Chapter Thirteen

A Familiar Face in an Unfamiliar Place

The carriages rolled gently along the roads that wound through the countryside of Southern Germareny. It had only taken a few days for the magical carriages to cross much of the terrain, and soon enough the distant mountains that marked the border between Germareny and Austria, lorded over by the Horseburgs family. They had been in power for centuries, and unlike their neighbors to the southeast, they had managed to peacefully rule through a combination of democratic parliament and generosity towards their subjects.

So the three carriages passed through the alpine countryside, the scenic villages and green hills starkly contrasted by the high mountain peaks and the dark forests. Here and there they stopped, buying supplies from villagers and the occasional trinkets that caught their fancy. Spike himself would buy few things that did not go back to Equestria, but still the gold in their carriages was hardly going to run out anytime soon.

Of course, there were a few dangers: the mountains had the occasional avalanche, but it never happened when the carriage was nearby. It always happened far ahead of them on the road or far behind in the place they had already passed through. Meia chalked it up to simply good luck: Spike had to agree with her on that, though he couldn’t help but shake the feeling magic was at play. It was only when he asked Maria about at their next stop that she admitted to setting them off before or after they were in danger of them. When asked why, she simply stated: “A useful spell like that is useful only as long as it can be of use to those involved.” Whatever that meant: maybe she just liked seeing snow.

Her fierce emotional outbursts at local villagers who whistled when Spike came by meant she needed a good talking to by Spike, which usually ended with her apologizing and occasionally crying herself to sleep. She would then remain well-behaved and had actually learned to be civil towards others after a while, though she was still wary: of course, how could she not be after her treatment by the baron? She hadn't been like this before those fateful days in Prance: before she was entirely disciplined and rather gentle. Now her more aggressive nature gave rise to the possibility she had been much more affected by their imprisonment then had been previously thought, and Spike worked his hardest to get through to her.

Eventually he did, though the reason behind it all was the mistreatment of little Pierre before her very eyes. She had instantly taken a liking to the small colt and had seen him as almost like a little brother. That, plus the helplessness she felt whenever he had been hurt, made her feel that being gentle did not get somepony far in life, and that her life of luxury had dulled her to the harsh realities of the world. Spike managed to convince her that being gentle was not only a great asset but a vitally important characteristic, even going so far as to tell her of Fluttershy's own problems. She became much more calm about it all after she had cried herself out, but there would be psychological wounds deep within her: all it needed to heal was Spike's love and time, and she had plenty of that to look forward to.

Still, by the time the trio had worked their way to the border of Austria, it had been nearly two weeks since they had entered the country. Maria and Meia had wasted no time in enjoying Spike, though the weather had been off-putting a few times. It was hard to get frisky when the rain outside was pouring, though cramming everyone in one carriage was far from romantic. That, and Spike not wanting to stink one up with the smell of sex meant no hanky-panky when it was raining: or snowing, or hailing, or sleeting. Heavy fog was also annoying, as even though they could have “fun” outside, the two mares would still be rather wet when they got back inside the carriages.

When the sun was out, though, and nobody was around, it was on like Donkey Kong. Stress faded when they mated under the sun and moon and stars, as if they were primeval spirits enjoying the beauty the world had to offer. Still, it was with very calm hearts that they moved through the area known as Brenner Pass, which connected the countries of Neightaly and Austria. Bidding the final locals goodbye after stopping to buy some more supplies, they crossed through the pass and continued on their way. In this time, Spike had been careful in his letters to NOT tell Twilight he had been shagging his wives relentlessly, lest he get he ever dreaded “birds, bees and baby bunnies” talk she always brought up whenever pregnancy was a factor. Thankfully, their heat cycles had ended back in Spreign, and Maria wasn’t showing.

