For many, spring cleaning - while time consuming - was a necessary chore that honestly wasn't too terrible once gotten the hang of. Sure, many grumbled and complained at the prospect of tidying up, but the satisfaction afterwards was well worth the labor.
Whoever these poor souls were had no idea of the treacherous terrain that was Starlight Glimmer's room.
"Ugh! Why did the Great and Powerful Trixie agree to accomplish such a hazardous activity?!" an aqua unicorn scowled in disgust as she used her horn to levitate months old food from underneath Starlight's bed. The stench of rotting pizza was not one that Trixie found appealing in the slightest.
"Because you feel bad that you almost put a group of students in danger." Starlight snarked, remembering the recent events that had occurred during her search for assistant headmare. Though, she was equal amounts of resentment as she threw some old headbands and other accessories into a garbage bag.
"And because Starlight wouldn't do it by herself." reasoned Spike with a vacuum in claws.
Starlight whipped her head around to give the dragon a mildly annoyed glance, only for him to whistle casually in the other direction. Despite her irritation, she knew Spike was right. She knew she was terrible at cleaning.
Just then, a few mice scrawled out from underneath her dresser.
Scratch that, she was horrible at tidiness. No wonder Twilight practically fainted when she saw the pitiful sight earlier.
Why clean when you could fly a kite though?
Trixie harrumphed as she levitated a dustpan, knowing that her friend was absolutely correct. That "headmare" escapade was embarrassing to say the least. Why did the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie have to become the 'Great and Naïve'?
Starlight snorted in the background. "I offered you a maid outfit for more comfort, but you refused."
The aqua unicorn now had a dark crimson blush on her face. "You just wanted to see Trixie as a maid."
"Guilty." came the only response with a smirk on the lavender unicorn's face.
"Your relationship is weird!" Spike called out over the sound of the vacuum, though he did keep a smile to himself as he had to admit their chemistry was genuine in its own...unique way. Nevertheless, the two unicorns cared for each other and that was something he could always admire.
"Get used to it!" Starlight shouted back. "When Trixie moves in, there will be 3 all powerful mares in this castle, and only 1 of you!"
This was true. Ever since Starlight realized Trixie full-on lived in her caravan, she and Twilight both firmly insisted that the magician move into the still extremely spacious castle. Though Trixie was hesitant at first, she was rather excited to be moving in with her (practically) marefriend and 2 of her closest friends. Plus, a caravan in the depths of winter was never really a joyous experience.
After Spike turned off the heavy-duty vacuum, the trio grouped together to admire their own handiwork. As they scanned the surrounding area, they were pleased to announce that the room was finished.
...well, half-way finished anyways.
Trixie groaned as she realized there was still much more to complete.
"Grrr... why does Starlight have to be so unorganized with her personal property in the first place?"
Starlight flashed her a lopsided frown.
"You're one to talk. I'm surprised your smoke bombs don't go off in the crowded caravan when you're sleeping."
Trixie growled in stubbornness.
"Trixie is not unorganized! She's strategically ordered."
"M-E-S-S-Y" Starlight slowly spelled out.
"To a tee." Spike sagely agreed, biting back a snort.
Trixie gave her marefriend and the accompanying dragon a bump on the shoulder with her hoof, before the three of them descended into a fit of chuckles. Though they may seem like a dysfunctional group to the untrained eye, they were always able to joke with each other and keep their bond strong.
After their laughter slowly began dying down, Trixie flashed the group a blissful smile.
"In all honesty, Trixie is excited to begin moving in. Hopefully, we can be as close as you two are.", motioning with her hoof to the other two creatures in the room.
However, much to the unicorn's surprise, they awkwardly looked away from each other, a thoughtful, yet embarrassed frown accompanying both their features.
"We, uh- we weren't always this close." Starlight admitted, rubbing her front-hoof awkwardly, while Spike scratched the scales at the back of his head.
"What?!" Trixie yelped in shock. "But, you two always got along. Ever since Trixie came back to Ponyville and befriended Starlight."
Spike sighed, knowing that the trip down memory lane was inevitable at this point.
"Yeah, but, there was a time where I was quite...angry...with her." the dragon claimed, glancing shamefully at the lavender unicorn during his pause.
