Spike made his way through the streets of the city. He was aware he was getting looks, but he powered through it. He was on a mission: a friendship mission.

Smolder had Pella. Garble had that guy that was in the arena. Spike didn’t know his name. Sandra had that guy on the side of the street, and Tabitha, and… he didn’t even know who else! She probably knew even more people!

Spike didn’t know anyone.

But that’s fine! It’s fine. Spike didn’t know anyone yet. He had tons of friends. Twilight, Rarity, the other girls… And Ember! And Thorax! And Gabby!

And even Smolder and Garble, probably.

Not that he should count his party members. The point is he was ready for this. Time to meet someone, make a friend, get a teacher.

And the only place he knew of to do that was to head out to the guild hall, where all the adventurers were. He could find someone who was another Divine Lord, and he’ll just turn on the ole Spike charm, and he’ll have it!

For sure.

He arrived at the guild and went up to the front counter. The guy behind it was actually smiling at him and Spike was a little confused. He was used to bored, or putting up with, but… smiling? "Hiya. How's it going?"

"Good day. Left your party at home?" He glanced past the dragon as if searching for the rest of the group.

"Just me." Spike took up his staff and raised it. "Actually, I was hoping to learn more about being a divine lord. Can you help with that?"

"Not me, personally." He ducked down and came up with a tome. "But we do have a list of members and their favored classes. Did you know you can register yourself if you think you have hints to give?"

Spike's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? That's super nice! Yeah, if you can, check if there are any divine lords that could give a few pointers." His stance became easier. This was all going so well. "Silly question, but you seem… happier today."

"If we're being honest." He was flipping through the book, searching for a matching entry. "Sandra's a bit of an issue, and your friends are loud, one of them quite violent. Of the lot, you always seemed the least troublesome and most polite."

"Huh…" Sometimes it paid to just be a good person, Spike decided. "Sorry if they were causing trouble."

"See, exactly that." The secretary seemed satisfied with their view on things. "Now…" He handed a list of potential mentors to Spike, who received it with a little bounce.

Flipping open the book, he started looking at the names. The list was… not as long as he was imagining. He guessed that a list of mentors for a class people knew a lot about would be like… more than ten, for sure. But instead there were like six, and two were crossed out.

And right at the bottom of the list was a name he knew. Tabitha. Why was she on the list? What could a bully like that have to gain?

His finger hovered over the name. It was a dumb idea to pick her. It was.

But… he was very good friends with Starlight, who froze him in a block of crystal when they first met and destroyed the world, although it didn’t really count because of time travel. And Ember, who didn’t like him at first. And Thorax, although Thorax was always a good bug…

And he was the best at friendship, and being a good pony-er, creature.

So he made his decision. "So… Tabitha?"

"Tabitha," repeated the secretary. "A fine adventurer, making good progress with her party. She takes great pride in her class." He reached to take the list back. "Shall I send her your way?"

Spike shied his hand away with the list. "Um, yeah, but let me see these too, if it's not a big deal?"

"I can make a copy." With that, Spike let him take it. "Just a moment. He cast a little spell, barely more than a word, and where there was one page, then there was two, and his journal didn't need to be separated. "Here you are. Follow her directions and you'll be on the right path."

"Isn't he a martyr build?" asked another adventurer that was walking past. "I thought those stopped being a 'thing' years ago."

The secretary was fixed on Spike. "I'll tell her you're looking for her."

"Okay, great! Wait." He imagined Tabitha knocking on their door, and the responses of his roomies. "How about I meet her here? Just tell me when to be here and I'll come running."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The secretary raised an eyebrow. “I suppose. Come by nearer to five, hopefully i’ll have good news by then.”

“Okay!” Spike said, balling his claws into fists. “I got this. I’ll do this!”

The secretary blinked with an amused smile on his face. “You… sure will, I guess.”

Spike took off to find something to do until the time comes.

----------------------------------------

Spike came out at the time prescribed, heading into the common room, straight to the secretary. He looked around, and Tabitha was nowhere to be found. “Is… she coming?” Spike asked.

The secretary nodded his head. “She said she’d be here. She’s very professional about these kinds of things. A model to adventurers, even.”

Spike blinked and thought of her meanness. Didn’t she do it in front of the secretary, too? It left him uneasy. He sat down at one of the seats, like he was waiting to be served by the secretary, and the uneasiness continued. This… might have been a bad idea. There were many options, he could probably have asked the secretary for other ones.

But, he thought, This was what he chose, because he’s a good friend and it’s time to be a good friend to a bad friend! I could--

“Hi,” came the voice from behind him, causing him to jump in fright, whipping around. It was Tabitha alright, a serious look on her face Spike couldn’t quite place.

“It’s you, you came,” Spike said, mildly astonished.

