Feared Love Divided: Chapter 25/Breaking Bread
The Rainbow blur rushed the Dragons with as much speed as she could muster, stalwart in her belief she will gain the upper hand... until she was caught. She was expecting to be caught by Spike, but when she looked up saw a pale blue Dragon instead of Spike's regal purple. "What's happening?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Spike thought it would be fun if I caught you." Ember replied.
"Uh-huh..." Rainbow Dash said dismissively. "Did he tell you that I usually sock him when he does this?" Ember quickly let her go and she quickly found her wing, a false Fleetfoot flying up behind them. "How in Celestia's name did you know I was coming?"
"Dragon's rarely take their eyes off things that are precious to them." Spike dismissed.
"uh-huh..." Rainbow Dash uttered, "I'm not exactly like your little fragile jewel, am I?" Spike developed a wicked grin and seemed to loom over her. "Spike?.."
"There is no polite way to answer your question." Flitter stated as she turned back into Solace.
"Now I'm not sure I want to know the answer..." Rainbow Dash stated, "Though I am hardly the kind of mare to faint at the slightest hint of radicalness."
Solace flew up into Rainbow Dash's face, staring deep into her eyes.
"Uh... heh... yeah... a little close there, Solace..." Rainbow Dash voiced, and Fleetfoot reverted to Sprite beside her.
"She really wants to tell you." Sprite added.
"Really, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Is it insanely awesome?"
"Super insanely awesome." Solace replied.
"Okay, now you've got my attention." Rainbow Dash said to her.
"ENOUGH!" Spike bellowed. "What I do with my wife in our chambres does not need to be aired here!"
"Wait, what?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "How does that have anything to do with?.."
"Do you really want to know?" Solace asked her.
"Now I'm not so sure..." Rainbow Dash nervously stated.
"Giant Dragon dick." Sprite added, causing Rainbow Dash to stare with shock and awe, mouth agape. Nothing was said for the slightest moment until Spike's grumble interjected.
"Sorry, Thorn." Solace said to Spike, "but Lady Rarity is anything but fragile. No where near as delicate as the Wonderbolt here."
"Oh, yeah?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "You have no idea what Doc and I have been doing!"
"I do." Sprite snickered, and Rainbow Dash quickly shushed her.
"So?," Rainbow Dash asked, "this is one strange way of saying you saw me coming?"
"Saw is not the word." Spike grumbled. "Your presence is unmistakable. Your willpower... drive... purpose... inexorably fixated on me..."
"Inex-what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Inexplicably." Spike grumbled.
"I'm just here to see how you are doing." Rainbow Dash stated.
"I am not surprised you caught up to us," Spike said to her, "and given your loyalty I should not be surprised you decided to come with us. I am curious as to how you found me."
"I followed the map." Rainbow Dash stated.
"What map?" Ember asked, as it was clear neither of them were carrying anything.
"THE map." Sprite added.
"The map of friendship?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, that one." Rainbow Dash replied.
"You memorized the maps, and were able to extrapolate our vectors?!" Spike asked.
"Something like that."
"Remarkable." Spike uttered.
"I am a Wonderbolt, after all." a thoroughly pleased with herself Rainbow Dash replied.
"I apologize..." Solace voiced, "but that defies all logic..."
"Well, then how did you Ponies know where to go?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We're not flying as the Wonderbolt flies." Spike said to her.
"Dragons, it seems..." Solace added, "can take as much time as they wish."
"Uh-huh?.." Rainbow Dash asked dismissively, "so you purposefully going slow?.. Is that why I caught up to you."
"I have no doubt," Spike replied, "that you would have caught us."
"Oh, really?" an excited Rainbow Dash asked.
"Speed is kind of your thing..." Spike grumbled.
"If you weren't flying as the Rainbow Dash flies?," Sprite asked, "what... were you doing?.."
"I can sense Twilight's magic from here." Spike replied. "It seems a combination of being a Dragon and growing up with Twilight. You are, of course, welcome to accompany us as long as you wish, it's just..."
"What's up, Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
There was a pregnant pause that Solace decided to fill, "Do you see any food?"
"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You have to eat something, don't you?"
