Chapter Three

Manehattan and Beyond

Of all the nights Spike had spent away from home, this had been by far the best ever. Still, his sleep had been almost as good as his... time with Trixie. Still, there was always more to come, it seemed. Spike awoke the next morning to a rather pleasurable feeling building somewhere below his waistline. Truth be told, he hadn't really ever woken up to such pleasurable feelings, so this one was somewhat of a first for him. It was as though he had never stopped having sex from the night before, and that blue unicorn mare was still grinding on him.

Oh wait: she was. Opening his eyes, Spike saw Trixie grinding her firm rear end against his morning erection as they lay together, his arms still wrapped protectively around her. He couldn't see her face, but he had a feeling her lips were curved upwards into a sly grin. He still remembered the way she was back when her days of bragging had led her to problems, but now that he was older and she herself was on the right path, he couldn't help but notice her inner beauty. Some could say beauty was only skin deep, but Spike had yet to see anything to back this up: he could see the inner fire within this mare, as he had with all of his friends.

“You woke up before me, didn’t you?” he asked quietly into her ear, his hands reaching up and groping her breasts: they were deliciously firm and perky. He even flicked both of the nipples, which were hard already: didn't take much to get this mare aroused, it seemed.

“Yes indeed,” she moaned, turning her head and catching his tongue in a good-morning kiss. “I know we’re in a hurry, but are you up for a quickie? We've only got about twenty minutes before we arrive at the station. I know we've only met, but-,”

She gasped as he pushed all the way inside her, her words dying in her throat. “Then let’s hurry,” Spike replied, cutting her off and beginning to slowly pump his hips. Soon enough her soft cries filled their cabin, along with Spike's grunts. Pumping into her and squeezing her breasts brought the unicorn to a quicker release than he had thought it would: maybe he had gotten better after only a few trysts.

Twenty minutes later, Spike got off the train with his pack, waving goodbye to Trixie as she went down a different street. Well, waving after he had given her a deep kiss at the train station, that is. She had slipped him her phone number, asking him to call her up whenever he got back to Equestria. Home phone, by the looks of it, but seeing as she traveled all the time, it must be the phone to her mobile house. No, not a mobile home: being a unicorn meant she could actually move around an actual house. She had said something about him visitng her after a show and maybe they could go out and have some fun. That did sound nice, buy he hadn’t the heart to tell her he’d be married by the time he got back: if he got back, that is. There was still a massive world to explore, after all, and he was on a mission to do so.

Following Princess Luna’s instructions, he made his way through the winding streets, the old cobblestone alleys cleaner than he thought they would be. The hardened soles of his feet made almost no noise against the surface, while the hooves of passing ponies made a rather common clopping sound upon the clean stone A big city, after all, usually is described as being rather filthy in many areas. Not so with Manehattan: while there was dirt patches here and there, garbage wasn't exactly lying in the middle of the street.

Still, it paid to watch where you stepped, as some places were designated drop-offs for trash and, well...

“Ugh,” Spike said, pinching his nose as he walked past a recycling plant. New paper was processed there from old paper, and frankly, the smell was borderline criminal, even with the obvious smell-deflecting spells placed all over the airspace. Why they didn't try and use magic to make old paper knew, Spike didn't know. Maybe it had already been tried and failed: not even magic could solve every problem. So he continued to walk, making sure to not breathe as much. Others who passed his way seemed to bhe doing the same thing: a few were even wearing something akin to a gas mask, though how it repelled odors along with gas was beyond Spike's comprehension.

Finally escaping the overpowering odor’s zone without throwing up, Spike found himself looking upon something he had not seen in anything but books: the ocean. More specifically, the Barnlantic Ocean, the ocean across which many ponies and similar creatures came to the lands of Equestria and vice-versa.

However, Spike was doing something radically different from those other ponies. He, first and foremost, was a dragon, not a pony: chalk that up for the first difference. The second difference was that he was not going to Equestria from some distant land: he was going to distant lands from Equestria. So, in order to do so, he needed a reliable mode of transport: namely, a seagoing vessel. One that would fit his needs but not be overly lavish or decorated: this technically wasn’t a cause for royal fanfare and all.

Seagulls called overhead as ships came to and left the harbor. Walking down to the docks and smelling the salty air on the breeze, Spike found what he was looking for. A large frigate-type of ship, complete with sails, masts and all sorts of rigging: carved figure on the front of the ship was none other than a sea-pony. Figures: most ships had such a figure carved onto the front, usually for good luck or as a way to personalize the ship. Ponies of all kinds were climbing aboard, each showing the pass they were required to present in order for safe passage: no stowaways or freeloaders on ships like these. With passages being so long, they could only store so much food aboard and too many mouths meant many would go hungry. Curiously, the hatches were shut all along the ship: either it had no cannons, or they were hidden when in port. Likely the latter, as anyone could throw things into the ship through the hatches and make a grand mess of things.