Immediately things changed: the language, obviously, was the first big distinction. Compared to the rather earthy tones of their northerly neighbors, the Neightalian seemed rushed in comparison, as if quick and busy were the way things were in the whole country. Nothing could have been farther from the truth, but the language did seem a trifle complex for the trio. However, the next biggest change, after getting out of the mountains, was the sheer number of hills and valleys that seemed to go on forever. Villages, churches and vineyards covered the landscape as the carriages wound their way through the country for the next week. Roads, both ancient and newer in design, dotted the landscape, as did old ruins from times gone by: the time of the Roamans, to be exact. Spike’s camera could barely keep up with all the pictures he was taking, and when he sent in the next bundle for Twilight and the gang, he was sure the sheer amount of photo paper weighed a good ten pounds.

Then, upon rounding a bend, they saw it. The great city of Roam: one of the oldest and largest in all of Europe. Terracotta roofs and stone houses spread as far as the eye could see, with great wonders of the ancient world displayed for all. The Appian Way, the Coliseum, and Hadrian’s Arch: it was all magnificent as the three carriages rode through the tightly-crowded streets.

The three left their carriages behind at a parking square of sorts, though the anti-theft spells Meia and Maria placed on them ensured nothing would go missing. So the three walked out amongst the throngs of the crowd, slowly but surely moving their way through the city as the day went on.

“I can’t believe I’m actually in Roam, the birthplace of my ancestor,” Maria said, her eyes almost locked in an open position so she wouldn’t miss a thing. Tall stone pillars and columns were seemingly everywhere, with some places covered in hanging gardens and long, flowering vines. Several bridges crossed small rivers nearest the seemingly most clustered part of the city, where the trio soon found themselves.

“Who is that?” Spike asked, nodding in the direction of an elderly white earth pony. He was waving to the crowds as he was carried aloft in what seemed thick glass, which in and of itself was suspended in a magical bubble: a shield spell. Also, his hat looked a bit big for his head, but his droopy ears kept it upright. He had a great big smile on his face, like that of a loving grandstallion who was greeting his visiting grandfoals.

“Oh my word,” Maria gasped, pushing Meia into Spike’s arms to get a better look. “That’s... that’s... that’s Pope Ben-neigh-dict the Sixteenth!”

“Who?” Spike and Meia asked in unison, having never left Equestria before and being unaware of the politics of the outside world.

“The leader of the Church of Jesus, the E-mane-uel!” Maria said, performing an intricate and odd little motion with her hands. “He is the spiritual successor to an entire religion!”

“Church of who?” Meia asked in particular as the pope floated away. Maria turned and without a word pulled them away from the crowd until they were fairly alone in a small alley.

“Jesus, our lord,” she said, doing the motions once more. “He was a pony born long ago, before the time of your Nightmare Moon incident. He was a simple earth pony, and yet... he could do things that no earth could do!”

“Such as?” Spike asked, rather intrigued.

“Turn water into wine, multiply food and drink for hungry ponies, heal the sick: you name it!”

“But unicorns can do all of those things,” Meia said, slightly nonplussed.

“Not all,” Maria said. “Can they successfully raise the dead to their former lives? Can they stop storms on a whim? Walk on water without so much as getting wet?”

“Okay, okay I get it,” Meia said, suddenly a little frightened by Maria’s intensity. “I can understand why a religion would spring up around so special a pony.”

“Yeah, he does sound like quite the po-,” Spike was cut off with a yelp as he flew backwards. Meia and Maria stopped talking and looked around: nothing had hit Spike. What had just happened?

“Are you all right?” Meia asked, helping Spike to his feet.

“I-I think so,” Spike said. “Just what was tha-,” he was cut off again as he flew backwards, farther this time.

“What the hay!” he shouted, just as he flew up into the air and landed on a roof. Meia and Maria spied a ladder nearby, but it looked old and rusty, and would likely come apart of they tried to climb it. Closing their eyes, they teleported themselves up onto the roof with Spike, who was unsteadily getting to his feet. For Twilight, teleporting would have been no breeze, but to the two unicorns, they hadn’t had much practice with it, so they felt a bit drained of magic.

“What’s going on?!” he shouted, just as whatever was happening to him happened again: this time, Spike flew a good ten yards past the two mares and landed on another rooftop with a loud thud. The truth was, Chrysalis could have teleported anywhere she wanted, but she needed to maintain her disguise, and right now she couldn’t concentrate on the source of the magic.

