“Spike, can we have a moment?” Spike instantly knew the tone of voice that Twilight had. Throughout his life, he saw Twilight play many different roles when it came to dealing with him. When she’s not ordering him around as the Boss, she’s being nice to him as the Friend. Though sometimes she becomes exceedingly nice to him, almost like a Big Sister.
However, there were times where she become stern with Spike. The Mom role. And Spike already knew what he’d be scolded about.
“Let me guess, you found out?” He asked.
“You’re right I found out!” Twilight barked out. Spike prepared himself. He knew this day would come the moment he saw the looks on his pseudo aunt and uncle, as well as their entire kingdom.
“Spare me the rant.” Spike began to walk away.
“A Changeling, Spike!?” Twilight said.
“Yeah? What about it? Aren’t you supposed to be the Princess of Friendship? Wouldn’t this be a brand new discovery for you?” Spike groaned.
“It’s just… They were…” Twilight struggled to speak.
“I know, I know. ‘Changelings are terrorists and hate anything that isn’t them’. But y’know, they’re not bad once you get to know them…” Spike said. Twilight blinked out in a flash of purple light, then appeared in front of Spike.
“Spike, this Changeling could be indoctrinating you! One minute you’ll be chatting over tea with him, the next, you’ll be razing the city to the ground while its denizens get the living daylights drained out of them! Or worse!” Twilight shouted. It was at this point that the two realized just how well the crystals inside the castle were able to reflect and echo sounds.
“So what? Griffons, Dragons, and even Zebras are cool, but Changelings aren’t?” Spike asked.
“N-no! That’s not what I mean… It’s just… You remember when the Changelings invaded Canterlot?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, funny you mentioned that…” Spike rolled his eyes. “That was the first thing I asked Kevin and he said that he had no involvement in the attack.”
“… Kevin?” Twilight asked. Spike then gasped.
“Yes! The Changeling has a name! Shock and horror!” Spike held his hands to his face with his jaw dropped.
“Knock it off, Spike!” Twilight said.
“No! You knock it off, Twilight!” Spike stomped his foot down and glared at Twilight. “I had to take this crap from Cadance and your brother! I’m not taking this crap from you neither!” With that, Spike tried to leave the room. Twilight bit her lip, then spoke out.
“I’m only wanting what is best for you!” She said. Spike stopped and scoffed.
“Like how you wanted what was best for Starlight when she met Trixie?” He said. Twilight twitched. That sentence was like a dagger into her heart. “Yeah, she told me about that incident. She forgave you, yeah, but it’s funny how you gave the douche who banished you and enslaved an entire town a pardon, yet Celestia forbid we befriend a single person because he just so happens to be related to the race that attacked Canterlot a few years back.”
“Spike… I’m just…” Twilight’s voice was reduced to a mumble. Her eyes frantically searched, not for anything in the room, but for anything wording that could make Spike understand.
“You know what your problem is, Twilight? You talk a big game about forgiveness and friendship, but when push comes to shove, you start acting like anyone who’s not even a little nice is your enemy! I’m pretty sure that if Sombra or Tirek want to redeem themselves, you’d reject them right out of the-” Spike got his cheek pounded so hard, his head spun to the left before it jerked back to face an upset Twilight. Her eyes widened as she backed away, holding up the hoof that slapped her closest friend.
“Spike… I…” Spike just shook his head.
“No… I’m sure I heard enough from you!” With that, Spike ran of the room and got out of the castle.
“Spike! Wait!” Twilight cried out. When it became apparent that Spike left, Twilight slumped to the ground and began to cry.
“Twilight?” A voice caused Twilight to open her eyes. Her vision blurred a bit until she properly woke up. She soon saw her student.
“Starlight…” She weakly said. Just then, her eyes opened as she realized the sun was shining outside the window. Last she remembered, it was night. “Starlight! Spike ran away! We need to-”
“Relax… He came over to my room last night and told me the whole thing.” She sighed and walked in. “I know it’s hard to see Spike being friends with a Changeling… especially after what you went through.” Starlight said.
“How did you-”
“Everyone in Equestria heard about the Canterlot Invasion. Obviously you were affected in some way that Spike wasn’t. I think what he needs to hear is why you don’t like the Changelings.” She said.
“I… I don’t hate Changelings… I just…”
“Don’t trust them. I know. And you have your reason. But you can’t let that color your judgement of your friend’s choices.” She said. Twilight frowned.
“Thanks… but I’m supposed to be the teacher here.” Twilight looked away.
“And sometimes, even teachers need to be reminded of what they preach to practice it properly.” She said. Twilight looked to Starlight.