Trixie's ears drooped, as she scuffled her hoof.
"Oh... sorry. Trixie doesn't mean to bring back bad memories." she replied, sympathizing with the two. The magician certainly had moments she wished she could forget.
However, to her surprise yet again, the two slowly looked up at her with somber smiles, letting her know she was never blamed.
"Don't worry, Trix. You didn't know. And besides, you're part of this family. You should probably hear what happened." Starlight proclaimed, glancing down at Spike to make sure she wasn't out of line.
Fortunately, Spike seemed to be on the same page, glancing around the room before he responded.
"We deserve a break anyways. Why not sit down and share?"
Starlight agreed with a nod of the head, Trixie following suit, as the three creatures sat down and made themselves comfortable on the bedroom floor.
Spike gathered his thoughts, before opening up the narrative.
"Well, this was soon after the whole 'Revenge Time Travel Fiasco'..." Spike paused, before blushing nervously at Starlight.
"No offense."
"None taken." she smiled warmly at him, prompting him to continue.
"Anyways, Twilight had just taken Starlight as her pupil, and I'll admit, I may have not been okay with her living with us..."
**Flashback**
Spike was definitely not okay with this power-crazed unicorn now living it up with him and Twilight.
A simple three days ago, this pony who had stripped an entire village of their cutie marks, and afterwards decided to enact revenge by destroying his loved ones and time itself, all because she lost a friend when she was a filly; the same exact pony became the princess's newest pupil and was now living in the exact same castle of her two former targets.
Spike was absolutely dumbfounded with this decision. Sure, he managed to hide his annoyance for a song sequence, but he was nevertheless questioning life itself.
While the dragon had originally planned on asking Twilight if she lost her marbles, he also realized Princess Celestia would've probably done similar. Equestrian Politics were screwy at best, and absolutely insane at worst.
But, just because Twilight and the others were willing to 'forgive and forget' didn't mean that he had to. By all means did he have no intent on forgiving the former dictator anytime soon, and he was going to make his discontent clearly visible for everyone to see. It was the least he could do.
Though the dragon was bitterly in his thoughts, he soon found a smile on his face as he walked into the dining room, seeing a smiling Twilight in his peripheral vision. Finally, the two could have some alone ti...
"...good morning, Spike..." came a reluctant voice that caused any happiness to hibernate. Of course, it had to be her.
The alicorn must've noticed his disposition as she all too quickly wrapped him in a warm hug and carried him to the breakfast table.
"Good morning, Spike! We were just waiting for you." she grinned nervously, her eyes darting back and forth between unicorn and dragon.
Seeing the unicorn trying to melt in her spot, and the princess looking ready to cease a fight at any moment, Spike deduced that the two ponies were fully aware of his stance.
"Good." he thought. "They can't pretend they don't notice."
"So... how did you sleep?" his guardian asked genuinely, with a hint of added worry.
"Fine." he mumbled, pouring into the cereal before anyone can object. If awkward breakfasts could convince Twilight to reconsider her decision, he was all for it.
Unfortunately, the plan must not be working too particularly well, as the two mares began engaging in a conversation without him. Spike internally sighed as he continued eating in silence.
"So, any plans for today, Starlight?" Twilight genuinely asked.
"Oh, not really." Starlight seemed to have her mind taken off the dragon, all the more willing to engage in friendly banter.
"Since I have everything moved in, thanks for your help by the way..." she paused with a blush.
Spike angrily rolled his eyes.
"...I don't have anything to do."
Twilight hummed in thought.
"You could always help Spike and I reorganize the library."
At the mention of his name, the dragon sent the alicorn a hostile glare. While Spike hated being angry with Twilight, this was a rare incident where he felt every bit justified. The look he sent her way must've been particularly terrifying though, for she quickly avoided his gaze and backpedaled her earlier statement.
"...or you could always go and explore Ponyville."
If Spike wasn't currently giving Twilight a death glare, he would've taken the time to do so now. As it stands, he settled for a slow shake of his head.
"Show the vindictive pony the town. Great idea!"
Starlight though, appeared to be quite fond of that plan.
"That's a great idea. I haven't really had the chance to explore Ponyville at all yet. I want to see everything there is to offer."
"You shouldn't get to." Spike growled internally.
