//------------------------------// // Chapter 82 (Amending Fences) // Story: Spike The Brony Dragon // by red4567 //------------------------------// One morning, I poured myself a cup of tea. The kitchen was vacant today. I didn’t see Twilight show up yet, and she’s very punctual about having breakfast. “Twilight?” I called out. It was not like her to sleep late, even on a weekend. Owlowiscious came flying in. “Hey, buddy,” I greeted as I scratched his head. “Have you seen Twilight?” “Hoo,” Owlowiscious replied.  “You have? Where is she?” He flew out of the kitchen. I quickly followed him up the stairs. We went down a large hallway until he stopped at the doors leading to the balcony. There, Twilight was sitting near the ledge, her right eye glued to a telescope and her tail wagging like a dog. “Thanks,” I said to Owlowiscious. “Hoo.” The owl then flew off. “What are you looking at through the telescope, Twilight?” I asked as I entered the balcony. “The old library, of course,” Twilight replied without turning around. “I was walking by it the other day, and I noticed the ‘For Sale’ sign had a big ‘SOLD’ plastered on it in all caps. Ever since then, I’ve been waiting to see who’s the proud pony who bought the place.” I took a sip of my tea. “You think they’ll be a bookworm just like you?” “I sure hope so. You don’t buy a library on the market and not love books. It’ll be like buying Sweet Apple Acres and hating apples.” “Don’t let Applejack hear you say that.” I left the balcony and saw Starlight approaching me. “Oh, hey Spike,” Starlight said. “Is Twilight around?” “She’s outside with the telescope.” I pointed to Twilight on the balcony. “Uh...what is she looking at through the telescope?” “The old library, of course. She was walking by it the other day, and she noticed the ‘For Sale’ sign had a big ‘SOLD’ plastered on it in all caps. Ever since then, she’s been waiting to see who’s the proud pony who bought the place.” “Spike, you’re a dragon, not a parrot,” Twilight called out. “No need to repeat everything I said.” “Alright, alright, I won’t repeat everything you say,” I replied with giggles. “Whoever bought the library must really like books,” Starlight said. “Guys! Guys!” Twilight gasped. “It’s the moving cart! And I see a carriage following it!” Twilight adjusted the telescope. “Alright...the carriage is stopping in front of the library. Somepony’s getting out...wait...” Twilight wiped the telescope with the back of her hoof. “It can’t be! It’s her!” “Who’s she talking about?” Starlight asked. I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I genuinely didn’t know. Since the library was spared in this timeline, there was no telling who was going to occupy it. “I didn’t think she would move here!” Twilight said. “I better go see her!” Twilight placed the telescope down and hurried out of the castle. I quickly picked up and looked through the telescope. I saw a cream-colored pony with a red mane and black glasses thanking the driver. It was then I realized why Twilight acted so surprised. “Moondancer?” I asked. “Who?” Starlight tilted her head. “She used to be an old friend of Twilight’s before we moved out of Canterlot.” I handed Starlight the telescope. “This I gotta see!” I quickly hurried out of the castle and chased after Twilight. By the time I caught up, the moving ponies had already begun moving some of Moondancer’s furniture into the library. The sound of our hooves and feet caught Moondancer’s attention. “Twilight! Spike!” Moondancer said gleefully. “Small world, isn’t it?” Moondancer quickly hugged us both. “Love the new wings, Twilight. Makes you look very princess-y.” “Moondancer, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked. “I never thought you’d be the one to buy the old library.” “Well, I was looking for a change of pace. I saw this library up for sale in the papers, so I went and bought it.” “I didn’t know it was that affordable.” “You’d be surprised at how well the housing market is these days.” Why do I get the feeling the same can’t be said for my old world? “Well, I better finish moving in,” Moondancer said. “Maybe when I’m done, I could invite you over for tea.” Moondancer went inside the library. Twilight stood dumbfounded. She walked back to the castle. I quickly followed her. Twilight went into her bedroom and looked at the photos on the wall. “Are you alright, Twilight?” I asked. “No, I’m not,” She replied bluntly. “I just realized…seeing Moondancer move to Ponyville has reminded me of when I…we moved to Ponyville. I never even said goodbye to my old friends. I can’t remember their names now! I don’t even have any pictures of them! Spike…do you think I was a bad friend?” I twiddled my thumbs. “Well…you did prioritize your education over friendship, but you’ve come a long way since then. Plus, you already cleared things up with Moondancer.” “But what about the rest of my friends?” Twilight took a deep breath. “Spike, we’ve gotta make it up to them! Pack a bag, we’re going to Canterlot!” She ran out of the room before peeking back in. “And make a list of my old friends' names. Oh, and postpone Starlight’s friendship lessons for the next few days.” I obliged. Honestly, while I did prevent the majority of “Amending Fences” from happening, I had a feeling that some minor scenes would still happen.  