Chapter Fifty

Bonding

“So... Myrrina let us go free?”

“Yes. She helped us with everything.”

“And we’re not being chased?”

“No, or at least it seems that way.”

“But... but aren’t we still considered wanted fugitives of the Ottomare Empire?”

“Yes, Spike. But with what Bakhtak told me, that won’t be much of an issue.” Asalah said softly as she lay with her husband on the couch, his heartbeat slow and strong under her resting palm. “Seems that during our escape, there was some sort of rebellion; neither of us know the details, but I think it’s safe to say that the empire will have enough on its hands to worry about a small prison escape.”

“And, I must add, there is the ever-present threat of the Marengols encroaching on their borders,” Bakhtak added from her seat. “So, yes, Spike. I do believe you are ‘out of the woods’, as they say these days.”

“So... we’re safe,” Spike said slowly, releasing a tensed breath as a soothing feeling entered his mind. They’re safe; in a warm house with a loved one by his side; when his world-wind adventure was done, he’d never want it to be any other way again. There was just so much out there in this massive world, and now, after such a near-death experience (or, at least to him, it had felt like one) , he just felt that he’d need to be a bit more wary. He would need to look out more for himself than before, and even more so for his family. If anything ever happened to them…

He’d never forgive himself.

“Yes, we’re safe, but we’re also not allowed to leave the house,” Asalah said. “Our host, a Mr. Ebony Blade, has gone off to the local town to buy us some supplies, who from what I’m told aren’t exactly welcoming of visitors right now. He should return in about an hour or two, but in the meantime...”

“We stay put?” the dragon asked.

“Yes,” Asalah replied. “Bakhtak said that there’s a sickness going around, and a very strange one at that. Our best chance of avoiding it is to stay inside until we’re ready to leave.”

That last part gave Spike pause. “Um, Asalah. About that...”

“Yes?”

“You know, I was just thinking. With everything that happened in Istanbul, and with the... trouble we were in. What do you think about... staying somewhere safe?”

“What do you mean, Spike?”

“Well, I mean, Maria has a castle that you all can stay in, where you’ll be safe, and I... I was just wondering if, you know-,”

“You could just drop us there and be on your merry way?” she interrupted with as neutral face and tone as she could muster.

It sounded bad when you put it like that. “Well, yeah, I guess,” he replied. “I mean, Maria, Trixie, and Chryssie are pregnant, and I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to any of you, let alone our foals-to-be, and was just wondering if it’d be better if you all stayed someplace safe while I finished my journey. I’m sure Maria’s parents would be thrilled to have you stay with them, to have all of you, but I-,”

“Spike, hush,” the zebra said softly. “It’s not your journey any more; it’s ours as well. When you married us, that’s what we accepted and wanted to join you in, and help you with, because it’s our commitment to our unity, and even though you are the stallion, the “leader”, all of us have an equal say in what goes on... right?”

“Y-Yeah, of course,” Spike said. “Of course you all have a say, I was just-,”

“You were being chivalrous, which in some cases is more troublesome than honorable,” Asalah said, taking a deep breath. “Spike, you don’t have to hide behind your words. You’re not just worried about the safety of us and the babies. You’re worried about what happened to you and what that did to you. I know you’re scared, Spike; scared of what you might be unable to do, or worse, what you might inadvertently do. You fear that you won’t always be there to protect us on this journey, and that if anything happened to us, that you’d never forgive yourself.”

The dragon sighed. “Yes,” he said softly. “I’m scared what would happen if anything happened to any of you. I... I love you all so much, and I just don’t... I just don’t know if I could handle losing any of you.”

“You’re scared what you might do if that happens?” The zebra mare asked softly, laying a gentle kiss upon his chin.

“Yes,” he replied. “We saw what happened with those pirates... those desert bandits... that Prench noble... I was mostly in control then, so I could save you, so I could keep you safe. But if I lost you, I’d... I’d... I’d become a monster. I don’t want to be a monster, Asalah. I don’t want to be some beast that kills for nothing more than to fill some hole in his life.”

Asalah lightly drew circles on her husband’s chest scales for a few moments before speaking again. “Spike, nopony ever said that being a husband, a dragon, and a father all at once would be easy in any way. But it’s only through our struggles that we learn who we really are. If not for you and the love you and the others shared, I’d have never opened up to you all. I’d still be in my little shell; there but not really ‘there’. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

“Yeah, I... I guess so,” Spike said.

“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being a beast every now and then,” she added with a smirk. “Especially not when the bedroom is concerned.”

In spite of himself, Spike let out a chuckle. “You’re impossible, sometimes. You know that?”

“That’s why you love me.”

“One of the reasons, anyway,” he responded, giving her a soft kiss upon her forehead.

The two of them laid there in silence for a few minutes, watching the flames dance in the fireplace before a formerly-silent Bakhtak spoke up.

