//------------------------------//
// A son and his mother 
// Story: Not everypony will be happy 
// by Lenora Goff 
//------------------------------//

~Spike~

It was time, finally.

I looked at the clock, it had been a few hours since I had gotten here. There had been a part of me that thought it would have been possible to simply ask Pinkie Pie to go get Rainbow Dash for me. That would have made everything better, at least I would have known what was happening with her. If anyone could have found her, it was Pinkie Pie.

That hadn’t turned out to be a possibility, though.

It wasn’t even ten minutes after I was done speaking with her that Pinkie Pie was called off to go take care of the twins. I didn’t even get to see her for almost the rest of the night, which was definitely a frustrating end to a frustrating day. It seemed like nothing was going to go right for me. And if it was bad for me, it was probably ten times worse for Rainbow.

Oh, this was just so annoying.

It was only right before I was about to give in, and just go to sleep for the night, that Pinkie Pie finally showed up. The biggest shock was that she didn’t look tired, though that could have been because she never looked tired. I was convinced that it was because she ate all of those sugary treats, they probably replaced her blood at this point.

“Oh hey Pinkie. Thanks for letting me stay.” 

At least somebody was happy, it was always good to see her smile. 

“No problem-o, Spikerooni. I just wish I knew where Dashey was, that would be such an awe-” It was weird, I was sure she would have known. If anyone had the ability to track down their friends, it was Pinkie Pie. She just didn’t follow the rules of physics, I was sure of it. I waved my hand, though, right as she had stopped talking.

“Don’t worry about it, Pi-” I had closed my eyes for just one moment, yet she wasn’t there when I re-opened then. Pinkie just wasn’t right sometimes, the window was open from what had obviously been a quick escape. The question that came to mind, though, was why she had quickly escaped. 

Did it have something to do with what she had been talking about? For all I knew, it might have been something along the lines of somepony breaking a Pinkie Promise. Or it might not have been that serious, she might have just seen something shiny outside and quickly rushed to meet it. Regardless of what it was, I was alone right now and there wasn’t much I could do beyond sleep.

At least, I would have slept if it wasn’t for the bright light that decided to flare up.
00
It took a moment for it to register with me what that was. I hadn’t even gotten up at first, but almost immediately after I realized what it had to be, I leapt out of the bed. Part of me had thought that it might have been Twilight, since she was probably out looking for me, but it turned out that I was in for a much more pleasant surprise.

It was my mom.

A lot of ponies wouldn’t be calling her that, or even understand why I did. To every other pony, this was Princess Celestia. To every other pony, she was seen as a goddess. I looked at her for a few moments before I started moving again. A smile covered my face, and it only took around ten seconds before I was giving her a big hug.

There was something off about this hug, I just couldn’t place it at first. It was only when she said something to me that it clicked.

“You’ve grown since I last saw you.” 

When I looked at her face, there was a smile looking back at me. I didn’t realize it, but she was right. I was hugging her neck, not her leg as I would have been back when I had lived in Canterlot. That was something that I hadn’t put a lot of thought into. I knew I had been growing, but this was something beyond what I had actually thought.

She was still way bigger than me, though.

“I’ve missed you, mom.” I took a step back as I said that, and I could see a second of shock on her face. It had been a long time since I had called her that, and I didn’t think that many others called her that. Was she an actual, biological, mother? It wasn’t any of my business, so I wasn’t going to ask. I didn’t think I had ever asked.

“And I missed you too. I wish I could see you more often, and Twilight as well.”

Had she gone to see Twilight? I didn’t want to bring it up, the fight hadn’t happened all that long ago. I hoped that she didn’t know much about it. Would she understand if I told her? Mom was the type that tried to be fair, but I knew this would be hard for her. She loved the two of us like family. Maybe that was another reason why I didn’t want to bring it up.

Mom didn’t deserve to have to deal with this right now.

Still, I had sent her that letter for a reason. I just hoped that she wouldn’t be too upset when I actually did get around to telling her what had happened. 


~Celestia~

I didn’t want to say anything, but this was difficult.

There were very many things that I knew I could do. I was a powerful Alicorn, a goddess by some measures, but I just stood there with a smile on my face. I knew that I had to be there for my son, I knew I had to wait for when he was ready to tell me whatever it was on his mind. At the same time, though, I could barely stand to just wait for him to finally tell me.

He was hurting, that much was obvious.

Then there was the fact that I was here instead of the library, where my son generally stayed. It was usually his home, after all, and I hoped that it still was. I almost went there, or I would have had I not been able to see where the letter had come from. This was something else I wanted to know, that I knew he would tell me if I asked about it.

Why was he here and not with Twilight?

Perhaps it would be best if I just came out and asked. I normally tried to be diplomatic, things had to be said in a certain way, but I just couldn’t do it. I loved my son, and I also loved my daughter. It was my fondest wish that they love each other as well, siblings needed to have that bond. That had been part of the reason why I liked the idea of him being her assistant.

I hoped that this wasn’t a sign that things had gone horribly awry.

