All good things come to an end.
In this case, it was the picnic. The gang didn’t bring anything to sleep in so it was only sensible that they all parted and went back home to get some rest.
Of course, Spike was eager to help Rarity pack up her things. His skills that he had gained from being Twilight’s former assistant still had some use it seemed. Once this was done, farewells were said and everyone went their separate ways.
The exception was Rarity and Spike, as Spike wanted to escort her home. Naturally, she welcomed this.
Rarity held her things aloft in the air by using her magic, walking gracefully. Spike walked alongside her casually, giving her a glance now and then so he could gaze upon her features that he adored so much.
As they re-entered Ponyville, they could see that the street lamps and pony’s rooms had been lightened up, giving the whole town a nice glow. To Spike, it seemed a bit romantic as the odd firefly could be seen darting about.
“Thanks again for the good time Rarity.” Spike said, looking at his companion.
“I keep telling you Spike, it’s no problem at all. Let me tell you, making food is far less stressful than meeting a deadline for dresses.” Rarity replied, her concentration on her magic still strong.
“So, what are you doing tomorrow then?” Spike asked, in order to prevent any silence from occurring.
“I’m rather busy actually. Work you see. So I won’t be out much.” The unicorn stated.
“Well er, do you need any help?” Spike fiddled with his claws absent-mindedly.
“I’d rather remain undisturbed, if that’s alright.” Rarity said firmly.
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure Spike. Honestly, you’re acting like Sweetie Belle.” Rarity smirked, using her answer to change the topic of conversation, “I couldn’t imagine you as a sibling. If I could be related to a dragon anyway. No, you’re my best friend. Always and forever.” Rarity smiled sweetly at Spike, then looked on ahead.
Her last two sentences stung Spike. Friend-zoned once more. Seems some things never changed. Still, he was used to this so he kept his cool.
“Heh, agreed.” He said simply.
Soon after this, Rarity stopped in her tracks; her Boutique was just in sight. The lights were off (Sweetie Belle was at her parents’ house), covering it in darkness but Rarity knew its surroundings well.
She turned to Spike, “I can walk myself the rest of the way now. Thank you for walking with me Spike and thanks for coming to the picnic. Have a good night.”
“Was my pleasure Rarity. Sleep well and good luck with your work!” Once Spike said this, Rarity smiled, nodded at Spike and took her leave. Spike stood there, watching her go until she vanished into the darkness.
Spike sighed to himself and headed to the library. Even in this world, it was apparent that he couldn’t gain Rarity’s love in a way that wasn’t platonic.
He had gained a thick skin though from the repeated friend-zoning, so he didn’t drown in self-pity for long. Besides, things could still change.
As he walked, Twilight finally entered his mind. He began to feel a little bad for abandoning her; it was dark now and she was just a filly. On the other hand, she was Twilight and probably wouldn’t mind too much.
A couple of other ponies were still awake and about enjoying the calm that the night had created. It was odd. Ever since Princess Luna returned, the night seemed more inviting and warm. Perhaps this way maybe because since she came back, the moon shone brighter than usual. It did seem to illuminate Equestria lightly, these days.
Spike could see two mares sitting together on a bench, situated right under a lit lamp post. He knew the two, Lyra and Bon Bon, but didn’t talk to them much. It seemed that the two were both enjoying sugary delights. To this day, Spike couldn’t tell if the two were romantically involved or just good friends. He wouldn’t poke in their business just to find out though.
Continuing on, Spike thought that now was the perfect time to test his fire breathing capabilities. When he was smaller, he barely could control his fire. The only time he was able to was when sending letters. If he wanted to burn things, the flame usually was weak. The exception was when he burped or sneezed.
He prepared himself, breathing through his nostrils. He felt his gut starting to warm up, which was a good sign that fire was about to erupt from his mouth. He then inhaled through his mouth and exhaled powerfully, forcing flames to spew forth from his maw. The flame was a bright green and was powerful and controlled.