“If I might suggest, you may want to wake the others up. Ebony should be back soon, and I think everyone would like to be “in the know” before he gets here. Besides, I need to get some more firewood from the cellar.”

After silently nod in agreement, Spike and Asalah left the couch behind them and made their way upstairs, the sound of their steps disappearing before the sound of the bedroom door.

The Nightmare rose to her hind hooves and opened a door across from the living room entrance, carefully making her way down the steps, musing to herself what she had seen. “They really are in love,” she thought as she began to gather the chopped and dried logs from the neat rows along the cellar wall. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like that.”

Bakhtak had never been married, though it had almost happened several times. As their civilization fell and their kind was scattered across the globe, Nightmares had a rather hard time courting one another, and of the few suitors she had come across, they had all proven that they were unfit for companionship and unwilling to settle down or raise a family. Nightmares typically had large families, often in litters, and though family life was much safer than being a nomad, the males that she had known just didn’t want to be tied to anything other than their own selves.

“Selfish bastards,” she muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs, arms laden with firewood. “Our species isn’t exactly thriving, and all they can think about is what they want. No wonder we’re in such trouble. I’ll likely live for another thousand years, if not much more, and yet it’ll be extremely lucky if I even find one who would be willing to settle down with me.”

Once at the top of the stairs, she tried shutting the door, but her arms were too full, so, with a huff, she bumped it with her rump and heard it click shut behind her. “That reminds me, I’ll have to ask Ebony about who the house is going to pass on to when he passes away. Sounds a bit morbid, sure, but it does pay to plan ahead for such things. He won’t be around forever, after all.”

Back upstairs, Spike was being smothered by three very surprised, and very joyous mares, happy that he was finally awake. Now, it was a given that they’d be loud when they’d found out he woke up, but he didn’t know just how loud.

“OhmygoodnessSpike-,”

“You’refinallyawake-,”

“WhendidyouwakeupAreyouokayWeweresoworried-,”

“For crying out loud! Can’t you all be quiet for like, a minute! He just got up, and you’re fawning over him like you haven’t seen him for years!” shouted Eutropia, throwing back her covers, flailing her arms about in the air.

“Um, hello?” was Spike’s only response.

“That’s all you have to say? ‘Hello?’ You barge in here after making such a racket a while ago, you wake up these three and cause the room to become louder than a damn parade, and you can only say ‘hello’? Blasted scoundrel, never letting some griffin get a good night’s rest or wake up when she wants to,” Eutropia muttered, clutching her travelling robes tightly as she stomped out the door and slammed it behind her.

The shock had nearly silenced the room, allowing Spike to get some answers about the newest guest, allowing the four of them to shuffle between who would explain.

“So... that’s Myrrina’s daughter, and she’s with us because... why, exactly?” He asked, still a bit taken back for being called a scoundrel for the first time in his life.

Frankly, it was amazing that he could even speak at all, what with Chrysalis’s mouth currently trying to suck his face off and all.

“The trouble in the city meant that it’d be much safer for her to travel with us than to stay, and besides, she can’t go back,” Maria said as she left trails of kisses all over his face. Trixie had just taken up residence next to him and was apparently trying to bend him in half with her hug. “Myrrina wanted her safe, and she’s safer with us and Ebony Blade. All her mother wanted was for her to leave the city and be safe. We don’t know if that has an expiration date, but for the time being, she’s with us.”

“You sure that’s a good idea? She seems… volatile,” he mumbled through busy lips.

“Eutropia’s just adjusting,” Trixie said. “Besides, we made a promise to her mother, and whether or not she decides to stay here with Ebony or continue on with us until some point is up to her. Personally, I think she’d rather stay with us, seeing that we aren’t total strangers anymore, but it won’t be easy going.”

“I could’ve guessed that,” he replied Hmm, Eutropia; not a name he’d ever heard before, but it did sound like something a griffin like Myrrina would call her daughter.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll warm up to you just fine,” Asalah said from her corner of the bed.

Out in the hall, Eutropia let out a huff as she blew a few feathers out of her face. “Like Tartarus I will,” she muttered out of earshot, stomping off from the bedroom. She didn’t feel like being anywhere near that dragon now, especially now that he was awake. Next thing she knew he’d probably be hitting on her or something. A disdain of dragons had been imparted into her head since she was very young, as it had been with basically all Istanbul residents, all with varying sources and claims.

Some naga claimed that dragons abandoned their young if they were born with substandard features. Minotaurs said that dragons were brutes who took no joy from anything but conquest. Griffins, like herself, had told their youngsters that dragons were insatiable creatures, tempting many younglings to their beds with soothing words and salacious promises. The ponies in the city, regardless of race, had always said that dragons preferred destroying things, be it landscapes, possessions or races. A visiting Fallow deer, from the far ranges of the semi-frozen taiga to the north, had said dragons will eat their young if they do not hatch immediately from their eggs or breathe fire within their first hour of life.

