MY HEART!!
I like to think about my self as a forgiving dragon, Garbles assertion that dragons don't do forgiveness notwithstanding. But this ape faced fuck just stepped on my heart!
I reared to my full height, finally clearing the tree tops of the Everfree for the first time in the five years since I woke up. Everypony and that wannabe edgy, jerk-faced, magic stealing, ass clown all looked at me in every facial expression from smugness on Twilight's face, to pure WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT! On Poor little Flurry Heart's face. In my Hundred year sleep I had grown significantly and had I stood next to Canterlot castle would have been able to stick my head in the Princesses study to have tea. Tirek, as large as he was, was dwarfed by me. I still had no wings, and was more serpentine than the bulkier dragons I had met. My head, on the other claw, was packed with muscles all culminating into my neck and broad shoulders allowing me to burrow in the earth and stone as if I were a scaled, clawed, fire breathing worm... Which I guessed I was, a Wyrm that is.
"Sweetie Belle, Platinum Pipes, Fashion Forward, Whip Stitch, Songbird, and Serenade. Do you know who they are Tirek?" I bellowed from my clearing. Not waiting for him to answer I continued, "They are my HEART! The Blood of my love, my chosen Mate! Last time you were here, you hurt MY Blood, now you have hurt my MATES!" I threw myself into my element and burrowed into the earth letting my innate tremor sense tell me exactly where his giant stupid hooves touched the earth, only to erupt from the ground like some hell beast.
I tore into his softer underbelly with my claws, breathing fire the whole time, scorching flesh and fur and muscle in equal measure, drawing a pained bellow from the centaur as I ripped his innards out leaving his perforated midsection leaking the magic he had stolen. I wrapped around him like a malevolent serpent tripping him and holding his arms to his sides, not exactly being careful about how tight I was squeezing, feeling his bones shatter like glass under my scales.
Looking into his eyes and seeing the fear and pain, I spoke directly into his face. "You will not survive this, Tartarus is too good for you. Twilight? Everypony please do not watch this. We will speak soon."
"Sure, Spike, Talk to you in a bit." Twilight replied with that smug look still on her muzzle. I heard her say to Celestia as they all turned their backs "I told you he was awake, I'll take that bag of bits please."
"Very well Twilight, Luna I'll be taking both bags from you please." Celestia said with a smirk in her voice.
As I worked my inner bellows to stoke my flames hotter and hotter I head Twilight say indignantly "You both bet on this too?!"
Finally I got my flames as hot as I could get them, the radiant heat off my scales was enough to scorch flesh on the centaur and I saw his pupils shrink to pinpricks as he thought about what I was about to do, he was wrong, what I had planned was much worse. I gripped his lower jaw and, tearing muscle and skin as I ripped it as wide as I could, let loose my flames in a torrent. The flames charred his insides as it traveled down his gullet cooking him from the inside out. Once my flames had done their work I loosened my coils and with a flick of my tail I tossed his mangled corpse back into my clearing in the Everfree.
Turning to my friends I said simply, "I'll deal with the rest later."
Twilight turned and ran to me as I lowered my head to her level and latched onto my muzzle in a hug. "I knew it! I knew you had woken up! You should have been awake five years ago! Where have you been!" She said slapping my scales in between her hugs.
I just looked at her very pointedly gesturing to my fifty foot length and much more fearsome appearance "And how exactly would the town have reacted to me walking up to your castle bellowing 'Hey Twi! I'm Home!' seriously Twilight I love you but you are at once the smartest and the dumbest pony I know."
Twilight put a hoof behind her head rubbing her neck sheepishly "hehe, yeeah, didn't really think about that. Almost no one knows who you are anymore other than as my pudgy little assistant in the old stories."
Flurry Heart comes up to me and kneels, "The Crystal Empire has never and will never forget Spike, The Brave and Glorious. Though we may need to update your statue in the town square."
"Please Flurry, I've helped change your diapers, you never need to kneel to me. Cadance is my sister as much as Twilight is, I'm just Uncle Spike to you. Always have been, Always will be." I said with a small smile. Turning to Cadance I smirked "Still with the brave and glorious bit huh? Seriously I'm not the one that got chucked like a spear by their mate to catch that heart. All I did was run up and down a bunch of stairs"
"Hey what can I say, better they revere you as the restorer of the Crystal Heart than revile my dear Shiny for tossing their Empress." Cadance said with a giggle.
By this time the shelters had sounded the all clear and were starting to empty out. I saw My Heart walk out, and I lowered myself to the ground in front of the crowd so as not to spook them.
"Spike?" I heard Sweetie say and even with the quaver of age in her voice I could still hear her as if it were still our youth.
"Yes, My Heart. I'm home, and I will stay this time. To guard my Heart, I will stay by your side as long as you will have me."
"Heart? You mean that pendant you gave Rarity? We could dig it out of the rubble if you want it back. I mean it might take a while..." Sweetie trailed off at my laughter.
"Sweetie, you walking dictionary, my Heart stands beside you. Platinum Pipes, Fashion Forward, Whip Stitch, Songbird and Serenade. You, and they, are my Heart. The beings that My Love, My Mate, Rarity, loved more than her own life. Rarity did not share my love for her, but my Draconic heart had chosen for me, I will for eternity be tied to her spirit and Generosity. I gave her that stone because besides my love for her, it was my most precious possession." I said chuckling "While she was not a dragon, I loved her as if she were. When a Dragon's Mate dies, the other uses the remainder of their life to look after what is left of their Heart. I will always be near, always watching, stopping threats before you can be hurt. As long as Rarity's has living family, I will be their Guardian. Any they choose to have around them will never fear from me, or any other threat." I continued with some measure of sadness in my voice
"Ponyville never need fear anything again. I am a hundred and twenty five years old, and I will live for millennia, I will always be here for you, My Heart." I wrapped myself around the Castle of Friendship and was content to watch as Sweetie doddered over to me with the little twins Songbird and Serenade.
"This is your Uncle Spike, he will always protect us, and he tells the greatest stories."
After all I did just tell this one didn't I?