All Great Tales Have a Beginning

by MissytheAngle

Words

Beyond the rolling, verdant hills stood Ponyville. Despite these large mounds, as she stared through the window, Twilight Sparkle had lived in said town long enough to picture it to perfection in her head. Home felt so close to her, but was still quite far away in the distance.

She sighed and snuggled tighter into her blankets, the softest silk in Equestria, from what the maids informed her. Only the best for the new princess. She didn't care much for this, however. It was a kind gesture, yes, but it wasn't necessary. If anything, she much preferred her old ones in Ponyville, if only because it was back home.

If she looked at the right angle, she could see most of her friends' houses. She didn't get to see them as much as she used to, due to her ascension. From Rarity coming for fashion shows to Fluttershy visiting to simply drink tea and talk, they still had time for each other whenever the chance came up. On rare occasions, she would fly to Ponyville and enjoy her time back home for a short while, the nostalgia strong. She smiled, thinking about these few cherished times with some of the most important ponies in her life.

She rolled to the side of the bed and peeked over it. A wave of sadness washed over her as she realized the basket with a tiny dragon no longer rested where she always looked. She bowed her head and tried not to think too much about loneliness of the sort, but it was hard to deal with it in the beginning. Even Celestia told her such.

Of all of them, if she was forced to chose, she probably missed Spike the most. They lived in the same tree abode, after all. He was technically her first real friend, and their connections had remained strong since. Twilight looked back at the valley of mountains, imagining what he was doing now, whether he was stacking books or talking to one of the girls - most likely Rarity. She wished he was with her now, but in vain. He worked in the library on his own now, taking full responsibility of her old house. With Owlowiscious and the other girls helping him, his letters to her proved he did not have any problems without her.

It wasn't the same, and despite doing fine on her own, she has certainly had some bumps on the road. From the royal meetings with representatives from other countries or dealing with ponies bowing down to her every minute, she missed the old days. Most of all, she wanted all of her friends to be there with her.

Drifting closer to sleep, she found herself thinking back to a long time ago—
probably over a decade—when the strong friendship between dragon and unicorn began, however roughly.

Twilight had been sitting at the window for ten minutes now. When her parents left, she walked over there just to see them go off. Sure enough, they were heading home, and she felt a tear come to her eye. She had wished them goodbye, but her lip quivered once they disappeared from her sight. Would she see them again? Would they miss her a lot and write and visit? Struggling to not cry, she just shuddered and pressed a hoof against the window, wishing she could wave to them. She always imagined this day coming, but it was not so sad.

Sighing, she turned around. The castle was nice. Princess Celestia seemed like a kind and wonderful princess, and Twilight overheard her saying to her parents that she would take good care of her, so long as she had time on her hooves. And the books—oh, all the books that were in her room alone! In a mere minute she had already found a stack of them to read in order to keep herself occupied, maybe so it wouldn't be so bad.

It wasn't quite working, but she did get distracted enough to not hear Celestia enter the room. The princess smiled, though when she saw how sad the young filly looked, her face became somber as she walked towards her newest student.

“How are you doing, Twilight Sparkle?” the princess asked in a soothing, gentle voice.

Twilight's head snapped up and looked over at Princess Celestia.

“Oh, Princess Celestia, h-hi!” she squeaked in surprise, flinching. Blush stained her cheeks, and she dropped the current book on simple levitation spells in her grasp. “I, umm, I'm okay. I-I love all these books. They're so interesting,” she added with a very weak smile, a vain attempt to not bother the princess.

“It's okay to miss your family. I have had many students go through this before, even some around your age when they first came into the castle. You're in a place you're not use to, with lots of ponies you don't know, so it's a very big change. Isn’t that right?” Celestia asked sagely.

The princess wrapped a snow white wing around her new pupil, who turned her gaze back to her books. “I know it'll be hard to adjust to living in the castle, but I might have something—or someone—to keep you company,” said Celestia.

Twilight tilted her head to the side, not following. With a soft smile, Celestia walked away for a moment, only to come back with something bundled in a blue blanket. She levitated it in her yellow hued magic and placed it in front of Twilight.

Ears drooping, Twilight took a hesitant step back. After a moment, the blanket unfurled, revealing a small purple and green creature sucking its finger. When it opened its eyes, big green orbs greeted her. She stared at it for a while, then her thoughtful stare turned blank.

“It... looks familiar,” was Twilight's response as she approached it.

