Chapter Nine

Packing and Trekking

Spike awoke early the next morning to find Maria's soft body sprawled over him, still asleep from the night before. A peaceful expression was plastered across her face, with her mane a jumbled mess from their wedding night's consummation. The room wasn't cold, but her nipples were poking against his chest: a pleasant dream, perhaps? Gently slipping out from underneath her, though not gentle enough to stop her nipples from rubbing against him and earning a soft moan from her lips. Rising to his feet, Spike kiss her on the forehead and went to the window, looking out as the sun rose. The light was filtering over the mountains, but with the castle being so much lower than the mountains, the sun itself would not be visible for some time.

There was a gentle knock at the door, the noise causing Spike to look over in surprise and a tinge of curiosity. Wrapping one of the spare blankets around him quickly like some makeshift toga, Spike walked over and cracked open the door: it was one of the servants.

“Your papers, senior,” he responded, handing Spike all of the financial, political and social papers he had been entrusted with. With a nod he closed the door, walking over to a table and sitting down, deciding now would be as good as any time to look through these. Once the journey began again, he wouldn't exactly have a flat steady surface to work upon.

First off, the financial aspect: flipping through a few scrolls and pieces of parchment, Spike saw that through the marriage, he had inherited a few islands far off the Spreignish coast, called the Canary Islands. They were, by the reports, inhabited by only a few small towns and cities, with much of the islands being designated vacation hotspots and natural preserves. Through the marriage, not only did Spike have duties to oversee about this place, but he also collected a small tithe correlated to the amount of imports bought by the residents. They were not entriely self-sustaining, and as such, goods were always comig in by ship.

“Hmm, judging from the description, that’ll be a wonderful place for a vacation,” he thought. “If I’ll ever need one after this world tour, of course.” He looked over a few more papers, still rather numerous in quantity.

Well, according to one specially sealed with the wax of Carlos’s own stamp, all of Maria’s inherited estates, quite a few in number, were to be divided up by Spike and Maria to their descendants, though it wasn’t specified if they had to live there. Spike had a feeling any foals they had would want to see their mother’s family, and as such he’d find a way to make that possible without a three week ocean voyage. A ship like the Crowhop, though rather pleasant considering there were plenty of other forms of travel, was no place for foals.

Foals: he couldn’t believe he was only married from the night before and already he was planning for the future. Their future: his, Maria's, and their foal's. So many questions raced through his head. What would they look like? Who’s personality would they have? How was he going to care for them, should they be more like a dragon and less like a pony? he did not look forward to the teething period if they were dragons: they would bite literally everything, as he had.

“Mmm,” a voice sounded from behind him. Turning around, he saw Maria sitting up in bed, one of the sheets wrapped around her body as well, though it did a poor job of concealing her curves. She looked over at her husband with sleepy eyes and a lazy smile. “Good morning, Spike dear.”

“Good morning, Maria,” he replied, shuffling a few more papers. “Have a good night’s sleep?”

“Oh, most definitely: I was exhausted,” she said, rising to her hooves and walking over, the sheet trailing after her like some cape. She didn't sound like the 'exhausted' part was a bad thing, either. “What’s all this?” she asked, gesturing to the papers in front of Spike.

“Oh, these were just dropped off a few minutes ago by one of the servants,” Spike said, riffling through a few more papers concerning titles. “All of the things that come with the marriage, you know? Heirs, estates, titles, finances...”

“Hmm, sounds boring,” Maria said, draping her arms over Spike’s shoulders and kissing him on the cheek. “Well, except for the part about heirs. What say we go for another walk in the gardens, dear husband?” It didn’t sound like a question.

“Sounds delightful,” Spike replied, turning his head and kissing her back on her cheek. “Shall we get dressed?”

“Mmm, sure,” Maria said, walking away. Spike turned to see her disappear into the room from whence she had emerged the night before. “I’ll be right out,” she called.

Spike stood up from the table, the blanket falling from around his form. Dressing in a pair of clothes a servant had left in the room the day before, he finished buttoning his shirt in time to see Maria walk out in the very same clothes she had worn when they had been in the garden only a few days ago. Well, minus the hat: she had made clear she didn’t want to wear it if she didn’t have to.

Arm in arm, the young couple strode out of the room, headed for the gardens. In the shadows of an archway, Chrysalis watched them, her eyes burning with an odd sort of flame. It was neither hatred nor envy, things on might expect of a creature so twisted. No; in her guise as a unicorn, Chrysalis had forgotten just how powerful an urge to be by someone really was, and she could sense the love coming off of the pair in droves that nearly drove her to her knees. She needed to tap into that, to feed on that, but that in and of itself could prove dangerous. So strong a love such as this, if it were directed towards her, could overwhelm her senses and reduce her to a blubbering wreck: she’d need to take extra precautions.

