Me and Spike talked along the way, I asked him about the Changeling curse, telling me a little about it but also telling me that some of it was confidential and uncomfortable to talk about, so I switched the subjec to Granny. I already knew that her sister was the Bearer of Honesty, but not about her being old friends with a dragon. I laughed when he told me about the first time they met, she and her friends Apparently knocked him down on accident while carrying a wagon of books for Twilight, and was a little while before they talked again.
It was humerous to hear that she and her friends created a club to get their Cutie marks, and did everything to get them from animal rescuers, elderly assistants, party planners, bakers, and even journalist, driving the town completly nuts with their shenanigans, especially the last one, it got the whole town riled up.
Twenty minutes passed before we made it to the farm, seeing granny on her porch chair. She was aged but wasn't so old looking, she still kept her red hair though it was mostly pink now with only a few strands of grey standing out.
she took care of herself and suffered with few wrinkles, tired but still rambunctious as ever.
Spikes eyes widen upon seeing her, but softened at the sight of his old friend.
She fell asleep on her chair, obviously waiting for me, but wakened as we stepped on the porch.
She stiffled a groan as she stretched "About time young lady, you know how long i've been waiti..." Her attention turned to spike as her vision cleared.
He grinned, "oh Bloom, I bet you don't realize how much you sound like old Granny Smith ."
Granny was spechless, "S-spike? is that really you?"
Spike shrugged, "In the flesh, I bet we have lot to talk about Sofie."
She giggled, "Your probably the only one still kicking that still calls me by that name besides old Scoot, she and I are the only ones."
Spike faltered, "Sweetie? she?"
"Kicked the bucket twelve years ago, she was reckless, upon realising that she was at the end of her rope, she wen't to enjoy herself, sky diving, scuba and all that, it cost her, but it was a good way to go."
Spike's eyes darkened, "I'm sorry Sofie, I wished I had knowned, but I cut myself off after..."
She sighed, "That be alright Spike, but have you really been in that castle the entire time?"
Spike twiddled with his thumbs, "Well, kinda, somepony had to look after Twilights castle."
Granny sighed, then smirked, "I really am like Granny aren't I?"
Spike smiled, "Yeah, still, i'll always see that little curious filly that smashed into me no matter how much you change Bloom."
Granny chuckled before looking to me, "Alright, i'll scold you later missy, I mean to have business with an old friend."
I nodded respectfully as I walked inside the house.
Spike sat down on the porch step looking out to the setting sun waiting a minute before he released a sigh, "When did we stop being energetic goofballs that got into everything Bloom?" Spike could almost see Apple Jack bucking apples out on the farm, Twilight and the other girls helping her after she admits that she needed help, He wrote that letter among many others. It was seventy six years ago when he found all those letters again, putting it in a book title, 'The lessons of Harmony' A best seller, even on earth.
"Somepony had to be wise enough to watch the next generation, guess we were the luck of the draw right Dale."
Spike continued looking out at the horizon, watching the princess do her work, not as skilled as Celestia, but over all a spectacular Twilight. "Bloom, I'm Three hundred and twelve years old, i'm not even middle aged yet, so much more is ahead of me out there, how will I do it Bloom? go through that without you all, your the last i've got and I haul myself in a castle while you get old, thats how stupid I am."
"You can't help it Spike," Bloom eplained.
"Yeah, I know, I know, its in my nature, but that shouldn't been an excuss, i'm more like a pony than a dragon anyway, look at me" He motioned to himself, "I controlled my emotions through will and became virtually ageless, sure, my appearence changed and I gained a much bolder face, but i'm even less than a Dragon now than I was before, I should have stayed with the remainder of my family."
Bloom scoffed, "You will always be family to the apples, besides, you still have Astrid."
Spike snorted, "Astrid is broken, along ith the elements, I trust her, but my feelings toward her are very... contradictory."
Bloom shook her head, "It depends you you see yourself as, are you Dale?, or are you Spike?"
Spike looked at her straight in her golden and expirienced eyes, he was about to answer, then faltered as he sat back down in thought.
She laughed, "That question took me years to figure out," She stopped and smiled, "You want to join us for late Dinner?"
Spike frowned, "Eh, I don't know, I have thing to do."
"Well then, I guess you don't want Granny Smiths apple pie for dessert?" she mused.
Spikes eyes gleamed, "You learned her recipe?" Spikes mouth watered at the thought of the heavenly pie he so missed, the tantalizingly delicious pride of the Apple family thats taste were so good, it was banned from best pie contest due to it always giving the apples an automatic win, "Second thought, it be nice to meet your family, i'd love to hear the story of that girl, what did she say her name was?"
