So it was that Twilight was crowned, again. Spike was one of many, applauding and cheering for her. At least until she waved at him. She motioned for him to come forward and hooked an arm around him, facing the crowds. "I would not be the pony I am today without my dear friends. Among them, my little brother, Spike, will serve at my side directly. Welcome him as you welcome me."
The crowd roared with approval, the same, and yet, to Spike, somehow louder. It wasn't a cheering he was a part of anymore. It was cheering for him, and louder than the Crystal Empire could manage on its own. It didn't help that the crystal ponies in the crowd had rejoined the effort with renewed energy on seeing Spike being made the center for just a moment.
He got to ride along with her down the road, both waving at the crowd as they were pulled gently past them. It was the start of a new age for Equestria, their age.
"I leave it in your hooves." Celestia did not wear her fineries. Her mane still moved with a mind of its own, wafting in breezes that were not there. "I am no longer Princess Celestia." She turned a hoof upwards. "Just Celestia. Celly, if you prefer."
Twilight's cheeks darkened. "I could never!" The thought of calling her that... "You will always be a princess... to me." She dipped her head at Celestia, then Luna. "Where are you two going now?"
Luna inclined her head. "I would see this marvelous new world. My sister insists some of it is boring, but only because she is used to it. To me, it is all new and exciting." A great smile split her face. "And I would learn of all of it." She nudged against Celestia. "I hope you will come with me?"
"Not all of it," allowed Celestia with a soft chuckle. "But I remain your sister, at your side. I trust you will come with me on my own adventures?"
"A deal is struck." The met, hoof to hoof. "Good fortune, Twilight." Luna dipped her head at Twilight. "Oh! I forgot to mention." She raised a hoof to her chin. "I will continue my duties."
Twilight blinked owlishly. "You're still a princess then?"
"Of a sorts." Luna did not have a crown atop her head. "I will watch over their dreams. There is not another that can take that place just yet. Perhaps my sister had the right of it." She glanced towards Celestia, who looked quite smug. "I will need to train a replacement. Until then, I will not leave my ponies to suffer."
"Not it." Spike held his hands up at Luna.
"Your talents lie in other directions, Sir Spike." Luna set a hoof on his head. "But I wish you well with it. Come, sister. We have places to be that are not this castle."
"Not this castle," echoed Celestia, perhaps a moment of longing. "Yes, of course. Let's go." And they departed, the transfer of power entirely complete.
And so it was that Spike helped Twilight out as best he could, but his talents were not always required, leaving him time to explore the city. "Spike!" There was Lemon, approaching with a smile. "Twilight did not warn me you'd be on there, ha! You were worried about my surprises?!" She didn't look upset about it.
"I didn't think Twilight was big on surprises," admitted Spike. "But it did work out?"
"It worked out great!" Lemon threw an arm around Spike. "Welcome to the castle! We're, what do you call it, coworkers now? Twilight is both of our bosses. Ha!" She squeezed him lightly. "That's great."
"Good to be here." He slipped away from her though and spun around. "Uh, alright, this is probably not something you know... anything about, but--"
"--Try me," sang Lemon, dancing in place in a little canter to nowhere. "Won't know if you don't ask."
Spike rubbed behind his head. "My friends, back in Ponyville?"
"Great place." She nodded softly. "Visit it all the time." She pointed a hoof. "Just a train ride away, though it is kind of a long ride... Got some friends I stay with when I'm there."
"Right..." Spike considered the idea of visiting as Lemon had done. "Not a bad idea, but uh, we used to play a game. They said I should keep playing it, here."
"Ooo!" Lemon clopped a hoof to either of her cheeks, trapping her face. "What kind of game? Is it hoofball? The girls love that game."
"No no..." Spike waved that idea away. "Not a sport. Um... Ugh, you probably never heard of it." He was quite busily talking himself out of it.
"You still haven't asked." Lemon leaned in closer. "And now you teased me, so I'm gonna keep askin' until you confess. What is it, Spike?! Tell me!"
"Alright, alright." He pushed her back a precious inch, reclaiming his personal space. "Just some, you know, Ogres and Oubliettes is all."
Lemon inclined her head. "Huh, oh! I heard of that." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Always wondered about it, but the girls aren't into that kind of thing." She waved it off. "But it sounds fun!"
Spike let out a little 'huh'. "Really? What have you even heard about it?"
"You get together with some friends." Lemon put a hoof on Spike's chest, closest friend available. "And you tell stories and roll funny dice around to see if your side of the story went right or not." She burst into giggles. "I hear sometimes what you thought was gonna happen really doesn't, but the story, uh, the bigger story." She spread her hooves. "It keeps going on, even if 'your' story ran into a snag."
Spike had not looked at it quite that way before. But... "Yeah, that's... about right. The, uh, stories are usually about big adventures though!" He clapped his hand, a smile returning to him as he thought fondly on one of his favorite games. "You heard of the stuff Twilight got up to, right?"
