With Fluttershy
Well, here we are. Everything is back to the way it’s supposed to be. Everypony is happy and healthy, but not every dragon. Two days since he was last walking on hooves instead of stubby little paws. Ever since he was transformed back into his original dragon self, he felt small and trapped. There isn't much that he can do now other than wait for something good to happen.
He choked back the flames rising in his throat until they exploded from his mouth. “Ugh, it's like heartburn every time. Twilight, you have a letter!
“I do? From who?” she shouted from downstairs.
“I don't know, it's dark up here!” Spike yelled back.
“Hold on, here I come!” Spike sat in his basket, listening to her hoofsteps clopping on the hardwood floors.
“Don't open the curtains, Please don't open the--” she threw the curtains open letting in a flood of bright and sunny midday light. Spike threw his blanket over his head, mumbling swears.
“Spike? Where's the letter?” she looked around frantically.
“Here,” Spike groaned. She took the letter out of his claw. While she was reading Spike slowly came from under the covers. “Geez Celestia, why do you have to make the sun so bright?” he thought.
“Spike get ready to go,” Twilight said while rolling the letter up.
“Go where?” Spike asked.
“Canterlot, Princess Luna wants to speak with me.”
“Does she only want to talk to you?” Spike asked. Twilight stopped, unrolled the letter and re-read it aloud. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. I know that you have been having troubles with your personal life as of late. If you'd like to speak with me come to Canterlot as soon as you possibly can. Your fellow, Princess Luna.” she flipped it over to the back, nothing. “It doesn't say anything about you coming.”
“Really?” Spike said in false surprise.
“I know, it's odd. Well, I'd still like for you to come. You need to get out of the bed.”
“Can't I stay here this time?” Spike whined.
“Why? You usually complain if I don't take you with me,” Twilight questioned.
“I just don't want to go, especially if you're going to barge talking to Luna about girly stuff, like dreams, and feelings, and--”
“Okay Spike I get it,” Twilight giggled. “Stay out of trouble,” she kissed his cheek.
As she went back downstairs he sighed in relief having dodged one heck of a bullet. He didn’t want to go to Canterlot with her because he needed Time away from her. He was still broken up about her changing him back into a dragon without considering his feelings in the matter. He even questioned if she loved him as a brother, friend, or coltfriend. Either way, her being gone gave him all the room he needed to think.
“Spike!” Twilight shouted.
“Oh son of a--”
“I ran into Fluttershy on my way to the train station. She said she'll keep you company until I get back.”
“No, no, no. The opposite, alone quiet and peace,” he said to himself. After the door closed there was a clogging silence coming from downstairs. He wanted to go and see if she was gone, but he hesitated. He wasn’t sure of what to do. Everything was always so straightforward with Twilight: write, cook and clean, occasionally keep her from suffering a mental breakdown. Now he just, just… He doesn’t know what he wants, he wants everything to go back to normal. Before she changed him, before they “dated” in secrecy, before he came out and revealed “Flaming Quill”.
Now nothing will be the same again, and it all started with just one act of curiosity. “I want to disappear…” he said quietly. He pulled his blanket back over his head and before he knew it, he was sound asleep.
The train came screeching and squealing into the station. Twilight was escorted off by pegasi guards--not of her own choice--and headed for the castle high over the city. All the while endlessly pondering over why Luna would want to talk to her. The letter said that she had “troubles” with her personal life. Other than Spike being mad at her everything else was okay, or maybe--
“Hello Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Luna formally greeted.
“Hello Princess Luna,” Twilight returned the gesture. “Why did you want me to come here?”
“I want to have a word with you about your recent events involving Spike.” Twilight’s heart stopped, her breath became heavy, and her legs stiffened. She chose her words carefully.
“What would you like to know?” she shaking asked.
“Do you believe that you are doing what is right for him?” Luna asked.
“Wait, what?” Twilight asked, expecting to be reprimanded to the fullest.
“Do you think the choices you've made for him recently are beneficial for him?”
“I… I don't understand…”
“Come, we need to speak in privacy,” Luna softly ordered.
Spike found himself in his little basket in the library where he had fallen asleep. That dream felt real, too real. He questioned if it actually happened or would happen. Then his stomach growled. “Right, I didn't have breakfast…” he mumbled to himself.
As he left his bed the weight of his mind held him back. He wasn't used to this kind of mental girth, everything had always been simple, he liked simple. Complication felt like the weight of a train pushing on his brain. But there was nothing he could think of to release some of the pressure. The more he thought, the more his head hurt. “What the?” he felt something silky and soft in between his paws. Hair, light pink hair.
Fluttershy lay sleep on one of Twilight’s old bedsheets. He stood there watching her one word crossing through his clouded mind: Peace. He couldn't stand how even when keeping up with being an element of harmony, and being the caregiver for dozens of animals, she could sleep so easy and peacefully. How she could be so bashful and shy, yet still be one of the strongest mares in Equestria.
Watching her sleep strangely put him at ease. He went back upstairs and took his favorite blanket from his basket. He draped it over her looking on her with a small smile. “Sleep well Fluttershy…” he whispered. Maybe it was his imagination, or live fantasy. But he could have sworn he saw a smile.
“So you know everything then…” Twilight sighed. She was in Luna’s Chambers in the sister towers of Canterlot Castle.
“Only from what I've seen in you and Spike’s dreams, and from what you told me,” Luna replied.
“Princess I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to--”
“Twilight, you needn't apologize. I cannot interfere with what you do as a princess. I can only persuade you in certain situations.”
