//------------------------------// // Aftermath // Story: Home and Hearth // by Emperor //------------------------------// Knock knock! Princess Celestia, diarch of Equestria and the pony responsible for raising the sun, normally wasn’t afraid of the sound of someone knocking on a door. She had lived for a very long time, and had seen and done many things. Once, it had been the sound of her knocking on somepony else’s door that struck fear into her heart, as she delivered the news of a death to a close family member. Thankfully, Equestria had not been at war for many centuries. She knew exactly why she was terrified this time. On the other side of the door was a baby dragon she had raised and considered her son, and they were about to have a conversation in which Celestia would have to admit her shortcomings. The presence of big flaws in his mother figure might strike Spike deep to the core. Well, if it hasn’t already, Celestia admitted to herself. Between the way she had been wrong about Twilight’s reactions and how she was struck down by the Queen of the Changelings during the wedding reception, Spike might already be traumatised. To her eternal shame, it had taken Celestia nearly a full day after the wedding to be able to talk to Spike. “Come in,” she called. The door opened, and Spike sidled in, softly closing it behind him, as if he felt ashamed of somewhere. “Mom?” He whispered softly. “Oh, you let your hair down.” Yes, I did. Her mane, normally floating off in the ethereal winds, was now lying down flat. Celestia only let her mane do so around a close few she trusted, and only in the most intimate, private of moments. That she was doing so now let Spike know he could relax and divorce himself from the formalities he was used to in less relaxed moments, which was most of the time around her. “Come here Spike,” Celestia said, beckoning with her hooves. “Oh, mom,” Spike said with visible tears in his eyes, hopping up and hugging her. “I was so worried when you got beat by that big bad bug! I thought we were done for!” “There there, Spike, it’s alright now,” Celestia said, holding Spike in her hooves and letting him cry. Spike was noticeably larger than the last time he had cried in her legs, and Celestia found herself anguished at how much she had missed. The pony and the dragon stayed that way for a while, each finding comfort in the other’s embrace as Spike’s body continued to shake with sobs. Celestia shed a few tears of her own, aware of how close Equestria had been lost the day before. At last, Spike seemed to gain some semblance of control. Or perhaps he simply has no tears left to give, Celestia thought, before scolding herself. He is just a child. Do not be so cynical, Celestia. “Are you feeling better, Spike?” she asked in a soft, soothing tone of voice. Spike sniffled a little pit, wiping his nose. His eyes were still runny, but he was breathing easier now. “Yeah,” he said, but the dragon made no effort to leave Celestia’s grasp. “I asked my sister to field any questions and hold the fort for the next several hours. If you wish to talk to me, I have the time now,” said Celestia. She watched as Spike fidgeted, looking ready to say something, but always stopping just before he could work up the nerve. Celestia would have to coax him into it. “You wanted to talk about me being in the cocoon?” Spike nodded. Celestia bit her tongue. This was the toughest subject of them all. Get past this, and everything else would be easy. “I am not perfect, Spike, and I let down my guard. It was possible I could have died, but even if she had won, I do not think the changeling queen would have killed me. I am not immortal either, but I have lived all these years as well. I have sometimes lost, but I am still here today. Even Discord, as alien as he is to our beliefs, has always tried not to even maim a pony, let alone kill.” The words turned to ashes on her tongue, as she thought about the lone exception. That madpony to the north was due to return sometimes soon. It was something she would have to work with Spike over for the next few days. Celestia made the note to ask her sister to keep an eye on Spike’s dreams and nightmares as well. She knew he would need them. She opted not to stay on this topic much longer, instead asking, “Would you like to talk about Twilight as well?” “Yeah,” Spike said, thankful Celestia had brought the topic up. “Mom, we were wrong about her. How can I face her after that, after leaving her behind? She got kidnapped right after, mom! None of us thought to look for her, we weren’t even aware she was gone!” “There, there,” Celestia said, giving Spike what she knew were empty words. They did their job nevertheless of comforting him. She had thought for a while about what to tell Spike, knowing he would be distraught over the way Twilight had been shunned after her tantrum. It had been a major kerfuffle on Celestia’s part, made even worse by the fact she had been wrong, but for all the right reasons. Celestia had already chatted with Twilight about the events of the wedding. But it wasn’t Twilight Celestia was concerned with now, it was Spike, her surrogate son. “Spike, do you know why I asked you to start sending me updates whenever you thought Twilight was having a really bad day?” she asked. Spike made to speak, only to cough for a few seconds, clearing up his through. Finally, he said, “That’s easy. Twi’s a powerful magic user but also prone to nervous breakdowns. You’ve told me before self-discipline is as important as talent and practice in any field of life, mom, and Twilight just hasn’t gotten it yet.” “Yes, that is essentially correct,” Celestia said. “But what I want to make clear to you Spike is that it was not your fault.” The baby dragon looked up, wiping tears out of his eyes. “What do you mean?” “I have had many students over the ages, Spike. Some were younger than Twilight was when she started, some were older than she is now. Most were fillies, a few colts. They were mainly unicorns, with the occasional Earth pony and pegasus. To a one, I was more than just a teacher to them, Spike, I was also a mentor,” Celestia explained. “I helped guide them as they grew up before my eyes. Some even considered me a mother much like you do, but in turn, I have learned how to handle ponies when they are having