"Look Spike, you have to bait this hook, just be careful not to prick your finger" Magnum was saying with a big smile as he took the bait off the hook and pulled another one out of the box, handing Spike the rod and bait.
"Okey..." With his tongue out of his mouth for concentration, Spike would slowly stick the bait on the hook of his fishing rod, releasing it to make sure it was set properly.
"Way to go!" Magnum would say with great excitement in his voice, tousling Spike's hair with glee. "I've taught Cookie, Rarity and Sweetie Belle, but I think you're the first one who's listened to me through the whole explanation."
"It's just that being honest I've never had a rod like that before, I've always fished with my hands or the classic stick with a string with some food tied to it, so you had to learn!". Spike would say with a big smile.
Currently the Belle family would be at a small lake they used to visit from time to time, Spike had had Soccer practice so they had decided to take a day off and take him to try out his new rod.
"Little fisherman! Get the rod and bait and take it to the boat. I'll be with you in a second" Magnum would say as he pointed out to Spike a medium sized white boat with a pretty cool engine, and with an emergency sail in case the engine stopped working, and so Spike would grab the bait box and his fishing rod and run to the boat to drop everything off.
Magnum would watch him go with a smile and turn to the opposite side, walking only a few steps to the blanket where his daughters and wife were lying eating. "Come on girls, leave some for Spike and me! Hehe.".
"Oh don't worry honey! We've got everything ready for you guys" Cookie was saying as she handed Magnum two bags with the man's and Spike's names written on each respectively, Magnum opened the bags and saw in each one two sandwiches wrapped in plastic with a chocolate brownie.
"Oh, take this too dad" Rarity would say handing her father a wooden box with 6 cans inside divided into two groups, three beers for Magnum and three cans of soda for Spike.
"Okey girls, I think we are ready with this" Magnum would say arranging the things one on top of the other to then say goodbye to his daughters with a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips with his wife, leaving towards the boat where Spike was waiting for him so excited for his first day of fishing.
"...You were saying Sweetie Belle?" Rarity was saying placing a hand over her younger sister's, taking advantage of Spike being taken halfway across the lake in a boat to continue their earlier conversation
"He... He was just crying and moaning in his sleep, he seemed to say something but I didn't quite understand it, then I woke him up and after a couple of seconds he started crying for almost an hour until he fell asleep while I was holding him..."
"oh my god" Cookie was saying holding her hands to her mouth with worry and sorrow in her voice. "I know this is about Spike, but are you okay sweetie? If you want we can try to give you your room again, Spike can sleep with Rarity or-"
"What? Of course not mom... Spike is my friend, and friends support each other at all times, if Spike wakes up every night crying, every night I'll be there to cuddle him until he falls asleep!". She said crossing her arms resolutely, showing that she wasn't going to give in to what her mother was saying.
"Ahhh...That's why I'm so proud of you" Rarity would say as she put her hand on her sister's shoulder, while Cookie would nod showing that she supported Rarity's sentiment. "But yeah... Spike had a pretty bad nightmare at Applejack's house too from what she said."
"Do you think we should talk to Principal Celestia about this? Maybe she can send Spike to have some weekly meetings with the School Psychologist like she did with Sunset Shimmer" Sweetie Belle would say as she watched her sister, since she would know about Sunset's current situation.
"Yeah... That could be an option, Spike is still very shy around anyone he doesn't know, so maybe introducing him to a person that Celestia and all of us trust would be a way to make him more likely to open up about what has happened to him" Rarity would say somewhat surprised at the clever idea her sister had come up with, but with a proud smile at the way her little sister was growing up.
"It's okay girls... I know we all worry about Spike, but right now Spike is enjoying a beautiful moment with Daddy, and we can't be worrying about the future and how Spike will react to things..... Let's enjoy this moment, and just make sure we're there for Spike when he needs it." Cookie said with a motherly smile.
Meanwhile, back on the boat, Spike and Magnum were having the time of their lives. The sun was shining, the gentle breeze was stirring the surface of the water, and the boat was gliding smoothly across the lake. Spike was almost vibrating with excitement as he finished baiting the rod next to Magnum.
"Alright, little fisherman, are you ready to catch your first fish?" asked Magnum, watching Spike finish setting everything up just as he had taught him, feeling the pride in his chest grow even more.
"Of course," replied Spike enthusiastically, holding the rod confidently.
