"Maybe I should've stayed with Rarity for one more night..." Spike nervously thought as his walking, which had began at a beautiful late sunset, soon found himself strolling through near empty streets under the mystical gaze of Luna's moon.
The dragon didn't really understand why he chose to embark so late in the evening - he could've stayed with the more than hospitable unicorn until morning; after all they were siblings now and siblings helped each other out. But as Spike contemplated this, he realized that Rarity had done more than help him over the last few days they shared. She practically gave him a shining beacon of hope that told him he was loved; all the games they had played, all the feelings they shared, she made him feel like he was worth it and he couldn't be more grateful.
The cost however came at the expense of Rarity's workload. The unicorn had told Spike that she needed a break and had more than enough room to do so, but he knew deep down that the work would come back to rear it's head sooner or later. As such, Spike figured he'd leave as soon as the both of them were in high spirits - one more night there could mean a dozens more dresses later and what's the sense in doing that when they already had three whole days worth of bonding? As he found himself shuffling in the vacant sounds of the night, Spike reassured himself that he and Rarity could spend more time soon enough and that was more than fine with him - however a bigger question suddenly reappeared in his mind.
Where was he going to sleep tonight?
As the drake began to mull over his options for shelter, a sudden glimmer captured his attention as he squinted his eyes to focus on the source of the light. A shiny pink and white building with a giant cupcake on top had beckoned for his presence to come ever closer; an all too familiar building that Spike was both grateful to see and yet also hesitant to walk towards, for he knew what would awaken if he dared take the chance on the comforts of the seemingly warm bakery - a certain pony by the name of Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie - the Element of Laughter herself. When Spike and Twilight had first arrived in Ponyville, they would've never imagined a pony or any creature for that matter capable of performing impossible feats that seemed to defy all traits of logic and common sense, all while hosting the most inviting smile they had ever seen.
But Pinkie seemed to have a gift for the impossible; for indeed, every little thing she did left the dragon in particular with an odd mixture of awe, wonder, fear, and bewilderment - all before turning into graceful acceptance.
Known as Ponyville's Premier Party Pony as well as one of the best bakers in Equestria, No one exactly knew how she could manage to host every single party, holiday, and gathering off the top of her head and cater as well, but the earth pony herself would merely shrug in what could be considered a humble act.
The truth of the matter was that Pinkie went to such impossible lengths because she had a simple, yet profound philosophy on life - she simply wanted to make others smile. With that thought, Spike couldn't help but smile himself. Pinkie was probably one of the most selfless mares he had ever met (even surpassing the lengths of ponies like Rarity and Fluttershy in some regards); she lived to create joy and happiness everywhere she happily bounced. Pinkie would do absolutely anything in her seemingly limitless power just to see others with any sort of grin, smirk, or chuckle she could get with a confetti cannon or a cupcake or two.
Like Rarity, Spike worried she took on more than she could possibly handle but the pony herself would politely disagree, probably saying something along the lines of "My Pinkie Powers will never rest" or something similar. While Pinkie's over-the-top antics to create some sort of fun or excitement could indeed be perceived as annoying or overbearing, even to her closest friends, they could never stay mad at her - she truly had the best intentions in her big bubbly heart and it was a rare thing to see in a world where sadness could be equally prevalent. Simply put, the world could use more Pinkie Pies (though not a whole army of clones at once). Her awkwardness and lack of social cues may be seen by some as a lack of intelligence but by no means was this true. Anyone who knew her long enough could attest that despite her overly happy and excited demeanor, she was a surprisingly smart mare deep down - knowing some surprising in's and out's about the workings of life and her logic, along with the capacity to pull through in desperate measures. Pinkie had her own way of thinking, but by Celestia it was an oddly brilliant spectacle to behold.
As Spike began thinking about his pink pony friend however, he thought of one thing that always seemed to bug him - her laughter. By no means was he saying it was a bad laugh or it was annoying, she truly had a wonderful laugh that could probably perk up any foal with it's mere presence. The main problem was the target of her laughter.
