When Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all stepped out of the train, cheering in strangely coordinated excitement, their jubilance was rather blanched at the sight of the battle scars the princess and her little dragon bore like a bad joke.
"We got into a fight," they simultaneously answered the blank faces with crooked grins.
Apparently, that was enough for Pinkie Pie to bust out the Party Cannon to celebrate. As the pink mare sang, 'ponies can't be tight until they get into a fight,' which only briefly managed to get Applejack and Rainbow's approval before Rarity almost flipped out at the sight of the small chippings on Spike's scales and the way Twilight's mane was all muddled up like a pack of critters scampered through it.
Despite Twilight's repertoire of magical tricks, the most effective recovery spell at her disposal was only an induced healing rate spell, so the pony princess and Spike could only laugh helplessly as their friends fussed over them, trying to ascertain their condition as well as panic over how to fix up their appearance, which really couldn't happen soon enough with the royal party merely an hour away.
But it soon became moot when Princess Celestia showed up personally in quite the splendor, and mended the duo's injuries in spectacular fashion, leaving nary a trace of the scuffle they just had. Twilight and Spike smiled sheepishly when the white alicorn delivered a discreet wink as she worked her spell, a gesture they knew meant that the princess was somehow aware of events transpired. Satisfied with the results, the white alicorn then officially welcomed them all and led the party towards the royal garden.
The celebration went off without a hitch. Well, almost without a hitch, if one were wise enough to ignore the brief disruption caused by Pinkie's desire to test out her new Party Bazooka, which was startlingly effective according to later testimonies. Variegated assortments of food spreads and sitting cushions were expertly partitioned across the grassy garden grounds, for guests to sit freely and comfortably, as they awaited the hosts of this particular celebration, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The affair was moderate in the number of guests, as the garden could only hold so many creatures. The critters were present, but heavily monitored by some retainers lest they bothered some of the guests (Rarity) who were adverse to contact with wildlife. Fluttershy didn't mind, though, as it gave her a chance to get close to them and apologize for their previous, hazardous encounter at the Grand Galloping Gala. Spike supposed everything worked out, since the yellow mare came back with a big smile and several exotic birds perched upon her mane.
Another minor but lingering issue was that Rainbow and the others were highly curious and rather worried as to what circumstances could incite a tussle between Twilight and Spike of all ponies. The duo initially tried to wanly brush the topic off, both having agreed that it was to be a known entity only between themselves. That apparently wasn't good enough for Rarity, though, since when Twilight insisted that Spike sit next to her, the fashionista, who kept casting thinly veiled, suspicious glares at the alicorn, gracefully deposited the young dragon next to herself instead. Then, Twilight did the same thing, followed by a counter from Rarity again. In the end, Spike was the means of struggle of the magical tug of war between the two mares, only able to sigh longingly at the delicious looking bowl of fruits and gemstones as he was wobblingly suspended in midair. Thankfully, Applejack was able to resolve the conflict soon enough by squeezing the small drake between the two mares and telling them all to behave.
Just as the group of friends finally managed to achieve harmony, Princess Luna's booming voice came forth from above like a descending force of nature. Spike honestly thought it was more impressive than intimidating, but some of the nobilities whimpered otherwise. But then both princesses began delivering an oration full of words and formal speech patterns he couldn't quite follow, and from the looks of several other ponies around them, he wasn't alone in the crowd. But the gist of the elocution was clear, especially when he felt Twilight's wings around his shoulders. The Mid-Autumn Lunar Festival was a time for togetherness, even if it were ever so fleeting; family, of our own choices or otherwise, did not guarantee unity. Sometimes, family could only be together for only once in a full moon, and many other times, not even for years. But the bonds remained, tethering everypony even at great distances, and sometimes, even with the long departed. That was what they were celebrating, or more accurately, reminding everypony. That they were all connected, by something unseen but real, as they gazed at the one silver moon under the same night sky.
So Spike leaned his head against the mare who had been by his side since day one, and when she leaned her head against his, he knew she was smiling too. They nestled together like so, silently but clearly promising each other, that they will always see each other before the next full moon.
Don't grow up too fast. I don't want to miss out, even if I can't be there all the time.
Don't worry. I'll be there when I need you.
I'll hold you to that.
Pinkie Promise.
Princess Luna amusedly watched the lavender princess and the Bearers as they moved about the room, as they were having the Fun.
