The Princess of the sun sighed. As much as she wanted to keep Spike's secrets a secret, there was no way she could ignore the recent events or let him go unnoticed by law.
“There's a confession I need to make,” she began. The sentence itself was enough to draw the attention of all “Spike came to me after he left Ponyville.”
As expected, there were collective looks of question and a couple of gasps.
“Why didn't you tell us?!” Rainbow shouted.
“Because he wanted you to stay away from him, and the conversation we had was not to be shared .”
“You do realize this would've saved us time, right? Or at least we would've been less worried about him! It could've saved Twilight the horrendous trip to that volcano!” Rarity scolded.
“I'm afraid not,” the princess' tone was still firm “Even though Spike talked about his intentions, not even I knew where he was going.”
Spike took a step forward “It's not her fault, Rarity. None of what we discussed could've helped you to find me, I wanted to be alone at that time.”
“Then what exactly did you 'discuss' hmmm?” Rarity scowled.
“I...” Spike turned to look at Celestia, who shrugged in response. It was completely up to him “I'd rather keep it personal...”
The room went silent for a moment, then Twilight tapped Spike's back “It's okay if you don't want to tell us, if it makes you feel uncomfortable you should leave it that way.”
“What? Do you really think that way, Twilight?” still not satisfied, Rarity insisted “Then what would the point of this meeting be? Spike, please, you simply must tell us the details of everything! How will we know what we did wrong? We're friends!”
“Alright, first of all, calm down,” Spike commanded “As I explained to Twilight before, none of you did anything wrong. At least... It wasn't your fault I felt that way...”
“What way?” Rarity pressed.
To maintain calm, Fluttershy interrupted “Rarity stop! This is not an interrogation. You wouldn't want me to say all of those embarrassing things you've told me about in the spa, would you?”
Was that an extortion? And why did she have to use the word embarrassing? Ugh... Fine “N-no, I get what you mean.”
Celestia cleared her throat “Shall I continue?” everyone mhmm'd and nodded “Aside from that little fact, I feel sorry for whatever obstacles you've encountered lately, Princess Twilight. I expect to hear a detailed narration later.”
“We all do,” Applejack added.
“As for Spike...” she hesitated “Let's listen to him first.”
Well, time for the ride “Before I begin, I'd like to tell you all that I'll never leave again, and you will always be in my mind before I make an important decision. With friends like you, not a place in Equestria is better.”
Everypony smiled, truth hidden or not, those genuine words would make it easier to take.
“You see... It all began after the zap apple harvest. I had never felt more useless.”
Twilight was tempted to say it wasn't true and name a list of reasons why Spike was useful. The thought was quickly dismissed, this was not the point of the reunion.
“And not the kind of uselessness I felt back at the Crystal Empire during the Equestria games. This was about my future, you were all moving on with your lives, looking up to an amazing tomorrow. While I was still a dragon hatchling, one who would stay a hatchling for who knows how many years more,” Spike could feel himself tense “And in the eyes of everypony, I would never be more than a baby,” he looked at Rarity “To someponies more than others...”
There was a short, but awkward pause. Even though he didn't mention Rarity, and he wasn't speaking only of her, they all knew she was the emphasis.
“Even if I fixed that,” Spike kept going “There was still a major problem, the one which made me leave: What was I supposed to do for myself? Was it my destiny to stay here reshelving books and helping with whatever I could? I didn't like where my life was going and I no longer felt comfortable working as I did.” For a moment, Fluttershy, Celestia and Rarity forgot what he did. Taking it from his perspective, stealing seemed very little keeping in mind his everyday struggles.
“After I spoke with the Princess, I was struck by a revelation: It didn't matter what I would do, but where I would be. Yes, I'm a dragon and maybe I'll face difficulties nopony in their life would; but this is still my home...” He looked at the group one by one as he said the following, “Forget about the dragon migration, forget about where other dragons live. My family is in Ponyville. You are my family.”
“Awwwww” Pinkie lept over the table and wrapped Spike in a tight hug.
