//------------------------------// // Fluttershy: "Just You and Shy" // Story: Spike's Family Journey // by frenettek314 //------------------------------// Flying through a whole city of almost exclusively pegasi was such a surreal experience for the drake. He had heard tales of the sky community from his friends, yet he had never truly witnessed its presence with his own two eyes before. Sure, Twilight and the others had traveled up a couple of times in the past, but even they rarely visited as not all of them had the means to do so without a super powerful spell. Now, with his new wings, he was here. After years of frequenting the ground and its natural wonders, he felt his brain short circuit as he gazed upon a collection of cloud based structures and homes, an ocean of blue sky that followed him wherever he went, and most importantly, a population of flying ponies that traveled to and fro. All this time, he remained oblivious on the earth floor while this sky paradise had been above his reach all along. In many ways, it was amazing to think how much his world had opened up - not just with the exploration of Cloudsdale, but also remembering how much his journey had left him to explore more about the ponies he'd known for years. In a way, Cloudsdale felt like a physical representation of Spike's quest - a mass filled with knowledge and discoveries that the dragon had remained unaware of until he pushed through. And yet, why did it feel like it always had to be him to make some sort of effort to find out the truth? Why was it that things remained hidden until he searched for them? Spike collectively shook his head to clear that thought as he had a much more important task to deal with- finding Fluttershy's parents' house. As he quickly scouted the nearby city outskirt streets, trying to find the house that perfectly matched Dr. Fauna's description, his mind turned back to the yellow pegasus who he was looking for. Fluttershy - the Element of Kindness. A being with a heart so large and caring that her soft soothing voice could penetrate even the darkest of souls if given a chance; the problem with that statement lied in that not everyone gave her a chance. That was one thing that drove Spike mad when thinking about Fluttershy - how could anyone see this mare with the purest of intentions and the grace of an angel - and want to manipulate, bully, or harass her? If there was a question that pointed out the sentiment that the world could be a cruel place, it'd be that. While known to be quite the timid and gentle pony, whenever she was with any of her closest friends or any of the dozens of animals she cared for, her introverted shell broke free and became one of the most nurturing spirits the dragon swore he'd ever seen. Of course, it wasn't always that way and everyone who knew her knew exactly why. When she was a filly back in Cloudsdale, she was constantly bullied because of her lack of flight abilities; granted, thanks to a certain sonic rainboom, she had discovered the wonders of life below the grounds and her inspiring passion for the care of animals - rather than being forced to live a life of misery as a 'weak' pegasus - but the damage that the bullying and torment caused her had already been done. Thankfully, meeting Twilight and becoming familiar with the rest of the girls proved to be one of the best possible things that could've happened to her. Constantly having to step outside of her comfort zone to help her friends and save Equestria on multiple occasions let her overcome many of her crippling anxieties and allowed the mare to become more assertive over time. Throughout the years, all her friends (Spike included) noticed how much she had grown; while still a pony who very much prefers to be as far away from the center of attention as possible, she now has the power to express herself freely with those closest to her, to enjoy the many facets of life without cowering in fear, and to defend herself and others whenever it was needed. To say the dragon had grown proud of her growth was an understatement. He always knew deep down this sensitive pony had the caring and passion of Pinkie Pie, but to see it in full display was a thing of beauty. Whenever he or any of her friends see her take care of or even talk about an animal, there was a certain spark that shined brightly. Instead of seeing a stuttering introverted creature, she was a nurturing presence that would do anything in her power to help heal an injured animal. She was a warm embrace that could comfort any crying creature. She was a protector of the weak and a shining beacon of warmth for those who truly needed it. Now over the years, she was finally at that potential. She felt completely comfortable with her friends, She overcame her stage fright gradually, she accomplished her life-long dream of building Ponyville's only animal sanctuary, she was happier than anyone had ever seen. Fluttershy was truly an inspiration that should be passed down for generations - a kindred spirit constantly overlooked and forgotten, soon blossoming into one of the sweetest ponies Spike had ever met. She would do anything for those she cared about, she gave the best hugs and offered the kindest words when they were needed, she was a source of good in the world that definitely needed more. Spike's face contorted into a frown however as a bitter realization came to his attention. "So why isn't she friends with me like she is with the rest of them?" True, unlike the others, she had never gone out of her way to do anything to suggest they weren't friends but Spike could rearrange that sentence to form the truth. She had never gone out of her way for him either. Ok, maybe that wasn't entirely correct either. In fact, Spike could remember one vivid memory where the two actually did bond - it was his and Twilight's first day in Ponyville. What had started out as Twilight's mission to check up on the plans for the Summer Sun Celebration ended up being the day where they met the very skittish pegasus. The dragon could clearly remember hiding behind the bushes as Twilight attempted to introduce herself to the mare, complimenting her on her choir of birds; but alas, the introverted bundle of pony only ended up uttering a few indignant squeaks of response...until he came into the picture. Suddenly, he found himself under the cute and adorable awe of the curious yellow pony wanting to know everything about a talking, baby dragon. Her shy nature forgotten, she had followed the travelling duo all the way back to the library as she and him constantly regaled stories back and forth until a frustrated Twilight had pretty much locked the two inside from the suddenly crazy mare. But Fluttershy was never crazy to Spike. In fact, after that first encounter, Spike felt like he and the pegasus could become the best of friends. Little did he know that first time had become the extent of their relationship. Soon it was almost like he didn't exist. While Fluttershy and the others constantly embarked on adventures and had fun, all he would ever get was being asked if he could watch her animals while she was away. He almost didn't understand it - first he was this amazing find that she had fawned over and now he was nothing more than a convenient source of help?Someone to watch Angel while she went to the Crystal Empire? Someone to help her out when the others couldn't? Spike was puzzled as to what encouraged her quick change in demeanor until his mind decided to speak up. "What about her fear of dragons?" While the drake would never want to imagine this sweet and loving pony would hate him because of his species, the idea sadly made more sense the more he thought about it. She never appeared back when everyone else was watching the dragon migration, she yelled and fled in terror during his greed-induced growth spurt and she never seemed to ask any more questions about him or his heritage. But then why was she ok with dragons like Smolder suddenly at the School of Friendship? Heck, she even recently helped... Spike's insides tightened as he finished that last statement. "She helped Sludge." "So what does she have against me if not other dragons? Is it me?" "Is it always going to be like this?" The dragon let out a bitter sigh as he tried to contemplate the reasoning behind her distance. They had the chance to know each other and bond for many years, just like that first day, but it never happened. Instead, Spike saw a pegasus that may never change her feelings towards him - if not now then when? "Do I even want her