//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty:Epilogue:The Undestined Hero // Story: Time Stops For No Dragon // by FluttershyLover55 //------------------------------// Time Stops For No Dragon Chapter 30-Epilogue:The Undestined Hero The Princesses had sensed when Spike arrived and made sure that he and Fluttershy were given a room together. They seemed to be in comas, although they were both barely breathing. Even after several days, their conditions didn't seem to be any better. The Princesses held a ceremony for Spike, honoring him as one of Equestria's greatest heroes and rewarding him with a medal. Celestia admired his dedication and sacrifice, holding onto the medal for whenever he woke up. It wouldn't feel right giving it to him while he was unconscious and she remained hopeful that he would eventually awaken, though the chance wasn't very high. Both Princesses took time out of their busy schedules to visit whenever they could and his five friends stopped by as often as possible. Twilight had even been by his side the entire time, refusing to leave. The best doctors were on the case, using the latest in magic and technology to keep Fluttershy and Spike breathing. Their injuries were serious, his in particular, and it wasn't an easy task. There was no improvement in either of their conditions, until one of the doctor's had the bright idea to push their beds right next to each other, thinking that they would be able to sense each other's presence and somehow improve. They had been told of how close they were before the incident, so that's why they thought to try it. Surprisingly, this worked and their conditions began to slowly improve, as their cutie marks started glowing. The doctors had never seen anything like it and they were unsure how to explain what was happening. Celestia and Luna were watching this happen from the sidelines. "Sister, what do you think is going on here? From the injuries they have sustained, I'd say that they should be dead and yet, they are still here. Not to mention the fact that they are healing faster than normal." "I'm not entirely sure, since I haven't seen anything like this before, Luna. However, I think that it has something to do with the Elements of Harmony. The Elements try to protect those that bear them and that includes preventing them from dying. In this case, I think that since both of their Elements are connected to each other specifically, their closer proximity is making them resonate, speeding up the healing process. That would also explain why their cutie marks are glowing, since Spike got his due to his Element and Fluttershy is connected to him." Celestia explained. "I see. So, what you're saying is that with any luck they should be waking up soon?" Luna asked. "Yes, that should be the case." Celestia confirmed. The Princess of the Night walked over to Fluttershy's bed, gasping softly upon noticing something strange. She spoke quietly in a whisper, since Twilight was sleeping nearby. "Celestia, can you come over here for a moment? Fluttershy is, well…There's something that you need to see." The urgent tone of her sister led her to come quickly. "What is it, Luna?" Once the Princess of the Sun saw what her sister had been referring to, she sighed. "Oh dear, this isn't good at all." "What are we going to do, Sister? Should we do something? If she turns out to be…we might have to…" Luna was struggling with her words, but Celestia had no such problem. "No, before anything else, we need to wait for Spike to wake up. I have a feeling that he's the only one who can provide us with the answers we need. One thing is for certain, though. We're going to have a long chat with Spike when he awakens and when he does, he will be in BIG trouble!" They were of course, referring to the changes starting to become visible on Fluttershy's body. It wasn't TOO noticeable unless one knew what to look for, but her ears had become a little more pointed at the tips and since her mouth was parted slightly, the fangs that were beginning to grow in were visible. Celestia and Luna left the room, casting worried glances over their shoulder on the way out. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Spike awoke a few hours later. He didn't recognize his surroundings at first, but when he did he breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to get them to the hospital safely. Attempting to use magic in his weakened state was dangerous and there was no guarantee that they would end up at the place he wanted them to or even in one piece, for that matter. He was glad to know that it had worked, because if it hadn't, he wouldn't even be alive right now. And Fluttershy…speaking of the butter yellow mare, where was she? He looked to his right and saw a bed next to his, which contained the very same pony that he was hoping to see. He smiled, although it quickly turned into a frown when he saw how pale she was. He could just barely see the rise and fall of her chest as she lay there, letting him know that she was alive. He failed to notice Twilight sleeping nearby, all of