“I´m terribly sorry, Princess Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle said, bowing down before the Princess.

“I apologize as well, your Highness,” Shining Armor said, mimicking his sister.

Celestia however remained calm, taking a look around the town. “Well well, it seems there´s no harm to be sorry for. You handled the situation with a level head, Mayor Mare.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” the Mayor said, bowing down as well.

“I insist, Princess! This would have never happened have I wrote you in the first place!” Twilight said,

“No, Your Majesty. This is my fault! I should have never kept what was going on a secret from you!” Shining Armor said.

“Will you two stop it? If this is anybody's fault...it´s mine!”

Everypony turned to see Spike, who had mostly recovered from all the bruises sustained after his fight.

“I never imagine that Noble Dragons were so hated. I brought these guys here and that other dragon too. Who knows what could come next? maybe something even scarier than a dragon like changeling or maybe even Discord have a score to settle with my kind. I can't stay in town any longer if it means endangering you all.”

“Spike, what are you saying?” Applejack asked.

“I´m saying...that maybe I should leave Ponyville.”

“No!” all of Spike´s friends shouted and Twilight rushed to hug him.

“Princess, you can't take Spike away! This isn´t his fault! I should have done more research, read the entire Noble Dragon code! Please, you can´t take him away from me!”

Celestia however remained unfazed, playfully stroking her chin.

“A Noble Dragón. Haven't heard about them in centuries. What about you, Luna? Do you remember them?” Celestia asked her sister who had come with her to inspect the town.

“I recall similar incidents to this when dragons were left free to roam.”

The harsh words of the Moon Princess were like a judgment and Twilight hugged Spike closer.

“Yes, they could get quite messy. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart,” Celestia said and after hearing that, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo moved aside to let Apple Bloom move forward.

She took a few steps and then showed the burnt mark to everypony. Applejack took her hat and smiled at her sister, trying to reassure her.

Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but smile, thinking this means that Spike would stay but he wasn't looking so enthusiastic, especially after he took a look at Babs Seed who looked devastated.

“Ah, young love. Those were the days. Remember when we were young and all the guards in the palace were pinning after us, Luna?”

“O-of course I don´t! WHo could recall such frivolous matters? Now please behave Celestia, we are in the presence of our subjects!” Princess Luna said, blushing.

“Oh please Luna, I´m sure you remember! Even now a few of your guards get a little nervous around you. Can't say I don´t envy you,” Celestia said, playfully.

Luna kept blushing and looked away while the Royal Guards tried to keep their composure and hide their own blush.

“Now, if I read this correctly, this later came from a young filly who asked my help to assist her cousin,” Celestia explained, holding Apple Bloom´s letter with her magic. “It seems she could not gather the courage to confess to the dragon she was infatuated with and in the meantime, he got engaged to a certain farmer pony.”

“That matter got solved on its own, yer highness,” Applejack said.

“And then there was the duel with Rainbow Dash and then the Diamond Tiara business and then the dragon atta-” Pinkie Pie began but Rainbow Dash shoved  a hoof in her mouth.

“But that´s all taken care off now, ight? Your true love is Apple Bloom! You like Apple Bloom, right Spike? You´re good friends and it´s perfect because you can still live together in the town. We could make you a nice house in between the library and the farm and…” Twilight was obviously in a manic state so Shining Armor placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Seems like you have grown to quite a heartbreaker, Spike. I still remember when you were a little baby chewing at my mane,” Celestia laughed but Spike was too embarrassed to say anything. “Twilight, may I take a look at the Code now?”

Spike puffed the Code into his claws and handled it to the Princess who silently read it.

“Oh yes, I know remember...I still don't understand the point of that rule of singing yodeling at the top of a roof every two sundays.”

“We neither and it´s very annoying,” a pony from the crow said.

“I seem to recall a rule for this type of situation. There was one time when a escorting pony fell in love with her guardian dragon and didn't want to lose him. Even after he found his true love...oh, there it is! The Endurance of True Love.”

“It´s like a test or something, Princess?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“More like a competition. According to the rules, the Noble Dragon and her true love must take part in a race where she must protect him from being stolen, so to speak, from the other mares.”

“Well, that´s going to be a short race. Everypony in here wants AB to end up with Spike, am I right?” Scootaloo said.

“The winner of the race will receive a nobility title handled by the country ruler which entails a palace, complete with pool and recreation grounds, complete access to social events from here to eternity, a quarter of the country's treasury as reward…”

Princess Celestia kept reading a list of the “benefits” of getting the Noble Dragon and, even when the ponies tried their best to remain nice and gentle, they couldn´t help but lean their head forwards when reading the announcement.

“And finally a flugelhorn. Seems like a nice deal to me, not to mention the fairest way to resolve this issue.”

“What do you mean, princess?” Twilight asked.

“A competition, Twilight. And just in time, it´s the end of the summer, my favourite season, let´s celebrate with a sports event! Guards, prepare the south fields of Sweet Apple Acres for the race!”

The guards saluted and rushed to the farm, despite Applejack´s protests about it.

****

True to their fame, the guards got the entire filed ready in under five minute, complete with banners and stands for the audience. Big Mac had to fan Applejack to prevent her from fainting at the sight of her beloved farm transformed into a sport stadium.

“Princess, I don´t meant to question you, but are you sure this is the best idea?” Twilight asked Celestia.