It was nightfall by the time Twilight and I arrived at Canterlot. I didn’t know why Twilight refused to take a train. Once we landed on the castle grounds, Twilight headed for our old apartment. “The only logical place to start is at the beginning,” she said. We entered our old room through the double doors. To say the place has seen better days was an understatement. Dust and cobwebs scattered throughout the place. Plants were dried up. Even the sand in the giant hourglass stuck to the bottom like glue. You’d think Celestia would send somepony here sooner to clean everything after we moved away. “Look!” Twilight brushed the dust off a book. “It's ‘Predictions and Prophecies!’ And it's still open to the Elements of Harmony!” I went up to the bedroom where I found the mirror. I looked into my reflection to see those green reptilian eyes staring right back. I'm still Spike. I'm still in Equestria. I pressed my hand against the looking glass. I couldn’t believe how much progress I’ve made since I first arrived. From saving Moondancer to saving the library, it was quite a ride. But it wasn’t going to be over anytime soon. “How could I have let this happen?!” Twilight’s voice called out. I took one last look at the mirror before joining up with Twilight. “Look at the way I left this place,” Twilight continued. “It's a total mess! Just like how I left my friendships.” “You know, there’s still time to make amends,” I said as I put a hand on Twilight’s back. Twilight sighed. “You’re right, Spike. I’ve got to make it up to—” “—Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lyra, and Lemon Hearts.” “Yeah, them.” After a brief cleaning, we spent the night in our old bedroom. The next morning, I was woken up by Twilight, who was already up and ready to head out. “Wake up, Spike!” Twilight shouted. “Come on! We've got work to do!” I rubbed my eyes. “Right. So are you going to start with Minuette first?” “As a matter of fact I am. How did you know?” I got out of my bed. “Well, since I mentioned her name first, I had a feeling you would start with her.” “Anyway, I did a little research, and I think I know where we can find her! Let’s go!” Twilight and I hurried out of our old apartment. We went down the streets of Canterlot until we came across a house that was decorated with hourglass-shaped sigils. It was definitely Minuette’s place. “I hope Minuette is still happy to see you,” I said. “I hope so, too, Spike.” Twilight knocked on the door. “These ponies have probably been suffering ever since I left. Wondering why their supposed friend would treat them so badly!” The door opened slowly. “Hello?” Twilight called out. “Minuette?” “Twilight Sparkle!” A blue unicorn with a blue mane came rushing out. This was Minuette. “You old so-and-so! What are you doing here?!” Just like in the show, Minuette’s enthusiasm was through the roof from seeing Twilight and me visit her in Canterlot. She got me to take a picture of her and Twilight together as proof that they were old friends. At least I got my fingers out of the way as I took the pic. “So what are you two doing here?” Minuette asked as I gave her back the camera. “I mean, I know you're here all the time, but you never come to see me.” “We’ve been planning to,” I replied. “We just had a lot of stuff on our hands…and hooves.” “Hey! I just had the greatest idea! You two wanna go see Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine?” Twilight fluttered her wings. “Of course! My old friends!” Later that day, we joined up with Lemon and Twinkleshine. The five of us then attended the donut shop. I sat with the group instead of at the bar. Twilight and I heard about the girls’ stories and what they’ve been doing since we were gone. Lemon became an event planner for Canterlot, Twinkleshine was a choir member, and Minuette was an event decorator with a side job in dentistry assistance. At least I knew her “Colgate” persona was canon. The girls also mentioned how they were surprised at the fact Twilight became a princess and