Warm air and warm presences all around me. Soft bed, almost as if they were made of the finest Cloudsdale clouds. Comforting pressure from a thick blanket, the kind that might just be weighted. Those were the first sensations that came to me when consciousness slowly began to come back to me.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a large half domed ceiling above me thanks to the ruddy glow of a nearby crackling fire. I was enveloped in a thick blanket which was surprisingly soft, thick and warm. Since I was lying flat on my back, my wings were spread to either side, although it felt like they were wrapped around something. The warmth, however, wasn't just coming from the fire.

It also came from a particular Zebra who was directly on top of me, eyes closed, sleeping in the Zebraloaf position. There was a worried look in her sleeping expression, but it wasn't as bad as the last time I woke up after a battle. But when I tried to move my arm so I could stroke her mane, I discovered it was underneath another warm presence.

I slowly turned to my right and saw Scarlet, curled up close and holding my hand close to her protectively. She was sleeping as well, and snoring ever so cutely. I smiled slightly, then squeezed her hoof in my hand before very gently prying it away. Even in her sleep, she tried to grasp at the retreating hand, but missed. Instead, she surreptitiously crawled closer and nuzzled her face against my neck.

On my left, to my complete surprise, Gemini was lying as well. She was fairly rigid, wearing a pair of gray shorts, a small white shirt which showed off her slender but still fit midriff, and a belt which had a long dagger attached to it. One of her claws was very close to my left hand, her pinkie slightly extended towards mine. If I had any doubts about her apparent confession before my fight, they vanished at this act of pure loyalty. After all, no one who hated me would even be this close to me.

I slowly raised my right hand and placed it on Zecora's head, slowly running my fingers through her soft and lengthening mane. The look of worry on her face melted away and she nuzzled directly into my hand. Slowly, she opened one eye, blearily looking around for a couple seconds before locking onto me. "Love…?"

I cleared my throat, then smirked. "You know, I'm getting really tired of passing out after every major fight, but the one good thing about it is I get to wake up next to you."

Now fully awake, Zecora quickly moved closer, wrapping her forelegs around me and kissing me happily and deeply for almost thirty or so seconds. I melted into the kiss, throwing my arms around her and holding her tightly. "My darling!" she exclaimed in pure joy after breaking the kiss, "you're finally awake!"

With that exclamation, the females on either side of me began to stir as I slowly wrapped my arms around Zecora in return. "I take it I've been out for a while, then," I asked.

"Only about a day, you moron," Scarlet said, slowly standing and stretching before looking down at me. "Zecora made a brew to help restore your magic more quickly and the Princesses, Twilight and Rarity poured some of their own into you until you could replenish yours."

I started to sit up, and to my surprise, Gemini moved to help me into a sitting position. She was surprisingly tender about it, too. When that happened, I felt something brush against my shoulders. Startled, I looked down only to see a long lock of my hair flowing as if in a slight breeze, or perhaps as if I was underwater. Slowly, I reached up and grasped the long tuft, running my fingers through my surprisingly waist length hair. "How the hell…what…?"

Zecora chuckled. "It happened after you came out of your Legion form," she explained.

"That, and the constant moving hair, dude," Scarlet smirked. "I kinda like it. Makes you look even more badass."

"I'll…have to take your word for it, I guess," I said, resolving to get a good long look at myself in a mirror later. With that, I looked away from my hair and found myself staring at one of the biggest beds I'd ever seen. It reminded me of the bed I saw the king in Disney's Cinderella sleep in, at least in terms of size. In fact, everything about said bed screamed Torch sized. The mattress, presumably sitting directly on the floor, could hold Torch and then some. It wasn't only firm, but it had a softness about it that somehow emulated clouds. The thick blanket I was lying under was a deep crimson and extremely soft to the touch.

And a section of the lower part of the bed was occupied, once again, by all of the Elements of Harmony. Each of them had smaller blankets covering them along with pillows for their heads.