Twilight's own party was intentionally small and private, but it was nowhere near a quiet one, if any of her friends had a say about it. Pinkie Pie proved her mantle as top party pony once again when she decorated Twilight's royal suite nearly instantaneously with party paraphernalia by combining the usage of the Party Cannon and Party Bazooka in sheer incomprehensibly dexterous fashion that even Princess Luna felt compelled to applaud.
They chatted, they laughed, they danced, and Spike and Twilight even managed a competent duet. Then came the present, the one that Spike and the others all supposedly came up with together. A photograph album. An elegant but strikingly simple leather bound book, containing captured images of memories they've all shared since Twilight's initial arrival in Ponyville.
Twilight was delighted. Then, holding the gift between her hooves, she started crying. Shortly, so did the other girls. Spike did as well, but the young dragon vainly tried to act tough, which didn't last long before he was snatched into the pony group hug. Soon, they were all smiles again, with promises made that were certain to be kept.
Luna had been content to allow the ponies and the youngling their time together, but was then remarkably surprised when Spike came up to her with a ribbon bound gift. Within was an item the dark alicorn had not seen since time immemorial: an ornate folding fan, painted with the depiction of Equestria in the glory of the night and the majesty of the full moon. Attached to the fan was also a poem, clumsily but thoughtfully composed by the young dragon before her, and the alicorn found it endearing. But what succinctly caught the princess' attention was how she was addressed: To Princess Aunt Luna, she read aloud, and apparently it wasn't something entirely intentional, because soon the small dragon began frantically trying to appease her, as if it was an offense waiting to happen.
In response, Luna suddenly spun the fan in unexpected dexterity, manipulating the movements of the implement with tactile magical control as she twirled about. The ponies and dragon could only watch in awe as they realized they were witnessing a beautifully choreographed fan-dance by the Princess of the Night. The dark alicorn moved in ways that seemed more like shifting lights and shadows than physical movement, like a nightshade flitting through the foggy haze of dreams. All too soon for her captivated audience, the princess ended the performance with a set of fully extended wings and the unfolded fan positioned such that it obscured all but her eyes, an unseen, coy smile upon her lips when the young dragon applauded the loudest.
"Thank thee, young Spike," Luna said. "'Tis a most thoughtful boon we have ever received." She kissed the dragon on the head, and smiled widely upon receiving a blush and a bashful smile in return.
Twilight Sparkle turned the page with a smile. "Aw, this was when Spike first started exhibiting cognitive responses to his name. But every time we called him, he just babbled cutely back and then sucked on his tail."
"I'm sorry, Twilight! Is this because I bit you!? Are you still holding a grudge!?"
It was a scenario that caught Spike completely unaware. After fully appreciating her gift, Twilight was inspired and surprised everypony by pulling out several sets of albums of her own, all of them far predating their initial arrival in Ponyville. In other words, baby pictures. More baby than he already was, anyway. Which was embarrassing.
"Hey, what's going on with this one?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing at a particular page while snickering.
Twilight looked on with delight and giggled. "I remember about this. This was around the time when Spike learned to crawl. He explored absolutely everywhere, and even made his way into a mud puddle. He eventually had so much mud and grime caked on him that he actually got stuck to one of the bushes in the garden and couldn't move. We only found him because he started crying so loudly. I think one of the guards managed to snap the picture before we could throw him into a tub."
Spike valiantly attempted to curl himself into a defensive ball of fluster. "Twilight, please! I can feel it! My dignity! It's slipping through my claws and there's nothing I can do to stahp it~!"
"Oh my goodness!" Rarity gushed. "This one is so cute~! So many pink laces!"
"Oh, that's a memorable one," Twilight said, brimming with warm nostalgia. "That was when he was around four years old. He kept following me and Celestia wherever we went, it was so adorable. As a joke, we told him that he couldn't attend a filly tea party because he was a boy, and before we could stop him, he actually managed to find a dress from somewhere that fit him and cried, 'I'm a pretty little girl, too! Please let me drink tea!' I don't think I've ever seen Cadence laugh so hard."
Rarity kept squealing and cooing in a jumble of nearly incomprehensible noises.
Fluttershy did too, but much more quietly, out of consideration for her friends.
Luna produced a miniature typhoon.
Spike tried really hard to meld himself with the corner of the room, an attempt cut short when he felt somepony prodding him with a hoof.
"Don't worry, Spike!" Pinkie said with a wink. "Auntie Pinkie Pie will get you out of this jam!"
Spike stared gratefully at the pink mare who must have hailed from the heavens, until he realized that the party pony's idea of diverting attention away from the photographs of his embarrassing hatchling days was by introducing embarrassing contemporary ones instead.