that they saw her at the coronation. They also said that they would often visit Ponyville to see their friend, Lyra. While it would explain why I would see the girls at different places in the show, there was no clarification as to why there were times they had different forms such as a pegasus and earth pony form. I guess those were just animation errors. “So what brings you by, anyway?” Lemon asked. “All those times you've come back to Canterlot, you never had donuts with us before.” Twilight looked away. “I came to apologize.” “For what?” Minuette asked. “Before I left Canterlot, I didn't really appreciate my friends.” Twilight looked out the window. “And that's because I didn't know how important friendship was. But I've learned so much since I moved to Ponyville. From Spike and from my newer friends. I learned what it means to be a good friend and that I certainly wasn't one to the three of you. So for all the pain I caused you, I am truly sorry.” The unicorn trio giggled. “Oh, come on, Twilight,” Minuette said. “Sure, it stung a little when we heard from Spike that you had to leave for Ponyville, but it's not like we weren't used to that from you!” “Yeah, we didn't take it personally,” Twinkleshine added. “But it's really good to see you now,” Lemon said. “Hey! Anypony up for a blast from the past?” After our donut meal, the girls and I went to Twilight’s old school. I could tell by the relaxed look on her face that she was feeling nostalgic. For some reason, so was I. I chalked that up to remembering some of the old Spike’s memories. “Remember when Lemon Hearts got her head stuck in that beaker?” Minuette asked. Both her and Twinkleshine laughed, but Lemon Hearts wasn’t amused. “I thought it was a flask,” I said. “We were only fillies,” Twinkleshine replied. “We didn’t know the actual names at the time.” Twilight stared into one of the classrooms. I didn’t have to guess to know that she was having a flashback to when she studied with Moondancer. “I’ve made so many memories here,” Twilight said. “With you three, Spike, Lyra, and Moondancer…I took all of that for granted.” “But the important thing is that you still made amends to everypony. You made it up to Moondancer at the gala, and you made it up to the rest of your friends today.” “Oh, speaking of Moondancer, did any of you girls tell them the big news?” Twinkleshine asked. “What big news?” Twilight asked. Minuette replied, “Well, Moondancer moved away, and you’ll never guess where she’s living now!” “In Ponyville?” I asked. “Wow, okay. Maybe you can guess.” “We kinda witnessed it first hoof,” Twilight said. “She moved into the old library where Spike and I lived.” “Sounds like she’s taking after you,” said Lemon Hearts. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she adopted a small creature to help her out.” “I’m surprised she moved out at all,” I said. “Did she even tell you three that she was moving?” “She did more than that, actually,” replied Minuette. “She invited us to a going-away party, and told us it was going to be a surprise for you, too.” “That would explain why she didn’t invite me.” Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “It’s also a surprise that she was so…outgoing.” “It was a shocker to us, too,” Lemon said. “Usually, she’d rather have her nose in a book, but ever since her party a few years ago, she’s been getting out more and socializing with other ponies. I guess whatever happened that day ignited a spark in her.” “Now I wish I got the chance to see that.” “Oh, don’t sweat it, Twilight,” Twinkleshine said as she patted Twilight’s back. “Spike told us why you couldn’t come even though you wanted to, and we understood. Heck, we’d all put saving the world first even if it meant missing out on somepony’s party.” You just have to give a fair warning to the somepony first. Twilight, her old friends, and I spent the rest of the day touring Canterlot, bringing up memories at certain places. From the libraries to the gardens, Twilight and I admired the sights and discussed our past events. After all that, Twilight and I returned to our room for the night. She dusted the shelves a bit before breaking the silence. “I’m feeling a lot better now,” said Twilight. “I thought that all my friends would act moody to me and call me out on being a bad friend to them in the past, but I guess I was worried about nothing.” That’s when the door knocked loudly. “Come in!” I called out as I walked down the steps. The double doors opened to reveal… “Princess Celestia!” Twilight trotted down the steps. She and I quickly bowed. “W-what are you doing here?” “I’ve heard that you and Spike were visiting Canterlot,” Celestia