Looking around the room, I took in everything I saw. We were in a cave, that was for certain, but it was one of the biggest caves I'd ever seen. If I had to guess, it was where Torch had lived seeing as the ceiling was large enough for him as was the bed I was in somehow. And it had an artificial look about it, especially the slanted ceiling above and some of the faded carvings on the wall directly to my right. Said drawings had a few words written in the tongue of Old Draconic, but since many of the words had been scratched out, I couldn't read exactly what they were meant to say.

Turning to the left, I saw a massive set of arched double doors in the wall opposite the bed. Golden double doors. On the door's left side, I saw the Bloodstone Scepter hanging on two large hooks. Unlike in the show, however, the scepter I saw before me appeared as more of an ancient relic than something slapped together. It looked like it had been intricately carved with great care. Even the crimson gem at the top, held in place by four carved crystal Dragons, each one with their eyes closed with their heads turned directly towards the perfectly spherical crystal gem. I could feel intense power coming from said gem, and from the center of the sphere I saw a slight pinprick of light glowing from within. Yellow, and it shimmered as if with an inner fire.

On the door's right side was a massive longsword, sheathed in a simple golden sheath and hanging on a large hook by a strap. I didn't need to get a good look closer to know that this was the result of what happened then the Sunsword and Moonsword combined. The amount of power I could feel emanating from it was a raging torrent, whereas the power from the Bloodstone Scepter was more like a large stream. Both held power in their own rights, but there was definitely a large difference in power between each artifact.

The wall on the left might not have been as high as the one on my right, but it had an entire fireplace carved out of the curving wall face along with a massive cushion in front of said fire. And sitting on those cushions, I was hardly surprised to find a very much awake Celestia and Luna, both Ponyloafing and looking over at me with relief on their faces.

It surprised me, however, when both stood, then bowed to me. "Your Imperial Majesty," Celestia began, "it is wonderful to see you up and about."

My confusion was short lived as the memory of the ending of my fight came back to me. I tensed up, anger filling me as I realized that even if I'd managed to kill Torch, he'd made it so that I was now the Emperor of all Dragons. Fuck you, Torch, I thought before trying to collect myself. I slowly pulled the covers aside, only to discover that I wasn't wearing my normal attire. I was wearing golden silk pants and a matching shirt with an embroidered bright yellow sun and moon directly on my chest. Putting my new wardrobe aside, I held up my hand. "Please, raise your head. We're alone now."

The Princesses both stood, a look of immense relief in their eyes as they slowly walked towards me. When they reached the marble floor, their hoofsteps echoed all around, which caused the others to stir. However, I was barely aware of this as the two Princesses pulled me into a threeway hug, wings and forelegs wrapped around me. "You scared us," Celestia whispered, her voice shaky as she held back tears.

"I had hoped you would never fall into darkness as I did," Luna said sadly, "but I am glad to see you back."

I wrapped my arms and wings around them as well. "Even the most righteous man can fall into darkness and shadow," I replied, "and I'm not the most righteous man in the world. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"We are simply glad to have you back," Luna said happily.

As they slowly let go of me, I turned towards the now woken Mane Six, all of whom were looking at me with a bit of trepidation. Even Pinkie looked unsure. It broke my heart to see them like this, but I could easily understand why they'd act like this. Getting on my knees, I held my head up high and said, "Words alone can't really express how sorry I am for what you saw me go through. There's no excuse I can give that can-OOF!"

A butter-colored blur crashed into me, sending me sprawling onto my back. Briefly, I found myself looking into the shimmering azure eyes of Ponyville's resident animal expert before she quickly closed them, closing the distance between us and locking lips with me. My eyes widened in surprise, then I reached up and cupped her cheeks in my hands, returning the kiss. Unlike the one I'd just had with Zecora, this lasted only ten seconds or so before she quickly broke away, looking down at me with tearful relief. "Thank Elysium you're okay," she said, her voice trembling in joy.

I was shocked. I had half expected her to be terrified of me after what she saw, but the moment that thought crossed my mind, I inwardly smacked myself. Sure, Fluttershy could be timid and scared, but she was also almost as loyal to her friends as Rainbow was. That, and her own kindness knew no bounds. "Oh, Flutters…"

"You gave us quite the scare," Rarity said, walking up to my left as Fluttershy slowly moved away from me. Like her friend, she had a relieved expression on her face. "Oh, beg pardon, I should say, I am pleased to see you well, your Imperial Majesty."