As the sun continued to rise over the magnificent mountaintops in the distance, Spike and Maria reached the inner circle of the garden, the exact spot where he had successfully passed her test of resisting her advances. Strangely, though, there was a blanket there, along with a small basket.

“What’s all this?” Spike asked, sitting down with his wife on the blanket.

“Oh, this?” she said, opening the basket and retrieving a small scroll with magic from her horn. “This here is just a small list of things we’ll be packing to leave with. Of course, much of it you’ll have to send back to your home in Equestria to await for us when we get there. The only question is, how will you do that? Much of this is too valuable to be simply tossed aboard a ship.”

“Dragon fire,” Spike said simply. “It contains magical properties many ponies have only heard in fables: I can transport anything needed through a good breath of flame. I can assure you: I’ve yet to damage anything this way.” That was true: he’d never actually damaged anything important. A few errant scrolls in his youth, but that was to be expected.

Maria seemed to sigh in relief. “Well, that puts one thing out of the way,” she said, the magically-suspended scroll checking itself with a small quill. “Next order of business: living arrangements as we travel through the southern portion of Europe.”

“I believed staying at assorted inns and such would suffice for our needs, since we’ll be packing light enough to not worry about being a target for thieves,” Spike said, thinking back to the looter that had ambushed Meia and him back in the mountain pass. “If not, we could always camp out alongside the road, as the carriages are more than large enough to provide sleeping arrangements for the three of us.”

“Yes, yes, I suppose that is true,” Maria said, a small smile gracing her face. “I’ve always wanted to do something similar to camping, but my parents would never have allowed it, especially mother: ‘affecting my tender sensibilities’ and all that noble rubbish.” She sounded rather off-put by the trappings of her heritage: the compelte opposite of Rarity, who insisted she was destined for some sort of royal/noble recognition. the contrast was rather stark, if not a bit unfair to both: they had been raised differently and of course would view such a lifestyle differently.

“Ah, well, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to explore the “wilder side” on this journey,” Spike said, looking around him. “I still can’t believe how far I have yet to go.”

“How far we have yet to go,” Maria corrected him with a giggle, placing her hand on his as the scroll tucked itself away. “We are married, after all: where you go, I go.”

“Undoubtedly,” Spike agreed, feeling it was time to tell her about his contract. “Maria, do you know how royalty need heirs to continue a bloodline?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said, her face developing a confused expression. “Where did this come from all of a sudden?”

“Well, I believe it was time I told you of my... other obligations,” Spike said, preparing himself for the worst. “You see, back in Equestria, it was made clear to me by my sovereigns- Princesses Celestia and Luna- that I marry and bring new blood and knowledge to the land.”

“Yes...?” Maria said slowly, clearly not knowing where this was going.

“I must fulfill a minimum of three marriage contracts in order to take my place alongside them as co-rulers of Equestria,” the dragon said. “They specified more would be better, but three is the absolute minimum.”

“... three marriage contracts? A minimum of three?” Maria asked, her face forming a frown. “You have to marry at least two other mares in order to secure your future and those of your children?”

She sounded rather angry: this wasn’t good. “Yes?” Spike said, though it was more a question than a statement.

His wife was silent for a moment, before simply shrugging. “Well, I guess it proved too good to be true.”

“What?” Spike asked, now the confused one.

“That I’d have you all to myself,” Maria said, sighing in a manner that was not at all mad or even sad. “I suppose I’ll have to live with sharing you with other mares, I guess. Frankly, from what I’ve heard, the gender ratio in Equestria is rather skewed: perhaps some new blood would be a good thing for your country.”

Spike breathed a sigh of relief, only to have Maria’s finger dig into his scaly chest.

“But you listen to me, husband,” she said, a fierceness showing in her eyes. “There will be no favoritism showered on any of the mares you marry in the future, all right? The same goes for your children: you will love all of us equally, in our own ways: you got that?”

Spike gulped, the thought of favoritism having never crossed his mind. Why did females always think of the harder things in life to deal with? “Of-of course,” he said: the pressure on his chest became more insistent, so much so that he had to lay down on the ground.

“Now,” Maria said, her tone changing as flower petals swirled around her. “Let me remind you of just how much reward a promise can bring.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she drew herself over him: they were all alone in the garden, it seemed: exactly how she must have planned it. Damn, why did she have to be so much smarter than he?

“A-are you sure nopony will discover us?” Spike said as her nimble fingers began to undo the buttons on his shirt. Whenever she was determined, she sure knew how to get things done.

“Of course not: while you were dressing, I sent a quick letter to the servants to prepare this for us, strictly telling them that after that the garden areas were off limits. Now then,” she said, reaching up to undo her blouse as if she had been aching to do so all morning. “Take off your shirt: slowly, please.”

