I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. I hate that I’ve left multiple stories incomplete for a long time, especially having been on the reader side of that multiple times. I don’t wanna say that I’ll never finish them, but with how long it’s been, I can’t in good conscience say that I ever will, mainly the older ones like this. But I figured at the very least I could provide closure by revealing the rest of what I planned to write.
I reread the chapters to see if I forgot anything, I did, namely the secret pack being not so secret. I’ll be making some addendums for detail, bridging points to points. Stuff in bold is what I would add or change now for better consistency and even more detail I didn’t consider back then, so that won’t line up with some of the original intent.
The rest of Chapter 5
Opal half acts scared that Spike’s gonna attack her “again” and everyone steps in to prevent an altercation. Spike reveals what Opal called Winona, which Fluttershy uncomfortably confirms, leaving Twilight and Rarity appalled. Opal’s lie is seen through. In retaliation, Twilight points out this doesn’t line up with her previous claim of there being a whole wild pack. Opal tries to claim the ordeal was so frightening and stressful that she couldn’t keep all the facts straight. Even Rarity doesn’t believe that. Twilight also reveals that Spike confessed to a less severe version of the original claim, which surprises Opal. Spike confidently reveals his side without any lies. It probably would’ve been a good idea to have Applejack come along for verification. Opal sees she can’t win this and confesses to the lie, but still demands that Spike be punished for what he actually did.
Rarity questions the mention of a cat party and Opal freezes. Twilight also asks for clarification as Spike didn’t do so when he mentioned it. He does, and Rarity is even more appalled that her pet was out late at night, in a dirty abandoned house, spending time with cat friends she was unaware of. She says she’ll have a talk with Opal about it after, but for now, she just wants this business with Spike to be resolved.
Twilight agrees and tells Spike to go on. He grumbles a bit about having to go first since Opal started it with her insults, but he steels himself and apologizes in a professional, if not exactly happy, manner. Rarity has to say Opal’s name with a warning tone and Opal relents but is clearly much less happy as she apologizes. Everyone departs from Rarity’s courteously, and Rarity says she has work to do so she’ll let Opal rest off her leg injury, however she got it, (likely self inflicted scratches or bite) since Spike doing it was clearly a lie. But she promises they will have that talk about her night time activities. Opal now has a grudge against Spike.
Chapter 6
Spike and Opal’s beef may have been “officially” squashed, but Opal certainly wasn’t gonna let it go, so she resolves to find the dogs’ meeting spot to enact her revenge in a few days. Being the kind of pampered pet she is, she’s hesitant to go into the woods, but if Rarity can do it, so can she. Unfortunately she gets lost and eventually runs afoul of some timberwolves. Naturally she’s scared and cries for help.
Having heard both sides, Twilight thinks it’s fair to ground Spike for a few days. Winona isn’t allowed to visit and vice versa. She also gives him a stern talking to about interacting with strange dogs, and that she wants to meet this pack he’s joined. Once the grounding is over, he goes to hang out with Winona again, and Twilight notices how happy he is about it. She reminds herself about having a talk with AJ about it.
Spike and Winona are ecstatic to see each other, the latter says she was also kind of grounded too with no snacks. Applejack also contacted the pack’s owners to tell their dogs about it, and they were all surprised that their masters knew about Winona. After having some fun, they happened to have gotten near the woods and they hear Opal’s cries. Spike may not be fond of Opal, but he still has a good heart and doesn’t want her seriously harmed. Especially because it would devastate Rarity. He tells Winona to go get Applejack while he charges in to find Opal.
Spike arrives right before the timberwolves attack, bravely faces them, and tells Opal to get to safety. Too scared to argue or care about her grudge, she climbs up into a tree and watches. Spike impressively manages to evade the wolves’ attacks for a bit, but quickly starts getting bit and scratched. He does manages to give some good bites of his own on legs an tear off some sticks, but they’re too big and strong. He’s scratched, bit, got an injured leg, barely able to stand, and bleeding a bit.
Applejack, Winona, and Rainbow Dash arrive right before the wolves can make their killing strike and make him a meal. The two mares deal with the wolves while Winona gets in some bites while they’re distracted. Spike collapses seeing that help has arrived. With the beasts dispatched, everyone comes to Spike’s aid. Even Opal comes down from the tree, shocked that he risked himself for her. After confirmation that Opal is safe, he loses consciousness.
Chapter 7
Spike is taken to Fluttershy to be treated (This was long before they established a veterinarian pony, so I figured the animal caretaker would have at least some knowledge in that field.) The injuries weren’t fatal, but not anything to take lightly either. It’s decided it’s best to keep Spike at Fluttershy’s while he recovers, just in case. Twilight is of course hysterical to the point of tears and stays with Spike the entire time. Winona also stays the entire time.