All too often, Spike could remember instances where the party pony's laughter was directed towards him, almost more so than any of their other friends. Being a primary target of her and Rainbow Dash's pranks was one reason, but the others seemed less...friendly. Whenever Spike was gifted the chance to be involved with the rest of the Elements, he very frequently found himself to be a sort of physical and emotional punching bag; whether he was hit with some form of comedic slapstick or a joke was played on his expense, the other ponies would unknowingly send their shrill, painful laughs at him - and the leader of those laughs always happened to be one Pinkie Pie.
It hurt to be laughed at all the time, to possibly be seen as nothing more than a source of comedic relief - a subtle indication that he was worth nothing more than a cheap laugh and some embarrassment. Maybe Pinkie didn't intentionally mean for it to happen that way, but it still hurt the dragon nonetheless. Besides this, Spike had instances where the normally perfect memory of Pinkie had forgotten about him much like the other girls; but the one that stung the worst still to this day was Maud's visit. When Pinkie's sister was first visiting Ponyville, she had hosted a huge celebration for all her friends to get to know the monotone pony better.
All her friends...except him apparently.
Even their pets were welcomed to join in Maud's company, yet the dragon himself was unaware until she had already left. They had even made decorated rock-candy necklaces which Spike would've loved to help make, yet he was thrown out of the loop for that as well. Pinkie usually thought of every creature, every single detail and whatnot to create the perfect party or recipe... so why was he forgotten?
As Spike inched ever closer to the entrance of the bakery, the lights still on indicating someone was up, Spike internally sighed as he contemplated what one of the friendliest, outgoing mares meant to him.
"Am I nothing more than a joke to her?"
With that thought in mind, Spike slowly paused before taking a quick step back around, beginning to walk away with anxiety.
"Maybe Rarity's isn't such a bad idea after all."
But the dragon was unable to get very far, as before he was aware of what was happening, the door to the bakery quickly opened as a pink blur of light instantly grabbed onto him and carried him inside; the blur displaying a concerned face as she almost flew inside.
"Spike? What are you doing out? It's too late for a nighttime run! Let's get you inside!" she quickly quipped before placing him down suddenly and closing the door behind her.
"Well, I guess this is happening no matter what." he steeled himself, seeing his exit being closed in front of him.
As Pinkie proceeded to walk towards the young dragon, she smiled and sighed a breath of relief.
"Thank goodness I saved you. Now you don't have to be in the dark all alone." she flashed him a grin before realizing the oddity of the situation and raising her eyebrows in confusion, her head tilted slightly.
"Wait a minute - what were you even doing out this late anyways? I never see you out there without Twilight." she asked, seemingly worried for the dragon's safety.
Spike sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, not expecting the usually cheery pony to display concern right away. Sighing to collect his thoughts, he muttered slowly.
"It's...kind of a long story."
Pinkie's smile returned as her head immediately perked back up - a reaction that would've happened too fast for any creature that wasn't her.
"Ooo... like a bedtime story? That will be perfect for our sleepover!"
Spike rapidly blinked in confusion, definitely not expecting that reaction.
"Wait? Sleepover?"
"Of course!" the mare replied nonchalantly. "If you're outside my door late at night, that means you were hoping to see me. And seeing me this late, it would be great to have a sleepover so we don't have to worry about getting you home too late."
Spike raised a claw to his chin in thought.
"Huh. I guess that makes sense..." he began before he suddenly remembered the pink menace that had dragged him inside from seemingly out of nowhere. "But how did you know I was even out there? Or that I was here for you?"
Pinkie blinked in a split second of processing the new questions before she waved a hoof absentmindedly.
"Oh that. The ol' Pinkie sense - Whenever my tail rotates counterclockwise, I can taste 3 grains of salt on my tongue, and my hoof is bleeding, that means a friend needs my help and they have incredibly bad news they need to get off their chest!" she trailed off, waving what was in fact a bleeding hoof in front of Spike's field of vision.
"Umm... should your hoof still be bleeding?" he cautiously asked, hoping to not upset the pony in front of him.
Pinkie glanced at it with curiosity before dismissing the concern. "Pffft. It's fine. It's just a little cut."
Spike, however felt uncomfortable with the pony displaying any amounts of pain or hurt as he tried to rationally reason with her.
"Well, I think you should put a Band-Aid on it before we start the sleepover." he replied, hoping to appease to the energetic bundle of pink.
Pinkie gazed at him with a slight scoff, her eyebrows slightly narrowing to show she wasn't that concerned.
