//------------------------------// // Reunion/Can You Feel the Love Tonight // Story: The Pony King // by Darth Redbeard //------------------------------//         Snips and Snails were still arguing the next day as they walked around trying to figure out where Spike was. While the fight had started small like usual, they had eventually thrown hooves at each other, leaving bruises on their faces.         “That really hurt, Snips,” Snails said, rubbing his head.         “Next time don’t hit me in the leg,” Snips replied, limping from his injury.This wasn’t their most violent fight, but it did get to the point where they fired hexes at each other. The most they could do was hit each other with stun spells.         “Forget your leg,” Snails said. “We need to find Spike. He could’ve gone anywhere. We need to make sure the changelings didn’t come back and try and take him.”         The two kept walking through the trees, wondering where their friend was as they began to hum.         Unknown to them, Sweetie Belle was watching them as they walked by. All she heard was Spike and changelings. While it could’ve been anypony named Spike, something in her heart told her that it was her Spike.         “I wonder what they meant by changelings?” she wondered. She followed them as quietly as she could, avoiding the branches and twigs that littered the ground. She narrowly missed a twig that had just fallen, before she stepped on one right behind her. “I didn’t mean to do that.” Unfortunately, Snips and Snails had heard it. “Changeling!” they yelled. They took off running further down the path trying to escape the “changeling”.         Sweetie Belle watched as they ran off, keeping her from tailing them.         “Well there went my hopes of finding Spike,” she said to herself. She ran off in the direction they went in, hoping to catch up and find out if the Spike they were talking about was her friend.         Spike was walking back down the path to the shelter when he saw Snips and Snails running right for him.         “Changeling!” they shouted as they ran past Spike to hide. Spike went forward towards where the changeling was, and saw a familiar looking unicorn.         “How could the changeling be able to disguise itself as Sweetie Belle?” he thought. “They don’t even know I care for her.”         Sweetie Belle saw the two run past another pony. This pony being a purple alicorn with a messed up green mane. There was only one pony in Equestria she knew of that looked like that. She also saw that he didn’t have any cutie mark yet. Before she could say anything, Spike began talking.         “Whoever you are,” Spike began. “You’ll regret showing up here.” Spike began to charge up his horn before the changeling spoke.         “Wait!” Sweetie yelled, running towards Spike and knocking him to the ground, just as they did when they were kids. They rolled around a bit before Sweetie Belle had Spike pinned.         “Wait,” Spike thought. “There’s only one mare that could beat me that easily.”         “Is that really you, Sweetie Belle?” Spike asked.         “Yes,” Sweetie replied. “It’s really me.” Sweetie Belle got up and helped Spike back on his hooves before wrapping her legs around his neck, tears rolling down her cheeks onto his fur. “It’s so good to see you again. I thought I lost you all those years ago.”         Unknown to them, Snips and Snails had saw them and came out of their hiding spot, running right for Sweetie Belle, both still believing her to be a changeling.         “Get away from our friend!” they exclaimed. Before they could even get close to Sweetie Belle, Spike was able to stop them with his magic.         “Guys, calm down,’ he said. “This is Sweetie Belle. She’s my best friend.”         “So she’s not a changeling?” Snails asked.         “No, she’s not,” Spike replied.         “Who are you two?” Sweetie Belle asked.         “This is Snips and Snails,” Spike answered. “They helped me survive out here.”         “Nice to meet you,” Snails said.         “I would like to thank you two for keeping Spike alive,” Sweetie began. “but right now, we need him back in Ponyville.”         “What do you mean?” Spike asked.         “Blueblood has taken over all of Equestria,” Sweetie began. “He’s forced Celestia and Luna to go into exile at the old castle in the Everfree. The Crystal Empire has broken off ties with Equestria. Everything has just become ruined. Spike, you need to take back your birthright!”         “What do you mean he needs to take back his birthright?” Snails asked.         “It’s nothing,” Spike quickly said, not wanting the others to know about his past.         “Spike, you need to tell them,” Sweetie said, trying to get her friend to listen to her. When Spike tried to walk away, Sweetie Belle ran in front of him and blocked him from leaving. As Spike looked into her eyes, he saw the hurt that he had left her all those years ago. With a heavy sigh, he turned and faced Snips and Snails.         “My parents were the rulers of Ponyville,” Spike explained. Snips and Snails immediately bowed as Spike began to protest. “Please don’t bow.”         “Could you two let Spike and I talk alone for a while?” Sweetie asked. Snips and Snails left, allowing Sweetie Belle to talk with Spike.         “Do you have any idea what I felt when I heard you died?” she began. “I had lost my best friend. Every time I went to school, I couldn’t concentrate on the lessons. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo already have their cutie marks while I was stuck as a blank flank for years. I still haven’t even gotten my cutie mark. Whenever I thought of the good times, I kept remembering all the times we hung out. I even remember the time you saved me from the Diamond Dogs!” Sweetie took a deep breath as tears began to flow down her cheeks. Spike rubbed his head to hers, trying to calm her down.         “Hey, it’s ok,” he said. “I’m here now.” Sweetie Belle returned the affection.         “I really missed you,” she said.         “I missed you too,” Spike replied.         Unknown to them, Snips and Snails had not gone far, and were watching them from behind the shrubs.         “This stinks,” Snails said.         “Sorry,” Snips replied.         “Not you, them!” Snails exclaimed.         “What’s wrong with them?” Snips asked, still confused.         “If they fall in love, our trio is a duo! we can’t let them fall in love.” As they were about to rush out, they fell down a hole. “Who put this here?”         “Oops, sorry,” a voice said.         “Wrong place,” another commented. Snails walked out of the hole and pulled Snips out as Spike and Sweetie were already out of sight.         Darn it!” Snails yelled.         Spike and Sweetie Belle were walking by a waterfall as the sun began to set behind them. The water was clear, allowing them a good view of the bottom of the river where many of the fish were swimming. They walked through the waterfall to a nearby clearing, stopping to rest and get a drink.         “She actually came to find me,” Spike thought. “I really want to tell her about my life here. But if I do that, she’ll want to know why I ran away in the first place. If I tell her about my dad, she’ll turn away from me and call me a murderer like so many others.”         “What is he hiding?” Sweetie wondered. “I know he wants to stay here, but he needs to head back for Ponyville or Canterlot and help retake the kingdom. I know he could be a great king.” Spike walked off as Sweetie Belle tried to figure out what he was doing until he swung over her and splashed into the water. Sweetie looked around, thinking her friend had drowned before he popped up and brought her into the water as well. Sweetie popped up out of the water, gasping for air as she swam to shore, Spike getting out right next to her.         Before Spike could do anything, Sweetie Belle smirked and shoved Spike back down into the water and ran off. Spike got out and ran after her, the two of them enjoying the fun like they did when they were foals. The sun had just set as they ran into another part of the woods. As they were nearing a hill, Sweetie Belle fell backwards with Spike going with her.         When they reached the bottom, Spike ended up pinning Sweetie Belle for the first time, as she always did to him. As they were laughing, Sweetie Belle rose her head and kissed Spike on the cheek, causing Spike to look at the mare below him. The two smiled and they laid down and watched the stars sparkle in the night sky, rubbing cheeks every so often, enjoying the feeling of being together.         Snips and Snails watched on as the two laid there with smiles on their faces.         “I can’t believe it,” Snips said. “All those times we shared with Spike will be long gone soon.”         “Our Hakuna Matata will be no more,” Snails added.         “In short, our pal is doomed,” they both said together before bursting out in tears.