Oh Spike We Hardly Knew Thee

by 5u0myn0n4

Chapter 23: Not Quite Back to Normal

Originally published on December 28th, 2018

---

From Twilight's point of view, everything was dark. Her eyes were shut tight. That was until now, as they started to slowly peek open.

"Shh, she's waking up." somepony said.

She opened her eyes, slowly and diligently.The sight in front of her, was a warm one. Her friends, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Starlight, all surrounded her.

"Good morning Twilight." Fluttershy said softly.

"Huh? Hmm. Five more minutes mom..." Twilight said.
"Spike, could you hand me my... Spike!? Where's Spike!?" Twilight panicked.

"I'm right here Twilight." Spike said. He sat next beside her on the hospital bed.
"Oh Spike, I'm so relieved to see you, come here." she said.

Twilight reached over and embraced Spike. Everypony else to hug Twilight.

"Ahh, ow, too close, everything still hurts." Twilight said.
"Sorry." they said.

Every pony backed away.

"What happened anyway? Where am I?"

"You're in the Crystal Palace infirmary recovering." Starlight explained.
"You took one heck of a beating back there." Applejack said.

"So all that stuff that happened atop Mt. Everhoof, it really happened..." Twilight said.

Twilight laid in the hospital bed. Her hind leg was bandaged and in a cast. It was damaged after the... assault. Her leg was also in a cast.

"How long have I been out?" Twilight asked.
"I'd say it's been a few days since we reunited with Spike." Rarity said.

"It really happened. You really saved me Spike." Twilight said.
"Yep. They don't call me Brave and Glorious for nothing." Spike gloated.

"Girls, I'm so sorry. I put myself in danger, without regard for my own safety. Everything you did, you were just trying to protect me." Twilight said.

"It's okay Twilight, in the end, you were right. And while maybe it wasn't the path of least resistance, it worked out in the end." Rainbow Dash said.
"We did it, we really did. Together." Fluttershy said.

"Yep. And it only took 80,567 words, 22 chapters, and almost two years of continuous writing to do it! And that's not counting the edits, and delayed mirrored publishing to fimfiction!" Pinkie said.
Everypony was confused...

"...what?" Spike asked.
"It's only been a few weeks since Spike first went missing." Rainbow Dash said.

"Teehee. Never mind." Pinkie winked.

Everypony started chit chatting.

---

*knock knock*

"Oh. I believe you have some more visitors Twilight." Rarity said.

Applejack opened the door for the visitors.

It was Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, as well as Shining Armor, with Sunburst who was carrying Flurry Heart.

"There's my little sister after she saved the day again." Shining Armor said walking in.
"Oh please, Spike's the real hero of the story." Twilight said.

"I'm glad to see you awake Twilight." Cadance said.
"Thanks." she said.

"It is a Princess' duty to bring peace, but you really pushed your luck Twilight." Luna said.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Twilight said.

"I know how hard it is when someone else's life is on the line, someone you care deeply about. But it's important to always think about all your loved ones when you do something dangerous." Sunburst said.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Don't be reckless. Lesson learned." Twilight said.

---

Twilight couldn't help but notice that Celestia was much more quiet than usually. She hadn't said a word yet.

"Um, Princess Celestia?"
"Yes Twilight?" she said.

"Um... when I found the pony who kidnapped Spike, he told me some things about Spike. Things I wasn't previously aware of." Twilight said.

"Did Henry tell you that he was the pony who found Spike's egg, and brought it to Canterlot?" Celestia said.
"So does that mean?" Twilight asked.

*nod* "It's true." Celestia said reluctantly.
"Wait, so Henry was the pony who found Spike's egg!?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"WHAAAAT?!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"That's pretty wild." Fluttershy said.

"It's hard to believe that someone as sweet as Spike was found by someone as nasty as Henry." Rarity said.
"Why didn't you ever tell us Celestia? I asked so many times, but you never told me the truth." Twilight said.

"You and Spike have such a special bond. I didn't want to say anything that could make you think you weren't meant for each other. Or fill either of you with doubt." Celestia said.

"But you're right, Twilight. By not telling you, and letting Henry get away all those years ago, I put a giant target over your head by leaving you with Spike. I could have prevented this all from happening, but I let my guard down and... this is all my fault." Celestia cried.

"It's not your fault Celestia." Twilight said. "You had no idea what was going to happen."

"Where is Henry right now anyway?" Cadance asked.
"Good point. He wasn't at the top of the mountain when we arrived, and he still hasn't been found." Luna said.