As she began to bow, I held up a hand. "Please, please let's not make a big deal out of this right now. Especially since we're alone. Right now, I'm just Jethro. Your friend."

Rarity looked like she wanted to protest, but Pinkie put a hoof on the Unicorn's back. "If Jethy wants it, let's just do it." She turned to me, and her mane, which looked significantly flatter, began coming back to life as she walked over, hugging me and kissing my face all over gently. "Welcome back. I missed my baking buddy."

I chuckled, rubbing her back. "I was only out for a day, Pinks," I said, "but thank you. I'm glad to be back."

"Are you feeling okay?" Twilight asked, approaching with a worried expression. "No more traces of dark magic anywhere?"

"My dear student, we all cleansed him of any remaining darkness, remember?" Celestia said calmly.

"It's alright, Celestia," I said reassuringly, "I know Twilight means well." Turning to her, I opened my free arm (Pinkie was still holding me and I her with my right arm and wing) towards her. "I feel perfectly fine."

Twilight made her way over and lay her head on the left part of my chest. "I was so worried," she whispered softly as I wrapped her in my wing.

Applejack came forward next, taking off her hat and pulling out a few bright red hairbands and handing them to me. "Ah imagine that flowin' mane o' yers is getting a mite troublesome," she said with a warm smile.

I chuckled, then pulled my hair back to tie it down. "Only until I get it cut," I said. "Thank you, Applejack."

"Yer welcome."

"Are you kidding? You look cool like that!" Rainbow Dash said, wings flapping behind her and a wide smile on her face.

"Cool I may look, but if I fly or fight with it loose like that, it'll just get in the way," I said as I wrapped my hair up at the top end, then used a second one to tie down the middle portion. "I used to have long hair back when it was cooler back on Earth before I needed to cut it shorter to look more professional." I quickly finished tying my hair down in three places, near the top, the middle and the end, then focused my attention on Gemini, who had still yet to speak.

She straightened when I locked eyes with her. "Your Imperial Majesty," she said in a professional manner.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Gemini…don't be like that. I meant you too when I said you could drop the Imperial Majesty stuff."

She looked at me with a quick look of incredulity, then I was relieved to see her normal angry look return. "Alright, then. You're a fucking moron."

Among the gasps that came from the younger Ponies, I shrugged. "So what else is new?"

"You might have gotten a bit better thanks to my training, but you let your rage get the better of you," she growled, getting straight into my face. "You gave me the order to train you, and I will keep on training you until you are the best warrior in history! I will not have you be a weakling!"

"Now see here, you brute! Jethro is most certainly not a weakling!" Rarity shouted angrily.

Gemini whirled on Rarity. "He spends time with Ponies, doesn't he?"

"Why, I never!" Rarity said in a huff. "We are not weak!"

"Rarity, Gemini, enough," I said above the arguing. I put a hand on Rarity's withers and the other on Gemini's shoulder. Both froze and looked over at me. I turned to Rarity first. "Rarity, Gemini's right in a way. I'm still fairly weak in terms of non-magical combat prowess." Before the triumphant look could fully form on Gemini's face, I turned to her. "And Gemini, Ponies are far from weak. The Ponies in this room have so much strength."

"Even that shy one?" Gemini asked incredulously.

I pulled Fluttershy closer to me. "Especially her. It takes a very special brand of courage to come to the Dragon Lands, especially with her crippling fear of Dragons. I know you have reasons to hate Ponies, especially the Princesses, but what I won't tolerate is you bashing any of my friends. And everyone in here is my friend. Including you."

She snorted. "You're the Dragon Emperor, now. We can never be…friends…" she stood quickly moving to the fireplace and leaning against the wall, staring into the flames.

I looked up at Celestia, who slowly moved aside, gesturing her head in the direction of the lone wolf. I slowly let go of Fluttershy and Twilight, then moved to the edge of the bed. I stood, helped up by both Princesses, and when I was sure of my footing, I walked over to Gemini. She didn't look my way as I walked across the large marble floor. She didn't react as I put both hands on her shoulders. There was silence in the room for a good number of minutes. I knew we didn't exactly have the best relationship, but for some reason or another, she apparently had some kind of feelings for me.

