//------------------------------// // Chapter 25- Returning Home // Story: Of Heaven and Earth // by Garuda IV //------------------------------// "There. Hopefully that'll be enough." "I would hope so. This is a rather large collection of gemstones that we gathered for him." "No kidding. Hey, you've been around Spike longer than I have, so do you think he'll like what we brought him?" "What are you talking about? Of course he'll like them. Especially the emeralds. Twilight told me that he likes them the most. I just hope that it'll be enough for him when he wakes up." Spike had been sleeping peacefully when he heard the two voices talking somewhere nearby. Waking from hearing them, Spike started to shift around and quickly found that both of his arms were free from their occupants. Letting out a sleepy yawn, Spike slowly sat up in bed and began rubbing his tired eyes with a claw. "What time is it?" he groggily asked. Hearing his voice, Rarity and Ember stopped talking to each other and turned around to face Spike. Seeing him up, Rarity wasted no time in running to him, where Ember, while eager, showed a bit more restraint as she approached him. Still recovering from his grogginess, Spike failed to react quick enough when Rarity barreled into his chest and wrapped her hooves around him in a surprisingly strong hug. Though surprised by the white blur that knocked him back down on his back, Spike, now having the sleepiness knocked out of him, recovered enough to know what was going on and blushed. He'd always dreamed of Rarity hugging him like this, and while he would've normally have been too shocked to do anything, this was nothing compared to what he woke up to last evening. With a warm smile crossing his features, Spike reciprocated the gesture and gently hugged Rarity back. However, the moment was soon ruined when Rarity lifted her head from his chest, revealing the running mascara on her face as she grabbed Spike's face and glared tearfully into his eyes. "Don't you ever scare me like that again! Do you know how worried I was about you?!" "Uhh-" "You almost got yourself killed for Celestia's sake! And if it wasn't for Sol, you would have!" "Uhh, Rarity-" Ember tried interjecting, only to be silenced when Rarity's head snapped in her direction. "Don't you start with me, Ember," Rarity warned. "We may have agreed to this, but I'm still upset with you for putting Spike up to this." "And I told you, Rarity, that it was Spike's decision." "Hey, hey, hey. Easy, girls," Spike calmly intervened, gesturing with his claws. With them both quiet for now, Spike turned Rarity's face back towards him and gently started wiping away her tearstained mascara. "Look, Rarity. I'm sorry about what happened, and I'm really sorry for scaring you, but like Ember said, it was my choice." "I know, but I still don't like it," Rarity said with a begrudging frown. "Do you know why I did it?" She sighed and nodded. "I do. Torch told us all not long after he got back with you." Her frown slowly morphed into a smile. "And, while I may not have approved of it, I can't help but be proud of you for doing so. You willingly put your own life at risk to assure Ember's happiness, and by an extent, save her even. It is so rare to hear of such an act these days, not to mention to actually witness it... but I think that's what I love most about you." Spike blinked. "Huh?" "Your selflessness, darling. Of all the positive traits that you have, to me, that's the one that won me over the most. You're always so willing to help everypony, even on those rare occasions where you'd rather not and grumble about it. From some of the most tedious of jobs to the most grueling of tasks, you're always there for us." Rarity began to caress Spike's cheek, a blush overtaking her face the gap between lips and Spike's started to shrink. "And... I think it's about time that I properly thanked you." "R-Rarity? W-What are y-y-you-!" Before Spike could finish, he felt Rarity's soft lips press up against his own in a kiss. Though it wasn't the first time she'd kissed him, those had all been a peck on his cheek and not a full on the lips kind of kiss like this. Literally being a dream come true for him, Spike would've been bursting with joy, but his mind couldn't handle the reality of it, causing his brain to short-circuit as he struggled to process this. Unfortunatly for him, it ended much too soon, and before he knew it, Spike watched Rarity pulling away, ending their first kiss as she giggled at the stupefied face he was making. "Was it that good, darling?" she giggled. "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh." "I'd take that as a yes," Ember smirked. His mind finally rebooting, Spike shook his head straight and blushed profusely as he looked up at Rarity. "Well, Spike? What did you think?" she asked, smiling at him with a half-lidded gaze. "Was it everything you've ever dreamed it would be?" Spike nodded dumbly. "... y-y-yes... b-but... ummm..." "Something on your mind, darling?" Spike's blush reddened and his eyes darted shyly away from her. "W-Well..." "Go on." "... could... c-c-could we... do t-that... again...?" Rarity let out a little giggle at how shy he was being, happy that while he may have grown up, he was still Spike. Turning