“So, I'm not in trouble?”
“Well, yes… but not with any authority.” She shifted in her seat. “How deep does your love for Spike go?”
Twilight didn't answer immediately. Luna was right without even having to make a statement. She loved him as a coltfriend for a short time--when he was a pony of course--but now she loved him as a close friend nothing more or less.
“It's alright Twilight Sparkle, your silence says all…”
“How do I tell him?” Twilight sighed.
“I do not know, I never had to turn away suitors. That would be my sister's knowledge. But what I can tell you is to always be wary of how your actions affect the Ponies around you.”
“Thank you Princess Luna…” Twilight hung her head low.
“Come, let's go get some lunch. I don’t think you're ready to face him,” Luna said sympathetically.
“Thank you princess…”
Spike sat next to Fluttershy crunching on his bowl of lapis and turquoise as quiet as he could while reading the latest edition of Power Ponies. This was the one he was waiting for. Somehow two doctors--Hoofstader and Coopter--have created a robot meant to rid the world of crime, making the Power Ponies obsolete. But they quickly lose control of their creation, and now it is on a quest for the extinction of the world.
“So cool,” Spike giggled as he turned a page. As he read on, engrossed in his comic, Fluttershy began to stir behind him. She lethargically lifted her head. She looked around and saw Spike sitting next to her with his face buried in a book.
“I guess he shares Twilight’s enthusiasm for reading,” she thought. He definitely was deep in the book, metaphorically and physically. She looked around the library, searching for a clock. One across the room reflected the bright afternoon light on the floor below it.
“What?!” Spike shouted. Fluttershy jumped high enough to touch the ceiling. “No, no, no, no, no!” Spike shouted louder. “How could they do that to Fili Second?” Spike was so caught up in his disbelief that he didn't notice Fluttershy wasn't next to him anymore. “Fluttershy?” he lifted the blanket he gave her. “Fluttershy?” he called again.
“O-Over here Spike.” Spike heard her but saw only a pile of books that had fallen from their shelf.
“Fluttershy?” he asked, taking on a skeptical tone. Then the pile started to move and shuffle until Fluttershy popped her head out. “Oh no, here. I'll get you out,”Spike rushed over to her. He dug furiously at the pile, tossing book left and right. He kept his pace until his claw landed on something warm, soft, and furry. “Good, I've almost got you out.”
He started to pull and yank at her, causing her to squirm and squeal. He didn’t think much about her noises until he looked up and saw that she was blushing furiously. He stopped, looked down at her half exposed hoof, then back to her. “Uh, Fluttershy… What was I touching?”
“My thigh…”
“What part of your thigh exactly…?” Fluttershy said nothing but her silence was all he needed to hear. “Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!”
“Spike, it's okay…” she said shakily.
“I basically violated you!” he sounded more worried with every word.
“Spike…”
“What if Twilight finds out?” he started to bite his claws nervously.
“Spike, please calm down,” she said soothingly. “You didn't mean to touch me *ahem* there. And if Twilight finds out I'll tell her myself what happened.”
“Really? Thank you Fluttershy,” Spike sighed in relief. He continued to remove her from the pile, being a little more mindful of what he grabbed. “I'm not trying to sound rude or anything, but. Why are you here?”
“I was in the market buying some carrots for angel when I saw her walking by with some saddlebags. A short conversation later, I'm here babysitting, or dragonsitting.”
That's right, before she left she said Fluttershy was there to “watch” over him until she came back. “So you're supposed to be watching over me then…”
“Well yeah. That's what Twilight asked for me to do.” She was finally out from under the books. “I-Is that a problem?”
“No, no, not at all,” Spike sarcastically scoffed. “I am totally not old nor responsible enough to take care of myself,” his voice rose in anger and intensity. “She used to ask owlowiscious to watch me! I'm a dragon, why do I need an owl to watch over me?!”
“Oh dear…” Fluttershy said quietly.
“It's no big deal, I like to have company every once in a while,” he said in a more collected tone.
“I've been wondering, how old are you?”
“I'll be eighteen my next birthday.”
“Wait, you're seventeen?” Fluttershy’s surprise shone through in full.
“Yeah… Why is that such a surprise?”
“It's just… you're so small and, young. I thought you were at least twelve.”
“You aren't the only one,” Spike sighed. “I'm a baby dragon. A baby dragon. Dragon's don't age like Ponies do. The reason why I'm so small is because compared to other dragons, yes I'm a little kid, but I'm old enough in pony years to live on my own.”
“Wow, I never knew,” Fluttershy gasped in amazement. “No wonder why you haven't grown, except for that one time you got greedy.”
“Yup…”
“And why you weren't a colt when Twilight changed you into a pony.”
“What do you mean? Spike asked, intrigued.
“I don't know how magic works, but if you change somepony into something different it shouldn't change their age, right?”
Spike scratched his head while the gears of conjugation began to turn in his head. He thought about how he was bigger than Twilight, and how he went through puberty in the time it took for him to transform. “I guess you're right,” he said with a smile. “Wow Fluttershy, I didn't know you were that smart.”
“Thank you I--” she stopped realizing how much shade Spike just threw. “Did you just call me dumb?” she asked timidly.
“Huh, wait. Nonononono, I didn't mean it like that! I just, I'm never around you a lot. So I don't get to see how smart you really are,” he finished with a hopeful smile.
“Nice save Spike. I know that you didn't mean it,” she said.
“Thank you Fluttershy.” Just then Twilight came in with a heavy rush of air. “Spike, we need to talk…”