"Look, everypony!" Pinkie cried, holding up the aforementioned photo for all to see. "Why look at baby pictures when you can—actually, even I don't know what the photo's about! Hmm... Oh, hey! Spike, why were you smelling your stinky feet?"
Spike jumped and tried to swipe the photo away. "Uh, I wasn't s-sniffing my feet! Th-that's just weird!"
"Yeah, you were, silly," Pinkie said, deftly avoiding the snatching attempts and showed the photo to the drake. "See? You even got a tippy toe stuck all the way up your nose!"
Spike rubbed his claws together. "I, uh, that's just—R-Rarity! It's just a misunderstanding! I don't smell my stinky feet! Honest!"
Rarity tittered and looked away. "Oh, it's all right, darling. We all have our...eccentricities. Just, try not to... overdo it. Please?"
"No, I only d-did it once! On my day off! I just did what the checklist told me! Tell them, Alfred!"
A primly dressed unicorn stallion with a well groomed amber coat, fashionable mustache, and donning a gold-trimmed monocle folded a foreleg across his chest. "Master Spike wishes to inform the madams that he has only dabbled in the olfactory appreciation of the odious fragrance of his hindquarters on a singular, isolated incidence. More chou à la crème, your eminences, madams?"
"Don't mind if I do!" Applejack said, and messily gobbled up the delicate treats from the plate held aloft by Alfred's magic. "Whoo-wee! Ah gotta admit, them frou-frou desserts are a might better than Ah reckoned!"
"Thank thee kindly," Luna said, taking a final sip of her tea as she rose from the cushions. "But we believe it to be time for us to resume our duties." She turned to Twilight and the others. "'Tis night has been exemplary, honored guests. Please, remain and continue. The night is young yet, after all." She then smiled at Spike. "Thou were a most adorable filly, young Spike," she finished with a wink before departing the room.
Spike bemoaned his situation, smacking his face in his claws as he slouched. "Great. Princess Luna thinks of me as a pretty little filly. How can this get any—"
A sudden whistle snapped the young dragon instantly out of his funk as well as straightened his spine. It was a familiar pitch that commanded obedience, a tone that was conditioned into the young dragon during his whelp days at the castle.
"No slouching, Master Spike," Alfred scolded with the voice of a true disciplinarian. "A ruined posture will take eons to repair." He poked Spike in several places in the back, correcting the small deviations. "And have you kept up with your exercises in calligraphy? Nothing kills finesse quicker than a lack of diligence."
Spike groaned internally. It had been awhile since he stayed over in the castle, long enough that he actually forgot about Alfred Pennyhoof and his somewhat pestering teacher mode. The old stallion was one of the most respected stewards in the castle, holding great sway over the daily operations by the royal staff, though he rarely seemed to actively utilize his authority, unless it was involved in 'all work and no play' for a certain baby dragon. The pony was stern and persistent in his lessons, and Spike used to hold a mild dislike for him. But, the old stallion was sincere and treated Spike as he did with everypony else, and always seemed to wish the best for the young dragon. For that, Spike felt a certain undying gratitude.
Upon seeing the small dragon's chastised state, Rainbow couldn't help but laugh as she hovered around.
"Young lady," Alfred snapped, a sharp tone causing the pegasus' jeering laughter to falter. "It is the height of impropriety to mock the misfortunes of another." With a glow of his horn, the stallion snatched the mare out of the air and plopped her down on the cushions.
"H-hey!" Rainbow protested when she felt her back being pulled taut by magic.
Alfred stared authoritatively. "Not so simple, is it? Now, you are to maintain this posture for the five minutes until the spell runs its course. Walk a mile in another's horseshoes and all that. Is that understood?"
Rainbow struggled. "C'mon, you can't just—"
Alfred's stare upped another level, entering the same tier as Fluttershy's The Stare. "Is that understood, young lady?"
Rainbow 'meeped'. "...yes, sir."
Twilight and the others sat up straighter on instinct as they watched the event unfold. Spike tried to hold in his snicker to no avail.
Alfred stared for another length before nodding. "Now, I have other duties to attend to. I trust your highness can manage without assistance in the meantime?"
"Y-yes," Twilight squeaked before properly clearing her throat. "Um, yes, thank you very much, Sir Pennyhoof."