"WHAT?! You never found Henry!? He got away?!" Twilight exclaimed.
"The last we saw of Henry, he, along with you and Spike fell down the side of the mountain." Fluttershy said.

"So Spike, you were the last one who saw Henry. What happened down there?" Twilight asked.

Spike thought about that fateful day. The last day anypony had seen Henry.

"Henry's gone. You don't have to worry about him anymore." Spike said.
"Are you sure-" Twilight started.

"I'm absolutely sure!" Spike interrupted.

Everypony went quiet after his outburst.

"...Well anyway, we didn't want to disturb you for too much longer." Shining Armor said.
"You need a lot of bed rest, so we'll leave you at peace." Cadance said.

Pinkie nodded. And with that, they all headed for the exit.

"Come on Spike" Luna said.
"But I um-" Spike said.

"It's okay. Spike can stay here for a bit. I can sure use the extra protection." Twilight said.
"Of course." Celestia said.

"I mean, I could sure use some bed rest too." Spike said.
"Besides, Spike and I have a lot of catching up to do." Twilight said.

Her friends all exited the room.

---

"It's just you and me Spike." Twilight winked.
Spike smiled.

Spike laid in the bed with Twilight for the better part of the day. They each took periodic naps. Sometimes Twilight napped while Spike sat awake, and watched her. And at other points, Spike was sound asleep, while Twilight watched her little Spikey-wikey sleep. It was as warm and cozy as Spike could have hoped.

"I missed you so much, Spike." Twilight said.
"I missed you too Twilight. It's been too long since we last cuddled." Spike said.

"Agreed, it's been too long since we had some this kind of quality time together too." Twilight said.
"You saved my life Spike. I made the journey to save you, but the tables turned at the end there." she said.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yep... yes I did. And now everything's back to normal." he said.
"Yeah, everything's back to the way it was..." Twilight said.

"It's something wrong Twilight?"
"What? Oh, nothing."

"That wasn't a sigh of relief. That was a sigh of, discontent?" Spike asked.
"What? No no no." Twilight replied.

"Well, is there anything bothering you?" Spike asked.
"I mean, forget me, what about you?"

"What about me?"
"It's just... are you just content with being my assistant again?" Twilight asked.

"I mean, of course. Helping you out is what I do best." Spike replied.
"But like, don't you ever wish you could be more? Don't you ever wish for more?"

"Well, when you put it that way... I suppose maybe..." Spike answered.

"It's just like, think about it. Over the course of our time in Ponyville, I became an alicorn princess. Rainbow Dash became a Wonderbolt, Rarity opened a boutique in Canterlot like she dreamed. We all saved the world. You've saved the Crystal Empire twice, and saved who knows how many lives by defeating Henry. After all that, I've only ever given you the duty of assistant, but, *sniff*, I think you have more potential." Twilight said.

"More potential, than helping you?" Spike asked.
"I mean, if you want to help me still. You can, but..."

"Do you not want me to help you anymore...?"
"No no no no no. Not at all. In fact, forget about it." Twilight said.

Twilight took a closer look at Spike. He had multiple bandages, and bruises from the experience.

"Are you okay Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Me okay? You're the one who I should be asking that too. Your leg's broken, and your wing is... *sniff*

"But Spike, you took quite a beating too. You have scuffs and scratches, and bruises. What did Henry do to you?" Twilight asked.

"I think I already said, but the long and the short of it, Henry made me fight other dragons and fed me gems so I'd grow all big and ferocious." Spike replied.

"Were you scared?" Twilight asked.
"I'd never been so scared in my life. The scariest part, was being separated from you, not knowing where I was, or if you'd ever find me." Spike answered.

"What about you Twilight? Did you miss me?"
"Of course I did, Spike, I had never been more miserable than those weeks where you went missing. All I could think about, was finding you, but every effort to find you turned up empty. My heart sank with each failed attempt. I thought I'd never see you again. I had no idea where you went or why you left."

Spike looked at Twilight's injured wing.

"I'm so sorry Twilight. *sniff* It's my fault that you're hurt." he said.
"It's okay Spike."

"No it's not. Your wing's hurt. What if you never fly again?" Spike cried.
"Spike, I'm fine. I'm sure to make a full recovery, I just need rest. In fact, let's both get some more rest." Twilight said.

Spike seemed uneasy. He laid back down facing the other way. Twilight couldn't tell if his eyes were closed or not.

