Lemon Zest escorts Spike to the Zesty Barn house. Inside the barn is a bunch of ponies greeting Spike. Spike is overwhelmed with happiness from seeing different ponies and creatures. His surprise is a welcoming party set up by all of Pony Central.
"Welcome to our lovely town, Spike the Dragon. While you were in a deep sleep recovering your memories, Lemon Zest and her friends told me a lot about you and the tough times you've endured. We want to show you some appreciating about choosing our town as your new home. My name is Mayor Abacus Cinch. I would condemn your friends for the way they've treated you back in Ponyville. No creature should ever suffer the way you have. However, here in Pony Central, we do not condemn those who wrong us. We move and find a better place to be. That is why Pony Central exists."
"Uh, thanks, Mayor Cinch," Spike said with a nervous chuckle.
"Anyway, here in Pony Central, all creatures are welcome to visit or stay. I am glad to know you'll be the first dragon to live among us. It's an honor. If there is anything you need, Spike the Dragon, I'm sure I can help you any way I can."
"Thank you, Mayor Cinch."
"My pleasure," Mayor Cinch said as she trots over to the punch bowl.
"Hey, Spike!" Star Bolt shouts. "Come meet some of the weather team's best fliers."
Spike walks over Star Bolt.
"Here we have our Captain, Sunny Flare, but you already met her. Second in command is my son, Thunder Bolt. The blue mohawk mane with the green fur coat."
"What's up, Dragon dude," Thunder Bolt said. "Hoof bump," He and Spike do a hoof bump.
"Next Spike, we have our gothic weather pony who doesn't mind the night skies, her name is Raven Nightwalker," Star Bolt points his hoof to a dark gray pegasus wearing a purple hoodie. She walks up to Spike.
"Welcome to Pony Central. I'm Captain of the night shift weather team," Raven said calmly.
"Nice to meet you, Raven. Hope we can be friends," Spike said.
"Sure. If you can't sleep and want to hang out, I'm by the Weather Command Station or at the Pine Tree Library's basement for nighttime readers."
"What do you read, Raven?"
"Dark stories," Raven said emotionlessly.
"You okay, Raven?" Spike asks nervously.
"I'm fine. I'm normally like this at parties. I'm a different pony when there are few of us."
"Alright then," Spike said.
"Spike," Star Bolt calls out. "I have a few more to introduce you, too."
Spike walks up to Star Bolt.
"This is Maiden of the Skies, Captain of the Shadowbolts. Dashing Bullet."
Dashing Bullet is a silver pegasus with a black mane. She has two scars on both her eyes and several scars on her limbs.
"Hello, Spike. Nice to meet you," Dashing said. She smiles as she reaches out for a hoof shake.
"Hi, Dashing Bullet," Spike shakes her hoof. "It's an honor to meet a Captain of the Shadowbolts."
"Thank you. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Pony Central for many years to come."
"I will thank you."
"You're welcome, Spike."
Star Bolt shows Spike more of the weather team and some of the Shadowbolts. All eager to meet the baby dragon. The weather team and Shadowbolts are definitely on Spike's friend list.
"Hey, Spike!" Indigo shouts.
"Hey, Indigo. What's up?"
"I see you've met some of the Shadowbolts' best fliers."
"Yea, Star Bolt introduce me to a few fliers. Each of them telling me a little bit of themselves. I think you'll join them in a year."
"I don't know about that, Spike. I need to humble myself first. I'm too prideful to join, plus, my ego is a burden. I can get carried away when my emotions are wild up."
"Really? How so?"
"A few nights ago, when Twilight Sparkle and her friends tried to take you away from us, I wanted to break their necks for all the times they caused you harm. Sometimes, my anger gets the better of me, which is why I popped Rainbow's wing with my teeth. I was willing to do anything necessary to keep you from their clutches," Indigo sighs.
"Thank you for what you were doing that night, Indigo."
"You're welcome, Spike."
"Hey, Spike!" Sour shouts. "Come meet the Pudding Family."
Spike walks up to Sour. He sees a brown stallion with a white mane.
"Ah, you must be Spike the Dragon. My name is Chocolate Pudding. It's nice to meet you."
A grayish-black mare with a white mane walks up to Spike.
"I'm his wife, Truffles Pudding. Nice to meet you as well."
"Nice to meet the two of you," Spike said. He shakes both their hooves. "The ice cream pancake and cotton candy cinnamon-flavored cake were superb the other day Mr. Pudding."
"Thank you, Spike."
"You're welcome. Also, Sour mentioned that you and the Cake family are rivals. Is that true?"
"Yes. Carrot Cake and I have been at each other with a dessert war for ages."
