Spike jogged through the familiar halls of Canterlot Castle, waving at some of the Royal Guard as he passed them. Most of them maintained their professional, steely, serious gaze, but he did get a few of them to soften into a slight smile for the young dragon. If he watched closely, he saw a few of them widen their eyes slightly; he knew them from before the whole Nightmare Moon thing, and hadn't seen him with his new wings. Spike only paid half-attention to the route he was taking, letting his feet move on autopilot down the carpeted halls and around corners while he checked out how the decor had changed since his last visit. Although he had been living in Ponyville with Twilight and her friends - well, Rainbow technically lived in Cloudsdale, but she was pretty much an official Ponnyvillian - he still knew each corridor like the back of his claw. One more turn brought him to the grand entrance before the throne room, where he was thrilled to see only a single pegasus mare waiting before the huge, ornate doors.
Flapping his wings, Spike danced over the remaining distance before coming to a stop in the very short queue. "Hi there," he greeted her, "whatcha looking to ask Princess Celestia about?"
The mare turned her head, then looked down at him. Seeing him as a young dragon rather than an older one, she gave him a friendly smile rather than the terrified gasp Spike had seen Smolder get. "Oh, I'm a gardener - I grow special plants up in the clouds - and the Earth ponies in my town have been accusing me of stealing their livelihoods, even though I grow completely different plants." She pointed with a primary feather at her flank, which had what looked like a multicolored daisy on a raincloud for her cutie mark. "See this plant? That's a Bellis prismata, native to Cumuloria. It suffocates in dirt, and it's about eighty percent of what I grow." She refolded her wings to her sides before continuing, "I suppose I'm just looking for, like, a royal mark of approval or something. Or, hay, just somepony of authority to tell me I'm right." She and Spike shared a chuckle at that.
"If the flower looks anything like your cutie mark, that's really cool! I hope I get to see one someday!" Spike said.
"Well, swing by the outskirts of Trottingham sometime, little guy, and maybe you'll see my cloud!" the mare replied. "So, what are you here for?"
Spike scuffed his foot against the ground. "Ah, just, y'know, life advice. About growing up and stuff," he said, a little self-conscious, "I guess that's pretty silly compared to your neighbors trying to trample your garden... metaphorically, if it's in the clouds."
The pegasus shook her head and gave him a bright smile. "Not at all, kiddo. Heh, I wonder what I would've done if I'd thought to ask Princess Celestia for guidance when I was a filly..."
The guard called the mare's name, and she bade Spike farewell before walking into the chamber, passing a unicorn stallion engrossed in the scroll floating in front of his eyes. Spike took the time to think about what he'd say to the Princess, and also to see if he could tell the guards apart, to no avail. A few minutes later, the one on the right called out, "last one, Spike the Dragon," and Spike stepped up for the doors to open. As he went in, he passed the gardening mare.
"Went well?"
"Yes! Nothing like a note, but she gave me advice on not letting them bother me!"
"Nice one!"
"Yeah! Good luck, kiddo!"
The dragon entered the spacious room. He had grown up in the castle, had probably been in this very room countless times - especially as the Sibling Supreme - but it still was a sight to behold. A huge, vaulted ceiling, numerous stained glass windows depicting the exploits of Princess Celestia, Twilight, and her friends. And, in one, Spike held the Crystal Heart. The young dragon always held his head up a bit higher after seeing it. Finally, his view settled on the two velvet-lined thrones in the focus of the room. One with a yellow sun atop the back and a white alicorn sitting on the cushion, and the other with a silver moon and a blue alicorn. Judging by their relaxed posture and the guards in the room standing at ease, Spike figured they had heard who, exactly, was the last "petitioner" of the day.
"Hi, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" he called as he walked up to the throne. One of the guards on the side stiffened when he walked past where most petitioners stopped, but his counterpart smiled at him and shook his head. Spike was fine. "Were both of you running Day Court today?"
Luna shook her head, her ethereal mane swirling behind her. "I am afraid not, Spike Sparkle. I merely stopped by to invite my sister to enjoy dinner with me."
Spike cringed and took a step back. "I can, uh, come back some other day?" he offered, "I don't want to get in the way of your sisterly bonding."
"That's quite alright, Spike, Day Court is still in session," Celestia said, her voice calm, even, and inviting, "and besides, I wouldn't do that to a friend. I'm sure Luna will live even if we run over time and I'm a few minutes late."
Luna stuck her tongue out at her older sister. "I shall order extra alfalfa for you, sister, if your tardiness is excessive." Celestia drew back in a mock gasp, looking as though the Princess of the Night had threatened to drown Philomena. After a second, they broke down into laughter, and Luna walked away from the throne and through her curtain out of the throne room. "I wish you two well in your talk! But tarry not for too long, dear sister, or I shall ensure you stick to your diet!" And with that, she was gone.
Celestia and Spike turned to face each other. "So, my little dragon, what did you come here to talk about? Not that I don't love your visits no matter the reason, but you usually don't register for Day Court when you just want to talk about your latest adventure with the girls. Or especially Rarity."
Spike blushed a little, recalling his and Rarity's last trip into the gem mines near Ponyville. "Yeah, well, this feels serious. Er, more serious? It has that 'weight' thing that Twilight reads about in her crime drama novels."