replied as she stepped in, “and I wished to see for myself. I see you took the liberty of cleaning your old apartment. I’ve been meaning to send somepony over to do that.” “We didn’t come here just to spruce up the place, I’m afraid. Spike and I were visiting some of my old friends.” “Ah, yes, your former schoolmates. I had a feeling that one day you would come see them. I hope they weren’t too upset about your sudden departure.” “To be honest, none of them were. If anything, I’m the one who was upset for not telling them in the first place.” “Yes, but it seemed like sending you away at the last minute was the better option than to have you remain in Canterlot, closed in from the outside world.” And studying prophecies that later turn out to be true. “It was nice of you to meet up with your old friends,” Celestia continued, “and that they’ve forgiven you so easily.” Twilight nodded. “I have a question for you, Princess,” I said. “Did you ever have any friends besides Luna?” “Yes, I had,” Celestia replied. “Luna and I used to have friends even before we became rulers of Equestria.” She walked over to a nearby table and sat down. “Really?” Twilight wagged her tail as she and I followed suit. “What were they like?” “They were amazing,” Celestia replied. “It was at a time when the unity between earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns were still fresh and everypony was still facing a few challenges. The same could not be said for our group. We were what the future Equestria would be. One was a unicorn with an interest in alchemy, one was a pegasus who wanted to be a knight, and one was an earth pony who researched in agriculture improvements. We’ve been together even after Luna and my coronation as Equestria’s leaders.” “Astounding! It’s so rare to hear about your past.” That makes two of us, Twilight. Celestia sighed. “Sadly, the issue with having such great friends is that, eventually, the time will come that you might not see them again. Such were the problems of immortality. It pained me to lose our last mortal friend from our group. Eventually, I got over it, and I continued making new friends down the road while also remembering my old ones by heart. Even so, I did not want to have others suffer the downsides of immortality the same way I did.” “That is why you didn’t grant me eternal life when you gave me the alicorn status,” Twilight said. “The way you and your friends work and hang out together, that is the reason why I did not want you to carry the burden of their loss when their life comes to an end.” The princess of the sun stood up. “But enough of that. I didn't mean to come here to discuss mortality and bring the room down.” “Oh, it’s fine, princess,” I said. “I just wanted to know if you had any past friends.” “Well, I must be off. I hope you two will enjoy your time here in Canterlot.” With that, Princess Celestia left. Twilight scratched her chin. “I’m glad to hear some backstory of the royal sisters,” I said. “I never knew how similar she was to you back then.” “Yeah,” Twilight said. “Hey! I just thought of a great idea! Do you remember those ruins that the construction ponies restored?” “They’re already done? Since when?” “I think it was a week or so ago when we were busy with all those events. Anyway, I was thinking that we could finish it by decorating and adding some finishing touches. It’ll be a group project for both my old and new friends.” “That’s not a bad idea. It was about time this castle restoration project came to a finish.” The next morning, Twilight and I joined up with our old schoolmates and talked about our idea. “The Castle of the Two Sisters?! We’d love that!” Twinkleshine exclaimed. “Great! Now we just need to pick a time to do it,” said Twilight.  We discussed what times are viable for everypony. Twilight had an idea of what schedules the Mane 5 had (except for Pinkie Pie, but she would be down for our idea anyway). Afterwards, Twilight and I packed up, said goodbye to our old friends, and headed home. We took the train this time. We entered our castle just in time to see Moondancer and Starlight talking to each other. “Just think of what we can find beyond the stars,” Moondancer said. “Maybe we could visit the moon and learn more of its contents.” “Is that really possible with today's technology?” Starlight asked. “I’m not saying it would be done today, but who knows when it will happen? It could be a thousand years from now, or it could be just a few months. You never know.” “Hey, you two,” I greeted. “Twilight! Spike! You’re back!” Moondancer exclaimed as she closed her book. “Starlight here told me you two were at Canterlot.” “Moondancer and I