I knew at some point, I needed to have a very long talk with her, but I had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot weirder for me in the next few hours. Still, I needed to say something to her. Gathering my thoughts, I gently turned her around, holding her arms firmly. "Gemini, look up at me." When she didn't move, I reached out, took her chin in my hand, and gently lifted her up to face me. I'd felt her fur before whenever she would hit me, but this was one of the first times I'd had any extended contact with her. I was surprised to find she had short but soft fur everywhere. This close to the Lycan female, I could smell her scent. Strangely enough, she had an earthy, autumn scent. I detected a hint of cinnamon along with the lingering scent of a windy autumn afternoon just before the onset of a rainstorm. It was altogether a pleasant smell. "Gemini Grayfur, we might not be on good terms, but you have shown a loyalty to me that has impressed me. There's nothing stopping us from at least attempting to be friends."

She grimaced, looking away forcefully. "You don't understand…"

"Of course I don't. I can't understand if you don't talk to me," I said.

She glared at me. "You're a fucking Emperor now! I'm just your slave! It's completely inappropriate to be anything other than what we are now! Even before, master and servant could never be friends!"

I was about to answer, when there was a knock at the door. The knock echoed through the massive room, and as one we all turned to the door. A muffled and familiar male voice came from the other side. "Your Majesty," Mica said, "Young Spike is awake."

I looked confused, then locked eyes with Twilight. "Where is he?"

"He…he wanted his own room," Twilight admitted, ears flattening.

"He was ashamed of his actions during the fight," Celestia added.

"Hold the phone…" I looked back at Twilight. "Spike was the one who got seriously wounded, and he's ashamed?!"

Before Twilight could say anything, Luna quickly said, "He said that he betrayed his own individual Dragon Code by interfering in the Volrif'nel. He feels the changes he received after being healed feel undeserved, too."

"Changes? What changes? He's alright, isn't he?" I asked, a hint of concern creeping into my voice.

Rarity spoke up next. "Spikey-wikey is perfectly alright, darling. Aside from the scar."

I bit my lower lip, then breathed a sigh of relief. I took a small step backwards, directly into Celestia's waiting alabaster and Phoenix-orange striped wing. She pulled me closer, looking down at me with those perfect, light purple eyes of hers. "Jethro…Spike underwent what you and I went through. He's…he's a Phoenixborn. And his body underwent some…unusual changes."

"What kind of changes?" I asked, heart sinking.

"I…think it's best if you see for yourself," Celestia replied.

I walked directly to the door before anyone in the room had a chance to say anything or stop me. However, just as my hand reached out to open the door, I felt myself being enveloped in dark blue magic and pulled back. I was turned around to face Luna, who had a stern expression on her face. "Are you planning on going out there in nothing but your sleeping wear?" she asked.

"Is that really important right now?!" I asked incredulously.

Luna nodded gravely. "For all intents and purposes, you are the Emperor, the first to appear since Old Aelyssia fell. Do you think my sister and I came here in full battle armor for show? Ever since the Kingdom of Aelyssia fell during their war with the Fae, the Dragons have become wild and dangerous. You might be their new Emperor, but I highly doubt you will be instantly welcomed. Especially since you're friends with all of us. Trust me on this, I know the feeling all too well."

Silence filled the room as I digested what she said. In a sense, she was right. I wasn't a Dragon, and being named Emperor of all their kind would surely be a slap to the face to them all. I looked at the rest of them, and a lot of them were nodding in agreement. Nodding, I turned to the door. "Wait there, Mica! I'll be right out!" Turning back to the others, I asked, "What clothes should I wear?"

"Over here, darling," Rairty said, pointing at the bed. I turned to where she was pointing to see that she had taken the liberty of placing a few clothing items on the farthest edge of the bed. She stepped aside, then looked up at me. "These…were brought from the Ruins by the Phoenixes," the purple maned Unicorn explained.

"Hestia said that they were worn by the very last Dragon Emperor," Twilight explained.