The alabaster alicorn rose from her throne and descended the steps to stand next to the dragon. "Well, I will do my best to help support that weight with you."
"Thanks, Prin- thanks, Celestia," Spike said. He had to crane his neck up a bit further, but this felt more like an easy, casual conversation. "I've been thinking about growing up, and I'm worried. Dragons live a long time."
"Oh, Spike," Celestia said in a motherly tone, "you're far too young to worry about outliving your frien-"
"No, no, not that," Spike interjected, "I think I've got a decent handle on that. Well, I'm sure it'll pop up again when the time gets closer, but I think I've got it for now. No, it's more..." He sighed. "When Twilight and I first came to Ponyville, she was against making friends, and kinda bad at the whole 'friendship' thing for quite awhile longer."
Celestia giggled. "Oh, yes, I do remember her mentioning that in her first Friendship Report, to show how she had grown." She tilted her head, trying to read him. "Are you...? Ah, my apologies, Spike. I'll let you tell it at your own speed."
The dragon smiled at her. "Thanks. And no, I'm not wondering if there's anything I'm wrong about or missing out on. I may be Spike the Brave and Glorious, but I'm not Spike the omnisss... omnisha..."
"Omniscient?"
"Yeah, that. I don't know everything. Nopony does." His smile twisted into a wry smirk. "Not even you, Princess. I've heard how often Luna pranks you."
"Would you believe I fell for them on purpose to cheer her up?"
"Nnnnope."
"Drat."
Another shared laugh. "No, but..." Spike's smile fell. "The thing is, ponies change. Griffons change. Changelings change - hay, I sang a whole song about it! And Ember and Garble have shown me that dragons change, too." He looked up at the co-ruler of the land, eyes wide in a sad, pleading stare. "What if I change too much? What if I grow up to be like that Power Ponies villain, Wild Card, and start thinking that Equestrian society is bad at the roots? What if-"
A look of horrified realization spread over his features. His crest and fins sank, and he trembled as he finished in a small voice.
"What if, like Tempest Shadow, I start thinking that friendship and being nice was a thing for foals and little hatchlings?"
"Aw, Spike..." Celestia said in a soft voice. She leaned her head down and gently nuzzled him before continuing, "there's no way to predict how you'll change. But remember, Twilight ultimately showed Tempest the magic of friendship anew. I have faith that friendship and harmony will prevail in everypony, and as an alicorn and a dragon, we have so much more time for it to return in us, should we falter, ourselves."
Spike still looked close to crying, but he had a small smile on his face. "What, you, falter in friendship?" He snorted and waved a claw dismissively. "You're Princess Celestia! You're, like, the epitome of peace and harmony!"
"Don't say that around Luna," Celestia quipped, "she's seen my nightmares. But, Spike, would you like to know one of the best ways of keeping yourself from... becoming a Power Pony villain?" The alicorn mare leaned in, as though about to divulge a particularly juicy secret.
The dragon stared at her, cautious hope in his wide eyes, and nodded.
"It's... friends," the Princess said with a smile, "friends who can cheer you up when you're down, friends who give you a reason to keep on trotting..." she paused, her expression turning wistful as she gazed toward's Luna's throne. "Friends who notice when you feel like the world is against you, and can bring you back before it's too late..."
Spike followed her gaze, then reached out to reassuringly pet her foreleg. "Princess, I'm sure you didn't know any better."
Celestia looked back at him, and returned to smiling softly. "You're right, Spike, I didn't. I wasn't used to being a Princess back then, and I lost my dearest friend for that change." She took a deep breath, then straightened and gave him a more confident smile. "But, again, I learned the error of my ways, and that was also a change, as was the rest of those thousand years. And believe me, since she's returned, we've also changed quite a bit with how we think of and talk with each other. I honestly believe it will all turn out for the best in the end, as long as you keep on learning. Even when you're as old and ancient and know-it-all and boring as me!" Celestia's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hooves, then glared around the room.
"Oh, come now," the disembodied voice of Discord said, "surely you weren't going to lecture one of my O&O buddies about change and not even invite me? I even brought you a cake! Banana-vanilla, your favorite."
"Pardon me if I don't exactly believe you," Celestia said, testily.
"Well, too bad. You get me anyway!" The draconequus's upper body popped out of Celestia's billowy mane, holding a one-layer cake with a crude drawing of Celestia on the icing. He immediately smashed it into her face. "Well, that's my gag for this. Discord away!" Discord's body liquified and fell to the floor, where it slipped away through the cracks in the tiles.
Celestia sighed and lifted the cake away from her in her magic. She looked at Spike, then at the cake. "Don't tell Luna?"
Spike mimed zipping his lips; Celestia licked hers. Just before she took a bite, she smiled serenely down at the young dragon. "I hope I was able to help you, my little dragon."
He gave her a grin and a thumbs-up. "I think I got it. Thanks, Celestia!"
"Anytime, Spike. Have a good day," she said, and the two of them parted ways, to opposite ends of the throne room.
Spike was distracted again as he left the castle. But this time, his smile wasn't from the gorgeous architecture and decor, but rather the memory of his conversation, and what he learned from it.