A faint beeping sound filled Twilight’s ears as she stirred from her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly and saw what looked like a tan tile colored ceiling above her. She rubbed her eyes and got up to look around where she was. She was in a bed with a green comforter covering her and railing all around her bed. There were a few wires on her body that were connected to some medical equipment next to her bed such as a heart monitor. The room itself was rather empty and pretty big with its tan walls, black and white checkered floor, and a single window with green curtains on the side to allow the sun to shine through.
A sudden small snoring noise made Twilight jump a little and turned to see, to her right, Spike slouching in a chair and was asleep. At first, the lilac unicorn smiled as she gazed upon his gentle and peaceful facial expression. She wanted nothing more then to lean in and kiss him full on the lips while he was asleep and hold him in her arms. She scooted over to him and rubbed his face with the palm of her hand and sighed contently. Twilight decided to make her move and leaned in towards Spike’s lips.
But just as she was within inches of him, Twilight suddenly remembered everything that happened to her. Spike running away from her when he read her secret book and how Garble nearly kidnap her before Spike and her friends came to the rescue. She moved away and felt her heart sink as she realized what she was about to do to her friend. Although Twilight was happy to see Spike came to save her, she knew that it didn’t matter anymore. Spike would never see her the same way she saw him and figured he ran off to Rarity to confess his feelings for her. All Twilight could hope for now was that her and Spike could strictly remain friends, even if it meant him not being so close to her anymore. She lied back on the bed and sniffled a little as she thought about what could have been.
A loud yawn suddenly echoed throughout the room and broke Twilight out of her depressing state. She looked over to see Spike stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes as he awoke from his nap. When he was finished stretching his body, Spike looked over to Twilight and a large smile formed on his face from seeing her. He leaned over and embraced the lilac unicorn tightly, causing Twilight to blush and slowly return the hug as well. The two of them stayed like this for a minute before breaking off and smiling at one another.
Finally, Spike said, “Twilight, am I glad to see you’re finally awake. How are you feeling? Is your head hurting or anything?”
Twilight shook her head. “No Spike, I’m feeling pretty good right now, albeit my head does feel a little sore right now. But aside from that, I’m not really hurt or anything. Where am I anyway? It looks like some so hospital judging from all the medical equipment attached to me.”
“You’re right Twilight, you’re in the Ponyville Hospital to be exact,” said the purple dragon. “Doctor Stable said that Garble gave you a mild concussion and that you would need rest for the next couple of days.”
“What do you mean by days?” Asked Twilight. “How long have I been out since what happened with Garble.”
“Only three days at the most, Dr. Stable said that even though the concussion was mild, it still left you out of it and we were forced to wait for you to wake up. He said that it would only take a week at the most before you would even open your eyes.”
“What happened to Garble and those other dragons? I remember hearing a loud screaming noise and a faint image of Garble squirming around like he was in pain.”
“Well, to be honest, the reason that Garble was acting that way was because of me. I stomped on his jaw hard, but I didn’t break it, I actually shattered his jaw completely.”
“You did what!?” Shouted Twilight.
“Calm down Twilight,” said Spike. “He was going to chew you up for you hitting him in the back with that rock. So I had to do something before he laid a claw on you. Cut me some slack at least for saving your flank.”
The lilac unicorn let out a sigh and shook her head. “Alright, I guess I can let it go. If it wasn’t for you, I think I’d be in the stomach of that dragon by now. So where is Garble and those other two dragons?”
“Shining Armor actually arranged for them to be . . .”
“Shining Armor came by?”
“I’ll get to that in a minute Twilight. Now as I was saying, Shining Armor came by with Princess Celestia, and yes I’ll get to that as well in a minute,” he said as Twilight opened her mouth. “But anyway, they both came along with a large number of Royal Guards after I requested their help in searching for you. When they arrived, they had Garble and his cronies taken away to a hospital in Canterlot.”
“So since you broke Garble’s jaw, is it wired shut?”
“Actually, Shining Armor told me the doctors really couldn’t do much. They said that Garble’s jaw was completely shattered and because of the lack of dragon anatomy studies, they had no idea on how to reconstruct it properly. He’ll have no choice but to live the rest of his life without a jaw and be forced to use some complex medical equipment to help feed him food. As much as I hate him for what he did to me and what he tried to do to you, I can’t help but feel a little bad for him.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped as she heard all this. “Wow,” she said in awe. “I have to say Spike, it’s almost scary to see you do something like that. I just hope those other two dragons weren’t seriously hurt like Garble.”
“Matchstick and Boiler are nowhere as bad as Garble. Matchstick did suffer from hypothermia because of Rarity and Rainbow. Boiler though had a concussion and some scratches on him. They’ll both be fine and along with Garble, they’ll all be tried for attempting to kill you along with other numerous charges.”