The last thing I want to do is send you away. It would break your heart. But, I can't help but feel like, I'm doing you a disservice by keeping you as my assistant. I know you're capable of bigger things. Twilight thought.

---

Late at night, Twilight was abruptly awoken by Spike sleep talking.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you!" Spike sleep talked.
Twilight woke.

He's still upset about what happened to me I can see. Twilight thought. She assumed he was dreaming about her. But her assumption was wrong.

"I'm sorry Henry!" Spike cried.

Twilight was shocked.

"What exactly is he dreaming about...?" Twilight was so curious she spoke out loud.
"It doesn't have to be this way, we don't have to be enemies..." Spike cried.

"Oh my goodness..." Twilight said. She thought she knew what was on Spike's mind. "Well, if we ever do find Henry, I have a feeling what comes next..."

---

The next morning, Starlight came into the room. Spike was sound asleep, but Twilight was awake. She couldn't sleep with all on her mind.

"How is he?" Starlight asked.
"He's fine. A bit distress, but he's well. He's got a strong heart." Twilight said.

"And how about you? You look like you got a lot on your mind." Starlight asked.

"It's just, I wanna do something special for Spike, but I don't know what." Twilight said.
"Has he 'graduated' from his duties as assistant?" Starlight asked.

"Definitely. But I don't want to send him away."
"Hmm." Starlight thought.

"What have you been up to since I've been hospitalized?" Twilight asked.
"I was getting to that. While you've been here, Ember and I have been talking with the other princesses, and I think you and Spike are going to like what what we've been talking about." Starlight said.

*knock knock*

"Speaking of, I think that's her." Starlight said.
"May we come in?" Ember asked.

"Of course, come on in." Twilight said.

In came Ember and Garble.

"Oh hey, it's been a while. How are you?" Twilight asked.
"We're fine, but what about you? You took the hardest hit of anyone." Ember asked.

"I've seen better days, but I'm fine." Twilight replied.
"I hope your reputation as Dragon Lord hasn't been tainted after your temporary alliance with Henry." Twilight said.

"Yeah, about that. Garble and I just came back from trying to explain ourselves to the other dragons." Ember said.
"And how did that go?" Starlight asked.

"Better than you would expect. At first they were rough, as expected, but after we explained the whole story, they seemed legitimately grateful that Spike set them free." Garble said.

"That's fantastic to hear." Twilight said.
"And also, Princess Celestia and I have been discussing for a while, and we're planning something big. Something I think you and Spike are going to like." Ember said.

"Something that will change dragons and ponies forever." Garble said.
"Ooh, tell me more." Twilight said.

Ember told Twilight about their plans. She was caught up to speed. You the reader will find out later.

...

"I think that sounds amazing, but, what about Spike? We have to do something special for him." Twilight said.
"I haven't been good Dragon Lord, I let my people down more than once, and well. He already turned down his first offer to be Dragon Lord, I don't know if he's come around."

"It's worth the offer, but I doubt he'd want it. All Spike really wants is... *gasp* I got it!"
"Got what?" Starlight asked.

"I know exactly what to do for Spike." Twilight said.

...

---

Later that day, Spike had awoken.

*yawn* "...What day is it?" Spike asked.
"Wednesday dude." Starlight said.

*knock knock*

"I think that's the doctor." Twilight said.

Indeed it was. The doctor came to visit, along with the mane 5 and Jeff. Ember and Garble had already left.

"We're back!" Pinkie greeted.
"And we have an update on your injuries Twilight." the doctor said.

"How are you two feeling?" Rarity asked.

*yawn* "I slept like a baby. I feel almost completely recovered." Spike said.
"We're glad to hear Spike." Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm feeling much better too. But, doctor, what's the update?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah doc, what's the update?" Spike asked.

"The good news is, Twilight, your leg has pretty much made a full recover. It wasn't really broken in the first place, so it should be all good by now." the doctor said.

Everypony was relieved.

"Well that is great to hear." Applejack said.
"...And what about my wing doc?" Twilight asked.

"That's the um... *gulp* bad news." the doctor said.
"Oh no..." Spike said.

...

The doctor broke the news. The shot from Henry's weapon had permanently damaged Twilight's wing. To the point where it would never be capable of flight again.

Everypony's heart sank at the news.

*sob* Spike cried a heavy stream of tears..
Twilight also cried.

"This is just, the worst possible thing!" Fluttershy cried.
"You took the words right from my mouth." Rarity cried.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all grouped around Twilight and Spike, and cried. Everypony cried with heavy emotions. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood, but couldn't hold back their tears.