Twilight beamed in delight. "Wonderful! I know of quite a few places I think you should check out." she clopped her hooves in delight.
Starlight seemed to be equally excited, her eyes sparkling just that much brighter.
"Oooh. Any suggestions on where to start?"
However, it was at this point in the continuous conversation that Spike had enough. How was everyone except him okay with having this unicorn frequent his town, his home, his family? He had been visually expressing his anger for the last few days, but if they wanted to ignore it and pretend that he was merely being ridiculous, then he would make it so that he couldn't be ignored.
"Tartarus." he spoke frigidly, his voice sending a tense chill throughout the entire room.
And just like that, you could hear a pin drop.
Starlight's eyes were now shimmering for a different reason. Her mouth gaping open as her body sat rigidly where joy once took place. Twilight was not much better, her expression seeming to more benefit a ghost than a live pony.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a voice could be heard.
"Sp-Spike! How could you say that?!" the alicorn spoke, wishing to believe that her mind was playing tricks on her. Did Spike just...
Meanwhile, the dragon gawked in indignation.
"How can I say that?! How about you?! How are you okay with her walking around like that, as if it's no big deal!"
"Spike... you need to..."
"No, Twilight! You need to understand! Starlight had enslaved an entire village and ripped them of their cutie marks, then she used Starswirl's time travel spell and came this close to sending Equestria into some dystopian future..."
As Spike was ranting, all Starlight could do was look in shame. She had originally thought her redemption arc had come all too easy. She practically committed acts of tyranny and possible murder (depending on the timeline) and she didn't get a slap on the hoof. Of course, she knew it wouldn't be that simple.
"...She did all of that, and now she gets to be taught by the Princess of Friendship and practically gets to go sightseeing?! How is that fair?!"
Whether it was used to justify her reasoning, or to try to protect her newfound friend, she didn't know. Regardless, what Twilight said next was...
"Spike, what's gotten into you?"
And with that seemingly lax sentence, Spike found himself uttering in disbelief, banging his tiny fist on the table.
"What...what's got... what's gotten into me?! What's gotten into you?!"
"Ponies have gone to prison for much, much less, and she gets off scot free! After everything she did, I thought..."
"Spike, she said she was sorry."
"I THOUGHT OUR FRIENDS WERE DEAD!"
Realizing what he just exclaimed, but also realizing the two other creatures in the room were in a state of shock from said outburst, Spike took the initiative, though he could no longer keep his tears in check.
"Every future she sent us back to, they were either non-existent or miserable. Each and every outcome, they were soldiers, slaves, or practically worked to the core, and it only got worse! And then, when the scroll was almost torn up, I thought we... I thought they..."
Both mares came to a mutual realization, their eyes softening at the emotional dragon in front of them. Starlight, in particular, felt terrible. She knew she did horrible things, but she never understood the context of what exactly happened.
"How could I have...he's just a kid..." her heart practically split in half.
"Oh, Spike. I..."
But the dragon persisted.
"I remember, back in Canterlot. Ponies saw a dragon and they wanted me either on a leash or locked in a cage somewhere. It didn't matter that I never did anything to them, they wanted me to be punished."
"Spike..." Twilight whimpered. She was openly bawling alongside Spike now. Her decision made him feel this way? Made him think this way? What kind of guardian was she? Her hooves were as stiff as stone, yet she wanted to embrace him and protect him from the world. But instead...
"Now this pony almost took everything I had, and it's all supposed to be okay?"
Starlight flinched in disgust with herself. He was in no way, shape, or form wrong. She got off scot-free and he suffered, both in the past and in the present.
Just what kind of pony was she?
"No-no-no! Spike! Please...!" the alicorn begged.
And she was interrupted again; but this time it was by a fleeing dragon on foot as he ran from the room, headed for the exit of the castle without stopping. Before anyone could react, the front door opened and closed again.
"SPIKE!"
Twilight practically yelled, before a firm hoof stopped her in her tracks.
"Let me talk to him. I... I know you don't want to blame me, but it's my fault this happened, and the least I can do is owe him an apology."
"Starlight..."
The lavender unicorn simply smirked before her new mane style flowed in the wind, carried by the window nearby.
"If I'm going to be the pupil to the princess of friendship, I need to own my mistakes. I need to be a good friend."
