Right after the battle was finished, everypony and ally cheered for their victory. The Mane Six all laid down to catch their breaths after performing the climax of the battle. “We did it, girls!” Fluttershy said.
“We sure did!” Rarity said. “We were… fabulous!”
“We were… phew… awesome!” Rainbow said.
“Wait… SPIKE!” Twilight yells as she rushes over to Spike who was still laying on the ground unconscious filled with bruises and burns. The rest of Twilight’s friends joined her shortly after, and so did Starlight once the royal guards capture Chrysalis. As Ember and Thorax were cheering for their victory, they shortly notice Spike lying on the ground, which got them worried.
Twilight held Spike close to her as she started to cry on him. “Spike… how could I let this happen? It shouldn’t have been him! I… I…” Twilight couldn’t talk – all she could do was sob. Her friends tried to comfort her.
“Spike did what he thought was right, Twilight.” Applejack said.
“Yeah, he’s a true hero. A true friend.” Fluttershy said as she teared up.
“He’s… he’s… HE’S MY LITTLE SPIKEY-WIKEY!” Rarity yelled as he cried louder than anypony else.
“He is truly awesome.” Rainbow said. Pinkie’s hair then deflates.
“He’ll be alright though, right?” Ember asked. “Somepony PLEASE tell me he’ll be alright!”
“I don’t know, Ember.” Starlight comforts her as she tears up. “Th-that was a pretty heavy blow.”
“No! It was not, he’s fine! I’m sure he is!” Ember started to tear up, but she looked away, hoping nopony would notice. Thorax notices though, and he gives her a hug, but Ember quickly pulls away. “I’m fine!”
“I’m not.” Thorax admitted.
The princesses join over, and Celestia puts her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m very sorry, Twilight.”
“Spike is so selfish!” Twilight yelled in anger. “He sacrificed himself for us, and I couldn’t even have a say in it! He just makes that decision and goes through with it! So selfish! So sel…” Twilight starts sobbing again, and all Celestia and Luna could do was just pity.
Just then, there was a screech in the distance as a phoenix flies by in the sky. Everypony except Twilight looks up at the phoenix as it circles around in the sky. After a few circles it flies down towards Spike and his friends who are circling him. “Philomena?” Fluttershy asks.
“No, the color patterns are different.” Celestia said.
The phoenix looks down at Spike, and that’s when Twilight finally notices it. Everypony turned out confused on why there’s a phoenix there, and what it’s doing, but then the phoenix starts tearing up and screeching softly. Its tears fall on Spike’s body, and Spike starts moaning, and everypony smiles with glee. Spike opens his eyes and looks over at Twilight, and he says, “Wow, just the thing I needed to wake up to. You’ve seen better days, Twilight!”
“SPIKE!” Everypony cries out in glee as they give him a big hug; and Ember suddenly pushes everypony out of the way.
“OUT OF MY WAY!” Ember yells as she picks up Spike to give him a hug. “Spike, you idiot! You’re stupid, a-a-and dumb, and… NEVER scare me like that again! I don’t want to lose you, fool!”
“Oooookay, I’m a wee-bit confused here.” Spike said. “What just happened? What did I miss?”
“The biggest battle Equestria has ever had!” Pinkie cried out in excitement as her mane inflates again. “It was some party! There was lasers, and fighting, and… and fire everywhere! There was so much fire it might as well have been a BBQ party!”
Spike raises an eyebrow. “Uhh… what?” He asked.
“Spikey-poo, what was the last thing you remember?” Rarity asked.
“Um, Tirek was offering me a load of gems, and… I don’t know, it became bleak afterwards.” Spike explained. He then gasped. “Did I turn into a monster again? Oh I’m so sorry! I couldn’t help it! I…”
“Shhhh.” Twilight shushed him as he gave him a big hug. “It’s okay, Spike. This wasn’t your fault.”
“Yeah, Tirek pretty much mind-scrambled you reeeeeeeally good!” Pinkie said.
“But even though you did side with Tirek for a little bit, you saved our lives in the end!” Fluttershy said.
“So we ponied up and now Tirek had his just desserts!” Rainbow said.
The phoenix that cried on Spike pets his head on him, and Spike pats him on the head. “Hey, little guy! I hope the battle wasn’t too much for you!”
“He pretty much healed you, Spike!” Starlight said. She then nudges him and teases, “I guess you owe him a life-debt, huh?”
“Uh, no, I learned that friendship lesson already, I don’t have to go through that again, Starlight.” Spike said. He then looks at the phoenix deep into his eyes, and he finally recognizes it. “Peewee?” The phoenix smiles and chirps happily. “Peewee, you’re… you’re all grown up!” Spike shares a hug with his former pet. “You saved my life! B-but… how did you know I needed the help?” Peewee flies over towards a couple of familiar looking water dragons, and he lands on one of their shoulders.
“Hello, son!” Thales said.
“Mom! Dad!” Spike said excitedly. “How did YOU know I needed the help?”
“You told me about Peewee once, so I went looking for him after you had before you left.” Aquarius said. “We felt you might’ve needed him. You were pretty ill.”
“Well, I needed Twilight here!” Spike said. “Wow, there is so much that I missed! This must’ve been a pretty intense battle! So I guess Tirek has been defeated, and- wait… where’s Scorpan?”
Just then, Scorpan appears nearby and says, “This a message for Spike the Dragon.”
“Scorpan!” Spike said excitedly as he runs over to him, and he tries to give him a hug, but he just goes right through him. “Huh?”
“If this isn’t Spike the Dragon, please locate him and give him this orb.” Scorpan instructed, and Spike looks down and sees the orb right underneath the hologram of Scorpan.
