• Published 7th Aug 2020
  • 3,289 Views, 89 Comments

Spike's Family Chronicles - frenettek314



*A sequel to "Spike's Family Journey"* Follow the many zany slice-of-life adventures of Spike the dragon and his family of ponies and other creatures across Ponyville and beyond!

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"Night of the Dragon"

The medieval, yet adequate and awe-inspiring charm that filled the bustling streets of Canterlot made every creature who dared bask in its well-polished glory know of the royal presence that inhabited the Capitol. Besides the luxurious glamour of Manehatten, Canterlot was the one place in Equestria to be. Several creatures who wanted to make something of themselves made it their life's dream just to settle down in the nobles' paradise. The top of the social food chain built their nests - filled to the brim with fortune and fame - right in the heart of the city for one reason and one reason alone.

This was the backyard of the Royal Rulers of Equestria.

As selfish and shallow as this idea may be, no one could dare argue with the sentiment that Princesses Celestia and Luna were what molded the territory into the high-shining beacon of opportunity it was today. The ponies who had ruled over Equestria for over a millennia, the very same ponies who controlled both the sun and moon, the goddesses who blessed their heavenly smiles down onto the humble citizens below, those very same creatures made their well-established home in the grand palace residing in the center of the area.

The old saying that "if you could even live near such prestige, you were surely someone special" still rang true for many of Canterlot's denizens. Flocks and flocks of ponies and a gradually increasing hold of other friendly creatures believed that if they could even so much as gaze upon the presence of the seemingly eternal sisters, they would be able to endure any hardships or trials that came their way - whether it be through finding one's purpose, a career, a home, anything. To many of Equestria's population, the princesses were more than just regal symbols - they were an idea of hope, a wave of optimism to endure any hardships that came one's way, a metaphor for being the best one could be. Canterlot was the nation's source of dreams and innovation and it would continue to be for as long as the alicorns breathed.

But yet, the citizens were also foolish - thinking the princesses were on a flawless pedestal that could never be trampled. The fact of the matter was that outside the public eye and behind the throne room, the princesses were just somewhat more powerful ponies with a heck of a lot more pressure and responsibility. Despite the tabloids for centuries, no creature was capable of perfection and they themselves were no exception. Princesses made mistakes, princesses had weaknesses, princesses were ponies.

One such princess knew this to heart as she frantically flew towards the royal palace itself, a small green and purple dragon clutched onto her neck with his claws as they both rocketed towards the main entrance with an almost impossible burst of speed.


As the duo had landed, Spike shakily climbed down from the scary alicorn-shaped missile as he grasped onto the sweet salvation that was the ground (or rather the castle gate's floor)

"Geez, Twilight. You think you could slow down a little bit?" he wheezed as he shot an annoyed look at the now panting and sheepish lavender pony.

"Sorry, Spike. I just didn't want to be late for the princesses." she replied apologetically.

"We almost never made it at all."

Twilight lightly jabbed a hoof at the now smirking dragon's shoulder as she rolled her eyes.

"Why are we meeting the princesses again? Did they need our help with something?" he asked as he jokingly rubbed his shoulder in mock pain.

To his surprise, Twilight cast him a wide smile as she politely shook her head.

"Quite the opposite, actually. I organized a meeting for you and the four of us. There's something important I wanted to do."

The drake merely gave a wise-cracking grin as he peered over at the alicorn knowingly.

"Which one of their royal hooves are you going to kiss?"

"SPIKE!" Twilight squeaked as a thick, warm blush enveloped her cheeks, sending the howling dragon an embarrassed glare.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry. Starlight and I joke about you always wanting to please the others and I couldn't resist."

Twilight's glare remained as she turned her head away from the dragon in a friendly pout.

"You spend too much time with Starlight..." she mumbled.

"Do I spend too much time with her or does she spend too much time with me?" he quipped as he began walking beside the alicorn across the main drawbridge.