He stopped fire breathing and grinned to himself, his gut now returning to a normal temperature. He now had full control over a dangerous element: fire. Not just fire really. Magical fire. Dragon’s fire. Things just kept getting better and better.
It was assuring to know that if a vicious monster attacked Ponyville, Spike could help fight it off with his flames. On the other hand, he was still grounded and this limited his manoeuvrability somewhat.
Upon reaching the library, Spike could see the light in the main room was still on. Perhaps Twilight was still reading. It wouldn’t surprise him if she was. She seemed to be the same in this world, apart from being a filly of course.
Just in case she wasn’t though, he slowly opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. He peered about the room, which was absent of the filly. His eyes soon turned their attention to the darkened bedroom though and Spike figured that Twilight had gone to bed.
He crept up the stairs in an attempt to not wake Twilight up. He snuck around the beds, using his improved talents to light the bedroom candle. He grinned again once he did this; it was cool to able to do that at complete will now.
He headed back downstairs in order to snuff out those lights, which he did easily by pinching the flame. He would’ve then brushed his teeth but he was too lazy for that. He’d just brush them extra well in the morning to avoid a terrible dragon’s breath.
He was just about to get into bed when he heard rustling near to him. He turned around sharply, seeing Twilight turn around to face him and open her eyes. He hadn’t noticed until now but he cheeks looked wet and her eyes were watery.
Had she been crying? He certainly hoped not. Twilight was a strong, independent pony. Seeing her cry was a rare occurrence and each time she did, it unsettled Spike deeply.
“Spike?” she groaned, clearly still tired.
“Twilight, have-“he paused, finding it hard to say the words, “have you been crying?”
She only replied flatly with another question, “Where were you?”
“Uh, I was having a picnic with my friends.” He replied, a little confused, “Why do you ask?”
“You’re always back to put me to bed.” She replied bluntly, hiding her face under the covers so only her eyes were visible.
“I am?” Spike pondered. He then gulped, realising what he had said. This world was different and he was expected to do different things. “Yes! I am. Sorry...just tired.” He mumbled, trying to cover up his mistake.
He knelt down next to Twilight’s bed, “I’m so sorry to make you this upset Twilight. Really, I am.”
He could hear Twilight sigh and see her fidget under the bed sheets. “It’s more than that.” She admitted.
Spike blinked. What else could’ve happened to her today? He felt bad when he saw the evidence of her tears but now he felt awful.
“Tell me, please.” He pleaded, trying his best to give her a reassuring smile.
“I’m...I’m...” she tried her best to prevent another wave of tears, “I’m useless. A failure!” she shouted her last sentence, before breaking down into sobs.
“No no no no no! You’re not!” Spike said quickly, desperately trying to think of ways to cheer his best friend up.
“I am! I’m a unicorn and can’t do magic...not even my parents wanted me.” The last sentence hit Spike like a ton of bricks. She was an orphan and she couldn’t perform magic? How could this have happened?
Then the truth struck him even harder. It was he that did it. He and his wish had caused all this. If only he had known back then...
No, he couldn’t drown himself in self-pity. He needed to be strong for Twilight. She needed him now more than ever.
“Furthermore...” Twilight continued in between sobs, “Nopony wants to be my friend...they all think I’m...weird.”
So on top of all this, she had no friends but himself? This wish was quickly becoming a train wreck.
“That’s not true.” He lied. Truth be told, he had no idea what everypony thought of Twilight in this world. “And you’re not useless. Not to me.”
“I’m...not?” Twilight looked into Spike’s eyes. Spike looked back, trying his best not to break down either.
“No, do you know why?” Twilight shook her head softly in response. “Because you’re my friend.” The words that Rarity had said to him earlier seemed perfect for this occasion, “Always and forever.”
Without any words, Twilight leapt out of bed and hugged Spike. She buried her face in his chest and continued to cry. Spike readily returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around Twilight’s small body. In this form, she felt so small. So fragile. It was apparent that Spike had gained something else from his wish.
Greater responsibility. He now had to look after someone smaller than himself.