Rummaging in his pack as he went, Spike found what he was looking for: a slip of magical paper that soon fastened itself to his forearm, the lettering showing up in bright contrast to his darker scales. Celestia herself had enchanted the paper to do this, as normal paper would be too easily lost. Best of all, not only was it painless, but it would change according to the ship or the group he was going to travel with; ingenious, really.

Walking up to the ship’s captain, a rather stout fellow at that, Spike showed his pass to the stallion. Suffice to say the pony was surprised, given the look on his bearded face. Yes, he had a beard: Starswirl of legend wasn't the only pony who could grow one.

“Blimey, if it ain’t the mark o’ Princess Celestia ‘erself,” he said with an oddly thick accent: it was similar to Pip's, if a bit rougher. His arms were thick and furrier than normal and his legs, though short, seemed a bit thicker as well. Well, being stocky would definitely be an advantage on a rocking ship. He made a bowing motion to Spike, sweeping his captain’s hat off his head. “I be the captain, Roan Flankstrom. Welcome aboard the Crowhop, Master...?”

“Just Spike, please,” the young dragon replied, waving off the stallion’s formal greeting. If everyone he met knew he was royalty or what he had to do, he’d be in more trouble than any of this might be worth. Besides, he wouldn't want the captain to think he was some stuck-up snob like that Prince Blueblood, now would he? He let an involuntary shudder run through him at the thought of that pompous unicorn's antics.

“Well, Master Spike, I ‘ope you enjoy your stay with us,” Roan replied with a smile. “The journey to Equineland will take, oh... two or three weeks, weather permittin’. That's of course if we don' experience any problems 'long the way that ain't related to the weather."

"What do you mean not weather related?" Spike asked, a bit perplexed.

"Oh, pirates, sea monsters, the occasional merpony sighting that drives the crew into a wild frenzy... The usual bollocks. Still, the journey'll be two to three weeks at any rate."

Of course the crew would go crazy at the sight of a merpony: even Spike had heard of the legends. Merponies: half dolphin and half pony, with both lungs and oddly, gills, thrown in for good measure. Said to be the most beautiful creatures in the sea, and by far the most snesual, sailors had been known to wreck their ships trying to get to the sirens, even though they never lured them in or anything like that. Many more had wasted their lives trying to find one, for it was told that they easily fell in love with any pony that crossed their fancy: only a few had been reported in history, and there had always been speculation and evidence that they were imagined or exaggerated.

Still, two to three weeks? That sure did seem long, but then again any sort of passage over open water wasn’t exactly as quick as a whistle. Spike had never even been on a large sailing vessel before, but then again, there was a first time for everything. He might as well try and learn from the experience, hopefully while not getting seasick. He had an unfortunate habit of throwing up molten bits of whatever he had eaten last, and by molten, he literally meant molten: when he ate rocks, half the time they could come out like magma when he puked. “Which cabin will I be staying in?” Spike asked, hefting his bags to readjust the weight on his shoulders. Assuming there even were cabins, and he wouldn't be forced to share one large room with all the other passengers, He had been in less accomodating positions before: that noisy train ride to Appeloosa, his little basket back in the library... He could handle it.

“Forty-two E, middle deck,” the stallion replied, checking the notes of two other stallions booking passage: lumber-ponies, from the looks of their tools and clothing. “The best I kin offer, as this ship ‘as seen better days. She's not as young as she used to be, but she's still a good ship. I've been meanin' to get her a new set o' copper plates for the bottom hull to stop those barnacles from growin'." Seems the captain sure did care for his ship, judging by the way he looked over her as he talked. It even sounded like he was talking about a beloved house, the way he mentioned weathering and wood rot.

“Well, it should be more than enough: I packed light,” Spike said, giving the captain a small bow of thanks. Following a few more ponies up the ramp, he found himself stepping onto the first part of a voyage that held no clue to its possible ending. Making his way past a few crewponies, Spike walked down into what seemed to be a common room. Turning this way and that, following the door numbers, he wound his way down through the large ship’s hull until he reached his room. Opening it, he walked inside and surveyed it. A wooden door, one small window peering outside, a cot and pillow, and a small desk: frankly, it was better than he had expected.

