"What is it exactly that you think you did?!"
"I can't believe I solved my first Cutie Map friendship problem, all on my own!" Spike was mighty proud after bidding Ember and Thorax adieu, as he sauntered back into the castle main hall. "At least you and the girls know if you face danger in the near future, you might have the reassurance of being accompanied on your travels by this guy!"
"A-Actually, I didn't really want to bring this up again..." Twilight followed closely behind her number one assistant, with Starlight taking up the rear. "But, technically speaking, 'you' didn't actually do anything."
"Huh?!" Spike screeched to a halt even in the midst of his triumph, spinning around to meet the Princess's spurious accusation with an angrily raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Our special guests are now the best of friends, Ember has learned that sometimes bashing other dragons to a pulp isn't always effective leadership and Thorax has promised to 'bear' arms against those who dare defy his rules. Get it?! Bear!!"
"No, we don't, as it happens..." It was unknown at first whether Starlight was referencing Spike's sorry attempt at a joke or his boastful claim to have 'saved the day', but it quickly became apparent it was the latter. "You see, me and Twilight were talking about this, and to be honest, we're struggling to see exactly what marvellous action you took today which helped either one with their difficulty at all..."
"I-I told you, didn't I?" Spike felt somewhat nervous all of a sudden, his usually bone-dry scales beginning to bleed beads of sweat. "I did all that by learning my lesson and giving them the opportunity of getting along. If I hadn't ingeniously introduced the two by staying out of their way, do you really think that they'd be getting on like a house on fire, like they are right now?"
"Try not to mention 'fire' where Ember's concerned, you don't want to tempt fate again. She really should get that allergy looked at by a professional." Twilight groaned, recalling the countless incidents of accidental property incineration during the royal reptile's brief but destructive stay. "That reminds me... I must make out a bill to the Dragon Kingdom for all the crystal their princess chewed up from the foundations of my palace. Seeing as they eat jewels as a way of life, compensation should be no trouble at all..."
Sighing irritably at her teacher getting distracted by her future financial restitution, if was up to Starlight to continue the ongoing discussion. "Frankly Spike, me and Twilight had a long talk about your alleged role as saviour today whilst clearing away all of the ashes around town, and we reached the inescapable conclusion that what you've just said is a bit much. Their fruitful rendezvous here was purely a lucky coincidence originating from your forgetfulness at inviting both, and the whole situation was resolved peaceably by the parties involved themselves, with barely any input from you. In fact, the only time they seemed to be at each other's throats is when they thought you were being threatened, so a viable argument could be made for the premise that you actually made things worse."
"Wow, maybe Ember was right, you two really are alike after all." Spike scratched the top of his head, observing Starlight staring sternly at him as Twilight composed a lengthy bill in the background. "You both think wwaayyy too much about the smallest things, use so many unnecessarily long words in your sentences, and you never give me enough credit when I actually do something right! I'll have you know I've been running around town all day, helping out ponies with their recipe dilemmas and stool-sharing worries, to name but a few! Also, how do you explain my spines flashing when Thorax and Ember made up, huh? If that wasn't down to me, how come the map seems to think otherwise?!"
"Oh, that thing's been on the fritz since we fixed it. I really should get a specialist in..." Twilight commented almost absent-mindedly, wandering if she should charge Ember for Derpy's squashed muffin or not. "Maybe it was simply acknowledging that the job was complete, instead of giving you special credit. As for everything else you mentioned, while it's truly laudable you're going around town aiding the great residents of Ponyville in their petty feuds, such minor disagreements are quite irrelevant to the mission set to you by the map. Still, keep up the good work for a few years, and maybe you'll have a statue here as big as the one in the Crystal Empire!"
Twilight's attempt at levity went down like a lead balloon, and instead of calming Spike down like she'd intending, her humorous words only made the drake heat up once more, instantly evaporating the traces of sweat which'd clustered on his brow a few minutes earlier.
"Well if you're so perfect, why didn't you insist that I keep Thorax and Ember together, instead of encouraging me to give one of them to you so we could keep them apart?!" An irate Spike was not ashamed to point out, as far as he was concerned, Twilight's role in this big mess. "I thought you were supposed to be 'The Princess Of Friendship' or something, and all that the title entails. I bet you didn't even know there was a band of renegade Changelings running around did you, sucking up love and refusing to listen to their leader! So much for knowing everything about everyone! If either of you needs me, I'll be in my room reading superhero comics. It'll be nice for a change to hear about other ponies working hard to make peace, instead of having their sidekicks who carry the can if anything goes wrong sort it out for them! Well, goodbye!"
