The Firework Lotus

by ArgonMatrix

The Firework Lotus

“Ten!”

Princess Celestia rose to her hooves.

“Nine!”

She approached the edge of the stage and smiled down upon the small, circular pond.

“Eight!”

A lilypad sat in the exact center of the pond, and an unblossomed lotus bud sat atop that. Its brilliant white petals sparkled under the moonlight.

“Seven!”

Princess Celestia ignited her horn.

“Six!”

One by one the dozen golden torches rimming the pond flared to life. Their flames danced with the crowd’s excitement.

“Five!”

Princess Celestia’s wings burst open.

“Four!”

She rose into the air. A billow of air soared across the pond.

“Three!”

The fires stretched towards the lotus bud. It became a huge, blazing beacon.

“Two!”

As the flames swirled about, the flower shone and sparkled with increasing intensity. It began to bloom.

“One!”

All at once the lotus blossomed and Princess Celestia shot skyward. A magnificent ball of white light erupted from the lotus, leaving a multicoloured contrail as it rose ever higher. It stopped parallel to the princess and exploded in a mosaic of flashing colours that illuminated all of Canterlot for the briefest of moments.

“Happy New Year!” cried Twilight Sparkle from her brother’s back. Her eyes—which desperately fought not to droop—reflected the light show in resplendence. Dozens of smaller lotuses shot fireworks of all shapes, sizes, and colours into the air. They shimmered with the stars, blotting out the coldness of the night sky.

Twilight watched in awe as Princess Celestia gently lowered herself back to the stage. The princess smiled—no, beamed—across the crowd as cheers and applause detonated all around.

She would never forget this moment, Twilight realized. In her heart, she knew this moment signified so much more than just a new year. For Twilight, it meant a new life. It meant new experiences. It meant new magic! And through it all, Twilight would never forget the moment in which the firework lotus had cheered her onward. She grinned from ear to ear as her eyes took in the sparkling firework show.

And all the while a tiny, purple dragon slept soundlessly in the crook of her back. A small smile crossed his face.

***

“This is gonna be incredible!” Spike cried, bouncing from foot to foot alongside Twilight, Shining Armor, and their parents.

Twilight giggled. “Calm down, Spike. It’s not like this is the first Firework Lotus Celebration you’ve ever been to. You’ve been to all of them since the day you were hatched!”

“I know, I know,” Spike said. He took that moment to leap onto Twilight’s back. “But this is the first time I’ll be awa… awa…” His mouth opened wide and a harsh yawn escaped his throat. He smacked his lips together and said, “It’s the first time I’ll be awake to see it myself!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You owe me for letting you stay up past your bedtime tonight, though. We’ll be working twice as hard on our studies tomorrow!”

Spike deflated a little, but his smile held strong. “Sure thing, Twi!”

Shining Armor, on the other hand, chuckled down at his sister. “Come on, Twily,” he said, “you can’t be so hung up on studying all the time. Just forget about it and enjoy the celebration!”

A smirk creased Twilight’s face, and she nodded. “I know, BBBFF. Did you miss the part where I said ‘studying tomorrow?’”

Shining Armor just shook his head.

“You know why else tonight is special?” their father said. “It’s the first Firework Lotus Celebration that our whole family will get to see together! That right there is reason enough to kick back and celebrate.”

“Actually…” Shining Armor threw a look up at the clock tower as they passed it by. He bit his lip and looked forward as they approached the crowd’s edge. “Do you guys mind if I run ahead? I promised to spend the celebration with… a friend…”

His father frowned. “Come now, Shining. This time of the year should be spent with your family, and I won’t—” The mare at his side nudged him with an elbow, knocking him silent.

She smiled wryly at Shining Armor. “Go on, Shining. Tell Cadance we said hi.”

A soft heat built behind Shining’s cheeks. “Thanks, Mom!” he said before bolting off into the crowd.

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she watched Shining Armor’s tail vanish into the thicket of ponies. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Why doesn’t he just ask Cadance to come watch the ceremony with all of us? I’d like to see her again too!”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Something tells me they might want some alone time.” She shared a smirk with her husband.

Twilight quickly turned away. “Gross.”

“No kidding,” Spike said, sticking his tongue out in a mock gag.

“You know,” Twilight’s father said, holding his wife’s eyes, “maybe some alone time to watch the lotus ceremony isn’t such a bad idea.” He turned and smiled at Twilight and Spike. “Our whole family won’t be together for it anyway, so why don’t we start a new tradition of watching it separately? You two go find someplace to watch the ceremony, and we’ll all meet up by the clock tower at half-past midnight. Sound good?”

Twilight threw Spike a confused glance. He shrugged at her. “Uh… okay?” Twilight said. “I guess we’ll just…” Her voice evaporated into the winter air as she noticed her parents already splitting off in a different direction. Her mother giggled to her father, and then they were gone.

“That was weird,” Spike said, scratching his head as he stared at the spot the two ponies had vanished.

“Yup,” Twilight said. “Anyway, I guess we should find a spot to watch it before all the good ones are taken.” She started craning her head about and asked, “Where do you wanna go, Spike?”

Spike started panning his eyes across the scene too. Nearly every inch of the courtyard in front of Princess Celestia’s stage already sat covered in chattering ponies. Much of the surrounding area stood as designated pathways or was otherwise occupied by concessions stands and the like. Spike frowned as he began to notice the lack of available spots to sit.

Then he saw it. Just off the beaten path on the far side of the crowd was a lone hill. It sat in the darkness away from the main festival between a large, burbling fountain and a small diner called Pony Joe’s Doughnut Café. Scents of fresh doughnuts and baked goods floated over to him, pulling his mouth up in a warm smile.

Spike licked his lips at the sweet air. “Let’s go over there, Twilight!” He pointed to the grassy mound.

Twilight followed his claw and smiled. “That’s perfect! It’s elevated so we can get a good view of Princess Celestia and the firework lotus, plus it’s away from the main crowd so we won’t have to worry about anypony bothering us or trying to make small talk. Great idea, Spike!”

“Uh… yeah! That’s why I suggested that spot!” Spike said, the doughnut shop reflected in the corner of his eye. “Yep, all those reasons and nothing else.” He wiped away his drool with a forearm.

They strode over to the hill. The festival sounds died down a little as they approached, and the smells of fresh grass and flowers mingled with those coming from the doughnut shop. All the lights and noise of the main celebration faded behind them until it was little more than background noise.

Twilight folded her legs beneath herself and sat atop the mound. Spike hopped off and settled himself next to her. He stretched his arms wide and yawned fiercely. “What time is it?” he asked, the yawn still straining his voice.

Twilight squinted at the distant clock tower. “About two minutes to midnight. Looks like we got here just in time!”

“Two minutes?!” Spike cried. He jolted to look at the doughnut shop. “Oh, jeez. I’ll be right back, Twi!” He started towards the café.

“I don’t think so, Mister,” Twilight said. A purple aura surrounded Spike and pulled him back to her side. “There’s no way you’re getting any sweets this late at night. Mom and Dad wouldn’t even let me have a doughnut so close to bedtime.”

Spike squirmed about in her magic grip. “But, Twilight—”

“Besides, you would miss the fireworks if you went right now! I thought you were excited to sit here and watch them with me.”

That got Spike to stop fidgeting. “Well, I am, but—”

Jolly fanfare cut him off as it boomed loudly from the stage. “One minute till midnight!” somepony called from the audience. The cry was met with an earthquake of applause.

Spike looked over to the stage and then back at Twilight. He slumped over and said, “Fine. You’re right.” The glow faded around him. He crossed his arms and sat on the ground with a pronounced harrumph.

Twilight frowned at him. “Don’t be like that, Spike. You should be happy when we ring in the new year! Think of all the new things we’ll get to learn. Who knows? Maybe Princess Celestia will even promote me to the next level of my studies!”

Illusions of books flitted through Spike’s mind: thick books with bigger words, smaller font, and fewer pictures. He sighed. “I guess that’ll be pretty cool.”

“You never know what the future has in store, Spike. You might just like it, you know?”

“We’ll see,” he said. He continued trying to ignore the sweet aroma wafting past his nose.

“Ten!” cheered the audience. That, at least, got Spike to look up from the ground.

“Nine, eight, seven!” Twilight joined the chorus. Spike’s eyes widened as he watched Princess Celestia approach the firework lotus and illuminate her horn. She practically glowed.

“Six!” A ring of torches burst to life around the lotus pond. Spike’s eyes reflected the dancing flames with wonder.

“Five, four, three!” Princess Celestia pushed the flames into the lotus with a flap of her wings.

“Whoa,” Spike muttered as the lotus caught fire. Even from a distance, he could see the sparks erupting from the flower. He’d never imagined so many colours at once.

“Two, one!” The lotus opened and shot its firework into the sky. Spike’s unblinking eyes trailed it all the way until it stopped amid the stars. Only then did he notice that Princess Celestia had flown up to join the firework.

At the last moment, Spike noticed Twilight out of his periphery. Her eyes sparkled like light-filled amethysts as she sat transfixed by the display. Her smile was wide and full of nothing but glee: pure and beautiful glee. Spike had never seen her look so happy.

“Happy New Year!” Twilight cried, but Spike was too awed to join in. He turned his head back just in time to see the sphere of light and colour for the instant before it began to fade. Spike blinked, and time suddenly started flowing again. Dozens of smaller fireworks ignited the night sky, and he joined in with the cheers and applause as music kicked in.

“Well, Spike?” Twilight said, turning to grin at him. “What did you—”

Spike silenced her with a firm hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and it took her a moment to process just what was happening. “Spike, what—”

“Thank you, Twilight,” he said, tightening his embrace even more. “Thank you so much.”

Twilight blinked. “Uh… for what, Spike?” she asked, eyeing him a bit strangely.

“Everything,” he replied.

It took her a second, but Twilight’s face eventually split into a warm smile. She returned his embrace in kind—drawing his warmth into hers—and said, “You’re welcome, Spike.”

They stayed that way for a while, flurry upon flurry of fireworks showering them with every colour of the rainbow. In that moment, Spike knew everything was as it should be. The future would be bright so long as he could stand with Twilight through it all. He would persevere through every change and every hardship if only to make sure he and Twilight would be there to feel the hope and happiness of the firework lotus one more time.

***

“Golly,” Applejack said, turning her head this way and that. “I’ve heard plenty o’ stories ‘bout the Firework Lotus Celebration from my kin, but I never thought I’d actually get to see it for myself!”

“Indeed,” Rarity said with a twinkle in her eyes. “And to think, in just a few more months, we’ll get to return to Canterlot for the Grand Galloping Gala!” She turned and beamed at Twilight. “I swear, Twilight Sparkle, befriending you was the single best thing that’s ever happened to me. Thank you so much for this opportunity!”

Twilight’s cheeks went rosy. “Aw, it’s nothing. I’m just glad we could all come out to see it together.”

Pinkie Pie swallowed. “And I’m glad for these doughnuts!” she exclaimed. She threw another maple-glazed doughnut into her mouth and noisily chewed it before swallowing. Rarity rolled her eyes and retched a bit. “Anypony else want one?” Pinkie said.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Spike said, nabbing a sprinkle doughnut from the top of Pinkie’s pile. He opened his mouth wide, tossed it towards his tongue, and bit down hard.

He only tasted air. When he looked in front of him, he caught sight of his precious doughnut floating inches from his face in a magenta aura. “You know the rules, Spike,” Twilight said. “No sweets this late at night.”

Spike groaned. “Come on, Twilight. Let me live a little, won’tcha?”

“Not happening. Here, Rainbow, you take this.” She lifted the doughnut into the air, and it vanished in a blur of colour.

“Sweet!” Rainbow said, slowing to a hover alongside the group. She threw the doughnut into her gullet and munched loudly on it. Spike sighed, but his smile returned quickly once the lights and sounds of the festival caught up with him.

Rarity made a little sound of discontent as crumbs and drool flew from Rainbow’s mouth. “Honestly. Can’t any of you ponies eat a simple doughnut with the slightest semblance of grace or—dare I say—manners?”

