“Ow ow ow! Starlight let go! You’re gonna tear my ear off!” Starlight pulled Spike out of Ponyville and to the old CMC clubhouse so they would be alone. She let go and he rubbed his ear frill as she faced him with an angry principal face.
“You have a lot of explaining to do. “
“Of course… Star I’ll explain everything to everyone but I have to see her… Twilight…” Starlight looked down and sighed. “What’s wrong?”
“Spike, you were gone for so long… you were with her since she cared to remember. Losing you hurt her in so many ways and while you coming back will help, I don't know about letting you see her yet.“
“What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
“She hoped every day to see you and was so broken up that… two years after you vanished she started to see you. A living nightmare that blamed her, that tortured her, one none of us could see. She would be fine but then she would be crying and hiding herself away. We all did what we could. Over time, Cadence got her to open up again. I was so busy with the school…” Spike hugged her and sighed.
“Don’t go down that slope… you can’t blame yourself especially since this was my fault.”
“She opened up slowly, starting with Applejack thinking she’d understand loss. We brought her back and nightmare left but I could see it. It never truly disappeared. Always a tiny voice there in the back of his mind. Seeing you just out of the blue may not help unless the girls and I are there to help prove that you’re real.” Spike nodded slowly and looked down at his claws, anger filling him. Anger at his own greed, at just how much he had hurt the one that gave him everything. He roared and blasted fire into the sky. Starlight put a hoof on his back and he slowly relaxed before laying on his back.
“I’m sorry… for everything. For leaving you to put up the pieces…”
“Spike, we all may not forgive you as easily as Pinkie but you have a chance to make things right. Now you do what you think is right.” They turned when they heard a train whistle and Starlight paled before she cursed and ordered him to stay. She teleported away and Spike shrugged before looking back at the old CMC clubhouse, wondering what happened to them for it to look so unused. He jumped when he heard a stick break and turned to see another familiar face.
. . .
Starlight teleported to her school and rushed through the halls. “No no no, damn it! Why do I get lost even in my own school!?” She finally burst through a room where Applebloom was getting ready for her class. She smiled at her boss.
“Howdy Starlight, somethin’ wrong?”
“No time! I need you to distract your sister! You have to keep her away from Sweet Apple Acres while I’m talking to someone there!” Starlight started to pull Applebloo, closer and prepared to teleport them to the train station. Applebloom struggled against the magic and shouted.
“Starlight! Ma sister is already home! She arrived late last night in case ya needed help with Twilight!” Starlight stopped and pulled the red-maned girl close.
“She what?!”
. . .
“A-Applejack…” Spike faced the country mare and blushed to find she had gotten even more beautiful since he last saw her. His younger self never admitted it but he had a bit of a crush on her, not as big as the one on Rarity of course but he admired her maybe even more. She was kind, honest, hard-working, always there to listen even if it was a tiny problem. Her accent and looks also helped. Her dedication to family and to make her fortunes square inspired him to work harder and reach ever higher.
“Spike…” She stared at him before she leaned her head down, her trademarked hat covering her eyes as she smiled.
“I’m back… to stay.”
“Ah see that… so nice to see ya…” She undid the red bands from her hair and tail, letting her mane fall freely and putting the bands on her forelegs. She looked up at him, a deathly glare in her eyes as they watered ever so slightly. Spike shivered and froze for a moment, it was like Fluttershy using the stare on him. He had killed villains whose glares that couldn’t compare to this one.
“A-Applej-” He didn’t finish as she rushed at him and shouted as she hit him in the jaw with all of her strength. Spike smashed into the ground, causing a small crater and was shocked as pain spread across his body. He touched his jaw to find blood, she had actually managed to hurt him. “A-Applejack, you hurt me!?” The country mare didn’t stop as she bit on his tail and pulled him out of the crater.
“And you have a lot more coming!!” She shouted, throwing him into a tree and tried to punch him but he moved his head at the last moment, seeing her hoof make an indent in the tree. He gulped seeing this was serious and that if he wasn’t careful then she would hurt him. He kicked her away and stood.
“I don’t wanna fight you!”
“Should have thought of that before you ran! Before you abandoned your family!” She attacked him with punches and kicks which Spike blocked and dodged but Applejack had only gotten better with age, her speed and strength was something Spike was unused to. She landed several kicks to his gut and cracked him on the jaw again. He cursed and spat out more crimson liquid before he punched her back.
“Spike!”
“SIS!” Applebloom shouted trying to get to her sister but Starlight pulled her back as Applejack glared at her.
“Keep her out of this!” She jumped back at Spike and he grabbed her hooves and threw her aside and opened his wings to fly but she growled and kicked rocks at him, one hitting his wing. He cursed and grabbed an empty log before throwing it at her but she ran towards it and jumped, spinning right through the center and landing a kick on his face again. He fell to a knee but quickly grabbed her hooves again trying to stop her but she smashed her head into his nose causing him to drop her and she reared her legs. He held his face and opened an eye just in time to see her buck him, just in time to see tears in her glaring eyes. He coughed and crashed through several trees.
He gasped and moved a hand to his chest. ‘Several cracked ribs… knocked out a few teeth… broken nose...’ He coughed out some blood and looked up to see Applejack glaring.
“A-Applejack…” He muttered and reached out a hand only for her to buck his shoulder and dislocate it. He stayed still and cried, shutting his eyes and waiting for more pain.
“THAT’S ENOUGH APPLEJACK!” He opened his eyes to see Applebloom standing over him. She sounded sad and distant to Spike. She was bigger and seemed to take after Applejack. Her long red mane fell naturally over her shoulder and her tail seemed to stick out just a tiny bit. “He had enough!”
“Enough? ENOUGH!?! After all, this bastard did?! He abandoned us! His family! He let us think he was dead! Did ya have to hear Twilight?! Rarity!? Everyone?! Did he have to be here and watch as our friends lost themselves in grief!? Did he have to put on a brave face and lie telling them that everything would be okay?! That… everything… would be normal again… someday…” She glared and allowed herself to cry and she shook her head angrily before she spat on Spike and started to leave. “I have work to do… Applebloom I suggest you do the same… Oh and Spike.” He struggled to focus on her as she glared at him. “Come back on my land and I won’t stop.”
Spike opened his mouth to say something but fainted as Starlight put him to sleep. Her and Applebloom helped him up and teleported him to the school, hoping that Nurse Redheart would be able to do something for him.