his head to face her, Rarity gave Spike a soft, loving smile. "Of course we can, Spike. In fact, I believe that we'll find ourselves doing it a lot more." Spike felt his heart skip a beat at those words. "Rarity... are... are you saying...?" She nodded. "I've known about your feelings for me for quite some time, Spike. And though I was trying to figure out how I felt about you myself before, along with some other things, I can now say with absolute certainty that I share your feelings." "Y-You do?" he asked, smiling widely when she nodded again. But, although he was cheering in joy on the inside, a new concern of his kept him from showing it completely. "Wait, what about the others?" "Hmm? Others who?" "I mean everypony else?" he began to clarify. "The Canterlot Elite, your famous and important clients, and all of those other ponies who know you? Aren't you worried about what they may think if you're with... well... someone like me?" Rarity frowned. "You mean me being with a dragon?" She sighed when Spike gave a small nod. "I will admit that the thought did cross my mind, but I don't care what they think. They can complain about it all they want and it wouldn't change how I feel about you. Besides, you may be a dragon, Spike, but surely they also know that you are the hero of the Crystal Empire, and are in a sense, Twilight's adopted brother. And if anypony does have a problem with us being together, then I'm sure that if Princess Celestia found out, she would have a few choice words to share with them about cross-species relationships." Spike couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "Yeah. I guess she would." Comforted by Rarity's words, and warmed by her admittance of her feelings for him, along with her assurance that her feelings for him wouldn't change even if others didn't approve, Spike smiled as he started to feel calmed and relaxed. Bringing up a claw, Spike gently caressed Rarity's cheek, which only warming his heart further when she closed her eyes and hummed as she nuzzled against his claw. I can't believe this is actually happening, he happily thought. ... I better do this properly. She deserves for it to be done right, and I'm sure she'd appreciate it. "Hey, Rarity?" Spike softly called. "Yes, darling?" she cooed. Though he knew that she liked him back, Spike was still hesitant to ask her. Even after their admittance, it didn't make the next few words he was going to say much easier to speak. Even so, Spike nervously gulped and, with a bit of self motivation, finally took the plunge. "Will you be my fillyfriend?" Rarity opened her eyes, revealing a fresh wave of tears threatening to flow free. "I would love to, Spike." With Rarity giving him her consent and making their newfound relationship official, Spike took the initiative and softly planted a kiss on Rarity's lips, which she returned by kissing him back. Unlike the last time where he was stunned out of his mind by it, this time Spike was able to enjoy the contact of her soft lips, and the flood of feelings that came with it. As the seconds rolled by, Spike wrapped is arms around Rarity's frame, holding her as close to himself as he could, but careful enough that he wouldn't accidentally hurt her with his new strength. Not that he could with how weak his body was. After an unknown amount of time to them had passed, their lips finally parted, leaving them staring into each other's eyes as they rested their forehead's against one another. "I can get used to this," Spike said with a small grin. "I believe I can too," Rarity giggled lightly. Back in Ponyville, Pinkie was busy in the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, helping with the baking when her body abruptly froze in place. Though she was confused by it initially, she soon understood what was happening when different parts of her body began to move on their own. As she relaxed and let it happen, Pinkie kept track of the different things that were happening to her. Once she stopped and waited a while to make sure that it was done, she hummed to herself in thought. She remembered many of the different Pinkie Senses that she had, but with how rare this one was, its exact meaning escaped her. Reaching into her mane, Pinkie fumbled around for a moment before she pulled out a small booklet filled with all of the different Pinkie Senses and what they each meant. "Wow. It's been a while since I had to use this. Okay, let's see here..." she mumbled to herself, flipping through the pages until she found the passage she was looking for. "Ah-ha! Here we go! 