Alfred bowed and began making his way out the door, causing Spike to cease his snickering and snap back to attention. The dragon blinked when Alfred leaned down to whisper almost conspiratorially, "As I recall, Master Spike, there are perhaps a few forgotten items of old in the nursery, yes? I believe her majesty Princess Twilight may have a few...interesting memories to be shared."
Spike blinked. That's right. If he remembered correctly, there were several sensitive materials stashed away somewhere in the old nursery where he stayed as a hatchling. It had since been used primarily as a storage room since he started tagging along behind Twilight constantly, and many things had been kept there since, of which included a couple photo albums that featured some of Twilight's less than spectacular moments, just like his. Spike rubbed his claws together and cackled evil-ishly.
Alfred nodded. "Very good, Master Spike. However, I would suggest a tad more hissing, to enhance the effect."
Spike rubbed his claws together and cackled evilly.
Alfred turned his head, hiding the unbidden, fond smile, as he left through the open door. Deciding that sweet vengeance couldn't come soon enough, Spike jogged out into the hallway as well.
Twilight blinked. "Wait, Spike! Where are you going?" she called out, but the young dragon didn't return.
"Oh no," Fluttershy gasped softly, as she tried to help the struggling Rainbow not to topple over. "Do you think we hurt Spike's feelings? I'd feel terrible if that were true. Maybe we should go apologize?"
"Nah," Applejack said. "The lil' fella's fine. Boys are like that. He knows we were just playin' round'. But honestly, he really was one adorable sugarcube. How can a mare resist?"
Twilight rubbed her chin. "I don't know...I think he's up to something."
"I have to say I agree with Applejack," Rarity, who had picked up the album once she deemed it safe, said not without a small amount of relish. "Some of these are simply irresistible! You have my sincerest thanks, Twilight, darling, for bringing my Spikey-Wikey into this world so that this absolutely cutesy wootsy photo collection may exist. OooOoo!"
Suddenly, like the turn of a page, Twilight's smile vanished and she gained a thousand yard stare, towards somewhere past her friends, out the room, and further beyond.
The nigh instantaneous drop in the lavender mare's expression alerted her friends, all of them reactively worried.
"Ya okay there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked after a tense moment, prodding the pony lightly on the shoulder.
Twilight snapped her attention back to the group before her like a whip, and the farm pony almost recoiled forcefully enough to send her hat flying off. "Whoa Nelly! Twilight, ya almost scared the Cutie Mark off of meh!"
"Darling, please," Rarity said, "what is the matter? You're beginning to worry us."
Twilight stared at her friends thoughtfully for another few moments before she turned her gaze towards the door and her horn suddenly shone with the characteristic violet magical energy. Moments later, the door, the windows, the ceiling, all the corners were glossed with a shimmering magenta, and indeed the entire room became a virtual magical prism sequestering the six ponies from the world outside the room.
Satisfied with the turnout, Twilight returned her attention back to her bewildered friends and spoke before any of them could react, "I want to tell all of you something, and I didn't want to run the risk of the walls having ears."
The other five mares all blinked. Fluttershy gasped softly with a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, is this going to be a secret that could have us put in a dungeon then banished to the moon?"
Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked inexplicably excited.
Twilight giggled, waving a hoof. "No, nothing so theatrical, Fluttershy. Don't worry, it's nothing like that. I actually think it's less of a secret and more of a technicality that needs to be cleared up. But, it involves Princess Celestia and Spike, so I wanted to make sure no unaffiliated ponies overhear anything important."
Rarity now looked more cautiously curious than enthusiastic. "Twilight, if this is some sort of royal business, maybe it's best if you kept it to yourself. Not that I'm not honored by your trust in us, and goodness, if this involves Spike as well, I'm simply dying to listen. But perhaps the less ponies in the know, the safer it would be?"
Applejack nodded. "Rarity's right, Twi. Ah don' know much bout' them royal hush-hush nonsense, but it might be a tad more careful-like if ya kept quiet. We wouldn't hold it against ya."
"Aw, c'mon guys," Rainbow groused, lying on her side in impeccable posture while trying to drink from straight from the cider jug without spilling everything. "Twilight's about to include us in something probably awesome! Live a little dangerously!"
Pinkie Pie hopped around. "Ooo, ooo! Like a Secret Pony Society party!"
Fluttershy tried hiding behind Rarity. "D-dangerous?"
"No, no, nothing like that, I promise," Twilight said in hopes of placating and reassuring her friends. "Besides, I actually have explicit permission from the princess to tell you girls. We're all part of the Elements, after all. And above all, you're all my friends, so I want you to know. Just hear me out first, okay?"