A distinctly unappreciated-feeling Spike swaggered upstairs, leaving Starlight and Twilight behind to digest his scathing words carefully.
"It's okay, Twilight. I know you're doing your best for him." Starlight attempted to offer comfort to her mentor, who now looked visibly upset. " I'm sure that he loves you too, you just have to give him time to accept that he, well... didn't actually do much of anything today. You can't always be the hero..."
"What are you talking about?!" Twilight's expression abruptly turned in an instant from moroseness to confusion, and she glanced back at Starlight with surprise. "I was only about to ask him if he could send this note to the Dragon Kingdom, which is an itemised receipt of everything torched today during their princess's little visit. I just have to put a stamp on it, and we're all done. I suppose now that he's sulked off though, I'm going to have to wait. Once he gets absorbed in those comics, even a bucket of sapphires won't lure him away. He'll be fine, so please don't worry. In the meantime, I guess I could organise my chairs while I wait. Care to join me, Starlight?"
"N-No, I'm fine thanks Twilight. I-I think I need to go and... p-polish my cutie mark." Her student grinned sheepishly, blurting out the first excuse that popped into her head, no matter how lame it might be. "Y-You know, the one with the squiggly, glimmer thingie? W-Well, good luck with your seating appliances! S-See you later!"
And with that somewhat panicky farewell, Starlight also rushed off upstairs to leave behind a somewhat mollified mentor. Frowning with annoyance how it seemed everyone around her would rather be anywhere else than in her learned presence, Twilight silently huffed to herself as she made her way to the library, to separate each reading chair in terms of comfiness, durability, appearance... (that last one was pretty low on the list, priority-wise).
She doesn't know what she's missing out on, this is just as much fun as cleaning the castle silverware! The alicorn seethed, en route to her exorbitantly large book collection. And that Spike: he'd clearly prefer to fantasise about fictional characters than spend time with me, his real-life best friend! It's more than I can bear... w-wait, bear... Thorax... love-sucking renegade Changelings... a-another i-invasion?! W-What was it he said just before leaving?!
Having very slowly connected the dots in her mind, Twilight decided to unexpectedly change direction for now to gallop up the steps, all other trivial thoughts in her head cast aside for now in the face of this new and possibly very deadly threat.
"SPIKE!!"
.....................................................
Almost at that exact moment, a scaly blue figure hovered just above the palace, a few chewed-off sections from a nearby turret tucked in her claws that she somehow managed to carry while still staying airborne.
"Just some small pieces for the long journey back home. They'll never miss 'em..." She sniggered evilly, before flapping her wings to leave behind this wretched town full of do-gooding, hug-obsessed equines, which she'd unaccountably and quite unwillingly grown quite attached to.
Ok, guilty as charged: I tried to put in as many references to this episode as I could in the story. Hope you have fun spotting them all, and enjoyed the rest, too. Well, thanks for reading! 
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Ha ha ha!! This made me smile!
Twilight's attitude after Spike storms off isn't funny and kinda ruined the mood for me.
8377047
Well, even good pals have minor disagreements sometimes, and Twilight still calls him her 'best friend' and assures Starlight he'll be fine, so I'm sure they'll soon make up. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Noice.
8377190
That means a lot coming from you. Thanks.
Yea this sums up things pretty well. Let's watch and help our friend crash and burn with bad idea's, that's how friendship works.
We had a good run this season, and most of last, so why do they keep making episodes that just aim to undo so much positive work.
Good job! Nice read.
I like this... (need I say more?)
8377209
8377263
8376903Thank you very much!
8377250 ALL HAIL MIGHTY SPIKE!!
You could argue that Spike did cause the resolution of the friendship problem, but not through any deliberate means. By creating a situation where Ember and Thorax would come into conflict with each other, each intending to protect Spike, he gave each of them the opportunity to display the characteristic they're weak in, so that they each were able to see the other exhibiting that characteristic. Had they just met on their own, Thorax would've just been nebbishy around Ember, instead of her seeing him for the first time as a charging bear; she might not have been interested in further communication with him if she'd met him as a mumbling wimp. And if Thorax had only seen Ember being demanding and might-based, he might've been less than impressed with her, whereas seeing her stepping forward to protect Spike meant he saw that she did care about someone else. So he didn't 'solve' it (they did that themselves), but he created the situation where it was possible for them to solve it.
All that matters is Spike was actually summoned by the Friendship Map and burn Starlight and Twilight.