Starlight paused her triumphant monologue, seeing a reflection of her younger self in the distance.
"For the first time in my life."
Twilight couldn't help but give a soft smile at the bold display she was witnessing.
"Looks like my new student has potential after all."
"I'm coming as well."
Both ponies nodded as they confidently (at least on an external level) galloped out of the castle and onto the streets of Ponyville.
"Spike, we're coming for you." Twilight declared in her mind.
"Spike, I promise I'll try to make things right. I'll do what I should've done so long ago." Starlight also thought as she ran, images of Sunburst flashing in her mind.
"Communicate."
**Still in Flashback, at the Ponyville Park:**
Though the late afternoon glow of the park in the center of town indicated the land was quite vacant, one of the creatures currently occupying the space made up for the lack of population with his depressed demeanor. His slouched over body on a bench speaking volumes over the soft serenade of birds chirping overhead.
Spike felt absolutely horrendous now that he had the chance for self-reflection. His adrenaline finally winding down, he was left with a rather bitter aftertaste. He shouldn't have yelled at Twilight like that. Even if he was adamantly opposed to her choice, she didn't deserve to face his rage. Even Starlight...
No. Spike shook his head rapidly, trying to prevent himself from further exploring that thought. She needs to be responsible for her actions. She needs to learn consequences. It wasn't his fault she went full-on psychotic.
"Even still... I shouldn't have pushed my problems onto her..."
Oh, who was he kidding? He let his emotions boil until they reached their absolute limit. Despite what she did, he didn't have to cause such a scene.
"How am I going to make this up to Twilight? What do I even say...?" Spike pondered, the quiet serenity of the park making his mind wander.
"Excuse me!"
Well, almost serene.
Spike was jerked out of his inner turmoil by the shrill call of an older looking stallion, practically a senior citizen, sending him a cold glare. The wrinkles around his lips sent a near scowl, only further confusing the dragon.
"Uh, can I help you?" he questioned, wondering what he could've done wrong.
"Yeah, some ponies would like to sit on that bench. Move it scaley!" the elder bellowed, his glare only getting narrower.
"Oh, great. One of these attitudes." the dragon internally sighed before addressing the newcomer.
"Sir, I apologize, but I was here first. However, there is another bench right over..."
"Don't talk back to me, reptile! This park is for hard-working ponies, not pets! If you don't move it, I'll call the police."
If Spike wasn't miserable before, he most certainly was now. This narrow-minded elder succeeded in making the dragon wish to curl in on himself. Why did this have to happen today? Why did this have to happen at all?
"Sir...!"
But before he could get another word in, a saggy hoof had connected with his cheek, plummeting him to the ground and onto the cold, hard dirt below. Taking a moment to process the pain coming to the side of his face, the dragon finally looked up to see the stallion crouched over him, a sinister smile slowly forming.
"Want to try that again, or do you want to be behind bars?"
Unfortunately for the foolish elder pony, he wouldn't even get another attempt.
"Touch him again, and you'll wish you were in a cell."
Both creatures turned around to find out who called out, when they were shocked by the sight of a lavender unicorn, her horn practically glowing in righteous fury.
Spike couldn't believe his eyes. "St-Starlight?"
The old stallion gawked in surprise for a moment, before his gaze narrowed.
"Wait a minute. You're that lunatic pony that the princess just took in, right? The one who hates cutie marks and rainbooms? Tch, what a joke!"
Starlight smirked devilishly.
"Correct, but I also have a special place in my heart for bigots; and unless you want to test me on that, you'll leave him alone." her left eye practically twitching, awaiting any form of resistance.
The elder, however, seem unfazed.
"Please. I could have both of you arrested, like you belong, in a heartbeat. Not even your idiot princess could save you."
"Oh, really?" came the sound of another voice over the horizon, this one making his fragile and bitter heart quiver in fear, his cocky grin quickly replaced by a shaky gulp.
Indeed, appearing right next to Starlight came the mentioned alicorn herself.
And if Starlight was furious, Twilight was an active volcano ready to erupt.
The stallion could only backpedal away from Spike's laid form quickly enough, before a teleporting Twilight and her eyes filled with fiery fury met his regretful appearance.
"P---Princess. What a pleasu..."