*sob "How could he take so much away from me!?" Twilight cried.

Spike felt a mild case of survivor's guilt. He had gained wings after this adventure. But Twilight had lost one.

"I'm sorry Twilight!"
"It's not your fault Spike! It's not your fault!" *sob*

Jeff waited for their tears to subside before he spoke.

*sob* the ponies continued to cry. After a few minutes, the noise had lessened, and he spoke out.

"Um, Twilight?" Jeff said.
*sniff* "Yes, Jeffery?" Twilight asked.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but I..." he started.
"Yes?"

"How do I put this? You may never use your wing again, but that doesn't mean you won't ever fly again." Jeffery said.
*sniff* "What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

---

*cut to outside*

All the ponies (mane 5, Starlight, princesses, Shining Armor, Sunburst and Flurry Heart) gathered anxiously around Twilight, Spike, and Jeff underneath the Crystal Castle.

Twilight stood on all four legs. Her legs were fine, but everypony was eager to see if Jeff's idea would work.

Jeffery was installing a metal wing over Twilight's broken wing.

"Henry and I prototyped this as a side project. It was meant to give flight to flightless horses. But maybe, it can bring flight back to injured flight horses." Jeff explained.

Twilight tried moving her new wing.

"It's a bit... stiff." Twilight said.
"Give it a try. Just flap, like you would normally. It's lightweight and aerodynamic." Jeff said.

Twilight flapped the metal wing, along with her working one.

*creek* The metal wing made pleasant metal sounds as she moved it. Everypony cringe at the sound.

Spike, and everyone else really, held their breath.

Twilight hovered for a little bit.

"I think it's... working-WOAH "
*plop* "Oof."

Twilight hovered for a bit, but she fell onto the ground.

"I'm getting mad deja vu right now." Twilight said. (She was of course referring to when she first got her wings, how hard it was to fly at first)

"I'm sorry that the invention didn't work. Sorry for raising your hopes..." Jeffery said.
"It's okay Jeff. You tried, and it was a far-fetched idea anyway." Twilight slumped.

"Come on Twilight, give it another try. I still have faith." Spike said.
"If you say so." Twilight said.

Twilight tried the metal wing again. This time, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She flapped harder, until... she became airborne.

Everypony held their breaths once again.

Twilight opened her eyes, and like that, she was airborne.

"It works! It really works!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Wow, it actually does work." Jeffery said.

"Woohoo!" Twilight flew around the courtyard with her new wing.

The sight relieved, and warmed the hearts of everypony.

"Come on Spike! Fly with me!"
"I'm coming!" Spike flapped his wings and flew after Twilight.

The two chased each other around the castle.

"Woo!"
"Ah ha ha ha!"

They laughed and played while they flew around. Everypony was so glad to see Twilight flying again. Twilight and Spike landed back under the castle.

"Thank you Jeff! Thanks to you, I can fly again!" Twilight said.
"Don't just thank me, thank H-, *ahem* never mind... I would say thank Henry for half inventing these wings, but he also *ahem* you know..."

"You really are smart Jeffery." Twilight said.
"Yes he is." said somepony.

"Who said that?" Jeff asked.

Jeffery turned around. It was his parents!

"Mom, dad!" Jeff said.
"Son!"

Jeff ran up to his parents.

"Scarlet and I were so worried about you." Mr. Beam said.
"It's been years since you ran away, we feared the worst." Scarlet Beam said.

*gasp* "Is that her?" Jeff asked.
"Yep. This is your little sister." Scarlet Beam said.

She held little baby Moon Beam. The resemblance between Jeff and MB was clear to see. They had the same swirly mane styles, and almost identical eyes.

"I've been away from home for so long, so much has happened while I was gone." Jeff teared up. "Oh I'm so sorry. I promise never to have anything to do with dragons anymore."

"You don't have to stop interacting with dragons on our account." Mr. Beam said. "We may have been a little harsh earlier, and we shouldn't base dragons on what happened all those years ago."

"Our opinion was entirely based on the accident at the schoolhouse. But Spike has shown us that dragons can be... sweet, and brave." Mrs. Beam said.

Spike smiled.

"If anything Ember has told me is any indication, then things are about to get a lot better for both ponies and dragons." Twilight said.

"Huh?" Spike asked.
"Oh, you're about to see." Twilight said.

"Tomorrow's going to be a historic day for ponies and dragons." Celestia said.
"After much discussion with the princesses, and the all the other dragons, I think we've reached... well, you'll see tomorrow." Twilight said.