I spotted the references. And Thank You for putting in the part about Twilight also having a part in the problem. I approve. This story needed to be told.
Okaaaay.
8377625
Well, when you put it like that, it may have worked out that way... but I still see his role in this whole drama as more unintentional than anything else, and taking credit for something he did purely by accident isn't the same as working towards that goal like most of the map summonees, in my opinion. Did Thorax and Ember even have a friendship problem before they met Spike? That is the question...
8377796 That's why I tried to tell it.
8377826 Yeah, I didn't think for a second that Spike was the only one who had a stake in this little mess. Still, at least it all got sorted out in the end now, amiright?
8377904 Thanks(?)
8377973
OOH! Spike should learn Pyrokinesis!!!!
It's the Crystal Empire all over again. Spike manages to accidentally be in the right place at the right time to get credit for something. Well done, Spike!
Still this does make things better.
8377973
Oh, I certainly agree he doesn't deserve any credit for solving anything in this episode. Blundering around and making things worse and getting lucky that things work out in the end is no sign of merit. He'd only deserve praise if he'd figured out in advance that he had to get them to both act protective over him, for that to be the case, which he clearly did not.
8378520
"Got credit for something?"
- snapped Twilight out of her waking nightmare and checked up on her
- helped Twilight solve the mystery of the door that got her
- suggested that the stairs were enchanted and that they couldn't get through by climbing
- didn't run up to the crystal heart/let Twilight be the one to get it for her test; which lead to Spike not being caught up in the same trap
- took the bigger risk in climbing down to get the heart out faster as Spike has no wings or magic to bail him out of a fall
- possibly saved Twilight's life with his timing as the crystal spikes from the trap were closing in on Twilight in her cage
Twilight wouldn't even be near the Crystal Heart without Spike. Really with that line of thinking, you can apply your argument to the non-Twilight mane 6 during big Equestria ending conflicts: "they just followed Twilight and stood where they were told for the elements" or with Sunset "exact right place, right time to help the Rainbooms".
Characters don't need to move mountains to be a hero. Taking a cost to yourself to help other can be huge.
8378599
Don't you mean Twilight waking up and then he confessing that he could only shout at her?
Then stepping into a trap which she had already escaped and was ALREADY figuring out?
Then complained that he couldn't climb anymore while Twilight was doing fine? I mean, it would have just taken her a few more rounds before she did that on her own, it wasn't his idea.
You mean stayed behind under orders?
Basically ran under orders because Twilight made the (correct) decision to send him down rather than keep trying to escape?
You mean the crystal spikes that appeared when he kept stepping on the stupid trap?
Spike was conveniently there, and basically served as a glorified carrier to bring the heart down. So, yeah, you don't need to move mountains to be a hero, but apparently you also don't need to do much to take all the credit, because the one that solved ALL the problems, except running down and away, was Twilight.
8377973
I mean, it was okay.
8378617
If you don't like the guy that's fine but to say he's done nothing noteworthy isn't exactly true. When he was controlled by his greed in SoME, it was his love for Rarity that allowed him to overcome his instincs and transform back. And as for Twilight, in the earlier seasons, he would offen act as her voice of reason when she would go a bit manic. Calling in Celestia wasn't nothing, it was Spike realizing Twilight was too far gone and that the time had come to call in someone Twilight would listen to no matter what in order to help his friend snap out of it. And as for the Crystal empire, sure all Spike did was carry the heart down, but be did so from a giant tower onto crystals spawned by a guy gunning for the shiny glowing target in his hands. It was his willingness to do that anyway to free Twilight and save the empire that was the heroic part. Same with standing up for PeeWee's unhatched egg before Garble's gang could smash it. Even though he physically stood no chance, his willingness to stand up for or help others despite the direness of the situation that Spike gets the credit. Heck, if it wasn't for his willingness to defend Equestria against a potential fire lord Garble by competing in the GoF, he would have never befriended Ember. Now Triple Threat was garbage in terms of representing this and what you said certainly applies to this episode, but not to Spike's character as a whole.
8377052
Aaand follow. Good story.
8379482 I don't dislike Spike; I just can't stand people glorifying him for things he didn't do or giving him all the credit he doesn't deserve. Standing over the egg? Definitely deserves praise for it. As does the fact that he's a loyal assistant and a source of calm for Twilight.
Getting over his greed because of his unrequited love for Rarity? I guess it's some character development, but HE caused all the problems in the first place. Besides, what reawakens him is not just Rarity, but the ruby he gave her despite wanting it very much, which he remembers as a selfless act, therefore contrary to his greed.