his focus on watching Fluttershy breathe, as if his gaze would somehow help her continue to do so. He couldn't believe that it had worked! This was one time, he was certainly glad that an old myth turned out to be true. He really owed Thorn one for this, not that he could ever repay him, since the price would be too great and he didn't exist anymore. Judging from the pale color of her skin, though, he could tell that the transformation wasn't easy on her body. The changes were happening on the inside as well, so there was a lot going on behind the scenes. He was feeling a lot better than he was before despite being sore, so he climbed out of the bed and went to Fluttershy's side, grabbing her hoof in his hand. She felt rather cold to the touch, but she was slowly regaining her warmth. "What have I done? I could have saved her, if I had been strong enough. I wouldn't have had to turn her into a monster, if I were! I feel bad about doing this to her, especially after seeing how rough it is on her, but at the same time, she wouldn't be alive if it weren't for that, so I'm happy about it." He thought to himself. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry. I don't deserve to be called your knight. I can't believe that I used to consider myself worthy of such a title." He sighed, not realizing that his last few sentences had been spoken out loud. "Spike, you might be more qualified for that position than you think." Twilight walked up behind him and put her hoof on his shoulder, having awakened when she heard him talking. "I don't know what happened, but you've done more for her than anypony else, whether you think so or not. Nopony is perfect and in my opinion, you've more than proven yourself at this point. And if Fluttershy can't see that, then it's her loss." Spike let go of Fluttershy's hoof and turned around to face Twilight. "I'm not sure if she feels as strongly about it as you do, but thanks for saying that. It DOES make me feel a little better, I'll admit." He smiled. "It's good to see you again, Twilight." Twilight pulled him into a hug, holding him for a moment. "I'm so glad that you're safe, Spike. You have no idea how worried I was about you! I was almost certain that you weren't coming back or at least, that's what it felt like when you left the Library." She said, with tears in her eyes. Spike pulled away, looking annoyed, although there was still the hint of a smile on his face. "Gee, thanks for believing in me, Twilight." "Oh, come on, Spike. You know that's not what I meant." Twilight chuckled. "Oh! I just remembered that I was supposed to tell you to go meet with the Princesses in the castle. They told me to let you know, as soon as you woke up. I wonder what was so important that they had to speak with you in private?" "I'm as clueless as you are, Twi, but I'm guessing that it has something to do with my quest. I'd better go see them, before they get tired of waiting." "Of course, Spike. We can talk more, later." Twilight said goodbye, as the dragon attempted to use magic to teleport. Nothing happened, other than him clutching his head in pain. "Spike! You shouldn't be trying to use magic, right now! Although you might be feeling better, you're still recovering, so it will do your body more harm than good to attempt to channel the arcane arts through it." Twilight warned him. "Here. You should have just asked!" Her horn lit up and surrounded him in a magenta glow, sending him on his way in a flash of light. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX He appeared right in the Throne room, where Princess Celestia and Luna were waiting for him. "It is good to see that you are well, Spike." Luna greeted him. "Yes, I'm happy about that, as well." Celestia agreed. Both of their expressions quickly turned serious. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, it's time to get down to business. Do you have any idea why we called you here?" Celestia asked. "Well, I assumed that it was because you wanted me to tell you about my battle with Starswirl. I couldn't imagine what else it would be. Heh heh." Spike was getting more nervous by the second. He was beginning to think that he had done something wrong. "Spike, it's no use hiding it. We know what you've done and 'tis not something to be taken lightly." Luna stated. "Yes, we know all about the Drakenshire, but what we want to know is how YOU found out how to transform Fluttershy into one. Such magic hasn't been seen in over a century, so it stands to reason that you had some outside help. It would have had to be somepony who was around back then and the only one besides us would have been…Discord. But, we saw his statue crumble right before our eyes!" Celestia pointed out. Spike was forced to explain what happened to Thorn and how he had saved Fluttershy using the information left to him. "I see. Well, it matters not how you obtained the knowledge, know that what you have done is a crime. Blood rituals, especially between dragons and ponies are forbidden, as well as dangerous. The Drakenshire are an inherently evil race and as