//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: Halcyon Hearts 
// by TheMyth 
//------------------------------//

	Just about everypony in class had a hard time sitting through Miss Cheerilee’s classes in the best of times, but in the recent weeks the ring between the first bell and the dismissal was becoming unbearable. After all, there was a perfectly good talent show to get ready for and here they sat, listening to Cheerilee go over the Griffin Wars from nearly 400 years ago. Scootaloo didn’t see the need for it. There had not been a real war on Equestrian soil in nearly 200 years. Any that tried got dismissed like the changelings.

“And so, the next battle took place it what is now the Appleloosian planes,” Cheerilee droned on. “The griffon forces were hoping that they could sneak their forces and supplies across the deserts undetected. They ended up overestimating their own abilities. The desert was a hotter climate than they were used to, and the buffalo tribes were even less welcome of outsiders than they are now. The expedition was caught on the borders and defeated quite easily. Because General Stonebeak put all his resources into the plan, it marked the beginning of the end for the griffon forces.”

Spike groaned as another paper ball hit the back of his head. After the incident with Zecora, and realizing that Pinkie hadn’t known what a griffon was, his mother had pushed for better history education in Ponyville. That meant more work for the foals, and the ones that cared to took it out on him. He had a sneaking suspicion that Diamond Tiara’s prank from that morning had been partly in retaliation.

There were the occasional pencil scratches as the half that cared enough took notes. Scootaloo was planning on simply getting it from Spike or Sweetie later, so she didn’t bother.

She looked to the side, where Light was scribbling his own notes. She had tried copying his the other day, and found that he had copied literally everything the teacher had said, including the sneeze she gave off when she had gotten chalk dust on her muzzle. When they had tried explaining to him he didn’t need to be that articulate, he said he wanted to make sure he got everything. He didn’t want to mess up.

Honestly, he seemed genuinely afraid of Cheerilee sometimes.

Scootaloo shook her head and turned back to her teacher. Light seemed pretty jumpy about a lot of things. Then again, he had been a prisoner of Bloodwing. Only she could know just how horrifying that was.

“So class, who here can tell me what year the Peace Treaty was signed?” Cheerilee asked her class, but no pony raised their hooves in the class. Not even Spike, as he was just sitting there with a plain look on his face.

Cheerilee sighed and placed a hoof to her temple. “Alright...” she said as she looked around the classroom. “Light?”

Light jumped in his seat slightly with wide eyes looking straight at Cheerilee. “Yes, Ma’am?!”

Cheerilee blinked before shaking her head slightly. “Light, could you please tell us what year the treaty was signed in?”

Light looked to his notes desperately and looked at each one fast. His friends all looked at him with concern, Scootaloo especially. They turned to each other before hearing Light’s voice speak up.

“1560 Equees.”

Cheerilee smiled softly. “I’m sorry Light, but it was 157-”

“No no please! I’m sorry I got it wrong!” Light yelled out and covered his face. He could hear the snickering of Diamond Tiara, but he felt a gentle hoof on his shoulder and saw Scootaloo looking at him.

“Light, it’s ok...”

Cheerilee stood there looking at the white pegasus with concern in her eyes. She bit her lower lip lightly as she looked onto Light. She looked up the watch above and sighed in relief. “Class, recess.”

The foals all departed from their desks, though five of the foals went to Light’s desk before he could march on outside. 

“Light, what’s going on?” Scootaloo demanded.

He blinked. “What do you mean?” he asked nervously.

“I mean you got a question wrong and you freaked out,” Scootaloo said through gritted teeth, hating having to repeat herself. “What’s going on?”

“It’s... it’s nothing.”

“It ain’t nothin’, Light. Tell us what’s wrong!”

“That’s enough,” Miss Cheerilee spoke up, coming over to the group. “the five of you go out. I’ll have a word with Light.”

“But Miss Cheerilee...” Scootaloo began.

“Out!” she said firmly. “You can talk to him later, I’ll talk to him now.”

Scowling, Scootaloo walked out of the schoolhouse, with the others following behind her, shooting worried looks at him.”

Sighing, Cheerilee turned back to Light. “Sweetie... is everything alright?”

“Y-yeah... everything’s fine.”

Cheerilee sat next to Light and looked at him. “Light, lying is not a nice thing to do,”

Light moved away from Cheerilee fast. “I’m sorry Ma’am! I-” he fell out of his desk and landed hard on the floor beneath him. Light groaned as he was rubbing the back of his head, with Cheerilee helping him up from the ground.