The Crystal Empire, no matter how you cut it, isn't right. The dude completed the LAST thing, which was all but achieved by Twilight. Her success and her personal sacrifice weren't acknowledged by the ponies there and Spike got a statue because he slipped and the Crystal Heart landed where Cadance and Shining Armor were. Some acknowledgment? Sure. All the glory? Hell no.
The thing is, he is often given credit for things he isn't: He didn't save the Crystal Empire. He did his part, but who passed all the challenges and found the heart? Twilight. Who protected the city for weeks and gave the final blow? Cadance and Shining. Who gets the statue? Mr. Last Minute Desperate Run & Slip.
8379530
He may not have been the main hero of the episode(nor do I think the writers plan to make him so in the near future, sadly) but he did his part. It's like Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z during the final fight with Kid Buu. Vegeta knew he had no chance against Buu but was willing to go and get his butt kicked in order to distract Buu long enough for Goku to recharge. Did he stop Buu, no. But his actions in willingly putting himself in harm's way to help his friend (okay frenemy) beat the bad guy were pretty darn heroic. It's not that he saved the day, it's that he did as much as he could. As for the greed incident, his INSTICTS caused that. Living geographically isolated from other dragons and lacking any reference, I doubt he had any way of knowing what greed could do to him nor how to prevent it from becoming a problem in the first place. As a fellow biological creature, I'm sure you are well aware of how hard it is to go against our natural instincts at times, especially the more powerful ones that seek to override our rational minds. In terms of the Crystal Empire, give the guy a break. Shining and Cadence are already the revered and respected royalty of the empire and Twilight is a princess and national hero. This is pretty much all Spike has at this point, that and almost being dragon lord. And he certainly did save it during the Equestria Games when he melted that falling piece of ice. Besides, it doesn't take big theatrics to be a hero. If Spike hadn't have been able to accept Thorax as a friend and convinced Shining and Cadence (the very ponies with the most right to hold a grudge against changelings) to do the same, Thorax would most likely be in a dungeon or dead in the frozen wastes than where he is now. So Spike is definetly a hero to Thorax if no one else.
8379611Then he can definitely be Thorax's hero. TBH unlike Spike, I actually dislike Thorax, so it doesn't matter to me whether he thinks Spike is the Second Coming or just some dude he smokes with during lunch break. Let's just agree to disagree on whether Spike deserves to be the Crystal Empire's hero out of pity rather than merit.
8379627
Fine by me. Good chatting with you.
Okay, I think I've taken way too long to get to this. Let's waste no more time, shall we?
As I always mention, I enjoy your writing style. All the little references and "blink and you'll miss it" moments (I know that isn't exactly possible in literature but basically, the background moments. I like em) really add to the stories. As for the divisive topic about whether ponies and dragons were in character...yes, yes I think they were. Did they handle things a little differently than perhaps they would have? Maybe, but it isn't something we haven't seen. The words are admittedly a little preachy and I think that could be worked on but for what actually happened, I think it's fine. We know the day was stressful for them all and while the episode had everyone holding the idiot ball, everyone pitched in, either in the problem or the solution.
Spike didn't do much of the solution making I agree, so Starlight's little stinger at the end of the episode and this fic didn't feel unwarranted. I also like that instead of deliberately blowing up on Spike, Twilight was trying to be jovial about it. She just sucked. Which yes, she is allowed to do every once in a while. My only real gripe with the characterisation was how quickly Twilight dismissed Spike being miffed. She seemed more concerned about her letter. Though she does know Spike better than I do and I imagine that since they live with each other, this kind of stuff happens a lot. Perhaps she could have had a slightly more concerned but...eh, sometimes you just gotta leave people to stew.
There isn't much more to comment on. The humour was on point, particularly the ending. I loved the little look into Ember's head. Despite how much she enjoys the ponies' company, she finds them really weird. They were definitely not her first choice. I do wonder who gets the job of fixing the castle when it comes to it. Can't trust Ember or Spike around gems and Twilight's a princess so she's gotta delegate. Maybe Rarity? Or Starlight's cutie mark polishing skills could transfer quite nicely into polishing gems. Eh, we may never know.
Overall, I liked it. Perhaps not as much as some of your other works, short or otherwise but I enjoyed it. Everyone felt a little amped up to 11 but I don't have an issue with it. The show may not show it a lot but these blow ups are bound to happen when you put a dragon, a crazy unicorn and an OCD alicorn in the one castle. No matter how big said castle is. Gonna shut up now. Keep up the good work and have a nice day!