“I betcha Fluttershy could!” Pinkie sidled up to Fluttershy and offered her a thick, powdery doughnut. “How about it, Fluttershy? Wanna go double or nothin’ against Rarity on the jelly doughnut?”

Fluttershy flinched and pulled away, craning her head towards the ground. “Oh… no thank you, Pinkie Pie. I’m fine.”

“Eh, suit yourself. Here you go, Applejack!” Pinkie rocketed the jelly doughnut over her shoulder.

“Huh?” Applejack looked over just in time for the pastry to explode against her face, splattering red jelly all over. “What in tarnation?!”

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy said with a wince. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike, on the other hand, all burst into fits of laughter, rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs. Rarity just shook her head while mumbling something under her breath about ‘social etiquette.’

“Are you okay, Applejack?!” Twilight asked, her eyes wide.

Applejack licked her lips and chuckled. She removed her hat, brushed off some of the jelly, and said, “A little on the tart side, but no worse for wear, I reckon.” She noticed a little look from Rarity, and memories of a rainstorm flitted through her mind. “Uh… I’m gonna go wash up and meet y’all before the ceremony starts. Where are we gonna watch it from, anyhow?”

Spike grinned a toothy grin. “What do ya say, Twi? Wanna show ‘em to ‘the spot?’”

Rainbow Dash lifted an eyebrow. “What the heck is ‘the spot?’”

Twilight smiled at her. “For the past few years, Spike and I have always watched the ceremony from the same spot: a little hill away from the main crowd right near Pony Joe’s Doughnut Café. It’s a pretty good vantage point, but nothing special.”

A frown creased Spike’s face. “Nothing special?” he muttered, but the music largely drowned him out. He looked at the ground.

“It sounds positively lovely,” Rarity said.

Rainbow just shrugged. “Eh, I can see the stage from just about anywhere when I’m flying, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

“By the doughnut place, ya said?” Applejack noted. “Sounds like a plan! I’ll meet y’all there in a jiffy.” She split off from the group towards the sign which read Restrooms.

As the six remaining friends walked through the fairgrounds, they began having smaller conversations between themselves. Rarity spoke with Fluttershy in hushed tones, most of the actual speaking coming from the former—Fluttershy mainly smiled and nodded along. Pinkie Pie spoke with Rainbow Dash hovering above her, and they both broke into frequent spurts of laughter.

“Isn’t this exciting, Spike?” Twilight said, smiling at him. “This is the first time we’ll get to see the Firework Lotus Celebration with our Ponyville friends!”

“Y-yeah!” Spike said, twiddling his claws a bit. “It’s gonna be… great.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong, Spike?”

“I dunno.” Spike scratched the back of his head. “I guess it just felt like this was something you and I always did together. Just us, ya know? It made it special.”

Twilight frowned. “Well… yeah, but we didn’t really have any other friends back then, Spike. Are you saying you’d prefer if they weren’t here?”

Spike’s eyes widened, and he met Twilight’s expression. “No! Of course not! I guess I just… I dunno. It felt more special because it was just for the two of us. It was like a tradition, or something.”

“Well, traditions can change, Spike. That’s what the Firework Lotus Celebration is all about: change. Out with the old, in with the new. Right?”

Spike shrugged. “I guess.”

Twilight smiled a little. She levitated Spike onto her back and said, “Besides, we’re still here together, right? That’s never going to change. We just have more friends to celebrate it with this time!”

Spike shook his head and let out an exasperated breath. “Yeah, you’re right, Twi. I’m just being stupid.”

Twilight’s smile fell a little, but she said nothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity talking to Fluttershy, and a playful smirk jumped to her face. She gave Spike a sideways stare and said, “You know, Spike, there’s another tradition that some ponies do at the Firework Lotus Celebration.”

Spike looked up at her. “What’s that?”

“Well, right when the first firework goes off and signals the new year, you’re supposed to give a kiss to the pony you love most in the world.”

The colour bled from Spike’s face. His eyes darted briefly to Rarity before returning to Twilight. “A k-k-kiss?” he stammered.

Twilight nodded. “Yep. Why don’t you give that tradition a shot tonight?” A little giggle escaped her as Spike’s face went beet red.

“Hey, Twi,” Rainbow Dash called from above. “Is that the hill you were talking about?” She pointed a hoof ahead as they rounded a corner.

Twilight squinted. “Yep, that’s the one.”

Pinkie threw herself across Twilight’s back, knocking Spike to the ground and forcing a huff from Twilight herself. “And is that the doughnut shop?!” Pinkie said, pointing to the brightly lit shop at the end of the lane.

“Pinkie!” Twilight cried. “You already brought your own doughnuts from Ponyville! Don’t you think you’ve had enough for—”

“You can never have too many doughnuts! Come on, Dashie! Let’s go!” Pinkie leapt over Twilight like she was a hurdle and galloped for the café.

Rainbow Dash groaned. “I told you not to call me that anymore!” She zipped off after Pinkie, leaving the four remaining friends to walk to the hill.

Rarity clicked her tongue. “My, my,” she said, “those ponies can certainly be quite rude at times. Wouldn’t you agree, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy winced at her name. “Um… I mean… ‘rude’ is a little strong… isn’t it?”

“Perhaps you’re right.” Rarity tapped her chin. “Impulsive?”

“That sounds about right,” Twilight said, grinning in the doughnut shop’s direction. “It’s just part of who they are.”

“What’s part of who now?” Applejack said. Fluttershy let out a squeak and flinched away at the sudden appearance.

“That was quick, Applejack,” Rarity said, lifting an eyebrow. “Are you quite sure you’ve washed your coat thoroughly?”

Applejack rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sure. Y’all’re just slow walkers.”

“Well, pardon me if I choose not to be sweaty for the new year. Some of us have standards, you know.”

Applejack’s eyes slanted. “I’ve heard plenty ‘bout you and your standards. Don’t mean I need to care about ‘em any.”

Rarity gawked. “Why—the nerve! I’ll have you know—”

“Girls!” Twilight cried, rounding on her friends. They all came to a stop before her. “We are not going to have a repeat of what happened at our slumber party. Especially not tonight. This is a very special time of year, and we’re going to enjoy it together instead of fighting with each other. Okay?”

Spike smiled.

Fluttershy gave a tiny nod. “That sounds very nice to me.”

Applejack huffed a bit, but she eventually succumbed to Twilight’s withering stare. “I reckon you’re right, Twilight. Sorry, Rarity.”

Rarity sighed. “I apologize as well. I should’ve known better than to stir up an argument tonight of all nights.”

“That’s more like it,” Twilight said with a smile. The clock tower sounded off from afar. Twilight looked over at it. “We’d better get to our spot. It’s only five minutes to midnight!

The five friends all cheered and cantered towards the grassy mound. They had arrived before long, and they all settled themselves atop the hill. Spike positioned himself in the grass between Twilight and Rarity.

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy said, smiling over at the nearby fountain and the little squirrels that surrounded it. “What a wonderful spot.”

“Agreed,” Rarity said, gazing out at the stage with a twinkle in her eye. “Such a magnificent spot to view the show from.”

“And it’s well away from all them huffy Canterlot ponies,” Applejack said, looking up at the stars. “Can’t ask for much more than that. Nice choice, Twilight.”

“Actually,” Twilight began, “Spike was the one who—”

“Treats, ho!” Pinkie Pie hollered from behind. She and Rainbow Dash approached the group with great armfuls of doughnuts and other assorted baked goods. “We got enough for everypony!”

“And every dragon,” Rainbow whispered to Spike, giving him a gentle elbow as she plopped an amethyst-studded doughnut in his lap. Spike’s eyes glinted as he beheld the treasure, and drool pooled at the corner of his mouth from the fresh scent—but he didn’t move to eat it. He instead looked over at Twilight.

Hovering her own glazed doughnut in her magic, Twilight smirked at him and said, “Go ahead.”

Spike beamed. He prepared to toss the purple pastry into his mouth but stopped just a second short. He looked to his left at Rarity as she nibbled on a danish. Spike looked back to his own treat and took a single, moderate bite out of it. Pure bliss flooded his expression as he savoured every facet of the flavour.

Twilight grinned at him.

“Hey, look, everypony!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at the stage just as she passed a fritter to Applejack. “Twilight, I thought you said Princess Celestia was the one who performed the ceremony.”

“Huh?” Twilight followed Pinkie’s hoof. “But, she is! Who else would—” A collective gasp sounded from the group as they looked to the stage.

Princess Celestia was there, but she sat off to the side. In the center of the stage—looking down at some sort of scroll—stood Princess Luna. Her mane flowed in an ethereal wind and appeared as a facsimile of the night sky—similarly to her sister’s mane and tail. She looked much taller and darker than when they had last seen her in Ponyville.

“Is that Princess Luna?” Fluttershy breathed.

“I reckon it is,” Applejack said, grinning. “And I’d say she looks a darn sight better than when we last saw her.”

Rarity turned to Applejack with a slack jaw. “A darn sight… She looks positively radiant! I daresay she looks as good as Princess Celestia herself!”

“She does look pretty awesome,” Rainbow said from overhead. “Not as awesome as me, but—”

“Hey, everyone!” Spike cut in, pointing at the clock tower. “It’s about to start!”

All eyes refocused on the stage and Princess Luna. The alicorn nodded to her sister, a hesitant smile playing on her face, and took a step forward.

“Ten!”

Princess Luna approached the edge of the stage, beaming down at the firework lotus. Twilight quirked an eyebrow at the lack of torches surrounding the pond.

“Nine!”

The world went black.

“Eight?”

A dim light radiated all around Princess Luna and the lotus. Her eyes burned with fiery white intensity.

“S-seven!”

A black cloud came into being above the lotus.

“Six…”

Princess Luna’s wings burst open, and she hovered up to the cloud.

“… five…”

She lifted her forehooves and slammed them down upon the cloud. A wicked bolt of lightning struck the lotus, catching it on fire and sending a thunderous boom through the crowd.

“Four!”

The cloud rained bright, purple raindrops. They joined with the lotus’ sparkles in twisted harmony.

“Three!”

Princess Luna shot skyward into the dark fog surrounding the spectacle. The only light came from the bright burning of the firework lotus as it bloomed.

“Two!”

The full moon suddenly appeared against the velvety blackness. Princess Luna’s silhouetted form hovered in front of it.

“One!”

The lotus released its firework, the blazing rocket splitting the darkness with its rainbow contrail. It went higher and higher until it stopped level with Princess Luna and her moon. Time froze for an instant, and then the firework exploded in a cacophony of light and sound. It returned light to the world in a booming display of colour.

“Happy New Year!” cheered the crowd. Twilight would’ve joined in, but she stopped short as a feeling of soft warmth coursed through her body.

Spike had planted his lips against her cheek for just a split second when the sky had detonated. Her mind reeled from it, and her own words rose in her memory: Right when the first firework goes off and signals the new year, you’re supposed to give a kiss to the pony you love most in the world.

She faced him, muffling the crowd’s applause in her mind for the time being. He stared back up at her, looking for all the world like even he himself wasn’t sure what had just happened. They held one another’s eyes for some time, only vaguely aware of the fireworks exploding in the background.

Then Twilight smiled, and her eyes watered.

She threw her hooves around Spike and pulled him into a tight embrace. He returned it in full force with a wide smile of his own. Neither of them seemed to take notice of the five ponies who had turned to watch them, all of them beaming as well.

“I love you, Twilight,” Spike said.

“I love you too, Spike,” Twilight said, a little hitch in her voice.

The firework lotus continued to flicker and burn in the distance, and everything in the world seemed perfect.

***

Spike belched a great plume of fire into the sky just as Twilight sent a ripple of sparkling magic through the air. The two colours blended in the sky in a brilliant display of light and colour, blinding their friends below even in the day.

Twilight glided her way back to the ground, both she and Spike panting and sweating heavily. She beamed at her friends and said, “So… what do you think?”

Fluttershy blinked. “That was…”

“Awesome!”

“Marvelous!”

“Super-ultra amazing!”

“A sight to behold.”

“... wonderful,” Fluttershy finished, her smile joining those of their friends.