as a friend?" It felt weird to admit, but Fluttershy's treatment of Spike hurt him more than anypony else - including Rarity. While the others at least paid him some attention every once in a while before this journey (good or bad), Fluttershy did nothing; and for some reason that nothing made him angry. It was like he was nothing to her. Desperate to get out of the continuous cycle of negative thoughts, Spike refocused his attention to the streets below before his eyes caught the attention of a particular house. "Light blue exterior with dark-navy bricks, purple doors and lavender curtains, rainbow fences..." Realizing this house perfectly matched the description by Dr. Fauna, the dragon glided safely on the pathway to the house before slowly approaching the doorstep and delivering a soft, yet audible, round of knocks. After Spike had knocked though did he realize the potential error involving a surprise visit with ponies he never met before. "I hope Fluttershy opens the door." he plead while slightly wincing in fear before the door slowly creaked open. His pleas were met with the slow, steady appearance of an older, bright yellow mare with red mane buns and a bright pair of light green glasses, who had decided to greet the guest with an exaggerated squeak as she saw him. "DRAGON!" she yelled, her hooves shaking as she looked ready to faint. "Definitely not Fluttershy!" his mind panicked before he heard another round of hoofsteps quickly approaching to the aid of the quivering mare, most likely hearing her screams. Soon he was met by an older stallion with a light green coat along with pink mane and mustache as he shakily held a shovel in his wings which pointed sharply in the direction of the now fearful dragon. "St--stay back... We don't want any trouble..." he stuttered, doing his best to look threatening as he prodded the shovel closer to the dragon's snout. The good news was that these ponies clearly took after their presumed daughter and were much more afraid and soft-spoken as opposed to being hostile. The bad news was that they still felt threatened and Spike did not want to find out what they were planning to do with that shovel. He needed to defuse this situation and he needed to do it now. "I-I'm sorry." he nervously gulped, glancing at the gardening tool before looking back to focus on the frightened and shaking pair. "I-I was just wondering if Fluttershy was around." he stuttered as he now held his claws to his face in self-defense. Suddenly, like someone had flipped a light bulb, the two pegasi instantly lowered their guards as they looked at the frightened creature with curiosity. "Wait... are you by any chance Spike?" the mare replied softly, yet with a small amount of fear still present. "Y-yes?" the dragon replied, slowly removing his claws at the mere mention of his name. Apparently that was all the confirmation they needed as the stallion quickly discarded the shovel. "O-oh my goodness. We're so sorry. We didn't realize it was you. Please, please! Come in." he said with a gentle and thankful smile. Spike slowly monitored the couple with a puzzled expression, unsure why their reactions were suddenly positive, before the mare led him to the sanctity of their home - their apparent nerves forgotten. She led him quickly into the pair's living room before she and the stallion turned to him with welcoming smiles. "We didn't mean to scare you, dear. We just didn't realize you'd be visiting. It's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Fluttershy's mom, but you can call me Mrs. Shy." "And I'm her father, but you can call me Mr. Shy. Fluttershy went out to do some shopping for us but she'll be back soon." Spike felt a genuine smile on his face as he suddenly felt very welcomed by the two seemingly nice ponies - thankful their earlier fright seemed to be behind them. These two in front of him seemed like very hospitable ponies and he was thankful they seemed to be very accepting of him. "I'm Spike, pleased to meet both of you.", offering a claw which the two ponies happily shook in return. "Sorry if I was interrupting anything, I just heard in Ponyville that Fluttershy was visiting you two here, so I thought I could talk to her for a little bit." "Oh, no. No trouble at all." Mr. Shy reassured. "Please, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. We have plenty of room upstairs if you wish to spend the night." Spike was absolutely floored. He had met these two nice ponies two seconds ago and they were already offering him a bed? He could gather they were very soft-spoken and gentle beings but apparently they had their daughter's caring and nurturing spirit as well. Still, he was confused as to why he was being welcome into the family with no hesitation, other than the clue that he knew Fluttershy. "Oh, it's so nice to meet one of Fluttershy's closest friends." Mrs. Shy cooed, making the dragon question whether this was solving the mystery or enhancing it. Spike slowly blinked, trying not to appear too shocked on the outside. "It is?" he replied. "Oh, yes. She talks about you a lot!" Mr. Shy happily responded. Now Spike was absolutely confused. "She does?" he blinked rapidly. "Absolutely." Mrs. Shy agreed before going on a very sweet tangent. "She talks about the time you delivered the Crystal Heart, the time you saved the Equestria Games , how you befriended and helped form alliances with both dragons and changelings. She mentions all the time about how you're the sweetest little guy she's ever met and how helpful and kind you always are. She says you're one of her very best friends!" Spike's gut held a mixture of emotions. While on one hand it was actually very touching to hear all the compliments and praises she had for him, another part slowly grew furious as he wished she would say these things directly to him once in a while. In fact, it almost seemed like they were talking about someone else with how much she seemed to adore him. He wished it were true, but she seemed to be leaving out the parts involving her utterly ignoring him 90% of the time. "How come she can't tell me we're best friends? Is she telling the truth or is she just lying about what's actually there?" "You two must be so close with one another." Mr. Shy grinned with a heartwarming smile. "We are?!" he thought, but decided he didn't want to lay out the reality of the situation right now - not without Fluttershy here. "Absolutely!" he replied with a plastered grin before he decided he may as well be honest with the rest of his reply. His smile was truly genuine this time. "I've never met such a kind and caring pony in my life. She's one of the sweetest beings in Equestria and I've seen her come out of her shell a lot in the time I've known her. You two must be proud." "Even though I wish she spread that kindness towards me like you say." Both pegasi were clearly touched by the sentiment as they wiped a few stray tears from their eyes with a hoof before addressing the dragon in front of them. "Oh, Spike. Thank you so much. We're glad she has such an amazing friend like you!" Mrs. Shy uttered. The dragon's heart cracked a bit at the painful thought. "Are we though?" Mr. Shy nodded his head, before walking over towards Spike with an outstretched hoof. "Why don't we give you a tour of the house while we wait for her to return. In fact, I have some baby pictures of her we could look at." Spike's heart rose a little bit at that. "I'd get to know more about Fluttershy and hang out with these two nice ponies. Plus, I am curious what she looked like as a filly - even though she'd probably be embarrassed if I saw the pictures..." he imagined a blushing pegasus at the prospect as a small smirk etched on his face. "Sure, that'd be great." he accepted the stallion's hoof as the three trotted over to the backyard garden. A butterscotch pegasus with a bright pink mane soon approached her family's home sweet home while carrying in a few bags of groceries with her hooves as she began to make her way inside. She had to admit to herself it was weird going a couple days without seeing her animal friends, but she couldn't remember the last time she had an extended visit with her parents. She loved her family very much and she figured she could use the break from the sanctuary. While her passion had and will always be the loving and caring of nature's creatures, even she needed a break from her daily routine every so often. As she slowly began making her way to the kitchen though she began to hear three distinct laughs that made her ears perk right up. The