“He is a dragon,” Celestia answered with a chuckle. Twilight raised her eyebrow at Celestia, trying to say that the obvious did not need to be said. The princess simply smiled again. “And it's not just any dragon; he is the dragon you hatched to pass the entrance exam. He's grown a little, but he's still just a baby.”

“Really? Well, what's he doing here?”

“I'm giving him to you to care for.”

Twilight's eyes grew wider than they already were - if possible. “Bw-huh?” she stuttered, jumping back. “W-Why me? I-I don't know how to take care of a dragon. What if he tries to burn up everything, or-or eat someone?”

Celestia laughed again, and Twilight felt that embarrassing blush rush through her face again. “You don't have to worry about anything like that. Even if he tries to burn anything, all he could most likely come up with is a few flickers of embers, at best. Remember, he's still a baby dragon, so he can't do anything severe." She gave her with a hopeful look, which fell slightly when Twilight's expression did not change.

“B-b-but....” Twilight played with her hooves, her eyes wide and full of worry. Millions of the worst possible outcomes flashed through her mind. Her gaze fell away from the princess.

The princess observed Twilight’s hesitance and added, “Once he's older, he'll be able to take care of himself, much like a little filly. Right now, he's still a newly hatched. Consider him... a new companion to keep you company. You have a lot of potential, and I doubt this'll be a big challenge for you. I have faith in you, my little apprentice.”

Twilight's spirit lifted like a blooming rose, but only just. Silence rested for a couple moments as she mulled over something. Before Celestia could try any other tactic, a tiny voice whispered something in a shy tone, too low for the princess's ears.

“Pardon?”

“Dragons... umm... what do they usually eat? If I'm going to take care of him, then shouldn't I know what he eats?” Twilight asked hurriedly, glancing over at the baby dragon, who was now playing with his tail, spinning around and around to catch it like a puppy.

Princess Celestia grinned. “Well, their main diet is gems, but don't worry, Twilight. I'll have workers in the castle help with that and a few other things. You just need to watch over him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble. And maybe play with him a bit. Feel free to ask me for anything.”

With that, she left the room, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone with the hatchling. She studied it, waiting for it to do anything of interest, but it just remained wrapped in its blanket. Finally, she sat down beside the purple dragon, observing its every move. She didn't know much about dragons, but perhaps that could have been for the better; just more to learn!

“So... can you talk? Can you understand me?” Twilight asked.

It tilted its head towards her, its eyes meeting hers. Somehow, she just knew that it understood her with that reaction. She doubted there would be conversations anytime soon, but that was a start. “So, my name is Twilight. What's yours—oh, wait, did Princess Celestia say you have a name? I don't think so....”

No response still. This was getting awkward fast. She sighed.

“Okay, so I don't know much about dragons, except what they eat, like the princess said, but the castle has tons and tons of books here—even in this room! I'll start here.”

With that, she went to the desk near the bookshelf, eyes sparkling as she prepared to absorb information. She took each book one-by-one into her magical grasp and looked through them.

Before she knew it, she realized something.

“It doesn't even have anything here! Ooh, this is hard, but, heh, I'm sure there are books somewhere in the castle about you. But... wouldn't the Princess give me something to help me with him? How can I take care of you without a book to tell me what to do?” she asked herself as she floated the book back where she got it.

Just as she picked up another one, her magic sputtered for only a moment. That was enough, though, to send a book falling onto the ground. Before she could pick it up, it was gone. Glancing around in worry, her eyes fell to the dragon, who was sucking something. She saw what it was and gasped.

“No, no, no! Those aren't yours! Books are friends, not food!” Twilight chased after the dragon, who ran off at the sound of Twilight's shrill shriek. The book was still in its mouth. If only she didn't forget to close the door when they were alone, because now he was able to disappear out of the room before she could make him stop.

“Stop!” she cried out, heading to the door and peeking left and right. There was no sign of it. Why was he being so stubborn? Princess Celestia said he could eventually take care of itself, yet here it was, acting like a newborn puppy! And she had lost it....

She lost the dragon Celestia gave her. The dragon the princess was certain she could take care of. Her heart pounded.

“Ooh, what should I do? I—no, I shouldn't bother the princess. I'm supposed to do this on my own, and I can! Now... umm, where did he go?” she mused aloud, peeking down the next hallway on the right, then the left. “Okay, I'll chose... this one!” She headed down the red carpeted trail on the right.