"Yes." Twilight huffed.

Suddenly an idea popped in her head, quickly turning towards her assistant with a wicked smirk.

"But I guess if I'm going to be spending time pleasing the princesses, I won't have time to give you your surprise."

Spike's grin fell as his eyes immediately widened.

"What? Surprise?! With the princesses?! I want to know!" he impatiently pleaded, much akin to his curious, childlike nature.

The alicorn quickly raised her head high in the air, in an almost triumphant manner.

"No, no. I couldn't. I've got to kiss the royal hooves after all."

Spike sighed, knowing full well his sister(/mother) was victorious.

"Fine, I'm sorry. I'll behave." he grumbled.

Twilight giggled as she opened up a wing to drape the dragon in a soft, cozy embrace as he smiled right back at her.

Spike looked up at the maternal pony with slight amusement in his expression, leaning himself closer into her warm, fuzzy side.

"Since when were you able to snark right back?"

The pony merely rubbed a hoof on top of his scales - though in a much more relaxed manner than Rainbow Dash did.

"Let's just say that I've spent too much time with both of my castle-mates. Now, let's go - they're waiting for us!" she happily chirped as both now excited creatures playfully galloped through an all-too familiar locale.


"Are they almost here, yet? I haven't seen them in forever!" exclaimed a pink princess as she anxiously paced back and forth along the long stretch of carpet that led to the heightened thrones of the two elder princesses.

"Relax, Cadance. I'm sure they'll be here soon." calmly spoke the elegant form of Celestia before her smile wavered ever so slightly.

"...though it has been a long time since I've seen them too. I wish they'd be here soon." she commented with a slight trace of worry.

A third softly chuckling voice spoke up besides the tall white mare.

"Fear not, dear sister and niece..." she spoke, casting her gaze down to a now paused Cadance, "I predict that Twilight and Spike are on their way. In fact, I have a feeling that they'll be here right about..."

The door to the throne room opened up as a guard stoically peeked his head in.

"Your majesties. Creatures claiming to be Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon are currently outside." he stated as two anxious and slightly annoyed heads peeked over the head of the solo guard while another stood ever so rigidly behind them.

"...now."

"Please send them in." replied the ever so graceful Princess Celestia, though another emotion laid internally.

"They can't do anything against invasions, yet they're perfectly competent at protecting us from actual saviors of Equestria." she bitterly deadpanned, though with no cracks whatsoever appearing on her outside demeanor. The price of having to endure centuries of politics.

As soon as the guard emotionlessly cleared the blockade he had created, the lavender alicorn and dragon hurriedly made their way in with thankful smiles on their faces before the door ceremoniously closed behind them.

"They already did an identity scan and protection spells on us, I don't see why they didn't trust us at that point." reflected a slightly irked Twilight.

Celestia gave a rather odd laugh at that.

"They're just trying to protect us, Twilight."

"From what sometimes I don't know."

"Twilight! Spike!" yelped a happy voice as Princess Cadance immediately ran up to the pair of new arrivals with a wide, welcoming hug.

Luna laughed at the overly-cute display.

"I didn't even think she could run that fast." she commented as she and Celestia made their way down from their thrones to greet the others.

"Princesses! Hello! Thanks for meeting us!" exclaimed a thankful Twilight as she ever so cautiously bowed her head in a formal, yet endearing way.

The trio of alicorns gave each other knowing grins at the gesture. Though Twilight was now an equal to them in so many ways, she was always doing her hardest to please and respect the other nobles. No matter how many times they insisted that she needn't be so formal or worry about expressing herself in front of them, only in recent years had she lightened up ever so slightly. It was an odd quirk the socially-awkward princess possessed, but they all came to accept it as 'Twilight' just the same, despite their wishes for more laid-back encounters.

Thankfully, Spike didn't seem to have the same quirk.

"Hi Celestia, Luna, Cadance. Did Twilight tell you guys anything about a surprise she's hiding?"

