Originally published on January 16, 2019
Early morning, high above the skies of Equestria, Twilight and Spike flew above the fluffy clouds. The sun hadn't yet risen above the horizon, but the orange sky in the East was an indicator that it would be up soon. The two were very playful.
"I'm gonna catch you!" Twilight teased.
"Oh no you won't!" Spike laughed.
Twilight chased after Spike.
"Watch out, I'm a cyborg princess!" Twilight said, referencing her new metal wing. "I'm gonna catch you and turn you into a vicious beast! And conquer Equestria!" she mocked.
"Oh no. But I want to be me! I can't let my dragon roots take over! I have to be true to myself!" Spike said in an over exaggerated tone.
Spike was flying, and it seemed like he was in the clear. When all of the sudden, Twilight popped out of the cloud in front of him.
"Gotcha!" she exclaimed.
"AH!"
"AH-"
*BONK*
They bump into each other, tumbled and landed on a cloud. They exchanged an awkward look.
"HAHAHAA!" they both laughed uncontrollably.
They laughed until they ran out of breath. They then decided to just stay put, and lay down on the cloud together and cuddle. They took the time to just enjoy, the simpler things in life. The fresh air, the cool breeze, the softness of the clouds.
"Oh Spike, I'm so proud of you." Twilight said. "You really are so extraordinary."
"Oh please, I wouldn't be half the dragon I am were it not for your guidance. You made me who I am."
Twilight just smiled.
"I love you Spike. You're the best assistant, excuse me, the best knight a princess could hope for..."
"Thank you Twilight. You're the best... *ahem* you're my best friend. I love you too."
"So, what exactly is going to be different from now on?" Spike asked.
"Many things. You'll be involved with many important duties. You'll basically be royalty. Maybe you'll even be in charge of solving your own friendship problem." Twilight replied.
"Any challenge that fate may throw my way, I'm ready for anything." Spike said.
"That's good to hear. You're so grown up now." she said.
"So does this mean that I'm too grown up to ride on your back?" he asked.
"Yes." Twilight said affirmatively. "Besides, you have your own wings now. That are probably better than mine..."
"Well whatever. Not that I'm going to miss rides anyway. Just like I won't miss the coziness of you putting me to sleep..."
Twilight snuggled Spike closer.
"Hehe. Not everything has to change so drastically." Twilight said.
Twilight crawled forward and embraced Spike. She began to sing Spike a lullaby.
"Nice try Twilight, but I'm too old for..." *yawn* His eyes grew heavy. "Is it bed time already?" he tried to resist, but he gave in.
Even though Spike was her knight, deep down, he was still her child. Spike dozed off and leaned against Twilight. She smiled and cuddled with him. Twilight also rested her eyes, but ended up falling asleep too. They both rested their eyes, but ended up taking a short nap on the clouds.
"You make me feel so safe. I promise to make sure nothing happens to you again, so long as you promise to protect me." Twilight whispered.
"Of course. For as long as I live." Spike said while dozing off.
.
.
.
Some time later, Spike opened his eyes, but had to squint, because the sun was in his eyes.
"Wow... it's beautiful." he said.
Twilight also woke up just in time to watch the sun rise. The direct sunlight reflected off the clouds, creating literal silver linings. The orange glow of the sky onto the clouds was a sight to behold.
"Wow, Equestria is so beautiful from high up." Spike said.
"Mmm hmm. It almost makes you forget about all your worries." Twilight said.
"Yeah, almost..." he said.
Twilight knew what was on Spike's mind.
"You're thinking about Henry aren't you?" she asked.
"...yeah..." he replied.
It wasn't easy to forget about Henry. The pony that, Spike recently found out, was the one who originally discovered his egg. And then Henry kidnapped him and later tried to hurt Twilight.
*sigh* "Why Spike? What do you see in him? He's crazy."
*sigh* "You know, I really shouldn't give him any thought, but, he did save my egg. Were it not for him, I wouldn't be here. I would never have met you were it not for him."
"But Spike, he kidnapped you, and tried to hurt us. He would have gone all the way had you not defeated him."
There was an awkward pause when Twilight said that last part of her sentence.
"...You did defeat Henry right?" Twilight asked.
"...sure, you call call him defeated..." Spike said hesitantly.
"What happened on top of that mountain? Is there anything you haven't told me yet?" Twilight asked.
"...maybe." Spike replied.
"What was the last thing Henry said to you? Come on, tell me. No secrets between us." Twilight requested.
"Well... this is what happened..." Spike said.
Spike explained what exactly happened after the three of them plummeted from Mt. Everhoof.
Flashback to the last time Spike ever saw Henry.
.
.
.
Previously, Spike, Henry, and an unconscious Twilight fell down the side of Mt. Everhoof. Details were spotty, but Spike remembers closing his eyes, and things going dark. That was until he heard a voice speak out.
"Spike..."
Spike opened his eyes, he and Twilight were on an unstable ledge. Henry clung onto the side, dangling above the abyss below.
*gasp* "Henry!" Spike called out.
"Go, get out of here Spike!" Henry exclaimed.
"What?" Spike asked.
"I said go! Help Twilight. Use your wings and get yourselves to safety." he said.
