Chapter One

Prelude to a Journey

"...and as such, the intensity of one's magical abilities is not dependent on heritage, as was once thought, but on the user's own ability to harness the ebb and flow of all magic in their own bodies. Through training and discipline, one can greatly increase their connection to their body's magical abilities, which have yet to be defined in either scope or limit. Further studies are ongoing in this branch of the magical arts, and for the moment it seems such statements will remain the definitive answer to such questions of magical limits. As it is, that concludes today's lesson. Any more questions, Spike?" The sunlight filtering through the windows cast odd shadows in the room, though the room itself was bright enough to see both teacher and pupil.

The pupil in question was a dragon, but no ordinary dragon at that. While most dragons lived their whole lives away from those who were not dragons, this was a different one entirely. He had been raised in the courts of Canterlot and by the reigning monarch's personal assistant for many years, until he had grown into a fine young drake. Masculine, tall and proud-looking, he had a nature about him that exuded humility but at the same time screamed of pride. Not to mention devilishly handsome, though he had yet to realize this little fact.

Spike sat up straighter in his seat, having just come out of a daydream involving ice cream, cake and gemstones. Luckily for him, his time studying with Twilight over the years had somehow left him with a near-eidetic memory, so he easily caught on what he had heard. Also luckily for him, his tutor had not noticed his daydreaming: she frowned on such inattentiveness in her classes.

"No, no princess," he said, looking up at her from his desk. Well, only because he was sitting was the reason for him looking up: in reality, he had grown taller than her by at least a few inches. Not quite as tall as her sister, but he was very close. Besides, desk was more of a relative term: he doubted most students ever had a soft, comfy chair to go along with their own table. "Is there more, Princess?"

"No, that concludes our studies on the intricacies of internal magic," the mare responded, the wings behind her rustling slightly. "Please, Spike: call me Luna. Calling me 'princess' formalizes our time together, and it is nice to not always be referred to as royalty."

"Oh, sorry Luna: it's just hard to believe it's been so long since I started tutoring under you, and that you used to insist I refer to you as "princess" all the time." The first day he had started the princess had told him she'd still be using many of the traditional teaching methods in place over a thousand years before. needless to say, Spike had learned pretty quick that when Luna said the times back then were almost martial, she meant it. Not only had he needed to take all the normal classes any student would, he had needed to take physical education courses and even learn draconic courses involving pyromancy. For the first few weeks, it felt less like an apprenticeship and more like boot camp for an aspiring royal guard. A good six months into the first part of the apprenticeship was when he saw her smile for the first time.

This time, however, she smiled sweetly as if she had for all these years. "Well, Spike, as you said, it has been a long time since you began your apprenticeship to me. I like to think of you as a friend, not just a pupil." Her wings gently rustled behind her again as she stood up from her own desk. It was larger than his own, of course, but it was rather bare of most things, save for a few notes and the odd bits of parchment and quills.

"Also, Spike, I'm afraid to say," she started said, removing her glasses and tussling up her mane a bit: "This concludes all I can teach you. It has been a joy to have such a devoted pupil, but now it is time for you to move beyond this classroom and my teachings." She never did like her mane done up in a professional-looking bun: she preferred it falling past her shoulders, just like her sister.

Spike was a bit shocked by this piece of information. Surely there was more to learn than what he had been taught in so short a time, regardless of how fast he had learned it? "Well, then, what happens now?" he asked, not sure what else he could say. "Am I going to train with your sister? Do I go out and find a job or something?" Truth be told, he had no idea which of the princesses were more learned in any subject, though he had a good inkling Celestia was more adept at governing. Call it a hunch: she hadn't been absent for a solid millennia.

Luna shook her head. "I doubt there is a job anywhere in Equestria that can be suitable for your talents. Alas, we teach the same, and as royal sisters, Celestia and I always include new material to all students we happen to be teaching, so as to not teach one more than the other. It avoids the appearance of favoritism and encourages friendships, something I agree with my sister is extremely important. It would do you no good, my young dragon, to simply try and find a new teacher: I doubt there are any out there that could satisfy your thirst for knowledge. If you wish to learn more, then I am afraid," she waved her hand towards the window. "You must continue your studies outside of Equestria. In fact, that was our plan all this time, Celestia's and mine: for you to leave and grow without our interference. It is time for you to spread your wings and 'leave the roost', as they say in the Griffin Kingdom."

"L-leave?" Spike asked, standing up in neither rage nor disrespect, but in shock. Plus, he had never heard that expression before: must have been one from before his time. "Am I being punished for something? Because if this is still about the basket of frogs in your desk, I said I was sorry a year ago!" While he may have a near-eidetic memory, Spike still occasionally suffered from self-doubt and panic attacks when he didn't think clearly.