"I have to say, your dessert from what I've tasted has been better than his."
"Hah! An eye witness! I'll have to tell the Cake family that the Pudding family is thriving better! Wahoo!" Chocolate Pudding runs around the party.
"Oh, don't mind him. He's always hyperactive when he feels he's winning. Believe me, when I say this, I wish the two didn't have this dessert feud."
"I can think of something worse than that, Truffles."
"How so, Spike?"
"If Pinkie Pie and Sour go at each other in a bake-off with their respecting dessert family."
"Huh, you got me there."
"I believe I can outbake Pinkie Pie if we were to have a bake-off," Sour said.
"I'll pay bits to see that!" Indigo shouts.
"Me, too," Lemon said.
"Maybe on November 3rd at the Crystal Empire," Spike said.
"That's right, the bake-off challenge at the Crystal Empire," Truffles said.
"Yea, so what have you and Mr. Pudding have planned for the bake-off?" Spike asks.
"Well, I can't tell you. Chocolate Pudding is developing a new recipe for the occasion. I would hate to ruin the surprise," Truffles said.
"Aww," Spike and Sour said.
Spike wanders around the barn meeting other ponies and some griffons that live in Pony Central.
"So, how many griffons live here in Pony Central?" Spike asks.
"There's ten of us living in Pony Central. We mostly live near the fields," Hydros said.
"Yea, we live next to the Dogs," Aura said.
"Cool. What other creatures do you see in Pony Central?" Spike asks curiously.
"Mostly, we see Dogs. Sometimes Dragons but they only come by for a visit. Mostly food or gems. You'll be the first Dragon to live among us," Hydros said.
"Wow. Now I'm more honored than I was earlier."
"You should be," Jaybird said. "Also, if you want to hang with us, come by to the fields. Us griffons are normally there when we aren't shopping."
Spike wanders around the barn, meeting with other griffons, dogs, and ponies of all kinds. After a while of talking, Mayor Cinch flies up to shout for everyone's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen of all creatures, please be seated." Everyone sits near a long table. "Spike, sit here. On the throne," Spike sits now facing everyone sitting by. "As a tradition, Spike, the new resident gets to give a speech."
"On what exactly?"
"Well, what comes to your mind, Spike. Most ponies and creatures that decide to live among us have their reasonings for leaving. We would like to know your thoughts for leaving your home, about choosing Pony Central as your new home, and how we can improve your stay here. Pony Central is founded by trusting each other as a family. My priority on the citizens of Pony Central is to ensure they feel at home and how I can prevent a repeat of history in their lives."
"Alright, then. Sounds easy enough," Spike coughs a little and steady his thoughts. After a few moments, he spoke. "My home before running away was Ponyville. I used to live with Twilight Sparkle before and after she becomes a Princess. I helped her, cared for her, and work for her at home. She often used me as a slave and calls me her friend. I suffered a lot of physical and emotional trauma. I don't want to go into much detail because I want to move on. I ran away from home to have a better life. I took the train from Ponyville to here. I didn't even know what here is until I met Lemon Zest. She told me and showed me around. That's when I met my new friends. Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare. If you want to know more about my troubling past, you can ask them. I've told them enough to tell anyone else. I want Pony Central to be my home because of how I'm being treated compared to Ponyville. Here, I'm just like everyone else. There, I'm a slave. I want to make more friends here in Pony Central, someday work for a living, and raise a first-ever dragon family in Pony Central. I don't think there is much for everyone here to improve my stay. I have friends who are now my family. I have a bright future here in Pony Central. The only thing I ask is no more abuse and treated as a slave."
Everyone chatted with each other and nods in agreement.
"Spike," Mayor Cinch said. "We will not abuse or use you in any way you see unfitting."
"Thank you, Mayor Cinch. Thank you, everyone, for understanding," Spike yawns as he's getting sleepy.
"I'll take Spike inside," Lemon said.
"Alright, every creature. Please help clean up the barn as Lemon Zest takes our new resident to bed," Mayor Cinch asks.
Every creature in the barn cleans up. After a while, everyone heads home. Mayor Cinch writes a document of Spike now being a resident of Pony Central. The first dragon to become an official citizen of Pony Central. As Mayor Cinch leaves Zesty Fields, Lemon Zest is walking upstairs towards the bedrooms. Lemon Zest puts Spike in bed.
"Good night, Spike."
"Good night, Lemon. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Lemon Zest leaves the bedroom and closes the door. She trots to her bedroom. Then she looks at the calendar.
"Tomorrow, Spike will be bunking with Indigo. Hope he has a fun week with her," Lemon said now drifting to sleep.