“Are you alright, Light?” she asked him as she dusted him off, her eyes never leaving his. For a second, she thought she saw fear there.

Light nodded and shaked his wings to rid of the dust he collected from his fall. “I’m alright, Miss Cheerilee... can I go out to play now?” 

“Yes, of course.” 

With that, Light dashed out of the classroom. Cheerilee stood there and sighed as she shook her head, looking somberly at the exit. She walked back to her desk and sat on the chair behind it. Cheerilee observed some notes from previous lessons, all in an attempt to help ease her mind. It didn’t work.

That poor colt...

Cheerilee looked to the window on her side and saw the foals playing and enjoying their recess. She also saw Light playing with his friends on the swings. Cheerilee couldn’t help but smile, seeing how happy he was out there compared to in here. She also saw how his friends were able to cheer him up the moment he was tensed or upset. Cheerilee shook her head and chuckled softly, looking to a picture of herself and her friends when they were foals back in school.



Blaze was tired. Of course, that was to be expected, he was undergoing military training on top of the half a day he had put in at Twilight’s library. Still, when he heard the term koala being used, he hadn’t quite expected this. Being forced to climb flank first up a pole was an unpleasant experience, as was being forced to stay perfectly still.

“Alright, koala, predator’s gone. You can come down now.”

Blaze let go of the pole, falling to the ground and hoping he didn’t break his neck.He crashed into the pillow that was left for him.

“Good job, koala,” Spitfire noted. “Rest up, you’ve earned it.”

Blaze didn’t give the mandatory “Ma’am, yes Ma’am,” he was far too tired to do so. Luckily, she seemed forgiving today, and simply walked off to the next recruit.

He stared into the sky for a good few minutes, trying to let his racing heart catch up and his sore muscles to stop burning. It wasn’t until something blocked his vision that he responded to anything.

“Well, looks like they’re working you hard.”

“...Twilight?” he said between breaths. “Wh... what are you doing here?”

“Checking up on a prisoner,” she said sweetly, levitating a water bottle to him. “Here, I figured you could use this.”

The stallion greedily took the bottle and downed the liquid. After a minute of chugging, he finally removed the brim from his lips and breathed heavily. “Thanks... I feel better.”

He sat up, and Twilight sat next to him. “How’s training going?” she asked.

“Aside from the fact that Spitfire’s out to get me? Not bad,” he muttered sarcastically.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not that bad...”

“She’s running me twice as hard as anypony else,” he argued.

“You think’s that might be because you’re only here half a day?”

“...Touché,” he agreed.

Twilight giggled and motioned her head to the door. “Come along then, need to get some ‘information’, you,” she told him as she looked him in the eye.

Blaze shook his head as he took a towel wiped the sweat from his forehead and made his way to Twilight. “Lead the way, parole pony.”

Twilight and Blaze walked out of the door, closing it after they left. Rainbow hovered down from her workout and looked on to where the two ponies left. She furrowed her brow slightly, being concerned as to why Twilight was here in the first place. First her dad comes in and trains her and the other future Wonderbolts, now Twilight comes in to check up on the convict. 

“Hey rookie, something wrong?”

Rainbow jumped and turned sharply to the voice calling to her and immediately saluted to Spitfire. “No, Ma’am!” she said loudly and didn’t look her in the eye.

Spitfire looked over to the door and smirked lightly. “You don’t need to worry yourself about that pony. Your friend is strong enough to take care of him if he goes rogue...”

“I dunno about that...” Rainbow whispered as her eyes gazed at the door again.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing, Ma’am!”

Spitfire nodded and pointed to where Spectrum was now busy instructing ponies in a wing power obstacle course. “Rookie, why don’t you go and run that course again and show those slackers how it’s done!?”

Rainbow saluted and began to walk to the course, until she felt a hoof on her shoulder and stopped to see it was Spitfire’s hoof. “Ma’am?” she asked her as she arched her eyebrow slightly.

“How are things between you and him?”

Rainbow blinked. “Oh, things are...” she looked to where her dad was hovering over to a group of colts, giving them instructions and sending them off. “Ok, I guess...”

“Rainbow,” Spitfire spoke in a calm tone, taking off her glasses and looking at the cyan pony with half-hooded eyes. “After today, can I see you in the office? We still need to chat about some things...”