first two laughs of course were her parents, that much she was sure of; but she had a difficult time deciphering the third voice. "And this is her in the bathtub." she could hear her mother explaining and then the third voice carried out its laugh again. "Sweet Celestia, these are great!" the voice laughed, followed by her parents. Wait a second. That laugh. That voice. Fluttershy recognized that voice. Spike? "Why is Spike here?" her mind began to wander before she dropped the bags on the counter with a sudden burst of energy, her eyes shrank considerably. "Wait?! Did she say bathtub?!" Fearing what they were laughing at, Fluttershy quickly trotted into the living room where she found her parents sitting down on the sofa, a photo album openly placed in the middle where it sat on... Spike's lap? So, Spike was here after all. Her worries forgotten for the moment, Fluttershy glanced at the visitor with a look of surprise. "Spike?" The three instantly noticed the sudden appearance of their daughter as they all smiled warmly at her, although Spike's smile seemed a little bit shorter than those of her parents'. "Hey, sweetie. Guess who came to visit." Mr. Shy proudly announced, gesturing to the dragon next to him who silently waved. The pegasus quickly developed a sweet, ecstatic smile as she hurried her way over to the dragon, approaching him with a nice big wing hug. "Oh, Spike! Hello! It's wonderful to see you!" she exclaimed as she lightly nuzzled his cheek. Spike, not used to the affectionate gesture from her outside of a few rare instances replied somewhat hesitantly. "Uh, hey Fluttershy. It's great to see you too." Mrs. Shy decided to speak up next as she gestured to the photo album. "While you were gone, Spike showed up and we decided to give him a quick tour before we found some baby pictures." Fluttershy abruptly ended the hug as her body rigidly froze. Now she remembered why she hurried into the living room. The others paid no mind as they all went back to viewing the collection of photos. "And this is when we gave her a lemon for the first time." Mr. Shy narrated as he pointed to the photo of a small yellow filly giving the camera a sour pucker of the lips. Spike immediately smiled as he began snorting, trying to prevent himself from outright bursting into tears with the respective pony in the room. Then, like a lightning bolt out of nowhere, Fluttershy quickly snatched the book with her hooves before she narrowed her eyes slightly at her parents, her whole face turning a shade of crimson. "Mom! Dad!" her voice squeaked with embarrassment, "Stop showing these to my friends!" "Sorry dear! We were just trying to make it up to Spike." her mother replied with a sheepish grin. The pegasus's blush disappeared as she set the book aside on a nearby coffee table for the moment. "Make what up?" she tilted her head questioningly. "Oh. Your dad threatened me with a shovel." Spike replied nonchalantly, much to the chagrin of the now guilty stallion. Fluttershy's wings quickly spread from her sides as she fearfully addressed her parents. "What?! Why would you threaten him with a shovel?!" Mr. Shy rubbed his hoof behind his head, looking very uncomfortable at the question. "Well, we kind of panicked when we saw him knocking on the door. We didn't realize he was Spike." Mrs. Shy bashfully admitted, turning her glance at the drake next to her who didn't seem the least bit upset with them, much to their relief. Fluttershy's wings slowly folded back up as she had noticeably calmed down, nodding her head in understanding. "Sorry about that, Spike. They didn't mean anything by it." she bowed her head softly in shame. Spike simply dismissed it with a claw. "Meh, it's no big deal. I understand." Both parents breathed out a sigh of relief, seeing that neither creature was upset with them as they smiled at the two before slowly raising themselves off the couch. "Your mother and I are going to start preparing dinner if you're still joining us Spike." Mr. Shy stated. "That sounds great if you'd have me." Spike nodded in appreciation, which all three pegasi warmly smiled in response. "Oh, of course." Mrs. Shy replied. "Why don't you two talk for a bit while we go get it ready." With the two ponies slowly making their way out of the room, Fluttershy focused her attention towards Spike who began snorting in restrained laughter again. "Those photos were the best." he chuckled. Fluttershy gave the dragon a light glare before she sighed in acceptance with a mild smile. "Rainbow still jokingly places lemons in front of me." she muttered, before redirecting her focus on the guest's appearance. "What brings you here Spike? Is everything ok?" she warmly asked, taking a seat on the couch right next to the drake. At that, Spike slowly lost his smile as he glanced down at the floorboards in thought. "Do I even really want to tell her about this? Of course, she'll offer sympathy, but would she mean it?" Then his thoughts shifted back to her parent's recollection of her praises. "Does she even mean what she told her parents? How do I know I can trust her?" "Spike?!" the pegasus's voice returned his attention to the mare as she stared at him with a worried frown. "Spike, are you alright? Why don't you tell me what's wrong." she politely offered, an outstretched wing slowly encompassing him. Spike nervously twiddled his claws as he began glancing around the room. "I know I'm supposed to be honest, but do I trust her?" "Spike! It's ok, we're friends! You can tell me anything." she said confidently before sheepishly looking away from the dragon for a moment. "You...you do trust me, right?" she uttered nervously before glancing back at the dragon with her resumed motherly concerned look. Now Spike was on the spot. Does he actually trust her? How could he when they never really had the chance to connect? Heck, does she even trust him? Then the anger part of Spike's psyche flashed for a split second as it reminded him of the lack of care she gave him while seemingly raving about him to her parents. "Of course I do Fluttershy. I just never met your parents before and when I heard you were visiting, I thought this would be a good opportunity to meet them." he responded with a toothy smile, trying to sell the deal. The pegasus didn't appear to have bought the explanation as she slowly rose an eyebrow in concern. "He's never visited me at the cottage before..." her mind told her. "Are you sure nothing's bothering you? How's your father doing?" she asked. Spike inwardly gulped. Now he was on the spot. "Great!" he all too hastily exclaimed. "He's just out of town for a couple days to... find a job in Equestria." Fluttershy continued to monitor his expression for several agonizing moments. Each second felt like a gasp for air. "Can you promise me you're telling me the truth?" she skeptically plead as Spike's could feel his body begin to sweat. "Come clean now before it's too late. It'd break her heart if she discovered you were lying." "No, don't! All you have to do is survive a night or two and then leave. She'll never know. She doesn't deserve it." Spike wanted to be a great friend, he really did...or did he? Sure everypony on his journey so far ended up really loving him, but would she even feel the same way? Did he even want her to after so long of nothing? Like an accidental burst of flame that escaped his mouth and burned multiple bridges, his mouth had betrayed him. "I promise, Fluttershy. I trust you." "Why did I just do that?!" The pegasus acknowledged him for another scrutinizing moment before she flashed him a cheery smile. "Well, as long as you say so." She then proceeded to get up from her spot before turning back around to address him. "I'm just going to check on dinner. I'll be right back." she happily whistled before skipping off to the other room. Once she was gone, Spike felt his body collapse, placing his head deep within his legs in a crouched position. "Why did I promise her? Why did I lie? If she finds out, she'll never want to speak to me again!" "Like she talks to you so much anyways." another part of his mind countered before the dragon quickly shook his head in defiance. He gulped as he stared at the lovely furnished living room, now feeling like a small room of torture. "She can't find out." Meanwhile, as Fluttershy walked into the kitchen, a conscious thought opened up in her head. "Why do I still feel like Spike's hiding something?" The pegasus quickly shook her head free of the thought, trying to sound more confident. "That's silly! Spike promised - he