'Two of your best friends, one guy and one girl, have gotten together'. ... WHAT?! Are you serious?! Wait. Who is it then?" Pinkie put the booklet back in her mane as she thought about it. "It can't be Sol and Twilight because while Sol is a friend, he's not a best friend yet. Fluttershy and Discord are already together, so that leaves just Spike and...!" Though surprised by what she found out, Pinkie couldn't help herself as a joyous smile formed and gradually grew to ridiculous proportions. "I can't believe it! This is the best news ever!" she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the establishment and into the streets. This also led to Mrs. Cake bursting into the room. "Pinkie?! What is it?! Did something happen?!" she frantically asked, only to find Pinkie darting past her in a pink blur. "Pinkie Sense! Got a party to plan! Be back later!" Despite Pinkie's voice fading in the distance, Mrs. Cake could still make out what she'd said. Letting out a sigh, Mrs. Cake shook her head lightheartedly and made her way back to the counter. "Must be pretty important for her to shout and run off like that," she said to herself. "Oh well, I'm sure I'll hear all about why when she gets back." Several minutes had passed since Spike and Rarity shared their first kiss as a couple, and while Spike wished that they could stay close like this forever, much to his dismay, Rarity slid herself out of his hold and sat over on his left side. "Well, now that that's done," she began, much to Spike's confusion, "I do believe that I've kept him to myself long enough. Ember? I believe that it is your turn." Spike blinked in confusion and sat up to be at a better eye-level with her. "Huh?" "Finally," Ember huffed. "I know you said that he had a thing for you, and I get that you two are finally together now, but did you have to take that long?" "... I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that last part, seeing as what's about to happen." "Could one of you please explain to me what you two are talking about?" Spike asked, clearly being lost in this conversation of theirs. "Sorry for the confusion, Spike," Ember apologized, but that wasn't what was strange to Spike. While Spike had heard Ember apologize before, what struck him as odd was how she was blushing while avoiding eye contact with him, and the fact that she was nervously twiddling her claws. By the time she had made her way over and sat down beside him on his right, her face had turned almost completely red. "Is something wrong, Ember?" Spike asked, causing her jerk and frantically wave her claws out. "No! No, everything's fine. Just fine," she nervously said, only for Spike to raise an unconvinced eyebrow. "It's just that... well... it's just that you may have lost the Battle Royal, but... I believe you still deserve something." "Really? What for?" "... you know what." Spike took a moment to think it over and came up with only one logical answer. "You mean for beating Garble and stopping his plans?" Ember nodded. "I... I want to give you something... as thanks for what you did for me... and for risking your life like that." "Thanks, Ember, but you don't really need to-!" Unlike with Rarity, Spike had little to no warning for what was about to happen. Since it was Ember, he never expected it, so he didn't see it coming when she abruptly turned to him and lunged at him, planting a kiss directly on his lips. Taken by surprise by this sudden and unexpected act, Spike could only stare wide-eyed at Ember, who's eyes had closed as she continued to kiss him. Only a few seconds passed before Ember pulled back, fluttering her eyes as she opened them to a flustered Spike. "... so... yeah... thanks," she shyly thanked. "You just... you just kissed me." "That she did." Remembering that Rarity was sitting on his other side, and worse having just seen him being kissed by another female, Spike froze in fear and slowly turned his head to get a glimpse of her. However, much to his confusion, instead of seeing anger, sadness, or both on her face, Rarity wore a pleased smile. "It's alright, Spike. I'm not upset with you if that's what you're thinking," Rarity said with a giggle. "You're... what?!" Spike gawked. "Spike." Hearing Ember's voice, Spike looked back to her. "What do you know about relationships involving dragons?" "Honestly? Nothing." Spike raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Ember began to fidget with her claws again. "Well, it's not really uncommon for a dragon to take multiple mates... and Rarity and I... well..." "What Ember is trying to say," Rarity continued for her, "is that she and I had a talk yesterday about you while you were asleep." "You did?" "We did, and, after some heated words that almost led us to coming to blows-" "What?!" Spike shouted. "You two almost fought each other?!" Rarity frowned. "Spike, unless it's important, I would much appreciate it if you wouldn't interrupt me like that." "Sorry." She nodded and continued, "Now then, like I was saying, after all of that, we both sat down and talked things out. I'll save you the details of our discussion, but it basically involved our romantic feelings towards you." "'Our'?" Spike looked back to Ember, who was nervously avoiding his gaze. "Ember, do you... love me too?" "You know I'm still not very good with talking about my feelings," she muttered, just barely enough for both Spike and Rarity to hear her. "She's not joking," Rarity frowned. "You don't know how difficult she made it for us, Spike. We really had to twist her arm before she would finally admit her feelings for you." "Personally, I would've preferred you actually twisting my arm. Probably would've been less painful for me." "... okay, you make a good point, Ember," Spike admitted. "But still..." "Look, I know, alright?" Ember huffed. "I'm sorry, but I've been going through a lot with all these changes that you've brought into my life. I mean, first introducing me to friendship, then Thorax