Rainbow gulped as she looked downwards. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Unseen by anypony else, Twilight and Blaze ducked into the living areas for the recruits staying at the base. They sat in the living area, vacant thanks to all the recruits out in training, and simply looked at one another for a moment.

“So... any reason you brought me here?”

She shrugged. “Just thought you could use the rest... and I figured you’d need something to do between now and picking the foals up.”

He grinned. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were looking for an excuse to come talk to me.”

She blushed a bit. “Well... okay, I am.”

Now he blushed. “Wh... what?”

“I just enjoy talking to somepony about parenting... Rainbow Dash has been pretty quiet about it, she’d rather talk about the Wonderbolts or something.”

“...Oh,” he said, not sure whether he was relieved or disappointed. “Is something else wrong?”

“Well...” she rubbed the back of her head. “Do you worry about Light getting his cutie mark?”

He tilted his head. “...Kind of. He hasn’t gotten a chance to find out who he is... I guess I do worry about it. But those things come in time.”

She sighed. “Spike... he was afraid he couldn’t even get a cutie mark, since he wasn’t born a pony... what do I say to something like that?”

Blaze sighed. “You got me there... I’m not sure where I’d begin with that one.”

Twilight sighed again and looked down to the ground, feeling somber at that moment. “I guess there’s nothing I could say, because nopony ever felt what he went through at all...”

Blaze nuzzled Twilight softly. “Well the important thing is, he’s got a great mother looking out for him and his happiness,” he said to her.

The lavender mare’s cheeks burned brightly the moment Blaze’s nuzzle began and ended as she chuckled softly and sighed in relief. “I guess you’re right...”

“I know I’m right.” 

“Yeah right...”

“See what I mean?”

Both ponies laughed for a while, until they stopped and Twilight looked at Blaze with a soft smile and half opened eyes.

“What?” Blaze asked her curiously, though he couldn’t look away from Twilight’s eyes. She’s so cute...

Twilight shook her head and chuckled. “I really enjoy your company, Blaze,” she said as they both got up from where they were hiding.

It was Blaze’s turned to blush, luckily for him his red coat hid the burning cheeks. “W-well, it’s my pleasure, seeing as you're really helped me and Light out...” he told her. “But I seriously have to get back to the training now, or the captain is going to have my flank for skipping class too long.”

Twilight nodded as she and Blaze walked on to the door. “Alright, I’ll see you again tomorrow?”

“You know you will.”



After a long day of training, Blaze dragging himself across Ponyville to the schoolhouse where he knew his adopted foal was waiting. “Light? Light?” he called.

The white pegasus waved a hoof from the playground, where he was in a group with his friends. “Blaze? Is it time to go already?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Already? Kid, it’s two hours after school. Come on, it’s time to go home.”

“What?” Spike’s voice came from in the group. He turned his gaze upward, looking at the setting sun. “This isn’t good. Apple Bloom still isn’t getting the song at all.”

“Sure, I am!” the farm filly’s voice spoke up. “Listen!”

A minute later Blaze decided it was safe to remove his hooves from his ears. He looked to see Apple Bloom looking at him eagerly. “Wasn’t that great, Mister Blaze?”

“...Uh...” he said, wondering what to say. “I... uh... Light, it’s getting late, we better go, it’s getting late. You want your ice cream, don’t you?

“Yeah!” he said excitedly, racing toward him and climbing onto his back. “See you guys tomorrow!”

“Cool, maybe we can finally get this done,” Spike muttered. “We better just wrap this up anyway. Mom will flip if I miss a magic lesson.”

“Yeah! I need to get to flying lessons too with my mom!” Scootaloo shouted out as she packed her saddlebag and hovered over from the group towards the sky. “Will check you tomorrow!” she bid her friends farewell before turning to Light. “Bye Light,” she said softly and flew away before Light could reply.

The white pegasus’ ears perked when he heard the chuckling of Blaze. “Well well... I always knew you were a filly-killer.” 

Light’s cheeks burned and he blinked rapidly. “She’s just a friend, Blaze!”

Blaze laughed and ruffled his hair and he trotted away. “Whatever you say, Light, whatever you say...”

“Um, excuse me?”

Blaze’s head turned to the voice that was calling and he saw a fuschia earth pony walking up to him and Light. 

“May I have a moment of your time please, Blaze?” Cheerilee asked him politely as she stopped in front of him and Light. 