Rainbow almost shed a tear, almost. Applejack could hear her sniff to calm down and 'keep her cool'.
All the others smiled.
After thirty seconds, Spike poked Pinkie's shoulder “Ummmm, Pinkie...”
“Heehee, right.” she let Spike go and returned to her seat.
“After I left Canterlot I made two friends in a place not far from here. They took me in, fed me and gave me a place to sleep,” Spike said. The memories warming his heart “And they also gave me the strength I needed to return.”
There was another moment of silence, in which the ponies expected Spike to explain the other details of his travel, like why he got bigger or where did he get the 'presents'. Spike took that moment to mentally repeat his carefully engineered explanation.
“You see... There's a place not far from here, where a lot of nice ponies live. It's kind of like Ponyville, but smaller, surprisingly. The thing is, most of those ponies welcomed me after a few days there. It reminded me of how you've taken me in. Sure, sometimes I was left out and missed a lot of things but at least I know the reasons. Many times I acted too childish; Others you would only need the elements of harmony, and so on.
I can't blame any of you, really. Not like you meant any harm.” Spike paused for a moment. Staring at the center of the table. Then he shook his head “Getting out of track here. The point is that after I was reminded of that warmness of home, something sparked inside of me. I can't describe it but it felt strange. I started to grow each day after that. It was either that 'spark' or my dragon metabolism, but whatever the case I stopped at this size.”
Celestia, Rarity and Fluttershy totally knew he stole some things, but that didn't mean what he was saying was a lie. After all, he didn't enter a rampage, and there was no way he could've fed his greed on his way back to Ponyville... Right?
Even if that part of his story was true, which was to be doubted, Spike wouldn't be able to deny what the guards reported.
“I made a few new friends back there, with whom I worked, and even though I wasn't paid, I did get these presents for you.” He raised a claw, adding a quick clarification “Yes! I know this doesn't make up for anything but I still wanted to do something nice.”
“Awwww, that's mighty nice of you, Spike!”
“I'm just glad you finally came back to never leave.” Twilight leaned to hug him.
“What about the new friends you made?” Fluttershy asked.
“Oh, I'm totally getting back there to say hi, but later. Right now, my time's with you.”
As if rehearsed, the ponies stood one by one and soon they were all wrapped in a group hug.
It lasted long enough to share some words, yet nothing that wasn't said before.
Shortly after, Twilight invited her friends to stay for a while and eat.
While having their meal, Rarity excused herself and cleared her throat to call Celestia, who followed her to a corridor.
“What are we going to do, Princess?! We can't just ruin this perfect reunion! Just imagine how devastated Twilight would be!”
“I agree this is not the time to interrogate, much less arrest Spike. But I can't let his crimes slip by either.”
“No no no, of course there should be... regulations... Just, not now.”
The princess shook her head “Rarity, I trust your judgment, and so; I'll let you take over this matter.”
“What?! Are you leaving already?”
“My sister is not used to daytime work. I don't know how much longer she'll be able to keep up with both shifts. While she was gone, I could sleep at night, but she can't allow herself to sleep during the day, which is a challenging task.
Also, I trust Twilight to make the right decision, she'll be the one to determine Spike's penance.”
“B-but still! Twilight doesn't know anything about it!”
“Which is why I'm counting on you to tell her when the time is right.”
Rarity bit her lip. What was the right approach to something like this? Even if she knew, her princess friend would be devastated; Twilight would have to punish Spike, right after what could be the happiest reunion in her life. And maybe that wasn't the hardest part, as the authority she was, Spike would only have to pay back or return the 'gifts'. No, the hardest part would be to let her know Spike had lied, stolen, and didn't say any word about it. That would break Twilight.
“I don't know if I can do this, Princess...”
Celestia approached Rarity and embraced her with a hoof “I'm sure you'll find the best way.” she broke the hug and turned to return to the dining room “Oh, and, as a little advise: I think an accused should always know that a trial is coming..:”
“Yes... I better speak with Spike first...”
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After chat was dying down, Celestia decided to leave along with Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Fluttershy. The latter asked Rarity about how the 'problem' would be handled, to which the answer was 'I'll take care of it'.