Much to the fourth princesses' brief second of shock, all the other alicorns gave out hearty laughs at the rather direct, yet innocent question. Spike was one of very few creatures who could feel comfortable talking to the royals - speaking both casually and politely at the same time. It was a quality they wished more ponies closer to them held.

After seeing that the three took the dragon's appearance extremely well (like they always did and always would), she gave a quick hum of satisfaction herself before looking at the curious dragon with a soft, whimsical light in her eyes.

"Spike. Would you like to say hello to your new aunts?"

The drake felt his jaw drop in complete and utter bafflement as he slowly and breathlessly turned to address the three now beaming alicorns - each with slight tears in the corners of their eyes.

"M...my aunts...but.... but....how....why?" he stuttered, trying to find any semblance of a logical explanation for this mind-blowing moment.

Celestia took the initiative as she slowly scooted over to the young dragon before she lifted his head up ever so carefully with a wing.

"Twilight told us all about your recent exploits. Your quest to find a family."

"How you felt alone for so long, yet kept it hidden from everyone." added Luna as she made her way to the right side of Celestia.

Luna internally paused as her words suddenly hit a wave of familiar feelings from her past.

"But we were so happy to hear you found those who love you - although they're not the only ones who do." responded Cadence as she took the opposite side.

"Spike. Despite our royal positions, you and Twilight have always held a special place in our hearts." said Celestia.

"You're part of our family and always will be." assured Luna.

"And now we want to be part of your's, if you'll let us." finished Cadance as the three waited for the creature's reaction.

Spike truly didn't know what to say for a moment until he felt the familiar pattern of tears taking control of him - though these tears managed to built a wide, quivering grin on his face as he leapt into the embrace of the three powerful figures.

"Yes." was all he could say as Twilight soon joined in the group for an all-encompassing embrace.

Many creatures could only dream to be in this particular moment. Four of the all-powerful beings that ruled over Equestria and the Crystal Empire not only knowing who you are, but actively caring for you. To want you to be a part of their family, even. For many out there, Spike was probably the luckiest creature in existence - he had the genuine love and guidance of literal deities at his side.

But to the dragon, these weren't some eternal figures or some unreachable spirits. These were his aunts, and he wouldn't want them to be anything else.

As the hug concluded, Spike was carefully positioned down so that he could look up at his aunts before him.

"Thank you... thank you all. This means so much to me. I don't know what to say." he sniffled.

"Think nothing of it, Spike. We've loved you for such a long time and we want to be there for you now." quoted Celestia.

Luna's cheerful demeanor quickly diminished at her sister's phrase, suddenly feeling a familiar dread in her heart.

"For a long time?! But I wasn't..."

"And that's not the end of your surprise!" announced a rather overjoyed Twilight.

Spike whipped his head around as he shot her a puzzled look.

"It's not?!"

"Nope!" replied Cadance. "For our first ever bonding moment as a family, Celestia and I found some old photo albums from when you and Twilight lived in Canterlot. We thought it would be fun to look at some old memories we shared together." she happily cooed as she clopped her hooves in excitement.

Twilight flashed a toothy grin at the prospect as she happily squealed alongside Cadance; Celestia giving a gentle smirk at the adorable energy of the two younger alicorns.

"What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" as Twilight and Cadance happily trotted outside the throne room to find the precious photo books.

Spike walked alongside a much more relaxed Celestia as he beamed.

"As long as there aren't too many humiliating photos of me." he hoped as the two began following in the direction of the previous ponies.

Luna merely gawked in the rear as she hesitantly followed along, her eyes nervously wavering.

"Old memories?!"


"So much for no humiliating photos." groaned a rapidly blushing Spike.

Despite his prayers to Celestia - both in the spiritual and literal sense - he soon found himself the target of photo albums which seemed to contain nothing but embarrassing moments in the infant dragon's life; but that wasn't the worst part - the worst was that each photo contained a string of stories and jokes to go along with it.