Peering down another hallway, her face soon lit up when she saw a book on the floor. Dripping with saliva and pages pulled out, it was the very same book that the dragon took. She knew she was now on the right track. Placing the book behind her, she raced down another hallway.

There were lots of guards across the castle, many of whom gave her looks or exchanged them with one another. A young filly running through the halls wasn't a common sight, but Princess Celestia had let them know of the new student, so they didn't bother with it, much to Twilight's relief. The fear of having Princess Celestia find out about this was beyond embarrassing, making her trot faster to search for the dragon.

It took only a little while longer before she saw the dragon—but not in the way she wanted. There were several guards surrounding him; not with weapons, but the fact they were there seemed to intimidate it. He sat on the floor entirely still, frozen in fear. When Twilight trotted up to them, its grimace grew into a large smile.

The dragon jumped up to her, making her raise an eyebrow. He wanted protection from the scary guards, she knew that, but she was the one chasing him in the first place. Why her? Nonetheless, she felt grateful he wasn't causing trouble.

“This dragon yours?” one of the guards asked in a stern voice, making her cringe in horror.

“Yes, I'm so, so, so sorry,” she apologized in an instant. “He ran before I could catch him. I hope he didn't cause you any trouble.”

“It's quite alright, just keep a closer eye on him next time, got it?” the guard advised, his hard expression softening for her.

When she nodded, he and his co-workers walked off. Twilight let out a heavy sigh, only to remember the dragon was still there; though he refused to move. Maybe the guards told the dragon it was bad to run off like that, and it finally understood. At least, she hoped.

Twilight tried to figure out where to put the dragon. She couldn't levitate it the whole way to her room, and she certainly couldn't let it walk on its own. An idea struck her, and she beamed.

Placing him on her back, she felt the weight of the dragon as he sat. He wasn't... too heavy. Could have been worse. She turned her head to him and gave him a harsh stare. “Now no running off, okay? You don't want to run into anymore scary guards, do you?”

There was no response. That knowledge was still there, though, whether her agreed or not. She walked down the many hallways and foyers that made up the castle, hopefully recalling her old trail.

“Now we're going back to my room. And you better not cause any more trouble. You shouldn't run off like that! It's not very nice,” she scolded it.

Its eyes teared up a bit, and her face softened. “Alright, I'm sorry for yelling, just... please don't cry. Can, uh, we just start over?”

The dragon smiled, bringing a wave of relief over her. “Good. Now we can get back to our room—I think it's this way. I don't know... you ran really far. You shouldn't be able to even run that fast! Can dragons run that fast? Maybe you mature faster than ponies?” she went on, now concentrating less on getting to her room than more on how dragons age.

Just as she turned a corner, she felt something warm drip on her back. She stopped walking and rose an eyebrow to no one in particular. Looking over her, she saw, on the floor, stains in the carpet. Yellow water was dripping onto the stain.

The dragon was smiling shyly behind its tail. Twilight’s eyes were incredibly wide, almost as big as her face. She started trembling until she could no longer hold it in her. She didn’t want to complain about anything else, but this was too much.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA!”

“Are you alright now, Twilight Sparkle?”

No, she didn't feel fine at all. She couldn't handle this dragon after five minutes! Twilight's head was bowed, taking more interest in the floor than staring at the princess when she spoke.

Princess Celestia, Twilight, and the dragon were back in her room. The guards who cleaned up the dragon's mess had left long ago, though Twilight thanked them multiple times in an embarrassed, apologetic voice. Their faces were blank, so Twilight didn't know how they felt about cleaning dragon pee, which only made her feel worse.

“Y-yes, I'm fine,” she muttered, her eyes wandering away.

Celestia stood beside her. “Twilight, it's going to be fine. You're still very young, so no one should expect you to do everything on your own perfectly. Like I said, if you ever need anything, you can very well let me or any of the guards know. I probably should have mentioned he was still teething."

Twilight nodded, not mad at Celestia for forgetting to tell her this beforehand. Perhaps a little, maybe. If anything, she felt madder at the dragon and herself. And disappointment - but that was mostly towards herself.

“Now, I have several things to attend to for the day. I hope the rest of your day gets better,” the princess said before turning and leaving. The door shut slowly with a creak.

Twilight glanced around the room, eyes furrowed. Where was that dragon now? She clearly needed to lay down some rules, before she actually got in trouble. If she couldn't control him, then she'd be a failure! Things had to be set right.

