juxtaposed between them. Spike was impressed. He knew that Gryphons often competed in flight competitions, but he had no idea they were that fast as a rule, or on the ground. Spike lowered his claw, noting that the Gryphon had his back to the duo.

The Minotaur grumbled and howled at the Gryphon, who stood his ground. He flared his wings, imitating the noise, albeit in a higher pitch. He followed this up with a few short barking noises, ending on an upward huff of air. The Minotaur appeared mollified by this somewhat, and Spike realized that he had likely been listening to Taurish, the language of their homeland. He watched as the two conducted a brief conversation, ending with the Gryphon standing to one side warily. Spike noticed that two more Minotaurs had appeared nearby, but that there were at least ten Gryphons watching carefully from the walls of their Embassy, wings held low and ready to fly. The Minotaur moved forward, raising a fist to chest height, thumping it solidly into his chest. He then extended it in a handshake. Twilight, unfazed, took it.

The Minotaur spoke quietly, in broken Equestrian. "I am sorry for angry being. Is not bad, was simply...startled, yes? Please be accepting of apology on behalf of mine."

Twilight smiled shakily. "Of course I accept your apology. Thank you."

He nodded. "Enjoy merriment having. Please, have good day, pony, dragon." He looked at the Gryphon. "Sziritchna-hauurk." The avian inclined his head respectfully, the Minotaur doing the same. He then walked back to his comrades near the Embassy gates. Spike turned to the Gryphon.

"Thank you for your assistance, sir. It might have gotten messy if not for you." the dragon rumbled.

The avian turned his head from watching the Minotaur. "From Vladek? It was not likely. He would have stopped himself, I think. It was he I was truly worried about, not yourselves." He bowed ever so slightly, merely bending his front legs and head.

"My name is Vagadar, in service to The King of Gavipashnepah. And I know your names, of course. You are the dragon known as Spike in their tongue. And you are Twilight Sparkle, who is currently being honored throughout the capital."

Twilight took the lead in the conversation, Spike content to sweep the street for more threats. "Yes, that's us. It is an honor to meet one of you, finally! We had a Gryphon come through the town where I live a few years back, but she didn't stay long, and was only there to visit somepony else I knew."

The Gryphon looked at her sharply. "Really? It is very difficult for Gryphons to get a visa for visits here, let alone for such short ones. Did you catch her name?"

Twilight nodded. "She said her name was Gilda. She knew a friend of mine, Rainbow Dash." She broke off, seeing the look on Vagadar's face. "Why? Do you know her?"

Vagadar shook his head vehemently. "No, nor would I care to. If what I think is true, then your friend is an acquaintance with an outcast of ours. Her name was Talayee. She was exiled from her kingdom after having committed a most grievous crime, and..." The Gryphon broke off suddenly. "But where are my manners? Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. I must offer you shelter and a drink, for they day is long and the sun grows hot. Would you accept my hospitality?" Those lines were spoken with a sense of ritual importance, and both Twilight and Spike felt it would be poor form to refuse.

"We'd be honored, sir." Twilight said, and the trio walked towards the Embassy walls, disappearing into the depths of the Gryphonian Embassy.

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The inside of the Embassy was a true testament to Gryphon culture. The peace accords that had been signed nearly eight hundred years ago had required embassies in both cities, and since their homeland was so far away, the Gryphons had done their best to make it feel like home. The windows were latticed with iron, and the hall was filled with evenly spaced pillars, creating a sense of walking through an infinite number of hallways. Sandstone and painted rock were predominant, and the room was exceptionally dim, lit only by a few braziers that lent a smoky air to the room. Spike saw one Gryphon throw a bundle of herbs on one, which immediately caught blaze. A scent of ozone and rosemary filled the room. The dragon realized that though the Embassy was beautiful, the pillars would provide excellent cover, the windows would be impossible to enter or exit, and that the smoky, dim air was surely not a problem for the sharp-eyed Gryphons who watched them curiously.