such, there wasn't a good one in the bunch. As much as my sister and I are ashamed to admit it, we hunted down every member to extinction hundreds of years ago. Well, there might be one or two around, but they are hidden away, to the point where they'll most likely never be found. We wiped all traces of them from the history books, so that no one would ever learn how to perform the ritual to become one or seek out survivors of the race. Now, do you see why this is such a big deal?" Luna explained, completely serious. Spike needed to know just how much trouble he was in. "I'm starting to." "Yes, this is a very serious offense. Long ago, when the Drakenshire were still around, those that had broken the rules as you have, were executed outright and in rare cases, thrown into the dungeon for the rest of their life. You might not understand the reasoning behind it, but due to the nature of the ritual, it was often crueler to let them live. You see, the pony and dragon that took part in the ritual initiated what is known as, a 'blood bond'. The two creatures destinies', as well as ultimate fates, are intertwined, forever inseparable. They become one in mind, body, and soul, able to speak to each other telepathically. One of the side effects of this is similar to a love potion. Those that are bound by blood can't stand to be apart for long and if the other dies, then they become so depressed that nothing can cure them. That is why when we were forced to kill one of them, oftentimes it was nicer to take the other out as well rather than let them suffer. Sometimes, depending on how close they were in their relationship, they would even die on the spot." Celestia informed, shaking her head sadly. "We can't let this go without a punishment of some sort." Luna told him. "It might be best to get rid of you now, before the transformation is complete." Celestia agreed. The image of his once benevolent rulers had been shattered by their harsh words, leaving behind a twisted, fractured display. Spike gulped, suddenly feeling very cold and alone. "Y-You're going to kill us?" In the silence that followed his hesitant statement, his fear took a backseat to anger. "You know what? No! I won't accept this kind of treatment, after all that I've done for you and for all of Equestria! I mean, what else could I have done? I was trying to save an innocent pony's life, and I don't see what's wrong with that. I guess, this is what I get for being a hero." He paused, making up his mind. "I didn't know what I was doing, but even now that I do, I wouldn't change the way I handled things. If you want to kill us, then be my guest, but know this: I will fight until my last breath to keep her safe. I don't care if I have to sacrifice myself in the process, as long as Fluttershy gets to live! I…" "That's enough, Spike. That was exactly what we were hoping to hear." Spike had been pacing back and forth during his rant, and the Princess of the Sun's interruption stopped him in his tracks. "Huh?" Both Princesses now had warm smiles on their faces, looking almost like…they were proud of him? "Spike, going from a pony to a Drakenshirian is rough on the body. There will be a lot of changes that she will have to get used to. Fluttershy will need you now more than ever, and we had to make sure that you were determined enough to take responsibility for your actions. Since your souls are now bonded, it's important that you stay by her side, because she will be devastated and so will you, if you were to ever part. Although that WAS what we used to do, we weren't actually planning to execute one of Equestria's greatest heroes, not to mention one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Now, we see that we should have never doubted the strength of your devotion." Luna explained thoroughly. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the doors were slammed open, revealing an out of breath pegasus. Spike turned around to see who it was, and was shocked by the appearance of the last pony he expected to see. "Fl-Fluttershy…is that you? How did you get here?" Her recovery had happened faster than anypony expected. "I had…Twilight teach me…how to teleport." She said, in between breaths. "It was easier than I thought, since all I had to do was think about you and it was like I somehow knew exactly where you were. I've never used magic before, though, so it took more out of me than I thought it would. I just…I felt like you were in danger." Fluttershy didn't know how to put it into words, but that was the gist of it. With her piece being said, she galloped towards Spike and tackled him to the ground, planting kisses all over his face. "You saved me, Spike! Just like I knew you would!" She slowed down, planting one last kiss on his lips. They both melted into the kiss with sighs of pleasure, having waited for this moment for so long. He pulled back, holding her face in his hands. He took this time to take in her features, observing the changes. Her wings and tail, as well as her mane were left unchanged, though the tips of her ears were now pointed slightly. Her