"Spike, I'm fine really. It doesn't even hurt."
Spike decided to counter his with his ace in the hole - a tactic he knew the mare couldn't refuse.
"So if I started bleeding, I wouldn't need a band-aid?" he chastised as to scold the older pony in front of him.
Pinkie gasped in shock before grabbing onto his cheeks with her hooves in a startled fashion.
"What?! Of course if you were bleeding you'd need one. I wouldn't want to see you..." she trailed off before realizing what Spike was getting at and placing him gently down in defeat.
"Fine!" she muttered, making a quick face of faux frustration the dragon recognized as joking but appreciative. "If you care about me that much, I'll do it. But you meet me upstairs with your long story mister!" she quickly prodded before trotting off to the bathroom.
Spike gave a devilish smirk as he made his way upstairs in a victory sort of fashion.
"Nice try Pinks, but I've been living with Twilight for all my life. I know how to reason with stubborn."
Pinkie's bedroom was... honestly not what anyone would've expected from the hyperactive party planner. Sure she had bundles of party supplies everywhere and her room always smelled like frosting for some very weird reason, but the entirety of the room itself was... very organized.
Instead of a bunch of clutter everywhere, balloons, streamers, and other decorations were categorized in a very orderly fashion. Honestly, she could give Twilight a run for her money in terms of organization skills. Then again, Spike also reasoned that with how many parties Pinkie threw, she had no choice but to be organized, lest she live her life in an endless sea of party favors; that and he also had to reason the party cave's massive existence underneath the cake's house that stored most of Pinkie's stuff anyways. Regardless, Spike admired Pinkie's tidiness considering her usual personality. He waited for several minutes in the bright pink room before an equally bright pink pony made her appearance.
Pinkie performed her usual bounce before she leapt several feet in the air to dive bomb on top of the same bed Spike was currently sitting on the edge of. With a sudden bounce, Spike held on for dear life as the pink cannonball giggled violently before settling down and wrapping her hoof around the dragon's body.
"So, what has you here at the House of Pinks?" she asked with a slight dialect for effect.
Spike flashed an upsided grin before settling back down.
"One step at a time. Just like last time. You can do this."
"You remember Sludge, right?"
Pinkie rapidly nodded in confirmation. "Of course, silly. He's your dad. Your drago-dad. Your dad that really likes my cupcakes. Speaking of which we should..."
"He's not my dad."
And just like that, Pinkie's rambling had immediately ceased like a train without any coal left. Her pupils shrunk to the size of pins before trying to form some cohesiveness of a sentence, her gaze fixed on the wallowing drake the whole time.
"Huh?" was all she could say.
"He faked being my dad in order to keep living at the castle. Smolder and I found out and he took off." he summarized, eyes transfixed on the floor in some sort of trance, not really sure how Pinkie would react.
The earth pony herself was at a loss of words. She was expecting some kind of funny incident that would result in her and Spike being forced to live together, not a heartbreaking tale of parental deception and manipulation. Pinkie saw how sad Spike looked. She was sad from seeing how Spike looked. As the silence between the two prolonged however, she knew she had to say something, anything! But what could she say? She cheered up ponies when they were having a bad day, not when they found out a parent wasn't real!
"Spike thought he had a part of himself figured out, but it was all a lie by some big meanie! I have to say something, but I don't know what to do. Why did he come to me with this?! Uh-oh, better think of something fast..."
"Well... at least you don't have to worry about Father's Day anymore...?" she hastily pointed out, an attempt at a wide grin etched painfully on her face. Hopefully Spike could buy the smile she thought.
Thankfully, or rather un-thankfully, Spike did buy the smile as his eyes widened in horror from the floor, only to stare at the pink pony with a rather broad toothy grin burrowing it's way into his soul.
"She's trying to make jokes about this?"
"And you know, a dad's not always cracked up to be. Except they don't crack, because then they would be eggs..." she trailed off, wincing in pain upon realizing what her brain was absently telling her mouth to say.
"What am I even saying?"
"Y--yeah." Spike hesitantly staged a laugh, feeling very uncomfortable with Pinkie's attempts at humor, but ultimately deciding it was best to try and avoid it.