trusts me..." "...he does trust me, right?" A couple of extremely tense hours had passed for the dragon as he tried to forget about his deceit with a few wonderful rounds of 'go fish' played with Fluttershy. It didn't help that the mare smiling at him with a hoof-full of cards was the one he lied to, but it served as enough of a distraction for the time being. Finally, after they had just finished their 7th or 8th match (he couldn't remember) he heard the soft, yet appropriately loud call of Mrs. Shy beckoning them for dinner. As the dragon and pegasus arrived at the dining room table, they both let their eyes widen in wonder as they gazed upon an elegant feast of daffodil sandwiches, garden salad, and tomato soup laid out in front of them. "Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!" exclaimed a very happy Fluttershy as she hurriedly rushed for her seat at the table. "I'll say. They must've worked really hard on this." he commented, before joining the pegasus in a chair of his own, the two parents followed in soon after. After a few minutes that culminated in everyone beginning their meals and starting a light, friendly banter with each other, they each found themselves happy with the food and company they had to share. Nothing could ruin this moment. Meaning that it would be ruined, albeit not intentionally. Soon, they heard a side door open in front of them as in popped a light green pegasus stallion with a blonde mane bun. "Hey family! How's it going?" cried out the new voice as everyone welcomed him in with a friendly smile. Fluttershy's brother, Zephyr Breeze was here. Despite his rather unfortunate first encounter with the pegasus - when Fluttershy kept trying to find her deadbeat brother a job after being kicked out of his parents' place, that may or may not have resulted in the dragon being tricked by the pony into washing a castle-full of windows - Spike actually got along great with Zephyr now. After finally gaining the courage to achieve something on his own and successfully graduating from Mane Therapy School, Zephyr quickly found a job at the mane salon in Ponyville, where he had become quite the successful mane stylist. Spike was shocked after running into Zephyr again - what he knew once as a sort of con artist and lazy pony was suddenly a determined worker who was actually nice to have a conversation with once in a while. As such, Spike and the rest of Fluttershy's friends soon found themselves befriending the new pony as they each visited him every so often. "Hey, Zeph." Spike playfully called out, which got the attention of the green pegasus. "Spike?" he asked with a look of confusion. "What's going on? What are you doing here?" "Spike's here to visit us for a bit. Come, sit down and have dinner with us." Mr. Shy invited, much to the pony's pleasure. "Well, don't mind if I do then. Thanks, pop." Zephyr said as he quickly found a fifth seat to join the group at the table. "How has work been?" asked a grinning Fluttershy, who hadn't seen her brother in a week or two. "Stylin' manes to everyone who came." he playfully quoted as his sister lightly giggled in her hoof. He then began playfully digging his plate before a sudden memory came to him, re-focusing his attention on the guest of honor. "By the way, Spike. I had Rarity come in the other day for her mane and she told me all about your situation. I'm sorry to hear about what happened." he lightly announced before he dug in to a piece of lettuce with his fork. Meanwhile, Spike felt the grip on his fork loosen as he suddenly dropped the utensil onto his plate with a loud 'clang'. His mouth hung open like a fish out of water as his pupils shrank. "No... please not now" his mind begged, hoping some greater power would stop this madness before it was too late. The three other pegasi in the room had both heard and seen Spike's reaction to said statement as they glanced at each other in confusion before turning back around to face Zephyr. "What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Shy, hoping for some elaboration. Zephyr noticed the looks everyone was giving him as he swallowed his current bite before talking. "Oh, about how Spike's father..." "...is looking for a job. Yeah. It's great isn't it?" Spike quickly interrupted, hoping his sudden demeanor was believable enough. It wasn't. "No, that wasn't what Rarity told me at all. She told me..." "Zephyr! Buddy. Maybe this is a conversation for the two of us in private." Spike blinked rapidly, hoping the oblivious pegasus would buy the hint. Fluttershy however wasn't amused by Spike's odd behavior as she raised a skeptical eyebrow at him before turning back to her brother. "Zephyr, what did Rarity actually say?" she asked in a polite, yet firm tone - suddenly worrying that Spike's honesty earlier wasn't all that was cracked up to be. "Uhh..." Spike began stammering, "Zeph's really tired and..." "Spike..." Fluttershy shot him a warning look as both her eyes began narrowing at him. "Please let him speak." Spike tried to argue back, but Fluttershy's stern face told him he wasn't getting out of this. He knew he was now suffering for lying to the kind pony as he sulked in his seat - being forced to watch the bombshell be dropped as a form of internal torture. Mr and Mrs. Shy simply gave each other a concerned look, before also turning to Zephyr. Zephyr took another slow bite of his food, before clearing his throat. Sighing for a moment upon realizing how serious this situation actually was - Fluttershy with a hardened, yet concerned stare, his parents looking worried, and Spike looking like he wanted to melt in his chair. He wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but he knew that the truth was about to open things up. "Rarity told me about this dragon that came to the castle and claimed to be Spike's father... Sludge I believe? Anyways, Spike found out that this Sludge guy was only pretending to be his father so he could stay in the castle, but took off when he was confronted. After that, I guess Spike was feeling down because he felt he had no family besides Twilight and he felt that 'the girls' as Rarity says, never really liked him. So, Rarity told me that Spike soon arrived at her boutique, claiming to be on a mission by Twilight to bond with each of the others and confess to them about the fake father. She told me that he was absolutely miserable when he arrived because something about the others never spending time with him or something but they eventually made up, bonded, and last she saw him, he was headed to find the rest." "That's all Rarity told me anyways." Zephyr sagely concluded as he soon gulped a cup of water down his throat. Spike felt like he could simply crumble at the spot at any precise moment. As soon as the pegasus had finished his story, all other ponies turned to look at him with different levels of reaction. Mr. and Mrs. Shy both looked shocked as he simply raised his brow in sympathy while she held a hoof over her opened mouth. Fluttershy's look however made Spike regret ever lying to the pony if he hadn't already. She simply stared at him with her sharp glaring eyes piercing into his soul as he could see tears starting to form at the corners of them. She was sad, she was shocked, she was angry, she was worried, she was all of these - but one emotion spoke volumes louder than the rest. She was upset with him. Feeling the weight of all the ponies at the table (Zephyr now included) casting the attention over to him, Spike felt his heart beat rapidly as he tried to think of any course of action, anything he could say to diffuse everything. "Well..." Spike tapped his claws rapidly on the table. "I did say he was out of town, and I did say I wanted to see you guys..." he nervously laughed. Fluttershy ceremoniously dropped her silverware on her plate in a huff as she quickly stood from her chair. "I need to be excused." she said, with a ice-cold tone that sent shivers down Spike's spine. She was very upset with him and it was all his fault. No matter how he felt about her at the moment, she didn't deserve this. As the sulking pegasus exited out of the dining room and headed towards the upstairs portion of the house through the living room, Spike quickly took the initiative to leap out of his own spot at the table, quickly approaching the mare at the bottom base of the stairs. "Fluttershy! Wait!" he called out just as a single hoof began climbing the stairs. "Fluttershy, please! Can we talk about this?" he begged mercifully. She didn't even bother to turn around, instead