fur was also pretty much unchanged, although it seemed to be a bit coarser in texture than it used to be. Her fangs had grown into her mouth now, as well, her teeth were now similar to Spike's. Her eyes, although they were now the color of crimson instead of teal, contained the same kindness they always had. This was the same mare he had always known, despite her transformation. "Of course, I did. I made a promise to you that I would, even if you weren't able to hear it." Celestia and Luna exchanged knowing looks and cleared their throats loudly, reminding the two of their presence. Fluttershy backed away from Spike, as they both blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry." They said in sync. "It's quite all right, Fluttershy. We know that you two need some time alone. But before that, we need to speak with Spike privately. Also, we're glad that you are okay, as well." Celestia said and Fluttershy nodded. "Oh, okay. I'll be waiting for you outside, Spike!" Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek, smiling wide enough to reveal her fangs, as she left the room. Spike watched her leave with a dopey smile on his face, finding her to be as cute as ever, maybe even more so with her new fangs. He sighed. "She's so beautiful!" "So, when is the wedding?" Luna asked, teasingly. "Huh? Uh, I haven't asked her yet. I'm not sure that she would even want to marry someone like me, to be honest." Spike said, bashfully. "Are you serious? Anypony can see that she absolutely ADORES you! She can't be with anypony else now that you're bonded, nor does she have any desire to. Although I suspect that was already the case, even before you became bonded. Either way, you two are made for each other and if you can't see that, then you need some glasses." Celestia joked. "Haha, I guess so." Spike chuckled. "Joking aside, since you don't have any experience or at least any of the positive variety when it comes to dealing with Drakenshirians, we thought it was a good idea to warn you. Fluttershy might be inclined to act a little differently now, although her core personality shouldn't be affected. It's not something to be worried about, as in she won't suddenly turn evil or anything. The Drakenshire are evil, but she embodies the Element of Kindness and I'm sure that her good heart will protect her from that. Now then, let's get started." Luna cleared her throat, before continuing. "Drakenshirians are territorial by nature, so they don't like it when anypony steps into their domain uninvited. Also, they mate for life, so once you've gone that far with her, you wouldn't be able to get rid of her if you tried, though I suspect that she already won't leave you. They are possessive of their mates and get extremely aggressive if they feel that somepony is trying to make a move on their mate. They can get a bit clingy at times, as they are very affectionate. If you are wondering why Fluttershy's appearance hasn't changed all that much, it's because Drakenshirians have two forms. The first one is mostly normal, but the other is more reptilian in nature and it only comes out when they feel threatened or are very angry. That's about it, but there is one last thing." Luna leaned in close, to whisper in his ear. "Like most creatures, Drakenshirians go into heat, except it is a little more intense than a normal pony's. I won't go into all the specifics, since it will be more fun for you to discover that for yourself, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Those of the Drakenshire race are very fertile normally, although this increases during heat, so I don't think you'll have any problems getting her to agree to 'bear your foals', as you put it." Spike's face was beet-red when she backed away from him, his cheeks practically on fire with embarrassment. "Wha-How did you know about that?" "Don't you remember? At night, I like to travel through the dreams of my subjects and I passed through yours, briefly." Luna revealed. "Oh, right." Spike remembered, uncomfortably. "All right, Luna. I think we've embarrassed him enough, for now. You are free to go, Spike. Thank you for everything you've done for us. We had a ceremony to honor you while you were still out of it and here's your medal of heroism." She floated the medal over to him and it settled around his neck. Spike shook his head. "I didn't do anything special. If anything, I should be the one thanking both of you. Although I always wanted to be a hero, I knew in my heart that I wasn't destined to be one. If you hadn't changed my destiny, then none of this would have been possible and my life is much better than it was before! I might have been an undestined hero, but you made it happen for me, so I will be forever grateful to you. Is there anything I can do to repay you?" "On the contrary, we owe a tremendous debt to YOU. But, if you really want to help, then why don't you become a guard at the castle?" Celestia offered. "I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't leave Fluttershy like that. I know how long the hours are for that job." Spike