After another minute or so, Spike decided to take another shot at a conversation.
"So... I've just been... lonely with all of this... and I was wondering if maybe I could spend tomorrow with you?" he asked, hoping this wouldn't turn into another joke at his expense.
"Oh, thank Celestia! Something I can work with!" Pinkie silently prayed.
"Of course, Spike!" her smile turning genuine "We can do whatever you want to do tomorrow. I can even help you bake those cupcakes with gemstones you love so much..." before she realized something, "...except I ran out of gemstones..."
Then Spike, suddenly remembering the gems Rarity gave him before he left the boutique, quickly beamed up.
"I actually have some in my backpack we can use." he claimed, a slight smile flashing on his face.
"Perfect!" Pinkie exclaimed, quickly wrapping the dragon in a hug. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow will be Spinkie Day! That's Spike and Pinkie mixed together! It'll just be the two of us!"
Spike suddenly realized he hadn't seen or heard word from the Cakes or their twins since he got to the bakery.
"Wait, where are the Cakes?" he questioned.
"They're on vacation for a week or so. So it'll just be the two of us! Just you, me, and any customer that may come in between 8AM and 6PM..."
"...No parents around to bother us!" Pinkie proclaimed before she realized what she had just said.
The pony mentally face-hoofed herself. "Why did I say that?! I need to stop!"
Spike just froze as he cradled his way out of the hug, before glancing at Pinkie nervously with a shaky smile.
"Sure... that sounds good." he whispered, before he brought his head back down to his knees once again.
Pinkie felt her heart drop at Spike's downfallen expression.
"Oh, no Spike! I'm sorry, I'm trying! I just don't know how..."
"Here! You can sleep in the bed with me tonight! I don't bite and Gummy doesn't have teeth..." she quickly paused, motioning towards her beloved pet alligator in the distance, "...so you'll be all safe and snuggly until morning." she mentally made sure she would be providing no more hiccups tonight.
Spike just looked up at her and gave her the best reassuring smile he could muster.
"Thanks, Pinkie. I appreciate it." he said before he hopped himself up completely on the bed as Pinkie turned out the lights, anxious to regroup her thoughts and try her best tomorrow.
"Good night Spikey." she tried to warmly coo.
"I promise you I'll make this up to you. Somehow..."
"Good night, Pinkie." Spike replied in return before closing his eyes as he snuggled into the warm pony's fur.
"I really am just a joke to her..."
The awkward pair had both gotten up bright and early the following morning, although neither one seemed to find the right words to say to each other as the pair nervously grinned whenever they caught one looking at the other. Breakfast had been a silent affair of donuts and muffins - the pastries themselves were amongst the most delicious treats Spike had ever tasted, the stifling conversation between them - not so much.
Finally, after the very tense meal, the two made their way to the main part of the shop, ready to open for any pony willing to have their taste buds pleasured. At first, Spike had anticipated a rush of ponies entering the store - frantically trying to gain their hooves on a delectable morsel or two - but in reality, business was usual - not dead but not overwhelming either - something the pink wave of energy could accomplish without so much as breaking a sweat.
The duo silently found themselves invested in their work - Pinkie chatting with customers while making as many baked goods as she could, while Spike took orders and delivered to tables in a manner similar to how Twilight would ask for a book or scroll. The two were in a good rhythm as everything ran like clockwork, everyone satisfied and leaving behind their praises.
After a while of having a steady pace of customers obtaining breakfast, the line was empty, something Pinkie indicated would be the case outside of a straggler or two until early afternoon. With that realization made, Pinkie eagerly declared it was "Spinkie Cupcake Time", having forgotten her earlier anxiousness as the making of cupcakes filled her insides with a tingling bliss that very few other things could.
Spike proceeded to gather the gems from his backpack upstairs while Pinkie instantly gathered the remaining ingredients with such ease and precision, one might say she could do it blindfolded. As Spike walked in with the gems, Pinkie flashed him an eager, confident smile.
"Are you ready for cupcakes, mi scaly friend?" she challenged.
Spike immediately found his confidence, along with his cocky smirk back as he replied to the pink mare.
"Ready!"
"Maybe things will be alright after all." Spike silently hoped, as the two instantly began mixing the ingredients.