"Save it!" Twilight barked, steam practically blowing out of her nostrils.
Twilight's horn glowed in its purple aura as she levitated the pony so close their muzzles could practically touch. Perhaps later, Twilight would realize she went too far, but her anger reminded her this wasn't later.
"You can think whatever you wish about my diplomacies, you can even consider me an 'idiot'..." she scoffed, before her glare turned icy cold.
"...but if I EVER see or hear you talking with my child ever again, you'll WISH you were lucky enough to receive a mere jail sentence. I will PERSONALLY make your life worse than Tartarus. ARE. WE. CLEAR?"
Spike was amazed at his guardian's display. She may have occasionally referred to him as her child, but this instance felt particularly special for some reason.
The stallion could only nod his head rapidly, still caught in Twilight's magical grip.
The alicorn then proceeded to turn around and acknowledge her student, only minorly shell-shocked upon witnessing her teacher's passionate remarks.
"Starlight, care to add anything before I let him go?"
The lavender unicorn, snapping out of her stupor, found the courage to nod insistently, before trotting over to the others in a calm and collected pace. Too calm and collected.
"You know what? Some of the things you said were absolutely true. I did take control over a whole town's cutie marks and I did almost alter the course of history. It was all for a petty reason, I realize now, but it doesn't change the fact that I still did horrible crimes."
Starlight paused, looking back at the captivated dragon who had complete interest in what she was saying.
Starlight gave a weak smile as a single tear fell down her cheek, her eyes not leaving his.
"The worst of it, however. I ended up hurting those I now find myself already caring so much about. Creatures who never deserved what I have or almost had done to them. I became so blinded by past events and revenge, that I turned into someone who I will always regret being."
Spike's eyes widened, clearly touched by such a delicately woven response. Starlight quickly beamed at the display, before she turned around to find the main source of her speech, glare returning anew.
"I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of making up for my faults. However, there is a main difference between you and me. I'm sorry."
The stallion's brow rose in confusion, prompting the unicorn to continue.
"I can't expect you to believe me, after all it's still such short notice from my supposed reformation; but I am sorry for what I've done and said. I regret my actions and I want to do better."
"Have I gotten off easy on the punishment chart? Absolutely." Starlight turned to face Twilight, who seemed like she wanted to object, but found that she couldn't. She knew she was right.
"But I swear, with the princesses of Equestria as my witnesses, I will become a better pony. Even if there are many who will never forgive me, even if I can't take it back, I can change myself here and now."
Starlight trotted even closer, going muzzle-to-muzzle with the stallion.
"You, however, aren't sorry. I can see it in your eyes. You think you're right. You don't find fault with your views, and you may never do so. You'll walk away not regretting a thing. You'll stay away, but only because we told you so. Not because you've realized anything."
Starlight backed away, facing away from the stallion as she somberly spoke. Perhaps she was reaching a level of drama that Rarity would be proud of, but darn it was it fitting.
"Forgiveness isn't forgetting, it's the chance to improve. You won't ever change, and therefore I won't forgive you."
Starlight nodded once more, prompting Twilight to release her hold on him.
"Now get out of here."
The coward didn't need to be told twice, galloping out of the park way faster than someone his age should've. He may not have found his actions reprehensible, but he did learn an important lesson. Never mess with the saviors of Equestria.
Seeing that their target was long gone, the two mares turned around to find Spike slowly getting up from his spot on the ground, wincing as he sharply rubbed his cheek in pain.
"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, running into her favorite dragon, before embracing him in a tight hug with her wings.
"Spike. Are you okay?! I'm so, so, sorry. I-I didn't..." she stuttered, tears pouring out of her quivering eyes.
Spike's guilt grew even more, realizing her tears were falling down his scales.
"I'm fine. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have..."
But Twilight stopped him right there, releasing the hug and staring at him with a firm, yet concerned expression.
"No, Spike. I'm the one who should be sorry. I never even considered how you felt. You were with me on the journey through time and alternate universes. You saw all the horrible things that I saw. I should've talked with you about Starlight before I gave her her role. I'm so sorry!"
Spike now discovered he was the one crying, enforcing the hug as he held onto her for dear life.
"Thank you, Twilight."