helping me talk about my feelings, which you took over for after he left, and now romance? Before you came along, Spike, I never would've even thought of any of that! So I'm sorry, but this is really, really new and unfamiliar territory for me." Rarity reached over and laid an assuring hoof on Ember's shoulder. "It's alright, Ember. We both understand what you're saying. This is new to you and will take some time for you to adjust... actually, I believe that this is something that each of us will need time adjusting to." Rarity looked up at Spike. "That is, if you're willing to give it a try, Spike?" Though he was scared, confused, and then surprised at first, Spike let out a sigh of relief that the worst didn't happen when Rarity saw Ember kissing him. Quite the contrary actually. Instead of Rarity being mad at him and Ember, the two females, by the looks of it, had planned this out without his knowledge, and were both willing to be with him in a relationship with him. However, before he could agree to this, there was one problem still lingering that he needed answered. "If we do this, how will this work?" "What are you talking about, Spike?" Ember wondered. "I mean, if I do agree to this, and us three are in a... what's the term for multiple dragons being in a relationship?" Ember shrugged. "Don't know. I don't even think that dragons have ever bothered to think of an actual name to call it." "Well, we ponies do, and we call it a herd," Rarity said. "Meh. Might as well since we have nothing better to call it." Spike nodded. "In that case, if I do agree to this herd of ours, then how are we going to stay in touch? I mean, Rarity and I live in the middle of Equestria, and you rule over the Dragon Lands. So, how's this gonna work? Unless you somehow renounce your title as Dragon Lord and move to Ponyville, or Rarity and I leave our family, friends, jobs, and homes to be with you, we won't be able to see each other for days, possibly even weeks. And don't get me started on the low success rate for long-distance relationships." "Actually, there is another option," Rarity voiced. "Yeah? Well what is it?" he asked with a hint of skepticism. "As it turns out, Torch was talking to Sol yesterday about the Underkingdom. I don't know the details exactly, but apparently Torch said something to Sol that sparked an idea on how the three of us can be together, without having to worry about any of us moving, or the gap between Ponyville and the Dragon Lands." "And that is?" "We don't know," Ember replied. "The guy said that it was a surprise and refused to tell us." "We tried to ask Twilight, seeing as how Sol had asked for her help in whatever he had planned," Rarity continued, "but even she wouldn't say." "... so we won't have anything to worry about?" Spike slowly asked. "No moving? No traveling problems? No long-distance relationships? Nothing?" "Nope." Slowly, a smile started to form on Spike's lips, knowing that there was a way for this newfound relationship of theirs to work without his initial worries. Happy and filled with relief from his concerns, Spike wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them up against his sides in a hug. "In that case, what kind of a guy would I be to refuse having two lovely girls?" he chuckled. "One that would need his head examined," Ember said, blushing at the contact of Spike holding her against him like this. "It would indeed be questionable," Rarity giggled. "Though I must say, Spike, that you're handling this better than I thought you would." "Hmm? What of you mean?" he wondered. "Well, it's just that when you were younger, you would've given off more of a reaction. Granted your expression after I kissed you was about what I was expecting, but you recovered from it much quicker than I thought you would." Spike chuckled. "You'd be right. I would've probably acted more like you thought I would, but I think that part of the shock was spent when I woke up last evening and saw you two sleeping with me." Believing his reason, Rarity sighed and relaxed as she wiggled around until she was snuggled up comfortably on Spike's left, while Ember, slowly starting to get used to being like this, shifted around and settled down on his right. With the three of them comfortable, they sat and relaxed as they enjoyed the quiet and company of one another. After several minutes had passed, however, their mutual silence was shattered by the sound of Spike's rumbling stomach echoing off of the cave walls. "Heheheh," Spike embarrassingly chuckled. "Guess I didn't know just how hungry I was." "Ember and I figured that you'd be quite famished," Rarity said with a giggle. "After all, it's been almost two full days since you last ate anything." "Yeah. I guess so." "Good thing we brought you some gems for you to eat," Ember said. "You did?" Smirking, Ember nodded and pointed over at the foot of the bed where a five foot tall pile of gems sat. Now noticing the gems before him, Spike unknowingly began to drool as he looked upon the feast. How the hay did in not see that before? "Well, Spike? Are you gonna dig in or not?" "Is this...?" Ember nodded at his unfinished question. "Mhmm. It's all yours." "Ember and I figured that you'd be hungry after you awoke," Rarity added, "and with