Good-bye's and waves later, Spike and Twilight began to clean up the room and kitchen, leaving Rarity petrified in her chair. Spike noticed she was the only one left and approached.
“Uh... Rarity? Everything alright?”
She looked around, Twilight was still there, picking up dishes.
“C-can we talk in private for a minute, S-Spike?” Rarity was practically shaking and her voice emanated shame or worry. Probably both.
Spike was taken back What is this about? he thought. A love confession?! Nah, he was getting his hopes too high. An apology like the one Twilight gave him for not treating him like she should have? Probably. Whatever the case, it would surely be awkward.
“Sure,” he nodded and stepped back to let Rarity stand, then they made their way to the main hall. Twilight followed them with her eyes until they were out of sight.
“So, uhm, what is it?” Spike asked.
Rarity sighed “It's hard for me to say this but...” she left her mouth opened for about five seconds “Could we get a closed place to talk?” The hallways echoed. Even though Rarity knew Twilight would respect their privacy, some things could be overheard. That was the reason... But Spike took it in another way.
Oh my oh my oh my “You mean,” he paused for a moment “You mean like a room?”
“Yes, a room would be perfect,” she agreed.
“Oh! We could go to my room, this way,” Spike turned around and his eyes widened, nervousness building up inside him Is she actually thinking what I think she is?
When they arrived, Rarity was the one to shut the door closed, and at the sound, Spike froze. Rarity allowed herself to sit on the bed.
“Darling,” the unicorn of his dreams began “First of all, I want you to know that during the days you were gone, I wondered if this ordeal of yours was because of my fault and, well, it was in part, but you've already said we should not worry about it,” she made a quick gesture to invite Spike to sit as well, which he did immediately “What I'm trying to say is, I'll try not to treat you as a helpless baby dragon like I used to. Even though a part of me still thinks of you as an adorable, little, trustful friend despite how you look on the outside,” Yeah, I think that was a subtle hint. “That said, I also want to remind you of that day when I almost turned Ponyville into a mountain of gold with the help of that strange book. I told you that you should never be afraid of telling me the truth. No matter how hurtful it is.”
“I remember, Rarity, believe me.” Where is she going with this?
“So... Is there anything you'd like to tell me?” she asked with a smile.
This... This is definitely it, she's giving me a chance! “Well, nothing you didn't know already.”
Rarity inclined her head to her side slightly “What do you mean, Spike?”
“If there'd be anything I'd like to tell you right now, is that I love you.”
Her pupils shrank, and she could feel her heart do the same Oh no... This was bad. Not only had Spike misunderstood her, he was making a move on her! It wasn't really his fault. After all, she asked him to talk in private... In a room... She closed the door... Sat on his bed... Yeah, totally not his fault. The question of 'what am I going to do?!' remained though. Having stayed still and silent for a relatively long moment, she noticed Spike began to lean forward.
He was bigger than the average pony; looked stronger and in a way, handsome; seemed confident of his actions. Yet all of that did not take away the innocent and playful kid Rarity was used to. This was not the time for a kiss, much less right now that Rarity did not see him as an option or mature couple she could settle down with.
Her thoughts were too slow. She didn't have time to clear her mind to make the right choice. In an instant, she felt Spike's lips locked with hers. Spike had his eyes opened, staring directly at her. Rarity was staring back and couldn't move. The look in his eyes had both the innocent Spike who would do anything for her without question and the decided, firm dragon he had turned into after his quest.
As inappropriate as the action was, Rarity had to admit herself that she liked the kiss. It's tenderness and sincerity was greater than any other given to her in previous dates.
When Spike broke contact, he waited for the mare to say something. She stammered a while before saying an actual sentence “I... tha... it... I-I didn't m-mean that!”
“Really? Then, what did you mean?” he asked with an incredulous, somewhat mocking tone.
“Spike, really, I'm sorry I gave you the wrong impression with this informal meeting but this was not my intention in any way!”
The dragon drew back a little, confused. Well, I should've expected this.