Spike's eye caught a tor, and spiraled down towards it. The others in turn following, with Rainbow Dash and Sprite pausing for a moment before flying down faster than the others could, only to pull up at the last second above the ground, and sprial back up the tor.
"Dragon's, you see," Spike said to her, "can live off the mana from the land itself."
"They just need long naps to make up for it." Solace added.
With this Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide, "That explains, like, everything."
"It does?" Spike asked, "Doesn't it."
"The trouble is that we tend to linger a lot longer than we used to." Solace added.
"And you don't have a problem with this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We eat love." Sprite added.
"Food is just a sign of affection." Solace added.
"Then why does Sprite eat as much as I do?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We decided a long time ago..." Sprite voiced.
"Decided what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"That emulating Ponies would make it easier for us to earn your trust." Solace stated.
"Thorn." she affirmed before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash will be Rainbow Dash."
"And what does that mean?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, and Spike developed a great, wicked, toothy smile.
"You are crass and rambunctious."
"Uh-huh." Rainbow Dash replied.
"I have learned long ago to simply let you be so. I have no intention to change you."
"uh-huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Go an play." Solace stated.
"We'll have something warm for you when you return." Spike added.
Rainbow Dash flew inches above the canopy until rising above the tor, and when she did she smelt... fresh bread. She sprialed about and landed to find bread on a cloth, so fresh that steam was still rising from it. "Where in Equestria did you find that?!"
In reply Spike simply stared at her, Solace and Ember not wanting to intervene.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked, and Spike started smacking the ground with his tail in annoyance.
"What?!, pray tell?!, did you think I've done until now?!" Spike asked her.
"Didn't Rarity bake it for you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Sonet has volunteered to in Rarity's absence." Spike uttered.
"Sonet?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "But she's a dragoon!"
"As is Halfire, but that does not stop him from being a gentlecolt." Spike replied. "Why would it stop Sonet from being a true mare?"
"Like me?!" Rainbow Dash angrily asked.
"I - did - not - say - that!" Spike bellowed.
"Ya kind of did." Rainbow Dash accused.
"You are crass and bellicose, but!" Spike said to her, "Who's opinion on your feminity matters more, mine, or Halfire's?!"
"Well, duh!" Rainbow Dash replied, "Obviously, it's... oh..."
"uh-huh!?" Spike asked her.
"yeah-yeah..." Rainbow Dash dismissed.
"Of all the fillies Halfire could have chosen, which one did he pick?" Spike asked her.
"Wait, how many did he have to choose from?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"All of them." Spike stated, "While he rarely talks about his sexual history, if you piece things together, including you and uh... Twilight... he has... with... a mare of every station... in Equestria. But through all of that, he has never found anypony as enthralling as you."
"Really?" Rainbow Dash shyly asked. "What does he see in me."
"At that I can only speculate..." Spike uttered. "But he gushes when he talks about you... at any mention of you."
"He does?!" she excitedly asked.
"Of course he does." Spike grumbled.
"Thorn?.." Solace quielty interjected.
"Of course." he replied, "Dash, you should eat while it's still warm."
"Are you going to join me?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Eat your fill and we will share the rest." Spike replied.
"Oh, come on, guys... I don't want to be the one to drag us all down..."
"Needing food should not be considered a detriment..." Spike grumbled. "Present circumcstances aside."
Rainbow Dash grabbed a loaf and sat down. She looked around a moment before looking Spike in the eye, "As hungry as I am, I'm not going to need more than a whole loaf of bread!"
With this the others started to tuck into the bread, Spike passing a loaf to Ember.
Ember bit into her bread and her eyes grew wide with wonder; she devoured the entire loaf in a second bite. "Do Ponies eat this every day?"
"While I'm not going to insult freshly baked bread," Rainbow Dash stated, "this is the least of what we eat. You've gotta try AJ's applefritters."
"I do?" Ember asked.
"They are magnificent." Spike added.
"Then I suppose I will have to try them." Ember replied.
"Now THAT's an idea!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Too much diplomacy involves bluebloods spending all their time sitting around not doing anything."
"I hate to agree..." Spike grumbled, while offering Ember a second loaf, "but it is true."