Spike is out for about five days. Winona leaps onto him when he wakes up, incredibly happy that he’s awake, and gets off when he makes it clear his injured areas still hurt. Twilight tearfully hugs him and also chastises him for getting into such a dangerous situation and scaring her, but is more relieved than angry. He’s informed that they stayed the whole time, and shockingly, Opal kind of did too. Fluttershy’s cottage is no pigsty, but it is still a bit dirty with so many animals, so she only visited a few hours each day. But she did visit every day to see how he was doing. She showed a surprising amount of concern for him.
The rest of the Mane 6 are informed and arrive to express their happiness at his recovery, and also pride for his actions. Rarity acts similarly to Twilight. Opal came along as well, and she awkwardly approaches Spike to thank him for saving her. This is very uncharted territory for her with a dog. She also apologizes for her intent to take revenge on him, even though she didn’t manage to. Spike is a little ticked about that, but Fluttershy and Rarity reveal she confessed this the day after he saved her. She was summarily punished (including for her insults and secret night parties) with no cream, no treats, no expensive fancy catfood, and having to help Fluttershy bring what she needs to redress Spike’s injuries.
Spike appreciates the apology and only wishes he could’ve seen her suffering the punishment, which Winona verifies was hilarious. Opal, slightly annoyed, makes it clear that they’re not friends, but is still grateful and willing to let her grudge go. The beef is fully squashed.
Chapter 8
After a few more days at the cottage, Spike is cleared to leave, but he still needs to take it easy for a bit. Paranoid mom Twilight refuses to let Spike go anywhere alone while he’s not at 100%, so she accompanies him to Sweet Apple Acres when he wants to spend time with Winona. Applejack brings Winona over more often than Twilight brings Spike, so he doesn’t have to exert himself too much.
The pack also comes by Sweet Apple Acres for a visit during the day, revealing they visited while he was out, with their owners’ permission. Winona claimed they were all dogs they met during the day and doesn’t reveal about their night time hang outs. The pack had to come to terms with their secret not being secret. Randy is still struggling with it, worried about their cred. Liam points out that having a now two time hero should help, especially with his second act being so unbelievably noble. A dog risking their life for a cat. A cat! Liam even says he would consider passing on leadership to Spike if he were older. The whole pack praises him for his actions that they would probably never consider doing.
Spike is incredibly flattered and bashful, and then nervous when Rose makes another pass at him. Winona makes her back off again, and bashfully claims he doesn't need her cuddling up to him and leaning on him when he’s not 100%. Spike wasn’t that affected but he agrees.
Once Spike is 100%, he starts hanging out with Winona at Sweet Apple Acres more frequently. Spike is permitted to hang out with the pack, but Twilight would probably set a rule he has to be back by 10:30, even when he spends the night at Applejack’s, so he misses out on a couple pack hours. But he figures he’s lucky to be able to hang out with them at all.
After the timberwolf scare, everyone was so relieved Spike was okay, but Twilight especially. And she’s so happy to see him make the best of his situation of being a dog and have such a good friend in Winona. All this combined makes it slip her mind to have her talk with Applejack about the two of them being so close. Applejack was affected too, even if to a lesser degree. It was significant enough that she’s also happy to see Winona and Spike be such good friends. She’s also proud of both of them, Spike for his bravery, and Winona for her loyalty to him. So it also slips her mind to have the talk, including the fact that Winona’s heat was soon approaching.
One night, the pack meets up at the pond again and the longtime members, except Winona, reveal they managed to snag some discarded alcohol and want to celebrate Spike's full recovery. Spike is hesitant but eventually decides screw it. Now I would say it’s probably champagne and they point out it was discarded because there was less alcohol than there was supposed to be, which is already low I guess, so it’s even weaker. That helps convince Spike to indulge in some. And alternatively, they would’ve had the party in the Apple barn to avoid getting Spike in trouble.
The pack has a fun night with toys they brought along, snacks, and chasing each other around. Spike spends most of his celebration time with Winona and keeps ducking advances from Rose. This leaves Rose a little dejected and her buzz is enough to not turn away some surprisingly nice comfort from Randy. The pack eventually all departs, little later but not too late before Twilight’s set time, but Spike and Winona decide to stay behind at the pond. Spike has been noticing Winona seems prettier than usual somehow, and there’s a weird new smell to her, but he likes it a lot.
The love puppies get to talking about how much they mean to each other, Winona especially because of how scared she was when Spike almost died. He promises he’s not going anywhere, lightly buzzed and forgetting he means to change back into a dragon, and gives her a muzzle bite. She gives one back, and they start licking each other's faces. Animal instinct takes over and it goes further.