After a quick, silent deliberation between the other five mares, Applejack nodded to signal the go-ahead.
Twilight smiled, then pursed her lips in thought. "Okay, so...technically, I didn't hatch Spike, Princess Celestia did. All I really did was crack the shell."
Everypony else blinked rapidly.
"Wait, wait a second," Rainbow said, hovering, the shock somehow wearing off the spell. "But wasn't that how you got your Cutie Mark? Did you lie about that story?"
"Rainbow Dash," Rarity chided, "please let Twilight speak without interruptions." Still, she looked just as affected by the statement as the others, if not more, given that she was holding a hoof to her temple.
Twilight gave a quick nod towards Rarity in thanks before continuing, "Let me try to help all of you understand what I'm trying to explain. First, how much do you girls know about dragons?"
Applejack shrugged. "Well, other than that they're big, scaly, taken a shine to bits and jewels, and breathe em' fire an' smoke, not much else. You, Rarity, and RD were the ones who tagged along with Spike and the dragon migration—"
The farm pony was interrupted when her own hat was pulled down over her eyes. "What the hay!?" Applejack cried and instinctively swatted at the offender, who was quick enough to avoid the strike.
"Ssshh!" Rainbow hissed. "AJ, I told you not to mention that again!"
But it was already too late, for Pinkie Pie was huddled in the far corner of the room, sulking splendidly with a gloomy aura emission and small patches of dark rain clouds hovering over her head. Fortunately, her mane remained bright pink and poofy. Still, the pink mare sadly said, "No Pinkie Pie at a dragon party..."
Rainbow Dash face-hoofed and groaned. "Pinkie, for the last time, we didn't go to have a party with the dragon migration. We were following Spike on his quest to make sure he didn't get torn to pieces by meaner and bigger dragons."
"I could've helped," Pinkie said with a giant pout, puffed cheeks and all.
Rainbow sighed. "Look, the next time we try to sneak into a super giant lair filled with pony-eating, fire-breathing dragons in a lame-butt disguise—"
"Well, I never!"
"—you'll be the first pony I call on, okay?"
Pinkie leveled a slow, critical glare at the pegasus. "You promise?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes and waved a hoof. "Yeah, sure."
The pink mare's eyes narrowed further. "Pinkie Promise."
Rainbow sighed and went through the motions. "There, you happy?"
Pinkie scrutinized the other mare for a few more moments before her face sprung into a big smile. "Yeppers!" She then proceeded to constrict the other mare in a cavity crushing hug. "Huggles!" she cheered, ignoring the choking protests.
Giving the side event a dry smile, Rarity signaled for Twilight to continue.
"Where was I?" Twilight said. "Oh, right. So you're obviously aware of the common knowledge regarding dragon characteristics, but did you know that their scales are actually resistant to magic spells?"
Rarity tilted her head. "But don't you and Spike always practice spell-casting together?"
Twilight nodded. "That's what made me suspicious in the first place. Remember when Spike was going through his initiation with that group of teenage dragons? Well, I was afraid Spike would be flattened by those other dragons, and so out of caution, I discreetly tested a couple alteration spells to see if I could give him some type of advantage. It turned out that I couldn't shrink the dragons' tails, not like I could do to Spike with Spell Number Thirty-four."
Applejack blinked. "Why would ya ever need to shrink lil' ol' Spike?"
Twilight paused for a moment. "Just in case he ever got big and out of control, again."
Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to reconsider as she settled back down.
Twilight noticed, and gave a reassuring smile, which Rarity tentatively returned. "So I realized dragons have certain natural defenses against magic, but as you just pointed out, Spike is actually quite susceptible to spells. At first, I attributed it to the fact that Spike's scales have yet to reach maturity, but then we witnessed his scales' durability against even the extreme heat of molten lava, which indicated that maybe his vulnerability to magic is caused by something else, something that's deeply rooted since early on. That's when I finally made a connection: Spike's fire breath. It's green."
Rainbow, who finally pried Pinkie off, looked unimpressed. "So what? What makes green fire so special? And we saw the other dragons spit out different colored fires, too."
Twilight stared. "You mean you never noticed? It's a very interesting shade of green. With traces of gold."
Rainbow blinked, as did the others.
"Not only that, Spike's fire breath can achieve feats of material teleportation straight to the princess. It's magical fire breath, but it's basically involuntary, not a spell. If it were a spell, you know I would have done everything in my power to learn it. I mean, a direct line to the princess? Do you know how many books I'd be willing to vandalize to get such an ability? I mean, not many, but still."