The dragon rested on her bed, curled peacefully in the center. Twilight sighed, glad he had finally relaxed. She decided to join him, crawling onto the bed at the edge. She joined him in the middle with a warm smile on her face.

Then the purple creature turned it head, revealing a plush toy in his drooling mouth. This time, Twilight was having none of it. Not only was she tired of taking care of it, but what it had in its mouth was what got to her the most.

“NO!” she yelped, anger slipping through. With a wisp of magic, she tugged at the toy in the dragon baby's mouth. It growled. Since it was a baby, however, it did not have much strength in its mouth, and the toy fell back into Twilight's grasp. She cuddled the doll tight, backing away from the dragon.

“This is Smarty Pants! My mommy and daddy left her with me as a gift,” she said. She almost wondered if the baby dragon understood what she said, but it didn't matter, as she went on anyway.

“I didn't bring many things with me, 'cause I don't need a lot. But... I had to bring something that made me think of them. I know they're not far away, but I still miss them.” Her ears drooped, the anger flashing in her eyes extinguished, now glossing over with tears.

Then it flashed to fury again, and she pointed at the baby dragon. “Now the princess won't think I'm responsible or a good student, thanks to you! Why can't you be a good dragon? Can't you sit down for a minute without ruining things?”

Several moments passed in silence. Her lip quivered as she fought not to cry as she cradled her Smarty Pants doll like a child. She closed her eyes and thought maybe this wasn't the right time. Maybe she wasn't ready for any of this. Doubt filled her, and a tear slipped down her face. Twilight turned away from the dragon, who hadn't moved since she started yelling.

It took a minute before anything happened. Something licked a tear that snuck from her eyes. She turned to see the dragon's tongue sticking out. Twilight smiled and chuckled just a bit at the gesture. He was trying to make her feel better... and all she did was yell at it.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean. I just miss them, and I won't know many ponies at my new school. I don't have many friends anyway, so... I'm just scared.” She fell flat on her flank. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."

Her eyes gazed out the window, which revealed that Celestia was beginning to let the sun descend for the day. The dragon followed her gaze, eyes blinking in wonder. It nuzzled her, and another smile crossed her lips at his small bit of kindness. “You're not that bad of a dragon, are you?”

In response, it shook his head, which made her laugh for some reason.

Her face grew somber the longer she stared at the dragon. Also growing nervous, she brushed her hooves on the silky blankets. She let the quiet accompany them before asking in a quiet voice, “Will you... will you be my friend?”

The dragon looked up at her. In response, it crawled closer to her and stopped to lay its head against her small lap. It curled up in a ball, blinking those big green eyes at her. Whatever that meant, Twilight just knew that it made her face light up.

Twilight booped his nose, which made him blink and give a sharp-toothed smile. “I wonder if Celestia can let me name you. I hope so.” She tapped her hoof as she mulled over names. “How about Pointy Tail? Green Fire? Billy?”

The dragon turned over, but he seemed to lack interest in any of those names. She tried to think of more.

“Spike?”

His eyes met hers, no longer distracted by anything else, and he beamed. Twilight giggled. “You seem to like it, so Spike is good. Hi, Spike. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I know you can't speak, but I'm thinking you will. Dragons do, from what I've read.”

They moved a bit aside, only for Twilight to sit on her belly with him laying against her, each doing something to pass the time. Twilight read plenty of books, some aloud for Spike to hear, if she found them interesting—which was most of them. Spike seemed mildly interested, at least. Meanwhile Spike decided to belch some fire, and Twilight would gape in awe at the crackling embers that sparked green for a couple seconds before disappearing.

Twilight eventually yawned, and the dragon followed shortly. She hid a chuckle behind her hoof. “Guess we're both tired.” She peered outside to see the moon shining up high in the sky and gasped. “Oh my, we've been up pretty late. I didn't even notice. C'mon, time for bed.”

After brushing her teeth, Twilight jumped onto her bed. In the distance, she could see the street her parents were living in. She wondered how they were doing, how Shining Armor was doing. He wanted to be a guard here, and had even gotten accepted. But he was in training. She wondered when she'd see him, because she'd have more friends here.

For now, Spike would do.

As she got on the bed, she wrapped herself in her new blankets, which were so soft, it felt like she was hugging a cloud - and it was hugging back. She immediately felt absorbed in them. Spike lay curled up at the edge of her bed, already falling asleep. His eyelids drooped down.