Just then, another pair of hoofsteps, this pair being more nervous, approached the duo with a look of immense guilt. She darted her eyes between them both before she steadied herself with a calming breath.
"Spike. I'm the one who needs to say sorry. Even if you never forgive me. I knew you were upset about me being in the castle, but I never approached you about it because I wasn't sure how you'd react. But, looking back, I regret taking their cutie marks. I regret trying to permanently erase the sonic rainboom."
Starlight took a leap of faith and forced her way into the hug.
"I regret hurting you Spike. You have a bigger heart than I'll ever have. You're more than a dragon, you'll always be important to me."
Spike paused in momentary surprise, before he found his claws around Starlight's frame.
"I forgive you. Thank you, Starlight Glimmer."
Starlight's heart repaired, a warm aura glowing around it.
"Anytime."
As the hug naturally ended, the trio soon looked up at the sky and realized that an orange sunset spread across the sky, indicating the moon would be making an appearance shortly.
Twilight looked at her two friends... no, her family.
"You ready to head back to the castle?"
Both dragon and unicorn nodded, ready to begin a new life in the castle together. It may take some time, but they were more than willing to move forward.
As the three began their trek back to the large crystalline structure, conversations began flowing good-heartedly for the first time in days.
"I'll have to start planning a friendship lesson for Starlight. Perhaps when we go to the Crystal Empire for the Crystalling. Want to help, Spike?"
The dragon eagerly nodded.
"We should get her a friendship journal while we're at it. So much more convenient than having to send letters to Celestia all the time."
As both the alicorn and dragon exchanged bouts of giggling, Starlight's brow rose in confusion, yet her playful smile remained intact.
"Wait. So scarring the elderly doesn't count as a friendship lesson?"
Twilight gave a light annoyed glance while Spike stifled a snort.
"Nah. That's not normally what we do. Usually it involves talking out feelings and character development." the dragon boasted.
"Ah, but that was fun." Starlight whined, her hoof over her muzzle.
"Don't worry. We'll find the time to stop bigots along the way, I'm sure." the dragon quipped back.
Meanwhile, Twilight found herself sarcastically rolling her eyes.
"What have I gotten myself into?"
The three creatures erupted into howls of laughter, their joyous jaunt persisting as the sun slowly descended upon them.
**End of Flashback:**
The Great and Emotional Trixie tried her best to keep her tears in check throughout the tale, but alas, she lost whatever hold she had about halfway through. Now that the story was finished though, she tried to compose herself once she noticed all eyes were on her.
"That was...wow. I didn't know that actually happened."
Starlight and Spike smiled at each other, the two creatures clearly having come a long way from their past experiences.
"Yeah, it was a rocky start, but soon enough we were able to begin working everything out and get to where we are today." Starlight affirmed.
Spike nodded with a nostalgic smile, pleased to know the pony in front of him.
"Yeah. I'm glad I ended up giving her a chance. It's crazy to think what we've been through since then."
Spike then proceeded to rise up, walking over and hugging a quickly accepting Starlight.
"You're the best...sis."
Starlight somehow managed to hold together, for she was more touched than words could say, but the words she did use felt perfect.
"No. You are...bro."
"Awww." came a new voice, which made everyone jump in surprise. All sets of eyes turned to the door of the bedroom to find a warmly smiling Twilight standing there.
"How long have you been there?" questioned the lavender unicorn.
"Since the story began." the princess responded simply, before she walked closer into the quarters.
"I guess it's a good thing we made Starlight my pupil, huh?" she questioned Spike, not out of cockiness, but out of fond reflection.
Spike couldn't help but agree.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Creatures can change for the better if they want to." he affirmed, before noticing Trixie in the middle of the room.
"And now we get to have another unicorn in the castle! What do you say, Trixie? You ready?"
Trixie, tried as she might, couldn't resist the urge to join in the group hug, a sign that she truly belonged in the family. A family she as well, once antagonized, but soon grew appreciative of over the years.
"Trixie is ready."
Starlight nodded excitedly at her marefriend, ready for the adventures ahead, before she remembered just where exactly they were.
"But first, let's finish cleaning up here."
And with that, the four of them resumed their mission to tidy up the once filth-covered room.
But soon, the room will have the chance to sparkle just like the crystal walls that make up the castle, and just like the hearts of those inside.