Luna's look became both concerned and not a bit exasperated. "No, dear Spike, it has nothing to do with the frogs, though I remember you laughing at my scream. No, your studies must continue outside of this classroom and therefore outside of my company. While it may have been my idea and my number of recommendations to my sister that this is now possible, I believe it was meant to be all along: you may call it destiny, if you so wish."

"Why is that?" Spike asked, leaning against the wall and looking out of the tower's window. The lands stretched out before him: he could even see Ponyville from up here. His wings rustled slightly against his back as he stared: they had grown in a few months after his apprenticeship began, and he had been ecstatic. Finally, to feel the breeze rush through his spines as he soared through the skies: now he knew why Rainbow Dash was so upbeat all the time.

"Celestia needs to show our citizens there is a world outside of our beloved kingdom, and few are willing or capable of making undergoing such a trial," Luna said. "We need someone to go out there and take detailed notes, meet dignitaries, explore distant countries and nations with diplomatic immunity, or at least some semblance of it. Sadly, this would normally require the attentions of a royal alicorn, and as my sister and I are extremely busy all of the time, there isn't really another choice to be had."

She held up her hand as Spike opened his mouth. "No, Cadence is busy running the Crystal Kingdom as well as her two children: among all of the other known nations from which we have actual contact with, we remain on the best terms with them. As for the others, we only really know of a few: Saddle Arabia, the Kingdom of Equineland, the Kingdom of the Griffins, the Minotaur Khanate and the Dragon Kingdom. We know there are other kingdoms out there, and we have had contact with them in the past, but truth be told, we know so little about them." This was true neough: other than citizens from other parts of Equestria, there were few visitors to Canterlot form other countries, and even less royalty.

"Then why me?" Spike asked, feeling she was leaving something out. Travelling the world might be fun, even an awesome adventure, but the reason as to why he was being chosen still eluded him. He still felt that he wasn't the right choice for so monumental a task: surely somepony else could do it better?

"You are a citizen of Equestria, a personal representative of both royalty and a powerful magical order, and your mindset is perfect for the job," Luna said. "You are dutiful, inquisitive, sensitive, cheerful, brave, trustworthy and selfless. you are easy to befired, easy to get along with, and rather noble, if I do say so myself. If one creature comes closest to representing all the Elements of Harmony without actually having their power, you would likely be it, my young drake."

Spike blushed slightly: compliments like that were out of his realm of experience. "You really think I can do this?" he asked, rubbing a shoulder slightly as he felt his confidence build inside him. "I mean, leave Equestria, my home? It seems an awfully big responsibility."

"Yes, Spike, I have the utmost confidence in you," Luna replied, looking up at him: her eyes were filled with determination. "You'll be leaving in a few days' time: I suggest you get your affairs all settled out with your friends before so. It might be a while before you see them again, and in that time, you might have changed more than you would believe." She cleared her throat, indicating she had much more to say than just fond farewells and compliments.

"First things first: you'll be traveling on the train to Manehattan, and from there you will go by sea to the shores of Equineland, where your friend Pip is from. From there, you'll travel through Portucolt, Spreign, Prance, southern Germareny, Austria and Neightaly, though what you do in each place may vary greatly. I hear the locals are particularly friendly, and I highly suggest a visit to Roam: it is a very old city full of wonder." She blinked, as if lost in thought: perhaps she had been there before, in the distant past?

"From the southern tip of Neightaly, you'll take another ship to northern Algereigns, then travel with a caravan down through the Samarea Desert. It will be long and rather difficult: it is the largest desert in the world, after all. From there, you'll journey through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Manzania to Maredagasca, a tropical island paradise. Then, from there, you'll be going along the coastline back up to Saddle Arabia, both to travel by the safest route and to meet an old friend of Celestia's. From there, you'll journey to the city of Baghdad, a center of philosophy and magical learning. After that, you'll follow the river Neighras up through the Ottomare Empire, entering Istanbull and eventually crossing the Boshorsus Straits. From there, it's over the mountains of Trannsylmaneia and into the Grand Duchy of Marescow."

Spike knew Luna wasn't finished, but he had to interject. "I thought you said you didn't know much about these countries." Judging from Luna's description, he'd be seeing far more than he had ever dreamed of.

Luna sighed slightly. "No, Spike, we don't. I have only been to a few of these places, and the rest remain a mystery. We only know these others as names on a diagram, plots on a map." She paused. "Not remotely what I meant." Spike was nonplussed as to what she had meant by that statement's mention of "plots", but he remained silent.