Blaze smiled and nodded, lowering himself to the ground to let Light off. “Say Light, wait here for a minute.”

“Uh...”

“Got it memorized?”

Light nodded and walked off to where Pip was still playing at the swings. Blaze and Cheerilee walked a distance away from the foal before Cheerilee turned her head to his. 

“I see everything is working out for you two here,” she said innocently, seeing Blaze’s smile.

“Way better than a few months ago, that I can tell you...”

Cheerilee sighed and looked back at Light, seeing him and Pip on the swings. “It’s just... Light has been rather jumpy lately...”

“Define ‘jumpy’?”

Cheerilee looked up to the sky and took a breath of air before continuing. “In a few of our classes, when he receives a question and gets it wrong... he panics as though he will be hurt in someway or another.”

Blaze sighed, shaking his head. “I should have known... I don’t think he’s ever going to get over everything that’s happened to him.”

Cheerilee cocked an eyebrow. “Yes... I heard about what happened... Twilight provided me with a rough outline,” she answered the pegasus’s questioning glare. “As part of your probation, I’m required to report on whether or not Light looks like he’s been taken care of.”

“...I see,” Blaze said slowly. “And what do you think? Am I taking good care of Light?”

“I believe so,” she assured. “The child is clean, well fed, and considering his past, remarkably happy. It isn’t perfect, but after what he’s been through I doubt he could be any better. What I wanted to know is, does he react that way whenever he makes a mistake in your presence?”

He shook his head. “No, never. But I’ve been there for him through all that. He sees me as his safe zone.” He actually sighed at that. “I’m really not looking forward to the day I actually have to punish him for something. How’s he going to react?”

“I suggest you talk with his psychiatrist about that,” she said. “I’m here on another matter. Does he feel safer around anypony else? Besides his friends?”

He thought a moment. “Well... he is pretty calm around Rainbow Dash. I think it’s because he met her when she broke him out. And Fluttershy’s pretty good with him, too, but that’s no surprise.”

Cheerilee nodded. “I was wondering because I was hoping to make his experience here at school more comfortable. I was hoping to find a way to do that.”

Blaze turned to where Light was and simply smiled. “I think he’s found a way already. One of the simplest ways to conquer any trauma...”

Cheerilee arched an eyebrow and looked to where Light was and turned back to Blaze. “What may that be you think?”

“Friendship.”

The mare blinked a few times before smiling softly and looking back at Light, seeing how happy he was with one of his friends. You really do make a great brother. Cheerilee shook her head and looked back at the red pegasus. No, you make a great father figure to Light...

“Well, I think I’ll leave you two be for now.” Cheerilee said to Blaze as they made their way to the two foals.

Blaze nodded and walked to Light. “Hey Light, time to go.” 

“Alright. See you tomorrow, Pip.” 

“Cheerio,” Pip said plainly as he waved to his friend.

Light up on Blaze’s back and Blaze started flapping his wings, becoming airborne. “Thanks for the chat, Cheerilee.”

Cheerilee waved before her eyes went wide and she rushed inside to the school building, leaving Blaze and Light staring at the empty space until she came out with a note in her mouth. She handed the note to Blaze who took it and handed it to Light.

“There is a Parents/Teacher Meeting happening soon, that note has the date and time on it.” 

Blaze saluted to the teacher and hovered a bit higher. “Thanks! See you then!” he said loudly as he and Light flew off into the distance.

Cheerilee chuckled and went back to the school building, though she looked to the swing and Pip was not there. She looked around and there was no sign of the colt, leaving her confused as she tapped her chin wondering where the colt could be. 

I hope he’s ok... I still haven’t met his parents yet.



The Ponyville clocktower was quickly becoming Light’s favorite place in town, next to the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse. It had been a nearly nightly ritual for him and his adopted big brother to come here every evening to enjoy a bar of seasalt icecream. Still, even after having done it for coming up on four weeks now, the young colt found that today, it wasn’t as enjoyable.

The simple reason was that, in all the years he had known Blaze, he had learned to read his emotions, his attitudes. And today, he was carrying himself with an attitude that suggested he had something important to talk about.

“Light...” he began. The younger pegasus moaned as quietly as he could, dreading what was coming next. “Miss Cheerilee told me a few things about what happened in class today.”

He blushed, looking down at the half eaten, slightly melted treat whose stick was wrapped around his hoof. “I... I’m sorry...”