Spike did as she said: she sure did know how to trap someone. The thing was, he could get used to this kind of trickery.

Slowly, Maria slid her now exposed body up and down Spike's making sure to rub her breasts against his scaly chest for good measure. It was almost like a massage: a very, very sensual massage. the next things to go were both of their lower clothes, followed by any undergarments they had chosen to wear. Raising herself above her husband, the unicorn noble gently lowered herself onto him, gasping at the sensation of being filled once more. Then, slowly, she began to pump herself up and down, her mind erasing all of her thoughts and plans in order to fully take in this amazing experience. Her breaths and breasts moved in time with her bouncing, the soft furry mounds a tantalizing prize that Spike's hands could not ignore.

So it was the next day that Maria bid her family farewell. Tears were exchanged, promises made, and a great many hugs were given. Spike felt a sense of déjà vu at such a spectacle, the scene reminding him a bit of his own departure from his home in Equestria. After the final goodbye, or maybe the third final goodbye, they went over to the carriages that would be ferrying them through southern Europe and into the country of Neightaly.

A mound of gold, jewels, ceremonial armor and priceless heirlooms awaited them, all neatly boxed and crated for transport. There were even aluminum frames for future family pictures. As Maria and Meia made their way to the carriages, Spike felt a sensation stir in his stomach. he had not gotten this feeling in quite some time, but even he could recognize what it meant. Letting out some fire with a small burp, he saw the green tongue of flame condense into a scroll, sealed with Twilight Sparkle’s personal stamp.

Catching it and opening it with practiced ease, he slowly read through the scribbled words, thankful twilight wrote small but detailed.

“Dear Spike, I recently received your letter and we must all ask you the same question: YOU’RE MARRIED ALREADY?” He winced at this: he could practically hear her shouting as she wrote this. He continued to read. “I know it is within your royal obligation to do so, but you’ve been gone for little more than a month! Don’t you think you may have… rushed things just a teensy bit? There are plenty of other mares out there that could easily fulfill you obligations, just later in time. Everyone here is awaiting your response and the things you said you’d send along. Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.”

He looked down further. “P.S. Princess Celestia informs me there will be a storm soon in Prance, so you’d best hurry if you want to have clear weather for traveling.” Good, Celestia knew the weather: of all the things mentioned in the letter, this might actually prove to be the most useful.

Spike couldn’t help but sigh: Twilight, bossy as ever without even trying to be so. Maybe that’s why he loved as much as he had, since she had always been there for him and now an ocean separated them. Flipping over the scroll, he breathed flame onto his finger again and began to write.

“Dear Twilight and friends, I do believe it is within my right to decide when I am to marry or not. Maria is not just some random pony: she is a unicorn of noble birth, gentle disposition, and will surely become good friends with all of you when we get back to Equestria. With this letter, I am sending all of which I have inherited in the marriage, including property deeds, a small fortune, and many more things that I am sure you all will appreciate. To Rainbow Dash, I give armor forged in the furnaces of Roam during its time of imperialism. To Applejack, I send the seeds of the Streifling Herbst apple, a sweet/sour apple common through western Europe. Fluttershy, I give you the entirety of my journals containing all the sketches and diagrams of animals I have seen so far. To Rarity and Pinkie Pie, I leave you a vast collection of ball gowns and masquerade masks to go with them: divide them as you wish. Twilight, seeing as how you are in need of this the most, I send you a sleeping spell that calms the nerves and makes going to bed easier. That, and a spell for tree-growth acceleration. With the greatest of regards, Spike.”

Sucking in a good breath of air, Spike let loose a torrent of flame, which consumed the scroll and the aforementioned goods in a puff of smoke. Soon enough, they would be appearing in Equestria, possibly right in front of Twilight’s nose: the thought of her library all of a sudden crammed with so much stuff gave him cause for a small chuckle.

“Spike! We are ready to leave,” Maria called from her carriage window. The roads were wide enough that three carriages could travel abroad, but each of them had their own carriage and would travel in single file anyway, so as to not take up so much of the road.

“Coming,” Spike called, taking one last look at the castle. It had been less than two weeks since he was leaving, married to a beautiful unicorn heiress.

As it was, he continued to look out as their carriages moved by themselves, until the winding road led around the side of a mountain, and the magnificent city disappeared from sight entirely. The road in and of itself was nothing special: small villages here and there, with markets selling whatever they could locally produce. Small temples and churches alike dotted the landscape, some built into the very sides of the mountains and accessible along the narrowest of pathways.