As such, she didn’t hate him, as hate was a very strong word. For now, she’d tolerate his presence, but would easily make do without being around him. That was why she had left. That, and in the hope she might find somewhere quiet to sit and think about her situation. She liked the one called Trixie, even though she had yet to tell her, but the blue unicorn had brought up a fair point. What would she do when Ebony Blade would no longer accompany them?

“I can’t go back, and I don’t want to stay here, but where am I to go?” she wondered aloud. Her mother had told her to be strong, and she had known somehow that it’d be hard, but… not this hard! She wanted to kick open the window, fly out and off towards the city, never stopping until she was back at home in Istanbul, back with her mother and grandmother, where she belonged.

But she couldn’t; it went against everything she had been brought up to believe to do something like that. No matter how much she wished it, there was no way she’d make it back. And even if she did, everything would fall apart even more than it already had. Her mother had told her, commanded her in her own way, to not return, for her own safety. Myrrina had raised her daughter well: obedient yet still strong-willed and able to think on her own. Ambitious, but not overly so; imaginative but down to earth.

She did not wish to stay with Ebony Blade. He seemed too cold, too aloof, too… what was the word? Lonely? Well, yes, that worked too, but there was something else.

“Rootless,” she muttered as she walked down the stairs. “He doesn’t have a true place to call his home. I mean, this is his home, but… it’s not where he lives. He said that he hadn’t been here in a long time, so is this place a burden to him? This is a very nice home; what could have happened that would make him forsake it and leave it abandoned for so long?”

“That is his business,” a voice said.

Eutropia took one look at the owner of the voice and squealed, her wings propelling her up and onto the very top of the hallway’s chandelier. Hanging from the chain, she looked down at the… demon before her.

“What in Tartarus are you?” she asked.

“I’m Bakhtak, Ebony Blade’s maid,” the tall creature replied simply.

Eutropia stared for a few moments at the creature beneath her, stunned by her rather cheeky reply. “I didn’t ask for your name, I asked what you were,” she spat back, the glowing scars giving her a sense of unease.

“I’m a Nightmare. Not more to it than that, I suppose,” Bakhtak replied, giving a small laugh.

Eutropia may have been an omnivore with a proclivity towards more grains than fish, but those glinting teeth seemed almost unnaturally sharp to her. “Why are you here? Where is Ebony Blade?”

The Nightmare crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side as she looked up at the curious young griffin. She wasn’t sure what to make of her. “As I said, I am his maid; I take care of the household when he is away. Right now, he is in town, collecting clothing and other supplies for you and everypony else.” She said, allowing a moment of silence between them. “I take it your encounter with Mr. Spike was not a pleasant one?”

“How did you-,”

“My dear, I am a predator by nature, and as such have a very good sense of hearing. Yes, I heard every word spoken between you. Now please, come down, I’m not sure the chandelier can handle your weight, and I’d hate to clean it up if it falls.”

Slowly, carefully, Eutropia spread her wings and fluttered down, landing near the front door of the house, several paces from Bakhtak. “You heard… everything?” she asked.

“Yes, dearie, but don’t fret; I won’t tell them if you don’t,” the Nightmare said with a smile. She liked this griffin; young and headstrong, yet unsure of herself and where she fit in. That was understandable, as she was in a situation where nothing made sense and everything was so foreign to what she knew. All she really needed was a friend, someone to confide in.

In spite of herself, Eutropia let her beak form into a small grin. “Then Ebony won’t know about my… thoughts?”

“It’ll be our little secret,” Bakhtak said. “Come, my dear, sit with me by the fireplace. Doubtlessly you have much to talk about.”

“What would I have to talk about?” The young griffin asked as she followed the much taller creature into the living room. Sighing in relief at the sight of the roaring fire, she sat down on the ground near it, letting the heat soak into her wings and the rest of her body. Griffins tolerated cold just fine, but they always preferred a dry warmth, and as such, loved gathering around fires. Eutropia was no exception.

“Eutropia, you don’t need to hide anything from me,” the Nightmare said, her eyes scanning the relaxing form of the young griffon. Even under all those robes, she could tell the youngster was fit, and carried herself with an air of confidence. But right now, in this environment, she was subdued, scared, and in need of some sagely wisdom to help her on her path.

“What’s there to hide?”

“My dear, you’re not where you wish to be. You wish to be home, with your family, far away from these lands. Yet you cannot, and that’s tearing you apart on the inside. You may wish to try and ignore it, to push it deep down in your soul, but sooner or later, it will come out. It always does.”

The griffon sighed. “Am I that easy to read?”