They were led into a side room, where they were served unsweetened, cold tea in clay cups. A tray containing some sort of cheese and bitter herb was placed in front of them, as well as a basket of flat bread. "Normally, we are allowed to hunt in the surrounding forests, for deer meat and the like." the Gryphon said, as he reached for a piece of bread. "However, I would not wish to cause discomfort by consuming deerflesh in front of you, so cheese and greens it is." He turned and spoke something to a subordinate in Gryphic, a language which seemed to spill from his beak like water flows. The junior Gryphon bowed briefly and hurried away. "I have asked if we have any gemstones in storage, but it is unlikely. Typically, we do not invite dragons into our homes." Vagadar said, taking a sip of the tea.

Spike bowed his head appreciatively as he was passed a cup. "I would not expect you to. Thank you for offering, however. You do not have to do so."

The Gryphon neatly speared a piece of bread with one talon, inspecting it carefully. "So, tell me. What were you doing in the Embassy district on festival day?" he asked.

The duo launched into an explanation of their day, including their plans to attend the Wonderbolts performance that afternoon. The Gryphon snorted at the mention of the group. "If you truly wish to see mastery of the skies, come to my homeland. The Mabarzeh Asman is a true demonstration of skill, unlike your show group. Speaking of which," he said, looking at Spike. "We have heard rumors of some prankster causing terrible distress amongst the Royal Navy this morning. Might you have any knowledge as to the perpetrator of such?"

The dragon tried to look innocent, quite nearly succeeding. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." he said, suddenly interested in his tea.

Vagadar raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. Well, then that is a shame. I had hoped to meet the one who had done so. Many have been the times I have wished to do something similar, but could not."

Twilight chuckled a bit. "So, tell us. How did you know about Gilda, or Talayee?"

The Gryphon's cup shattered in his grip, spraying tea everywhere. He turned his head slowly, gazing at Twilight. "I forgive you that, as you are ignorant of the ways of Ta'Rof." he said quietly. "But learn this lesson. Mention not the names of any thief, murderer, or violator under a Gryphon's roof, lest you wish expulsion from their home at the least or a feud at the worst." He looked at his cup sadly. "Forgive me, I beg. It is not your fault, and I have acted as a poor host by reacting in such a manner. I will tell you of the Gryphon you wish to know more of, and then we shall speak on it no more."

He inhaled, calming himself. "Our homeland once stretched from the Sea of Ahbi to the great mountain of Bagi Balah. Great was our land, and great were our people. We hunted and fought with the buffalo, and the land was bounteous to us. Even when your kind came from the north and settled by the great river that marked the north of our world, we allowed you to live there, for great were the wonders you wrought with magic, and you wielded power over the sun and stars themselves, power we were loath to test. And so our worlds existed together in peace. When the mad god Akhtalaf, who you know as Discord, rose to destroy your people, we fought with you, the joy of war singing in our veins. When the cries of your dying filled the air, and the power you used to move the heavens themselves manifested into your guardian Princesses, we celebrated alongside you. We too cheered when your new immortal rulers sat upon their thrones, and ushered in an age of peace that none had seen before nor since. We were content, for a while."

At this point the Gryphon's visage grew dark. "But then your monarch of the blessed night grew hungry with power, and we girded ourselves for battle when the day we feared came to pass. On the night that did not end, we rose to arms and began our flight to your homeland to render aid and restore the sun. Our arrival was not welcome. We had love for combat, and of great feats of arms. Indeed, to give one's life for one's kingdom is the highest of honors. But we saw your shining civilization descended into madness. Its verdant fields burned, the walls slick with blood. The air crackled with power as brother fought brother and friends became enemies. The corpses of innocents, women and children, lay in heaps. We could no longer ignore those below us. Our army of salvation became one of occupation, and we restored order by the blade, the only way we knew how. We allowed neither Solar nor Lunar soldiers entry, and we fought to hold your land, for the protection of your people. It was then that things went horribly wrong.