The others nodded solemnly.
Twilight crossed her forelegs. "I started coming up with a lot of theories, but they were all too difficult to verify without information from the source. After we finally got back to Ponyville from the dragon migration, well, let's just say Spike wasn't the only one who sent the princess a letter. Several days after, I got a personal summoning to the castle, with the specifics of going alone. I was escorted to Celestia's private chambers shortly upon arrival. There, she used the exact same spell I cast on the room, and allowed me to ask anything I wanted. Of course, with the unsaid stipulation that not every question was going to be answered."
"And that's when you discovered the truth?" Rarity asked, eyes wide with rapt attention.
"Amongst other things," Twilight said with a nod. "I found out that because ponykind didn't know anything about dragons beyond the painfully obvious, Princess Celestia decided to try and establish connections with them, to foster mutual understanding and maybe even a working relationship. She didn't mention any details, but I'm guessing the attempts failed, most likely due to the clashing natures between ponies and dragons. What did come out of it, though..."
"Spike's egg?" Applejack said, almost in a whisper.
"Yes," Twilight confirmed. "But here's the important part: Spike's egg wasn't a freshly laid one. There's no way a dragon would've allowed somepony to make off with a dragon egg without some nasty confrontations. Celestia was able to because, apparently, Spike's egg had been lying dormant for over a century. It was essentially suspended in biological stagnation."
Rarity cleared her throat primly. Then she screamed, "What!?"
Applejack pointed to the white mare. "What she said."
Fluttershy, who was quiet up to this point, couldn't contain her curiosity anymore. "But then how...?"
Twilight's eyes shone with a victorious glint, and simply said, "Princess Celestia instilled life."
There were a lot of gaping jaws.
"Princess Celestia can do that?" Rarity uttered in awe. "I mean, I knew she was powerful, but being able to accomplish such a feat..."
Twilight raised a hoof. "Now, don't go thinking the princess can just go around bringing things back to life. It's not like that. You see, while Spike's egg was, for whatever reason, neglected by its parents for so long, the embryo that was Spike didn't actually die. It just entered a sort of biological suspension that could've lasted even longer than it already did. It's a true testament to just how strong dragons as a species actually are."
Twilight allowed a moment of silence to let the words sink in before continuing, "But that didn't mean the hatching process was easy. Without an actual dragon to rely on, Princess Celestia had to lean on centuries of magical expertise and her knowledge of the workings of phoenix eggs. From what I understand, she basically had to provide a nearly constant, controlled stream of magical energy as well as heat for Spike's egg. It wasn't something that could be done with just a singular advanced spell. The hatching process is slow and delicate, and it can't be rushed without running risks of damaging the egg itself. And according to Princess Celestia herself, she spent over an entire year slowly and carefully infusing Spike's egg with her own magic."
"Gold-green fire! Green-gold fire!" Pinkie exclaimed, hopping.
Twilight nodded. "Precisely. Spike can teleport materials to the princess because, for all intents and purposes, he's imbued with her magical energy. When he incinerates something with his fire breath, somehow the released magical energy carries whatever it disintegrated and reforms it when it reaches the original source, Princess Celestia herself."
Applejack coughed because her mouth was beginning to get too dry.
"It's also the reason why I can practice my spells with Spike so well," Twilight spoke again, after passing Applejack a glass of juice. "He's basically a potent reserve of magical energy, even if he can't use it by will. The way he was hatched made him some sort of conductor for magic in general, and that's why he's so responsive to everything magical-wise."
The unicorn gave her friends a meaningful stare. "Now, do you all understand what I mean when I said I didn't hatch Spike?" She exhaled and took a gulp of her own drink.
The five other mares all nodded, but otherwise remained silent.
Twilight surveyed her friends' expression quietly and felt the need to say, "Of course, this doesn't really change anything between us, um, I hope. It's just that I trust all of you, so I wanted you to know that I'm not Spike's mother or something..." She pawed at the edge of the cushion she laid upon.
"Because his mother is Princess Celestia!" Fluttershy screamed, before quickly covering her mouth with her hooves and blushing.
Rarity's eyes were wide and unfocused.
A tense and contemplative silence ensued, but then...
"Wait! Hold up!" Rainbow Dash cried, now hovering above the other mares with a look of astonishment and an accusatorily pointing hoof towards Twilight. "Are you telling us that you're not a MILF!?"
Twilight gaped. "A WHAT?"