“I don’t believe it,” Meia said. “That’s a summoning spell! Someone’s summoning Spike to them!”

“But who?!” Maria shouted as they ran across the rooftops after Spike, who could barely get to his feet before lurching through the air like a thrown stone. He let out another shout as he flew, his wings frantically beating to try and arrest his movement: no such luck.

“Well, it’s obviously someone who knows how to use magic!” Meia shouted, leaping over the small gap between two buildings as she and Maria gave chase. “I’m guessing it’s a unicorn who doesn’t know teleportation, as any alicorn worth their hide would know how to teleport someone!” That, and there were few alicorns indeed, none being in Roam or even all of Neightaly.

“What do I do?!” Spike shouted as he flew into the side of a taller building. As if stuck, he stayed exactly in that spot, until the next burst of the mysterious magic dragged him up along the wall and over the top.

“Try to grab onto something!” Maria shouted back, vaulting over a small aqueduct. “We’re coming!”

Spike lashed out at the first thing he could: a hanging pot. Grabbing onto it, he felt the magic tug him, but the pot’s chains held fast to the building. Another tug, stronger this time, almost made him lose his grip, but still he held on. He had a desperate, if comical, pleading look in his eyes.

Maria and Meia landed on the balcony just in time to see Spike zoom away, the pot still clenched in his hands as the chains holding it trailed after him.

Meia almost swore: this was getting them nowhere. “Come on!” she shouted, hauling after the disappearing dragon. Maria tore after her, both mares thankful they had changed their clothes in the cart to street clothes. As such, they had no trouble using their natural flexibility to chase after the dragon, but they were growing tired indeed.

Spike slammed into another wall, shouting in anger as he was magically dragged up and over, onto a large street. Meia and Maria stopped at the wall: there was no ladder and it was far too high for them to jump up on.

“Climb!” Maria shouted, running up the wall and latching onto an outward-facing stone brick. From there, she rapidly began to ascend to another one, and another one. Meia jumped up after her, her hold not nearly as strong as Maria’s. As such, she was much slower, so much so that by the time she reached near the top, Maria was waiting for her.

“Come on!” she shouted, lowering her hand. “Grab onto me: I’ll pull you up!”

Meia moved one hand to a better spot, but the brick she was holding began to give way. Thinking quickly, she leaped up as the brick she was on slipped out, her arms open wide. With the slimmest of margins she grabbed onto Maria’s hand, which closed like a steel trap. Pulling with all her might, the unicorn pulled Meia up and over the side, where they collapsed on the ground, exhausted and panting.

“I... hate climbing,” Meia said, wheezing slightly as her heart raced at what felt like a million miles per hour.

"Really? I've always enjoyed a good climbing session," Maria replied, brushing some bits of leaves out of her mane: running through gardens could get all sorts of things inside your mane.

“Well, I don't think I will any time soon. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you leave me behind?"

"You'd think I'd just be so callous as that?" Maria asked. "Of course I could have left you behind: I could have let you fall. But I didn't: I wouldn't, I couldn't. Why? Because you're familia to me, Meia, and familia sticks together no matter what. We may not get along all the time: I am a perfect example of that, as you saw back in Spreign. But you... you are almost like a sister to me at this point, and I truly, deeply love you too much to just let anything bad happen to you. I could never let anything happen to you: if the guilt didn't get me, then Spike's guilt alone would crush me. I could not stand to put him through the pain of possibly losing you or making him chose between one of us."

"Well, thank you, I guess," the unicorn said, feeling a bit overwhelmed by her fellow unicorn's statement. It was a rare thing indeed to hear such words come from a unicorn that had lived a life of luxury her whole life, but the truth behind the words was solid and strong. "That's nice and all, but where’s Spike?” Meia asked, hoping to not dwell too long on the matter..

“Right... right there,” Maria said, pointing at Spike, who was propped up against a wall. He looked rather worried, but every time he tried to raise his arm or move his leg, it fell back against the wall: the magic was holding him there.

“Come on,” Meia said, getting to her hooves as her breath returned. Walking over with Maria, they grabbed onto Spike’s arms and tried to pry him off the wall: no such luck.