The room full of princesses and dragon sat in a quiet study, forming a circle on the floor as they all looked through multiple books.

"Oh! Look at this one! Remember when Spike would pretend to read just like me, but he would always hold the book upside down?" laughed Twilight as she gazed at a photo of a small purple and green whelp incorrectly using a dictionary.

Cadance laughed as she rapidly nodded her head.

"He would always ask me 'Why am I not smartest like Twilight yet?'." as the two erupted into a chorus of howling.

Twilight guffawed.

"Shining would do the same thing even though he was older!" she exclaimed as the howling continued.

"If only he wasn't babysitting Flurry Heart to see this." the pink alicorn reflected in a fit of choked laughter.


Meanwhile at the Crystal Empire:

A disheveled and twitching unicorn stallion slowly released a spoon of mashed peas from the mouth of a tiny baby alicorn.

"Good girl!" he replied ominously. "You ate all your mashed peas."

The room zoomed out to reveal splatters of green mush were decorated all throughout the castle's kitchen. There were splatters on the floor, among the walls, in the hard to reach corners behind the fridge, and amazingly enough, on the ceiling. Then there were the lightly colored specs of food that coated the alicorn's body as well as her father's. A stench of processed baby food began musting up every crevice of the room as the oblivious infant proceeded to babble incoherently.

"All your mashed peas." he twitched.


Then the mares proceeded to look at another photo.

"Ooooh! Remember when he was obsessed with calling ponies by their cutie marks?!" chortled Cadance maniacally.

"I used to be Heart-Butt." quoted the former dragon and filly-sitter.

Twilight snickered as she remembered the once tormented, now humorous phase of his.

"I was always Sparkle-Butt. I couldn't bring him to classes for a while because he would tell all my teachers."

Despite Celestia's normal poise and relaxing radiance, she was unable to resist the utter adorableness of the precious baby memories as she became just as bad as the other two giggling alicorns in no time, much to a certain dragon's dismay.

"That's nothing!" she quipped as a teasing smirk placated her face.

"One day when I was in the middle of a delegate meeting, Spike unexpectedly crawled into the room and proceeded to scream 'Sun-Butt' once he found me. I still have some representatives refer to me as 'Lord Sun-Butt' to this day." she quoted as the three suddenly erupted into fits of joy.

Spike felt a hand slide over his face before his perspective changed as he saw the pure, unbridled joy that poured out of the trio, continuing to share and reminisce.

"...I guess seeing them happy makes it all worth it. And I guess they are pretty funny..." he admitted as he found a warm grin accompanying his facial features.

Unbeknownst to them though, a darker-coated alicorn with a fake smile plastered on her face was anything but enjoying the nostalgia associated with the photo albums.

"They have all these memories together and I... I didn't even get to be a part of them. I was stuck. I was hurt. I was imprisoned."

A bitter frown slowly made way to her features.

"I was foolish."

Unaware of the princess of the night's current internal plight, the rest of the group continued to admire the final completed photo album before they all looked at each other with sighs of contentment.

"Those were great to see again." Twilight commented as she gazed lovingly back at the now older dragon.

"Those were great to see now." Luna sadly thought.

"Agreed. We've been through so much together; and just look at you now." Celestia remarked as she slowly made her way over to lightly nuzzle the dragon's sheepish head.

"I barely know him at all."

"We've all seen you grow up so much. We're so proud to be your aunts." replied Cadance as she wrapped him in an embrace.

Luna's eyes widened.

"An aunt? How can I be... I never saw him... I was too busy... I missed out."

"We were and always will be here for you." spoke Twilight as she too embraced the dragon.

Luna's eyes began dripping with tears.

"Always..."

"Stop it!" Luna yelped out as all eyes in the room suddenly thrust themselves onto the sobbing princess, much to their shock.

"Sister...what's wrong?!" Celestia asked with deep-rooted concern for her sister.