“Time to settle in,” he thought, making to unpack. He hadn't packed much to begin with, as he planned on buying more supplies if he needed them, when he needed them. First he rolled out his clothes, stacking them back in the pack so they wouldn’t get lost or dirty. Then the notebooks and journals from which he would send his letters came next, placed inside the desk’s drawers so they too wouldn’t be damaged by the rocking of the boat. After that, there wasn’t much else to do, so Spike lay down on the cot, content to stay there until something new happened. The ship gently rocked in the harbor, though this only was because the seas were a bit rougher than normal. Otherwise, with the fastenings of the deck ropes to the harbor docks, the ship wouldn’t have moved at all.

There was a shrill whistle from up top, and Spike, being naturally curious, made his way topside to see what the commotion was all about. Climbing up in time to duck underneath some planks being carried by a pair of stallions, he saw the crew begin to pull in the ropes anchoring the ships to the harbor dock. Their bodies heaved as the heavy ropes were pulled aboard and set up in large bundles.

“We’re casting off!” Roan the captain shouted from the middle of the ship, his voice carrying surprisingly far for a pony of his stature. The crew removed the planks leading up to the ship, signifying no more passengers were coming aboard. “All hands to set sail!”

“Well, this is it,” Spike thought, leaning on a railing as the ship’s sails came to life. “To boldly go where no dragon has gone before.” Of course, there were other dragons that had gone to nearby countries, but as far as Spike knew, he was the first to cross the Barnlantic and intend to see much of the known world. The wind in the sails caused the ship to turn away from the docks and move, picking up a good clip for a ship so large. Spike watched as he drew farther and farther from the docks, and then the city, and then the other ships coming into to port. It was all so surreal, to be going so far from home and yet not feeling all that worried. Surprisingly, he didn't feel worried at all: if anything, he was more than a bit excited. The distance soon created an image similar to a painting Spike had once seen: a coastal city, with ships sailing in and out, all the while seabirds fluttered over the white sails.

Behind Spike, a mare walked by curiously absent of any accompanying luggage, save for a small umbrella in her hand and the cloak she was wearing. Her own luggage had already been deposited down below in her cabin, though nobody had really remembered seeing her do so. She looked at Spike from the corner of her eye, so as not to arouse any suspicion. If it had been off anyone could have seen her odd wings, and for her sake the hood thankfully hid the jagged-looking horn protruding from her head.

“There he is,” she thought to herself, settling down on an unoccupied bench on the far side of the ship’s deck. “The heir to the seat of Onyx the Wise, destined co-ruler of Equestria and friend to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony: Spike the dragon.” She tittered to herself: such titles may have been fanciful to more common folk, but she was a queen, and as a queen she had grown distasteful of such trappings, even though they provided useful services from time to time. Her underlings had long since learned to respect her decisions no matter the objective or consequence, as those who did not follow them were often... severely punished.

Queen Chrysalis continued to look over at the dragon, plans forming in her mind. If she could bend him to her will, she would have an invaluable asset within the very core of Equestria’s power structure. Any future invasion or takeover attempt would be infinitely more refined, more subtle, and much, much more likely to succeed. Plus, if he slipped far enough under her spell, he'd fight to keep her safe, even at the sake of his friends and adopted family: deliciously evil one might say. Chrysalis certainly agreed: the look on Celestia's face when her kingdom fell to the Changeling hordes and a mind-controlled dragon would be priceless indeed.

But first and foremost, she had to get close to him: very, very close. Subtly casting a “no-noticing” spell over herself, she went to work on her disguise. It would have to be a more permanent one than the one used for the wedding of Shining Armor and that Princess Cadence, and since his Spike didn’t have a powerful unicorn with him, detection would be much less likely. Still, it paid to be cautious, and being such a young dragon, she should have no trouble curling him around her little finger.

Her height would remain the same: as tall as he was, but the horn would need to be shorter and look like an average unicorn’s, so that was the first part to change. With two small squishing noises, the wings retreated into her back, since an alicorn would be too suspicious and arouse far too many unneeded questions. Her figure, slender and womanly, would still be there, though she trimmed a bit of the weight off her thighs: even she was not immune to vanity. Her fur, black as coal from within the earth, became a shimmering shade of green, like a beautiful emerald. Her mane thus became black as raven's feathers, both to complement her green eyes and to make her seem a tad more exotic, though not overly so. Her breasts, larger than average but not incredibly so, sagged slightly: it made them seem more natural than the extreme perkiness they displayed in her natural form.

There: finished. Now only she or some extremely powerful magic could undo this transformation, and now it was time to put things into motion. Her compartment on that train had been right next to Spike’s and that blue unicorn he had spent the night and the morning with. She had heard everything, including all of the obviously amazing sex: that was at least one avenue she was entirely open to taking advantage of. She hadn't had a good lay in so long that seducing the young dragon would definitely be on her mind. Still, she would need to make it gradual, seem genuine: too quick and it would be a simple fling for him. Too late, and he might have moved onto someone else to marry as his first. Besides, an immediate love spell wouldn’t work on so powerful a creature: the last time a changeling queen had tried this, it had taken every female family member she had to do so.