“Aww! C'mon, you can sleep with me tonight,” Twilight said, using a bit of levitating magic to bring him to her. She only got his tail and dragged him towards her. As he woke up, a pair of purple hooves had tightened around him. The embrace was warm and comforting, and thus, he accepted it, laying back and curling into her arms.

“We're gonna be best friends, Spike,” she whispered into his ear fin, only to let out a long yawn a second after. She fell asleep no sooner than he did. The moonlight beamed through the window, and they both drifted off to slumber in each other's arms as it shone over them.

Celestia stepped into the room quietly. Her golden shoes were off, so she could peek inside. She smiled down at the pony and dragon.

Like she foresaw much for the unicorn, she could tell, from one look, that these two had a strong friendship that would last for years. She left, still smiling.

Thinking back, she missed him a lot. Her friends were everything to her, but Spike had been there for her for a long time, before any of them. And yet no one could ever tell, because ponies always thought he was simply her assistant, someone who worked with her in the library, nothing more.

But they were wrong - completely. The two were like siblings—scratch that, they are. Not by blood, but certainly by bond. She wondered if he even knew that, that she did care for him even if she rarely ever showed it.

Their good-byes were short, simple. They didn't cry much, because they promised to see each other again.

And she would see to make sure that that would happen soon. She got out of bed, grabbed the nearest quill, and went over to the desk. She took out a piece of parchment and began writing.

Dear Spike...

Spike looked around as he departed the train. Twilight's letter was vague, but the second she noted that she wanted to see him, he jumped on the quickest train possible. He was worried. Had something happened?

“Spike!”

He turned around to see Twilight running up to him. While not dressed in her royal attire, she still had her wings, which to this day got him off guard. Everything that happened in the past few months was a lot to take in, especially this. He approached her.

“Do I, uh, have to bow when I see you? It's so weird to think I have to now,” Spike asked.

She rolled her eyes. “I know I'll get tired of it really quickly, so it's not necessary. Besides, it's not like you're here for some royal meeting.”

“I'd rather not. From what you tell me, they're pretty bori—”

He was interrupted by a large embrace from the new Alicorn. She hugged him tight.

“Twilight, is-is something wrong? You're crushing.... me,” he mumbled under her grasp, but he returned the hug.

Twilight pulled him away, blushing. “Sorry.” Then she smiled, continuing to hold him close. “Everything is fine. I just missed you.”

Spike looked at her. “Well, I missed you, too. It's been a while. So... how's being royalty like? Except for, you know, boring meetings?”

Twilight scoffed, though smiling. “Let's talk someplace private. Before you know it, people will start noticing me. Why don't we have something to eat and drink at the castle?”

“Sounds good to me. I'm starving! They better have some gems or I'll be a very sad dragon,” he said, smirking.

Twilight just grinned. “Oh, Spike. We'll see.”

Throughout their time eating, Spike had many questions for his friend, lots of which Twilight happily answered. They did have gems, but they talked more than they ate. It felt like forever since the coronation, and just a little less than that since she left for the castle.

The only thing that bothered her was his constant glances at her, and she had no way to distinguish what they meant, exactly. She would have said something, but she decided against it. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Right now, he was fine.

“And your wings—I gotta ask, have you gotten used to flying yet? I remember you trying in Ponyville, and it was pretty funny,” he joked with his eyes glinting with amusement.

She blushed. “No—I mean, no, it wasn't funny for me. And, heh, yes, I have gotten used to it, I think. The thing is that I don't fly much around here except to get around when I feel too lazy to just walk. Having guards escorting you lots of places holds you down a bit,” Twilight said with her head bowed. “It's a lot different back home.”

“Well, yeah, this is a castle! Of course it's going to be different,” he exclaimed with his arms outstretched in exaggeration. “Hey, maybe I can visit more often—maybe take a look at the kitchen and, uh, inspect some of their food? Just to make sure nothing’s poisoned.”

She kept her head down, suddenly not too hungry and not paying attention to Spike’s jokes. It was then that Spike sighed deeply, which earned her attention. Only then did he speak.

“Something's up, Twi. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love being here with you and all, but this is pretty sudden. Not to mention that when I got off the train, you seemed way too happy to see me—more than usual. Are you sure nothing's wrong?” He paused. When she hesitated, he added with utter sincerity, “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“I just want you to know that... I don't think I ever told you how much you mean to me. You're like a brother to me, like my,” she chuckled, “like my Little Brother Best Friend.”