I walked over and picked up the shirt first. Unlike what I was wearing, the material from this was thicker than what I was wearing. It was a button-down long-sleeved shirt, colored a deep burgundy with about five golden sigils sewn in a circle around the chest area. There were silver cuffs with gold cufflinks at the ends of each arm, each cufflink emblazoned with mirroring Dragon heads. The buttons on the shirt itself had the same unusual sigils carved into them, each one different The pants were also a deep burgundy, with the area around the ankles also silver. Next to the pants I saw the golden cloak from before, a thin silvery chain keeping it in place. Next to that, I saw a small golden ringlet crown which was surprisingly simple in design, the only ornament on it being a deep crimson gemstone at the front. On the floor were a pair of shoes that looked a lot like the dress shoes I had on Earth, only they were high laced. And they all looked like they would fit me perfectly.

Looking down at Rarity, I noticed for the first time since waking up how exhausted the poor mare actually looked. Looking down at the clothes again, I peered closer at some of the stitching. I'd been around her boutique long enough to know what her work looked like, even if I would remain a permanent novice in that area. I looked down at her again. "Did you…did you really fix these clothes?"

"I've never had the chance to work on royal clothes before," she said. "And Princess Luna is right, darling."

"You gotta go out there and show 'em who's boss!" Rainbow said as she hovered over us, jabbing at the air with her front hooves like she was boxing an imaginary opponent.

I smirked as I began dressing. "My first priority is making sure Spike is okay. If he is a Phoenixborn, then…that means he died."

"Verily," Luna affirmed.

"It was…scary," Fluttershy admitted, having gotten onto the bed near me.

"Imagine it from our perspective," I said softly, looking back at my feathers. "Dying isn't really a cakewalk."

"I agree," Celestia said gravely.

Everyone's ears flattened. Even Gemini, who was still leaning against the wall and looking at the fire, stiffened. I slowly turned to Celestia, eyes wide. "You weren't…" I said in denial, but one look from her was all the answer I needed. The look of one of us. "You were. Oh God…" I began speeding up, hastily throwing the clothes on.

"Darling, careful!" Rarity said anxiously, "you'll hurt yourself!"

"A ten-year-old Dragon just died and came back to life!" I said anxiously. "I need to see him right away!"

I felt Rarity's magic around my chest as she quickly buttoned my shirt, then put the cloak on me with a deftness in telekinesis that spoke of hundreds of hours of experience in dressing ponyquins. I almost protested, but a glare from the lovely mare shut me up, and I let her work her magic. She even put the shoes on my feet and tied the laces. When I stood, the gold cloak I wore slid down my back, rustling slightly as it fell across me.

I looked down at the gold ringlet. There was silence through the room as I turned to stare at it fully. More specifically, at the dark red gem embedded in the gold. My mind was racing, now. I could easily pass and go out wearing what I was wearing, but if what the others told me was true, I needed to show strength to this race. Which made complete sense when I thought deeper about everything.

"Fuck you, Torch," I growled as I grabbed the circlet and placed it firmly on my head. I felt it tighten around me, fitting snuggly but not tight enough to cause a headache. Turning around, I put my hands on my hips. "Well, how do I look?"

Despite the situation, Celestia smirked. "Like a prince," she said in her best Robin Williams impersonation.

"Kind of a demotion, dontcha think?" I said, smiling back. The mood in the room shifted, and smiles and soft giggles came from everyone save for Gemini. I turned to the door, and firmly walked towards it, head held high. I reached out and grabbed the Bloodstone Scepter, which was slightly taller than I was.

The moment I touched it, my eyes must have dilated because the light in the room became uncomfortably bright momentarily before returning to normal. Power flowed into me and I had to steady myself to keep from falling over from the unexpected surge. A pair of claws grabbed me, steadying me as Gemini came to my side. I looked over at her only to catch a brief glimpse of a worried expression on her face which quickly gave way to annoyed neutrality. I nodded in gratitude at her, then noticed her gaze move away from me towards the other side of the door. I looked over and saw the new sword just hanging there. Another time, I said as I reached out, patting the scabbard briefly before I grabbed one door and flung it open with surprising ease. Mica stood at the door, once more wearing his Lycan armor. On either side of my door, two large and burly Dragons stood, each holding large spears and wearing the same armor I'd seen on them from before. "Take us to Spike immediately," I said.