“I said I would,” Tabitha replied. “I said I would give advice to someone who asked for it, too, so here I am.” She reached out and placed a finger right on his draconic beak. "Besides, I'm tired of you dragging the name of divine lords through the muck in your blinding ignorance." Despite her caustic words, a bright smile lit her face. "Assuming you're ready to learn, we'll fix that."

"H-hey!" He hopped to his feet, frowning at her. "We've been pushing through the tower, making progress." He hefted his staff tall. "Look at what we've found."

"Not bad." She casually brushed it aside. "But why a staff of all things? Ah, that's right. Martyr build." She wriggled a few fingers at him. "You know, divine lords are great tanks. We can wade right into the thick of things. Why weigh yourself down with that twig instead of something with actual heft?"

"It gives me magic." He twirled the staff with a smile. "It makes my healing and powers stronger. I can keep my friends healthy and hurt the monsters real good. What's wrong with it?"

"We have a lot to go over." She turned to the left and began walking. "They have a gymnasium in here, just for us adventurers. We're going to figure out what you've learned, so I know what I need to fix. I swear, a dragon divine lord. It'd be a joke if it wasn't behind me."

"Look, I know a lot of folks around here have, like--" He gestured wildly as he followed after her, his staff hanging on his back. "--a lot of hangups about not-humans doing anything, but--"

"Not that." She turned on him, pausing their travel. "The divine lord was renowned in no small part for his heroic stand against dragons. Specifically dragons." She pointed at Spike. "Much larger than you or anyone else in your party dragons. The kind that could set an entire town on fire without much effort." She leaned in close, face an inch from him. "Dragons. Get me?"

"So... adults?" Spike lifted into the air on flapping wings, bringing their eyes on even ground without her leaning over him. "Huh, must have been a tough character to win a fight like that."

Tabitha shook her head as she twirled, resuming the journey. "Just like that? Wait, you're a, what, baby dragon?" She glanced over her shoulder. "So where are your parents? Shouldn't they be keeping an eye on you?"

Spike rubbed one arm with the opposing hand, looking away sheepishly. "The closest thing I have to a parent, my adoptive sister really, is kind of really far away right now." His expression lit up, confidence returning. "Kind of why I need to get to the top of that tower! So, you going to help with that?"

"Didn't Sandra summon you?" She shrugged. "Whatever, figured you were rushing to get her whatever stupid thing she wanted." They were entering the gym proper. Small groups of people trained, sparring with lessons given and received. Tabitha hiked a thumb. "You are the bulwark between your friends and pain. You get that, right?"

"Yeah!" He landed lightly next to her, shield springing into being on his arm as he raised it defensively. "I do that all the time, from the front and the back."

"Divine lords aren't back material," she grunted as if the very idea of it were ludicrous. "What even gave you that idea?"

He tugged at his clothes. "Well, for one, they let me wear this." He reached back for his staff. "My guildchain doesn't stop me from holding this. So, you know, someone thinks this is alright."

She drew her shield and a heavy mace that glowed with scintillating hues. "Just because you can doesn't make it a good idea." She pointed at Spike's face with the mace. "This draws attention. One good hit with this gets a monster thinking about you, and doing that takes no magic. I can bash things all day, leaving my magic for more important things than just keeping attention on me."

"Oh!" Spike almost hopped in place, bouncing a bit on his legs. "Do you think I use a lot of big flashy things, like, uh, this one." He waved his staff at her, green light exploding outwards in a display of his might.

"Well, yeah? How else are you keeping their attention? You're an unarmored, low-offense nothing. Why would anything waste its time with you?" She shrugged expansively, then raised shield and mace. "Go on, show me. Make me not want to hit the test dummy behind you."

She barely gave him a moment before she was lunging in, mace raised high. Spike swung his staff in the way, the length of it going a dull green an instant before it struck the mace, sparking and lashing with that energy. Tabitha flinched back with surprise. "What was that?" She wobbled her mace at his staff. "Seriously, what was that?"

"Got your attention," Spike noted with a smug smile. "Look, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not exactly the biggest thing in the room. Carrying a big hammer isn't going to be my style." He wobbled his staff at her. "This lets me work with my magic, my spirit. And, make all the fun you want, but my spirit's been tested. It's big enough."

Confusion played across her face before a little smile began to creep out. "Alright... sure. They say the original divine lord was both." She pointed at him, mace wavering. "Strong in spirit." Then she tapped it against her shield. "Strong in body. We're both pale imitations, if you think about it too hard." She laughed, a lone little guffaw. "Part of why I love being a divine lord. We have such big shoes to fill. So, let's get to it."

She slid into a ready position. "Unlike your summoner, I plan to rise towards the impossible, not run and hide. Show me your spirit. I'll show you my body."

Spike pondered the phrasing of that line, but took a ready stance. They had training to do.