“Sorry? For what?”

Light looked at him, just to double check his expression. He was serious. “It... well, it...”

Blaze reached over and patted his head encouragingly. His colt had grown since they had met, and while he was no longer the same barely reasoning toddler that had wrapped himself around his hoof like at the Orphanage, sometimes he needed the comfort.

“I... I know it’s stupid to still be afraid. We’re free now, and everypony in Ponyville treats us nice... it’s stupid for me to worry.”

“Kid... you’ve been through a lot,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot. It’s perfectly natural that you be a little freaked out.”

“But... but you’re not freaked out!”

Blaze was quiet for a minute, sitting back. “Light... to be honest, I was when this first started... and I kind of am now.”

Light looked at him with wide eyes. “H-huh?”

Blaze took another bite before answering. “To be honest... I thought for sure Twilight was going to kill me when she didn’t need me anymore. She didn’t, she never would. But I thought it, because we’ve spent so much time where we’re the only ponies we can count on. I thought everypony in Ponyville would hate me for being a criminal, and none of them do.”

Light shifted. “Were you worried about everypony hating me too?”

He shook his head. “You’re young enough that nopony would blame you. I knew you’d be safe here.”

Light smiled softly as he looked back to the sunset and took another bite of his ice cream.

“Besides, who would hate a cute little colt like you?” Blaze asked as he ruffled Light’s hair chuckling. 

Light swatted the hoof away and grinned at Blaze. “Gee, thanks!” he answered and both of the ponies were laughing for a few moments. Light finished his ice cream and reclined back on the tower’s wall, feeling a little tired as his eyes were half open.

The red pegasus reclined also and relaxed his forehooves to the back of his head. “So you foals really gonna do a song on the talent show this friday?” 

Light hummed as he nodded. “Yeah, Apple Bloom is gonna sing it...”

“I think the audience will need ear plugs for that song alone.”

Light suppressed a laugh as he snorted. “You have no idea! We were actually thinking of getting Sweetie Belle to sing the song,”

Blaze arched his eyebrow and turned to Light. “That little filly unicorn?”

“Yeah, she has a good voice I hear... and considering Spike’s writing the song, I think it’s better that she sings it.”

Blaze grinned slyly as he looked to Light. “Does she have certain feelings for the little colt?”

Light looked back at Blaze grinned too. “Yeah, it’s so obvious... heck she even put on perfume to get his attention!”

The red pegasus laughed out loud as he was pounding his hoof on the tower. “Oh boy! Let me guess, he didn’t get it?”

Light simply shook his head and saw Blaze laughing again before it stopped. “I’m not so sure if he realized it, but I think he will soon...”

Blaze simply shrugged. “Who knows, some ponies take forever to see the obvious. That or they deny it like you do...”

“What?!”

He grinned. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. I saw you shooting that look at Scootaloo.”

Light’s white coat was beginning to get the slightest tinge of pink. “Wha? Uh... b-but...”

“Oh, come on. I don’t try giving me that whole ‘fillies have cooties’ thing, I raised you better than that.”

And now Light was turning crimson. “W-well... she is the first filly I’ve seen in years... besides Yellow.”

Blaze shivered at the name. “Yeah... I can see how any pretty face would look good after her... if it weren’t for the fact that Bloodwind was even worse, I think she’d have turned me off of mares.”

Light didn’t laugh. “I don’t think Scootaloo would like me like that...”

Blaze looked at him. “And why not?”

“She’s so cool... she’s always doing something brave... like when she pulled me back into Bloodwing’s lab to help you...”

“That wasn’t brave, kid, it was stupid,” he said sternly. Blaze winced a bit before his expression softened. “You just need to learn the difference... go on.”

Light squirmed a bit. “Well, even if it was stupid, she was brave enough to go do it... and look at me. I’m afraid to even get a question from the teacher wrong.”

“You’ll grow out of that...”

“I know, but...”

“Light,” Blaze suddenly interrupted. “I want you to promise me you’re going to talk to Scootaloo about this soon.”

The colt blinked at the request. “Wh-why?”

“Because you lost too much of your life with Bloodwing to hold back on living now. I’ve never been happy about crushes anyway... no reason why you can’t just come out and say something.”

Light gulped, wondering how he was going to get out of this one. “Uh... wh-what about you? Do you have a crush?”

“...Maybe,” he said slyly. “But it’s not shyness that’s holding me back.”