"I- I can't take it!" Luna cried back.

"Did we do something to upset you?!" questioned a worried Cadance.

"Yes!" Luna quickly stammered before she thought about her conflict, "I mean no! I-I mean not really! I..." she froze before she took a deep breath in, the tears never leaving her face.

"You have all these wonderful recollections of Spike! You have memories, and photos, and jokes, and I have none of that!" You've all known Spike a lot longer than I have and yet I'm supposed to have the same deep emotional feelings you all have?!"

"You were always there for him! You were his care-taker, his mentor, and his babysitter/now sister-in-law, and where was I?! Imprisoned for a thousand years on the moon because I was jealous for no good reason?!"

"Luna..." Celestia softly muttered as her eyes watered in sympathy for her beloved (and once estranged) sister.

"If I hadn't made a bunch of stupid mistakes back then, I could've had all this! I could've been there and had friends, family, I could've had others to love! But no - instead, I was stupid enough to turn it all away for a selfish and ignorant desire to be respected, when I could've been respected all along!"

"No, don't think..." Twilight began but it was too late.

"How can I be his aunt when I've missed so much of his life?! When all I do when I see or hear about him is think about what could've been?! What if I had stayed for him?! What if I made a difference?! What if I... I want to be there for him, but how can I when I've already failed so much?! I..."

Luna finally paused as she finally gazed upon the disheartened looks carried throughout the room.

With a resigned sigh, she slowly moved away from the group as she made a slow, painful exit.

"I'm sorry. It's not any of your faults, it's mine. I just... I need some time. Spike, I love you but... I'm sorry!" she uttered as she retreated from the confines of the study.

The four remaining creatures stood there in somber silence, feeling immensely guilty for involuntarily making the night alicorn so miserable.

Spike remained sorrowful until he recognized a familiar trend in the mare's pain.

"My journey!" he suddenly cried in understanding.

"Perhaps I should..." Celestia began, making her way to the exit, before she was stopped by a suddenly confident and serious dragon.

"Aunt Celestia. Please, can I talk to Aunt Luna? I think it'll help."

The others regarded him curiously before Twilight noticed a familiar glimmer in his eyes. He knows what he's doing.

"Spike, are you...?" Celestia started.

"I trust him." Twilight interrupted.

This was an occurrence that surprised both the other princesses as well as Spike. Twilight almost never interjected her mentor, not even on a slip-up or accident. If the normally awkward alicorn had the courage to speak up against Celestia, it was basically a guarantee she was confident. Confident in Spike.

Celestia let out a small chuckle as she glanced down back at Spike.

"Go to her, I know you can do it." the daytime ruler ordered. The dragon gave a firm nod to the head in response before flying after his intended target.

As he left, Celestia and Cadance both turned around to smirk at a now blushing Twilight.

"You should be more confident around your family, Twilight." Celestia spoke as she and Cadance gave the lavender pony a good-natured wink as a sign of confirmation.

Although Twilight was still blushing, a small smile found it's way on her face as she gleamed at the praise.

"I'll try."


A cold sigh escaped Luna's lips as she gazed longingly at the now risen moon that covered the sky in a violet glaze. Currently seated on the enchanted balcony that offered a magnificent view of all of Canterlot - and even parts of Equestria over the tall, green mountains - she couldn't help but think of a past figure. A figure that haunted her core. Nightmare Moon.

"Equestria. So much has changed in a thousand years. The lives I knew, the places I've been to. All these creatures - they... they all have stories to tell, families to see, but I... I was never a part of any of them."

Her body rigidly froze as she began naming a set of very specific characters.

"Twilight, Cadance,.... my sister...."

A choked sob released itself from the confines of her throat.

"My....nephew...."

"Aunt Luna!" a voice suddenly called out, snapping Luna out of her own self-pity for the briefest of moments to seek who had managed to find her.