Once they passed through the mountains, the carriages came out onto valleys and hills that seemed to stretch on forever: they had entered the realm of Prance, but only just. So, as evening approached, the three set their carriages by each other and set up camp, raising small awnings off of the carriages to serve as protection from the elements. Maria seemed particularly thrilled to put these up, even though they’d be sleeping in the carriages. Well, Meia would be by herself, at any rate: Spike and Maria were to share one for the night.

The hills seemed to hum softly as they settled around the fire, wondering what the future lay for them. As such, a long, shrill note pierced the air, soft and yet chilling in nature.

“What is that?” Spike asked, looking around. “I’ve never heard something like that before.” It sounded like some sort of demonic or other-worldy presence that came out only at night.

“The ghost of the Witch King, most likely,” Maria said, almost nonchalantly. "He comes and goes as he pleases: most of the time."

“The what?” Meia asked, her head swiveling sharply to look at the unicorn.

“The Witch King,” Maria repeated, as if she were explaining something to a slow pony. “These are the fields of Pelennor, where his army was defeated long ago.”

“Who was the Witch King?” Spike asked, his curiosity piqued by her words. "I've never heard of him before. Books and scrolls in Equestria don't usually have anything on the histories of other countries." Meia nodded in agreement: she too wanted to hear this. Changelings usually kept to themselves and when they invaded a place, they never took time to learn the history.

“Well, as you know, the basis for the magic of a unicorn resides in their horn,” Maria said, pointing at hers. “Long ago, back in the days of the Roaman Empire, a small pony was born to an unusual couple at the time: a unicorn and an earth pony. It wasn't aboo, per se, but the ponies of the time implemented a sort of de jure segregation onto mixed-couple ponies: informal segregation, that is. The couple's foal, a colt, was born without a horn, and yet… he could still do magic. Magic of what was believed to be a darker sort, the kind not accepted by society: communing with the dead, controlling shadows, that sort of stuff. He was driven out as an outcast, called a freak, a monster, and other such things. Others in his situation would have gone on, left the insults behind and made good with their talents. But not he, for his heart was black as coal and his mind as twisted as could be from both his exclusion and his own development. So he did disappear, for a while at least.”

She paused. “Then he returned, with a great and terrible army under his rule. His dark magic imbibed many of them with unnatural strength and abilities, so that anyone in their way stood little chance. He conquered lands, slew princes, razed cities, torched towns, and crushed armies. He seemed unstoppable, and the worse part was that he sought not to conquer, but to destroy: only destroy. It was then that the Roamans, who were about to lose so much in this area, realized they had to send in one of the best generals and his armies.”

“Who?” Spike asked. He was totally unfamiliar with the legends of such places, so he immediately wanted to know more.

“Almareconraddius Plansci, my ancestor,” Maria said, her face losing much of its expression. “Tales and written accounts say it was... terrible. The battle lasted for the entire day, with my ancestor finally slaying the Witch King, but not before he had summoned a terrible storm.” She pointed out towards the hills, where one in particular stood out, coal-black. “That is where the Witch King died, amidst unnatural thunder and lightning. My ancestor barely escaped with his life, as did the remains of his legions. The Witch King’s own forces died with him in that deadly maelstrom.”

“So, what does that have to do with now?” Meia asked, looking around.

“They say his ghost still haunts these places, a specter seeking harm on those who travel alone. They say he can drag you with him into the realm of shadow, from whence all ghosts come.”

She laughed suddenly, breaking the tension. “But it is merely an old pony’s tale: the ghost part, anyway. We should get some rest, as it is.”

“Yes, you should,” a voice said behind them. All three heads spun around to see several cloaked figures standing there, their faces hidden in shadow.

“Sweet dreams,” one said, rushing them. As quick as a flash, he withdrew a club and smashed it upside Spike’s head. The dragon spun away, rolling over the fire and into the dirt along the road. His mind swirling, both in pain and confusion, the drake felt something lift him up: one of the brigands.

“What about the other two?” a voice said.

“Take them with us: the Baron will want them unspoiled for his own purposes,” another voice said, seemingly the one holding up Spike. There was an ill note in how he said the word unspoiled. “This one goes with them: they’re all due to meet our lord. Get in the carriages, and tie those other two up with the magic-nullifying rope. We’ve got to make sure that they can't escape and that nobody saw us leave with them.”

As he said those final words, Spike felt his mind slip away, and his eyes closed. He could not feel the brute holding him bind him and toss him into one of the carriages, where two muffled cries signaled that Meia and Maria were there as well. A giddyup from the brigands made the carriage lurch forward, moving farther away from the border of Spreign and deeper into the territory of Prance.

Author's Notes:

Oh, what a twist of fates! What will happen now? Why am I being so cryptic? How many questions will I type?

Yes, there will be more Lord of the Rings references for those of you who have an eye for such detail. I absolutely adore the series and the movies.