She cleared her throat and continued. "From there you'll travel down along the Claspian Sea to the borders of the Maresian Empire. Along there, you'll travel the Silk Roads through the lands of Maregolia to the lands of China, under the rule, as far as we know of, of the Chairmare Wao. You'll make a loop through the Nippon Shogunate, and then travel south to the coasts of Tailand and Myanmare. Once you make it there, it's through India, home of the Mughal Elephants. After visiting for a while, you'll go back through Myanmare and travel along Papau New Filli, where you'll take a ship to the lands of the Minotaurs, Griffins and finally, the dragons. After that, you will return home to Equestria, likely laden with whatever you have collected on your journeys." Talk about a sojourn: Luna was even slightly out of breath after finishing the marathon list of his destinations.

Spike felt positively overwhelmed, almost to the point of panic: he was going all around the world, expected to take notes and possibly even pictures, and return home in one piece. How in the name of Celestia was he supposed to do any of this? Where would he get money for food? Would he be staying with anyone outside of Saddle Arabia? Just what was he supposed to do?

"Now I know this seems a terribly daunting task, but it is necessary for you to come out into your own," a new voice said. Spike and Luna looked at the door of the room as Celestia walked in, her hair as radiant as ever. "I believe you will help many others in your journeys, Spike. After all, a generous and helpful dragon such as yourself can understand the implications if a traveler brings nothing but goodwill and charity with him wherever he goes. Do you have any questions pertaining to the trip?"

Spike was dumbstruck for the longest time. He honestly hadn't the foggiest idea of what he was going to do besides take notes or pictures. "What of the locals?" he asked slowly. "What can I expect of them?" He was easily to befirend, but if they were unfriendly, or Celestia forbid afraid of dragons, he might be in for some difficulties.

"Ah, yes: that," Luna said, blushing slightly. "You will be staying with respective leaders in all or most of these countries, whether they are political, business, religious or military." She seemed awfully suspicious when she had said "staying with", or so Spike thought to himself. "They all vary by region or even city, so expect the unexpected." Sure: that was easy to do.

"Spike," Celestia said slowly, walking over so that she stood by Luna. "I know this is a rather personal question, but are you... seeing anyone, by chance?" Well, that was indeed personal.

"No...," Spike replied slowly, still confused but feeling vaguely uneasy. Why did that matter? His time as Luna's student had left him little time to create a relationship, and he had been more focused on his studies than the fairer sex. Maybe some of Twilight's persona had rubbed off on him: all study and no play.

"Well, then this will make things much simpler," Celestia said. "I hate to drop the bomb on you at such an awkward time, but you, Spike, are of no common blood."

"...Huh?" Well, that certainly was bomb to drop, if Spike could have understood just what she had said. "Not common blood? You mean like, I have a rare blood type for a dragon?"

"You are royalty, Spike," Luna said with a small smile. "In fact, there is a secret you have been kept from this whole time. You grandfather, Onyx the Wise, co-ruled Equestria with us for hundreds of years, though only in secret. Where we were the faces of the kingdom after the fall of Discord, he managed all of its various citizens on a microscopic scale, taking care of the small things whilst we handled the large ones. His son, and by correlation your father, Razor the Dutiful, filled his father's role for hundreds more years after he went to rule with the Dragon Council."

This certainly was a bombshell, but this immediately brought something to Spike's mind. "So what happened to them? Why have I never heard of these two dragons before?"

"They are both deceased, Spike," Celestia said quietly. "Onyx was far older than either of us when he passed on long ago, and Razor died of a terrible sickness shortly after you were laid. He gave us you before he died, declaring you his heir and us your legal guardians. We kept you with us, unable, and frankly, not wanting to hatch you until we were certain we could raise you."

"But I thought dragon eggs hatched when the time was right, and with a bit of magic to boot?" Spike asked. Luna shook her head.

"We tried hatching you once, long ago, but as you say, the time was not right and not even our combined magics could undo the time of your arrival. So we watched and waited." She sounded a bit dissapointed at their failure.

"But Luna, you were banished to the moon when you became Nightmare Moon," Spike said, confused. "Wouldn't that kind of, I don't know, impair things?" The princess had long ago gotten over her misdeeds of the past and had accepted that she was not the same pony who had fallen to such dark urges.