your new, larger, muscular body, we decided to bring you this." Though there was a definite heated tone in Rarity's voice, Spike didn't notice it as his starving stomach overshadowed it. Completely forgetting about how weak his body was due to his hunger, Spike leaped away from Rarity and Ember, and dove head-first into the pile of gemstones, followed immediately afterwards by the sounds of muffled crunching and moaning from within. "Spike!" Hearing Rarity harshly call his name, Spike popped his head out of the pile and looked back at her with an emerald sticking out of the side of his mouth. Upon seeing Rarity's disapproving look, Spike quickly sucked the emerald into his mouth. "While I understand that you're hungry and haven't eaten for over a day, it's still no excuse for showing such poor eating manners in front of a lady." "I don't see what the problem is," Ember shrugged. "It's just how we dragons normally eat when we're hungry. Didn't Spike, Twilight, and Starlight tell you about when I came over to Ponyville? That's kinda what I was like when I was hungry. Expect there was a lot more belching involved." "Yes, they did tell me. And if I remember correctly, you also started eating the inside of Twilight's castle." "Hey, it's not my fault I didn't know that the walls and crystal silverware weren't meant for eating." Rarity sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, Spike..." Rarity's voice faded when she saw that Spike had buried his head back in the gems that she and Ember had gathered for him. I suppose I can excuse him for his manners this time. An hour had passed since Spike began filling his empty stomach with the gemstones that Rarity and Ember brought to him. Letting out a loud and satisfied sigh, Spike laid back and patted his now full and satisfied stomach. "That was delicious," he sighed. "I'm glad you liked it," Ember happily said, just before she frowned with disappointment. "But now that you're done eating... it's time that we got you over to my dad. He's going to take you and the others back home, and wants to leave as soon as possible." Spike frowned. "Already? But I've barely had any time to spend with the both of you yet." "We know, darling," Rarity agreed. "But we'll fix that in time. For now, let's get you outside. I'm sure the others will be happy to see you up and about again." Nodding in agreement, Spike stood up on his feet. Now that they had a close-up look at Spike standing, Rarity and Ember both blushed at the sight before them. Along with him standing about as tall as Ember, if not a tad bit taller, they also saw how his developed muscles rippled and flexed beneath his scales. However, their moment of ogling him was pushed aside when they saw Spike's legs begin to wobble. Seeing he couldn't keep himself standing and was about to fall, Rarity and Ember rushed to each of his sides to help hold him up. Once they had him secured, they began to easily lower him until he was standing on all fours. During this, Rarity took a moment to note that, thanks to his longer neck, Spike was now over a head taller than her. "Heh. Guess I'm still a bit weak," Spike weakly chuckled. "Probably be a good idea for you to walk on all fours for a while," Ember suggested, to which Rarity nodded in agreement. "Agreed. It will help you to better keep your balance until your strength has recovered enough for you to walk on your own two legs again." Rarity put her hoof up to her chin as a thought hit her. "Now that I think about it, this would also be good practice in helping you fit in when we get home." Spike arched an eyebrow. "'Practice'? What do you mean?" "What I'm trying to say, Spike, is that not everypony in Ponyville may be very receptive of your new size. If you walk in standing tall on two legs, then your new height might intimidate them and send them fleeing..." "But if I walk in on all fours like this, then I'll look less threatening and more approachable," Spike finished, figuring what Rarity was suggesting. Feeling more secured, Spike took a readying breath before taking his first step towards the mouth of the cave entrance. "Now go easy, Spike," Ember warned. "We got you, but we'd still prefer that you take it slow and not stumble or anything." "Alright." Though it was a slow trip, it took them two minutes and one close call before Spike, Rarity, and Ember exited the cave and squinted their eyes at the sunlight shining directly into them. "There he is!" Hearing Twilight's voice, Spike stopped and brought a claw up to shield his eyes from the sunlight. When he did, he saw Starlight, Sol, and Torch all looking at him, while Twilight was already running directly towards him. Seeing what was about to happen, Spike began to brace for impact when Twilight was suddenly lifted off of the ground in a blue magical aura. "Twilight, please, control yourself," Rarity lightly chided, frowning right afterwards when she heard Ember snort at her in amusement. "Look, Spike is still tired and weak. I know that you've been worried about him, but I would ask that you take it easy on him for the time being." Brought down by her words, Twilight calmed herself and reapproached Spike. Stopping just in front of him, she took a moment to look his new height over before she closed the gap and wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders in a hug. "You don't know how relieved I am to see you awake," she said with a small sniffle. Feeling bad about worrying her, Spike wrapped an arm round her and rested his head atop of hers. "I'm sorry, Twilight." Twilight nodded to his words and went silent as she continued to hug her not-so-little brother. And while she would've liked to continue, the sound of Torch clearing his throat caught her attention, along with the others. "As touching as this is," he began with a hint of playful sarcasm, "we really should get going. I'd prefer to get back to the Dragon Lands today before sunset." "Before that." Sol stepped towards the group with three, four inch wide, circular stone amulets held in his magical grasp. "Thanks to an idea from Torch, I was able to figure out a way to fix your long-distance relationship problem." Pulling back from her and Spike's hug, Twilight lit her horn and was handed over the amulets by Sol. With them now in her grasp, she levitated one to Spike, Rarity, and Ember, and placed them around their necks. Curious about the amulet, Spike clutched his in his claw and began to inspect it. On one side he noticed that it had a carving of a dragon on it, while the other side had a carving of a pony, both with magical runes carved along the outside of the amulet. "When Torch and I were talking yesterday, the subject of the Underkingdom was brought up," Sol began explaining. "It was a grave oversight on my part. Torch asked me how I planned to get everypony in Equestria safely to the Underkingdom, but I failed to consider how much Equestria had expanded over the last thousand years. Not to mention the large cities on the opposite coasts. It wasn't until Torch brought up making a portal to bridge the Underkingdom to the other cities that I came up with the idea. Though he originally meant it in jest, it was actually a brilliant idea, one which I thought I'd try in helping you three." "So what are these?" Ember questioned, eyeing her stone amulet. "With Twilight's help, I was able to make these three amulets for each of you. If you'll look, you'll see that one side has a carving of a dragon. If you tap on it twice, you'll be teleported to the front of Ember's cave here at the Dragon Lord's Throne. And if you tap the carving of the pony on the other side twice, you'll be teleported in front of Rarity's Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. But just so you three know, the amulet must wait thirty minutes for it to recharge before you can teleport with it again. Oh, and before I forget, as an added bonus, if you hold your amulet up and call a name into it, you can talk directly to whoever it was you named. So if Ember wanted to talk to Spike, for example, all she'd have to do is say his name and she could start talking to him." "Really?" Rarity wondered. "Yes. Actually, you can thank Twilight for that. It was her idea after all." "Do they work?" Spike eagerly asked, to which Twilight nodded. "They do. Sol, Starlight, and I tested them all to make sure they worked properly before giving them to you. By the way, congratulations to you three on your new relationship." Spike, Rarity, and Ember blushed. "But how did you know he agreed?" Rarity wondered. "Because you've all been blushing ever since you came out of the cave," Twilight happily answered. "And because you've been rubbing up against his side this whole time, Rarity," Starlight added with a smirk. "And judging by the look of your face right now, I doubt that you even knew you were doing it." "Alright, enough with the fluff," Torch snorted impatiently. "Come on and get on. It's time to go. The sooner we get going, the sooner I can get back home." Listening to him, they all made their way over to Torch, who's claw was held out to lift them up. But, before he hopped on, Spike paused. "Wait. If these things are working, then can't we just use them to get back home instead?" "Not a good idea, Spike," Twilight disagreed. "The teleportation of these amulets work similar to that of a unicorn's teleportation spell, and you remember what happened the last time you were teleported with a full stomach, right?" Spike grimaced. "Yeah. Thanks for reminding me," he sourly said. Propping himself up, Spike was about to hop up into Torch's palm when he felt a claw softy land on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Ember looking at him with a crestfallen expression, one that Spike didn't believe belonged on her face and immediately began to dislike. "So... with these things," she began, gesturing to their amulets. "... will I be seeing you tonight?" Smiling softly, Spike turned around and planted a brief kiss on Ember's lips. "You can count on it. Will around sunset work?" Ember's face immediately brightened. "Perfect. I'll come over to you." "That's probably for the best," Rarity agreed. "I'm not so sure how well Spike can handle being teleported that long of a distance in his weakened state." "That's exactly what I was thinking." Giving her a quick goodbye peck, Spike crawled up into Torch's palm and waved to Ember as he and the others were lifted up onto his back, where their luggage, balloon basket, and deflated balloon were all magically secured. Once