kinda chatted and soon became friends,” Starlight said. “I hope you don’t mind, Twilight.” Twilight held up a hoof. “No, no, it’s fine, Starlight. Great, actually. Making new friends is obviously a great step into learning about friendship. Anyway, I’ve been meeting up with some of our old friends, and we’ve decided to work on a group project. Are you two interested?” “What’s this project about?” Moondancer asked as she got up. “You know about the Castle of the Two Sisters?” “Of course. I’ve heard some construction ponies had worked on it recently to restore it. I guess the princess commissioned them after feeling some wave of nostalgia.” “Actually, I was the one who hired them. I was thinking since they’ve recently finished, we could add a few touch-ups of our own.” “Our friends in Ponyville will join us, too,” I added. “I’ll be down for that,” Moondancer said. “What about you, Starlight?” “Well, since the girls and your old friends are going to be involved, I might as well join you. Maybe I could learn what Twilight used to do before coming to Ponyville.” “Wonderful!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’ll tell the girls about this as well.” After we unpacked, Twilight went around Ponyville telling the Mane 5 about the future project. Everypony agreed to it, with some of them admitting they forgot about it last year. The day for the restoration project finally arrived. The Mane 6, Twilight’s old friends, Starlight and I traveled through the Everfree Forest. Some of us lugged carts of supplies such as paint, fabric, small tables, and other related items to the castle. “Twilight, you didn’t tell me Minuette would be here!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You two know each other?” Twilight asked. “Since when?” “She was one of Cadance's bridesmaids. We hang out all the time when she's in Ponyville. Didn't you know that?” Pinkie chuckled. “And you call yourself the Princess of Friendship!” Sheesh, if this world was any smaller, we would all end up sharing the same bathroom. “Uh, beg pardon, Twilight,” Applejack said. “But didn’t you say that the workers were done with renovatin’ the castle? If so, why do we still need all these supplies?” “After Spike and I came back from Canterlot, I talked with some of the ponies from the construction team. While they have been able to restore some rooms to their pristine condition as historically accurate as possible, there were some rooms that were made plain due to little or no references.” “Does that mean we could decorate the rooms however we want to?” Pinkie asked. “‘Cause I got a few ideas.” “Come to think of it, what was the plan after we’d finished with the castle?” asked Rarity. “Did we ever agree on what we would turn it to?” “Wasn’t it supposed to be some sort of museum?” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. “I thought it was gonna be a vacation house for Celestia and Luna,” Fluttershy pointed out. “Why not both?” Lemon Hearts suggested. “Actually, that was what I was thinking,” Twilight said. “A museum would be nice, but it’s too much out of the way and near a dangerous forest for regular tourists. On the other hoof, a vacation home would be seldomly used by the princesses themselves, even if they take a vacation. That’s why I believed that we should compromise and do both. Some rooms will have different artifacts on display, and some rooms will be made for accommodations. The princesses will have memories of their past and a place to stay at the same time.” “I don’t want to be a wet blanket,” said Starlight, “but wouldn’t this castle bring up…unpleasant memories between the two?” Twilight sighed and replied, “Yes, it would, but both Princess Celestia and Luna have moved past it. In hopes of restoring this place, they will make memories that they will enjoy more than they will regret.” Everypony arrived at the Castle of the Two Sisters. The exterior had already been done, and it looked a lot better than when we first saw it. “It’s like we time-traveled to the past!” Minuette exclaimed. “Alright, everypony and non-pony,” Twilight announced. “Let’s split into groups of two. I’ll assign each of you a specific task.” Twilight did just that. I teamed up with Moondancer, and our task was to decorate the halls. We hung paintings on the wall and put flower pots on some end tables. We had to use fake plants since we did not know how often the place would be maintained and if the plants would survive without being properly treated. “So how’s your time in Ponyville so far?” I asked Moondancer as we measured part of a wall. “It’s been going great,” Moondancer replied. “Everypony is so friendly and close here. I’m