“Then what is it?”

“It just isn’t the right time right now,” he said simply. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it. Do as I say, not as I do. Got it memorized?”

“You got it!” 

Blaze nodded and looked back to the sunset. “It’s getting late, time to go home now.” he told Light as he got up and spread his wings, jumping into the air with Light following him back to their home.



Spike walked out of his room, sighing as he rubbed his eyes. After hours of reading and doing homework, he had finally finished just before it was supper time. He walked down to the ground floor and saw Peewee on his perch resting. When his hooves touched the wooden floor, Peewee lifted his head and flew towards his owner, landing on his back and nuzzling the back of his head.

“Slept well, Peewee?”

The phoenix nodded and flew back to the perch, pointing to a bowl that was empty.

Spike nodded and headed towards a cupboard, grabbing some bird seeds from it using his magic. He was grateful that his magic had developed to a point where he could hold and carry things firmly as though he had hands.

“Here you go, big boy,” he said as he poured in the seeds, and the phoenix dunking his head in to feed.

“Spike...”

Spike’s ears perked as he turned to the sound of his mother, calling from the other side of the room. He placed the bird seed 	back in the cupboard and walked towards his mother, who was reading and studying out of an old textbook of magic.

“Yeah, Mom?”

Twilight turned to her son and set down the quill. “You want to help me with supper tonight?” she asked him politely.

“What about magic lessons?”

“Well, consider this a lesson in the practical world,” she told him simply as she got up from her chair. “After all, I want you to learn to cook again... I miss your nachos.”

He grinned. “I miss cooking,” he admitted. “Why don’t we make them? Do you know all the ingredients?”

“I found your recipe cards,” she answered. “I got all the ingredients, and the nachos seemed like the easiest thing to make. Now let’s get started.”

Spike saw that, indeed, there was already corn tortillas, vegetable oil, and salt ready, with the recipe card hanging over it in plain view. As such, his horn lit up, and with great effort he lifted the oil and placed it next to the stove. With greater effort, he opened the cabinet and removed a frying pan. Twilight simply remained to one side, giving simple words of encouragement as he tried his best.

He pulled out a measuring cup as well. Twilight measured the two cups for him, then acted as a safety net while he poured the oil in the pan. Twilight set the stove, then the two of them began quartering the tortillas.

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“...Is there any kind of magic sickness I could catch from using my magic?”

In an instant his mother was down at his level, looking him straight in the eye. “Spike, if you think you have magic sickness, 	you tell me immediately. Do you have headaches?”

He shook his head no.

“Any feelings of weakness?”

Again, no.

“Out of control magic spurts?”

The third no was accompanied by a sigh of relief from her. “Well then, you don’t have any of the symptoms of magic sickness. Something else must be wrong. What are you feeling?”

“Well... sometimes it’s like my stomach is doing flip-flops.”

“Do you feel like you’re going to throw up?” she asked.

Spike shook his head, slightly flinching at the thought of throwing up. “Nothing like that, but sometimes it feels so light and sometimes I can’t think properly...”

Twilight cocked her eyebrow her titled her head, looking confused. “When do these things happen exactly?”

“Well, it started a few weeks ago but now it seems to get even worse.. everytime I’m near Sweetie, or even think of her it’s-”

Spike’s words were cut off as his mother hoisted him from the ground and she held him close to her chest, hugging him tightly. When she loosened the hug, she was still holding him in the air to her level and wore the widest smile she could muster.

“Oh, Spike! You’re growing up so fast!” she said as some tears escaped her eyes and she was again holding him and nuzzling him furiously.

“Um, Mom? What’s wrong?”

Twilight set Spike on the ground and quickly wiped her eyes clean of the tears and looking down on her son still smiling broadly. “Nothing’s wrong Spike, you’re not sick at all.”

“I’m not? But wha-”

“You’re in love.”

Spike’s mouth was agape as he stared at his mother. He blinked profoundly as he started to connect the dots in his mind. He slowly closed his mouth and fell on his haunches as he rubbed his forehead. 

“Well... I guess I must be...”

“Sweetie is a very nice filly.”

Spike nodded in agreement smiling. “Yeah, she is. I mean, she’s cool and all, but she’s also kind, has a pretty voice and she always talks to me about anything. She is very pretty too and-”

Twilight just looked at her son with proud eyes and an everlasting smile on her face. Oh my boy, how fast are you growing up? she thought to herself, with her smile slowly vanishing as another thought crossed her mind. But now I have to have the ‘talk’ to him...