“Can I… Can I speak to him? I want him to understand something…” She asked.
“Spike! I’m back!” Starlight walked into her room as Twilight slowly walked in. Spike looked into his comic book.
“Hey, Star.” He said. Starlight closed the door, looked to Twilight, and then nudged her head towards Spike.
“Spike… I…” Twilight hesitated to continue, knowing Spike could easily slap those words away.
“Oh… Hey…” To her surprise, Spike wasn’t sounding aggressive. More like the opposite. Drained. “Come back to give me more lectures about how evil the Changelings supposedly are?” Though there was still that sting in his tone of voice.
“… When Starlight Glimmer threatened to rip up Starswirl’s scroll, I was scared.” Twilight said.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Spike asked.
“…” Twilight looked to Starlight, who nodded. “I was afraid of losing my friends.”
“Well, of course. Starlight was trying to stop the very thing that made you and the others friends.” He said.
“Y-yes… But… If the Rainboom didn’t happen… Then…” Twilight couldn’t finish her words and held Spike.
“W-what the?” Spike exclaimed as Twilight cried.
“If it didn’t happen, then I wouldn’t have hatched you! I don’t know what would have happened to you if I didn’t hatch you!” She sobbed. Spike and Starlight looked to each other. Starlight thought of all the apocalypses she caused, but not once did she actually think about how she might have caused Spike from never being born. She frowned and looked to the ground.
“And then there was the incident with Trixie… I was so worried about Ponyville when I came back and saw what a mess it was! But most of all, I thought about how scared you must have been!” Twilight began to compose herself. “And… And then there…” She began to think about the one thing that gave her nightmares. The one thing that haunted her mind, tempting her to march over to Canterlot and give Celestia a proper scolding if things hadn’t worked out.
“When Tirek destroyed the library… I couldn’t find you inside… I thought… I thought you…” That’s when she broke down into tears. “I JUST DON’T WANT TO LOSE YOU!” She continued to cry. Spike’s mouth was open for a moment before he held Twilight.
“… I’m sorry…” Spike said.
“No… I’m sorry… I… I just let the trauma of what happened in Canterlot get the better of me… I was afraid that the Changeling would hurt you like how Chrysalis hurt me…” Twilight said.
“… I know… I’m sorry. I just… After I got yelled at in the Crystal Empire and beaten up, I-” Twilight then pulled him away.
“YOU WERE WHAT!?” She shouted.
“…” Spike cried. “I got beaten! By the very people who loved me! They hit me, they called me traitor, and worst of all, Shining Armor and Cadance didn’t do a damn thing about it!” He trembled. “They were going to lynch Kevin! I nearly got injured trying to get him out…”
“You… You risked his life for him?” Twilight said.
“Y-yeah… Just like he risked his life for me…” Spike said. “I… I nearly fell to my death over a waterfall, but then Kevin saved me…” He said.
“Spike… I didn’t… I didn’t know…” She said.
“I just didn’t want to get yelled at because of who my friend is…” Spike said. “The Changelings… are nice people… Heck, even Chrysalis was cool.” Spike said.
“Wait, what?” Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah… When she imprisoned Celestia, she just let me sit at the steps and play with the cake decorations. She never once thought of hurting me.” Spike said.
“… I really wished you were making that up…” She remembered how she and her friends were brought in by the Changelings, Spike was the only one of the four not either imprisoned or brainwashed. “But you are right… When Chrysalis attacked, I worried that she'd hurt you, but no... She just let you sit there...” She said.
“Thank you…” Spike said.
“Just… don’t do anything stupid, aright? I’m going to go to the Crystal Empire tomorrow and straighten out this whole mess… Don’t worry.” She said. She walked away and spoke to Starlight. “Starlight, you’re in charge of the castle until I return. I doubt I’ll be gone for long.” She said.
“I will.” Starlight said. Just before Twilight began to take off, Spike spoke off.
“Wait! Twilight!” Spike shouted. Twilight turned around.
“Kevin… Kevin has a family. He was in the Crystal Empire to see if he could move his family there.” Spike stayed silent for the next moment, thinking up the next words to say. “The Queen’s gone mad with power and is creating a huge army. Kevin wanted to get away from the Hive and take his family with… He told me this… And he says that his family might not be the only ones leaving the hive to get away from her.” He said. Twilight sighed before she nodded.
“Don’t worry, Spike. I’ll figure something out.” She said as trotted away. Spike closed his comic.
“… Thank you, Starlight.” He walked towards Starlight’s bed and laid down in it.
“No problem, Spike…” She smiled and left as well, giving Spike a well deserved rest.