The next morning, Rose wakes up with a minor headache, and Randy tells her “good morning, boo” as he lays next to her. Rose is shocked and confused, and turns to see him with a very big smile. As she starts to ask what they’re doing in a field together, memories of the previous night come back, and she’s mortified. She wishes they had gotten some much much stronger alcohol that would’ve made her forget. Randy is ecstatic to have mated with Rose, who quickly shuts down any possibility of them being any kind of thing, and threatens to hurt him if he spills about what they did. He agrees not to tell anyone, perfectly content that he managed to get this far.
Chapter 9
Spike and Winona wake up at the pond snuggled up with each other. They soon realize they could be in trouble and decide to head back, but they do take their time to enjoy the walk together. They awkwardly acknowledge they’re a little more than friends and agree not to tell everyone about it or the huge step they took last night.
Applejack greets them and throws them a bone (ha ha) by promising not to tell Twilight about their little late night party that she could hear, as long as they don’t do it again. Same thing with the barn party scenario but mainly the party itself rather than being out later since they were right next door.
Spike and Winona continue spending time together, it becomes most of what Spike uses his free time for. He doesn’t consider that the portal’s reopening time is approaching. Part of setting this pre-Rainbow Rocks was to avoid the solution of circumventing the portal’s time limit with the magic journal. I now realize thirty days is a bit much, even if about half has been covered. The other half is certainly a bit too long for Twilight and Applejack to never remember the talk they agreed to have about the two love puppies. So I would now add that Twilight has been researching while Spike is with Winona to find a way to open the portal early, at the very least concerned he’ll get too comfy as a dog.
Winona starts to gain a bit of weight and is eating more than usual, which is rationalized as the reason behind the former. And a couple times she’s less attention seeking than usual. But everyone has off days. Signs of dog pregnancy or a coincidence.
Spike gets reminded, or informed that thanks to a method Twilight discovered to open the portal sooner, that he’ll be able to become a dragon again in just a few days. He’s surprised by this and actually kind of forgot about wanting to change back. He’s told he should probably explain to Winona and the pack about this.
Chapter 10
Spike goes to Winona first, who is shocked and almost demands to know why, until she remembers this was all and accident and meant to be undone. She becomes sad and accepts it, saying she’s happy for him getting to go back to normal. He promises he’ll still visit and play with her. She acknowledges this, but they both internally say to themselves that it won’t be the same.
Spike breaks the news to the pack later that same day. Everyone is varying degrees of sad about it, but they do wish him well. A similar sentiment of still hanging out with them is made, with the same internal observation. Liam is the most composed and says it was a privilege to have him as part of the pack. Randy asks Spike if he’s sure and says they could have so much fun and enjoy fame as one of, if not the best dog pack in their territory from having him among them. Spike assures them they’re good enough without him, but yeah losing him is a pretty big hit.
Rose is very sad and affectionate, not having been able to get Spike as her mate. She whispers a one night offer in his ear, since he still has a few days. Since he and Winona are unofficially together, the latter decides she’s had more than enough of this and is about to give Rose what for. But Spike unknowingly prevents that by doing the gentlemanly thing and saying he’s very flattered but isn’t interested in her that way and politely refuses.
He also jokingly adds he’s kinda rooting for her and Randy, which makes her panic and demand to know what he heard. He clarifies that he’s only talking about Randy’s continuous attraction and advances that everyone has seen. Rose nervously backs off and Randy helps her save face by making another such advance for her to reject. Everyone laughs it off, but Liam and Winona are the most suspicious about this.
The day arrives. Spike, the Mane Six, and the Princesses gather at Canterlot Castle for the portal’s reopening and Spike’s return to his dragon form. I think I started mixing up Canterlot Castle and Twilight’s castle, because the latter makes a lot more sense for something I had decided. So I would probably have the portal brought to the library, which would better fit the original outline. Spike is surprised and sad that Winona didn’t come along. She chose not to because she thought it would hurt too much seeing him go and return in the form she hadn’t come to love, which she doesn’t share with anyone.
The portal is opened, and Spike doesn’t immediately go through it. He silently considers whether he’d actually be happier as a dog, not having as much responsibility, getting to play all the time, hanging out with the pack, and get to be with Winona. He also considers that this is kind of crazy since he’s been a dragon and accustomed to a certain way of life for much longer, and now he’s remembering his crush on Rarity and the hope that one day something could form between them. He makes his decision.
Ending 1 That’s right! I couldn’t decide, so I figured why not do two different endings?!