trouble. Let me ask you Spike, did it ever occur to you that Twilight was right and Cadance was in fact, evil, or more appropriately replaced by the changeling queen?” Spike was slow to it, but eventually he shook his head. “No, it didn’t,” he said. “Yes, and I would have thought the same as you did,” Celestia said, coaxing Spike out of his metaphorical shell. “I’ve presided over many, many weddings in my lifetime. Several dozen a year over thousands a year adds up to lots of ceremonies, and I even used to help plan them before stepping back in the last millenium. Almost every time, with only a few exceptions, the bride and the groom have become stressed out in the days leading up to the wedding. The bride especially often is obsessed with getting the best day of her life just perfect, and sometimes she snaps out at those just trying to help her. When I saw Cadance, every little odd action of hers fit in perfectly with what I have seen a thousand mares before her act like.” Celestia looked down, and saw Spike was becoming more attentive to her. “But what about Twilight? Shouldn’t we have listened to her?” “It was my intent to. After the fact, I have no right to ask for forgiveness. At the time, however, I wanted to let her stew for a while, and feel guilty about her actions. Then I would talk it over with her, much as I am with you,” Celestia explained. “She is not the first student I have had who lacks self-control, though she is getting better, thanks to her friends. What I would have done, had Cadance not actually been the queen of the changelings, is what I have tried and found to work the best with other students before.” Spike looked down, burying his head into her chest. Celestia gave him some time to mull her words over. Even if Spike was the first dragon she had raised, she knew from experience it was for the best he had some room. Then he spoke again. It was quiet, and Celestia strained to hear him. “Does Twilight know I’m sending letters about her?” he asked. “No, she does not,” Celestia said. “I have kept all your letters in strict privacy. Twilight knows you and I talk, but I have only ever told her that it is your own issues we talk about. There is no reason for her to believe otherwise. You never stopped calling me mom, and I would not mind if you ever do.” Spike popped his head back up, surprise at her last few words. She beamed back at him in return. The radiance of her smile had its intended effect, as Spike’s mood instantly lifted. “Thanks mom,” Spike said, hugging her back again even harder. “You’re welcome, son.” They held their hug for several minutes. Celestia didn’t begrudge Spike for it: it had been many weeks since last he had been in Canterlot to see her. Finally, Spike fidgeted, and she let go, setting him back down on the ground. Spike looked around her bedroom, examining the decorations, and seeing what she had swapped out since the last time he had been there. He was quick to notice one item. “You still have the fire ruby I gave you,” he commented. It took Celestia a second to remember what he was saying, but she smiled when she did. “Yes. It is one of my most prized possessions. You gave it to me for Mother’s Day one year, even though you loved fire rubies.” The two looked over at the fireplace, where a large fire ruby larger than the size of Spike’s curled up fist sat on the mantle. “I remember, you let me go out with a couple of the Royal Guards to dig for gems outside of Canterlot. What were their names again, Stonewall and Rampart I think?” “Stonewall retired last year, though Rampart still works in the palace,” Celestia said, confirming his guesses. “I hear you gave up a fire ruby again to a pony you loved this year as well.” Spike coloured at the light teasing. “Yeah, I gave Rarity one I dug up since she really liked it.” “Even though it was your birthday present to yourself. That was most selfless of you, Spike, and I’m proud of you,” Celestia said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Spike fidgeted even more under the kiss, but he didn’t back away. That’s enough of the teasing for now. Someday, I will have to talk to him about his feelings for Rarity, but that day will not be today, Celestia decided. Instead, she asked, “Spike, do you want to stay with Twilight still?” “Huh? What do you mean?” Spike asked, confused. “I mean that if you do not want to stay with Twilight as her assistant any longer, you do not have to. You may return home, home where the heart is, or where the hearth is,” Celestia said, letting out a soft giggle as she looked at where the fire ruby was against the fireplace hearth. “I know I asked you to serve under Twilight for a little while, but that was to give her a steady support to lean on, a constant in her life if you will, and for you to gain some experience. I’m certain her worldly knowledge has rubbed off on you, has it not?” “Y—yeah,” Spike said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. “I can recite all the laws of magic, eeeevverrryyyyy one of them,” he said, dragging one of his words out in a show of exasperation. He brought a claw up to his chin. “Let me sleep on it, mom. I don’t know. I would love to move back to Canterlot, but I also can’t help but feel Twilight still needs me. I mean, you just talked about what she’s like. Who knows, I might help her in the future. Maybe I’ll be the one to save her from the villain next time!” He said, puffing his chest out with a bit of bravado. Celestia smiled at him, amused. “I’m sure you will do just fine, Spike.” His chest sagged back into place. Spike was quiet again, and Celestia found herself on guard. It was moments like this when Spike was quiet that were the most important. Her suspicions were confirmed correct when he said, “Hey mom, can I sleep with you tonight?” She raised an eyebrow. Spike really had been shaken by the day before. Celestia knew it both intellectually and spiritually, but that he had asked that still rattled her. She gave him a soft smile again. “Of course, Spike. I’ll just let the guard know to let Twilight know where you are at.” “Thanks, mom,” Spike said, sighing in relief. Hours later, as they tucked in for bed, the moon high in the sky, Celestia hugged Spike in close. The dragon grabbed at her, embracing her warm body again. “Good night, son,” she whispered.