Rarity sighed and shook her head “Spike, I don't want you to think I'm ignoring what you feel but this is not the time.”
“Then what is?!” Spike claimed “It was never a good time. Not even when we were falling to our death!”
He had a point. He didn't know what Rarity meant but he had a point.
“You're right, Spike,” she stood up from the bed “I never gave you a chance to prove your worth and I completely understand that you took the opportunity to do so.”
“But?”
“But... I meant the other things you keep to yourself.”
“Like what?” What does she mean? It's almost as if she's talking about... He felt a penchant in his gut NO... It can't be that. How would she know?!
Rarity stood in front of Spike “Look at me, Spike. Tell me with all honesty, are those gifts you gave us stolen?”
That was pretty straightforward, oh Celestia was that pretty straightforward. Silence filled the place with no promise of leaving.
“Yes,” Spike said in defeat. There was no point in hiding it from her any longer. How did she found out and how much did she know, was a matter for later. Spike's eyes watered but not a tear slipped “It-it was the only way! It was the way I knew I could grow so none of you would treat me like a kid anymore!” Rarity wanted to complaint, but he kept going “You want to know the funny part? It worked. Turns out it was the way.”
“Stop that nonsense! What do you mean by 'it worked'? I bet there was another simpler, nicer way!”
“Would you have kissed me in my previous form? Huh?! Would've you allowed a baby, little dragon as small as your sister to kiss you in the lips?”
No. That was the instantaneous answer that popped up. At the realization, she took a step back. Had he been the Spike she'd always known, Rarity would've stopped him without a second thought.
“I never thought of that...” Rarity admitted.
“See? Listen, I said it before in the reunion with the other girls. You are my family and I'm really sorry for what I did. Still, it was my only choice,” he rested a claw on Rarity's shoulder “I know you're upset, you have a reason to be. But as you can see from my point of view, it was to make things better,” he sighed “Can you forgive me?”
Rarity raised her head, gazing at him “I forgive you, Spike.” he smiled and gave a thankful nod “But I still can't pretend like nothing happened.”
“What?” he withdrew his claw “What are you trying to say?” he got worried.
“What I'm saying is I understand why you did what you did. And I think it is not a valid excuse. Taking belongings from other ponies just to benefit yourself isn't right! You should know better than being selfish after all that you've learned!”
Spike put his claws together and swallowed as Rarity resumed her lecture “You have a good heart and meant no harm, yet there's an alternate option to every situation,” she opened the bedroom's door with her magic “I love to give other ponies as much as I can, whether they need it or not. To take things away from them is horrendous. I can't allow myself to see it happening right in front of me and do nothing! Even more when it's being done by one of those I love,” she began to sob, and then the sobbing became crying “I'm sorry too, S-Spike, I-I can't keep quiet about this. We're going to return the items... And I'll have to speak with Twilight.”
Before she could leave, Spike threw himself at the floor, crawling to her hooves. He kneeled and crossed his claws “Please, Rarity don't do this! I know it was wrong and I promise, I promise I'll make it right!” By now, he was crying too “You can't tell the others about it! What will they think about me?! How will I ever make it up to Twilight?!”
Rarity's tears wore off her makeup as she struggled to remain collected. It broke her heart to see Spike like that. And he was right about the fact that the others might think wrong of him. They shared the intense feeling of sadness; one for regret, and one for duty. Hard as it is, Rarity was a bearer of the elements of harmony.
“Please... Forgive me too.” Rarity galloped as fast as she could out of the castle, leaving a trail of tears in her wake.
Spike lay on the floor, scratching it's surface with force. When he could no longer hear Rarity's hooves, he screamed. It was loudest and most sorrowful scream he had ever cried. A scream of fear for the near future which echoed in every corner of the castle.
What hours ago was the happiest day of his life, was now the darkest moment of it.
Twilight rushed to Spike's room and witnessed the tragic scene. She quickly leaned and wrapped him with her hooves, asking what had happened and saying everything would be alright.
Little did she know, Spike was afraid of her. Of how she would see him after the truth was reveled. Soon, his family would be no more.