“It’s curious to see you here. I almost went to the library.” It was even weirder when I had seen Pinkie Pie flying out of the window, it had been as if gravity hadn’t meant much. Of course, I knew Pinkie Pie was different to say the least. Right now, though, I had to focus on the problem in front of me. Or, well, the thing in front of me that might have been a problem.

From the way he looked away from me, I knew it was a problem.

“You can tell me anything, you know that. I won’t judge you.” It felt weird that I had to say this, but I knew it needed to be said. Something had happened that Spike wasn’t equipped to deal with. It didn’t take my infinite wisdom, which was good because I didn’t have infinite wisdom, to realize that I was going to have to be really careful with this. “I’m going to be here for you, for as long as you need me to be.”

That seemed to move him a little, at least not he was looking me right in the eyes again.

“I wanna start with some good news first, mom.” The fact that he said first was good enough for me, so I nodded. His worried look faded, and I could see true happiness. That was something that I liked, even if the bad news was likely going to wipe it away. I still loved to see my son smile. 

“I have a marefriend.”

That was great news. I hoped that it was somepony who could take care of him. I also hoped that it wasn’t Twilight, that would have been awkward. Of course, he would have been over there if it had been her. I wondered who it could have been, the list of mares in this town was huge. This town was worse about it than most towns, but that seemed to be a growing trend. “Oh? I’m so happy for you. Do I know her?”

A nervous look overcame his face for a moment, as if he was trying to decide if he wanted to tell me. It wasn’t Chrysalis, was it? That wouldn’t make much sense. I knew what it was like to be nervous about this sort of thing, though, so it might have just been that. Actually, the fact that he was here told me who it might have been. “It’s Pinkie Pie, isn’t it?”

That got me a smirk, and then a chuckle. 

“No, no. I’m just staying here for a few days.” I heard him clear his throat, and then he said a name that I actually hadn’t expected. “Actually, it’s Rainbow Dash.” I remembered the rumors, the ones that said that she really liked mares. That wasn’t what caused me shock right now, it was something else entirely. Up until now, I had always thought that she was completely uninterested in this sort of thing.

A few moments later, it hit me.

I remember my sister’s snickering. I remembered that she told me that one of our subjects, one of the ones that I would least expect, was having dreams about her beloved. At that time, I had expected that it had something to do with somepony who worked at the castle. Before I had left, there was the chef who had given me a rather large serving of cake.

Obviously, though, she had meant Rainbow Dash and Spike.

Now I was curious.

“I couldn’t be happier for you, Spike.” I kept a measured tone, like always, but this wasn’t easy. I wanted to run over and give him a big hug. This was the type of news that every mother wanted to hear. I knew that Rainbow Dash would take good care of him, I just knew it. If she didn’t, I could always just send her to the moon. 

I was sure there would be another bearer of the Element of Loyalty if we really needed one.

My initial plan of being measured actually went right out the window. I couldn’t help myself any longer, I was soon heading over to give him a big hug. It didn’t matter anyway, there wasn’t a single pony here to say anything. Even if another pony had been there, though, I would have done it. This was my son, I was allowed to give him hugs whenever I wanted.

“Tell me all about it, I don’t want to miss a single detail.”

~Spike~

I barely stopped myself from crying, this was so refreshing.

I had thought that maybe Celestia would say something about this whole thing. I didn’t know what she would say about Rainbow being my marefriend, or even if she would have an opinion. Part of me had been afraid that she wouldn’t approve, which would have been the most terrible thing that could have happened. As much as Twilight freaked out about her approval, right now I was probably ten times worse.

I lucked out, though, and she just wanted to know what had happened.

“Well, it started off with me going over to ask Rarity out.” That earned a confused look, which made sense. I wouldn’t even have believed it myself if somepony else started their story like this. “I had everything ready, it was perfect. I had a tuxedo, flowers, poetry, reservations to a nice restaurant. Everything was set up to be the best date I had ever gone on.”

“Why would she turn you down? It sounds to me like you had everything perfect.”

I rubbed the back of my head, and actually chuckled. Maybe there was something about mom, but I wasn’t sad when I thought about it this time. “Actually, I didn’t get to invite her. When I was just about at her door, I saw something in her window.” A small pause, I held my claws up. “I didn’t mean to look in her window, but it turned out for the best because I saw Rarity and Fluttershy kissing. So… that kind of ruined the idea of asking her out.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. Nopony should see that sort of thing, especially not if they’re about to ask them out.” I didn’t mean to make her sad, this was supposed to be the good news. The bad news was going to come later, when she asked again about why I was at Sugarcube Corner. 

“It had to happen. I mean… if it hadn’t, I would have never figured out that Rainbow loves me.” Something about mom, just the fact that I was around her, seemed to make this whole thing easier. I wasn’t sure if I would even be like this tomorrow, but I hoped I would be. “And we just sort of ran into each other. I asked her out, not wanting to waste the reservations… well, that’s why I thought I had asked her out at first. Either way, it turned out to be the best date I’ve ever had.”

“And the only, if I remember correctly.”