“No, I simply have much experience in that department,” Bakhtak replied, a note of sadness entering her voice. “You feel lost, thrusted into a situation which you have never been prepared for. You feel alone, where all those you have grown to know are nowhere to be found, and that you’re surrounded by strangers that you’re only beginning to understand. The land is nothing like the one you’ve lived in before, from the buildings to the weather to the faces that have passed you by. You’re angry at the world, unsure of what to do, and all you feel that you can do is lash out and try and make sense of it all.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, only the sound of the crackling fire as it kept the room warm. “You’ve been in my predicament before, I take it,” Eutropia said softly.

“Several times. But yes, long ago, I was in the very same position,” the Nightmare replied. “For my kind, I was young, foolhardy, confident, headstrong, and full of bravado. But as soon as I was out of my element, I lost all of that. I was scared, angry, hurting, and so very lonely. My species has always had some obstacle to overcome at any given point in our history, and for me, that meant that most of the time, my highest priority was just staying alive. Countless days I spent starving for company, when I wasn’t starving for food and warmth. Eutropia, I was pitiful, bitter and angry at the world. But, in time, I began to change.”

“Change? How?”

“I adapted to my situation; I learned to take the good with the bad and not let my situation define who I was, who I was to become. That, perhaps, is where you and I differ in our stories, young one. I was alone, and I had to grow and change all on my own. You, young Eutropia, you are not alone. You have companions who are there for you, though you will need to seek them out yourself.”

“But I don’t know anything about them,” Eutropia replied, rubbing her neck in a worried manner. “I don’t even know anything about them other than their names.”

“Then it’s up to you to mend the bridges you have so recently taken up burning.” Bakhtak didn’t want to say it, but calling a dragon a “scoundrel” in front of his family wasn’t the surest way to make friends. “You will discover much about yourself and who the griffin you are, but most importantly, if you open yourself up to others, you will discover the griffin you will become. Eutropia, I have lived a long life, filled with regrets. I do not wish for one as young as you to carry those same regrets.”

The griffin sat in silence for a long while before speaking once more. “So… I should apologize, then?”

“Yes, that would make a good start,” the Nightmare said, her lips forming a small smile at this first sign of progress. “Apologize, and see where it goes from there. You can only find help in this world if you seek it out, my dear.”

Eutropia glanced towards the corner, where a great grandfather clock sat in silence. It would be noon very soon, so that meant, according to Bakhtak, Ebony Blade should be back from town very shortly. For the time being, however, she was content with just sitting by the fire.

Out in New Wingdah, Ebony Blade had finally finished loading up all the supplies into his carriage. The talk with Madam Kier had taken forever, and his throat still burned from her coffee’s strength, but thankfully it was over and he’d be heading back to the homestead any minute now.

At least, that’s what he thought, until a gust of wind passed over his head. Looking up, he spotted a plethora of shapes descending down upon the town, all from Enstein’s Castle.

Landing in the middle of the square, a small contingent of bodyguards stood, covered head to hoof in knightly armor, their eyes scanning everywhere for some possible threat. One last figure settled down in the midst of them, and with several purposeful strides, broke free from the confines of their ranks and looked around.

Ebony sighed. “Why now?” he muttered as the figure looked in his direction. “Why today of all days?”

The figure strode over and reached up, removing the helmet that covered their face from the harsh elements. “Ebony Blade,” she said, her voice carrying with it a tone few had ever heard her speak; recognition interlaced with authority and surprise.

“Lady Fyrefly,” the batpony replied, tightening one last rope before tying it off. “Please forgive me if I don’t drop to my knees.”

“Ebony, you and I both know you’ve never been one for formalities like that,” the duchess said with a small wave, dismissing her approaching guards. “So, what brings you back home?”

“Business,” he replied, knowing full well she wouldn’t let him leave until she was satisfied; whatever that meant.

“Your guests?” The way she said “your” made it sound like he was harboring fugitives. Well, technically, he was...

Dammit Bakhtak, why are you so good at spying? “Yes, in part,” he said. “I have also been away for far too long, and I was long overdue for new supplies.”

“Clothes are considered supplies these days? Here I’d have thought you’d be apt to buy everything you’d need wherever you were at the time. It’s not like you visit the castle much, anymore.”

Of course, she just had to bring that up. “My Lady, my guests are innocent of anything you might think them capable of.”

“Including the dragon?”

Dammit again, Bakhtak. “Yes, including him. Last I checked, he was still out cold from some strange ailment I have never seen. But before you ask, no, it is not the same ailment that has all of your citizens acting like superstitious fools half the time, and paranoid whistleblowers the other half. Last thing we need is for the townsfolk to find out about my guests and try and lynch them or something.”

Lady Fyrefly was silent for a moment. “You are their caretaker, correct?”