her head slowly rose a bit as she gave a slight huff. "No, Spike we can't talk. I gave you a chance to tell me the truth, and not only did you lie to my face, you broke a promise. If you didn't want to say, you could've just said so. But instead, you openly lied and had the nerve to say you trusted me! I'm so upset right now, I can't even look at you, so please - leave me alone." She began slowly reaching for the steps again, the dragon frantically searching for the right thing to say to make it all up right now. He had to say something, anything to stop her from shutting him out of her life. And for the second time today, Spike's mouth deliberately betrayed him in the worst way possible. "I don't know why you're so upset about all this! Everything is happening to me, not you." Fluttershy's hoof again abruptly stopped, but this time she did manage to turn around and address the drake with a piercing glare. Spike's heart stopped as he suddenly felt his veins freezing over at the normally sweet pegasus's anger. "Uh oh..." At that same moment, the rest of the family had decided to abandon their meals and venture out to the living room, only to see a very hurt looking pegasus slowly walk towards a very nervous dragon. The three could only walk a little closer to the chaos before stopping at the perfect side view between the two arguing creatures. "I'm upset..." Fluttershy placed with emphasis, "...because not only did I just discover that one of the creatures I care most about was cruelly manipulated, nor did I just discover that he secretly thought I didn't like him and never told me, but I also found out that he comes here to explain this to me, only to then lie about it and falsely claim that he trusts me!" At the end of her rant, the pegasus was almost muzzle to muzzle with the dragon. Now, if Spike were smart, he would do his best to apologize and explain things from his perspective the best he could. He should've done that and he knew it, but one simple phrase sent his brain into his concealed anger once again. "One of the creatures I care most about..." Perhaps it was the drake's exhaustion from the long emotional mission he had endured so far, perhaps it was the way in which the pony was getting in his face, perhaps it was simply his frustration that he felt like he had to be the one to offer the claw of friendship to the others while they only had to sit back and accept it while initially barely trying themselves... Scratch that, it was mostly the last one. But regardless, suddenly appeasing the situation was no longer an option. He grew angry at the pony in front of him who seemed like they had put the least amount of effort in the past. He was furious and if she was going to get angry with him, then he wasn't backing down. Spike suddenly developed a slight snarl as he pushed his way closer to the mare in front of him. "Oh, please! I'm not the only one here who's putting on a charade!" Fluttershy was taken back for a moment, before her glare returned. "And what is that supposed to mean?!" "Please!" Spike rolled his eyes as he jabbed a claw in the pony's chest. "Besides the very first day we met where you were so excited at meeting a 'baby dragon', You've spent absolutely zero time with me, yet I'm finding out from your parents that you go around spieling about how I'm 'one of your best friends'?! You act like we're so close yet what's the longest conversation we've held since I moved to Ponyville? 'Hey Spike, can you watch my bunny like the sidekick you are while everyone else gets to go visit the Crystal Empire and partake in the Equestria Games?' Some friendship we have there!" At that, Fluttershy's anger had completely left her face and was replaced with overwhelming sadness. She tried to stop the tears from falling but was unable to do so as she felt her choked sobs begin overwhelming her. Her parents and Zephyr simply stood there in shock at the ensuing fight, unable to stop the madness. "Of course you're one of my best friends!" Fluttershy breathed out, before she found her glare return, although having lost some of its impact with tears running down her face. "I love you Spike and I'm sorry I haven't tried enough, but you haven't really tried with me either!" Spike didn't even blink as his anger continued to release. "What am I supposed to do?! Try and start hanging out with the pony who has a crippling fear of dragons?! Yeah that will end up well. You were absolutely petrified of me when I had my growth spurt!" "That's because that wasn't you! That wasn't the Spike we all love, the one I love! I'm not afraid of you now at all, am I?!" she jabbed an accusatory hoof at his snout. Spike simply placed the hoof off his face before continuing with a roll of his eyes. "Oh, come on! We both know that if I ever became a permanent adult dragon, you'd be the first to run out of town!" Fluttershy loudly gasped at this as the tears started on anew, yet her fury returned full force as she developed an open scowl herself. "How dare you say that?! I would never ever run away from you if that was really who you were! What would ever make you think that?!" "Oh, I don't know, ask the dragon migration that everyone except you went to!" Fluttershy took a step back at this, as she took a breath to relax before she approached the dragon much more calmly. She never realized that particular event wounded so deeply. She was afraid of seeing the older dragons, but she was never afraid of Spike. She loved Spike and he.... he should know that right? She felt new tears coming on as she looked extremely pitiful. "Spike, that was a long time ago, and I apologize if I ended up hurting your feelings. If I had known it was so important to you, I would've gone." Spike's scowl dropped as well as the anger left his face, approaching his next question much more softly. Tears began pouring down his face at a rapid rate as his head remained down. "Do you even care about me at all? How can I even trust you if I feel there's nothing at all?" Fluttershy's heart leapt out of her chest. This poor creature was suffering because of her and while she initially blamed him for hiding everything, she realized she was hiding too. This was her fault as well! She walked over to the dragon again, with a soft, gentle voice as she tried reaching out to him. "Spike..." Then suddenly, his anger returned for one final outburst, the final nail in the coffin as it were. "Throughout this whole journey, I've had to constantly learn it was up to me to make the effort with you girls! It was up to me to make a connection! It didn't matter that none of you ever invited me to anything or offered to spend time with me specifically! I had to be the one responsible for years of constantly thinking that 5 mares I constantly saw with Twilight wanted nothing to do with me!" "Spike..." Fluttershy's heart felt like ripping in half from the pain he was releasing. She should've made the effort too, but a shy pegasus like her always worried or made excuses - and look what those excuses had done now. "I'm sick of it! What do I matter to you?! Who am I to you?! Where has it been hiding all this time?! Tell me!" Fluttershy was absolutely miserable as she shakily tried to reach out to her best friend, her dragon. Her baby. "TELL ME!" "YOU'RE LIKE A CHILD TO ME, ALRIGHT!" "W-what?" Spike paused, his anger completely vanished. "I wanted to be like a second mother to you, ok!" she continued as her voice pained her and tears blurred her vision. "After a while of getting to know you and realizing that you really didn't have a family, I wanted to become a second mother behind Twilight for you. I wanted to protect you and keep you safe!" "But after the first day we met, seeing Twilight shoo me away from you and me worrying about messing up a creature I knew next to nothing about... I grew scared alright! I was worried if I tried too hard or told you how I felt, I'd end up pushing you away and you'd end up hating me!" Spike remained silent as all traces of words were unable to come out. "But look at where that got me now! You don't trust me! You think I hate you! I screwed up anyways! I'm a failure! I'M A TERRIBLE MOTHER!" she let off one last roar before she sobbingly bolted up the stairs and entered her bedroom with a quick slamming of the door. Mr. and Mrs. Shy quickly hopped off the couch and approached the base of the stairs where Spike was currently staring off into the distance. The dragon slowly fell to his knees as he felt his world come crashing down. "I could've had a mom." he choked out before bringing