“You guys might actually have a chance at following up my routine with an act like that,” Rainbow said, her grin going cocksure. The others just rolled their eyes.

“Thanks,” Twilight said. “We’ve been working on it all month. I still can’t believe Celestia wants all of us to perform in the Firework Lotus Pre-show. It’s such an amazing honour!”

“Quite!” Rarity said with a curt nod. “I’m so very excited to play my part in the festivities.”

“M-me too,” Fluttershy said. “But I’m… uh… a bit nervous, too.”

“Don’t be silly, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said, pulling the pegasus into a strong side-hug. “Your bird choir is better than it’s ever been. Everypony’s going to love it!”

“Darn tootin’!” Applejack said, tipping her hat to Fluttershy. Her cheeks went as rosy as her mane.

“And after the Pre-show,” Spike said as he hopped down from Twilight’s back, “we’ll all get to watch the Firework Lotus Ceremony together too! It’s Princess Luna’s turn to do it again this year, right?”

“I think so,” Twilight said, but she set about tapping her chin with a hoof. “Although Celestia’s letter did say something about—”

Like clockwork, a scroll burst from Spike’s mouth. It flew through the air and smacked Twilight in the face. She caught it in her magic just before it fell to the layer of snow carpeting the ground. She unfurled it, held it up to her eyes, and said, “It’s from Princess Celestia!”

“Ooh!” Pinkie cried. She zoomed up next to Twilight. “What’s it say?! What’s it say?!”

“Dearest Twilight,” Twilight read aloud. “As you are no doubt aware, the Firework Lotus Celebration takes place in Canterlot in two days’ time. I am sure that you and your friends have been working exceptionally hard on your pre-show routines, and I look forward to seeing them. I’m particularly excited to see what athletic feats Applejack and Rainbow Dash have in store.”

Rainbow and Applejack bumped hooves.

“I do, however, have a proposition for you, Twilight.”

Spike lifted an eyebrow, and Rarity followed suit. “A proposition?” she repeated.

“I know this is rather short notice, but I was hoping you might consider…” Twilight trailed off as her eyes went the size of dinner plates. “Oh, wow…” she breathed.

“What is it, Twi?” Spike reached up and pulled the letter away from her. He set about reading: “I was hoping you might consider taking over the Firework Lotus Ceremony for Luna this year.” Spike’s voice drooped as he kept reading, a small frown pulling at his lips. “Just as Luna started performing the ceremony when she returned from the moon, I find it only appropriate that you get a chance to do so as Equestria’s newest princess.”

“No way!” Rainbow Dash cried. “Way to go, Twi! Movin’ up in the ranks!”

“Oh, my stars!” Rarity said, leaning over Spike’s shoulder to gaze at the letter as though it were some precious treasure. “What an incredible honour!”

“Congratulations, Twilight!” Applejack said, pulling her into a warm side-hug. “Celestia knows you deserve it. Seriously, Celestia really does know it!”

“Hooray for Twilight!” Pinkie Pie bellowed, pulling a party popper from her mane and shooting it into the sky. “I’d throw you a party to celebrate, but we’ll already be at a party! At the party!”

“That’s so incredibly wonderful!” Fluttershy said, joining the slowly building group hug around Twilight.

“I eagerly await your reply,” Spike finished, letting the letter fall limply with his hand to one side. “Regards, Celestia.”

“Thanks, everypony!” Twilight said, nuzzling all of the ponies in turn. “I can’t believe she asked me to do something so important. Something so special! Something so…” Her voice fell away as she noticed Spike standing away from the group, his shoulders hunched. “Spike?”

He blinked and looked up at her as if only just realizing what moment he was in. He smiled a fragile smile and said, “Oh… uh, congrats, Twi!” He stepped over and wrapped himself in the group hug as well. “You’ll do an awesome job at the ceremony. And I’ll be cheering you on louder than anyone else!”

The group cheered all at once, pushing closer together all the time. In the middle of it all, though, Twilight threw Spike a momentary sad glance. His embrace wasn’t nearly as warm as it usually was.

***

Spike wandered down the main street of Ponyville, kicking a small pebble through the snow. He ran Princess Celestia’s letter through his mind again, as if hoping his memory had picked up some footnote he had originally missed that would fix everything. He sighed and kicked the rock again.

A vision of him and Twilight soaring above a huge crowd of ponies passed through his mind’s eye again. They had practiced their pre-show routine for a month, and he had built up the moment so highly in his mind that he struggled to think any coherent thoughts under the rubble of his collapsed dream. The only thing better than watching the Firework Lotus Celebration alongside Twilight would’ve been taking part in it with her, and now he got to do neither. He kicked the pebble again and it flew off the side of the road, narrowly missing a passing pony. He sighed and kept walking.

“Whoa, what’s got you so down?” Spike knew the voice before he even looked up to see the pony. She slowed her scooter to meet his pace and coasted by his side, a raised eyebrow defining her expression.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” Spike said, only looking up for a fraction of a second. “Shouldn’t you be off crusading or something?”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Come on, give me some credit. It’s not like crusading is all I do every day—only most days!”

“So why not today?”

Silence answered him. Spike looked up at the filly and paused when he saw her frowning down at the ground. She sighed and said, “Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are off helping their sisters practice their routines for that big party up in Canterlot.”

Spike lifted an eyebrow. “Well, why don’t you go help Rainbow Dash?” He chuckled. “She’d appreciate an audience, at least.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Just not in the mood.”

That forced Spike to stop. Scootaloo screeched her scooter to a halt and looked back at him as he said, “Wait. You’re not in the mood to go see Rainbow Dash? And you’re asking why I’m upset?”

Scootaloo’s body drooped, and she hopped off her scooter to face Spike. “Look: Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom get to go to Canterlot and be in the show with their sisters. All I get to do is watch Rainbow Dash be awesome as she performs by herself. It’s all I ever get to do!” Scootaloo kicked a bit of snow sideways.

She sighed. “Just once I’d like to be a part of the show with her, not just a fan of hers, you know? I’d like to actually do something important…”

“And you don’t think cheering her on from the sidelines is important?”

Scootaloo looked up at him.

Spike gave her a deadly serious stare. “Look: I know how much it stinks to not be a part of the main act, but that doesn’t mean what you do from the side isn’t important. I’ll bet Rainbow Dash is working her tail off right now practicing her routine just to make ponies like you happy. If you’re there moping about not being included instead of doing your best to cheer her on and support her, how do you think she’s gonna feel?”

Scootaloo looked at the ground. “Pretty crummy, I guess, but—”

“But nothing! Rainbow Dash cares about you, Scootaloo. She appreciates everything you do for her even if you don’t think it’s important. She needs you to be there for her or else she’s doing it all for nothing. So you gotta keep cheering for her. And who knows? Maybe if you stay by her side for long enough, one day you’ll actually get included too!”

Scootaloo’s drooped ears lifted, and her frown grew back into a tiny smile. “I guess you’re right… Yeah, you’re right! Rainbow Dash does need me! And I’m not gonna let her down!” She hopped back onto her scooter and pulled a quick one-eighty. “Thanks, Spike! See ya later!”

He waved at her and waited for her to zip away before letting himself deflate again. He sighed and muttered, “Just hope that if you do get included, you get to stay included.”

***

Twilight sat at her desk, poring over Princess Celestia’s letter. The ticks and tocks of a clock behind her were the only sounds present in the library, and they held her mind in a hypnotic state. As she finished rereading the letter, she moved to look at the other scroll sitting on her desk. It remained blank, a quill sitting in an inkpot nearby, eager to write anything at all. Twilight looked at the picture on her desk, groaned, and returned to Celestia’s letter.

She heard the library’s main door open and close. Taking it as a cue, she rose to her hooves and walked out of the loft. She looked over the balcony to see Spike trudging his way towards the kitchen.

“You’re home late,” Twilight said, noting the sunset light streaming through the windows. “What were you doing?”

“Nothin’,” Spike replied. He strode into the kitchen and out of sight. Twilight paused for a second before going down the stairs and following him in.

He looked to be preparing dinner, but the usual bounce in his step he had while cooking was absent, replaced by an almost mechanical demeanor.

“Listen, Spike,” Twilight said, scuffing her hoof against the floor a little. “About Celestia’s proposition today… I’m thinking about declining it.”

Spike froze. He turned and glared at her. “What?”

Twilight’s mind jolted from the coldness of his reply. She instantly said, “Well, we’ve been working so hard on this routine all month, and I’d hate for all that work to go to waste. Plus, I know how important it is to you for us to spend the celebration together, so I—”

“No.”

Twilight met Spike’s glare, the hardness in his eyes making her heart miss a beat. “No, what?”

“No, Twilight,” Spike said, throwing off his apron. “You can’t decline Princess Celestia’s letter. I… I won’t let you!”

Twilight frowned. “Spike, it’s not up to—”

“No!” Spike stomped, and the pots and pans trembled on the walls. “Twilight, I know you’re only thinking of declining it because of me. The only reason you don’t want to do it is because you’re afraid you’ll hurt my feelings by not being there to watch the ceremony with me, right?”

Twilight blinked.

So did Spike. “And you know what? You’re right! It’s gonna stink not having you there to watch the ceremony with, and it hurts to know that our tradition is over. But that’s just me, Twilight! You need to think about everypony else too—including yourself! What’s gonna make them happy? What’s gonna make you happy? You have to do the ceremony because… because you’re a princess now!”

Twilight recoiled a step. “Spike…”

His eyes were watering now, but his expression remained carved in stone. “And I get it, Twi! Things have to change. So, yeah, it’s gonna really suck to watch you perform the ceremony instead of watching it with me, but I meant it when I said I would be cheering for you louder than anyone. Because that’s what’s gonna make you happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Twilight. To make you happy, because that’s what makes me happy! And… and…”

He stopped short. The spatula dropped from his trembling claw, and he fell into Twilight, sobbing. She returned his embrace and gently shushed him.

Eventually, through his sniffles, Spike managed to say, “Why do things have to change, Twilight? I was so happy—we were so happy before. Why do things always have to change?”

Twilight pulled him closer. She didn’t say anything, just letting him weep softly into her shoulder. For a moment she considered wrapping a wing around him for comfort, but she quickly decided against it. Instead she just held him, suppressing her own tears for the moment.

After a time, Spike pulled away from her. He kept his eyes trained on the floor. He wiped his nose with one arm and said, “I… I’m not really hungry. Dinner’ll be ready soon. I think I’m just gonna go to bed.” He passed Twilight, his feet dragging along the floor all the way to the stairs. “I’ll send your reply to Celestia in the morning.”

Twilight nodded to him. “Good night, Spike. See you in the morning.”

He grunted something as he ascended the stairs. The sound of a door closing drifted down, and Twilight fell to the floor with a sigh. She sat like that for some time.

***

The moon hung high in the sky when Twilight finally arrived in the loft. The only remaining light was a slow-burning candle sitting on her desk, the wax dripping into a small lake at the candle’s base. She stepped over and looked at her desk. The two scrolls still stared back at her, daring her to write some reply.

She sat down, keenly aware of Spike’s snores. She read Celestia’s letter through one more time, looked at the picture on her desk, and levitated the quill from its inkwell. Without missing a beat, she started writing.

***

“And then—as Sweetie Belle hits her high note—all of the diamonds sparkle at once in a ring around her. It’s going to be positively amazing! And after that… Spike? Spike, are you listening?”

“Huh?” Spike came to a stop, a little red wagon behind him following suit. He looked up at Rarity and smiled. “Oh, yeah! That sounds awesome, Rarity! You’ll be—I mean, it’ll be really beautiful.”

Rarity’s eyebrow remained quirked. “You’ve seemed out of sorts all day, Darling. Are you certain you’re quite alright?”

Spike’s grin went more brittle than ice. “Never better!”

Eventually, Rarity shrugged and kept walking. Behind her back, Spike released the breath he’d been holding. “I should hope this outing isn’t too taxing on you, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity said, her horn aglow. “These ice diamonds are quite integral to my performance tomorrow, and we must find enough of them before nightfall. I would love to do at least one trial run with all of the gemstones in place. I would’ve collected them earlier, of course, but I couldn’t quite decide which gems would best match our performance.”