“Heh, yeah, you’re right. But I still can’t think of anything that could have made it better.” Of course, that was probably something. I couldn’t think of anything right then and there, though. “That was a few nights ago.” The end of the story was coming up soon, but that didn’t mean I had to move on to the bad news yet. There was no reason why I couldn’t just talk about Rainbow for just a little bit longer.

“You should have seen her, mom. She was so beautiful. She wore that dress that she wore to the Grand Galloping Gala. You remember the one, right?” Part of me thought that she might not have, but she gave a nod. That was good, because I didn’t want to have to describe it. “And she got her hair done, not that it isn’t normally beautiful. She’s amazing.”

I heard a chuckle, but it wasn’t mocking me. “And that’s why you love her? Because she’s beautiful? Isn’t that what got you into the situation with Rarity?”

I hadn’t given the best impression when I had just spoken about how she looked. There was more to it than simply how good she looked. “Well, it isn’t just that. I also enjoy being around her. There’s just something about her, she’s fun. You should have seen this one time when we pranked Pinkie Pie.” I thought back to it myself, and could barely stop myself from laughing. It had been so much fun.

“That’s perfect. I was afraid for a moment. I’d hate it if somepony turned out to be just beautiful.” I looked at her with a confused look. “What? I can’t let anypony hurt you.”

Hurt me? I didn’t think that would be something that would be easy. With a smirk on my face, I scratched on my own scales. “Nothing can hurt me, mom, not anymore.”

“Physically, no. I don’t have to worry about that.” I saw the smile fade a little, but not much. “But you seem to be doing well enough. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll get Lulu to take care of everything in Canterlot if I need to, remember that.”

That was a very comforting thought for some reason, though I knew that she did that sort of thing for her family when she was needed. Maybe that was why, though. I couldn’t remember the last time I had asked for her help, it felt good to hear that she would just be there for me if I needed her.

“Now, are you going to tell me about why you’re here.”

That was something that I knew had to be said, or more accurately it had to be explained, but that wasn’t going to make it easier. I even thought about trying to lie to her, to make everything seem not as serious as it really was, but I knew she would know. The only thing I could do was tell her the truth. “Well, I kind of ran away to live on my own. I just sorta had a fight with Twilight.”

“Oh, it couldn’t have been that bad. I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.”

I took a deep breath. She didn’t know what had happened, she probably assumed the best case scenario. I knew that my mom wasn’t trying to make this seem like nothing because she felt like it. Mom just didn’t know what her daughter had done. “Actually, it was horrible.” I didn’t even notice that I had clenched my claws, there wasn’t any pain to signify it. It wasn’t like I was bleeding.

“She walked in on me kissing Rainbow, and she lost it. She shot Rainbow with some magic, and then Rainbow just disappeared.” I normally would have put in more detail, but for some reason I just didn’t. “And this isn’t the first time she’s done that sort of thing … to Rainbow. She even says that she paralyzed her, which I think makes it at least a thousand times worse.”

Maybe I had exaggerated a little, but likely not much.

“I mean … would you stay where you’re not happy?” That sounded weird when I had said it. This thing, this act, took away my happiness from the area. Everything else Twilight had done wasn’t so bad, but this was just above and beyond what could be described as acceptable. “I said a few things that I wished I wouldn’t have said before I left, though. I was just so mad.”

Before I knew it, I was getting a hug again. As mom’s wings draped over me, I couldn’t help myself. Everything just sort of hit me at once, and I started to cry. This whole thing wasn’t fair at all. Twilight was my sister, she should have tried to look at things from my point of view. “I… I don’t know what to do, mom. I don’t wanna live in my own, but I can’t go back. Not if Twilight’s gonna keep me away from Rainbow.”

Part of me wished that mom could just fix this. She could, right? Mom was all powerful, she could fix anything. This time, there wouldn’t be some changeling there to attack her. This was something that I knew she could fix, all I had to do was let her fix it.

~Celestia~

I had no idea what to tell him.

It would have been nice if this was simple, like just about everything else I had to deal with, but this wasn’t. Twilight was basically my daughter, just like Spike was essentially my son. There was no way that I could choose one over the other, I just couldn’t. There was more to it than that, though. This wasn’t about choosing one over the other, I knew who was more wrong than the other, but about how to bridge that gap.

I had to fix this.

“Oh dear, this isn’t what I expected at all. I don’t know what to tell you, Spike, but I’m going to go talk to Twilight about this. There has to be something that I can do.” I turned away, and I was going to leave. There had to be another side to this, there had to be some way where I could actually come up with a solution. At the very least, I wanted to know how all of this had affected my favorite pupil.

Then I felt my tail being pulled.

“Don’t go. I’ll go talk to Twilight tomorrow, but just stay here tonight... please, mom?” I looked at him, and Spike looked horrible. I couldn’t leave him now, even if I wanted to. I really needed to find a way to say no to my son, but maybe I couldn’t because he didn’t really ask for much.

“Okay, but I still have to raise the sun tomorrow. I’ll have to leave before then.”

That seemed to make him happier, and that made me happier. At the very least, I could make sure that he went to sleep before I left. That wouldn’t take long at all.