“Oh.” Spike said.
“Spike,” Scorpan starts, “you are a wonderful friend! You always have been! I thank you and your friends for helping in reuniting with my brother. By the time you see this though, Spike, your friends already used Rainbow Power on both me and my brother, which has sent us back to our home kingdom. I asked Twilight that if she ever decides to use Rainbow Power on Tirek, I would be hit too, and it would send us back home where we belong.” Spike starts to tear up. “I know it’s difficult for me to leave without saying goodbye, but you are always welcome back with us. With us back home, I can talk to my parents and we’ll see how things go with Tirek and I returning. We WILL see each other, Spike. I mean, we have to.
“I never told you this,” Scorpan continues, but… you have a sacred bond with Twilight, as you already know. She’s technically your mother since she’s the one who hatched you; but me… I was the father.”
“Wait, WHAT?!” Twilight cried.
“I’m pretty sure Twilight just said ‘what what’ just now, and probably thinking that we used to be an item in the past.” Scorpan assumes.
“Uh no, I probably would’ve remembered something like that.” Twilight said nervously. “This didn’t happen, we were never a thing.”
“I’ve visited you in the past, Spike.” Scorpan continues. “You were always asleep though. Celestia knew, so she made sure to keep you and Twilight asleep as I visited in the middle of the night to recharge our bond. I didn’t just summon you and your friends to reunite with Tirek, I also wanted to finally meet you professionally. You’ve always meant a lot to me, Spike, and I will always be proud of you! But your destiny is mainly with Twilight and your friends in Equestria. Equestria needs you, buddy. You’re an ambassador; and I’m also really glad to have these adventures with you and we could finally catch up. Time for things to go back to normal. I assure you, I will be okay, Tirek will be okay. We’re home now. I should’ve done this before – instead of leaving Tirek there, I should’ve brought him home. If he has any chance to being reformed, it’s here.”
“Twilight Sparkle?” Scorpan turns his attention to Twilight. “You, and your friends, thank you so much for everything! I’ve been a hooffull, I understand that, and I made mistakes, but I hope all of you can forgive me. I promise I will never take Spike from you again. I will never put his life at risk again.” Scorpan turns back to Spike. “Your life is your own, Spike. Do what you see fit. I don’t see you as just some comedic sidekick or a voice of reason, I see you doing even greater things; let’s just hope that the gods can see it in you. Anyway, that’s all I have to say. Farewell for now, everypony. Thank you for the most interesting experience in my life!” The orb gets disabled, and then it suddenly shatters.
Spike smiles and continues tearing up, and he says, “See ya around, Scorpan!”
“Well, I have certainly misjudged him!” Starlight said.
“Soooo, what are we goin’ to do with her?” Rainbow asks as she points to the captured Chrysalis.
“Let me go?” Chrysalis asked. “Just throwing that on the table.”
“Well, since Tirek’s cell in Tartarus is now available, I know of the perfect new home for her!” Luna suggests.
“That wouldn’t be necessary, Princess Luna.” Thorax said. “Scorpan was right, if Chrysalis were to be reformed, perhaps it’s best to take her home.”
“Why? Why should I go with a traitor like you?” Chrysalis asked. “You all betrayed me! I hope Tirek will finally be free from Scorpan’s clutches and rain terror on you all!”
“We miss you, our queen.” Thorax said. “We want you back, and we forgive you.”
Chrysalis sulks, but Thorax could tell by the look on her face that she’s at least a little happy. “Just… get me away from these stupid ponies.” She orders him. Thorax nods at some of his changeling soldiers, as they escort Chrysalis away. “Stop looking at me, you fools!”
“Didn’t you want me to look at you?” Starlight teases.
“I will destroy you someday, Starlight Glimmer!” Chrysalis threatens her.
“Wish I had a bit every time I heard that!” Starlight chuckles.
“So… Ambassador Spike,” Celestia starts, “if you’re feeling better, I have a job for you if you’re interested. We need to gain an alliance with the cyclopes, if you’re up to it.”
“Nooo thank you, your highness.” Spike declines. “Maybe another time, but for now, I just want to go home. I want to go home, and go back to being a number one assistant. Life was so much simpler that way – but the ambassador thing could be a part-time job! I could use the extra money! Should be better than what Twilight pays me!”
Twilight nudges him and said, “I don’t pay you at all!”
“Then in that case, I demand a raise!” Spike teases, and everypony laughs. “I’m serious, Twilight! You want me to leave you again?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Twilight laughs.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t!” Spike said. “I guess that explains why I went with Scorpan when you two had that fight, like what parents do sometimes, but if it was anypony else I would’ve always taken your side.”
“I know you would’ve!” Twilight said. “I don’t blame you one bit! I blame the bond!”
“Hey, you know something else?” Spike asked. “You know Scorpan’s medallion, right? It represents future, past, and present? Well, it turns out my adventures were kind of like that. I found my calling in life, I found out where I came from, and best of all, I know my present, and it’s with the friends I made with all of you! As it turns out, I have experienced The Three Sided Medallion!”
And so, the allies have gathered their forces, and the wounded have eventually been healed. The griffons, yaks, dragons, and changelings return to their own separate kingdoms. The EUP escorts the rest of the Tartarus prisoners back to Tartarus, and increase security so something like this would never happen again. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer all return back to Ponyville to continue their lives. Spike hears back from Scorpan from time to time via letters, Starlight visits the Changeling Kingdom from time to time to help Queen Chrysalis reform, but her presents just makes Chrysalis angrier. But best of all, Spike got the character development he needed! Now if only this story were canon!