“Uh-huh.”

Rarity came to a stop again and sighed. She wheeled on Spike, glaring down at him. “Now, Spike, I cannot take this dreary attitude and these monosyllabic replies any longer. You will tell me what’s bothering you, and you will tell me now.”

“Honestly, Rarity, I’m fine.”

“If you were ‘fine,’ you would’ve at least tried to eat one of the diamonds in that wagon by now.” She stepped over to him and lifted his head so he met her eyes. “Does this have anything to do with Twilight abandoning your routine in favour of performing the Firework Lotus Ceremony tomorrow?”

“No, not at all!”

Rarity stared at him, her face the definition of deadpan.

Finally, Spike sighed. “I guess I just really don’t want things to change. I mean, I’m happy for her and everything, but I just feel like I’m getting left behind, ya know? I mean… I dunno, it’s stupid.”

Rarity stared into him for a few moments before turning around and starting to move forward again. Silence dwelled between them for several minutes before she eventually said, “Spike, would you like to hear a story?”

Spike shrugged. “Sure.”

Rarity lifted a stick and marked a spot in the snow. Spike slowly dug at the ground as Rarity spoke. “It all began back when Sweetie Belle was born.”

“Oh, I can already tell where this is going. Let me guess: you hated her at first because she took all of your parents’ attention away from you, but you eventually grew to love her and realized that change can seem bad at first but it’s really a blessing in disguise? Heard stories like that a million times, Rarity. They’re all over the place in the library, so I really don’t need—”

“Ahem.” Spike paused his digging and looked up to find Rarity glaring at him, but a smirk played on her face too. “It is very rude to interrupt a lady, Spike. Now, would you please let me tell my story?”

Spike blinked. He shrugged again and kept digging.

“Thank you.” Rarity marked another spot with her stick. “Now, like I was saying, it all started when Sweetie Belle was born. You were half-correct in your assumption: she did steal all of my parents’ attention away from myself.”

“And you hated her for it,” Spike muttered, pulling some pale blue diamonds from the dirt and lifting them to the wagon.

“Quite the contrary. I adored her for it!”

That got Spike to stop and listen.

Rarity grinned. “You see, I was always trying to be independent back then. I wanted to make my own way in the world, to pursue fashion of my own accord, and to take the world by storm. Me and me alone.

“My parents, though… they were quite…” Rarity rolled her hoof in circles before settling on the word, “smothering. They would always demand to let them help me and always wanted to know exactly what I was doing when I was doing it. I can see now that their hearts were in the right place, but it downright infuriated me at the time.”

Spike dropped the diamonds into the wagon and moved towards the next marked spot, his eyes never leaving Rarity. “And then Sweetie Belle was born?”

“Yes!” Rarity beamed, marking yet another spot. “And I couldn’t have been happier, of course. Not only did I have a new baby sister—a treasure in its own right—but I also had someone to steal my parents away from me. They tried to balance their attentions, mind you, but they failed horrendously. As a result, I gained the independence I had always sought, even going so far as to move out and open my own boutique well before the age at which anyone should.”

“But you liked it?” Spike said, pulling up more gems. Rarity levitated two from his arms: one of them was relatively untarnished while the other was more dirt than gemstone.

“Of course I liked it, Darling! It was all I had ever dreamed! Like I said, I couldn’t have been happier, and I had Sweetie Belle largely to thank.” She smiled fondly at the dirt-covered diamond, holding the two gems rather far apart.

“But then…” Rarity’s smile fell away, and she brought the two diamonds right next to each other, “things changed.”

Spike raised an eyebrow.

“For whatever reason, as Sweetie Belle grew up she grew rather fond of my company despite my making every effort to shoo her in my parents’ direction. I wanted to be her estranged sister—as horrid as that may sound—but she wouldn’t have it.”

“So what did you do?” Spike asked, entranced as he laid the diamonds in the wagon.

Rarity chuckled. “What else could I do, Darling? She’s family. I couldn’t very well just ignore her when she was so desperate to be near me. Her desire was so strong, it was like… destiny.” Her eyes flickered momentarily to Spike before settling on the diamonds again.

“What happened next?” Spike asked, leaning on the wagon.

Rarity rolled her eyes at him. “You should know. You’ve watched it happen.”

“Huh?”

Rarity touched the two diamonds together and rubbed them slowly against one another. Some of the dirt transferred from one to the other as she spoke. “I continued to fight with her, of course, but to a lesser extent. Eventually she began to… grow on me. I saw her for her positive traits rather than her negative ones. She was like a diamond in the rough, and she was beginning to change me, no matter how much I wanted otherwise. I like to think I changed her a bit as well.”

The diamonds were equally tarnished now. “And do you know what I realized one day, Spike?”

“What’s that?” Spike asked, watching the diamonds as well.

“I realized there was no point.” The diamonds fell to the ground together. “The change was inevitable from the beginning, and there was no sense in fighting it any longer. So I embraced it instead, and now I’m willingly going to perform with her in front of all of Canterlot.” Rarity chuckled and kept walking forward. “Fancy that, eh?”

Spike blinked and shook his head. He grabbed the wagon and rushed to catch up, picking up the two fallen diamonds on the way. “So… what’s your point? Change is always for the best?”

She marked another spot. “My point, Dearest, is that change is whatever you want it to be. You can take it as it comes, try to embrace it, and see where it takes you, or you can hold on to your past, ignore change as much as possible, and hope for the best. Neither way is necessarily correct. They’re just… different.”

“Different?” Spike repeated as he finished digging and pulled some gems from the ground. He took some pause as he noticed he held an armful of emeralds rather than diamonds. He looked at Rarity, and she winked at him.

“Consider that your reward for helping me today.” She kept walking, marking another spot as she did. Spike blinked a few times at the emeralds before taking one in his teeth and setting the rest in the wagon.

“Now,” Rarity said, “did you pick up on the second moral of my little story?”

Spike swallowed. “There’s more?”

Rarity nodded. “My second point is that change is never an entirely independent thing. It often affects many different people, and they all must work hard to make the change… work. It is never entirely your responsibility, Spike. Do you understand?”

Spike ran the words through his brain a few times. Eventually, he nodded. “Yeah… yeah, I think I get it.” He smiled his first real smile of the day. “Thanks, Rarity.”

“Anytime, Darling.” She looked up at the sun. “Goodness! We’re behind schedule. Hurry along, Spike. We must make haste!”

***

The sun floated lazily above the horizon by time they arrived back at Carousel Boutique. Both Rarity and Spike had bags beneath their eyes, and the latter hauled a rather heavy wagon behind him. It was stacked high with pale blue diamonds along with one small mound of emeralds near the base.

“Thank you kindly for your help today, Spike,” Rarity said, smiling at him. “You can’t know how important it was to me.”

“It was my honour and my duty,” Spike said, dipping into a low bow. Rarity rolled her eyes and hoped the red in her cheeks wasn’t too noticeable. Spike beamed up at her. “And thank you, too, Rarity. For everything.”

“Oh, don’t mention it, Spike. As your friend, it was necessary for me to—” She was cut off in a huff as Spike tackled her into an embrace. She smiled warmly and wrapped one hoof around him in return.

He pulled away soon enough. “Well, we’d both better rest up. Got a big day tomorrow.” He grabbed his armful of emeralds from the wagon and walked off towards the library. “Good night, Rarity!”

“Have a pleasant evening, Spike!” Rarity waved him off. As he rounded the corner and fell out of sight, Rarity let off a gentle sigh and grabbed the wagon’s handle in her magic.

“Rarity!” She startled at her name and startled even more as Twilight jumped out of her bushes.

“Twilight! Besides giving me a heart attack, what in Equestria are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you about something.” She eyed the mountain of gems that lay in the wagon. “Looks like you guys had a pretty busy day. How’s Spike doing?”

Rarity tilted her head back and forth a few times, her expression waning. “It’s hard to say exactly. He’s still quite clearly upset, but I think I put his mind somewhat at ease for the time being.”

Twilight beamed. “That’s perfect!”

Rarity threw her friend a befuddled look. “Perfect? Did you miss the part where I said he’s still very much upset?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan, but I’m going to need your help to pull it off. That’s why I’m here actually. So, tomorrow…” Twilight whispered the rest into Rarity’s ear. Rarity nodded along slowly, and then her eyes widened, and a broad smile split her face.

“Twilight! That’s a positively wonderful idea!”

“Good. So you’ll help?”

“I daresay I would be doing you, Spike, and Equestria a disservice if I said ‘no.’”

Twilight pulled Rarity into a one-armed hug. “Thank you so much, Rarity.”

Rarity returned the embrace and said, “No, Darling, thank you.”

***

“And then I said, ‘Princess Cadance, those aren’t grape-flavoured cupcakes. They’re grout-flavoured!’” Pinkie Pie burst into a fit of giggles as she finished her story, and the rest of the group followed suit. Rainbow Dash, Spike, and even Twilight collapsed atop the grassy mound and rolled from laughter.

“W-wait,” Twilight said, wiping away a tear, “what did Cadance say after that?”

“Not much,” Pinkie said, “but I did get an order for three dozen grout-flavoured cupcakes from the Crystal Empire the next day.”

There was perfect silence for a second, and then the laughter redoubled. Even Fluttershy couldn’t contain herself to just light giggles, breaking into full-on uproarious laughter.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said, “never change.”

“You bet!” Pinkie replied with a beam.

Just then, in the distance, the clock tower signaled eleven o’clock. Twilight looked over the crowd of ponies at the stage. “Well,” she said, “I’d better get going. Celestia wants to take some time to debrief me before the actual ceremony, and I definitely don’t wanna be late for that.” She rose to her hooves. “Wish me luck!”

“Knock ‘em dead, Twi!”

“You’ll do just fine, Darling.”

“Don’t forget the glitter!”

“Don’t be too nervous.”

“Take that bull by the horns, Twi!”

Spike twiddled his thumbs together. “G-good luck, Twilight!” he said, grinning as best he could. “I know you’ll be amazing.”

Twilight beamed at him. She levitated him into a quick hug and whispered, “Try to enjoy yourself tonight, okay?” Spike put everything he could into making his smile and nod genuine. He really did want to enjoy the show instead of feeling hurt and upset the whole time. And not just for Twilight’s sake.

Twilight returned his smile before setting him back down and flying off towards the stage. Spike watched her all the while, not blinking until she disappeared beyond the crowd. He sighed and hung his head.

“I reckon I’d better be goin’ too,” Applejack said, rising to her hooves. “I’m on in five, and I still have to go get Apple Bloom away from her friends an’ prepare everythin’ else.” She lifted her lasso in her teeth and draped it across her back. “See y’all in a bit!”

“Best of luck to you, Applejack!” Rarity called as Applejack walked off. “Break a leg, as it were!”

“So, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, landing next to the pegasus in question. “What’s this I heard about a last-minute change to your performance?”

“Yeah, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said, sidling up to her and giving her the stink eye. “Your bird choir was perfect as it was. What gives?”

Fluttershy smirked a little. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that my choir is pretty similar every time they perform, so I decided to try something a little… unexpected.”

“Ooh,” Rarity said, grinning devilishly. “Sounds scandalous! May we be spoiled early?”

“I’m afraid not,” Fluttershy said. “You’ll just have to wait and see like everypony else.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s gonna rock!” Rainbow Dash noticed Spike sitting off to the side of the group, watching as some singer finished their act on stage. “What about you, Spike?” she called out. “Got any secret plans that you’re gonna spring on everypony tonight?”

“Hm?” Spike looked over his shoulder. “Oh, naw. I’m just gonna be here… watching, cheering. Stuff like that.” He turned back to the stage without another word.

The ponies all frowned. As the silence lingered for too long, Rarity cleared her throat and said, “Well, in any case, shall we—”

“Hey, look!” Pinkie exclaimed, bursting through the group and pointing at the stage. “Applejack’s starting!”

The rest of the group joined Pinkie and Spike in watching the stage. Sure enough, Applejack and Apple Bloom stood center stage amid an armada of different props. There were hay bales, fences, poles, ropes, barrels, and two strange-looking devices at the extreme edges of the stage.