“Uh, ladies?” Spike said as they pulled harder. “I think whoever cast this spell might be getting closer.”
“Why do you say that?” Maria asked.

“Because she’s standing right behind you,” Spike replied. Both mares turned to see a hooded figure standing behind them, a glow emanating from underneath the darkened hood.

“What are you doing to our husband?” Maria asked in a near shout, ready to pummel the unicorn. It was at the word ‘husband’ that the unicorn seemed to jerk in surprise. Unsteadily, the figure lowered the hood, until the white mane and pale blue fur could be seen. She had a look of complete surprise on her face.

“Well, I come to Roam to find you, and you’re married to not one, but two mares?” Trixie said in disbelief.

“Trixie?” Spike asked, hs eyes nearly bugging out of his skull. “Uh... well.... yeah. See, the thing is-,”

“We are his wives,” Meia said, standing at Spike’s side with her arms crossed. “Who might you be, Trixie?”

“A traveling unicorn showpony who has come a long way to find Mr. Spike here,” the blue unicorn replied, her tone sounding a bit odd. “Him and I have unfinished business.”

“Trixie, you said it wouldn’t be anything but a fling,” Spike replied, earning a curious glance from both Maria and Meia. “What? Oh, all right: I wasn’t a virgin when I married either of you.”

“You weren’t? Maria asked. “Well, that was fairly obvious.” Spike blushed at that: they were always going on and on about his skills.

“Well, you see, I met Trixie here on the train out of Canterlot and, well,” Spike said, the magic suddenly disappearing from around him and allowing him free movement. “One thing lead to another, and...”

“I’d say,” Trixie said, her hands on her curvy hips. “You’re a talented dragon in bed, Spike, and an even harder one to find.” She seemed anxious, as if seeing Spike was bringing up some rather personal and... happy memories.

“Why exactly did you come to find me?” Spike asked, rubbing the back of his head where it had slammed into stone bricks a few times. “Surely it wasn’t just to try and get some good sex again, was it?”

“Of course not!” Trixie said, her cheeks coloring a bit: whether from memory or embarrassment, nobody knew. “It’s just... there’s something you need to know.”

“Yes?” Spike asked, in a tone that suggested he was starting to fear for his life.

“Spike, I’m... pregnant.”

Well, suffice to say, if the god of sounds had chosen to absolutely pass out at that point from partying too hard with the god of celebrations, then that was what seemingly happened. All sounds seemed to vanish for the gathered four as the three words slipped from the blue unicorn’s mouth.

“Spike... I’m... pregnant.”

The world could have ended right there and the trio wouldn’t have noticed it. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, two more pairs of eyes turned to look at Spike, not containing fury, as Spike had thought they would, but... confusion. That was definitely not what he had been expecting.

“In the name of Tartarus, did she just say what I thought she said?” Meia asked, her eyebrows almost disappearing into her mane in surprise.

“...Yes?” Spike squeaked, his heart beating faster than a thousand drum solos amplified by bass cannons riding a thunderstorm over a million exploding fireworks. Yes, his heart was beating fast.

“And... you’re the father?” Maria asked, an odd expression on her face. She turned to Trixie. “Is he?”

“Of course,” Trixie replied. “It seems scaly Mr. ‘Tree Trunk’ here left a little surprise for me after we parted ways in Manehattan. I wasn’t in heat then, but I entered it soon after, and boy did I feel something change quickly.”

‘Mr. Tree Trunk”: an odd way to describe one’s anatomy, but as ludicrous as it was, the truth had once again found a way to be expressed.

“But... how is that possible?” Spike asked, confused beyond rational thought. It was a wonder he could even speak right now, never mind breathe.

“Seems you don’t know as much about your kind as you thought,” Trixie said with a seemingly smug smile. “A dragon’s seed is laced-no, oozing with magical properties, most of which are unknown. What is known is that, being such long-lived creatures, it only makes sense that your species would evolve a way to keep their... ‘gifts’ from spoiling rapidly, as do the ‘gifts’ of other species. Seems I didn’t need to be in heat when we shagged all night for it to take hold: it just kept a bit of itself inside me that activated when I entered my cycle, despite my attempts to clean out that massive load you left. So congratulations, Spike: you’re going to be a father.”