“As well as I can be,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Then when will they be leaving? If you do indeed wish to keep them safe from your fellow citizens, then I advise you to encourage their departure before they are discovered.”

Ebony sighed. “My Lady, we will depart when we are good and ready. I think I shall take them as far north as the Grand Duchy of Marescow, whereupon I will let them “free” under the care of the Tsar and Tsarina. I know them from several previous services, and I’m sure they would be delighted to have foreigners visit them. What with the isolation their country is known for, they don’t have many distant visitors.”

The duchess thoughtfully stroked her chin. “Then will you be returning?”

“I… I don’t know,” he replied. “Things with Bakhtak are just… I don’t know where they are headed.”

“Is she becoming troublesome?” The duchess seemed genuinely concerned, though exactly why was not very clear to Ebony.

“She’s always troublesome, but no, this time… it’s different,” he said. “My Lady, I know her loyalty to you and me is beyond measure, but I’m afraid her loyalty to one of us could cause the other to feel… betrayed.”

“Bakhtak is not the kind of creature to betray one’s trust; I do not feel it is in her nature. Believe me, Ebony Blade, I know all about betrayal.” Her stressing on the word “know” carried with it a frosty feeling.

“I wish I knew what you were talking about,” the batpony stallion said, suddenly finding this conversation very unwelcome. Of course, she had to bring up the past now of all times…

“Do not try and fool yourself, Ebony Blade. You know very well about what I am speaking.”

“Then why whisper of it? Why not let everyone know that in our teenage years, you and I were-,”

“Don’t say it!”

“-lovers,” he finished. “I’ve told you time and time again, Fyrefly, that what we had as teenagers was nothing more than childish lust; playing around with things we did not yet understand. I grew out of it, and here I was wishing you had as well.”

“We may have been young, but I understood well enough to know when you were having a great time,” the duchess said. “You never could hide your discomfort when I was around, when we’d share glances in the hallways.”

“And I remember you could barely speak when I’d kiss you,” he replied. “You and I both know why we broke it off. We feared discovery by not only your parents, but by your sister. You knew as well as I did that she had also had a thing for me, but being the older sister, she tried to set an example for you about being prim and proper, and knowing your place in the pecking order.”

“Older by mere minutes, but her “examples” did nothing to stop us for how long we were together. Do you still remember, or has our time apart dulled your memories?”

Ebony sighed. “Two years, three months, one week and five days,” he replied, having repeated that to himself so many times after their departure that it was ingrained into his brain. He tried to forget, and while his life had been good with his wife and daughter, he had indeed forgotten. But somewhere, deep down, he hadn’t; how could he?

Her eyes lit up at his words. “So, in spite of you forsaking living amongst your kind and within your nation, you still cling to something like that? Something that only we know of?”

“I cling to it because it is a part of me, Fyrefly,” Ebony blade stated, his lips curling into a slight snarl. Was she really so callous that she needed to hear this from him now, in a time of upheaval in his life? “I don’t throw things out that don’t suit me. I don’t turn my back on others because it’s easier than confronting-,”

He blinked, her hand was only an inch from his face, her self-restraint having barely kicked in to prevent the slap. “Don’t you ever speak to me of abandonment,” she hissed, anger and hurt filling her expression. “Ebony Blade, I have given up so much, so very much, so that these lands are a safe haven for our kind. I have sacrificed so much of my life, so many good years of my youth, so that we may be safe. And now look at me. Nearing the end of my youth, with nothing to show for it other than misery. Prestige, titles, honor, that’s all well and good for the history books and foals’ stories, but for me, they are hollow victories. I lost my husband, a stallion I cared for very much, within a few years of my marriage, and have never gazed upon another stallion since. Unlike you, Ebony Blade, I never got to have a family; all because I dedicated myself to keeping these lands safe from harm.”

Ebony brushed her hand away, his lips forming a true snarl. “I had a family, yes, but I lost them, Fyre,” he said, his long-ago nickname of her rising to the surface in the midst of his anger. “You may have never had a family, but I had, and I lost them, and that’s a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone!”

Several of the guards were staring at them, out of earshot but unmistakably noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, who ignored them, their argument was the only important thing happening to them at the moment.

“I didn’t come for a fight, Ebony,” Lady Fyrefly said, sagging her shoulders as the fire seemed to flicker and die within her. She was martial by nature, and perhaps that was why she had confronted him. She always needed a challenge, a battle to be fought, even if it resulted in a stalemate of words, rather than weapons.

“Then why did you come?” He asked, his own temper cooling as the breeze picked up slightly, causing his robes and mane to flap around him.

“I came with my guards to see if everything was in order in New Wingdah,” she said slowly, avoiding his gaze. “I should return to the inspection. Safe travels to you, Ebony Blade; you are most surely pressed for a previous engagement with your guests.”