Apple Bloom stood a bit behind her sister and waited for the crowd’s noise to die down. Once it had fallen sufficiently quiet, Applejack nodded to her and Apple Bloom kicked a nearby boombox. The country music to end all country music began playing, and the sisters started moving.

They ran to opposite ends of the stage and faced one another. They charged at the same time, deftly leaping over any hay bales and fences in their path while doing as many flips and spins as they could manage. As they reached center stage, Applejack propped herself up on her front two hooves, and Apple Bloom slid through the gap made between the floor and her sister's head. Applejack’s hat switched heads, and the two kept running.

As the routine continued, Spike turned to face Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, aren’t you up after Applejack?”

“Yeah,” she said, remaining focused on the stage. “Don’t worry about it, though. I’ll be there on time.”

“But—”

“Shh! I said don’t worry about it, Spike. Everything’s gonna be fine. Just enjoy the show, silly!”

Spike shrugged and turned back to the stage. He did a double take when he noticed the flaming barrels and the caged rattlesnakes which had appeared all of a sudden. Applejack and Apple Bloom arrived at center stage, back to back with lassos in their mouths. They winked at one another and threw the ropes towards the strange contraptions at the stage edges. The ropes wound around levers of some kind, and both ponies pulled at once.

Twin fireworks shot into the sky and exploded into red and green apple-shaped designs. The ponies approached the front of the stage just as the music ended and took their bows to thunderous applause. The applause lingered even as stagehooves came up and began extinguishing fires and moving props offstage.

Rainbow Dash sat with her mouth hanging wide. “That was insane! I had no idea Applejack could move like that. Or Apple Bloom, for pony’s sake!”

Fluttershy was visibly shaken. “It c-certainly was… intense. Th-the fire and s-snakes were a bit much, though.”

“On the contrary, Fluttershy,” Rarity said, “I thought those made for quite the spectacle! So daring. So… extreme! What did you think of it, Spike?”

Spike still stared up at the sky as the last twinkles of the fireworks vanished. He blinked and turned to a softly smiling Rarity. He smiled in return. “It was really cool! I especially liked the fireworks at the end.”

“Those were Apple Bloom’s idea,” Applejack said. She wiped some sweat from her brow as she rejoined the group. “Actually, most o’ the theatrics an’ pyrotechnics an’ whatnot were her doin’. I wasn’t too keen on it at first, but it sure looks like it paid off.”

“Heck yeah, it did!” Rainbow Dash cried, landing next to her and offering her hoof. She smirked and said, “Heh, it might’ve even been half as good as my routine.”

Applejack mirrored her expression, spat on her hoof, and bumped Rainbow’s. “I’ll take that as a challenge.” Rarity rolled her eyes at the pair, smiling as she did.

Spike nearly said something, but the clock tower cut him off. He turned and saw it to be ten minutes past eleven. Butterflies fluttered inside his stomach, and he quietly said, “Fifty more minutes. You can do this, Spike. Stay positive. For Twilight, for your friends, for—”

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy said, “look at the time! Pinkie will be starting any second. I’d better go start getting ready.” She stood and strode towards the crowd, her smile just a little wider than normal. “See you soon, everypony!”

“Rock the house, Fluttershy!” Rainbow called.

“Did you see that?” Rarity said, beaming to the rest of them. “She hardly seemed nervous at all! Not long ago she would’ve been nervous to even be in the audience, never mind performing in front of all of Canterlot by herself.”

Applejack nodded. “She’s sure been a lot more confident lately, ‘specially since—”

“Attention, Canterlot,” boomed a voice, jolting the group into silence. They all turned to the stage just as the voice sounded out again. “I hope you’re ready, because it’s time to paaartaaay!”

A trapdoor opened in the stage’s center—fog spilled from it and rippled across the myriad of circus equipment laid out across the stage. From within the fog, a massive, blue cannon rose into view, pointed directly upward. It went off with a bang, and a smaller cannon came shooting from the barrel. And that cannon shot another, and that cannon shot another.

The fifth cannon in the sequence stopped just above the tightrope and fired Pinkie Pie into the air. She wore a clown costume and brandished her own party cannon which she fired across the crowd as an upbeat carnival song started playing. Confetti rocketed across the sky and slowly rained down over the ponies.

The cannons all fell back into each other, and Pinkie Pie landed on the tightrope with one hoof. She bounced and flipped all along the thin wire, and the crowd heaved a collective gasp as the stage below caught fire. Pinkie finished a quintuple backflip and landed back on the rope, causing it to snap and send her plummeting into the flames. Someone in the audience shrieked.

But everyone cheered as Pinkie rose from the fire, balancing atop a large beach ball and juggling ten flaming torches. The inferno died around her just as a manticore leapt onto the stage. It glared at her with a malicious grin and pounced in an instant. Pinkie just beamed as she pushed down on the beach ball and bounced into the air. She switched to juggling the torches with her hind hooves in midair and landed on the manticore’s back on one forehoof. The crowd cheered again as the manticore took flight.

Spike’s smile stretched nearly wider than his face as he watched the show, but something pulled his attention away. He looked towards the back of the stage and felt a lead ball land in his stomach.

Twilight stood next to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, beaming widely as she watched Pinkie Pie ride the manticore through the air. Spike tried to look away, but he couldn’t help it. He imagined being there next to her, hearing her laugh, cheering along with her, feeling her excitement. Memories of celebrations gone by surged in his mind, and he felt a heat building behind his eyes.

He missed it. He missed it a lot. And as he took in Twilight’s gleeful expression, he hated himself for it.

Spike clenched his eyes shut, clutched his head, turned around, and ran in the direction he knew the bathrooms to be. He bumped into numerous walls and ponies as he ran, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that he got away. He couldn’t let his friends see him like that.

Finally, he arrived at the restrooms. He pulled open a stall and bolted inside, locking the outside world away. He heaved a sob and allowed himself to collapse against the floor, breathing heavily.

He balled one hand into a fist and punched the wall. “Get it together, Spike!” he shouted. “Just be happy for her. Be happy that she’s happy. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t… that you’re not… argh!” He hopped up to the sink and set the cold water running. He cupped his hands beneath the faucet and splashed his face, sending a shock through his body. Water dripping from his nose, he panted into the sink’s basin.

A knock sounded against the door. “Spikey-Wikey?” said Rarity’s voice. “Are you alright in there?”

Spike slid one hand across his face, wiping away the excess water. He gave himself one determined glare in the mirror before stepping over and opening the door.

Rarity frowned at him, her eyes wide and soft. “Why ever did you run off like that, Spike? You gave the rest of us quite a fright!”

Spike looked up. “The rest of…?” Just beyond Rarity stood Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They both faced him with the same concerned frown as Rarity.

Spike moaned and slid his hand down his face. “Aw, jeez… you guys didn’t miss the rest of Pinkie’s performance just because of me, did you?”

“Ya didn’t give us much of a choice, Sugarcube,” Applejack said. “What else do ya expect us to do when ya just run off cryin’ like that? What in tarnation was that about, anyway?”

Spike pushed past Rarity, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath. “It’s nothing. Let’s just forget it and—”

A blue magic caught him. “It’s not nothing, Spike,” Rarity said. “Would you please just tell us what’s the matter?”

A bell tolled in the distance. Spike sighed and looked at the three mares with his best serious stare. “Look,” he said, “I’m fine. Honest! I just… it’s not important right now. Fluttershy’s performance is starting soon, so can we please just go watch the rest of the show, have a good time, and not worry about me?”

The three ponies looked at each other uncertainly. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Spike and said, “You sure, Spike?”

Twilight’s smiling expression flashed in his memory. “Positive.”

Rarity bit her lip, but eventually she said, “Very well.” The group began walking back to their spot. “I must admit, I am quite curious to see what Fluttershy has planned for this evening.”

Rainbow’s pupils shrank to dots. She looked up at the clock tower as they passed it by: half past eleven. “Oh, horse apples!” she said. “I’m gonna rush ahead. I’m on right after Fluttershy, and I still have to… uh… do my warm-up exercises! See ya!” Without waiting for a reply, she shot off into the distance.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Did that seem a mite strange to either o’ y’all?”

“Just a tad,” Rarity said. “Fluttershy’s act is slated to take nearly ten minutes if I’m remembering the program correctly. I can’t imagine Rainbow Dash would take that long to prepare for whatever it is she has planned.”

Spike stroked his chin. “Hmm… I wonder…”

“What’s that, Spike?” Applejack asked.

“Well—”

“There you guys are!” Pinkie cried from atop their grassy hill. She still wore her clown attire. “I was getting super-worried that I was gonna have to come find you slowpokes. Fluttershy’s act is starting right now!”

The three friends jogged ahead to meet Pinkie. They took their seats again and turned towards the stage.

Spike frowned and turned to Pinkie. “Hey, Pinkie, sorry we missed the last part of your—”

“Shh!” Pinkie gave him a small smile. “It’s okay. Dashie told me what happened, and I forgive you. Now watch!” She grabbed his head in her hooves and cranked it so he faced the stage.

Silence had fallen across the entire crowd. Fluttershy stood with her back to the audience, hovering a few feet up with a baton in her teeth. Birds of every size and colour faced her from the branches of three leafless trees. Fluttershy lifted her baton, and all of the birds puffed up. She lowered her instrument, and the music began.

It sounded of serenity and peace the likes of which Spike had never known. His troubled thoughts went just a bit softer at the chirps and trills of the choir. He’d heard Fluttershy’s birds perform before, but never like this. It was magical.

But then the mood shifted. Fluttershy moved her baton with increasing velocity and more erratic movements. The birds responded by chirping and whistling with augmenting speed and waning harmony. The music also managed to fall in pitch, and the air itself grew colder. It was still a song, catchy and melodic, but it became more and more disjointed with time.

A particular chord rose in the tune, and a single word jumped to Spike’s mind: Chaos.

The world plunged into blackness, yet the music played on. Hushed whispers went through the crowd, but a deep, foreboding laugh silenced them. It was followed moments later by something akin to a cackle, bone-chilling and distinctly feminine.

A spotlight illuminated the stage. The birds had vanished, but their dark, erratic song played on from everywhere. Discord and Fluttershy faced each other at center stage, her one hoof held in his paw and the other wrapped around his waist. Fluttershy’s eyes had gone red, her ears were large and tufted, and her wings were leathery like a bat’s.

The duo waltzed around the stage, their dance matching the music in a twisted beauty. Eventually, they arrived at the point where light met darkness and continued dancing up the vertical edge of the nonexistent wall. Once they reached the top corner of the illuminated area, Discord wheeled around and launched Fluttershy across the crowd, her bat-like shriek highlighting the music and sending chills across the crowd.

All that could be seen of Fluttershy in the darkness were her slanted red eyes. Then—all at once—the music picked up force, the spotlight went dark, and Fluttershy’s eyes grew to mammoth proportions. They were all anyone could see, and they loomed large above the crowd like some wrathful deity. Several foals began crying in the crowd.

The world itself seemed to flip around, and the red of Fluttershy’s eyes twisted and blended together into a spiral that took up the crowd’s entire line of sight. Discord faded into existence—standing on nothing in the spiral’s center—and Fluttershy appeared next to him. They towered above the crowd. Taking up their dance once more, they moved in vertical circles along the spiral’s edges. At the same time, the spiral began to shift colours, bleeding with technicolour.

Their waltz picked up speed, and the music raised in volume and tempo. Multicoloured rings of magic burst from nowhere, sending a sparkling wind across the audience. The song crescendoed, and Discord laughed in harmony with Fluttershy’s cackle. Light exploded all around, and Discord and Fluttershy became fireworks in the sky above the stage. All attentions shifted back down to the stage where Fluttershy and Discord finished their waltz with a flourish, a chorus of vampire fruit bats closing off the song behind them. Silence lingered for a moment as the sparkling fireworks faded from between the stars.

The crowd exploded into raucous applause. Fluttershy and Discord beamed at one another, then at the crowd, then bowed. A puff of smoke went off around them, and Fluttershy had returned to normal, along with the bird choir. They walked offstage together even as the crowd continued to shake and whistle.

Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and even Pinkie Pie sat transfixed by the stage, their jaws drooping.

“Did that really just…?” Rarity said.

“Buh…” Applejack said.

“That. Was. Amazing!” Pinkie shouted, beaming from ear to ear. “No, it was better than amazing! It was amazing-fantasterrific! With all the lights and the music and the bats and the Flutterbat and the chaos and the—”

“So… you liked it, then?” Fluttershy said, landing next to the group with a small smile.

“That was so awesome, Fluttershy!” Spike said, running up and throwing himself around her. “I mean, your bird choir is already awesome and everything, but that was just… wow!”

“No kiddin’,” Applejack said, grinning at Fluttershy. “Where the heck did all that come from, ya ‘shy’ little thing?”

A soft pink built behind Fluttershy’s cheeks. “It was mostly thanks to Discord. He really wanted to be a part of my act, but I was really nervous about it—I still am a bit nervous, honestly. But when we practiced it, the whole thing just felt… right! It was certainly a change from my normal choir, but a good one, I hope.”

“It was far better than just ‘good,’ Darling,” Rarity said, her eyes nearly popping from her skull. “It was absolutely, positively—”

The clock tower sounded, and they all looked over: twenty minutes to midnight.

Spike’s heart went electric as he released Fluttershy from his hug, but he quickly shook away the feeling. He knew he still needed to be strong. For Twilight, for his friends, and for—

“Spike,” Rarity said, pulling his mind back to reality. “My performance with Sweetie Belle is in just ten minutes—just after Rainbow Dash’s act—and I have quite a lot of preparations to complete.” She smiled a little. “Would you mind terribly much coming to assist me backstage?”

Spike blinked. He took in Rarity’s hopeful, sparkling face, and his heart answered before his mind could catch up. “Uh… sure, Rarity,” he said, smiling a little. “I’d love to help.”

“Splendid!” Rarity faced the rest of the group. “Well, I must be off to fetch Sweetie Belle now. Wish us luck!”

“Good luck to ya, Rare!”

“Have fun!”

“Tell Sweetie Belle not to be too nervous.”

Rarity nodded to Spike, and they set off together. Spike’s mind reeled with what Rarity could possibly want his help for, but mostly he couldn’t shake the thought of running into Twilight backstage and having another panic attack. He wrung his claws together in silence, not noticing the small smirk Rarity gave him.

They arrived at the crowd’s edge before long and found Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom whispering about something. They went silent as Rarity and Spike approached.

Rarity said, “How are you girls enjoying the show thus far?”

“It’s amazin’!” Apple Bloom shouted, beaming.

“Outstanding,” Sweetie Belle breathed, her eyes twinkling. “That whole thing Fluttershy did with Discord was so neat!”

Rarity smiled. “Indeed! Now, Sweetie Belle, are you ready to—”

“Hold on,” Spike said, craning his head all around. He raised an eyebrow at the two fillies. “Where’s Scootaloo?”

“Rainbow Dash came by an’ took her away right before Fluttershy’s act,” Apple Bloom said. “Said somethin’ about helpin’ her with her routine. Scoots was over the moon!”

“Really?” Rarity lifted an eyebrow. “Odd. I could’ve sworn Rainbow was doing a solo routine.”

A warm smirk split Spike’s face.

Rarity shook her head. “Never mind that right now, though! Sweetie Belle, we must be off to prepare for our own routine. Come along, now.”

“You got it, Sis!” Sweetie squeaked, bouncing to her hooves.

“I’m gonna go sit with Applejack,” Apple Bloom called as the three of them walked away. “Don’t wanna have to enjoy the show all alone!”

Spike winced.

“Rarity,” Sweetie Belle started, “why is Spike coming backstage with us?”

“He’s going to help set up the gems, Darling,” Rarity said. With a grin she added, “I also have something in mind that he might help with during our performance as well.”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “Neat.”

Spike, on the other hand, skidded to a halt. “Wait, what?!” He stared up at Rarity. “I thought you just wanted me to help set up! Not be a part of the act!”

Rarity came to a stop and frowned at him. “Well, yes, that was my original proposal, but you could certainly help to improve our routine as well!” She smiled at him hopefully. “Doesn’t that sound nice, Spike?”

“No! I mean, yes! But… but your act doesn’t end until five minutes to midnight! What if I don’t get back in time to see the Firework Lotus Ceremony?! W-what if I’m not there cheering for Twilight with the rest of our friends?! What if… what if…!” He began breathing heavily.

Rarity set her hooves on either side of his head, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Spike, do you trust me?”

Between his choked gasps, Spike managed a nod.

“Then please listen. I promise you right now that this night will go just the way that you want it to. You will not miss the Firework Lotus Ceremony. You will not miss Twilight. You have my word.”

Spike slowed his breathing and swallowed hard. He held Rarity’s eyes and asked, “P-Pinkie Promise?”

Rarity smiled. She took a step back and set about performing the corresponding gesture as she recited, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

His expression still betrayed his nervousness, but Spike managed to nod and started walking again. Sweetie Belle fell into step beside him and said, “What was all that about, Spike?”

Spike shook his head. “It’s nothing… Don’t worry about it.”

Sweetie Belle frowned, but she said nothing more.

The group walked in silence for the rest of their trip to the stage. As they rounded the corner around the stage’s side, Spike looked over to see Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo ascending the stairs to the stage proper. Scootaloo happened to meet his eyes, and she stopped to wave at him, excitement splitting her face in half.

Spike managed a small smile and a weak wave in return. Scootaloo jumped up and vanished onto the stage, and Spike let out a small sigh. “At least one of us got our wish,” he whispered to himself.

“Okay,” Rarity said, coming to a stop. “Let us prepare ourselves. Sweetie Belle, go over there and do your warm-up vocals, would you?”

“Sure thing, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle ran off to the side.

“Spike, you will come and assist me in giving our diamonds one last polish. They must be perfectly spotless.” Rarity stepped over to the array of props which sat behind the stage and opened a large trunk. It contained hundreds of small, pale blue diamonds which already seemed to shimmer with some modicum of magic.

Rarity levitated a cloth and a bottle of polish into Spike’s hands. She beckoned him over and they sat down beside the trunk. They each grabbed one gemstone and set about polishing.

After a pregnant silence, Rarity said, “Now would you like to talk about your little panic attack earlier?”

Spike grabbed another gemstone and sighed. “I had a feeling that’s why you really wanted me back here.”

“Was I not subtle enough?”

“Not really.” Spike paid little attention to how much each diamond sparkled as he spoke. “I saw Twilight watching Pinkie’s act from backstage. She looked so happy and excited… and—”

“And you wished you could be there with her.”

Spike paused and looked up at Rarity.

Rarity stopped polishing and rolled her eyes at him. “You don’t take me for a fool, do you, Spike? I can decipher the wants and needs of the heart better than most.”

Spike shrugged and set about polishing again. “Yeah, I wanted to be there with her. This was always supposed to be our special night, ya know? We’ve been together at every Firework Lotus Celebration since I was born. We’ve always watched it together. We’ve always enjoyed it together. And I liked that. I really liked seeing her happy… and being happy with her.”

Rarity looked up at him even as she kept polishing. “And now? Twilight seems quite thrilled with tonight’s turn of events. Are you not happy to see her enjoying it?”

“Of course I am!” Spike shouted, scowling at Rarity and making her flinch. He pulled back and shook his head. “Sorry. It’s just… I am happy for her—I really am. But I just feel like I’m being left behind or something. We’re supposed to be happy together. But now that she’s a princess, now that she gets to do the ceremony herself…”

Rarity let the silence linger before she finished the thought for him. “Things have changed.”

“Yeah,” Spike said, tossing a diamond aside. “Things have changed.”

They polished in silence for a little longer, the only sounds being Sweetie Belle practicing her chords and the cheering of the audience from the opposite side of the stage. Eventually, though, the silence had to break.

“Spike,” Rarity said, “I can’t hope to speak for Twilight, but I truly believe she must care about how you’re feeling right now. She knows how dear to your heart this night is—it’s dear to hers as well, I’m sure, and for similar reasons. Don’t you think she wants you to enjoy this celebration just as much as she’s enjoying it?”

“I know she does. She told me she was going to decline Princess Celestia’s offer just to spare my feelings.”

Rarity paused at that. “And what did you say to her?”

“I said what I needed to say.”

“… but not what you wanted to say.”

Spike didn’t respond. He just kept furiously rubbing a diamond with his rag.

A violent explosion shocked both of them into looking up. A circular rainbow surged across the stars above as a sonic boom echoed and rattled throughout Canterlot. Rarity turned back to Spike. “I believe that’s our cue to be ready to perform soon. I do wish we could talk more on this matter, but I’m afraid time is of the essence. Would you please go and fetch Sweetie Belle for me?”

“Sure.” Spike dropped his rag and stood. He started towards the filly.

“And, Spike.”

He faced Rarity, and his heart missed a beat at the firmness of her eyes. “Whatever happens,” she said, “always remember that Twilight cares about you. Deeply and truly—we all care about you.”

Spike blinked. He nodded slowly and continued on his way over to Sweetie Belle.

Just as he arrived, Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked on one note. She mumbled something and stomped her hoof. “You almost ready, Sweetie Belle?” Spike asked. “Rarity says you’ve gotta go on soon.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, but her head was trembling. “I-I think so…”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “You okay?”

She made to say something, but she quickly stopped and sighed. “No, not really. I’m actually really, really nervous.”

“But you seemed so excited on the way backstage. I couldn’t tell that you were nervous at all!”

Sweetie Belle frowned at him. “That’s just because Rarity was there. I don’t want to let her see how scared I am, because this is such an important night for her, and I’m afraid I’m gonna mess it up. What if I don’t do good enough? What if I sing off-key and humiliate myself in front of a-all those ponies? She’ll never want to do anything with me ever again after that.”

Spike put a claw on her shoulder. She looked up and saw him smiling at her. “Sweetie Belle, I’ve heard you sing. You’re gonna be awesome up there. And even if you’re not, Rarity’s still your sister, and she loves you! She’s not gonna be mad at you for slipping up.”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “You really think so?”

A toothy grin split Spike’s face. “Of course! She’s gonna be too busy being proud of you to care how well you sing. All that matters is that you’re trying. Not like it really matters, anyway. Like I said, your singing’s the best!”

Sweetie Belle’s smile held strong despite the tremble which lingered in her eyes. “O-okay,” she said. She breathed one heavy breath and started moving towards Rarity. She paused to throw Spike into a quick one-armed hug before running to meet up with her sister.

Despite himself, Spike couldn’t help smiling as he watched Rarity and Sweetie Belle. The former had nothing but a soft sparkle in her eyes, the latter a small twinkle.

The clock tower let Canterlot know there were only ten minutes to midnight. Spike’s smile fell away as he noticed one of the smaller firework lotuses off to the side of the stage. He gulped at the white flower bud and felt the warmth drain from his body.

“Spike!” He blinked at his name and turned to look at Rarity. She beckoned to him, and he quickly jogged over.

“Our performance is about to begin,” she said, eyeing Sweetie Belle as she stood by the base of the stairs, “and we must quickly go over what your role will be.”

Spike screwed up his face. “Right now? Like, just a few seconds before we perform it?”

“It will be rather simple. All you need to do is—when I point at you—breathe the largest fireball you can directly at me.”

Spike blanched. “At you?! Rarity, are you sure that’s—”

“I assure you I will be perfectly safe. Now, are you clear on my directions?”

“Rarity—”

She glared at him. “Are. You. Clear?”

His words fell back down his throat, and Spike nodded. Rarity gave him a small smile before motioning to Sweetie Belle. The filly nodded curtly, let out one more breath, and walked onto the stage. Rarity moved over to the diamond-filled trunk and levitated all of the gems into the air, holding them at the ready.

Sweetie Belle arrived at center stage, and the crowd went still. Rarity pressed a button on a nearby boombox, and a soft, classical melody came to life all around them. A line of sparkling diamonds moved onto the stage in Rarity’s hold, and they danced around in intricate, graceful patterns. They shimmered with magic, raining blue and white sparkles wherever they went. Spike stood awed by the display alone.