Cupcake preparation was going swimmingly as the two worked in perfect tandem, preparing measurements of ingredients and mixing batter with precision as the two were finally on to the last step of the plan - placing the gemstone cupcakes in the oven.
As Pinkie steadily placed the tray into the preheated baking device, the two smiled warmly at the sight of their creation preparing to start forming into a masterpiece very soon.
"Ah, isn't it a thing of beauty?" Pinkie airly asked, staring at the batter like it was a precious keepsake.
"It sure will be." the dragon agreed, gazing at the gems that coincided with the batter, thankful he had let them cook before trying to eat them this time.
"Baking is a labor of love. A connection between creator and creation that has the power to bring all sorts of creatures together in pure, tasting harmony." the earth pony commented sagely.
At the rather insightful speech from the perky pony, Spike turned away from the oven to gaze back up at her in bewilderment, not sure whether it was real or not.
"Where'd you get that from?" he asked in amusement.
"Oh, well one time I was baking with Maud and I mentioned my love of baking compared to her love of rocks. I mentioned that rocks really do rock (pun), while she quoted that little piece you just heard. Its stuck with me ever since." she explained with a wide, oblivious smile on her face.
Spike's amused grin fell the instant he heard that name. Maud.
"Everyone including the animals got to meet her, except for me."
Pinkie, however paid no attention to the silence as she forwarded herself with a different question.
"You remember Maud, right? The time she visited Ponyville and we shared those rock-candy necklaces?"
Spike gritted his teeth bitterly as he replied.
"No."
Pinkie's eyes finally snapped open out of her happy trance as she gazed at Spike with concern, wondering what he was getting at. Thankfully, Spike noticed Pinkie's sincere confusion and elaborated in a low tone of voice.
"I wasn't invited to meet Maud with the rest of you. I didn't even know you had a sister who was coming to Ponyville until after she was gone."
At that, Pinkie's entire body froze as she was filled with an unbearable amount of dread and grief.
"I forgot to invite Spike?! Oh no..."
"Oh..." she trailed off, eyeing around the room as she slowly felt her anxiety creep up at the awkward situation presented in front of her. "At least, you... uh... at least you got your rest that day..." she mumbled.
"Uh-oh! No! That was very bad to say! Just..."
"Really? That's what you say after forgetting about me?" a low but powerful voice snapped Pinkie out of her internal berating, shifting her focus back down to the dragon who was slowly forming tears at the corners of his eyes, his fists shaking as they were trying to stop the emotional storm from coming.
Pinkie felt her heart shakily vibrate from inside her chest.
"What? No Spike, I was just..."
"You're always making jokes like that towards me! You always think they're funny when sometimes they really hurt me!"
"Spikey?! I-I didn't..."
Spike's voice rose an octave as the tears finally fell freely.
"You think I like being made fun of for being 'girlier' than other dragons? You think I like being made a laughing stock at every single expense? You think I wanted to be excluded from meeting one of my friends' family only to be joked afterwards 'at least I got to sleep'?!" Spike cried as he gazed at the pony with hurt and betrayal shown through the irises of his eyes.
Pinkie suddenly found herself with tears in her eyes at a rapid rate. It wasn't supposed to be like this - she was supposed to make others happy. She was supposed to be the source of laughter, not tears. Not to a very special dragon!
"I-I..." she choked out, not getting any other words in.
"And then I told you about my fake father and all you can do is make jokes about not having to have him around anymore?! You think I wanted to be reminded that I don't have family?!"
Pinkie just stared back at the dragon, as loud sniffles erupted her throat.
"But I guess that's all I am to you. A joke! I thought I was more but..." he suddenly stopped in frustration, tears still falling as he raced upstairs to the bedroom without a second thought.
Pinkie's heart split in half, realizing how badly she had hurt a true dear friend to her. She had to fix this, and no matter how stricken she was with this new territory, that wouldn't deter her any longer.
With a narrow and determined stare on her face, she quickly chased up after the dragon, set on fixing this as if her life depended on it.
As Pinkie made her way back to her bedroom, she began to open the door before she heard a faint sound on the opposite side that stopped her dead in her tracks. Muffled sobbing began to penetrate her ears as she faintly remembered some distant memories from her youth.
"That crying... that sounds just like..."