they got themselves seated down and secured, Torch gave a mighty flap of his wings and launched them up into the air towards Equestria. Several hours had passed since they departed from the Dragon Lands. To help pass the time, Torch explained to Spike what all happened while he was out. While it was minor stuff for the most part, the one that got Spike's attention was when he started talking about what happened to Garble. After Spike had fallen unconscious, he was immediately moved to Ember's cave, seeing as it was nearby and Ember wanted Spike to be somewhere close and safe. Once the Battle Royal was over and Crackle had received her prize, Torch confronted the freshly-healed Garble. Now free to do with him as he pleased, Torch then proceeded to punish Garble in the old ways of his younger years by gripping his wings and forcefully ripping them from his back, branding him as a disgrace amongst dragons. Of course, this old and nearly forgotten punishment ran the risk of death, so Torch called Sol over to heal his wounds, but just enough to leave a pair of stubs on his back where his wings once were. After he was "healed", Torch sent Garble to work in the volcanic mines as the other part of his punishment for that stunt he tried to pull with Ember. While the punishment normally called for the dishonored dragon to be banished, Torch didn't feel comfortable with the thought of Garble wandering about freely. Instead of running the high possibility of him unexpectedly returning and trying to harm Ember to get back at him and Spike, Torch instead wanted to keep him close where he or somedragon else could keep an eye on him at all times. Having given Garble his punishment, Torch sent him off with a pair of dragons to watch over him, but not without first warning Garble that if he tried something like that again, he'd remove a certain pair of something else of his. Seeing that Garble knew immediately what he meant, Torch hid a satisfied smirk when he saw Garble's claws immediately snap protectively over his groin. "And that's it," Torch finished telling his tale. "I doubt that Garble will give any of us anymore trouble." Spike cringed at Torch's story. While he didn't like Garble for what he did to him, and for what he tried to do to Ember, Spike still couldn't help but feel bad for what happened to him. "Spike? Are you alright?" Hearing her voice, Spike looked down at Rarity, who'd made her way over to him soon after takeoff and had remained seated in front of him with her back pressed up against his chest, claiming that she felt more safe and secured beneath his bigger body. "I guess," he frowned. "Just feeling kinda bad for Garble. I mean, I still don't like the guy, and I don't regret what I did to him, but to have his wings removed like that..." Spike shivered at the thought. Granted he'd never had wings to begin with, but the thought of it still made his knees weak just thinking about it. Beneath him, Rarity grimaced and nodded. "I understand how you feel. While I can wholeheartedly agree that Garble is the most despicable brute that I have ever seen, a punishment such as his would be similar to having somepony removing my horn." "It may be a brutal punishment, but it's still fitting for him," Torch said, overhearing Spike and Rarity talking on his back. Looking back, Torch then addressed the rest of them. "I think we're almost there. That's Canterlot Mountain, right?" Twilight teleported to the top of Torch's head and nodded. "It is." "Alright. So where to now?" "You see that glint of light over to the left of the mountain?" Twilight asked, hopping onto the top of his muzzle so he could see where she was pointing. Following her hoof's direction, Torch spotted light reflecting off of a shiny surface. "I see it." "That's my castle." "Alright." Changing direction slightly, Torch flew directly towards what Twilight claimed to be her castle. After another ten minutes of flying had gone by, Torch flew in low and landed as gently as possible behind Twilight's castle. Lowering himself to the ground, Torch then held still while his passengers began to unload and get off of him. "Thank you again for the ride back, Torch," Sol thanked. "Sure. Just don't get too used to me doing this for you all. We may be old friends, Sol, but a trip like this is tiring, even for somedragon like me." "Then we won't," Twilight replied this time. "Thank you again, and hopefully we'll see each other soon." Nodding to Twilight, Torch turned his gaze to Spike. "I've never seen Ember act like the way she did towards you in my entire life, so I'm gonna tell you this only once, Spike," Torch began. "Break my daughter's heart, and I'll break your spine." Spike laughed, believing that Torch was joking with him by playing the big threatening dad card. However, after a moment passed of not hearing others laughing with him, Spike realized that Torch was, most likely, not joking. "... is this another one of those 'that wasn't a joke, that was a fact' deals?" Torch grinned. "You're learning." Gulping nervously, Spike watched as Torch gave a mighty flap of his wings and soared away back to the Dragon Lands. "Well," Starlight groaned, stretching out her stuff limbs from the ride, "that was quite the experience." "This trip was quite