“Tomorrow, I’ll find you some new friends. Okay?” Spike could feel Twilight nod in response. “I’ll invite Fluttershy over.”
“Okay...” Twilight replied quietly, her sobs beginning to die down now.
Fluttershy was the kindest, most gentle, pony Spike knew and therefore she was the perfect start to strengthen and expand Twilight’s social circle.
“Can we just stay inside tomorrow?” Twilight asked, looking up at Spike. “I had to buy lunch myself...it...it wasn’t a good experience...”
“Sure, we can do that.” Spike avoided looking at Twilight but he kept hugging her protectively.
To further pile on the list of things that affected Twilight, she seemed to be afraid of the outside world? If it wasn’t staring him in the face before, it sure was now.
He had broken her.
What else had he ruined? If Twilight was an orphan, where was Shining Armor? Did he even exist? If that was the case, was there a royal wedding? Had he ruined Cadence’s love life forever?
All these questions floating about in Spike’s head made him tired; he had to sleep it over. However, one thing was very clear.
As long as he was in this world that he created, he’d have to fix Twilight first. It was the very least he could do for messing everything up. This would become his new goal in life. And with Celestia as his witness, he'd do his best to succeed. He had to. It was his responsibility now and he accepted it.
For the first time since waking up in this new world, he began to have inklings of doubt. He began to feel homesick. After all, he didn’t belong here did he? Everything looked the same but everything was also vastly different. The only remnant from the old world was himself and his thoughts. He had realised this now. This world wasn’t meant to be. It shouldn’t even exist!
The two enjoyed each other’s embrace for a while longer, and then Twilight broke it up and returned to her bed.
She seemed to have calmed down by now, looking about tiredly for Smarty Pants. Spike looked at the floor, seeing that the doll had fallen out of Twilight’s bed. He picked him up and handed him over to Twilight, who immediately cuddled the doll and let out a big yawn.
“I’m sorry Twilight.” Spike said, ready to look her in the eyes without fear of losing his composure.
“It’s fine Spike.” Twilight sniffed, pausing before continuing. “I just worried that...you forgot about me.”
“Twilight, I’d never forget about you. For as long as I live.” Spike saw an opportunity to lighten up the mood and seized it, “And we dragons live for ages.” He smirked at his joke. It wasn’t exceptionally funny but in this circumstance, it served it purpose; Twilight giggled softly and curled up in bed.
“Good night Spike.” Twilight said, closing her eyes with a light smile on her face.
“Night Twi’” Spike replied, climbing into his bed and getting himself comfortable under the covers.
He stared up at the ceiling in silence. So many thoughts now burdened his head – tonight would be a rough night indeed. He felt terrible for causing so much pain to Twilight, although he could never tell her that; she’d never believed him. Nopony would think that this world was created by a single dragon’s wish.
He thought of all his new responsibilities he had now. Twilight needed looking after and more importantly: love. This wasn’t something he could charge into recklessly either. This needed a soft, delicate touch. He’d also need a lot of help.
It was lucky that he had five best friends then. He’d introduce them to Twilight one at a time. He assumed that they had all met before but judging by Twilight’s state tonight, it was apparent they never talked much. It felt odd knowing that Twilight barely knew the five mares.
Upon thinking about it, it also felt odd that Twilight was a filly. She looked so vulnerable now. In the old world, Spike had a young body but his mind was very mature. This was probably due to dragon aging. Or so he thought anyway, he didn’t know much about dragons despite being one. Clearly the wish had tried to compensate for this and had made Twilight’s physical age the same as Spike’s was, without taking into account mental ages.
Well, that’s what he guessed anyway.
He turned over, looking at Twilight. It seemed that she had fallen asleep already. She was more worn out than Spike had thought. She deserved a break.
He rolled back to look up the ceiling again. He lay there, awake for a while but he couldn’t tell how long for. Tiredness gradually swept over him though and he eventually closed his eyes and began to sleep.
He hoped that he would have sweet dreams tonight; they would be a temporary respite for the nightmare he had created.