With more determination than previously (if that were possible), she quickly opened the door to discover a small tiny bundle of purple and green, collapsed in on himself on the floor in a teary mess.
The sight was enough to make Pinkie wish she never had to see it again as her lips quivered in sympathy before refocusing herself and plopping down gently next to the shaking form.
Spike had failed to notice the new pony's presence until he felt a pink hoof resting gently on his back shoulder. He winced in realization before looking up and discovering the pained look of Pinkie softly rubbing his back, staring at him with great concern.
"Pinkie. This is not funny! If you think laughter's going to work..."
"It won't. I know it won't." she nodded in sympathy, albeit with a hint of her own misery as well as she stared at Spike's curious form with the most sincere and well-meaning face he had ever seen from the goofball.
"I don't want to be a joke to you." he lamely muttered as he glanced away from the earth pony to the floor he was huddled under.
Pinkie scooted even closer to Spike as they were now both mere centimeters apart before she found her voice.
"Spike, I never meant to make you feel like you were a joke or that I didn't care for your feelings. I never meant to make you feel like you weren't worth anything. It's just... I'm trying, but I've never been good with heavy subjects like this. I can make ponies smile, but when it comes to this level of sadness, I just freeze up. I try to make it better by joking, but I don't think..." she paused as she saw Spike's curiosity had gotten the better of him, staring up into her eyes with a sense of wonder to them.
Pinkie softly smiled before her serious expression returned, slowly hugging the dragon who made no resistance to pull away.
"Since we didn't really have much of a story last night, why don't I tell you a story now?"
Spike looked at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow, despite his still ever-present tears.
"Pinkie, I'm not..."
Pinkie quickly shook her head before reassuring the dragon.
"Trust me."
Spike took the seriousness of the hyperactive pony as a sign of importance as he slowly nodded his head, granting permission for Pinkie to begin her proposed story.
Pinkie cleared her throat gently before glancing up at the ceiling in concentration.
"Once upon a time on a rock farm lived a small pink earth pony amongst the rest of her earth pony family. Day in and day out, the family would be on the farm mining and processing rocks ever so quietly and dully on the dark and bland rock farm. Most of the ponies were used to it, they had been accustomed to the daily repetitive silent tasks of farm life as they went about their work without any sort of regrets or distractions."
"However, the small pink earth pony - the second youngest in a litter of four - never felt at home on the rock farm, which was strange to her because these ponies were her family and she had been doing the work ever since she could walk. She never felt at home in her own home and yet she was always forced to confine her thoughts to herself, her family never spoke to her unless mandatory and she didn't want to be shunned out of the only life she knew."
Spike started to realize who this story was really about as his crying had stopped, his face glancing up to Pinkie's dramatic gaze as his eyes widened in concern.
"Pinkie..."
Pinkie could only clench her eyes as Spike felt the hoof on his back had tightened as well before she continued the story.
"The pony continued to grow more miserable each and every day as she was forced to do something she never felt right doing. Eventually, the pain became so deep for the pony, she no longer slept. Instead, she openly cried almost every night in misery, her family had heard her but they would never help, they would only tell her to deal with it and accept her fate."
"So she cried and cried, her family distancing themselves more than they already had..."
Pinkie stopped for a brief moment. "Here comes the hard part."
"The pony eventually asked herself if it was even worth getting up in the morning anymore. She felt wrong being herself and yet she really didn't know who she was, who she was supposed to be... she felt like she was wrong."
She paused for a moment to take a couple few shaky breaths, her whole body trembling at the thought of the story as she tried to regain her composure.
Thankfully a now-once-again crying dragon had come to her rescue.
"What happened to the pony?" he asked as he lightly wrapped his claws around the pony's frame.
Pinkie smiled warmly at the gesture, tears still falling as she finally stared directly at him, continuing on.
"She discovered a sonic rainboom in the sky that had brought her so much joy, so much color and passion in it's brilliance that she decided to throw her first party in celebration. She didn't know what a party was before then, but she knew she wanted to invoke the same kind of joy in others."
"Eventually, her family discovered the party, which they for once had actually come to smile and accept. The pony soon discovered her cutie mark - her passion in life - and boldly decided to leave the rock farm on her own. She loved her family but with the new life she chose, she knew she would never have to look back." Pinkie had finally concluded, feeling like a hundred pounds of pressure had just been released from her chest.