something," Twilight agreed. "Actually, I was talking about getting to fly on the back of a dragon. I never thought that I'd ever get to do that. But yeah, that too I guess." "I'm just happy to be back home," Spike said with a tired sigh. "Come on, darling. Let's get you inside and get you laid down," Rarity suggested. "You're sounding a bit tired, and I don't want you up and exerting yourself while you're still recovering." "That's a good idea," Twilight agreed, only for her to groan and facehoof. "Oh, for the love of..." "Something wrong, Twilight?" "I just realized that Spike's too big for his old bed." "So?" Sol questioned. "Can't we just let him use one of the spare beds from one of the guest rooms?" "I can't! Those are for guests, and you never know when a relative or somepony will just show up and stay overnight." "So what? Does this mean that you're going to go get Spike a new bed?" "Yes, but not just yet. First we need to get everything inside the castle and unpack. After that, I'll head over to Quills and Sofas and see what they have." "And where will Spike be staying until then?" Rarity questioned as she and Twilight helped Spike walk to the castle. "The couch in the lounge should be big enough for him. He can stay there until I get back." Twilight paused at the doors to her castle. "By the way, Spike, do you want a regular bed this time, or do you want another bed basket?" Spike hummed in thought as he thought about it before coming to a decision. "You think that I can stick with the bed baskets?" Twilight smiled and pushed started to push open the doors. "Sure. I'll check and see if they have any-" "SURPRISE!!!" Everyone yelped in surprise from the collective voices shouting. Snapping their heads around to see what was happening, Sol, Twilight, Spike, Rarity, and Starlight were all surprised to see that the entrance hall of the castle had been decorated with streamers, confetti, balloons, tables with an assortment of snacks and drinks, and a banner hanging up above that had a picture of Spike's and Rarity's faces in the center of a red heart with the words "Congratulations" written in bold letters above it. And there, standing in the hall with smiles on their faces were Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy, Celestia and Luna, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, who was happily bouncing in joy for her older sister. "What the...?" "I can't believe it's finally happened!" Pinkie shouted excitingly. "After all this time, Rarity and Spike are finally together!" "Pinkie Pie?! How did you know?!" Rarity asked astonished. "Pinkie Sense." Mentally facehoofing for not figuring that one out sooner, Rarity was too distracted to see Sweetie Belle dashing at her in a white blur until she let out an oomph from the impact, followed by the feeling of Sweetie Belle hugging her as best she could. "I'm so happy for you, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle beamed, hugging her for a moment longer before she turned to Spike. "And I'm really happy for you... too... uuhhhhh..." In their excitement at the good news, neither Sweetie Belle nor any of the others noticed until now that Spike was now a lot bigger than he was when they last saw him. Not believing what she was seeing, Sweetie Belle gawked as she looked Spike up and down, looking over the young dragon that not just a few days ago was just as tall as she was. "What the...? Spike? How did you...?" she stammered, receiving an unsure look from Spike. "... this is gonna take some getting used to," Spike muttered, referring to how different it was to see Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders from his new height. "Whoa! Dude! What happened to you?!" Scootaloo asked as she and Apple Bloom ran up to him. "It's not the greed growth again we've heard about, is it?" Luna cautioned, using her magic to run a scan over Spike. "No, Princess, it's not that this time," Rarity blushed. Celestia stepped forward towards them. "If it's not that, then what is it?" Letting out a chuckle, Sol walked up to Celestia and exchanged a nuzzle. "You might want to sit down for this, mother. A lot has happened these last few days, and we've got quite the story to tell you all." Remaining silent, Celestia nodded as she and the others followed Sol, Twilight, Rarity, and Spike into the lounge. But while they were all leaving to listen to what happened, Starlight paused mid-step when she saw Pinkie looking up at the banner with a frown. "Pinkie? Are you alright?" she asked, having a sneaking suspicion that the pink pony was feeling bad for the party having gone off the tracks like this. "Hmm? Sorry, Starlight. What were you saying?" "Uhh. I was just wondering if you were alright. You seemed kinda off." "Nah, I'm fine." "But that face you were making-" Starlight blinked as Pinkie started giggling. "Oh, that? I was just thinking to myself how now I'll have to plan another party for Spike's growth spurt." Pinkie then turned towards where the others left and bounced after them. "But I wanna hear what happened on your guys' trip first. It sounded like you guys had a lot of fun while you were there." Letting out a sigh, Starlight watched as Pinkie disappeared around the corner. Fun, huh? Guess that's one way of putting it.