“One last thing Spike. Where are the others anyway? I thought they would’ve been waiting along with you.”
“They’re around the hospital, but I’ve been waiting for you all this time so that we could talk about . . . you know.”
Twilight’s smiled forcefully and said, “Um . . . I have no idea what you’re talking about. Come on Spike, you can bring in the others now.”
“Twilight, you can’t just run away from this anymore,” said Spike in a stern tone. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but it’s the only way this can all be settled once and for all. Please, just listen to what I have to say and I promise that everything will be okay.”
Twilight’s smile drooped and looked down with a look of shame on her. “Nothing is going to be okay again,” she said in a small voice. “I know you read that book Spike and I know why you ran off. Now that I think about it, I can’t really blame you for what you did. In fact, I’m surprised you even want to talk to me about this. I thought that you would see me as a disgusting pony since I fell in love with a dragon that’s like a son to me.”
Spike put a finger to Twilight’s mouth to silence her. “Listen Twilight, before you go off on one of your crazy tangents, just hear me out, okay?” He saw the lilac unicorn give a small nod. The dragon sighed and said, “I admit Twilight, when I first read that book I was really surprised. I never thought that you would ever feel that way about me. In fact, it did kind of scare me and I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“But . . .” Twilight tried to say.
“Let me finish,” said Spike. She nodded again before the dragon went on. “You were right about me going to Rarity and confessing my feelings for her. However, we talked about it and decided it was for the best that we remain friends. She even told me about how she had some hand in this whole book thing. And as I talked to her, I began to realize something that I’ve been neglecting for so long.”
“What’s that?”
“It was you Twilight. All this time I was always chasing after Rarity, but I’ve been ignoring how you felt towards me.”
“What do you mean by that? I know I was keeping it all a secret, but I never really dropped so many hints about my feelings for you.”
“What I mean Twilight is that there were times where I would look at you and think about how cute you were. There were times where I did think about you and how wonderful you looked. I know you think you aren’t the prettiest unicorn out there, but I did always see you in a beauty of your own that made you stand out above every other pony. But I could never bring myself to think of you like that because I thought you were like a mother or sister figure to me. I thought it felt just wrong to think of you like that, so I blocked those thoughts out of my head. A part of me did think it was wrong to love you and another part thought you would hate me for thinking that way about you.”
“Spike . . .” said Twilight in an incredulous tone.
“When I spoke to Rarity about this, she actually showed how ignorant I was being. Whenever I was feeling alone or scared, it was you who was there to comfort me. You’ve saved my life a couple of times and took care of my when I was sick. You vowed to never send me away or leave me by myself and yet all this time, I always told myself that you were a mother figure. But now I realize you aren’t like that at all, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had and nothing can change that now.”
Twilight didn’t say anything for a minute as she took what her friend was saying. Her heart inflated like a balloon as she felt tears build up in her eyes. “Do . . . do you really mean all that Spike?” She asked. “You don’t hate me or think I’m sick for liking you like that?”
The dragon shook his head. “After everything you’ve done for me, how can I hate you? You’re a really good friend Twilight and a very special pony to me. It just took me awhile to figure out how special you are to me. I got something anyway to show how much you really mean to me.” Spike dug his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the Fire Ruby necklace. “I know the real story behind this beauty and I think it’s time I gave it to the one pony who truly deserves it.” Spike placed the necklace into Twilight’s hand and held it.
The lilac unicorn looked at Spike with a tearful smile on her face. “Spike, does this honestly mean that . . .” She was suddenly cut off by the dragon placing a finger on her lips.
“Twilight . . . you’re a wonderful friend and I . . . I love you. You’re not only very smart, cute, and beautiful, but you never left me when I was feeling down. You’re not just the best friend I’ve ever had, you’re the best mare I’ve ever meet. I believe it’s time to show how much you really mean to me.” He leaned in slowly and closed his eyes.
Twilight smiled at this and felt her heart beating a mile a minute. She too closed her eyes and leaned in for the kiss. The two of them inched closer together and could feel their breath against one another.
A door suddenly opened and a stallion’s voice said, “Hey Spike, we got those get well gifts for Twily.”
Twilight and Spike broke out of their trance and jumped a little in surprise. They both turned to see their friends and Shining Armor staring at them with awkward looks on them. They both quickly scurried away from one another and each of their faces went red.
“Uh . . . we ain’t interrupting anything are we?” Asked Applejack in an embarrassed voice.
“Of . . . of course not,” said Twilight in a small voice. “I just woke up and was talking to Spike about what happened.”
“Twilight, you don’t . . .” Spike was cut off by Twilight placing a hand over his mouth.