“Of course, Twilight. I assure you this is perfectly safe, now, Spike, Apple Bloom, please come forward.”

The dragon and the filly, still not looking at each other,a approached the Princess.

“For this competition, the rules will be a bit different. Namely, that your safety will be in Apple Bloom´s hooves, Spike. Do your trust her?”

Spike looked at Apple Bloom, who was still unsure to hold her sight but she finally looked at Spike, who was smiling. “I´ll trust her with my life.”

Apple Bloom´s eyes widened and she blushed.

“That´s good because you have to!” Celestia said and she conjured a pair of shackles and put them, one in Apple Bloom´s right fornt hoof and the other, on Spike´s left hind leg. “This is a magically enhanced chain, it won't break easily so get ready for quite a bumpy ride,” she said with a wink.

“Umh Princess, I don't think this is right…” Spike said but the Princess wasn't listening.

“Listen up eveyrpony, the rules are very simple. Spike and Apple Bloom will get a head start and you must chase them across the field and get a hold of him, making Apple Bloom lose her grip on Spike but that´s easier said than done, let me warn you.”

“Princess, who are you talking too?” Twilight asked but Rarity patting her back to make her turn and she saw dozens, if not hundreds, of mares behind them. “This...this must be half of Equestria. What are all this ponies doing here?”

“Little Strongheart?” Fluttershy asked, recognizing the buffalo.

“My deepest apologies, my pony friends; but the prize for this contest will bring my tribe all the land they need. Plus, I do think Mr. Spike is cute,” the buffalo answered, blushing.

“Gilda? What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Hye, if you want the little shrimp, then I want it!”

“Same goes for me!” Lighting Dust said.

“Oh come on, I don't want him!”

“Yeah sure, that´s why you got into a fist fight with the farmer for him!” Gilda said.

“It was a fist fight with Spike for her! You got it all backwards!”

“Ooohhh…” Lighting Dust said, rolling her eyes and Gilda snickered.

“No! I didn't mean it that way! You two shut up!”

“Uh, look at all these ponies! One, two, three…” Pinkie Pie began, trying to count them and see if she had enough party hats.

“This is bad! This is bad, bad, bad, bad! None of these ponies are thinking about Spike…” Twilight said.

“Or Apple Bloom,” Rarity added.

“They just think about all the prizes they can get!”

“Trixie doesn't know what's going on! She just wants to be popular!”

“This is terrible! We have to get into the competition, girls!”

“What? Why us?” Rarity asked.

“Think about it! If any of these mares wins, Spike will have to go, for real this time! We need to make the competition and make sure we get him, you got that?”

“Twilight, Im not so sure about this…” Rarity said.

“We have to do it. For Spike,”Fluttershy said, mustering all the confidence she could get.

“forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one…”

“Twilight is right! We can't let all these crazy ponies get Spike!” Rainbow Dash said.

“And we can't let them destroy mah farm in this crazy race!” Applejack said and when she noticed the look she was getting she added, “And fer Spike and mah little sister too, obviously. heh.”

“It´s settled then! No matter who wins, we all protect spike!” Twilight said and they raised their hooves together.

“two hundred ninety-seven, two hundred ninety-eight...ahhh, I need more hooves!”

Except Pinkie Pie.

“Did you hear that, Sweetie? We have to protect Spike, otherwise he´ll be snatched by a pony worse than Diamond Tiara!” Scootaloo said.

“Are you sure about this, Scootaloo?”

“Hey, you want Spike to be taken away by a pony like that?” and she pointed at Vinyl Sratch who  didn't liked the implications.

“Actually, I want Spike to end up with the one pony who he should have end up with first,” Sweetie said, taking a side glance at the still depressed Babs Seed.

“Then we better make sure we win this race. Come on, Cutie Mark Crusaders Love Protectors, remember that?”

Scootaloo raised a hoof and Sweetie Belle meet it.

“I want to help too.”

They turned over and gasped upon seeing Silver Spoon.

“What are you doing here?” Scootaloo asked.

“I know Diamond Tiara did something wrong and she has been forbidden to participate in the race by Princess Celestia; but I also want Spike to stay here in Ponyville.”

“And do what? Hand him to Diamond Tiara?”

“No, let him chose who he really wants to be with.”

“We want to help too!” Twist said, approaching with the rest of the female classmate of the Crusaders.

“We don´t want Spike to leave!”

“Girls…” Scootaloo said.

“You all really like Spike that much?” Sweetie asked.

“We think he´s really cute!” They all said together and Scootaloo just grunted.

“Everypony, get set..:” the Princess announced and the ponies got in line.

“Ready, girls?” Twilight said.

“On your marks…”

Spike took a look at the line of ponies and gulped, he then turned to Apple Bloom and said, “Apple Bloom, you really don't need to do this. I know I´ve been acting like...well, not very smart. I let that Code dictate my life and made some terrible mistakes. I don´t know what to do anymore, I don't know if we´re truly destined to be together but…”

“No. I want to do it.”

“You...do?”

“Yes. I  need to protect you…”

“Apple Bloom…”

“Because I love you,” Apple Bloom said, looking Spike straight at the eyes.

“GO!”

And with that order, all the ponies either took flight or started running.

“Let´s go, Spike!”

“Wait, Apple Blooooooooooooooommmmm!!!!”

“Sister, are you sure there wasn't any other way to settle this issue?”

Celestia answer was to simply smile at Luna, who sighed in return.