And then Sweetie Belle sang.

Winter winds are blowing.
Oh, starlight, it is snowing.
On this night the earth—it does glow white.

Children, they are sleeping.
By midnight are they dreaming.
And, effervescently, the moon shines bright.

But on this coldest night,
under the watch of universe,
I beg and bleed and pray and plead:
O, free me from thy curse.

The song picked up force, and the gems soared about the stage with increasing vigor. They broke off into separate segments, each dancing with their own unique beauty.

It burns! It spurns!
More wrathful than a thousand suns.
But then! I feel!
Emotion brewing in my heart.
I realize I’ve been doomed from the start.

The music fell lethargic again, filling the air with a certain sadness. Rarity’s diamonds moved with melancholy purpose, snaking through the air like lonely serpents. For a time, the song’s legato tune grabbed the audience’s attention, giving Sweetie Belle some reprieve.

Eventually, though, it struck its saddest point, and the show went on.

Winter winds are blowing.
Oh, starlight, it is snowing.
My spirit wanes—it coos for fellow dove.

In despair, my mind is reeling
with these feelings I am feeling.
Tell me: when it hurts how can I call it love?

Slowly, the song built in power and tempo.

My hope, it matters none.
This loyalty you shun.

When honesty and laughter fail,
my rationale begins to pale.

How long until our love is dry?
And when it is, I’ll ask you why.

And will you stay, or will you run and hide?!

Many things happened when Sweetie Belle struck that high note.

The music crescendoed to meet her, the power behind each note a veritable tidal wave. Rarity moved the diamonds to rotate in three twisted rings around her sister, and she pointed to Spike at the same time. Without missing a beat, Spike exhaled a great green fireball in Rarity’s direction. She curved it in her magic and channeled it through each and every diamond, making them all erupt in a bright, beautiful light show. It wiped away the night’s darkness for a fraction of a second.

And then there was silence, and everything went still.

The music returned, succumbing slowly and quietly to its own tragic notes. Rarity lowered the gems towards the floor, dimming them in time with the music. And finally, Sweetie Belle finished her song.

Winter winds are blowing.
Oh, Sister, it is snowing.
Your vibrant sun, she rises in the east.

I rest my head not knowing,
only praying, only hoping,
that, when I wake...

...it won’t be…

...as a beast.

The gems fell to rest in a circle around Sweetie Belle, and the last of their light died away. When all was quiet—save for some soft sobbing in the audience—the applause began. It started quietly, but it soon built to a thunderous beating of hooves. Someone even tossed a rose bouquet onto the stage.

Sweetie Belle gingerly stepped forward and picked up the roses. She beamed at the crowd then over her shoulder at Rarity as she ascended to the stage. The two sisters stood side by side and bowed low before the chorusing crowd.

Spike, in the meantime, wiped the water from his eyes as he watched them from behind with a sweet smile. He sniffled.

Soon enough, the two ponies strode back off the stage. Rarity’s face simply glowed down at her sister as she said, “You were remarkable, Sweetie Belle! I knew you would be magnificent, but that? Luna’s Hymn really was the perfect song for you.”

“I’m so happy you liked it, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle cried, throwing herself around Rarity’s neck. “It wouldn’t have been nearly as good without your diamonds, though. I was so afraid I would mess the whole thing up with my singing.”

“What did I tell ya?” Spike said, grinning from ear to ear. “You blew it out of the water! I knew you could—”

“That was incredible, you guys!” Spike’s heart took a dive at that voice. He whirled around to find himself face to face with Twilight, Princesses Celestia and Luna standing not far behind. “You were so good, Sweetie Belle!”

Luna beamed, her eyes trembling. “Indeed. ‘Twas a great honour and privilege to hear that hymn in such a beautiful, dulcet voice. Brava!”

“Th-thank you, Princess Luna!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, going into a hasty bow. Rarity wasn’t far behind.

Spike, though, just kept staring at Twilight. Twilight smiled at him in turn. The clock tower chimed, and it was three minutes to midnight.

“Oh, my!” Rarity said, levitating Sweetie Belle onto her back. “Pardon the sudden departure, Your Highnesses, but we must hurry back so that we can watch the Firework Lotus Ceremony in all its glory.” She grinned a bit at Twilight.

Celestia smiled. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Rarity. Congratulations on a job well done this evening.”

“Thank you!” Rarity called over her shoulder as she cantered out of sight.

Spike blinked. “Oh… uh… I-I guess I should be going too.” He turned to leave.

“Not so fast, Spike.”

And he stopped.

Twilight lifted him onto her back in her magic and said, “You didn’t forget that we still have a routine to do, did you?”

Spike’s whole body went numb. “W-what? B-but I thought you were doing the Firework Lotus Ceremony! I w-was supposed to watch with our friends and… and cheer for you.”

“That was the original idea,” Celestia said, smiling warmly. “But after Twilight told me how important this night was to you, I had no choice but to accept the terms of her… modification to the ceremony.”

“Modification? What do you…” His question froze on his tongue as he noticed the wry looks each princess gave him. Twilight especially had a little twinkle in her eye, and her smile was full.

Spike paled. “Oh.”

The clock tower chimed, and it was two minutes to midnight.

“I think we’ll leave you two alone to get ready,” Celestia said. She and Luna turned and walked off to the side of the stage.

“Best of luck to you, Twilight Sparkle and Spike!” Luna called out. “Bring in the new year with resplendent glory!”

Once the other two princesses had gone, Twilight said, “Bet you didn’t expect this, did you? Okay, we don’t have much time until midnight, so listen closely. We’re only going to do the last part of the routine because that’s all we can fit into ten seconds. You’re still going to breathe your fire near the end, but make sure to aim it at the—”

“I can’t do this, Twilight.”

Twilight’s mind screeched to a stop. She stared at him blankly. “What?”

Spike shook his head. “I can’t do this.” He hopped down from her back and hung his head.

Twilight frowned. “But isn’t this exactly what you wanted, Spike? For us to be together to celebrate the new year?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Twi,” Spike said, looking up at her through quivering eyes, “this is like a dream come true. I mean, getting the chance to perform the Firework Lotus Ceremony with you? That’s just… Wow, that’s awesome.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Spike sighed. “I’ve learned a lot over these past few days, Twi. I learned that change is a really important part of life, and supporting your friends and family through it—even if you don’t want to—is the right thing to do. I… I have to do that too. I’ve always wanted to support you and be there for you through everything because it made both of us happy. But now, with you being a princess and all, sometimes being there for you means leaving you to do what you’re supposed to do, with or without me.”

Twilight blinked. The clock tower chimed, and it was one minute to midnight.

Spike did nothing to slow the tears leaking from his eyes. He sniffled, looked Twilight in the eye, and said, “I didn’t earn the right to perform this ceremony, Twilight. You did. You and only you. I’ll be here cheering you on no matter what—you know that—but I have to… I have to accept that things have changed. This is the right thing to do…” He let the silence linger for a second, hoping for any sort of reply, but finally turned and started walking away.

“Spike…” Twilight said. He turned to her. Her eyes were like damp stones over her frown—wet but firm. “You’re right that things have changed, and sometimes that does mean that we’re not going to need each other anymore. I’m very proud of you for learning that lesson and coming to accept that on your own.”

Spike smiled and started to turn away again.

“But…”

He froze mid step.

He felt Twilight’s hoof press on his shoulder, and he turned to face her. She was smiling at him. “That doesn’t mean that everything has to change. I may not need you around all the time, but I want you around, especially tonight, and that’s never going to change. You’re my best friend, Spike… and I love you.”

Spike blinked. The clock tower chimed, and it was twenty seconds to midnight.

Twilight sniffled. “So, please, Spike. Do the ceremony with me tonight. Not for you. Not for me. For us.” She extended a hoof to him.

Spike looked from Twilight’s hoof to her smiling face and back again. He blinked, and the clock tower chimed.

***

“Ten!”

Princess Twilight Sparkle arrived on the stage, a small purple dragon standing atop her back. Their eyes were wet, but they smiled.

“Nine!”

They approached the edge of the stage and looked down at the firework lotus. It shone in the moonlight.

“Eight!”

Twilight extended her wings and lit her horn all at once. Spike breathed in deep.

“Seven!”

Ethereal wind built around the pair, making them shimmer as Twilight lifted them slowly into the air.

“Six!”

Spike puffed out ring after ring of dark green smoke across the audience.

“Five!”

Twilight teleported as she flew a winding figure-eight path, going gradually higher as she did. The light of her magic tinted the world magenta.

“Four!”

Spike inhaled deeply again.

“Three!”

They came to a hover high in the air. Spike belched a massive plume of green fire directly at the firework lotus below. It exploded into flame.

“Two!”

Twilight pulled magic into her horn until it became a blinding purple beacon. The firework lotus sparkled and bloomed below.

“One!”

The flower shot its firework into the sky. It reached ever upwards until it became level with Spike and Twilight. They both beamed at the star before them.

“Happy New Year!”

Twilight released her magic as the firework detonated. Brilliant green sparks ignited the sky as a purple, six-pointed star expanded from behind, lending even more light to the spectacle. All of Canterlot shone for a fraction of a second under Spike and Twilight’s combined efforts. The crowd whooped and hollered below them, the earthquake of cheers shaking the very air.

Spike removed his lips from Twilight’s cheek and wrapped his arms around her neck from behind. She nuzzled him in return. “Thank you, Twilight,” he said. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Spike. Thank you so much.”

And as the firework lotus burned far below, everything was perfect.

Author's Note:

Happy New Year!

Comments

[Metool Bard]

This was a simply beautiful way to ring in the new year. In fact, if it wasn't for the length, I think this could work as a canon episode of the show. The characters are portrayed well, the message is powerful, and those performance scenes practically demand to be animated. All in all, a job well done.

[Ekhidna]

The D'awww and HHNNNGGGG are strong in this one

[ZemaBato]

Love it, of course. It was a fine story, good sir. Keep up the good work!

[The Descendant]

Wonderful, Arg... simply wonderful.

[ArgonMatrix]

3733467
Don't tell anyone, but that's what I was going for: something that has the feel of the show while not being restricted by the time constraints of an actual episode. Glad you think I did a good job!

Also, I would pay a pretty penny to see any of those sequences animated. I can visualize them beautifully in my head, but seeing them brought to life would be a dream. Especially the Rarity+Sweetie Belle one—that one's my personal favourite.

3734066
I would be lying if I said the cuteness factor wasn't a huge part of why I wrote this. Glad you enjoyed it!

3734307
Thanks for the kind words! Good to know you enjoyed it.

3734508
Thanks, T.D.. I was aiming for complexly wonderful, but simply wonderful works just as well. Happy you enjoyed it!

...oh! And I'll get right back to editing Zenith now that this is written. Sorry for the holdup, but inspiration waits for no one!

[Me Myself and J]

B. U. T. Foal.
'Nuff said.
Have a mustache

[ArgonMatrix]

3739230
Took me a second to understand that, haha. I've never seen it phrased like that! Regardless, thank you kindly.

[Me Myself and J]

3739736 That's probably because I just made it up

[north_star]

If you made The Descendant nearly speechless, you did very well!

[ArgonMatrix]

3742212
Heh, yeah, I like to see that as a sign of success, too.

[SirTruffles]

This story was amazing The sugary dawwws counterbalanced the bitterness of the feels to make the good wholesome morals into a hearty meal for the soul. Everypony learned something that I think they needed to learn. I could tell exactly who was speaking from the dialogue alone. And to top it off, I saw exactly 3 grammatical mistakes in 17,000 words.

All I can say is:
gifs.gifbin.com/1233928590_citizen%20kane%20clapping.gif

Faving, thumbing up, recommending for Twilight's Library, and putting in the featured selection on my user page. Bloody good show.

[ArgonMatrix]

3776382
Wow. Thank you very much for such high praise! I do feel like this story is probably my best one to date, and I'm glad to see that reflected in your opinions as well. Very glad you enjoyed it!