There it was; her shields were back up, her true self hiding behind the facade that was the duchess title she held. Few ponies knew her like Ebony Blade did, or had. Now… he wasn’t sure if he had even known her at all. “Then I shall take my leave,” he said softly, clambering aboard his carriage as the duchess moved out of the way.

“Goodbye, Mr. Blade,” she said, loud and clear to her guards, who followed her actions and gave the carriage a wide berth through which to pass.

“Goodbye… your highness,” Ebony dutifully replied, whipping the reigns once and lurching forward as the carriage began it’s methodical pace down the road. As the carriage grew distant from Madam Kier’s shop, one of the guards approached Lady Fyrefly, who watched it leave with an inscrutable expression.

“My Lady, is something the matter?”

The duchess blinked once, twice, three times, and then looked to her guard. “No,” she said with her voice distant but firm. “No, nothing’s the matter. Have the others question any passerby if they’ve seen anything strange while we make our way towards the mayor’s home as planned. He’ll surely wish to debrief us on any new developments in our search.”

As Bakhtak stood at the counter, helping slice up the bread, vegetables, and cheeses for lunch, she began to notice something peculiar about the six seated around the table. The dragon (Spike, she had to remember to call him by his name), was usually placed near the middle of the table by his wives, though he had repeatedly said he could have sat anywhere. His wives sat either across from or right next to him, though it was apparent there was no real structure as to their seating arrangement. Here, Bakhtak had thought there would be some sort of social hierarchy, but that was not the case.

Still, the fact that Eutropia sat as far away from everypony as she could, while still being close enough to hear the conversations, said a lot about her discomfort. The young griffin had told the Nightmare that she liked Trixie, which was why the nearest pony was indeed her, but that didn’t mean she was willing to open up to them all of a sudden.

“Soup should be ready in a few minutes,” she said, tossing a few more herbs into the almost-boiling pot, suspended above the fireplace in the stone-built kitchen corner. She was very glad that Asalah, Eutropia, and Spike had vouched for her when everypony else had come downstairs. At first, the three mares looked upon the Nightmare with distrust in their eyes, but after a bit of talking, and laughing, and enjoying the warmth of the fire, they had opened up to her.

“Smells delicious,” Spike said as he looked around the room. To him, it seemed so cozy, almost like…

Home.

He missed his home. He knew he would. He knew he always would on this journey. But right here and now, he felt like… he felt like he left a part of his life behind. It brought him solace that he would return one day, or at least, he hoped he would. But with his seemingly ever-growing family surrounding him, he’d be content to live in a place like this. He recalled Celestia saying something about additions to the castle in Canterlot, to support him and his family, most likely. Perhaps he could send a request for certain additions?

That’s right, he was going to send things from Istanbul, like he had from all those other places. “That’s not going to happen,” he thought as he watched Maria and Asalah chat about what the cooks in their castles would make for them when they were growing up. “Probably not going to tell them what happened there, either. I don’t need Twilight, or Luna, or worst yet, Celestia herself declaring war on the Ottomare Empire.”

He would likely take a very long time to forgive what they’ve done to him, what could’ve been done to him, and what had almost happened to his family. He could forgive, yes, in time, but forget any of it?

Never.

“Spike?”

The dragon turned, having been lost in his own thoughts. “Yes, Trixie?” he said.

“Spike, Eutropia has something she wishes to say to you,” the blue mare said softly, glancing back towards the young griffin and giving a gentle nod. “Go ahead, dear.”

“Um, I… I’m sorry,” Eutropia said softly, refusing to meet his gaze and instead, staring into her cup of tea. “I’m sorry for, you know, about before. Up… up in the bedroom, what I said. I hadn’t slept well last night, and-,”

“Eutropia, it’s okay, I understand,” the dragon said. “I know you’re scared, and that wasn’t the real you. Believe me, I know all too well about being somewhere you don’t understand, in situations you find strange or even frightening.”

“Really?” she asked, looking up from her cup with a small smile. “Th-thank you. That really means alot.”

Behind them all, Bakhtak let a knowing smile spread across her features as she finished slicing the last of the bread, whispering to herself, “small steps, dearie, small steps.”

There was a knock at the door. “Eutropia, I’m a bit busy with the soup. Could you please see who’s at the door?” the Nightmare called.

Rising quickly from her seat, the young griffin dashed over to the door and peered through the keyhole for a few moments before uttering in slight confusion, “I don’t see anyone.”

“Huh, that’s odd,” Bakhtak replied, continuing to chop up the last few vegetables.

As Eutropia walked away from the door, back towards the kitchen, there was another knock at the door. This time, everyone looked towards the door as Eutropia peeked through the keyhole a second time.

“There’s nobody there,” she said, sounding even more perplexed while still searching for the who knocked before gasping. “Oh, there! I see a carriage coming up the road; that must be Ebony!”