Our Kings, whom we had trusted, saw that your land was shrouded in death and darkness. We mourned for what was lost, for it was beautiful once, and they said to us 'Let us make these lands our own, and hold them in order, so that we may eventually see peace return to our homes.' And we accepted their verdict, and began to call forward laborers from our own lands, and laid roads and temples and forts to regulate the lands. We set about making the land part of our country, and for a while we considered it our own. For five and twenty years we had claimed your land, until an army, led by ponies we did not recognize, approached our borders. They were led, not by your monarchs, who we had supposed dead, but by ragged generals, and poorly equipped soldiers filled their ranks. We assumed them brigands and drove them away. They returned in larger numbers, and this time we fought in earnest, slaying many. It was the third assault that was disastrous.

We fought hard to repel them, for they had more numbers than we had seen in any conflict before. And just as the tide of the battle was turning in our favor, it appeared to us that a second sun had risen below the first, which was high in the sky. And we saw that it was your monarch of the sun, her form strange to us, for her mane was no longer the color of the sunrise, but instead shone in many colors. A girdle with five stones rested on her shoulders, and a crown with a sixth rested upon her brow. Swiftly she approached, and wielded a most powerful magic against us. Ten thousand of our number turned to crystal, frozen while laying down their arms. Our Kings, those we consider highest among all, fell to their knees and begged mercy for their people, for we could do nothing against such power."

Spike thought this all sounded horribly familiar. The Gryphon continued on with his story. "We ceded the land back to your empire. Why would we not, though we had worked hard to keep it? Our place is not to farm or scrabble in the dirt for food. The ponies we protected had never respected our rule, not had we expected them to. We retreated to our own lands, and your race moved to the far lands of the north, abandoning your capital and the forest we had watched grow around it with terrible speed. It was not until we agreed to allow the exchanging of embassies that we had heard what had happened to the Ma'Danchee Sahg, those you call Diamond Dogs. We are a proud race, yes, but we realized that this new ruler of yours was far more ruthless than she had been in the past. For one thousand years, we watched as your empire grew, and ours shrank. We did not lift a claw against you, even when you entered land far into the south, land we had once used, for we are a nomadic people by nature, and your kind is friendly enough, though they frown on our hunting. But recently, we have been pushed away by your armies, who claim more and more land for your empire."

Twilight frowned. "Recently? But your current territory hasn't changed at all in the past hundred years!"

Vagadar nodded. "We live long lives, Twilight Sparkle. Four hundred years we live, more if we are lucky. Our numbers grow, but our land shrinks. It is to protest this we are here. We still consider ourselves your allies, Twilight Sparkle. But if we cannot expand again, and soon, I fear for your race and mine both. It is because of this that your 'Gilda' was exiled. She was caught stealing and hoarding food and medicine, extorting things out of others. There are many things we are willing to forgive, up to a point. But take food from hatchlings or medicine from elders, and you will find that some things we consider unforgivable. She was lucky to escape with her life. Only by dint of her speed was she able to flee across your border and elude your patrols. I imagine she headed for the mountains to the north of this city. Not many live there, and she would be able to elude guards and find food."

Twilight was shocked. "You mean that things are so bad that you have to exile those who hide food?"

Vagadar nodded his head. "Though the crime itself was severe hundreds of years ago, it has become worse recently. Our people are dying, Twilight Sparkle. We need more land, and your Princess will not give it. I fear we may have no other option but to take it, soon. And by doing so, risk the same fate as the ten thousand Gryphons who rest in a vault below the Five Palaces in Ashtar Sharestan."

"Twilight Sparkle!" a voice thundered from the doorway. Twilight and Spike spun around to see possibly the worst pony to have found them here. Princess Celestia stood in the doorway, her horn alight with magic.