A frantic Spike soon ran over to be by her side as he found himself a few feet away from her large soul-searching eyes.

"Spike..." she struggled to compose herself as she gazed worryingly at him. "What are you doing up here? You should be inside with the others having fun..."

She gave a slight wince to her head.

"...making memories..."

The dragon stubbornly refused her request however as he remained fixated on her appearance.

"What about you? What about us? I know we haven't always... but..."

Luna sighed as she turned herself around back to the night sky, staring dejectedly at the moon. Her treasure, yet her banishment. A work of art she admired that also brought along a painful reminder of what once was.

"I've made too many mistakes, Spike. I don't know how I can make it up to Tia, or Twilight.... or you..."

Spike took the initiative to seat himself right besides the mare, his stare directed at her as he gripped his claws together in thought.

"But no one's perfect though. Everyone makes mistakes."

The alicorn didn't fully turn around, yet he saw a single eye gaze upon him as a small lopsided smile subtly found its way on her features.

"Heh. Imagine if any of the citizen ponies heard you tell me that. Half of them would be convinced the world was ending."

A painful frown returned as she tilted her head to look off to her opposite side.

"But this wasn't just a small error. I... I let my anger take control of me. I turned on those who truly loved me. I've lost a thousand years of my life when I could've helped Equestria, made new friends..."

"...become the aunt you and Twilight deserve."

Spike felt his gaze softly lower at her admittance as he now found himself looking up at a sea of stars overhead.

"Believe me, I understand at least some of how you feel. I've made a mistake that cost me a lot of time and grief as well."

Now Luna fully acknowledged the drake as her eyes focused on him worriedly, a soft brow raised in concern and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Spike looked back at her with a bittersweet grin as his eyes softened in contemplation.

"My journey. The whole reason why I even went on it was because I was convinced Twilight would be the only pony who ever truly cared about me. I always felt like the other girls wanted nothing to do with me so I kept myself hidden. I prevented myself from reaching out to them - and in return caused them to do the same to me."

Luna found herself absentmindedly nodding, finding herself relating to the small creature as her mind remained completely captivated at the little one's words.

"Then I discovered that they really did love me after all. I only ended up hurting myself for years because I assumed something that wasn't true. I could've had a potential family for years now, but here we are in the present and everything's just starting out."

Spike allowed himself a brief hum before a fully developed smile brightened up his features.

"But there was something important I learned because of those experiences."

Luna's head tilted slightly as she scooted herself even closer to the dragon.

"And what was that?" she asked.

Spike wrapped an arm around her front hoof as he slowly leaned into it.

"That you can't get caught up in the past. What you did then happened, but what you do now will be too."

Luna's eyes widened as she felt a slight shock overcome her.

"B-but that doesn't change what I did. That doesn't change the fact that I missed out on so much."

The dragon paused for a brief moment before his smile fell ever so slightly, yet still brightly radiant.

"No. It doesn't. It never will. But we're here now and we can make changes. We can make sure we don't regret now... well, later."

Luna remained silent as Spike continued.

"I could've just held myself up on the fact that I missed out on spending time with the girls in the past, but if I did that, then I wouldn't be able to be so close to them now. I wouldn't have my new family if I never embraced them. Yeah, the past may always sting slightly, but I'm happy right now and that's what's important."

"And you should be too." he stated as he looked up to meet the other's reaction.

The alicorn's heart beat profusely at the rather awe-inspiring words bestowed upon her. This tiny creature had experienced the pains of regret and shame but had come to learn to turn over a new leaf, so to speak.

She could learn a lot from her nephew.

Luna allowed a warm smile as she gave a light, smooth chuckle.

"Spike, I truly do not know what to say. I sincerely appreciate your sentiments and I truly thank you. I'm undeniably impressed with your growth - you're wise beyond your years."

The dragon allowed himself a playful smirk.

"Well, when you've been raised by Twilight and a library full of books all your life, you pick up a few things."