Yes, she knew about his so-called royal duty: one of her finest changeling spies had been an attendee at the dragon’s going-away party, disguised as some random pony from Ponyville. They had brought back the news as soon as everyone else had gone to sleep, and Chrysalis had slipped aboard the train while Spike was bidding his friends goodbye.

Ugh, his friends, those Mane Six, the Elements of Harmony: always throwing wrenches into one’s plans. Well, Twilight Sparkle, at any rate: finding her former babysitter and getting her to stop the wedding between Chrysalis and Shining Armor. he had been an average stallion, something Chrysalis had not been thoroughly impressed by, and if this Trixie's moans were anything to go by, Spike was anything but ordinary. This new plan would be a most delicious revenge, taking control over her best friend: no, her adopted brother. Then she would destroy Canterlot and all of Equestria from the inside out, and then, only then, would she reveal herself when all hope had been lost. It was the perfect plan, much more so than her earlier one had been.

Silently, she let the “no-noticing” spell slip away, though nobody was even looking in her direction as the ship rocked back and forth. Walking across the ship, she removed her hood and opened her cloak a bit more, letting the crosswind hit her clothes. She had chosen to travel in rather normal clothes: woolen jeans, an undershirt and a light sweatshirt, the kind a relative might buy for a holiday present. Still, she had to admit, she did look good, judging from the occasional glance a few crewmen threw her way.

Chrysalis walked up to Spike’s side, not saying a word as she too leaned on the ship’s wooden railing. “Strange, isn't it? I never thought I’d go anywhere outside of my home town,” she said eventually, loud enough to catch Spike’s attention.

“Where are you from?” Spike asked casually, glancing her way to acknowledge her presence.

“A small town a ways south of Manehatten: Trotten.” She had researched her role carefully, as making up a place was out of the question. She had been able to glean enough information about the place from her changeling spies, so if anypony actually from there met her, she'd be able to tell them all they wanted to know.

“So what brings you out to Equineland?” Spike asked, turning around and leaning backwards on the rail, his posture nonchalant. "It is a rather long haul: surely you're not just going on a whim?"

She did the same move: it was time to place the bait. “I always wanted to see the world outside of Equestria, you know? Go places I’ve only heard about, see things other ponies have only dreamed about.” She let a small, sad smile grace her face. “Too bad this is all I can afford.”

“Afford?” Spike asked, a bit curious. Excellent, he had taken the bait. Now to reel him in...

“Yes, I only have enough bits to pay for passage to Equineland, stay there a while, and then to come back home to my dozens of relatives,” she said, saying “relatives” with a small amount of weariness. “I couldn’t afford to go through Prance and southern Germareny, and I always wanted to visit Saddle Arabia. See the sights, experience the culture, just get away from it all back at home, you know? Still, one must take advantage of one’s opportunities, I suppose.”

Her tone and her story made Spike feel sorry for the mare. She had wanted to go on the very same trip he was now undertaking, but due to financial difficulties, her dreams were far out of her reach. He, on the other hand, was going around the world, with most if not all of his financial difficulties being taken care of by his sovereign's, or technically co-sovereign's magic. If only there was some way he could make her dreams come true...

Wait, there was! Celestia never said he couldn’t take companions with him where he went, and seeing as he wasn’t yet looking for a bride...

“I think I can make your dreams a reality, miss,” Spike said. “I myself am on such a journey as what you speak of, and I was looking for a companion with which to come with me. Would you happen to be interested?”

“You are?” the unicorn asked, turning her face to meet Spike’s, a great big look of surprise lighting up in her eyes. “I mean... You would do that for me?”

“Sure, why not?” Spike asked. “A troubled soul such as yourself deserves to experience her dreams. So, what do you say: partners?” He held out his hand.

Tentatively, she shook it, though her insides were doing the mare-carena at her success. Well, the marecarena and the limbo, to be precise. “I would be glad to accompany you, mister...?”

“Spike, ma’am: Spike the dragon,” he replied.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Spike the dragon,” she said. “You can call me... Meia: Meia Morphos.” She was silent for a second. “My parents had an odd penchant for even odder names.”

“I don’t think it’s odd at all,” Spike said. “Pleased to meet you, Meia.”

So begun the journey across the Barnlantic, with Spike the dragon, destined co-ruler of Equestria, and Meia Morphos, AKA Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.

Author's Notes:

So it begins. Also, for tose of you that are confused by the name, "Trotten" is a pony-fied version of Trenton.

And to those of you out there who are unsure of where this is headed, I assure you: there will be much more character development.