Spike walks through the portal, briefly entering the human world, then walks back through after a few seconds. He steps back out the Equestria side in his original dragon form. Everyone claps and cheers for him. They bring up the positives of him not being a dog anymore, like going back to his regular diet, being able to help Rarity again and have…less of a problem with Opal. Hopefully.
This works to bring up his mood, and he starts enjoying having his old body back. Standing on two legs without much balance necessary, scratching himself with his much sharper claws, breathing fire, sending messages to Celestia with his fire even though she’s right there, having a prehensile tail, but especially digging into a bowl of gems the princesses had prepared to celebrate his return to form.
Afterward, Spike nervously and somberly goes to visit Winona. She’s happy but also sad to see him again back to normal. He reiterates his promise to still visit and play with her, which does make her happy, but not as much as she’d be if he were still a dog. He keeps that promise, and while it’s bittersweet, they’re still good friends. Now having his original responsibilities back, Spike has a lot less free time to play with Winona, but he does make whatever time he can.
Ending 2
Before Spike can carry out/voice his decision, Winona barges in barking. Spike and Fluttershy can understand that she’s calling for him and telling him to wait. He’s surprised and happy she came, much happier than if he decided the opposite of what he just had. Winona starts spilling her heart out to Spike, with Fluttershy translating for everyone else.
Spike is the best friend she’s ever had and has never had as much fun with other dogs. And she knows he’s enjoyed being a dog, and he could keep enjoying it with her and the pack. But he’s more than just a friend. She loves him.
Fluttershy hesitates out of surprise before saying that last bit. Everyone else is shocked, Twilight most of all, Applejack second most. Pinkie is letting out a really big aw but behind her arm so she doesn’t interrupt.
Spike recovers from his own shock. They basically knew each others feelings, but they are both pretty young, so to hear it out loud is still pretty affecting. Spike takes a second to get it out, but he confesses that he’s in love with her too, (Twilight feels woozy now), and is about to tell her about his decision. Believing he’s gonna say he still needs to change back, Winona interrupts him and says that one other thing might change his mind. She wants her puppies to have a proper father.
Twilight faints, everyone else exclaims “What?!” in surprise except for Pinkie and AJ. Pinkie is excited, AJ is outraged. A very surprised Spike asks for confirmation of this multiple times, as does AJ, which Winona does. She realized she was experiencing symptoms she saw with another pregnant dog. Fluttershy inspects her real quick, asks about these symptoms, and confirms she’s very likely pregnant.
Spike regains his composure, Twilight is woken up, and he reveals that before she came in, he had actually decided not to change back. Same reaction of surprise from everyone, but now Twilight is outraged. Winona asks if he’s serious, and he says he’s twice as serious now, since they’re gonna have puppies. She tackles him and licks his face happily, he laughs and tries to get in a few of his own.
Twilight levitates Winona off and tries to talk some sense into Spike, asking if he’s crazy. She points out that he’d be leaving his normal life behind, how he isn’t supposed to be a dog, and to think about all the things he’d never get to experience anymore and now things he never will, like getting bigger, or growing wings, enjoying gems, or getting to pursue certain romantic interests when he’s older. She finishes by saying she doesn’t want to lose him.
This does give Spike a moment of pause, but after looking at Winona, he tells Twilight that she isn’t losing him, he’ll just be different. It’s not as if he’s turning into a full animal since he’s clearly retained his intelligence and ability to speak. He also asks her to consider his feelings about this. He found a new happiness he never knew he could have, and even love. He took into consideration what he was giving up, and accepted it. And if that weren’t enough, how could he possibly leave Winona as the sole parent to their puppies?
Twilight tries to think of more things, but Spike hugs her foreleg and assures her he’ll be fine. Tears stream from Twilight's eyes as she hugs him back and says he better be. And they’re going to get every book on parenting and puppy raising they can and study them together. Spike jokingly asks if the portal is still open. Everyone laughs.
Everyone shows support for Spike’s decision, though some find it awkward that he’s gonna be a dog permanently from now on. But they especially praise him for choosing to be responsible and be a father to his puppies. Applejack is especially welcoming of it, much to Spike’s surprise as he did notice her earlier anger. She explains his decision to remain a dog and be a father helped cool her down. She whispers to him that he’s lucky he did, because if he went back to being a dragon and then it was revealed he mated with her dog and got her pregnant without her permission, she probably would’ve made him into a belt and boots. Spike is now even happier about his choice.
The pack is very happy Spike is sticking around and congratulate him and Winona. Much to everyone’s amusement, they also congratulate Rose and Randy, as their little night of lightly buzzed passion has also resulted in imminent puppies. Rose is very unamused, but her attitude changes when Randy starts acting much more mature, since he’s going to be a father also.
Spike and Winona live happily together, awaiting their puppies.