Spike just simply gaped at the grand gesture of the story. He had never known Pinkie lived such a haunted past. Sure, he knew she wasn't happy at the rock farm, but for all her emotions and feelings to be explored gave the tiny dragon a new perspective he never would've thought possible.
He sighed, before glancing back down at his body again before musing a new thought.
"I never knew you felt like that, Pinkie... Like you didn't know who you are, like you almost had no one there for you..."
"...that's exactly how I feel..." he suddenly realized the connection between the stories as his eyes widened.
Then, in the fraction of a second, the pink blur had embraced Spike in the tightest hug he had ever felt - threatening to suffocate him if he hadn't found a convenient gap in her embrace around his neck.
"I know, Spike. I-I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that. It's..." she paused, before finding the right words.
"Because of my fillyhood, all I wanted to do was to make others smile, to catch up on the time I could've been happy."
"But there's also a bad part. I can cheer up a sad or crying filly but when it comes to the really big emotional stuff - like personal seeded stuff, I-I freeze up. I've hidden from those feelings for so long that whenever I encounter someone else with those problems, I..."
Spike dawned on an important realization as he concluded Pinkie's statement.
"You try to joke or laugh it off, to avoid having to deal with those circumstances..."
Pinkie merely nodded her head.
"That's why I got so nosy with Fluttershy when she mentioned her stage fright. Because I didn't want her to deal with something that could mess her up for life, I also didn't want to think about those things myself so I quickly tried to push everything away."
She sighed.
"But as you can see, in your and her's cases, me trying to force out laughter only made things worse. I'm lucky Fluttershy forgave me after that."
Spike smiled as he thought of that memory, lightening the mood.
"She's an angel, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is." Pinkie agreed with a smirk, before her attention was brought back to the issue at hoof.
"But the point is is that I don't want you to hide your feelings, because I know they'll only come back stronger if you don't. I never discussed my fillyhood with anyone and look where I'm at now. It didn't click until you mentioned me 'joking about your lack of family' that I realized you're going through the same things I'm going through."
"Pinkie, I never realized you felt this way. But you shouldn't have to hide something like that." Spike lightly chastised as he stared back up at Pinkie once again.
"I know, but I'm scared of letting them out. I'm scared of what others will think."
Spike suddenly felt his body tense up. This is what he's going through.
Cautiously, making sure he maintained eye contact with Pinkie, he asked:
"Hey, Pinkie. I never told you why I was outside last night, did I?"
Pinkie slowly shook her head, not quite sure where the dragon was getting at but allowing him to proceed.
"When I found out about Sludge lying, I felt alone. I felt like I finally had someone else besides Twilight to call a family only for that to be taken away. But then, Twilight suggested I go out and visit each of you and bond with you to find some answers."
Pinkie's ears shot up at the new information that was being processed to her as the drake continued, head lowering in shame.
"But I was... am... nervous about going. I thought that since none of you girls ever spent much time with me individually, that you really didn't like me. I'm worried everytime that I reveal Sludge and my feelings about family - my feelings about you girls - that you would turn me away."
Pinkie felt a new fresh wave of tears coming.
"So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I understand where you're coming from. I'm scared too." he hiccuped as Pinkie's grip on the drake had somehow tightened.
She cuddled him for a good long minute, before she whispered.
"Spike, I love you and I'm sorry if I ever abandoned you before. But you're very special to me and the others. Please don't ever be afraid of who you are because the real you will always be loved." she spoke tenderly as Spike clenched his eyes in bottled up emotions.
"Your Auntie Pinkie Pie will always love you, no matter what." she cooed softly, a motherly tone that both startled the dragon in surprise, and yet soothed him in familiarity. It was something that felt both new and yet so right for the bubbly pony.
Then Spike's eye shot open in surprise.
"Wait... Aunt?"
Pinkie merely smiled as she winked at him.
"Only if you want me to be - if you can forgive this silly mare."
Spike's heart rapidly beat in happiness at the prospect as he buried his face in the pink body once again.
"I forgive you, but only if we both promise to work on growing out of our comfort zones."