8378617
^ Twilight didn't wake up on her own.
^ Spike had called her from upstairs but Twilight hadn't responded.
^ You mean the trap Twilight watched(don't think she knew at that point) Spike fall into and experience as she figured out what the door did? Again, Twilight didn't escape.
^ Was Twilight doing fine following the enchantment?
^ One: that's an assumption. Two: even if it happened exactly as you said, that's still extra time that they didn't have. Regardless if Sombra didn't check up on the crystal right away, everyone below would have been hit by him and his power by that point.
^ If Spike really did that than he wouldn't have been around for Twilight to hoof the crystal over too.
^ Twilight set off the trap which alerted Sombra who triggered it further.
^ To which Twilight was praised for and arguable got the real reward: passing the test she so dreaded, approval from her mentor of a kingdom she cares more about; consideration for something far greater. And Spike allowed Twilight to learn the "self sacrifice" over "own best interest" lesson, which helped her pass her test. So in a sense, Twilight got what she wanted and more.
^ I can admit that Spike couldn't have gotten to the Heart on his own. Just like I can admit that it was Cadance who save Spike and protected the kingdom all that time so Twilight and co could get there and do anything in the first place. The gang all had their parts to play--even Celestia who showed Twilight the dark spell she used to find the passage--but the heavy hitters were Twilight, Spike and Cadance. To downplay the role of any of those three, while pumping up one character seems hypocritical.
8380657
I find ironic that you say:
When Spike literally did the one thing and you want to present him as a great participant. But, I didn't watch the episode with a little Spike banner and rose-tinted glasses.
Also, just to cover your rebuttals and honestly just burying this conversation because arguing this point is kind of annoying by now:
Her nightmare was over, and she was already shaking it off. Spike just shouted her name at the end of it. I'll grant you he accelerated the process but that's hardly an achievement.
Again, Twilight's vision was over. But, she was already analyzing it when Spike happily rolled into it. So now she had to worry about his feelings.
Well, for one, she wasn't crying when she woke up, was able to figure it out and get past it. And, unless you didn't read carefully, I'm talking about going up the stairs, she was a full two flights above Spike and although she was tired, she still wasn't falling behind.
One: It's no assumption, it was her idea to invert gravity, and two: she was well aware of the time problem so she would have figured out what to do quickly enough. It literally took her a glance up to figure out how to solve the problem.
Unless we watched different episodes, Twilight told Spike to stay put outside of the immediate area of the Crystal Heart once they had reached the top. That's the only reason he wasn't caught.
Uh... no. Twilight fell for the trap but it was Spike getting closer or her trying to escape what made more crystal spikes appear she tells him that to his face: Twilight Sparkle: You can move, just not toward me!
That is why she sends him away because she doesn't have time to escape and save everyone.
This is where you attribute the wrong thing. Spike didn't allow Twilight to learn anything. He was conveniently there for her to finish her mission, under her choice. It could have been Diamond Tiara, or a random Crystal Pony. She just needed to learn that a cause was more important than the self, sometimes.
Additionally, although she got her own reward in that sense, it still doesn't merit Spike being glorified as a hero by the fandom for running down and tripping.
Spike couldn't even get the Heart all the way down. He tripped. And it conveniently landed where it needed to be. If plot armor had been decided by a roll of dice, the heart could have plummeted to the distant floor instead of landing in the balcony.
Does anyone else think "polishing my cutie mark" sounds like lewd innuendo?
8380745
Um no it wasn't, what we saw was what her mind saw, it went from her lying on the floor crying to her looking into the doorway the next second
No, she didn't break free until Spike called to her, again one second she was crying on the floor the next she's looking into the doorway. Spike set her free from the trap.
You do know that Spike's legs are short than Twilight's and as a quadruped, she would cover more distance faster than Spike, a biped?
Care to provide proof, as only Spike was looking for her at the start of her search and the only one willing to follow her, even given the condition to not raise a claw to help her. As for your examples, DT wouldn't have given a flying feather, and a random Crystal Pony would not even gone anywhere as far, memories of Sombra?
From what I could see the crystals grew of their own accord as part of the trap.
Um no, it was still in the air when Cadance caught it and Spike, Spike was en route to her, how he flew it would have gone to Sombra, but Spike's calls alerted Shining Armor and Candance of the Heart's location.
I need to start watching MLP
This pretty much sums up the episode.