“Spike,” she began slowly. “I think it’s great that you’re trying to find a special somepony. But that means I need to talk to you about something.”

Spike tilted his head in confusion. “About what?’

Twilight took a deep breath. “Well, when a mare and a stallion love each other very much...”



Sweetie walked through the door, fuming a bit. Her sister Rarity was waiting, with a large grin on her face. “Well? How did it go? Did Spike like your perfume?”

“He said it was... nice,” she groaned. “Just ‘nice’. It didn’t work at all!”

“Ah, stallions,” she shook her head. “They can be pretty thick-headed sometimes... of course, so can mares. You just need something extra-special to get his attention.”

“Like what?” she asked flatly.

“Well...” her sister said with an excited twinkle in her eye, “I’ve been working on something special for you since last night.” She began excitedly pushing her sister via magic over to her work area. “I thought my baby sister’s first crush deserved something special.”

Sweetie opened her mouth to ask what it was, but the words died in her throat when she saw it.

A child-sized ponnequin was displaying a simple dress, black with pink lace around the bottom, wrapped in a bow just above her tail.

“It’s... it’s beautiful!” she squeed.

“I’m so glad you like it,” she said simply. “I thought you could wear it to the talent show Friday.”

“I... you think that would work?”

“I think so,” she said. “You’ll be the most beautiful mare there, trust me.”



Spike’s eyes widened in utter disgust as Twilight showed him another full color photograph. “And this is something else you can catch. We call these...”

“Okay! Okay! I promise I won’t do it! Just make it stop, please!”

“Are you sure? There are still seventeen more to...”

“I’m sure! Please!”

Twilight’s magic dissipated and she turned to see Spike’s face turning slightly green. “Spike, are you ok?” she asked him innocently as she lowered herself to his level.

Spike forcefully gulped and shook his head, the colour on his cheeks changing back to normal. “Am now, but my wow!” he said as he looked to his mother. “Did grandma show you these things too?!”

Twilight nodded as her eyes looked away, with her cheeks tinted red. “That and more...” she said softly, shuddering at the memory of her mother and father giving her the talk. “They even showed me photos of my birth,”

The colt flinched slightly, clenching his teeth as he shuddered too. “That must have been a disturbing sight.”

The mare giggled at Spike. “You have no idea, your grandparents didn’t know that when I said ‘stop’, I meant ‘stop’.”

Spike laughed along with his mother, but fell silent when a thought came to his head. He looked down to the floor with moist eyes, something that Twilight noticed immediately.

“Spike, what’s wrong?” she asked him.

Spike’s eyes traveled to some photos of him still as a dragon, from the moment he was hatched to some where he was older and in Ponyville with Twilight. One picture that made him look away immediately was one with his mother, her friends and him in it. But the image of him was cut and pasted on it, as though he were never meant to be there.

“It’s just...” he began and turned back to his mother, his lips quivering slightly. “I don’t have any pictures like that and-”

His words were cut off as Twilight scooped him up and held him close, nuzzling him furiously. “Don’t ever speak like that again Spike, please...” Twilight said softly. “It doesn’t matter if you have pictures or not of how you came to this world,”

“But-”

“The important thing is, you’re here now,” she said as she kissed his forehead and looked him in the eye. “And that I love you.”

Spike snuggled into his mother for a moment, before she spoke again. “Why don’t we go and eat those nachos? I’m sure after all that, you could stand to eat something.”



Later that night, once Spike had gone to bed, Twilight had stayed up, pacing the floor. She knew what needed to be done. There was no denying it anymore.

She levitated a quill and ink bottle onto her desk. Quickly, she began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am writing to formally ask that Blaze be reassigned to another parole officer. I am sorry to have failed you, but I feel that complications have arisen, and I am no longer qualified to best judge when he is fit to re-enter society. I’d like this to take place as soon as possible, for I feel the longer I have my power, the more likely it is that I will do something foalish.

Your most faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.

Looking over the note once, she nodded in approval and called Owlowiscious over. She levitated the note into his talons and, after the promise of a few extra protein pills among arriving, he flew off toward Canterlot.

She watched her number two assistant fly off toward the capital city. Then, taking a deep breath, she began searching the library, until she found the title she was looking for:

Dating (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love the Wine)