The two simultaneously shook out of the embrace as they both blankly looked at each other for several seconds before reciting a very familiar mantra.
"Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye!" they replied in unison as they both broke out in uncontrollable laughter.
The infectious laughter had gone on for what seemed like hours as both dragon and pony felt relieved to be comfortable with each other once again. The moment could've lasted forever but a certain odor managed to grab their attention.
Spike sniffed the air several times.
"Hey, Pinkie? Do you smell something burning?"
Suddenly, both creatures shot up in panic, realizing their mistake.
"THE CUPCAKES!" they shouted as they both bolted downstairs to discover half the kitchen was spread with a black layer of smoke.
Pinkie instinctively grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out any smoke or flames that the oven produced as she turned the oven off successfully. She then proceeded to carefully grab the cupcakes out of the oven, seeing that even the gems had (somehow) been burnt to a dark, black crisp.
Spike winced in disappointment before turning his head towards Pinkie, knowing how seriously she took the destruction of any of her precious culinary masterpieces.
"Sorry about the cupcakes, Pinkie."
To his amazement however, instead of finding a disappointed Pinkie Pie, she had turned her attention towards him with her trademark cheerful smile adorned on her face.
"Oh, Spike. Don't worry about them! They were just cupcakes. A nephew is much more important."
Spike's eyes sparkled in appreciation as he realized that Pinkie really did care about him, her personality finally shining through for him, brighter than those gemstone cupcakes would've ever been.
"Let's go make some memories!" he declared, Pinkie vigorously nodding her head in agreement.
And with that, Spike and Pinkie had the most fun-filled two days either of them could've imagined. Filled with tons of games, a fantastical tour of the party cave, and even just simply helping out at Sugarcube Corner, Spike truly felt he was right at home with his Auntie Pinkie Pie.
While during the day, she was filled with her trademark peppiness and extroverted tendencies, the two managed to spend their nights together in the security of her bedroom - discussing their doubts and sharing ways in which the other could improve their communication and empathy skills.
This was the Pinkie Pie Spike knew was there all along. An extremely lovable pony who would do anything to make others happy - and seeing the ways in which she wanted to go the extra mile to improve herself for others - she was truly an inspiration to the ever-growing dragon. They both knew that with each other by their sides, they would be looking at a brighter tomorrow.
Finally, on the third morning, Spike was preparing his backpack just outside the entrance to the bakery, ready to be sent off by Pinkie before the pony stopped him with the carrying of several objects in her hooves.
"Wait!" she breathed as she quickly raced out to him before he tried to take off anywhere. "If you're going to see the other girls, take this stuff with you."
While Spike certainly had the room in his backpack, he was puzzled by the strange variety of objects being handed to him.
Included in Pinkie's delivery was what looked to be some sort of video tape, a miniature version of Applejack's trademark hat, and a big rectangular container that held inside... a dozen red velvet cupcakes?
"Don't worry, those cupcakes are magically preserved." Pinkie added.
Spike just slowly looked up at Pinkie, his eyebrows arched in severe questioning.
"Pinkie, why would I need these..." he began to question before an all too familiar answer popped in his head.
Seeing that the dragon had come to the correct answer, both dragon and pony stared at each other with knowing smirks on their faces.
"Pinkie Sense." Spike replied, shaking his head in a playful manner.
"Works every time." Pinkie casually shrugged, before giving the dragon a knowing wink as he quickly placed the now not-so-strange items in his bag. "They'll come in handy when you need them, trust me."
As Spike finished arranging his pack, he soon went up to Pinkie with one last hug, a few tears strained down his face.
"Thank you, Aunt Pinkie." he whispered.
"Anytime." Pinkie whispered right back, before ending the hug and sending him on his way.
"Think everything will work out ok in the end?" Spike asked as he looked back at the pony in the distance.
"Of course sill..." Pinkie began to exasperatingly exclaim before she knowingly stopped herself.
"I mean, I know it will." she nodded sagely before bouncing on her tail back inside the savory bakery she called home.
Spike knowingly shook his head in the direction of the bakery, before turning back around, a new chapter in his quest about to unfold once again.
"Sometimes you need more than a 'smile, smile, smile', but eventually a smile will find it's way again." he told himself as he followed the road ahead, knowing that the finish line would be worth it.