“Um . . . ignore him for now. Why don’t we all talk and catch up on everything that happened?”
“Twily, I want you to look at me,” said Shining Armor.
She looked at her brother, who was wearing a thick red jacket, blue snow pants, and brown boots, and said, “Oh, Shining Armor, I heard you actually came to save me along with my friends. I thought you would’ve been back in Canterlot by now with training.”
“Captain Steel Hoof is finishing it up for me. But enough small talk Twilight, we all know why you ran away.”
“Um . . .” said Twilight in a nervous voice.
Spike pulled his friend’s hand off him and said, “There’s no point in hiding it anymore Twilight. They know . . . they all know now about your crush on me.”
Twilight turned to her friends, who were all nodding in unison with what Spike said. She felt her heart nearly stop as she looked away in shame. “A-all of you?”
“Every pony in this room knows Twilight,” said Shining Armor. “Princess Celestia even knows about this.”
“W-WHAT!?” Screamed Twilight. “THE PRINCESS KNOWS!?” She curled herself into a ball and was shaking violently. “W-what am I going to say to her? What if she doesn’t approve? What if she dismisses me as her student for this?”
Spike grabbed Twilight and shouted, “Twilight, calm down! Princess Celestia isn’t going to do anything like that!”
“B-but what if she does?”
The others started to crowd around Twilight and calm their friend down from her panic attack. Unbeknownst to them though, three figures stepped through the open door and into the room.
“What if I what?” Asked a gentle voice.
The whole room suddenly fell silent and the group turned their heads towards the source of the voice. They all saw Princess Celestia standing in the doorway with a bemused expression on her along with two white Royal Guards standing by her. Spike, along with the rest of his friends, bowed before the white alicorn, but Twilight let out a small yelp and hid beneath the covers. Spike pulled the covers off of her, making her look up to her mentor.
“Princess Celestia, what are you doing here?” Asked Spike. “I thought you wouldn’t be here until I told you Twilight woke up.”
“I was stopping by to check up on her and leave her these.” She pulled out a bouquet of various flowers and colors. “I’m glad to see you’re awake Twilight, but I couldn’t help but hear your outburst about me knowing something.” Twilight let out a loud gulp. “There’s no need to be afraid my faithful student. I know what happened and why you did it, but I’m not here to judge you.”
“I . . . I . . . I’m sorry princess,” said Twilight in a broken voice.
“You have nothing to be sorry for Twilight,” said the white alicorn. “But why are you acting so elusive over this? I thought you would’ve been happy to be with Spike and the rest of your loved ones. Especially now that we’re aware of your crush on Spike.”
Twilight said nothing and looked away.
“Twilight?” Asked Spike. “What’s the matter?”
“I-I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry that I lied to all of you.”
“What do you mean by that?” Asked Rainbow. “So you kept some crush a secret. It’s not really that big of a deal.”
“You’re wrong Rainbow,” said Twilight. “There were two reasons I never told you all, aside from Rarity, about my crush on Spike. The first was because I was afraid you all would think differently about me loving somedragon that was considered to be like a brother to me. I only told Rarity about this because I wasn’t sure about what to do, but even then I was still afraid of how you all would react.”
“And the second reason?” Asked Rarity.
“There are ponies out there who aren’t so happy with cross species marriages, in particular the Canterlot society shuns it. I’ve seen duchesses and business owners be shunned by them and are often turned away by shopkeepers because they are dating or are married to other species.”
Princess Celestia let out a sigh and shook her head. “I know that there’s still prejudice against interspecies marriage and it saddens me to see something like that,” she said. “I’ll deal with that matter later, but you need to know that this isn’t Canterlot. This is Ponyville and you’ve got friends who are always there for you when you need them the most. You have to have faith in them Twilight and keep your head up. Now why don’t you ask them about this and listen to them?”
Twilight took a moment to take it all in before giving a nod. She turned to Applejack and asked, “Well . . . are you okay with this?”
“To be honest Twi, I can’t be mad at ya,” she said. “Yer mah friend and I’ll support ya no matter what. Y’all can count on me to be there for you and Spike.”
Twilight smiled a little and turned her head. “What about you Rainbow?”
“It’s kind of weird actually to see you and Spike together. I mean I always thought he was like some adopted brother of yours. I’m not against it, it’s just kind of weird to see you two as a couple. I’ll get over it eventually, but I don’t have a problem with it for the most part. Besides, I never leave my friends hanging and I won’t leave you two in the dust.”
The lilac unicorn then turned to Rarity, who had a sad smile on her face. “Are you really sure you’re okay with this Rarity?” She asked. “I know Spike’s been trying his best to win you over and I’ve even seen you flirt with him from time to time. I just don’t want any regrets about this or anything.”