Mica straightened and nodded. "At once, Your Imperial Majesty," he said smartly.

As he turned and headed down the hallway, I bit back my tongue, holding back the desire to correct him. The guards that flanked me on either side were taller than I was and very well equipped. Their metal armor made plenty of noise as we walked down the massive domed hallway, the size and shape only helping to make it sound louder than it actually was.

I was surprised to see that we were passing a few large doors on either side of the well-lit hallway. Wall sconces, each with massive and ancient looking lanterns, hung between each door as we continued walking. In the distance, I could see a sliver of daylight slowly growing ever closer, but just five doors shy of the exit, Mica stopped and stood in front of one smaller door. "He's in here, Your Imperial Majesty."

"If you have to call me anything, just call me Your Grace," I said.

One of the guards slowly turned to me. "Are you sure, Your Imperial Majesty? That's an older way of addressing the Emperor," he said bluntly.

I turned to him. "I'd much rather be called that than Imperial Majesty."

Both guards both bowed. "As you wish, Your Grace," the same guard replied. "I'll let the other guards know."

"Very good. Stand guard out here while we enter," I ordered. I doubted that I would forget my first imperial order to a Dragon. They both straightened and stood at attention on either side of the door. Turning to Mica, I motioned for him to stand aside. "Mica, you stand out here with Gemini." He nodded and did so, standing on the opposite wall along with Gemini. I straightened up and walked right into the room.

The room Spike had gotten was actually fairly smaller than the one I'd woken up in earlier. It was still a fairly large room, but nowhere near as big as mine. It was shaped much like mine, with a slanted ceiling, a large bed and a cushion right in front of a roaring fire on one side of the room which kept the bedroom well lit. Lying in bed, underneath a thick dark green quilt, lay Spike. I could only see his head as the quilt covered the rest of him, but even a glimpse at his head told me something about him was really different.

For one, his face looked a bit thinner than before. That, and the lump I saw under the quilt was a lot taller than I remembered him being.

We locked eyes. Spike's expression changed from surprise, to guilt. As he looked away, I quickly rushed to his side, kneeling at the head of the bed. As the others made their way in, I said, "Hey, Spike. How are you feeling?"

He continued looking away from me. A few moments passed before he opened his mouth to say, "I'm sorry…"

I moved to try and look at him in the eyes but he moved away again. "Sorry? Why, Dragon-boy?"

He sniffed, and closed his eyes as a tear shed. "I…I lost control…I was an idiot…I could have ruined everything."

I sighed. "I've been a bad influence on you," I said sadly as I reached out, grabbed him by the chin and turned him towards me. "Spike, you can't keep on focusing on the what if. Focus on the here and now. You didn't ruin anything. You were trying to protect me. And you pretty much saved me. Yes, you were reckless. I won't say you're an idiot. You've just got a very big heart. And loyalty to burn. Right, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Damn right!" This, of course, earned her a glare from Twilight.

To my relief, a smile appeared on Spike's face. "I…thank you, Monkey-man."

I gently ruffled his spines. "You're welcome." The smile on my face slowly faded, however, as I moved a bit closer. "I heard you were reborn."

His smile faded too, and he nodded. "Yes…the Phoenixes saved me using some of the feathers Zecora had."

"It was an honor to part with said gift in order to save you," Zecora said, coming to sit next to me and smiling warmly at the little drake.

"Thank you," Spike said, sounding very grateful.

"If it is to help a friend, my own house I would gladly upend," Zecora replied.

A smattering of chuckles ran through the crowd in the room. As the chuckles began to die down, I became serious again. "I want you to know that if you ever want to talk to anyone about this, you can come to me anytime. I know what it's like."

"Come to me, too, if you want," Celestia added, stepping forward and looking down with a motherly smile at the young drake.

"I-I will, thank you," he said shakily.

"Spike," I began after a quick silence, "Celestia said that you had something happen to you. What is it?"

He looked nervous. "I…"

"My little Dragon, go ahead and show Jethro what happened to you," Celestia said, smiling at him.