"Yes, but we still kept in communique, my dear pupil," Luna said. "There were others besides me that helped look after you as an egg: Cadence, for example, watched over you for a few years before becoming a foalsitter. Then Twilight Sparkle hatched you with her raw, innate magic, and we realized the time had come to begin your slow but sure ascent to adulthood, and eventually, royalty." Luna spoke highly of Twilight, as the two were fast friends; nothing more, despite what the tabloids might have lead others to believe.

"So does that make me a...king?" Spike asked warily. That would make things seem awfully cliche...

To his surprise, both of the princesses lightly laughed. "No Spike, you are not some long-lost king," they said. "That would be a bit ridiculous, don't you think? A long-lost heir to a throne you'd have to reclaim, being held and molded by princesses of another kingdom? This isn't a fairy tale, this is real life, even though some might view it as such. You are a prince of the land, and as such, you have a royal responsibility to maintain your line, as will we in given time."

Wait... maintain his line? "What do you mean by that?" Spike asked, suddenly having an idea as to where this was going. He had read up in his history lessons on kings of old, and the prevailing feature all of them needed was an heir to carry on their name...

"You know how skewed the gender ratio is in Equestria, Spike," Celestia said. "Mares outnumber stallions by a wide margin. As such, in many places a stallion must take a herd, or harem, in your case." That was true enough: the magic of Equestria threw the natural ratio slightly off-kilter: something to do with the magic pervading the landscape. This porblem had indeed been a source of contention in the past, though as of now it wasn't something on the forefront of pony's minds.

"A-a harem?" Spike asked, his eyes going wide. "You mean I-I have to take more than one wife? But I'm only nineteen! I've never so much as kissed a girl, never mind marry one!"

"Consider yourself lucky, Spike," Celestia said. "Most princes have to take brides when they are fourteen or fifteen, with many of them being fathers before they reach their twenties. Many are betrothed the day they are born: we had the foresight to deny you these kinds of luxuries, or burdens, from a certain point of view. Still, a handsome young dragon such as yourself should have no trouble having mares fall at your heels." A troubling notion, given the way she looked at him. The young dragon all of a sudden felt rather... uncomfortable, but her look soon disappeared, and he relaxed slightly.

"But why royalty? Why me?" Spike asked, not even feeling mad: simply confused, and perhaps a bit bashful at such a compliment. "I'm still just... me." Still, why keep such a monumental thing such as this a secret? Why keep him in the dark all these years?

"Because letting you know all of this too early on would have changed who you are and who you have come to be," Luna said, as if she had read his mind. "Your strength of character and your tenacity to endure, even under harsh conditions, is proof enough we have succeeded in making you prince material without giving you princely power. As you have earned what is yours, you value and treasure it more highly than other royalty would, like our nephew Prince Blueblood. This is why you are going on your expedition: to explore not only the world, but yourself."

"And to find suitable brides," Celestia said with a giggle. She seemed awfully set on him coming back with brides: could it be she wanted royal children to spend time with, as she had none of her own? That would certainly explain why she adored visiting her niece's two foals in the Crystal Empire.

There was a pause between the trio, with the cogs in Spike's head turning like mad: any faster, and they likely would fracture and fly apart. "So, when I go on this, I have to find, fall in love with, and bring along a gaggle of mares who are to be my brides?" he asked.

"It is decidedly so," Luna said, glancing over at her sister. "Is there a limit on how many he is required to take with him, dear sister? The laws of the ancient times have changed, I presume."

Celestia simply shrugged. "There is a minimum of three required, but as to the maximum number of brides, there are no set boundaries. I would think as many as he could handle would be the optimal number." Oh yeah: that was really helpful. She appeared to be in thought for a second. "Spike, just so you know, you do not have to marry them on the spot-,"

"Oh thank the sun," Spike thought to himself. Dragging around brides all across the world would likely be the death of him. Perhaps he could hold off on some, if not all, until he returned with them to Equestria?

"But that does not mean you have to keep your hands to yourself," Celestia finished, a wide grin spilling onto her face. "You should have no trouble deciphering just what that entails, my boy. Take care now, and do try and enjoy yourself." With that, she left the room without another word, leaving Spike and Luna alone once more. The silence immediately after her departure was, frankly, mortifying, though it soon became rather normal once more.

They sat in said silence for a few minutes, not really sure what else to say. "Well, I'd better tell Twilight and the others," Spike said, standing up. "They're in Canterlot anyway for one of Rarity's fashion shows. I'd better tell them afterwards: when they're all happy and whatnot."

"Then go to them, my star pupil," Luna said, going up to him and giving him an affectionate hug, her chest pressing into his. "By the time you return, I'm sure they'll be thoroughly amazed as to what you will have seen and done."

That would prove to be the understatement of the century.