You're Not Alone
"Spike?"
Twilight leaned her head down and gently nuzzled her number one assistant, who had been simply staring at the floor on her bed for the past few hours. A small, sad smile crossed her face, and she wrapped her forelegs around him in a comforting hug.
"It's not your fault, Spike. It was just your dragon instincts. If anything, it's on me. I should have helped you through it better."
Spike continued staring at the floor, barely even moving. Twilight could hardly even see his chest rise and fall as he breathed.
"But you're fine now, and so is everypony else. Rarity is okay, the Wonderbolts are fine, and the damage to Ponyville as a whole was superficial at worst. No one blames you. Like I said: if they should blame anypony, it should be me. I should have done more to help you."
"I forgive you, Twilight," Spike croaked. "I'm not mad."
Twilight let out a quiet sigh of relief and nuzzled Spike again. "I'm very glad to hear you say that." Her ear flicked and she let out an uneasy chuckle. "I know it's silly of me, but I was a little worried about that. You're my number one assistant, and I'd never do anything to hurt you. I've been taking care of you since you hatched, and I'm going to keep on doing just that."
"I know, Twilight." Spike rested his head on Twilight's chest and took a deep, shaky breath. "You're a good mare."
"Thanks, Spike." Twilight began stroking his head spines in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "It means a lot to hear you say that. Sometimes I really do need to be reminded of that."
Twilight's ear twitched again, and she took a few deep breaths to collect herself. Spike was fine. They were all fine. So why was she so uneasy? A trio of loud knocks on the library door made her flinch, but she ignored them. Didn't the pony notice the "closed" sign? She could come back later. Right now, Spike needed her more than anything. The books weren't going anywhere.
"It didn't hurt, did it?" Twilight whimpered, squeezing Spike tighter. "I just... didn't know what else to do. It was the only spell that I could think of that would calm you down." The pony knocked again. Eventually she would go away.
"No, Twilight, not at all." Spike nuzzled Twilight's chest fur before letting out a little snort. The closest thing to a laugh he had in days. "Okay, I guess I was a little surprised to be this big dragon, then back to baby me. The world got a lot bigger once I changed back. It sure was a surprise to Rarity."
Twilight returned his snort with a little chuckle as the pony knocked again. Twilight sighed and released Spike. "Just give me a minute." Spike nodded and Twilight trotted down to the door, opening it with a glare.
"What? Can't you see the sign?" she snapped. "The library's closed!"
Twilight barely flinched back when she saw that Princess Celestia herself stood on the other side of the door. She went to slam the door, but Celestia ignited her horn and encased the door in her aura, keeping it open.
"I'm not letting you take him away," Twilight growled. "He didn't know what he was doing!"
"Twilight..." Celestia lowered her head and let out a quiet, weary sigh. "You know I must. It isn't right."
"I'll decide that!" Twilight snarled. "You didn't raise him! You don't know him better than anypony on this planet! I know that Spike is perfectly safe to be around! He didn't really hurt anypony, and he understands what he did!" Twilight's glare faded away, and she gently put a hoof on Celestia's foreleg. "Princess... don't we all deserve second chances? I mean, look at what Nightmare Moon did. Now Princess Luna is doing a lot better, isn't she? I believe the same thing can work for Spike! He's not going to go on a rampage like that again, I promise!"
"Twilight, please. I need you to understand. I need you to re--"
"NO" Twilight attempted to slam the door shut again, but Celestia's magic held firm. "It doesn't work like that! It..." A stone column. Three gems. Twilight groaned and rubbed her head. Wonderbolts. They were okay.
"You are not at fault for what happened, Twilight," Princess Celestia said, taking a few steps into the library. "You did all you could to help Spike."
"Ponies keep saying that, but I could have done more!" Twilight moaned. She looked back to her bed, where Spike had gone back to staring at the floor. He clearly wanted to see Princess Celestia as much as Twilight did. "It's... embarrassing. Or... I don't know."
"Twilight, I'm sorry," Spike muttered. "And I'm sorry to you too, Princess Celestia. I didn't know that I could do that."
"It's okay," Celestia soothed. She wrapped a wing around Twilight in a comforting hug. "But Twilight, it's time to face the reality of what happened with Spike."
"But he's fine!" Twilight groaned. "He's not going to go on any more rampages! He's learned to control his greed." Twilight eye twitched. "Do you want him to send you a friendship report on that?" Twilight ducked out of the wing hug and began pacing. Stone column. Black. Three gems etched into it. Everyone was okay. Twilight heard more ponies come in. Probably her five friends. They'd explain to Celestia that Spike was okay to be around and that she didn't need to take him away.
"Sugarcube..." Twilight stopped pacing and let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding in. Somehow Applejack's southern drawl felt comforting. "Can ya please trust Princess Celestia? Y'all know Ah'd never do anythin' not in yer best interests."
"I know, Applejack, I know." Twilight looked over at her friend and smiled weakly at her. She wasn't wearing her hat or her hairbands. Twilight frowned. She had never seen Applejack without them.
"We're just tryin' ta help ya." Applejack motioned over to Rainbow Dash, whom Twilight hadn't noticed a moment before. "Yer not alone."
"I know, girls, I know." Twilight's weak smile returned. "Spike and I can't tell you how much that means to us."
"Twilight, I think it is time," Princess Celestia said as two more ponies wearing doctor's uniforms entered the library. "This will only be for a short while. These gentlecolts just wish to speak to you for a few days about Spike."
"Uh-huh." Twilight scoffed and resumed her pacing. "I'm telling you: he's not dangerous. One mistake doesn't mean that he's going to destroy all of Ponyville when he gets a Hearth's Warming Eve present and gets greedy. It hasn't happened before, and it's not going to happen again."
"I know, Twilight. But as your mentor, and someone who cares for you more than you can ever imagine, I need you to talk with these gentlecolts for a time. Please trust me."
"I do trust you." Twilight sighed and flattened her ears. "I do trust you. I just don't like bad things."
"Neither do I, Twilight."
Twilight slowly nodded as the ponies walked up to her. One of them slipped a magical nullifier ring on her horn before they led her out of the library, leaving Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Celestia alone. The moment the door shut behind Twilight, tears began streaming down Rainbow Dash's face, and she leaned her head on Applejack's shoulder.
"Is she gonna be alright, Princess?" Applejack asked, a note of helplessness in her voice that Celestia could not miss.
"I do not know, Applejack," Celestia said sadly. "I wish that I did."
Celestia turned away from the pair and walked up the stairs towards Spike. She stopped next to the bed and sat down, closing her eyes and sighing sadly. Twilight had done a good job. His dragon biology likely helped as well. Celestia ignited her horn and lifted Spike into the air, her heart breaking more as he flopped like a rag doll in her magical aura. She took one of the sheets off of Twilight's bed and gently wrapped him in it. He would be laid to rest alongside that which he held most dear.