"You mean Clarity?"
spike snapped his fingers, "That's the one, yeah."
Bloom got out of her chair to stretch, "Its better if Fritter tells you."
"Your daughter?" Spike asked.
Bloom nodded.
Spike's smirk returned, "Did that come to you, or did you name her after family?"
Bloom pushed him playfully, "The other, apple family names are difficult you know, earth pony tradition and all."
They laughed for another moment relishing in each others company.
They went inside to join the others, spike introduced himself to Fritter, telling her stories of her mother and aunt, it was a moment to feel good in, Granny showed some of her old things after dinner, including pictures of her and her friends, her old CMC cape, and a couple of other things she held on to.
Spike reveled when he found his old Dragon service card that he made as a kid, explaining the events happening with Apple Jack and him fighting Timber wolves off together.
After the pie, Spike said his goodbyes and headed back to the castle, leaving us with a good feeling.
After I done the dishes, I caught Granny heading out to her porch chair.
I wiped the water from my hands as I followed her outside looking at the Starry night sky.
I marveled for a minute, looking at their soft twinkling lights that traveled over many light years away, as if our dimensions space was vast, now we have a whole other one to explore.
turned to granny, meaning to ask the question "I never knew you were apart of the Changeling Curse Granny?"
She nodded slowly, "Sure was missy, ponyville was dead center of it."
I frowned, "Wait, didn't the curse land in the Equiss valley? I always heard that they were aiming for Canterlot and that something happened to make them miss?"
Granny scoffed, "Those be lies missy, it was the most exspected thing for them to hit the capitol, but that wasn't what they were trying to get rid of."
I was about to ask when a thought accured to me, The Elements.
"Yep, queen chrysalis thought that eliminating the elements were more important than geting rid of the princesses."
I frowned, "So Jackie was right then."
Bloom looked up in shock and realization of her slip, "Don't you tell Jackie!" She bursted.
I reeled back from her.
She saw my reel and sighed, "Sorry about that dear, but that information be Confidential, I just slipped. Please don't tell this to Jackie, she be meddling with things she knows nothing about."
"Is it that bad?" I asked.
Granny sat on a chair, "It is, but even I don't know all the details, only that they didn't reappear."
I bit my lip, "But I thought you said?"
"I only have a little more info on it than anypony else." She said lifting her hooves to pull back her hair to reveal a scar, "You see this, this here isn't one your typical scars that you get from farmin accidents, this be one caused by spell castin."
I squinted, "How did you get it?"
She chuckled, "Magic, I just said." She shifted in the chair with the smile on her face "Years ago, can't remember the particular date, but, anyways, years ago, a mind reader unicorn came into town to settle, nice fella he was, but thething was, you couldn't keep a secret from him, he knew you like a book, it was his special talent. When I heard, I was mighty fearful of me bumping into him and finding my skeletons, so I planned on leaving town." She chuckled, "But my big brother wouldn't tolerate such an action. " Granny sighed sadly, "See, my own granny recently died, and Apple Jack dissapeared, it was just me and Macintosh left on the farm, and he coudn't bear for another family member to leave, so, we hired a Mage psychologist to suppress my targeted memories." Granny shivered, "It was not pretty either. I woke up the next day in Twilight's castle with Spike tending to my wounds along with somepony else, the Mind reader, Apperently one of Twilight's cousin who needed help from Spike." Her eyes glimmered, "His name was Dusk Shine."
My eyes widened, "As in Grandpa Dusk!"
She nodded happily, "Yep, thats how we met, and before Spike became a recluse." She giggled thinking of the times she spent with the pony who she had married and had foals with, "I was afraid then, I thought he would find out, but I didn't recollect what he would find out. He was very gentle treating me, he would talk, ask questions, I occasionally repied at first, but as I stayed there, he kind of grew on me. We talked more, exchanged stories and laughed together till he asked me out on our first date." Nostalgia crossed her face rememering the blundering and brilliant goofball whom she loved.
Minutes passed as a chill in the air brought her back down to earth, "Oh, well, you know the rest, you should get inside now and get to bed dear, you got Apple Bu- I mean, Apple picking you got to do in the morning.
I sighed, "Okay Granny." I hugged the old yellow pony, giving my goodnights to her.
I guess thats all she knows? maybe when I'm done tomorrow, I can do some investigating
I was relunctant to go to bed, but granny was right.
While she quieted my curiosity for now, I still had a millions of questions in my head, why did the whole thing in the library transpire.
On that note, I remembered that I left the book in the Castle, grumbling to myself, I decided that I was going to get it tomorrow.