"But I can't really fly just yet." Spike said.
"Yes you can, I know you have it in you." Henry said.
What an oddly encouraging thing for him to say. Spike thought.
"But what about you?" Spike asked.
"What about me? You hate me, you don't care if I plummet to my death." Henry said.
"I don't hate you Henry... *sniff* I'm just disappointed in you. You saved me, and brought me to Canterlot, where I met Twilight. It's just such a shame that you kidnapped me and attacked my friends. You could have been so much more... *sniff* You could have been somepony for me to look up to." Spike cried. Tears ran down Spike's eyes.
Henry paused to think.
"All this time, I thought I wanted power, and revenge. I thought that reuniting with you would give it to me. But if I've realized anything, it's that all I really wanted... was to see... my boy again..." Henry said.
"Henry..."
"I let you down, Spike. I thought I could give you a purpose, by exploring your inner dragon. But I got carried away, and used you to fuel my evil plan." Henry confessed.
"Come on Henry. Join us. We're a really forgiving group. Apologize to Twilight and Celestia, and we can be together..."
"No, it's too late for me. Besides, you can't save both me and Twilight." Henry said.
"Yes I can! I know I can!" Spike exclaimed.
"You don't have the strength to lift both of us, now go. Go to her, save her, she needs you more than I do... You're going to save her, and when you do, everypony is going to look up to you as a hero. Just like you deserve..."
*sniff* Spike was getting teary eyed.
*crack* The mountain side was getting less stable.
"Don't go Henry! We can start over, starting now!"
"Good bye Spike... it feels like I hardly knew you..."
Henry let go of the ledge, and fell down the mountain side.
"Henry!" Spike cried.
*crack*
There was no time to spare. The rest of the ledge was ready to collapse. Spike grabbed onto Twilight, and flew her up the mountain, where the story continues and he meets up with his friends.
"He fell down the cliff. And it seems like no pony has seen him since..." Spike said.
"So... you think he meant it?" Twilight asked.
"Personally, I think so... Or at least, I hope so... I think he was a corrupted pony, who could have been saved. Maybe I'm being gullible and buying a lie, but I wanna believe..." Spike lamented.
Twilight paused, not sure what to think. Spike laid on his side, as if he was feeling uneasy.
"Don't you wish that things could have panned out slightly different? Like, Henry not being evil?" Spike asked.
"I mean, of course, I don't ever aim to make enemies. But, he proved that he didn't want anything to do with friendship." Twilight replied.
*sigh* "You know, I used to have dreams of meeting my parents... but now... when I close my eyes, and try to imagine my parents, instead I see you, and I see... him..." Spike confessed.
Twilight blinked twice, sort of amazed by what Spike said.
"How do you honestly feel about him? Be honest. Don't leave out any details just because I'm here." Twilight requested.
"Well, you know, I'm just disappointed that, he's the closest I've ever been to my origins, but he turned out to be evil. Like does that mean I was destined for evil? I could have learned so much, and he probably had so much to teach me about myself... but he was more interested in turning me into a big evil dragon..." Spike said.
You would think that Twilight would be jealous, that Spike is interested in a different pony to look after him. But she understands his sentiments. Henry was a pony who could have taught Spike things about dragons that she was not aware of. Nopony wants to make enemies, and Twilight too wonders what it would have been like if he didn't turn evil. He could've been an ally with great knowledge of dragons. That being said, he did try to kill her, so she was very conflicted.
We still don't know what happened to Henry, if he's still out there or not. He could have perished, or he could still be out there... Twilight thought. She didn't like Henry, but was willing to listen to what Spike had to say.
"What would you say to Henry if you met him again?" Twilight asked.
"If I ever saw him again, I would tell him that, I'm truly grateful for what he did. For giving me the opportunity to live, and to meet you. I think that's all he really wanted, was to be appreciated by me." Spike said.
"Well, um, if we ever do find Henry, I'll um, try to reach some sort of... compromise I guess." Twilight said reluctantly.
"Promise? Even after everything he did?" Spike asked.
"I promise Spike." Twilight replied.
She wasn't sure how she felt about the idea of ever befriending Henry, considering the damage he did to her, but if Spike had believed, then she owed it to herself to give him a chance.
"Now what do you say we head back to Ponyville?" Twilight asked.
"I'm right with you." Spike replied.
Twilight and Spike took to the air and headed home to the castle. The view in the air was spectacular.
"You can see so much from up here." Spike said in amazement. "I can see our home from here!" He pointed to Twilight's castle down below in Ponyville.
"Let's fly home Spike." Twilight said.
"I'm right behind you Twilight."
"No, you're right beside me, as equals." Twilight said, smiling.
"Not if I get there first! Race ya!" Spike rushed ahead of her.
"Come here you!" Twilight said playfully.
Twilight and Spike raced through the sunbathed clouds, and headed home.
As for their future journeys, it is hard to say what shape they may take. So much has changed throughout this journey.
There is one thing that is certain, however, and it is that so long as Twilight Sparkle watches upon everyone in Equestria, her faithful knight Spike would be there by her side. Always and forever. With love to spare.
The End.
For now...?