refused, politely. "Come on, Spike. If you really don't want to, then we'll understand, but at least think about it first. We'll let you choose your own hours and you will be paid a higher amount than the others, due to your hero status. Fluttershy can come visit you whenever she wants and as a bonus, you will have more money than you know what to do with. If you accept this job, then you can provide for Fluttershy and your future family. In other words, you will be set for life and never have to worry about money again." Luna said, taking over for her sister. Spike smiled, knowing that there was no way for him to refuse such a generous offer. He would be an idiot if he let this chance pass him by. "Okay. In that case, I accept. When do I start?" Celestia smiled, mischievously. "We have a feeling that you will need some time to get reacquainted with Fluttershy and you deserve some time off. You can start in a few months." Spike was surprised by such a long break, but it wasn't like he was complaining. If all went well, he and Fluttershy could get married in that amount of time. He thanked the Princesses once again and exited the room. Fluttershy was waiting right outside, like she had promised. "Hey, Spike." She greeted, flashing him a sweet smile. She was curious about what they had talked about, but she figured that it was none of her business, so she didn't worry about it. "Hey, Fluttershy. Guess what?" "What?" "I got a job as a guard!" He grinned. "Oh my gosh, Spike! That's wonderful!" She hugged him tightly, as they celebrated. It was short-lived, however, once a particular thought crossed her mind. "But, if you're away all the time, then other girls might try to take you away from me." She growled. "It won't be all the time and besides, you can visit anytime you want to. Also, you realize that the only guards we see are all male, right? It's not like I'm going to be hanging out with other women. I only want you, Fluttershy." Spike promised. "Good, because I only want you, Spike." Fluttershy told him, happily. "Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, are you ready to head home?" "Of course. Let's go!" Fluttershy exclaimed. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They decided to take the train back and visited everypony on the way to their home. Spike explained his whole adventure to them and when he was done, he visited Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner. There was something very important that he had to tell her and he was just hoping that she wouldn't take the news badly. "So, Spike…What did you want to talk about? Was it about our kiss, because if so, I didn't say anything to anypony, I promise! I got the feeling that it was something that was best kept between ourselves. I mean, who KNOWS how they would react, right?" Pinkie blurted, speaking what was on her mind, without paying attention to who was in the room with her. Fluttershy growled and glared at the pink party pony from where she was sitting, cuddled up against the side of the dragon as close as she could get. The look sent chills down Pinkie's spine, making her gulp involuntarily. "Spike, how come this is the first I'm hearing of this?" She asked, menacingly. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I should have told you sooner, but I never got around to it. A lot happened while you were possessed and there was no guarantee that I would be able to get you back, as bad as that may sound. Don't worry, though. That's why I'm here in the first place. I wanted to let her know, that I have no intention of ever leaving your side again." Spike reassured. They were speaking mentally, having played around with it on the train ride, until they had figured out how to do it. It came naturally to them and he was just glad that if somepony had to be hearing his thoughts, it was her. The Princesses had removed the receiver in his brain left over from his first adventure while he was asleep in the hospital, so she was truly the only one who could understand what he was thinking now. "Good. Sorry for overreacting, but I'm still working on controlling my new emotions. A sudden surge of jealousy and possessiveness overcame me for a minute there, and I couldn't help it. I want you all to myself, if that's not too much to ask." Fluttershy said, having returned to her normal state. "You don't have to apologize to me, it's okay. I completely understand, since I don't exactly want to share YOU with anypony either." Spike replied. "Uh, yikes. Just forget I mentioned it, then. Heh, heh." Pinkie backtracked, nervously. "It's all right, Pinkie. That actually IS what I wanted to talk to you about." Spike sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy for him to say. "Pinkie, I'm sorry, but I've had plenty of time to think about how I felt since you kissed me and I don't feel the same way that you do. I see you as a part of my family, just like all of the others in our group of friends, so while I do love you, it's not in the way you were hoping for. You're more like a sister to me. I'm going to stay with Fluttershy, if she's okay with it, and I hope that you can accept that." "Of course I'm okay with it, Spike. I've enjoyed having you live with me." Fluttershy told him, with a cheerful smile. Pinkie Pie's mane drooped, deflating almost instantly. Tears began to run down her face and fall to the floor. "I kinda expected this, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing." "Pinkie, are you going to be okay? You know, it's not the end of the world." Spike said, a little worried about her. "No, it's okay, Spike. I just need some time alone…" All they could do was leave her to deal with it on her own, so they left the bakery. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When they finally made it to the cottage, Fluttershy's animals had returned and she made sure they were taken care of, before making her way to the bedroom with Spike. After everything, she couldn't hold it back anymore, especially now that they were alone. They sat down on the bed and Fluttershy broke down, tears running freely down her face. "I'm SO sorry, Spike! I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I couldn't control my actions and I would have never kicked you out or dumped you, if I could. I'm a terrible pony!" Spike couldn't hold back the tears either, and he hugged her tightly. "Fluttershy, it's okay. Don't blame yourself, for what I did. I don't blame you, and you're not terrible at all! I'm just sorry that I had to turn you into, well, THIS to do it." The best aspect of her transformation was that since she was part dragon now, she would live as long of a life as Spike, so he wouldn't have to worry about her leaving him all alone. "I don't blame you either, Spike. But…do you really think that I'm still pretty?" Fluttershy was feeling insecure about her new look, and she was seeking comfort. "Absolutely. You're beautiful, Fluttershy, that hasn't changed." "I love you so much, Spike." Fluttershy said, with love in her eyes. "I love you too, Fluttershy." Spike said, as they leaned in and kissed passionately. Although it might have been moving too fast, the dragon pulled out the pink butterfly hair clip that he was supposed to give her on her birthday, and got on one knee. He used his draconian magic to change its appearance before her very eyes. The clip morphed into two rings with a pink butterfly gem on each and the words he had engraved on it shifted to the inside lining of both of them. One of them was on a string, so that she could wear it around her neck like a necklace. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, gasping in surprise. "Spike…" "Fluttershy, I know that this might be too much to ask, but it would make me the happiest dragon in the world, if you accepted this. Fluttershy, will you marry me?" "Of course, I will, Spike!" Fluttershy allowed him to place the ring around her neck while she returned the favor, crying tears of joy this time. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Their wedding was set to be a few weeks after that, since they didn't want to wait too long to be husband and wife. It was on one of the days before it, that Spike was sitting in their shared bedroom, examining the pieces of the coin a certain draconequs had given him. These two halves were all that remained of the circular currency that he had given him as a gift. Even though the version that he had originally fought was evil, the one that had sacrificed himself for him wasn't, and he didn't deserve to meet with such an unfortunate fate. Spike was wishing that there was some way to save him, but he was fairly certain that there wasn't. Suddenly, he had a thought. Although normally something like time travel would make his head hurt, he understood it a lot better now that he had experienced it first hand. He wasn't sure what the spell that Thorn cast did, but he assumed that it returned everything to the way that it was before he had traveled back in time and unleashed Starswirl. If that was the case, then Discord had never given him the coin. Spike still had the time travel spell in his possession, but he couldn't go back to the past to retrieve Discord if it never happened. Despite that, if he knew Discord as well as he thought he did, then the draconequs had probably set up a failsafe. He hadn't thought much about it at the time, but if he had really died, then wouldn't he have left a body or ashes behind? Discord had cheated death before, so who's to say that he hadn't done so again? Another factor to consider was that the coin had only broken after he 'died'. Although it was a long shot, maybe he could summon him again, if he somehow put the coin back together. Spike decided to try the simple approach, and fired off a stream of emerald flames. His efforts were rewarded, as he was able to use the fire to weld the two halves back into a whole. When he did, he sighed. "Okay, Spike. It's the moment of truth. I sure hope this works." He flipped the coin into the air and watched it fall back to the ground, disappointed when nothing seemed to happen. However, it was a delayed effect, since shortly afterwards, a