glad to have joined such a community.” “Are you liking your new place? The one Twilight and I used to live in?” I showed Moondancer the measurements. “You bet.” Moondancer looked through the paintings. “The place was a bit empty, though. I’m hoping if I get enough books, I could be a librarian.” “Twilight and I actually have some books that were originally from there. We could give you some if you like. Say, when Twilight and I came back from Canterlot, I’ve heard that you and Starlight were discussing about going to space.” “So you’ve heard that.” Moondancer handed me a painting. “You see, I’ve turned my studies to the focus of astronomy. It fascinates me how little we know about other planets, and what questions need to be answered. Such as what other planets are habitable? Is there life out there? How are the other planets affected by the princesses’ moving the sun and moon?” “Come to think of it, I’ve been wondering about that last question myself.” I hammered a nail into the wall. “That and what happens on the other side of the globe during that time.” I hung the painting on the wall. It was a landscape painting of a desert. It must have been somewhere in Southern Equestria near Appleloosa. “Do you think we could go to space?” Moondancer broke the silence with a question. “I wouldn’t mind, but don’t we need a rocket ship?” I answered with a question as we went down the hall. “No, I meant, do you think it’s possible that Equestria could someday find a way to go into space?” “I guess so. It would be a while though. I mean, the only flying technology we have are balloons and pedal or magic-powered aircraft.” “Yes, but that’s just only for today. With the help of science and magic, we might find a way to travel to different planets or galaxies or even different universes if possible.” Well, I can’t confirm nor deny that I’ve experienced that last part. At the end of the day, the Castle of the Two Sisters had finally been completed. Twilight summoned Celestia and Luna to see the final reveal. “Surprise!” Pinkie shouted. Celestia and Luna had nothing but stunned faces. Their next reaction indicated it was the good kind of stunned. “Why…everyone…” Celestia’s attempts to regain her composure were made pointless by the happy tears in her eyes. “This is amazing!” “We’re glad that you love it,” Twilight said. “Let us show you inside.” We all showed the princesses the different rooms. Some were restored to their pristine conditions, others were made for a by our own ideas and imaginations. “I have to admit, this seems a bit smaller compared to our castle in Canterlot,” Luna said. “Regardless, almost everything seems more or less the same.” “Now, I was with one of the construction ponies some time ago,” Twilight said, “and they said that they had to make a few modern modifications to make sure the place was built up to code.” “Such as?” “For sanitary purposes, modern plumbing has been implemented in the bathrooms. I’ve done research on what past bathrooms looked like, and…let’s just say I don’t blame the construction ponies.” “Neither do I. One of the many reasons I’m glad to have missed a millennium whilst being banished to the moon.” “Oh, and do you remember that organ that triggered the booby traps?” “I certainly do,” Celestia replied. “I take it that it does not perform that task any longer?” Twilight shook her head. “No, they said it was too dangerous and complex to restore, so now it only plays music like a normal organ.” “What a pity. At least I would worry not if Luna is in one of her prankster moods again.” “I heard that,” Luna called out. After a tour of the castle, we all headed back outside. “Once again, thank you all for taking the time to restore this castle for us,” Celestia said. “We are grateful for this. I’ll be sure to send somepony to occasionally maintain this place, and I look forward to visiting here for our next vacation. I shall also thank the construction team for their part in all this.” “It was the least we could do,” Twilight said. “From all of us. Friends new and old.” Minuette set up a camera in front of our big group and placed the timer. “Okay everypony, just smile for the camera!” Pinkie announced as we huddled together. Minuette quickly got into the shot. The camera gave a loud snap before setting off a big flash of light. As I regained my vision, I enjoyed how this episode turned out. What I thought would only be Twilight making amends with her old friends turned into Moondancer moving into the Golden Oaks Library, Celestia telling us of her first friends, and everypony restoring the Castle of the Two Sisters. I smiled knowing how much of a difference my choices have made.