“Well, he did say not to open the door until he got back, so it’d be best if you sit yourself right back down at the table and help yourself to some lunch,” Bakhtak replied, just beginning to portion out the food onto separate plates. “I’ll serve the soup when he walks in. Best let it cool until then,” she added.

It took a few minutes before they heard the door’s lock click and Ebony to walk in with his arms laden with clothes, food, and other essentials, placing everything down on the large bench in the hallway and immediately closing the door behind him, making sure it was locked once more.

“I’m back,” he said, stripping off his travelling cloak and hanging it up on the singular coat rack near the bench.

“We heard; come, we’re in the kitchen,” Bakhtak called, her voice carried by the wafting scent of a warm meal. “You’re just in time for lunch.”

“Excellent; I’m starved,” he replied, shuffling his way in as he removed his gloves, tossing them onto the bench. Glancing around the table, he mentally checked off everyone present. “Good to see you’re finally awake, Spike the dragon,” he said as he pulled up a chair for himself.

“It’s good to be… awake,” Spike said. “Thanks, by the way; for everything.”

“Do not mention it. It was part of a job, one it seems I won’t be finishing anytime soon,” the batpony replied. “Ladies,” he said, nodding his head in their direction.

“Ebony,” they replied.

“What do you mean?” Spike asked as Bakhtak served them all their bowls of soup. “Finishing the job and all that?”

“I’ve decided that you won’t set out from these lands on your own,” Ebony said simply. “It occurs to me that strangers moving through here without any sort of guide would look suspicious, and I have some friends in Marescow that would be delighted to have your company. You’d be much safer leaving those lands under their protection than setting out from here on your own.”

“You’ll accompany us that far?” Asalah asked as she stirred her soup. “That’s quite a distance from New Wingdah; judging from the terrain Bakhtak told us lies between.”

“I don’t see why not. Besides, the duchess more or less told me that you were my responsibility, and that it’d be best if you left soon.”

“You spoke with the duchess? When? Where?” Spike asked as sipped his soup, taking care not to slurp.

“She came into town today with a contingent of her personal guards,” Ebony said slowly, taking a bite of his food. “I told her what I was up to, why I was there, and that she needn’t worry about any of you.”

“Yet, she did know about us,” Chrysalis said, dipping a piece of bread into her soup bowl. “You make it sound like she knew before you told her.”

“She knew ahead of time because of me,” Bakhtak said, earning surprised stares from everyone at the table but Ebony. “I may be Ebony’s maid, but I serve the duchess as a sentry for her lands. When anyone approaches New Wingdah, I send a letter immediately with her personal messenger a phoenix.”

“But how did you know about us?” Maria asked.

“I could smell you,” the Nightmare replied. “Remember, dear, I am a predator by nature, and as such, I have a very good sense of smell. I could identify each of you on your scents alone, and could immediately tell which of you were pregnant.”

Trixie gaped. “You… you could really do that?”

“Yes,” she replied softly. “I could also smell something was wrong with your husband, but other than the fact that he was unwell, I could not sense anything specific. I may be able to smell very well, but I not that well.”

“... Thanks, I guess?” Spike said, feeling slightly unnerved by the maid’s ultra-heightened senses.

“You are welcome,” she said with a smile.

Ebony sighed; even with her unusual personality and traits, Bakhtak was actually doing well with the guests. Seems luck wasn’t completely against him this day.

“So… did the duchess ask you about anything else?” Maria quipped as she stirred her soup around.

Then again, it could go either way. “A few things, yes, but nothing really important,” he said. “Private matters, state secrets, you know, that kind of stuff.”

“She’d share state secrets with you?” Spike asked, eyebrow raised.

“Well, at one point, she would, seeing as I was like an… let’s just say I was an advisor to her,” the batpony replied, perhaps a little too quickly at that.

“What did you advise her on?” Eutropia asked.

Sex, mostly. “Mostly on combat, swordplay and stuff along those lines,” he said. “She’s really talented with a sword; a natural if I do say so myself. It wasn’t long before she was as skilled as I, and many years later, she remains so, if not a touch more.”

“Ebony Blade, former duelist turned advisor turned mercenary,” Bakhtak said, clicking her tongue in amusement. “Quite the list of accomplishments. You never told me those things.”

“I… I didn’t think you’d be interested,” he mumbled as he began to sip his soup.

“Say, Eutropia, have you ever received any training?” the Nightmare asked.

“Oh, um, yes. Yes I have,” the griffin replied. “Mother was the captain of the guard, so it was only natural that she taught me some form of combat.”

“Like what?” Trixie asked.

“Oh, you know, simple stuff for my age; martial arts, swordplay, proper uses of a shield, javelin throwing… stuff like that.”