"Rainbow!" Applejack reprimanded, but then she bit her lip and gave Twilight a shady, sheepish grin. "So, ain't ya?"
"Of course, she is!" Pinkie interjected with a wide grin. "She's a Mare I'd Like to—"
"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity shouted, albeit with a smile. "Language! We are guests of the royal castle. Please, remember to act the part. Even if I now owe Fluttershy ten bits for the wager."
At Rarity's mirthful glance, Fluttershy giggled slightly. "Oh, yes. I always knew you weren't the type to go around hatching eggs, Twilight."
Twilight blinked in realization and started to laugh; a giddy and lighthearted one that was soon joined by the others. "Thanks, girls," she said.
Applejack scratched her head. "Still, Ah can't believe Ah've known y'all for so long and never once did suspect there'd be so much Ah don't know bout' the lil' fella. Ya'd reckon he'd have brought it up at one point or some other." The cowpony blinked. "Spike knows bout' all this, right?"
Twilight sighed. "Nnope." The other five gasped.
"Why not?" Rainbow said, a little angrily. "Spike even went on that who-am-I quest and you're keeping secrets from him? He deserves to know the truth!"
"I have to agree, darling," Rarity chimed. "Spike-Wikey shouldn't be kept in the dark regarding his own life." Her eyes widened. "Is it because you're forbidden to speak of it? Is that why you cast that spell on the room?"
Twilight took a moment to consider her words. "Actually, I've been given implicit permission from Celestia to tell Spike, if I want to."
Confused glances were shared. "Then why didn't you tell Spike?" Fluttershy asked.
Twilight stared past her friends, at the same direction she did at the beginning of the entire conversation. "Because I want Princess Celestia to tell Spike personally." She looked at her friends in the eyes. "Wouldn't you want to hear about the circumstances of your birth directly from the one who raised you? And not just randomly from some other pony?"
"But yer not just some other pony," Applejack said. "Yer Twilight. Spike's family and oldest friend. Ah think he'd be fine hearin' it from you."
"I know," Twilight said with a small smile. "But the way Princess Celestia hinted at me back then...I think she wanted me to tell Spike in her place because, well, because she's worried about something. And I think... I think I know what it is now, but I still feel like she was making a mistake, that she was avoiding an issue that shouldn't be dodged. I guess I still want her to be the one to reveal the truth. I was already sort of upset she was willing to confide in me but not Spike himself. I mean, I spent weeks after agonizing over just what to do about the information. But, I don't think she's budging on this."
Rainbow scratched her mane. "Why'd you tell us then?"
"Well, I was kind of hoping if I told you girls, then maybe somepony would come up with a brilliant idea on how to convince Princess Celestia otherwise?" Twilight gave her friends an expectant smile.
"Other than goin' up to her and tellin' her to git a move on with her silly flank and tell Spike? Mighty sorry, but Ah ain't got no light bulb for ya, sugarcube," Applejack said.
Twilight looked slightly annoyed. "I understand your feelings, Applejack, but that's no reason to be disrespectful to the princess. I'm sure she has good reasons."
Applejack returned the look. "There ain't no reason good enough in mah book. Y'all remember how Spike was torn up bout' not knowing where he did come from. Well, now here's a piece of that an' nopony's doin' nothin' bout' it!" She looked away. "Some of us would do awful lot to see our folks."
Twilight was ready to retort, but immediately deflated. "You're...you're right, Applejack. It's just that I'm not sure how to go about telling Spike myself, and, well, there're actually a lot of questions I'm still trying to figure out..."
Pinkie jumped up. "That's easy peasy! Just say, 'Hi, Spike! Did you know that even though I told you that I hatched you during my super special test but that's really not everything and that what really happened was that Princess Celestia gave lots of magic and love to you as an egg and is actually your mommy!'"
"There!" Twilight almost shouted with sharp pointing hoof at the pink mare. "Right there, exactly. That's one of my questions."
The other five mares looked about each other for a moment, until Rarity voiced their confusion, "What question, uh, exactly?"
"Spike's egg," Twilight said with a thoughtful frown. "Why was it part of my entrance exams?"