his head down to the floor. Spike soon found himself propped up on the couch sitting next to Mr. Shy who tried to comfort the poor creature with a reassuring hoof on his shoulder, and Zephyr who looked equally concerned yet couldn't find the right words to say. Spike greatly appreciated the two's efforts to cheer him up and he felt like they would've worked... ...if the audible sobs of a heartbroken pegasus upstairs didn't mentally torment him. Spike sniffled as he let out a long sigh. "This is all my fault. I didn't want to get so angry, I-I just... I got tired of others only caring about me from a distance. I just wanted to feel loved. I-I'm so sorry." Mr. Shy gently guided Spike's face up to meet his gaze as he spoke calmly. "Spike, it's ok. I don't blame you. Fluttershy never told us about the 'mom' thing either... I understand how hurt you must be to have to feel like you had to hide yourself in doubt for so long - to then realize you could've had something else all along. I'm sure she feels the same way too - she didn't want to hide either, but she got upset when she realized she could've made a difference a long time ago." At his father's reassuring speech, Zephyr's eyes suddenly widened in realization as a familiar event played in his head. Just then, they could hear several light knocks on the door as Mrs. Shy's voice rang through the room. "Fluttershy, sweetie. Won't you please let me in so we can talk about this?" "No!" came a choked reply as Spike's guilt immediately worsened. "I know you're upset right now, but I think talking will make you feel better." "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like talking right now!" "But... you barely touched your dinner." "I'm not hungry!" "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" "Please, I just want to be alone right now!" Soon they could hear Mrs. Shy slowly trot down the stairs as the crying from upstairs resumed, albeit with less force than before. She slowly turned to the three other creatures' frowns as she sighed with a lopsided smile. "She's just upset right now. I'm sure she'll be alright though. She just needs time." she warmly reassured. Mr. Shy returned the odd smile as he nodded his head. Spike though, felt extremely low as his body tensed up with regret. "This is all my fault. I should've talked to her before. I should've told the truth. I..." Mrs. Shy quickly walked over to the miserable drake and patted a hoof on his back. "No sweetie. It's not all your fault. You made mistakes, but I think Fluttershy was more upset with herself for making you feel like you had to lie." Spike's head drooped lower. "That makes it worse." He sighed again, as he turned to look at the pitied looks of the adults in front of him. "Throughout this journey, I've had to battle my fears of the others. For so long, I felt like I didn't belong with them - that they were Twilight's friends and family but never mine. But then, I start talking to them and they all the sudden regret everything in the past, and we become family just like that. Don't get me wrong, I love that they love me back and now we can hopefully be super close but... it makes me think... I could've had this years ago. If I or any of them had had these conversations years ago, I could've been much happier then; yet it's always me that has to put in the time and effort and it took me this long to do it! So why couldn't I have said something back then, why did I have to hurt for so long? Why couldn't I have known how they felt then?!" Zephyr's eyes immediately hardened in a surprisingly serious nature as he stared at the dragon and his two consoling parents. "Because you and them are both wrong." he spoke in a low hardened tone, quickly catching the attention of everybody. "Wh- what?" Spike asked, both parents looking at their youngest with intrigue. "All of you kept pulling yourselves in doubts and fear. You all kept yourselves in the past, even if everyone did want to help, and that prevented you from focusing on the future." No one said a word as everyone continued to stare at Zephyr with surprise, wondering what he meant. The pegasus just sighed as he mentally prepared himself for what he was going to say next. "Spike, do you remember before I got my Mane Therapy License? Back when I kept bouncing around between interests?" Spike simply nodded his head while Zephyr's parents' eyes widened in realization as they continued to gawk. "Back then, I kept my fears hidden. I thought I'd never be able to do anything right, but instead of facing the truth I ended up mooching off my parents for far too long. I hurt them by constantly invading their home, but worst of all was I hurt myself from never trying anything." Mrs. Shy gasped, "Sweetie, no..." she began before Zephyr silently held out a hoof as a sign to let him continue. "Flutters tried to help me find a job, she tried to help me achieve something, but the plans failed because I realized I kept pushing everything back. I was frustrated at first, I wanted to change but I wanted help in doing so. I never thought about why I was always stuck in the past, why I had to all the sudden be the one to want change." Spike mentally drew himself closer to Zephyr, hanging on to every word as if they were written scripture. He realized that the two had gone through a similar process and he was desperate to know how to fix it. "But then I finally figured it out. Other ponies did want to help me, they wanted me to have what I wanted, but I soon discovered that it takes everyone to make a difference." Spike simply blinked as he tried to process this. "When I found out I needed to help myself, I became angry. I thought, 'Why couldn't I have known about this years ago? Why is everything finally changing now? Why did my folks never tell me off before?'" Mr. and Mrs. Shy both felt tears approaching at that. "That's when I had my epiphany. We were both wrong. My parents never telling me to leave and find a job, and I, for always worrying about what could happen if I fail and never if I succeed. It still hurts to this day that I could've had so much more of my career if I had figured this out earlier, but then I wouldn't be able to focus on my job in the here and now. So, I guess what I'm saying is, if you truly want something, you have to go for it and not worry about what was or what could've been." Spike's eyes shined brightly with awe as he had never heard the normally laid-back pony be so articulate before. Apparently Mr. and Mrs. Shy felt that same sentiment as they both smiled warmly at their son with tears in their eyes. "So... what's the lesson here? If no one's right, then what?" Zephyr simply chuckled. "You're both wrong kid. You should've never held your feelings in or lied to Flutters, but she should've also been able to tell you her side before this. You both kept things hidden for years and I'm assuming your other friends did as well." "So, why does it have to be me?" Spike retorted. "Because if you want something, you have to go for it - even if you feel like they should've said something, you can make a difference here and now. I know it's not a totally positive feeling but think of it this way - you can close the gaps, you can be the one to make those connections. Sure, it hurts that your friends couldn't have come to you after all this time, but if you waited for them, would you have what you've received so far?" Spike contemplated Zephyr's point. It hurt that no one was right in these situations, but if he pushed past those feelings, he could create potential happiness in the here and now. It was a give and take idea, but the rewards greatly justified the means in his mind. "And if you and Fluttershy both want to work out your relationship, you're both going to have to address the past - which you two pretty much just did - and move forward towards creating a better tomorrow. Put behind past mistakes and work on what you two would like to see." Spike smiled at that, before a skeptical pause jumped at him. "What if it's too late? What if the pain has gone on for too long?" Zephyr simply smirked at that, before a gentle smile accompanied him. "What if it's not? What if you tried?" Spike felt a sudden wave of confidence in him as he went over to bump Zephyr's hoof with his fist. "Thanks Zephyr. Really - I needed that." Zephyr grinned as he bumped the fist in return. "Anytime." Mr and Mrs. Shy both hugged their son as a sign of a job well done before they turned to Spike with a wave of confidence of their own. "I'm sure Fluttershy's hurting too after never