“Sounds positively Olympic,” Maria said. “How good would you say you are?”

“Better than most my age, though I’m not that good, I think,” Eutropia said with a shrug. “I mean, mother has been training me in one thing or another since I could walk, so a lot of it’s ingrained by now, I suppose.” Talking about her mother, surprisingly, did not bring up the same feelings it would have the day before. Now, instead of loneliness, Eutropia felt a good deal of pride. Her mother may have been harsh sometimes, but she had been always fair, and knew when work and fun could be one in the same. Could it be she was training her to take her place as captain? It wouldn’t have been the first time guards trained their offspring to rise through the ranks and succeed them.

“Would you say you’re a natural, then?” Chrysalis asked.

“I suppose, yeah, I mean, I haven’t really fought against anyone before,” she replied.

“Well, I think it would be a splendid idea for you to teach Spike here some pointers,” the changeling queen said, earning a stare from both Eutropia and Spike. “What? It couldn’t hurt.”

“But why would I need to learn how to defend myself with a sword, or a shield?”

“Because it wouldn’t necessarily be about defending yourself, but your family, and trust me Spike, after what happened in Istanbul, we now know that dragons aren’t totally invulnerable,” Maria said simply. “Plus, we could make do without you having to resort to going full-on berserker every time something bad does or could happen.”

“I keep it in check,” the dragon mumbled. “You didn’t mind me going crazy in Prance.”

“That was different, and besides, we really don’t need rumors about you destroying whole towns whenever someone tries to rob us or hit on us,” Maria replied with a roll of her eyes. “Spike, we all know you’re very powerful with your heritage, but in your tutelage under Princess Luna, did you ever even learn how to use a sword?”

“Well, no,” he admitted. “Most royal guards learn to in basic training, but I didn’t go through that part. I was mostly involved in academic things and physical training. I never learned any martial arts or swordplay or anything like that.”

“Then it’s settled,” Bakhtak said, all eyes but Ebony’s snapping to her. “Eutropia will teach Spike how to defend himself so that he may know how to, without just resorting to setting everything on fire.”

After an awkward pause, Eutropia spoke up. “I’ll do it, but don’t expect me to go easy on you, Spike. Learning what I know is hard, and while there’s likely countless others out there who could teach you much more and far better than I, it seems that I’m all you’ve got.”

“I’ll try not to disappoint you, ‘Master’ Eutropia,” Spike said, with a small grin. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“Hey, Ebony. Did you, by chance, happen to see anypony at the door before you arrived?” Chrysalis asked.

“No. Why?”

“There was a knocking at the door, and both times Eutropia looked, she saw nobody through the keyhole. Though the second time she peered through, she saw you coming up the road.”

Ebony’s brow furrowed; that was indeed an odd occurrence. “No, no I can’t say I remember seeing anypony. Could it be that you were all imagining it?”

“Maybe, but I guess we’ll never know,” Bakhtak replied. “Now come on, chop chop, eat all you can, especially you Spike. You all need to regain your strength, and after I’m done with the dishes, you’ll all be in need of a shower. In your case, Spike, perhaps a long one.”

“I don’t smell that bad,” he mumbled.

“Even if you don’t smell it, I do, and besides that, we’ll be needing to wash those robes of yours; all of them,” the Nightmare added. “So, who wants to shower first?”

“Before any of you shower, Bakhtak will need to help you in selecting your new clothes,” Ebony said, not feeling like playing dress-up. “Just tell me what fits and what doesn’t, and I’ll bring back the stuff that doesn’t to the market. I didn’t know any of your sizes, so I just bought several ranges.”

“That was very thoughtful of you, Ebony. Now come, chop chop! I’ve got dishes to do and don’t want to waste my time waiting for them,” Bakhtak said.

Outside of the house, high in the branches of a tree, a camouflaged figure watched them through the window, her gleaming eyes narrowing as she found her prize. “So he is awake,” she muttered, letting her tongue slither menacingly over her fangs as her eyes held within them a hungry gleam. “Though I cannot reach him tonight, my spell will work its way into his mind, and he’ll be at my beck and call soon enough. For now, I am content to watch and wait. I will not need to feed for a few more days, but oh, when I am hungry, and when he is under my control, I will indeed be… ravenous.”

The figure let out a laugh, so cold and so malevolent, that the birds in the tree next to hers took flight as fast as they could. At the end of her laugh, she began to softly sing a tuneless melody, but with words that carried a power far beyond that of any normal song.

We are one body

Yet so far apart

It is your love

That I need most

Come to me dear

You are safe here

Come to me dear

You are my love

And only with me

You will always be

Mine

Author's Notes:

Well, this originally was going to be one chapter, but it's been turned into two yet again...

Dammit brain! Why must you make everything more... more?

Also, yes, Ebony and Fyrefly, long ago... huehuehue.