"If?.." Ember asked. "What is the point of diplomacy if nothing is accomplished. You befriended me in a single day?"
"Good faith..." he uttered.
"And what does that mean?" Ember asked.
"Was there a moment that you doubted my motivations?" Spike asked her.
"It was very clear from the moment I saw your Pony friends that everything you were doing was because of them." Ember said, and devoured another loaf, "The question was why?"
"Ponies are frightful things." Spike said to her, "It's one of the reason I'm so protective of them."
"You callin' me fright-something?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You calling me afraid?"
"Hardly." Spike smirked, "Pony can be brave, Ponies not so much. I've seen them panic over a bunny stampede."
This caused Rainbow Dash to burst out giggling. "I will admit, that was hilarious."
"I know, right?" Spike asked her.
"Ponies?!" Ember asked, "Afraid of bunnies?! But... what about your armies... your Wonderbolts?.."
"We Wonderbolts are pretty awesome." Rainbow Dash uttered.
"It's a herd thing..." Spike mumbled, "herd animals must stay with the herd, regardless of where the herd goes... or... other things... might... catch them..."
"Ponies are stronger in herds?" Ember asked.
"Ponies need herds." Spike replied.
"Why would I do all of my stunts if there was nopony to see them?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Embers eyes grew wide but said nothing. All she did was eat another loaf of bread that Spike had given her.
"Faith, Thorn." Solace whispered to him.
"Yes..." he uttered, "Ponies distrust everything not from their herd. Equestria has managed to extend this to the entire kingdom."
"So, other kingdoms... simply distrust you?" Ember asked, "A strange concept."
"I know." Spike stated, "That's one of the reasons I studied diplomacy... to understand the Ponies I want to protect."
"You make it so deep and complicated?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Spike smiled a wicked smile at her.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Your spirit." he smiled.
"My what?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Like spirit week stuff in highschool?"
"Your indominable will." Spike stated.
"When you put it like that," Rainbow Dash replied, "it does sound totally awesome."
"It is." Spike grumbled, "You don't question anything, just act..."
"Thorn wishes he could be like that." Solace added.
"You do?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I am 1000% awesome and all, but still, having a Dragon like Spike want to be me... I don't know what to say?..'
"Thank you would be appropriate." Solace said to her.
"It would?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Okay, it would. Th... thank you, Spike."
"This humility... for a Dragon?.." Ember asked. "you might... No... you would... make a better Dragonlord than I am..." Ember uttered.
"I would do no such thing..." Spike replied, "I watch over the Ponies... that does not make me fit to watch over Dragons. It frightens me to think I almost won..."
"You did." Ember warmly replied.
"I did..." he said forlornly, and looked lost in thought.
"You... you are really afraid, aren't you?.." Ember asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Spike asked
"I mean?," Rainbow Dash asked, "Dragons are all kinds of awsome, but... being a Dragonlord?.. I mean... there's no way I could be a Dragonlord, as awesome as I am."
"Dynamic," Spike added, "daring, indominable..." Rainbow Dash's mood and confidence seemed to increase with each one, "adorable..."
"A-what?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
"Consider my size, I reserve the right to find anything smaller than me adorable."
"That would be everypony!" Rainbow Dash stated.
"Everypony could but, but you are." Spike added. Rainbow Dash blushed and looked away before quickly shaking her head.
"You stop that." she midly threatened him.
"Make me." he simply said to her.
"Oh, you want to go?!" Rainbow Dash asked him, and his smile widened. She bolted towards him and bowled him over, or at least thought she did. Before she could celebrate her victory, she found herself held close to him.
"You are one of my most precious things..." Spike said to her.
"Uh-huh?" she asked him.
"Without any hyberbole." Spike continued.
"Hyper-what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Exageration." Solace said to her as she flittered up beside her. "I can feel his love for you."
"What?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Love?!"
"Platonic, I assure you." Spike said as he let her go. A rainbow blur spiraled about the rest, Sprite joining a moment later. After a few moments they stopped and landed on the ground.
"I guess I can live with that." Rainbow Dash said dismissively.
"She loves it." Sprite added.
"Spriiiite." she chided.
"Ponies are adorable." Ember stated, "Espcially this one."