Nervously, Spike slowly sat up, and as he pulled the quilted blanket away from him, I couldn't help but stare at the scar on his chest. Or his body in general, for that matter. Spike had gone through some kind of unprecedented growth spurt. Astonished, I grabbed the blanket and pulled it off, revealing a thinner, taller Spike.

A thinner, taller Spike with purple Dragon wings with Phoenix red stripes on the outside and inside.

Just from looking at him, Spike was now probably almost four feet tall now, with wings that were proportionate to his new size. He'd lost a lot of the baby pudge he'd had before and was now fairly trim. There was still a hint of his pudge in the stomach, but for the most part he looked about as tall as any other ten year old I'd seen back on Earth. "I'll be damned…" I said, "how the hell did you becoming a Phoenixborn cause this?"

Spike grabbed his arm and rubbed it nervously. "Um…I met with the Phoenix King," he explained. "I told him what happened and he remembered you. He told me he'd send me back but with the ability to better protect my friends."

"So he gave you the age appropriate body size?" I asked in disbelief.

"You hate it, don't you?" he asked, reaching down to grab the blanket.

I grabbed his wrist. "Whoa there! I never said that! I do like it, honest!" And I actually did. I'd seen the depiction of him in the last episode of the show, and I wasn't much of a fan of Chad Spike. This version of him seemed a bit more realistic. Slimmer, with the same childish appearance as a ten-year-old human, only on a Dragon. His face matched his body, too. "Sure, it's new, but I like it. You're about as tall as you were back on Earth. And now Rainbow can have a third trainee to teach how to fly."

Rainbow brightened at that. "Awww hell yeah!"

Spike smiled a bit. "It is nice to have wings," he said, spreading them. Then he jumped when flames burst forth from them just like it did for me and Celestia. "Ah!"

"Don't worry," I smirked. "You'll learn to control that. I promise. For now, just keep them folded back."

"Right," he nodded as he did just that. He looked at an endtable on the side of his bed, reaching over and grabbing the dagger sitting on it. "Pretty hard to believe this was a sword to me just yesterday."

I chuckled. "Keep it as a souvenir."

With that, his relaxed demeanor changed. He turned and faced me with a determined look in those reptilian bright green eyes. "Jethro? Can I ask a favor?"

"You can ask," I said, not sure what he could want, but I wasn't sure I'd like it.

He took a deep breath, exhaled, then said, "Can I train with you?"

"Spike! You're too young for that!" Twilight said, galloping to my side and looking at Spike worriedly.

He turned to Twilight, and a frustrated look appeared on his face. "Twilight, I'm so sick and tired of being weak. You saw what happened out there! I didn't even last a minute against Torch! How can I protect my friends when I'm so…so…FUCKING WEAK!"

"Language, Spike," I said softly as I wrapped my arms around the trembling distraught Dragon child while Twilight joined me, her hooves around him as well. He clung to me and Twilight as I continued. "I know how you feel. I felt that way for a while after coming here. Sometimes I still do. If you really want to learn how to fight, then that's fine with me, but it also has to be something you discuss with your guardian here."

"And we will talk about it, Spike," Twilight promised, "and I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

Sniffling, Spike smiled and said, "Thank you, Twilight."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. A deep voice said, "Your Grace, Princess Ember is requesting an audience with you."

Ah yes, the elephant in the metaphorical room, I thought as I slowly let go of Spike. "I'm coming!" I pulled my shirt down a bit like Picard normally did, then went to the door, grabbing the scepter before reaching for the door handle.

"Jethro? Can I give you some advice? Monarch to monarch?" Celestia asked.

I turned, giving her a pleading look. "Please!"

"Be firm, strong, just and kind when it comes to dealing with somedragon like Ember," Celestia said. "I only caught a glimpse of her, but she is hurting deeply and she might be furious with you."

"I was already planning on it."

"Good."

I put my hand on the door handle, then paused again. "You know, when Melora told me that I had the potential to rule Equestria, this isn't what I thought she had in mind."

I turned the handle, opened the door, and closed it shut behind me. Looking up at the two Dragon guards, I said, "Where is Princess Ember?"