Magnum set the boat in a spot he deemed perfect for fishing, and they both cast the line into the water. Spike watched the buoy expectantly, waiting for any sign of movement, while Magnum simply held the rod in place. He grabbed a portable radio and decided to put on some music to pass the time. After a while, as they waited, Magnum decided to strike up a conversation. "Spike, tell me more about yourself. What do you like to do besides fishing?"
Spike's eyes lit up as he began to share his interests and hobbies. He talked about his love of comic books and role-playing games. Even though Magnum had no idea about what he was talking about, Spike's smile as he described a red horse that was also a barbarian defeating a mermaid by cutting her hair was enough to keep him listening intently. For several minutes, they continued chatting. Magnum even managed to catch a few fish, to Spike's surprise and a bit of disappointment. However, after a while, Spike felt a tug on the line. Excitement filled his eyes as he struggled to scoop up his prey.
"You've got it! Keep it steady!" Magnum encouraged, placing his hands on top of Spike's as he guided him in the use of the line, making sure no fish pulled Spike into the lake.
The fight against that fish would last almost five whole minutes, where Spike's excitement would only be overshadowed by Magnum's determination not to let Spike's first fish slip through his hands so easily. With one last tug, with the strength of Spike and Magnum combined, they managed to catch a very good-sized fish. Despite flailing in an attempt to escape, Spike grabbed it tightly.
"Wow, Spike! That's a great catch for your first time!" exclaimed Magnum, quickly reaching into his pockets for one of his many disposable cameras. He found one and started to take several pictures of Spike with that fish, which he planned to develop soon. Spike couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment as the fish moved in his arms.
"And what will you do with this little guy?" Magnum said, putting the camera back in his pocket, as Spike thought for several seconds.
"Mhhg...You've caught so many already. I think we can eat well with the ones you've already caught," Spike said with a smile before returning that fish to the water, with Magnum simply nodding in approval of Spike's attitude.
As the day progressed, the boat echoed with laughter and shared stories. Spike found solace from his lousy night before in the simple joy of fishing and the company of someone he considered very close despite barely knowing him. Little did he know that day on the lake would become a fond memory, a point of light in the midst of his interdimensional difficulties.
Although the next day, Spike would end up feeling the complete opposite. It was the first thing on the school timetable, and instead of going to his usual class, he found himself sitting in what seemed to be a waiting room. Rarity had told him to bring his dragon stuffed animal, which seemed odd at the time, but now he clutched it tightly, looking around confused.
"So, Drake, you know why you're here, don't you?" Miss Spitfire asked, she was the one in charge of taking Spike to that place and explaining to him what was going to happen.
"...N-No," Spike said, shaking his head slightly, with part of his face hidden behind the dragon stuffed animal he was carrying.
"...Right," Spitfire said letting out a sigh, she knelt down in front of Spike, removing her sunglasses and gently pushing aside the head of the stuffed dragon to look him in the eyes. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. We just want to make sure you don't need to have weekly visits to the psychologist."
"But why would they have that doubt?" Spike said, watching Spitfire with some concern. Spike didn't understand why he was acting like this when he had been through much worse things before, That's what it felt like to be a normal kid? he thought.
"It's nothing serious, relax," Spitfire reassured, putting her hands on Spike's shoulders with a serious expression but trying to calm the little boy's nerves. "It's just a formality, it'll be like a conversation."
"And...And how long will these tests last?"
"It will be for four weeks. You will come here once a week first thing in the morning and can retire home after that so you can think about how it went. In case the psychologist thinks you need to keep coming back, then you'll keep coming back."
"Okay... I think I understand," the green-haired boy said, letting out a sigh but smiling a little, nodding towards his teacher.
"I'm glad to hear that," Spitfire said, giving him a gentle hug and stroking his back in circles. "If you need to talk after this, come see me in my office. I can't let the team's star midfielder lose focus."
"Hehe, I'm not even that good," Spike said, feeling a little more comfortable to joke around in that situation.
"Hehe, that's not what Dash informs me," the teacher said as she stood up and put on her sunglasses once again, ruffling the boy's hair. "Good luck, Spike."
And so it was that the woman retreated from that waiting room, leaving Spike all alone with his thoughts, until he noticed the slight sound of a foot tapping the floor nervously, he turned around curiously and ended up seeing...
"Sunset Shimmer?" Spike said, genuinely surprised to see that girl sitting just a few rows of seats away from him. Not controlling the volume of his voice, he caused the aforementioned girl to hear him, turning her gaze to see who was calling his name.