Spike laughed with her at that. “I'm glad you feel that way, but you don't need to say it.”

“Yes, I do. I know that ever since I became Princess, you've been all alone in the library. It hasn't been the same,” she explained.

“The girls visit a lot, though, so it's not always bad,” Spike added.

“But it's not the same,” she repeated in a serious voice, stopping him. “And I remember at the Crystal Empire how you were afraid I'd leave you. I feel like I kind of did... like I abandoned you! So if you ever want to stay here with me, since I don't think I can leave quite yet, you're very much free to. I don't think Princess Celestia would mind at all. It'd be like when we were younger.”

Spike blinked at her. “Bu—Twilight, I never felt that way. You have a reason for leaving Ponyville, and I'm very happy for what's happened. Yeah, I'm sad that we're not living close anymore, but isn't that what happens? We may not be as close as we used to, but we're still really good friends like we were kids, right?"

Twilight felt a tiny teardrop down her cheek, and she thought back to the night before; the very reason they were sitting here at this very moment. She rubbed it aside. “Yes, we are. And I'm very thankful for that. I just wanted to let you know that I felt the same way, I guess.”

Spike chuckled to himself. “You can be so strange, Twilight. C'mon, how can I not know that? I think the only time I really felt left out was that time with Owlowiscious, but I've even become good friends with him, so it doesn't matter. I've always known that, so you didn't need to say it.”

Twilight just nodded, letting all of this sink in and realizing how she let her exaggerated thoughts get the better of her.

Yet Spike wasn't done yet, and his voice lowered to a far more serious tone. “I know it must be hard to move away from all your friends, but we're not all gone, Twilight. We'll always be here for you. I think I speak for all of them that nothing has changed and nothing will change. You don’t need to be all sappy about it.”

Tears sprang from her eyes. She truly had many good friends, and Spike was one of them. But there was just something about him. Oh, how she missed him so much. She needed his support more than she realized. There wasn't so much sadness anymore; just a relief that her pains were not as bad as she assumed, because he really was right.

She hugged him again. “Thank you, Spike,” she said. “I needed that more than anything.”

“No problem, Twilight. I'm sorry I didn't see it before. I hope you're okay now.”

They separated, and Twilight brushed her eyes in case of any tears. “I will be. So, umm, how’s Rarity doing?” she added, trying to change the subject on a lighter tone.

Spike’s cheeks burned bright red instantly, twiddling his claws in nervousness. “Nothing! W-why do you ask?”

Twilight let out a small giggle. “Don’t ever change, Spike.”

They stood at the train station just a while later, because Spike revealed he had plans that night with Rarity. Twilight couldn't possibly let anything go wrong with that, though she did tease him about it.

Spike stretched his limbs. “I gotta admit, I'm glad I don't come here often, because those train seats aren't as comfortable as they look,” he grumbled.

She laughed. “Oh, Spike. Tell the girls I said hi and everything. And make sure to write as much as possible.”

“Of course!” he said as if it were obvious. That was when a whistle could be heard in the distance.

Twilight realized he was leaving again, and it didn't quite upset her as much as it previously did. She had done this before, after all, so the worst part was over. She leaned down to him and kissed him on the forehead. “I'll be seeing you again, LBBFF, promise,” she said, smiling.

“Pinkie Promise?” Spike asked with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, she said, “Fine. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She did each gesture as quickly as she said it, and then the train strolled down. They glanced at each other.

They hugged one last time. Spike got ready to go, but not before Twilight saw something in a bag he brought with him.

“Hey, what’s in there?”

“Oh, just a few... souvenirs.” His eyes shifted left and right, a sign she was all too familiar with. She unzipped the bag and saw a stack of shining crystals in there.

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh. “So, you still hungry, little guy?”

“No, but I wanted some for the ride back, and for Ponyville.”

 “But you ate every single one they gave you until they said we had to leave!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Well, while you were taking care of some things in the castle, I went to see if they had more. The guy said I could have some... after I pretty much begged for them, but still! Boy, were they worth it! Canterlot just has the best stuff. You should try some.” He took out a few crystals, all multiple colors glowing in the sunlight.

“I’ll pass,” she answered, pushing them away. “Now go, before the train leaves without you.”

“I thought you wanted me to stay,” he joked before jumping onto the train.

And she watched him and the train go off below the hill into the distance, her spirits lifted higher than ever. She waved the whole time, watching him leave, but not for forever.