“Aunt Cadence”
By TwilightSparkle3562
In a short period of time, the young life of Spike the dragon had been changing considerably on a great and emotional scale. The Golden Oak Library that he and Twilight had lived in since moving to Ponyville was destroyed at the hands of Lord Tirek, who was now sentenced to death for his crimes against Equestria. Now, he and Twilight were living in a castle that had come from the tree of harmony. It wasn’t quite the same atmosphere they had in the library, but he and Twilight would get used to it over time.
But, much like Twilight, Spike had lost almost everything in the library’s destruction. His bed and blanket that he always had since he was hatched was gone as were his pictures of Pee Wee, his former pet phoenix and all of his Power Ponies comic books including the one he had received at the Rainbow Falls Trader Exchange. However, with all the items he had lost, he could not help but think of something else as he removed his tuxedo and got himself ready for bed following the gala celebration at Twilight’s new castle.
Ever since the Equestria Games, Spike had always wondered something about Princess Cadence, Twilight’s sister-in-law and ruler of the Crystal Empire. He could remember when Cadence was suffering nightmares at the hands of Queen Chrysalis, the queen of the changelings. While Cadence was sleeping trying to fend off the evil queen, he laid by her side and thought that maybe there was something more to Cadence that met the eye. For all Spike was concerned, Cadence had been a major part of his young life, having been around him many times while she was foal sitting Twilight as a filly.
He wanted to say that Cadence was much more than just a friend…he wanted to say that she was an aunt figure to him. Despite everything that had happened, Spike couldn’t sleep in his new small bed that night and went out to the balcony of his new home. He may be a baby dragon and that he needed his sleep, but this was something that was on his mind for a long time.
“I cannot help but wonder,” he thought to himself as he looked out on the night sky. “I may have lost everything in the library, but I seemed to have gained something in return, something that was given to me at the Equestria Games. Could it be that Cadence sees me more than just a hero who saved the Crystal Empire twice?”
But, Spike didn’t think for very long as he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find Princess Cadence standing in back of him, wearing her crystalized dress. Being that he was a hero to her empire, she bowed before him almost as if he was her ruler.
“Oh, great and honorable Spike, the glorious,” Cadence said as she bowed before the baby dragon. But, Spike was not up for her bowing in front of him like that.
“Princess Cadence, you kind of don’t have to do that,” Spike replied sheepishly, scratching his head like that. “I may have saved the Crystal Empire twice, but I am really no different than anypony else.”
Cadence chuckled at this and rose to her feet, still smiling at the baby dragon. To her, Spike was always going to be a hero, regardless of whether he saved her empire or not. After all, had he not brought her the crystal heart, then King Sombra would have retaken the empire and thus, Cadence would not have ascended to being it’s ruler.
“I know,” she said, chuckling. “But, you played two important parts in my empire and I’m still going to be indebted to you for doing so. However, there is something that Twilight told me that made me concerned for you.”
“Really,” said Spike, looking worried about what Cadence had said. “How so?”
Cadence shut the sliding door between the balcony and the bedroom and came over to Spike, kneeling down at his level. Spike could see that she was no longer smiling and that she felt that they needed to have a pretty important talk.
“Spike,” she began, talking in a very gentle voice. “You were very quiet tonight at the gala celebration and I couldn’t help but notice why. I know that you and Twilight lost the library, but I want you to know that I will do anything to help you get through this. You, Twilight and the other ponies are the most important figures in my life next to Shining Armor and my aunts.”
At that moment, Spike began to think back to when he botched the opening torch ceremony at the Equestria Games. He thought by not lighting the torch when the moment called for it, Spike had made a complete idiot of himself in front of thousands of ponies. But instead of being cross at him, Cadence had more concern for his well-being than anything else at that point.
“Even when I didn’t perform the way I thought I did at the Equestria Games?” he remarked nervously. Cadence was horrified by this statement and knew that she had to set the record straight with Spike.