"...Y-Yes...I'm Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said, thinking that the boy was the brother of someone she had affected with her mischief who would now start yelling at her or insulting her for upsetting his brother, she quickly wrapped her own arms around herself, putting on the hood of her black jacket.
"N-No wait! I didn't mean to upset you!" Spike said, getting up from his seat and quickly running towards the girl, still hugging his stuffed dragon. "...M-My name is Spike."
"Spike?" Sunset said, with a tone of surprise in her voice that was very hard to ignore, as if she already noticed that it was a very odd thing for this child to have that name and appearance.
"Yeah...I..." Spike looked both ways before leaning close to Sunset Shimmer and whispering to her. "I'm the same Spike that came with Twilight, the dog."
"What? But...You're not a dog," Sunset said, her voice transitioning from surprise to confusion so fast it almost seemed to be the same feeling in her voice.
"I know, I know, but look, listen to me. I've been trying to find you since I got here," Spike said, wanting to take advantage of as much time as possible to inform the girl of his situation. He sat down next to her with the stuffed dragon still in his arms.
"...Are you alone? Didn't Twilight come with you?" Sunset whispered, trying to understand a little bit of the situation that happened with the little boy in front of her.
"That's the thing, I entered this universe by mistake by touching the mirror, but I'm not able to go back no matter what I do."
"Crystal...Why would she keep you locked in here?" Sunset said, understanding less and less of the situation little Spike was in.
"According to her...It's because I'm the 'least happy Spike of them all,' but that's nonsense!" Spike said with a frown. He was tempted to ask how he met Crystal, but it was more than obvious that someone like her would have already done so.
"I understand... you're one of those whims she told me about when we first met."
"Whims?" Spike said in confusion, looking up to see Sunset.
"She told me that the princess of the mirror realm can't control, only observe... but there are times when she gives in to temptation and commits 'little' changes on a whim."
"Wow... Knowing that a princess holds me in such high regard almost makes this feel a little better," he said, laughing a little, making Sunset laugh along with him.
"So... you're the little guy the girls tell me so much about?" Sunset said with a small smile, feeling a little more comfortable with that situation having another native Equestrian with her.
"Oh, that's right! I actually asked Rarity a few days ago if I could try to get her to meet you, though I see it wasn't that necessary," Spike said with a smile, happy to finally have a breakthrough after a whole week of living like a normal boy.
"Yeah... So you want my help with this whole universe thing so you can get back to your friends?"
"Exactly," Spike said with a smile, nodding excitedly.
"Mhg... Okay, count me in," she said with a smile. Spike held out his thumb, causing her to get a little confused.
"Siblings of alternate universes?" Spike said with his pinky still extended towards Sunset, who, after a couple of seconds, made the universal symbol of Pinkie's Promise.
"Siblings of alternate universes," Sunset said, laughing slightly. She knew next to nothing about Spike, but if that was his attitude always, she felt that if she could make a breakthrough in the art of friendship with him, they would be talking for a few minutes about Spike's situation. They agreed that Sunset would send a message to Twilight in the magical journal so they could devise a plan from both directions. However, the planning would be interrupted by a door opening, revealing... Cadence?
"Spike Drake?" Cadence said with a sweet smile, causing Spike to hesitate for a few seconds before he simply raised his hand in silence. "Oh, there you are, little one. Come in, come in."
It would take a few more seconds for Spike to get up from his seat and look at Sunset, who simply smiled at him and told him that they would see each other later to continue their conversation. This left Spike more at ease to head over to Cadence's office and sit down in what looked to be the classic reclining seat that TV psychologists had.
Spike sat and looked Cadence up and down. Cadence was somewhat surprisingly tall for a woman, though it was the same with Celestia and Luna. He had assumed that being princesses in the Pony world, it was their way of translating to the human world. Her multicolored cream hair fell down her back to almost her waist, a blue suit shirt buttoned over a greenish-blue shirt and a skirt of another shade of green and blue that Spike was unfamiliar with. Light makeup highlighted the woman's beautiful features, finishing with golden yellow boots that topped off the whole air of royalty she always gave off.
"So Spike, my name is Mi Amore Cadence. It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman said as she settled into her own seat with a sweet smile on her face.
"The pleasure... is mine," Spike said, hugging his dragon stuffed animal. As he looked around, Spike noticed several children's toys, as well as the classic pictures that were in children's hospitals. "(Child psychologist?... I admit, if being a princess of love wasn't a possibility, it fits her like a glove)."
