//------------------------------// // The New Bridge // Story: A Not-So Draconian Adventure // by Rock-Lee //------------------------------// After a couple of hours of letting Twilight hang out with Cadance, Spike would be lying peacefully on Twilight's bed while she prepared a few things in the living room. Spike would take advantage of that time to ponder a little. "It's been over a month since Crystal showed any sign," Spike would say, letting out a sigh, feeling a bittersweet sensation in his body due to the slight concern he felt for that alicorn. On one hand, he would feel concerned about her well-being and wonder what could be causing her absence. On the other hand, he would also experience a slight relief at the thought that Crystal might be busy with her own affairs and had simply left Spike alone with his problems once and for all. With a sigh, Spike would wonder if he should try to contact Crystal to make sure she's okay. However, he would also feel a little nervous about the idea of bothering her if she was busy or if she had personal reasons for not communicating. After reflecting a bit more, Spike would decide to wait a little longer before trying to contact Crystal, with the slight hope that she had forgotten about him and he could finally forget about her. "Huh?... What's this?" Spike would say, raising an eyebrow upon noticing what seemed to be a strange aura in a group of photos stuck to the wall. He would get up from the bed and walk towards the photos, squinting at them until... he noticed something odd. There were multiple completely normal photos with nothing strange, but after a few seconds, he would notice how a photo of a younger Twilight with a group of unknown girls was quite blurry, but still, Spike couldn't recognize any of them, not even any odd color like Moondancer's. Then another photo where Twilight was a little older, hugging what seemed to be a dog with green and purple colors, very similar to Spike's dog version, but the area of ​​the dog in that photo would be totally blurry as well. Carefully, Spike would examine the photos more closely, trying to discern any detail that could shed light on the situation. However, no matter how hard he tried to focus his gaze on the blurry images, he couldn't distinguish any clear detail that could help him understand what he was seeing. "This is strange," Spike would murmur to himself, frowning as he continued to examine the photos. "Why are these images blurry? And who are those girls with Twilight?" Out of nowhere, all the photos with that strange aura and blurry appearance would disappear abruptly with an almost blinding flash of magic light, leaving the wall semi-empty. "What was that?" Spike would murmur to himself, examining the wall carefully for any clues about the strange phenomenon he had just witnessed. However, the wall seemed to be totally normal now, with no trace of the blurry photos that had been there before. With a resigned sigh, Spike would decide to stop thinking about the incident for the moment and would return to bed, trying not to worry too much about something that seemed to be out of his control. Although he couldn't help feeling uneasy about the strange experience, he would try to stay calm and focus on other things until Twilight returned to the room. "Okay, Spike! Are you ready!?" Twilight would say, this time dressed in a pair of slightly baggy pants, her hair free from that ponytail she always seemed to have, and a light blue pajama shirt. "Ready for what?" Spike would say, trying to forget what had happened just a few seconds ago. "Ready for a movie night!" Twilight would say with a smile as she lifted a bag of popcorn and a remote control. "Cadance and Shining are already preparing the movie selection!" "You could've told me so I could put on my pajamas too, hehe." "Oh, I'm sorry, but don't worry, you still have time," Twilight would say with a laugh as she pointed to the bedroom door. "We'll wait for you in the living room." After a few minutes, Spike would join the rest of the group in the living room, dressed in his comfortable pajamas and ready to enjoy the night. He would settle on the sofa next to Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor. "And what movie are we going to watch first?" "Well, usually each one picks a movie and we start taking turns, this time it's Cadance's turn to start," Shining would say with a smile, observing Spike happily that the boy is well. Spike would nod with a smile, eagerly waiting to see which movie Cadance would choose to start the movie night. "And what are we watching, Cadance?" "Hmm, I think tonight we should start with something light to lighten the mood," Cadance would suggest with a smile. "How about a romantic movie?" Spike would hear Shining and Twilight's complaints about something so silly, but he would smile with a gleam in his eyes. "Sounds awesome!" "The movie is called 'Love at Second Sight'! It's a romantic comedy about a pair of friends who discover they've always been in love with each other," Cadance would explain as she selected the movie and started it. "It's really funny and adorable. I hope you guys like it!" "That sounds great, Cadance!" Spike would exclaim with enthusiasm as he settled on the sofa, instinctively leaning against Cadance with a smile. Cadance, in a maternal way, would quickly let Spike lean on her shoulder while giving him a gentle hug, resting her head against Spike's hair. "I'm sure you'll love it, Spike, hehe." Spike would feel comforted by Cadance's affectionate gesture, finding warmth and tranquility in her hug... But slowly that would turn into a somewhat strange void within his body. It was as if his brain refused to accept that happiness and warmth generated by that moment. Small but relevant moments of his childhood would appear like the reel of a movie in his brain alongside Cadance from the pony world, the nights spent with her when Twilight couldn't take care of him, the tea nights before moving to Ponyville, even when he met Flurry Heart, that little alicorn who technically was his niece... He almost felt bad enjoying something like that, as if he were trying to replace her even though it wasn't his intention by far. The feeling of emptiness and conflict Spike experienced at that moment painfully reminded him that he was not in his native world, and that the relationships and experiences he had there were not directly transferable to this new environment. Although he deeply valued the friendship and affection he had received from Twilight and her family in this world, he couldn't help but feel longing and sadness for what he had left behind. "Mhhg? Are you okey Spike?" Cadance would say raising an eyebrow a little bit worried about the little kid. "No" That was Spike wanted to say, to scream, to reveal to everyone that he wasn't right but...The only thing he was able to say was a simple... "Yes...I am Cadance"