//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Small Scale 
// by Twinkletail 
//------------------------------//

It was quite late by the time everything had been taken care of, and Spike and the girls were tired. But it was all worth it in the end.

Moving a dragon's possessions from one cave to another, especially across such a distance, would have been nigh-impossible under normal circumstances. With the powers of an alicorn princess, though, it was far easier. They were all quite grateful for teleportation magic, but the task of moving all the furniture once it was actually in Celia's new cave was still enough to wear them out.

The dragon town in the mountains wasn't quite as far from Ponyville as Spike had thought. It was still quite a trip, but if he had tried to escape on his own and found his way out of the town, it would have likely only been about a half a day's journey back home. That is, if he chose the right direction to go. He was rather glad he didn't in the long run.

The town was set to choose a new shaman, one who would hopefully not be as corrupt as the previous one. Celia, however, was not around to see it. As it turned out, the cave that the ponies had chased that dragon from a while back was still unclaimed. Plus, it was rather close to Ponyville, making it the perfect new home for Celia. Visiting would be a cinch for Spike, and he vowed to do so as often as he could. And a dragon never broke his vow.

"Are you sure you're ready for bed?" Twilight asked as she opened the door to Spike's room. "I thought 8:00 was too early a bedtime for a mature young dragon like you."

"Normally it is," Spike agreed. "But I think we can both agree that I've had a tiring few days."

"You certainly have," Twilight said, waiting for him to climb into bed. "By the way, Cadence and Shining Armor say hi. And Flurry Heart really wanted to see you."

"She can't even talk yet," Spike said with a smirk, climbing into bed. "How would you know that?"

"Trust me, I know," Twilight said with a giggle. "And before you ask, yes, I did pick you up some of those delicious Crystal Empire gemstones you love so much. I'd give them to you now, but you know my policy about snacks in bed."

"I-I could get out of bed!" Spike offered quickly. A yawn was quick to fight that desire, though.

"They'll be there for you tomorrow," Twilight said with a smile. 

"Right..." Spike said. Then he sat up. "Oh! Uh, I have to make a wish to Bahamut before I sleep."

"A wish to Bahamut?" Twilight asked.

"It's a dragon tradition," Spike explained. Twilight giggled lightly.

"Go on, then," the alicorn said.

"I wish," Spike said. "That Celia will be happy and eventually have a whelp of her own."

"That's very noble of you, Spike," Twilight said with a smile. She leaned in and gave Spike a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Spike. I love you."

"I love you too," Spike said, before hesitating for a moment. "...Mom."

Twilight had started to walk out, but turned around at that. She stared at Spike in surprise, tilting her head.

"Was that too much?" Spike asked.

"Not at all," Twilight said, blinking back a few little tears.


~~~~~~~~~~


"So, whose turn is it to raise the sun tomorrow?"

Bahamut gave Celestia a little grin. The manner in which she'd asked was so cheeky, but that came as no surprise. That was exactly the Celestia that he'd known for centuries.

"Perhaps I shall, if you don't mind," Bahamut said. "It's been quite a while."