telling you this all these years, but she's told you now and it's up to the two of you to decide where it goes." Mr. Shy spoke. "Just like you regret that you've hurt her, I'm positive she regrets hurting you. Either you can live your lives in regret and think about 'what could've been', or you can both stop running and take the leap forwards." Mrs. Shy agreed. Spike nodded his head before he boldly leapt off the couch and stared defiantly at the second floor of the house. "I'm going to go talk to her!" Then, Spike's bravado suddenly flickered out as he realized one fatal flaw. "But she's got to let me in first." Everyone in the room began to think of a plan to convince an upset Fluttershy to let the dragon in for a conversation before Zephyr began chuckling. "If we had her favorite dessert, she'd probably let you in. Even an upset Flutters couldn't resist her favorite treat." Mr and Mrs. Shy looked knowingly at their son with small smirks whereas Spike was completely lost. "Favorite dessert?" Zephyr looked back at Spike. "Sure. Red Velvet Cupcakes. She could probably eat a million of them if she wanted. She's always so happy whenever she sees one." "Red Velvet Cupcakes? Why do I have the feeling that..." Suddenly a metaphorical light bulb appeared over his head. "That's it! Pinkie's final gift!" Spike suddenly had an ear-splitting grin as he dug into his backpack beside the couch and pulled out the tin container containing the magically preserved treats. "Ta-da!" he boldly announced as he showed off the inside of the container to three very surprised pegasi. "How did you...?" Mrs. Shy began. "Pinkie Pie." Spike simply stated as everyone in the room accepted that answer with no further questioning. "Ah, I see." Mr. Shy responded. "Well, these should hopefully help. You and cupcakes should coax her out." Before Spike started marching up the stairs though, Zephyr stopped him with a wing. "Before you go up there Spike, are you sure this is what you want?" Spike's mind immediately began to ponder before a single cohesive answer formed in his head. "I want Fluttershy." "Positive!" he eagerly replied with a thumbs up. Zephyr and his parents smiled fondly as they watched the small dragon march up the stairs with pride - a tin held in his grasp. "You can do it." he whispered. There he was - mere inches from Fluttershy's bedroom. He could easily tell it was hers by the butterfly stickers that were decorated on it, that and he could hear sniffling come from the other side. The good news was that she seemed to be out of tears as she no longer sobbed vocally like before, but he also knew that a second wind would be easy to pick up and he wanted to avoid that as best he could. Spike quickly knocked on the door as he made himself known to the pony inside. "Fluttershy, may I please come in? We really need to talk about this." A voice quickly replied. "No! I don't want to talk! I don't want to hurt you again!" From her tone, he could clearly tell she was more distraught than angry or betrayed, which was somewhat of a good sign if not for his guilt. Then he remembered the meaning behind Zephyr's speech. "Fluttershy, we both know we ended up hurting each other. I kept myself hidden from you for so long and you did the same with me. We both wanted to be there for each other but we were too afraid - but it's time to stop living in the past! Yes, we both ended up making horrible mistakes along the way, but we can't keep running away from our problems. I want you to be in my life if you'll have me in yours, but we can only do that if we work it out now and focus on what could be ahead. So, please. We can work this out - together." "......." Fluttershy's silence meant that the words had indeed struck the pegasus's fancy. He got her attention and she sincerely wanted to let him in but a lingering bit of doubt kept her from doing so. "Time for the final push." "I also figured you'd want some of these red velvet cupcakes Pinkie gave me." The door slowly creaked open; although the pegasus was not currently seen, she had invited him in. "....maybe I would..." he could hear her mutter as he quickly stepped inside the warm green bedroom. The dragon began wondering where she was until he spotted on the bed what looked like a big pony-shaped lump lying down, hidden underneath the blankets. He inwardly chuckled as he sat next to the pony on the bed. "Some things never change" Spike decided it'd be rude to try and force the pegasus to come out from underneath her comfort zone so he instead opened the tin up and placed it in front of the two of them. A yellow hoof quickly shot out from its hidden domain as she instantly grabbed a cupcake and dove it back under. "Red Velvet Cupcakes. Good to know..." Spike sighed, taking the initiative to start the conversation. "Fluttershy, I'm really sorry I lied to you about Sludge and about this whole journey thing in general. I got it stuck in my mind that none of you girls liked me if you never spent time with me, and my assumptions about you were probably the worst of all." He saw the blanket had tilted its head. "After our very first meeting, I got upset because we never really seemed to spend time after that. Then the thing with my birthday and the dragon migration showed up and I hastily concluded it was because of your fear of dragons and it really hurt me." The blanket form slowly moved closer to the opening as it also shifted closer to the dragon. Spike felt tears beginning to fill up his eyes again. "But then, we had dragons at the school and then you and everyone else helped Sludge and.... it hurt. I became angry because I assumed it had something to do with me specifically. I felt like I could never trust you if you seemed to have a problem with me." "Then I came here today and your parents are going on and on about how you always talk about me, and how much you appreciate me, and I grew even more angry and confused. I didn't know what to exactly think or say, but then it brought up past memories of this mission." Spike sighed. "All the others I had to open myself up to, only to discover that they wanted to be a part of my family all along. I'm happy that they love me, but I'm also upset because it felt like they never had to try and open up to me- it was on me to make a difference." "But then your brother helped put things in perspective. The others held the same fears that I have. Sure, it doesn't fully excuse the fact that they never told me, but it also made me realize that if this was something I wanted, then I had the power to do it." Spike felt the tears finally began falling as he clenched his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, a yellow figure slowly released herself from the blankets to stare at the dragon with large, quivering eyes. "It was too late though. I ended up lying to you, hurt your feelings, and unleashed all my anger onto you when you didn't deserve it. Sure, I still wished you had told me how you felt a long time ago but now I can't help but feel that I screwed up any chance of a bond you and I could have right now." The now fully revealed Fluttershy slowly felt her heartbeat patter for the creature as she slowly moved closer to him until she was right next to him, the dragon in his grief not realizing. Spike looked down at the floor with a somewhat bittersweet smile as he still hadn't noticed the pegasus next to him. "I did tell your parents one thing today that was the truth. I told them that you were probably the kindest and most caring being I've ever met. How you would always go to extreme lengths for your animals or your friends, and how much I admired that. I told them how much I and the others have seen you grow into such a beautiful, sweet, and more confident pony over the years and how proud we all are of you." Fluttershy felt a bunch of silent tears fall down her cheeks as she graced the dragon with a large, quivering, warm smile. Spike quivered one more time as he felt his tear drops hit the floor. "I'd be honored to have someone like that as a second mother now. I don't care about what happened before - I just want you now. I'm-I'm so sorry." he began loudly sniffling. Then, suddenly, he felt a soft yellow wing tenderly wipe away the remaining tears in his eyes. He slowly looked up in mild shock to see a sniffling, yet proudly smiling pegasus in front of him as she wrapped both wings around the smaller form. Spike's head fell into the soft cozy chest of the pony as he nuzzled his way into the comfort as tight as he could. A warm tender voice vacated his ears as he heard