"Oh, wow, super jealous." Lemon giggled without malice. "She's been everywhere and done everything. It's amazing!"
"Now imagine if you could do that too." Spike raised a lone finger, leaning towards Lemon instead of the other way. "You make another, um, you, and send them out into trouble. You get to be nice and safe, but they--"
"--get into all kindsa trouble," cut in Lemon with giggles. "I get it! That sounds fun!" She was already clopping her hooves together. "So why are you asking about it?"
"Oh, uh..." Spike had not expected to even get that far, considering. "I used to run the game, back in Ponyville, and I was--"
"--I don't know how. You'll show me? Oooo, gotta get some of those funny dice." She was clapping with obvious excitement. "Where do they even sell those?"
Spike lifted his shoulders. "Huh, never thought about that, I mean, here, in canterlot. I'll check on that and get back to you."
"Please." She was suddenly back on her hooves. "Lemme know. Do I need anything else?"
"A pencil and imagination?" He suddenly fired a finger gun. "And a thirst for adventure."
That got Lemon bursting into a new fit of giggles. "Oh wow. This sounds so fun!" And off she went, trotting away with a happy smile on her face.
"Huh, one player down..." Spike rubbed behind his head. That was technically enough. He and Big Mac had run solo for quite a time, and yet... "Wonder if she'd like it."
"No." Moon arched a brow at the grinning dragon. "Why would I play that? It's an escapist trap for those who can't face the world around them."
"Um..." Spike waved broadly over the piles of books around them. "Like you and half the books you read? Not here to judge a pony, but you're throwing rocks from a glass house there, Moon."
Moon Dancer leaned in. "I am a scholar, Spike. I study and learn. That is what I like to do. You know that."
"So learn about something new." Spike raised the O&O book the library had on its shelf. It was an edition out of date, but good enough for that purpose. "Besides, I know you aren't a hermit anymore, and I am a friend. You don't want to hang out with me?"
Moon's confidence shook a bit at Spike's hurt expression, even if he might have been faking it. "How much time is required to... participate in this?" Her magic wrapped around the book, trying to snatch it away from him, but he came with it, dangling in the air.
"Not this one!" he squeaked. "This is an old one."
Moon's bushy brow raised. "There's more than one set of rules?"
Spike fell to the ground, tucking the book against himself. "They update it once in a while. Say yes and I'll get you a new one. Lemon Drop's gonna be in it!"
Moon rolled her eyes at the mention of Lemon. "Then it will not be quiet." Silence suddenly grew thick between them. "You did not answer my question."
"Huh? Oh!" He set the book aside. "A few hours, once a week? It'll feel like just a few minutes though. It's fun, trust me."
"It is only because I do that I will give this a chance." She threw something at Spike with a flick of her head. It bounced off of him and rolled on the table. A twenty sided die that landed on 12.
Spike peered at it. "Where'd that come from?"
Moon Dancer snatched it back up. "I've played similar games, but I grew out of it!"
Spike was grinning, ear to ear. "It's not a foalish thing, Moon. I promise."
Quiet returned to them as the die was tucked back where it came from. "The.. The last group."
"You had a group before?" His excitement fizzled. "What happened?"
"Since I was... attempting it, I learned the rules." She pointed at the book Spike had put down. "I learned them all."
"All of them?!" Spike had never actually memorized the rules of O&O. The general gist of it was enough to have a good time. "And what happened?"
"They kept making mistakes." Moon frowned with the memory. "And I tried to inform them. That angered them... and I was ejected." She took a slow measured breath. "Will you become irate if I want to play by the rules of the game we are playing?"
Spike rubbed behind his head with thought. "Huh... Actually..."
"Of course you would." She turned her eyes back to the book she had begun with. "At least we got that settled before I could make a foal of myself."
"No!" Moon looked up at the outburst. "I mean... no, um... Do you have a story you want to tell?"
Moon perked an ear at that. "Me? Nopony ever asked me that before."
"I tend to do that." He set his hands on his side with a smug look. "First at a lot of things. So, do you?"
"I'm uncertain... why?"
Spike wheeled one hand over the other. "So what if, instead of playing the game, you ran the game. It'd be your job to make up the story we're in, and to help everyone have a good time. You'd make sure we followed the rules, and had a great time. It's a big responsibility."
"But not one outside my skillset," allowed Moon Dancer with a nod. "I am just surprised at you."
"Huh, me?" Spike grabbed the dropped book to set it back where it started.
"You came here to ask me about it. Didn't you have somepony ready to run the game? What about them?"
Spike hiked a thumb at his chest. "That would be me. Uh, it can be fun to run a game, but it can be fun to play too. I'll take a back seat. Besides, if you need any tips, I'm right here. Consider me, uh, like a copilot?"