The alicorn gave a contagious laugh as she wrapped the drake closer to her.

"I suppose I should've come to expect that. But still, you're a very special dragon."

Her laugh paused as a small frown returned once more.

"But...what if it's too late for me?"

"It's never too late!" the dragon exclaimed, grabbing her interest.

"How can it be too late?! We all love you and we don't have any holdups about Nightmare Moon or your past self. I want you to be my aunt and I'm pretty sure the others want you to be included in the family as well."

"You...you think so?" Luna regarded curiously.

"We know so." came a new voice.

The pair of creatures jumped a bit before cautiously turning around to discover a trio of princesses right behind them; all three of them had bright, jolly expressions on their faces as well as a slight set of tears in Celestia's eyes.

"You're not Nightmare Moon and you'll never be her again! You'll always be Luna to us and we will always want you with us!" claimed a confident Cadance.

"I know Equestria has no issues with you either. There's a whole world of creatures and adventures out there, waiting to meet you if you want." offered a grinning Twilight.

The third and tallest princess slowly made her way over to her equal, tears freely falling as a nurturing smile graced her.

"Sister... I know we've had our differences in the past and I'm so very sorry. I know a thousand years of banishment was alot for you to withhold..."

"...but I completely forgave you the moment you returned. I just wanted my dear sis, Lulu to enjoy the world and all it has to offer. Even if you're struggling, we... I want to help you. I don't want you to be held up by what was, I want you to see what is now and what could be. We may have past experiences and memories with each other and with Spike, but there's a whole new collection of memories we can start making right now. "

Celestia wrapped her sister in a tight hug as Spike slowly made his way over to Cadance and Twilight.

"I love you sister. Let's focus on the present. Let's be a family. Please."

Luna felt hot tears overcome her as she amplified the magnitude of the sisterly embrace - gently nuzzling her equally emotional sister - while three separate figures quickly found their way into the beautiful moment.

After a moment of the group hug, Luna released herself as the others stood around her with anticipation.

The princess of the night slowly made her way down to Spike's eye level as she playfully poked his snout with a hoof.

"Spike. Let's go make some memories."

The dragon, happy to oblige, tackled her into one more hug as both creatures found themselves smiling.

"I'd love that, Aunt Moon-Butt."

With that, Twilight gave out an embarrassed yelp as she glanced at Spike with a look of admonishment.

"SPIKE!"

Meanwhile, Luna gave out a loud, thunderous roar of laughter while the forms of Cadance and Celestia were rolling on the floor, their hooves clutching their sides from the force of their cries.

"What? I'm including her in." he innocently stated.

Twilight, seeing everyone practically keel over in hilarity, soon found herself unable to resist as she joined in the gang's antics.

And in that moment - as Luna was consumed by pure, unfiltered joy - she knew everything would become better with these creatures by her side. Her loved ones. Those who she had in this very moment and would continue to have.

While much of the great nation would still attest that the royalty was completely flawless, without mistakes, without any sort of faults or quirks, the five on the balcony that night knew otherwise. None of them would ever be perfect and they very much knew that; but they also knew that their mistakes didn't define them. The faults they made could be painful, they could still bring up unpleasant feelings, but they weren't glued to them forever.

Much like everything in life, new opportunities arose while change always grew imminent. There was always a way to make a difference, to create a new impact, and to define who you were.

And in that night sky, a brand new star shone brightly with a miraculous twinkle.

Author's Note:

An extension to Spike's family that was requested a couple of times in the prequel. And an idea I really wanted to work with.

I always felt it to be a cool idea to give Spike a close bond with the princesses and now he does. Plus, I even managed to create a nice story revolving around Luna and tying it in with a very important lesson Spike himself has learned - so a very adorable bonus indeed!

(*Just make sure no one ever hurts Spike. He has a whole army of powerful ponies on his side...*)

Thanks for reading and I'll catch you next chapter!

Sincerely,

frenettek314