"So tell me Spike, how's it going?" Cadence said, crossing her legs with her notebook at the ready, analyzing everything Spike was doing.
"Good... Well, I think good... I'm just a little nervous. I've never had to come to a psychologist before, not even when...". Spike bit his tongue, about to talk about the time he saved the Crystal Empire, and all the horrible psychological effects the "What if...?" thoughts left on him.
"...When?" urged the psychologist to continue, trying to get Spike to finish talking.
"N-nothing! Nonsense, sorry," Spike said, shaking his head as he hugged his dragon stuffed animal, letting out an embarrassed sigh.
"It's okay Spike, you have nothing to worry about. I'm here to help you," Cadence said as she jotted down a few words in her notebook, and it would be like that for almost thirty minutes, simple questions to make Spike feel more at ease and willing to talk. "So... Celestia told me that you live with several people on a weekly swapping basis? How does that make you feel? Do you feel like maybe you need more... stability?"
"Oh, not at all!" Spike said with a big smile, something that surprised Cadence because of how secure he was answering that specific question.
"Wow... That's really something good," Cadance would say, coming out of surprise and nodding slightly. She would write a couple of things before smiling at Spike. "How about you lie down for a bit, and we talk a little about you?"
"Sure... sounds good," Spike would slowly feel more comfortable with this woman, having the voice of someone who probably felt like his... third or fourth mother, was very reassuring.
"Let's see, Spike... Tell me, how was your youth... younger years?" Cadance would inquire, trying to figure out what approach to take with the boy.
"Mhhg..." Spike would open his mouth to start speaking but quickly close it to avoid discussing his dragon-related matters. "Mhhg... I never knew my real parents. I was found by a woman who used me for a while to test her students until one of them became my inseparable friend."
"..." Cadance would be wide-eyed with a slightly open mouth in surprise. "And... what happened next?"
"Well, I ended up moving in with her and her family when I was a baby, where I lived with them for a while, helping my friend, who was almost like a sister, with her studies. I basically became her personal assistant," Spike would say with a smile, recalling all the beautiful moments he had with his sister, one of the most important people he had ever known in his life, if not the most important. "Until we ended up moving from the city to a small town at the order of the... Teacher of my sister."
"Mhhg... And... did you have friends your age at school or in the town?" Cadance would ask, rapidly writing down almost everything Spike was telling her at that moment.
"I never went to school... I was very different from the other kids, so I was usually at home helping my sister, and she would teach me what she knew," Spike would say, playing lightly with his dragon plush out of boredom.
"So, you had homeschooling?"
"I wouldn't call it that, it was usually lessons when she was in the mood or not too busy," Spike would say, shrugging to explain the situation well, as he didn't see anything wrong with it.
"And what did you usually do if you weren't taking classes?" Cadance would ask with a raised eyebrow, probably having the idea that Spike was just alone all the time doing nothing.
"Well, I helped at home, cleaned the library, cooked, washed the dishes, organized the books, brought her materials, sent letters, and received mail for her," Spike would pout slightly annoyed at always having to do those tasks, although it would seem more like someone complaining about taking out the trash than a real anger. "I also used to help my friends with their things."
"Mhhg? Didn't you say you didn't have friends your age?" Cadance would say while continuing to write everything down, managing to maintain a smile on her face due to the professionalism she maintained with the children she worked with.
"Well, they were friends more of my sister's age, a little older than Rarity, Applejack, and the rest of the girls, but they were also my friends. I helped them take care of their farm, their animals, even served as a pincushion every now and then! Hehe," Spike would laugh a bit about his situation, not noticing the horror that had crossed Cadance's face when he said that phrase.
"...I understand," she would manage to hide the anger forming in her body like the fire of an oven, then smile at the little one, nodding slightly.
"Although... to be honest, I don't remember how I got here. I just remember appearing here and starting to try to fix my life," Spike would say, unable to even come up with a believable lie to explain how he had arrived at the place, so he would just pretend to have forgotten.
"Wow... You did have a hectic childhood, huh?" Cadance would laugh slightly, closing her notebook and leaving it on the table beside her. "But tell me, how do you feel now? Living here, going to school, even being part of a soccer team!"
"Well... It's different... I wouldn't say I don't miss my friends and my sister, but... I would miss everyone here too when I go back," Spike would say, playing with his dragon plush's hands.
"And what if you... don't go back?" Cadance would say, trying to prepare Spike for the future news that they probably wouldn't allow Spike to return to his family if they ever found them.