As for those three grammar mistakes, I'd be more than happy to go in and fix them if you remember where they are—no sense in leaving them there, after all! If you don't remember, though, I'll just read through the story again myself and keep an eye out. Thanks for the tip!

[LuminoZero]

3776382

DID SOMEONE SUMMON ME?!

Jest aside, I must second my co-workers views. Absolutely outstanding. And as someone who loves seeing Spike get the attention he deserves, this fic was a special little treat.

Here is a special treat from me in return.

24.media.tumblr.com/a257ad5165644b1f79354634dfdee284/tumblr_mqo61uYbwk1rj6vd5o1_400.png

Wear it with pride;
-Lumino

[SirTruffles]

3778544
You're very welcome. You earned it

I'm not quite sure I remember where those mistakes were. All I remember was a rogue "you're" that should have been a "your," but I don't recall where.

[ArgonMatrix]

3788256
Thank you very much for the kind words and for the accolade. Glad to know I did Spike justice in your eyes.

3788602
Ugh, what a horrible mistake to make.

Regardless, I found it now and I'll keep an eye out for the other two. Thanks again!

[DarkDMan]

Spectacular! Love everything about the story.

[ArgonMatrix]

3819416
Very glad to hear it! Did anything in particular strike a chord with you?

[DarkDMan]

3820657 The strong amount of pure love that Spike and Twilight have for each other, and how though out the years together that they can share something special together that only got better with time.

[ArgonMatrix]

3820976
Wonderful! Glad I could bring their relationship to life for you.

[Hierophant]

Not really my thing, "the direct feels", but it's done well. Some of the dialog is just sort of there; it has no rhytmic merit and doesn't contribute anything, but that's a pretty ubiquitous mistake in fiction. Rarity's exposition was great. I found myself skipping over parts, but the overall message and culminating narrative pressure engendering it were still apparent. In short, bravo. Clarity of message is paramount, and your clarity was superb. You added some base alkali to my caustic heart. +like

I dug the five-stage party cannon. Slick gimmick.

[sopchoppy]

Very nicely done. Great Characterization all around, good pacing, great story.

[ArgonMatrix]

3896342
I'm very glad you found things to enjoy about the story even though it wasn't your cup of tea. Thanks a ton for the feedback!

Oh, and it was a hoot writing that party cannon gimmick. I like calling them the Matryoshka Cannons, myself.

3896718
Thank you for the praise! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Emptybee]

diamond in the ruff

I believe you actually mean rough - unless the diamond in question really is wearing a lace collar. (Always a possibility where Rarity is concerned.)

[Emptybee]

I really want to like this story. It's nice to see Spike get some love and it has some great character moments.

But I keep tripping over one thing. Why would Twilight let Spike spend the last two days being miserable when all she had to do was tell him her plan? It just feels like pointless cruelty on her part. As a result I find myself really disliking Twilight by the end.

[ArgonMatrix]

3898040
Not sure how I missed that typo. It's fixed now, though. Thanks for pointing it out!

As for your complaint, I'm sorry if that soured the reading experience for you. There is a conscious reason behind why Twilight kept the plan a secret, and I could try to explain it here, but I feel like that would undermine the story. As George Orwell once said: "I do not wish to comment on the work; if it does not speak for itself, it is a failure."

I'm glad you found other things to enjoy in the story, though. Thanks for the feedback!

[Casca]

And as the firework lotus burned far below, everything was perfect.

This is the best line to describe this piece, which just got more magical, more engaging, more brilliant the longer it got. Absolutely amazing, author.

[ArgonMatrix]

3899080
I'm so glad you enjoyed it to such an extent! Thank you very much for the praise.

[Path_of_cloud]

Fantastic work, excellent job capturing all the characters. It was nice to see Spike give two of the Crusaders some sound advice, it plays to the fact that they have been shown to kind of look up to him in the show. Writing an article on him and taking ideas like zip lining from him, for example.

[Alchemystudent]

Sweetie: I put on an awesome show like that and I don't get a cutie mark? GIPT

I kid, this fic was pure awesome!

[ArgonMatrix]

3899714
Glad you enjoyed my characterizations! I always did sense a little inkling of something between Spike and the Crusaders. Glad that came through in the writing.

3900834
Fun fact: In the original draft, Sweetie Belle did get her cutie mark for that performance. It didn't quite fit within the scope of the story though.

Regardless, very glad you enjoyed it!

[Path_of_cloud]

3901132 I'm still cursing autocorrect for arthimcal.

[Arby]

Why didn't I read this sooner?

Great story.

[Dawn Darkling]

Brilliant.

[-Frost]

And this story is a prime example as to why I had to follow you. All I can really say was wow and that I simply loved this. Now you sir are what they call a talented author. *standing ovation and plenty of hoof clops*

-Frost

[ArgonMatrix]

3905889
Regardless of why it took you a while, I'm very glad you read and enjoyed it. Thanks!

3909605
Thank ya kindly!

3911095
D'aw, you're too much. I'm very happy that this story satisfied you, though. I worked rather hard on it, and I'm glad it shows!

[Harwick]

This one was a real treat to read... Very heartwarming, with charming characterization and a nice, substantial length for a one-shot. It's the kind of story I love to find here... Thanks for sharing it!

[ArgonMatrix]

3911422
Thanks for all the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it that much.

[Frazzled Pony]

Again. Wow. You have a gift for these. The characters are perfect and I love the images you create. Those shows were brilliant and that song was beautiful. Where are the talented singers in this fandom when we need them, someone should sing that song!

Two nitpicks:

"And will you say, or will you run and hide?!" Is it on purpose you wrote "say"? Because "stay" makes more sense to me.

"dulcet voice. Brava!”" Is it supposed to be Brava or did you misspell Bravo? I'm guessing "brava" might actually have been chosen on purpose, but I have to ask.

Again, this is beautiful. Love, affection, humor, friendship, everything I love about MLP. Fantastic job.

[PresentPerfect]

I want to say that the ending of this story went on just a bit. I didn't feel like the performances were entirely necessary to include, Rarity's aside; Fluttershy's was kind of... weird. But it speaks to the quality of the writing and the emotions you've brought forth from the characters that that didn't diminish my enjoyment or appreciation of this piece one bit.

3997486
"Brava" is actually how you congratulate a female performer. It's been subsumed in the English language by the masculine form since we don't gender words that way, but in Italian, it's proper.

[Frazzled Pony]

4006252

Yeah, it did seem too deliberate to be a mistake, so I was assuming there was something like that behind it. Thanks for that, I always enjoy learning new things.

Just out of curiosity, what do you say to a group performance? Bravo?

[PresentPerfect]

4006291
According to Wiktionary, it's bravi for a male (or mixed) group, and brave (brah-vay) for a female group.

[Frazzled Pony]

4006330
Cool.

[ArgonMatrix]

3997486
I'm glad I could bring the characters and images to life for you. My main fear in writing is that I'm not conveying what I want the reader to see adequately, so you have no idea how awesome it is to hear that my words somehow brought life to the story.

As for the nitpicks, that instance of "say" isn't a typo of "stay," but it does sound a bit jarring. Might have to change that one. And it looks like presentperfect already cleared up the "Brava" thing, so there you go! Thanks a ton for the feedback!

4006252
I can definitely see where you're coming from. Personally, I think the performances added something of value to the story, even if they didn't necessarily need to be there for the story to be told effectively. And even though you don't agree with that, I'm glad it didn't detract from the story for you. Thanks for the feedback!

Oh, and as for Fluttershy's performance… I knew that one would be hit or miss for people. I aspired to do something abnormal with her—something to show people how far she's come over 3.5 seasons. At the very least, I wanted it to be memorable, and it looks like I accomplished that much!

[Frazzled Pony]

4029954

On the subject of performances: Yeah, the story doesn't really need them and one can be easily label them as bogging down the narrative. Having the last part without the other performances would have tied it more strongly with the other ones, in a more concise manner.

On the other hand, I loved reading the performances, so I'm not complaining, even if they are kinda tangential. Though the one with the Apples jumped a bit and never really explained what happened with the fire and snakes. Was that one purpose?

I particularly loved Fluttershy and Discord's performance. There is something incredible awesome about it. I'd put it this way: Discord put a little madness in Fluttershy, and that was creepy and cool and a good sign of character development for both of them. Well done, once again.

[Aotrs Commander]

Very nicely done, very nicely indeed!

[Swashbucklist]

This one's a treasure. With so many folks writing exclusively about the six ponies, so many Spike fans writing wish-fulfillment dribble, and so many others downgrading Spilight (be it romantic, family or friendshipping) in general, it's a tremendous pleasure to get a shining piece of work that exalts the intimacy and importance of Spike and Twilight's unique bond.

You deserve much credit for dodging clichés in order to keep things developing consistently, rather than getting the characters hung up on one situation just to stew them in it or cheapen their intelligence for lowbrow drama. The one example that springs to mind is one of Spike's best moments, in which he commanded Twilight to 86 their tradition for everyone else's sake, but didn't try to hide his pain from her. Though as finely crafted as the story is, it's not perfect; the letter from Celestia never specifically stated that Twilight and Spike would be abandoning their pre-ceremony routine, and it seems a little sinister of Fluttershy to participate in a performance that would make small children cry, regardless of how much she's changed.

Furthermore, the emotional payoff didn't wrap up how I thought it was going to, and although what you have here is gold, it's still missing something. Twilight should have pointed out that she was executing the Firework Lotus Ceremony as a princess of Equestria, and since friendship is what made her a princess, she wouldn't have been able to represent herself if her most precious companion wasn't part of it. As the Princess of Friendship, it had to be done with Spike, or not at all. Instead of a "Please do this with me" line, I was hoping for her to plant him on her back and say with a smile, "No. This is the right thing to do."

Sweetie Belle's song, though...that was gorgeous. Before Rarity said "Luna's Hymn" I was convinced it had been written by Rarity in reference to her relationship with Spike and his thousand-year nap (which hopefully doesn't apply to Spike himself) to show that she understands his feelings. I can't help but feel that your powerful, melodic lyrics were inspired in part by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The whole concept of the Firework Lotus ceremony, though, still makes me think of this fantastic piece of music:

Thank-you for writing this. It ranks right up there with The Seventh Star.

...I just wish Rarity had been a little jealous that Spike chose to kiss Twilight instead of herself.

[OngKhan]

This story deserves far more upvotes than it currently has. It is one of the best, most heart-warming stories on here. Thank you for writing it Argon.

[BlazzingInferno]

It felt a tad out of character for Spike to be so weepy so often, but I know that it really wasn't; it was just the time gaps between events. This is a masterpiece

[Angelus Alvus]

Truly magneficent.

[taterforlife]

That was beautifully written, and I think you did Spike and Twilight perfectly. It conveys just how utterly beautiful their relationship is. And I disagree if others believe that Spike was too weepy; he is always referred to as a baby dragon, and what do babies do? They cry. And he has been tearful many times in the past of the show, and it's part of what makes him so endearing and lovable to me. He and Twilight are a perfect pair, in both terms of family and friendship.
But I will admit, I read it because I am a Fluttercord lover and heard of Fluttershy's dance. In terms of all the performances, I loved all of them. I'm dying to know what RD did, but I understand why you couldn't do that, since the story follows Spike. I read that you knew Fluttershy's thing would be a hit or miss with most, and for me, it's actually kind of a 50/50. It was gorgeous in my mind, no doubt about that, and I loved how you showed how not only Fluttershy has improved and developed, but all of the Mane 6 (and Spike, though honestly, why can't we call it the Mane 7? I don't care if he isn't a pony, he's part of the group!). The only thing I would've done was take out the sinister laugh and crying foals, because I feel Fluttershy wouldn't have wanted poor foals to cry. But the performance in general was awesome! But I didn't flat out dislike it, oh no; after all, friends make compromises, and she would let Discord have some fun, and it still had Fluttershy's birds and her grace...Not to mention, she's great friends with Discord. So I would have just changed a thing or two, but that's it. But your detail and wording is absolutely amazing to me. I loved it!
It reminds me why I love all the main characters (and some not-so-main, too) and the show in general. Amazing job!!!