“How could you say that, Spike?” cried Cadence, her voice filled with shock. “When you didn’t perform the way everypony expected you to perform at the Opening Ceremony, I was worried for you. I have been in your life ever since you came out of that egg and the first thing that came to my mind was to make sure you were okay. Your well-being is more important to me than anything else in Equestria, Spike.”
With each word that Cadence spoke, Spike could see why Cadence was who she was to him. Up until the Equestria Games, Spike had always thought of her as any other princess much like Celestia, Luna or even Twilight. But, it seems now that Cadence wanted to prove to Spike that she was always going to be there for him, just as she was going to be there for Twilight.
“Of course, you think that my well-being is more important to you than anything, Princess Cadence,” said Spike nervously, pacing around back and forth. “This is just the point! You treat me differently than any of the other princesses or ponies you come across.”
“No, we don’t, Spike,” replied Cadence, rising to her feet. “We would treat the same way we treated anypony who looked up to us. But, I think that because everything happened so fast such as the Equestria Games and losing the library, you are feeling like your life is over, but its really not. It’s going to get better, Spike. You wait and see.”
Spike then began to think back to another moment at the Equestria Games that he found to be embarrassing and that was when he tried to sing the Cloudsdale Anthem in an effort to regain the respect of all the ponies who were disappointed in him for failing to light the torch on time. It was that event that sent him over the edge and cause him to hole up for most of the games until Twilight had to drag him out of hiding.
“Not like when I botched the anthem of Cloudsdale?” he asked moping. But, Cadence could not help but wonder why Spike would do such a thing. After all, in her mind, she wasn’t angry at Spike although she was confused by why he would do such a thing.
“Shining Armor and I always wondered why you would do that,” remarked Cadence. “He later told me that you thought that you would perform the Ponyville Anthem. Of course, they only play the anthems for the winners. However, you tried your best at it and I have to commend you for that, Spike. Nopony would even attempt to do something like that if they didn’t have the courage like you did. You did your best, Spike and that’s all that matters to me.”
At that moment, Spike decided to pluck up courage with what he wanted to get off of his chest. But before he did, he then began to think back to that moment he laid next to Cadence during Chrysalis’ rampage of Cadence’s dreams. Although she didn’t hear it, Spike had mentioned something that she would become emotional and touched about.
“Actually, Princess Cadence,” he said, blushing slightly. “There is something I have been meaning to tell you after everything that has happened.”
A cold gust of wind blew through at that moment and Spike closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Cadence stretched her wings out to block the gust from getting onto Spike.
“Yes, what is it?” she asked, looking down at him as she sat down.
“I’ve always sort of…I don’t know,” he stuttered, grabbing his tail. “After everything that has happened to me, I’ve always sort of thought of you as something more than a friend.”
It seemed to Cadence at that moment, that her pep talk had begun to get into Spike and felt as though she was going to get through to him at last on why he was being so quiet.
But, she wasn’t expecting on what he was going to say to her next at that moment.
“I’ve sort of think of you as…my aunt,” he said and Cadence brought him forward and the two of them embraced tightly. Cadence was starting to get touched at that moment as tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.
“Spike,” cried Cadence, smiling as her tears fell down her face. “I’m glad that you think of me that way. Of course, I will be an aunt to you, just as I think of Twilight as my sister.”
The princess of love and the baby dragon continued to embrace as Twilight walked over to the barrier and looked out at her sister-in-law and number one assistant hugging tightly. This caused her too to have tears forming at the corners of her eyes and caused her to think back to the time that Spike questioned himself after he abandoned her at the wedding rehearsal and that he often considered her as a mother figure.
“Oh, Spike,” Twilight thought as she watched them embrace. “I guess you are more to Cadence than what you think you are.”
After a few moments, Twilight walked over and peered an ear close to the barrier as she heard her assistant say the words that Twilight thought she would never hear…
“I love you, Aunt Cadence,” cried Spike as he hugged Cadence.
“I love you, too, Spike,” cried Cadence as she hugged Spike.