“I’m perfectly fine darling. I won’t stand in the way of true love and I already told Spike that’s a dear friend to me. I know one day that I’ll find my one true love, but I can wait for it.”
“Fluttershy?” Asked Twilight.
“I actually think it’s cute to see you two together,” she said in a chipper voice. “I’m happy that you both will share a nice romantic life together.”
“What about you Pinkie?” Asked Spike.
“Duh! Why wouldn’t I be happy for you two?” Wondered the pink mare. “When you get out of this hospital Twilight, I’m throwing you and Spike a Congratulations for Getting Together party.”
Twilight then turned to her brother and felt like a lead weight dropped into her stomach. “Shining Armor, I know this must be difficult to understand, but . . .”
The white stallion put a hoof up to silence his sister. He looked away and closed his eyes in concentration for a minute. He sighed and looked at Twilight, who was looking a little scared by his reaction.
“Twily, you’re my sister and I do have to agree with Rainbow about Spike being like your own brother,” he said. “You always treated him more or less like the little brother you never had and always set an example for him. I always saw Spike as family more or less and a little brother to me as well. It’s quite shocking to see somepo . . . um, somedragon I always considered family suddenly dating you. It’s not only strange to see something like that, but I’ve never heard of a pony falling in love with a dragon and vice versa.”
Twilight looked down and felt her heart sink.
“But regardless of this, I can’t really object to this. You two always seemed close to one another and always stuck by one another. You deserve to be happy with whoever you decide to be with Twilight and I won’t get in the way of your relationship with Spike. It’ll take some getting used to of seeing both of you as a couple, but I’m sure mom and dad won’t have any problems with it. Besides, after what Spike did to Garble I could see that he was really determined to protect you.”
Shining Armor went over to Twilight and embraced her. They broke off after a minute and Twilight said, “Thank you Shining Armor. You really are the best B.B.B.F.F. any sister could ever ask for.”
“Hey, I can’t just abandon you like that. You’re my little sister after all and I’ll always be there for you.”
Twilight smiled at this and turned to her mentor. “Well Princess Celestia, are you fine with this?”
“You’re my student Twilight and a brilliant one at that,” said the white alicorn. “I always knew there was a deep connection between you and Spike and I’m happy to see it’s blossom into a romantic relationship. I’m sure the two of you will have a happy life together for the rest of your lives. This isn’t even the first time somepony has had an interspecies relationship. I’ve seen ponies with griffons and donkeys and I have no problems with it. Why someponies actually think that many years ago, Discord and I had a relationship and that I broke him out so I could start something with him again.”
“Is . . . is that even true?” Asked Twilight.
Princess Celestia smiled. “It’s only a rumor Twilight, nothing more. What matters now is that you two are happy together and that you deserve to be with one another.”
Twilight looked at all her friends, who were nodding in unison, and smiled. “Thank you all. I don’t know what I would do without friends like you.” She turned to Spike and blushed a little.
“Go on ya two,” said Applejack. “Go ahead and give each other a kiss.”
Spike looked at Twilight and the two leaned in again to lock lips. They both leaned closer to each other with their friends looking on with glee on their faces, except for the Royal Guards who still had stoic expressions on them.
“Ahem!” A rather deep voice interrupted.
The group turned around to see a tan unicorn stallion with a tidy brown mane and rounded glasses on him. He was wearing a gray dress shirt underneath a white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around the collar, black slacks and shoes. He looked up at Princess Celestia and bowed before her.
“Forgive me if I’m interrupting anything your highness,” said the stallion. “I was checking on Miss Twilight and I see she’s finally awake. Since she’s out of her unconscious state, I’d like to do a few routine tests on her to ensure there’s no long term effects from the concussion. As such, I would need all occupants to please leave the room.”
“I understand your concern Dr. Stable,” said the white alicorn. “I think it’s best if we give Twilight some alone time anyway so she can rest from everything that’s happened.”
“But Princess Celestia, I didn’t even . . .” Twilight tried to say.
“It’s alright Twilight,” said Spike. “We’ll all be waiting for you to recover and come home.” The group nodded at this.
Twilight nodded back to them. “Well alright then. Just hold on for a little longer Spike, I’ll be back soon.”
“I know Twilight, I know you’ll never truly leave me by myself.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, making her blush a little.
The group made their way out of the room, with each of them saying farewell to Twilight. The lilac unicorn waved back at them, but when she saw Spike she winked at him and blew him a kiss. Spike couldn’t help but blush a little and went out the door and closed it. As Dr. Stable pulled out some examining tools, all Twilight could think of now was Spike and what he said to her. She sighed in content and thought about when she would be back in his arms again.