Again, the other five mares shared collective inquisitive glances. This time, though, Rainbow was the one who spoke up, "Uh, isn't that how the test works? I always thought that's how things rolled here, that they'd just toss a dragon egg at you and see what happens. Kinda like how back in Cloudsdale's flight school they'd pit you up against a small thunder cloud and see how you handled something unexpected."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, but they use phoenix eggs, not dragon ones. Remember what I said before about the hatching process? Well, due to Princess Celestia's role as the Sun Goddess and through Philomena, certain pony circles have connections with phoenix flocks, which are much more amiable than dragons. They've evidently made certain agreements in exchange for limited access to mostly unfertilized phoenix eggs for various uses, one of which is the testing of magical abilities in young unicorns. But using a dragon egg? That's virtually unheard of. In fact, Spike's egg is the only one ever known to be brought into Canterlot, let alone become part of a filly's school enrollment test."
At this, the other ponies all began blinking in dawning realization.
"Not only that," Twilight continued, "but from what I could discern, on the day of my exam, Princess Celestia was actually on the verge of completing the hatching process properly on her own. So why would they suddenly decide to swap out a phoenix egg with a precious dragon egg that had been under the princess' care for over a year? When I asked, the princess said there was some sort of administrative mistake, but that just doesn't make any sense no matter how many times I think about it."
After a stretched silence between the six mares, Fluttershy finally loudly uttered, "Huh." She then blushed at the attention she incited and shrunk back slightly.
Rarity smiled and patted the yellow mare amicably. "I have to admit, I didn't realize there were so many underlying questions. Just what are the implications?"
"Maybe it's some kind of conspiracy," Rainbow suggested, offhoofedly.
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Not this again, RD..."
"What?" Rainbow spat back defensively. "You can't tell me you just heard all of that and not think there wasn't something fishy going on."
"Ooo," Pinkie interjected before Applejack could refute. "Maybe it's a plan to get all the different kinds of eggs in Equestria and then from the whole world and then hatch them all and then squish them all together with magic and raise some sort of unstoppable chimera army of destruction!"
Fluttershy covered her eyes. "Eeep!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you even know about chimeras, Pinkie."
Pinkie wore a mustache and cackled sinisterly.
"Right," Twilight said and looked to the others. "In any case, I've tried digging, and the testimonies I got seemed to confirm what Princess Celestia told me, that it was some sort of administrative error that resulted in swapping a purple egg with the traditionally red phoenix egg. Color me suspicious—"
"Purple!" Pinkie threw in.
Twilight blinked. "Uh, yes." She sighed. "Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this. I guess we should all just be thankful everything ended up all right in the end. I mean, thinking back on it, if Spike's egg wasn't already so close to being properly hatched, my sudden surge of raw magical energy could have blown him up instead of just giving the final needed push in cracking the shell."
Rainbow blinked and laughed. "Yeah, you're right. We would've had to call him Scrambled instead of Spike if that happened."
Rarity gained an empty stare before shooting up to her hooves. "The. Worst. Possible. Thing."
Applejack laughed a little. "Can't say Ah disagree with ya there, Rarity."
Rarity affixed her dilated pupils on the farm pony. "The. Worst. Possible. Thing."
Applejack blinked and leaned away. "Er, yeah, that's what Ah just said."
The white unicorn continued to stare, but now with an assertive upturn of her lower lip as she practically screamed 'agree or face fabulosity' through expression alone.
The cowpony sighed and weakly said, "The worst possible thing."
Rarity nodded and sat back down with a heated, victorious huff.
After a brief silence, punctuated only by occasional squeaks from shifting postures, Twilight asked, "So, now that that's cleared up, what do you girls think we should do? About Spike's, well, heritage?"
Applejack shrugged. "Y'all know how Ah feel bout' it. What bout' you, Dash?"
"I think keeping stuff from the little guy is pretty lame, but, I'm cool with whatever you guys decide," Rainbow replied. "Pinkie Pie?"
Pinkie twirled her facial decoration. "Mustache buddies stick together!"
"Well," Rarity started, voice tinged with a certain sort of conviction, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Applejack, once again. While Spike might be content with his life amongst ponykind, I believe he deserves to know the circumstances surrounding his beginnings, no? Don't you agree, Fluttershy?"
"Um, well," Fluttershy said. "As long as Spike won't be hurt and the princess won't banish us to the moon, I think we should tell him."
Twilight took a deep breath. "I guess that decides it, then." With a quick spark of the horn, the spell coating the room dispelled. "If you don't mind, I'm going to do it now, when I still have the nerve. Huh. I just noticed, but, Spike didn't come back the whole time we were talking. Wonder where he went?"
Rarity was the first out the door. "Let's find out, shall we?"
Pinkie cart-wheeled past quickly. "Leave it to me! My Pinkie Sense and tingling mustache will lead us straight to him!"