Well, the new biology lesson was appreciated: Luna had been right in saying that the young needed to travel to find out more. But as soon as the word ‘father’ hit his ears, Spike promptly fainted away, dropping like a sack of stones onto the ground in front of them. Meia and Maria looked at Trixie, then Spike, and finally at each other.

“Come on, let’s get him back to the carriages,” Meia said. She pointed at Trixie. “Think you can get us a cart or something to move him?”

“Y-yes,” the unicorn replied, a few bits floating out of her purse. She seemed a bit subdued now that her information had been revealed to Spike. Walking away, she returned with a small cart, once again magically enchanted to move as per its owner’s instructions. Levitating the unconscious dragon into the cart, the three set off, back to where they had come from.

As they moved, Maria looked at Trixie occasionally until whatever was building inside her could not be contained. “Were you his first?”

“What?” Trixie asked, her mind off somewhere else.

“Spike: were you his first?” Maria said again.

“Well, yes: he told me as much,” Trixie replied, not sure why the unicorn wanted to know. “What’s it to you?”

“Well, you must have done a very good job, as Meia and I-,” she pointed at the other passenger “-have been getting nothing but mind-blowing sex from our husband. Seems he just naturally developed from there, as from what we understand, he didn’t have any sex with anypony after you until our wedding night. So: any plans for you and the child?”

“Well,” Trixie said, a bit hesitantly at that. “I... I was hoping Spike would marry me, and raise the foal with me, but seeing as he has you two, and he can't settle down with his misson...”

“There’s always room for more, Miss Trixie,” Meia said. “He must not have told you this, but Spike here is actually Spike Dragul, a royal of Equestria.”

“A royal?” Trixie repeated, her eyes nearly evacuating their sockets in surprise. “He... never told me that! How... how royal is he?”

“He said he’s the next co-ruler of all of Equestria: to rule alongside the princesses, if my memory is correct,” Maria said. “So: any doubts now?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” Trixie said, still sounding a bit unsure.

“Well, even though he’d gladly take care of both you and the foal, you’ll have to understand something,” Maria said. “To be known as a dragon who begets some mare with foal out of wedlock, not only could it ruin your reputation, but it could devastate his own. He could be ridiculed, laughed at behind his back by upper-class citizens who merely give up for adoption unwanted children. Would you want that?”

“What? N-no, never!” Trixie responded a bit forcefully, placing a hand over her still-flat stomach. “I do feel like I love him, and for what it’s worth, I think he loves me too. I just... I just need some time to think is all.”

“Well, you’d better think fast, ‘cause we’re not going to be staying in Roam for long,” Meia said as they reached the carriages. The sun wasn’t as high in the sky as it had been before, but it would still be several hours before it disappeared over the horizon.

“W-where are you going after this?” Trixie asked. “Spike told me he was going around the world, but I never thought he’d go outside of Europe...” Seems keeping the unicorn mare in the dark had not exactly been the brightest thing Spike could have done, but hey: it was the most logical.

“Oh, we’ll be on our way to Algereigns, and then through the Samarea Desert down to Maredagascar,” Meia replied. “After that, I forget: perhaps you should ask him when he wakes? I think he has the whole route planned out in his head. That, and he occasionally receives letters from the princesses informing him of things.”

Trixie was silent for a few minutes, the cogs in her head turning at what could only be interpreted as a frantic pace. “Yes,” she said finally. “Yes, I want to marry Spike. He’s not a pony, and yet he’s unlike anypony I’ve ever met. I want to be with him: truly, I do.”

“Excellent: that takes care of one problem,” Meia said, looking over at the still out-cold dragon. “All we need to do is break the news to him when he wakes.”

“How long do you think that will be?” Trixie asked.

“Not a clue: just stick around. We have a lot to talk about,” Maria said, settling down.

Author's Notes:

Dun dun DUN! Oh Spike, what have you gotten yourself into?

Also, WHY DO I WRITE SO FAST?!?!