lion paw emerged from its surface and threw the coin towards Spike. The rest of the body flew out of the coin, as the dragon caught it in his hand. He couldn't believe it, but Discord was back. "Good grief! It took you a while to notice the clue I left you, didn't it? I've been waiting in that spatial void for ages, hoping that you would release me!" Discord grumbled, irritably. Spike ignored his annoyances and ran towards him, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. "Thank goodness! I thought you were dead!" Discord sighed, patting his back. "While it could have been done in a more timely manner, I appreciate the effort. I'm sorry for worrying you, and thank you for rescuing me. It's good to be back." Spike let go, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "How is it that you survived, anyway? Not that I'm not glad you're here, I'm just curious." "Well, if you must know, I was hiding inside a dimension that I had previously created inside of that coin. I have connected myself to that coin, so that when you summon me, I usually travel to that dimension, then emerge from within. Unfortunately, I underestimated the strength of Starswirl's attack and the aftershock snapped the coin in half. I've been trapped inside it this whole time, waiting for you to figure out how to get me out of there." Discord sighed once more, turning his back to him. "I suppose that I should get out of here, before Fluttershy or someone else sees me. They won't be happy that I've returned, I'm sure." "Discord, that may be true, but once I explain the situation to them, they won't mind. You've done a lot for me, and they have to see that. At the very least, we can start with Fluttershy and you can be introduced to the others over time." Spike offered. "Oh, all right. But do I have to do it, right now?" Discord was trying to get out of what would surely be an awkward situation, but Spike wasn't about to let him get out of it that easily. "Yes. Come on, she's right downstairs. Besides, there's no reason to be scared, Fluttershy isn't going to hurt you." As they made their way downstairs, Fluttershy heard him coming and turned around to greet him. "Hello, Spike. What are you…Ah! What is DISCORD doing here?!" Fluttershy growled, preparing to fight him if she had to. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Shy'. I promise that he won't hurt you, all right?" Spike made his way over to her and put an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. "Okay, if you say so. That doesn't mean I like it, though." Fluttershy backed down, reluctantly. Once Spike had explained everything to her, she was far more understanding and even told the flabbergasted draconequs that he was welcome to come back anytime, as long as he used the front door. He was amazed by her kindness and graciously accepted her invitation. Now that the last loose end from his adventures had been tied up, Spike could move on with his life. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Discord was eventually accepted by everyone and while the Princesses were suspicious of him at first, he was able to win them over as well. Soon, the wedding of Fluttershy and Spike was upon them, and the two couldn't be happier. Fluttershy and Spike said their vows in front of all of their friends and the Princesses, promising to stay with each other until the end of time. Of course, it wasn't long after that that Spike found out why he had been given several months off before starting his job. Newly transformed drakenshirians enter into heat soon after being transformed, and it's way stronger than a normal pony's. This took place after the wedding, and although neither of them had done such things before, they were quick learners. Fluttershy was nearly insatiable, and after filling her time and time again, the outcome was obvious. By the time her heat was over, she was already pregnant. Since her body was even more fertile than before, it ended up being triplets. An unexpected side effect of their mating was that Spike's cutie mark changed to an identical copy of hers, letting everyone know that she had marked him, so he was all hers now for sure, if he wasn't before. Spike started his job, leaving Fluttershy on her own, except for when she came to visit him or hung out with her friends. He helped her as much as he could, since it was pretty rough on her to carry three foals for her first time, but with his help she made it through it. Their children were Drakenshirians like their mother, two fillies and one colt. The colt was purple and green like Spike, while the two girls mostly favored their mother and were nearly identical. Fluttershy and Spike couldn't be happier with their family. In fact, when Spike looked back on the life he had lived so far, he thought about what he had gone through to get where he was. Although his adventures were difficult at times, he wouldn't change anything. In the end, Spike could care less if the path he had taken in life was never meant to happen, originally. 'Undestined' or otherwise, this was exactly where he wanted to be.