"Mhhg... I don't want to think about that," Spike would say, hugging his dragon while swallowing some saliva nervously at the idea, burying his face in his plush for a few seconds.
"Okay... Although I notice you really like that plush, huh?" Cadance would say with a sweet smile, shifting the conversation to a safer and closer place for Spike.
"Yeah... It was a gift from Rarity and Sweetie Belle's family, it's very soft." Spike would say with a soft smile, grabbing the dragon to glance at Cadance, somewhat embarrassed by the way he was acting in front of her.
"I also had a favorite stuffed animal when I was your age," the woman would say with a smile, uncrossing her legs to cross them in the opposite way. "The Love Princess, it was a unicorn plush that my father added wings to because I wanted them, hehe."
"That... is very nice."
"That's right... You know, Spike, we're similar to a certain extent. I also lived for a while with people who weren't my biological parents."
"Really?" Spike would say with his best imitation of surprise, as he certainly already knew it from his Pony version.
"Yes... Just remember, Spike, don't feel less because of that," Cadance would say with a smile, knowing that Spike would suffer a lot during his childhood due to the harsh teasing from children... and not-so-children. "Now I work doing what I love, with a loving husband and a daughter on the way."
"...Your husband is truly fortunate," Spike would say with a smile, remembering a conversation he had with the Pony version of Cadance on her wedding day.
Spike and Cadance were in one of the rooms, with Spike helping her with her makeup since all the workers who would be there to assist her had left the place after all the changeling chaos.
"Since when did you learn to do things like these?" Cadance would say with a playful smile, well aware that she had been the one to teach him when she took care of him on the days when Twilight was too busy.
"Only the best teacher in all of Equestria," Spike would say carefully as he applied blush to Cadance's cheeks. "And... done!"
And so, Spike would show her a mirror where Cadance would see herself in all her glory, the beautiful dress that only accentuated her beauty, her blushed cheeks, her lips with lipstick of a soft pink color, and light blue eyeshadow on her eyelids to highlight her eyelashes.
"Wow, Spike... I look beautiful," Cadance would say, slightly tilting her head to get a more direct view.
"And why is that a surprise?" Spike would say with a smile on his face, observing Cadance with a strange pride latent in his chest.
"Hehe, you're always so flattering."
"Now... Seriously, Cadance," Spike would say, putting the mirror aside to carefully hold Cadance's hooves, looking into her eyes. "Cadance... I know I should probably be with Shining Armor at this point, since I'm literally his brother, but I wanted to say a few words to you."
"Spike..." Cadance would say somewhat confused and a little worried but allowing Spike to continue with his words.
"I'm proud of you... All my life, you've been like a mother to me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know anything about love or affection... People often take it for granted, but there are so many things that confuse me solely because of my race... It took me about 4 years to learn the difference between love and the feeling of wanting to eat gems."
That comment would earn a laugh from both of them before Cadance gave him a gentle hug with her upper hooves, placing Spike against her chest.
"...I've always been jealous of Twilight, to tell you the truth... Being able to spend all the time she wanted with Shining... and being able to be with you as much as she wanted," Cadance would say, somewhat embarrassed by her own words but not stopping the caresses on Spike's back. "It's embarrassing for me... But both you and Twilight are like children to me."
"I can't speak for Twilight... but I love you so much, Mom," Spike would say with slight tears in his eyes from the emotion of the situation. "Just... just promise me that you'll be happy... that you'll do everything in your power to make Shining happy."
"I promise," she would say, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead before whispering in his ear. "Twilight is having this same conversation with Shining, right?"
"He's probably spending the next 5 months massaging your hooves every night," Spike would say, causing them both to laugh a little more before Spike pulled away to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "I... I'll leave you to get ready for everything... Good luck, Mom."
And with that, Spike would leave to put on his own suit and enjoy one of the happiest days for two of the most important people in his world.
"Spike...Spike are you okey?"
"E-Eh? Sorry?" Spike would say, shaking his head a couple of seconds before looking at Cadance, who would only laugh a bit.
"Hehe... I said I'll tell my husband that you said that," Cadance would say before looking at the clock on her wall. "And it seems our time is up."
"...Same time next week?" Spike would say with some hope, earning a laugh from Cadance.
"Same time next week."
And with that, Spike would leave Cadance's office, looking at the door that led to the psychologist for adults and teenagers in the institution, where Sunset Shimmer would probably be. He would nod in silence and sit in one of the seats, hugging his dragon and closing his eyes to wait for Sunset.