the love and nurturing behind it. "It's ok, I forgive you. I have and will always love you. I love you so much." Spike clutched around the pony's soft neck as the two fell into a loving embrace that lasted several minutes, letting the warmth around them substituting any silence. Finally, Spike naturally released himself from the hug as he fell back onto the bed, sitting directly next to Fluttershy. The pegasus in question silently took another cupcake from the container, before sliding it over to him with a gesture of her wing. Spike took a cupcake in return as he nodded to her. "Thanks." The two happily ate on the sugar confections for a moment before Fluttershy realized it was her time to speak. "I'm sorry too. It was wrong of me to get so upset when I was hiding things too. I never meant to ignore you or make you think I didn't like you because you were a dragon. I always watched you from a distance with a feeling of pride. I saw how smart, brave, and helpful you are and it warmed me up inside. I always wanted to offer to be like a 'second mom' to you, but I didn't know how Twilight and the others would react. Heck, I wasn't sure how you would take it, and I just became..." "...you mean you became shy?" Spike quipped. Fluttershy gave a hearty snort as she delivered a playful smirk to her companion. "Would you believe me of all ponies could be shy?" The two gave a good laugh before Fluttershy resumed. "I had no idea how much I could've hurt you and I'm really, really sorry. I didn't lie about everything however - everything I told my parents was true." Spike mouth gaped open as he stuttered in awe for a moment, "R-really?" Fluttershy nodded as she drew the dragon in close so their heads almost touched each other - however this time had both creatures in a much more positive atmosphere. "Spike, you have no idea how proud I am of you. You saved the Crystal Empire twice, you befriended both Dragon Lord Ember and Changeling King Thorax, and you recently got your wings to save Twilight, Zecora, and Rarity. On top of all that, you've always been willing to help others and be your very best wherever you go. I've seen you grow over the years too and I couldn't be any more pleased with the dragon you are growing into; and mark my words that if you ever do grow, I will never be afraid because I will always see the best adopted son I could ever have." Spike and Fluttershy both began to lightly sniffle as the mare lovingly nuzzled the dragon's quivering form. "Does... does this mean we can be a family?" he asked, almost feeling as if this moment was too good to be true. But it was true because the snuggle she wrapped him around in woke him up from any possible dream. "I would love nothing more. I promise we can always make time for each other. I love you, Spike." Spike warmly smiled in his embrace. He had done it, he had finally done it. Much like the others, he was able to let himself go as he had discovered another new member to his family. He felt loved, he felt wanted, it was everything he could've hoped for. Still something felt different with this one though. Then, suddenly like a hurricane, Zephyr's words came flooding back in, "Let go of the past." "I... I did it. The past... it's no longer bothering me. It's finally gone. I'm free!" Even though they weren't the loudest tears, they were probably the most powerful. He suddenly felt the weight of many pent-up years finally being released like a balloon. He had the trust of everypony he could ever want, his family issue was resolved, and he felt like he was 100% comfortable with himself. He was finally free. "I love you too... mom." Spike, Fluttershy, Zephyr, and the Shy Family had a blast over the last 3 days. After the first night of the tearful union between dragon and pegasus, the whole group decided they would spend time together as one, big happy family. They all took a tour of Cloudsdale together where they showed Spike all the amazing historical monuments and sites located within the cloudy city. The Shy's and Spike all cooked together as even Zephyr had to admit he liked having a culinary side to him. Sure he wasn't as good as Spike or his folks, but the time they had laughing and baking more than made up for it. If only the same could be said for the half a dozen red velvet cupcakes Fluttershy consumed. They went through photo albums of the children when they were younger, much to the chagrin of both Fluttershy and Zephyr; though seeing Spike's interested expression and his occasional bouts of laughter made them realize perhaps the embarrassment wasn't as bad after all. They told stories, they played games with each other, all the things a typical family could do together. What made it the best though was getting to see a not-so-timid Fluttershy smile, laugh, quip, tease, run around, and partake in all the activities alongside Spike without a hint of fear in her body. She was being her true self around him and the motherly smile she blessed him with always guaranteed him happiness. After the 3 days were up however, Fluttershy and Spike both decided they needed to return to Ponyville - animals and princesses waiting for them after all. After Spike and Fluttershy waved a hearty goodbye to the extremely nice pegasi couple and Zephyr, who promised they would visit the both of them soon and vice versa, both pegasus and dragon took off with a flap of their wings back to the beloved ground that they called home. Both creatures flew down to a halfway meeting spot on the outskirts of town - one direction headed towards the animal caretaker's cottage near the Everfree Forest, while the other path headed towards a certain friendship castle in town. The two stared at each other for a moment before a certain drake broke the silence. "So... I guess this is goodbye then." The mare rolled her eyes as she softly cooed in her typical tone. "Spike, don't make it sound like we're never going to see each other again. You know where to find me, and I to you." She then stepped closer as she playfully poked him in the chest, lightly chiding him. "That means whenever you feel like coming over to talk or hang out and have tea, you come and do it. Understand, mister?" Spike chuckled in response. "Since when did you become a jokester?" Fluttershy gave him a sly smile before she wrapped him in a hug. "I have my ways." As the hug subsided, Fluttershy then reached out her wing as she began talking, before pulling out a feather with her mouth. "Before you go, I have a present for you. Have you heard the story of a pegasus's feathers before?" Spike silently gasped before he instinctively grabbed the feather from a prodding hoof. "Rainbow told me about it, but are you sure..." "Of course I am." she responded with her trademark nurturing smile. "I have one more gift for you before you go." she stated as she walked over towards Spike before crouching down to his level. "Ever since the first day I met you, I knew you'd be someone special. Never forget that I always will." She then gave him a tender smooch on the cheek. Spike in a crazed stupor felt himself mindlessly take a couple steps back, Fluttershy hiding back her laughter with a hoof over her lips before the dragon regained focus. He smiled sincerely at the form in front of him. "Thanks, mom. See you soon?" "Of course. I've got to make sure I let Dr. Fauna rest though. See you later, Spike!" as she trotted down her own path with a large wave of her hoof. "Bye!" Spike waved back before he felt ready to walk alongside his own path back to Ponyville. After what only felt like a couple slow steps however, the dragon's rhythm came to a screeching halt as his head swarmed with multiple truths. "The past, my pain... it's gone. It's all gone!" "I finally learned the other girls love me. I'm no longer afraid. After all these years, I know they love me!" "I have my family! Almost all my life, I worried about a family and I now know who they are!" Spike cracked a quivering smile as he felt a few loose tears stroll down his side. "All my pain, my heartache... it's over now. I'm free! I'm free! The journey is over and I'm free!" "Wait until I tell... TWILIGHT!" Spike suddenly felt himself sprint full speed towards the castle with all of his energy. He hadn't seen Twilight in almost three weeks and he was practically bouncing for joy over telling her possibly the best news in his entire life. He was going to return to the pony he loved most of all - running through town as he finally felt completely in peace with himself for a first in a very long time. "I'm coming, Twilight!"