> My Little Divergence
>  by BibliusEquinus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - A Nightmare's End, pt. 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There's more to life than studying, bro."

Spike grunted in reply, half-slung over the edge of the golden chariot he and Shining Armor were sharing.  The bigger, younger, purple and green scaled brother barely spared his smaller, older, white coated and blue maned sibling a brief glance, flickering it over the guard's uniform.  Lingering heavily on the two pips adorning each shoulder.

"And there's more to life than waiting for a promotion that's been three years overdue," he shot back, hauling himself upright.

Shining gave him a Brotherly Look.  "Going for that old argument, this soon?  C'mon, you're dodging the subject.  What're you going to do after you finish this little assignment from Celestia?"

Spike remained silent, wind whistling between his spines.

"Bro."

Spike's mouth could only get more rigid via judicious application of cockatrice stares.

"Broski."

Spike turned slightly, looking back at the now distant but still visible rising towers and great walls of Canterlot.

"Brotosaurus Rex."

Spike's eyes closed, remaining resolute even as his brother pulled himself up via one broad scaled shoulder, and whispered right in his ear.

"Broaster oven."

Two claws were raised and a frustrated cry split the formerly silent sky as Spike's silence finally shattered beneath the assault of brotherly love.  He then slumped back down, resting his arms on the carriage's side.  The two pegasus guards flying the pair glanced back at the dragon and unicorn for a moment, before continuing to fly them towards their destination.

"I've got no idea, okay?" Spike sighed, looking towards the approaching town.  "I just want to get this done and then..."

"And then back to hanging out with the rest of the Guard, annoying Blueblood, and cleaning out that old tower, right?"  Shining reached up for that shoulder again, rubbing it affectionately.  "You need to break that routine.  Take a holiday.  Celestia knows you don't do anything with that little stipend other than buy more books.  Literally, she probably has bean-counters getting angry over how fat it's gotten."

Spike grunted, a very specific grunt in the language of siblings that translated into: I'm agreeing with your statement but wish it were not accurate.

"What are we even doing, anyway?  About the only thing I got told was that we're off to Ponyville," said Shining, taking back his hoof.

"Overseeing the Summer Sun Celebration preparations," replied Spike, fishing out the scroll from his saddlebags - once again slipped down around his waist, damn their quadruped design - and cleared his throat before beginning to read.

"My dear ward, Spike, yadda yadda...  Standard 'as a citizen of Equestria you are awesome', let us go on about that for a few paragraphs, oops there is something brown on our nose, etc etc...  Official Overseer..."  Spike focused on the paper for a moment, before summarizing the rest.  "We'll be staying in a disused public building, it looks like - I doubt the Council would spring for a hotel, if this place is even big enough to have one.  Check on the food, the weather...  Decorations and entertainment.  Report, then nothing."

Spike frowned briefly at the final few lines and signature at the bottom of the letter, then grunted again and jammed it back into his saddlebags.

"...Nothing?" queried Shining, giving Spike another Brotherly Look.

"...And ...I should feel free to remain in Ponyville and, I quote, 'see that there is more to life than studying'," Spike reluctantly replied.

"Ha!  Good old Sunbutt, still looking out for you after all these years," said Shining, grinning broadly at his brother.

"You know, maybe calling her Sunbutt is the reason you're still Lieutenant Armor."

"Yeah, and maybe your face is the reason the rest of the guard enjoys beating on it so much."

"Just because Blazing Song gets one hit in...  Besides, it's your face that gets me called the cute one when we're out in town."

The two guards in charge did their best to tune out the ensuing volleys of insults.  For them, it would be a long flight.





"...which is the fifth way that you resemble the offspring of a manticore and a disgruntled toad" Shining finished, with a nod.  And then looked around, breaking out of the familiar rhythm of insult-sparring.  "Ah!  We're here!"

"Yes, thank you Lieutenant Obvious..." Spike replied, before looking around at their destination.

Ponyville, as it turned out, appeared to be the definition of 'quaint'.  Nearest to the pair the houses all had thatched roofs and overgrown windowsills full of greenery, ponies bustling about here and there.  The town had clearly grown organically over the years; Spike could almost trace the advancement of civilization in the way the thatched roofs gave way to tile and the buildings switched to brick, and then into the more modern Canterlot styles with curving outer archways and lightly colored facades.

A great orchard sat a short walk from the oldest of the houses, almost aggressively close to the Everfree Forest, dominating the landscape and dwarfing the other farms.  A few other buildings caught his eye: a two-story abode bedecked in lace and topped by what appeared to be a carousel, what appeared to be a house half made of sweets, and a great dead tree that, after a moment's stare, he realized had doors and windows.  The second one had Spike's stomach rumbling, as they drifted down beneath the level of the roofs and came to a halt.

"Maybe we can filch some of the snacks..." he wondered, looking in the direction of the distant cakehouse.  And, in the process, spotting the looks of some of the nearer ponies.

He was getting stares already; a mare with a cream-colored coat was already pointing and whispering to another mare with a orange mane.  Spike's hunger was immediately squashed by the interest, shoulders slumping - some of the ponies already looked nervous.

A jab into his side made him break away from looking at the crowd; he glanced down to his brother, worry clear on Shining's face.

"Hey, don't let the looks get under your scales.  They're just not as used to seeing you like the Guard and the Inner Castle staff are.  C'mon."  Shining nudged Spike towards the back of the chariot.

Spike dropped to all fours as they disembarked, the brothers turned to head up the street, thanking the guards who had escorted them as they passed.  Heads turned to follow Spike, some ponies backing away, while others seemed calmed by the presence of Shining in his armor next to the dragon.  The occasional patrol of guardponies barely gave them a look after spotting Shining, fortunately; they immediately recognized his rank.

"Look, Spike..." said Shining, as they continued on, "A lot of ponies are just naturally nervous, especially with new things.  Or dragons.  Or new dragons.  But I just bet that once they get to know you, or you mingle a bit more, you'll see that not everypony is skittish!"

Spike glanced at Shining, huffed, and drew in a breath to answer.

And then they heard the screaming.

It took a moment to spot the source, as said source rounded the end of the street.  It then became obvious, from the brilliant blaze and the trail of smoke behind it, that said source was in fact a rocket.  With a pony wrapped around it, screaming her head off.

Spike didn't have time to do anything but brace himself before the rocket and its passenger slammed into the street right in front of the brothers.  There was an explosion of light, sound, and lots and lots of dirt.

A few clods bounced off Shining's hastily erected shield.  Both brothers stared into the small crater, still overflowing with smoke.  From which the rocket's passenger, a pink pony with a poofy mane of deeper pink, bounced from happily.

"Hiya!" she chirped with a brilliant grin, before pronking off between two houses.

The brothers stared after her, then Shining turned to Spike.

"S-see?"

"What?"





Spike smacked the side of his head a few times, dislodging some lingering dirt and smoke, then consulted the Official Overseer's checklist.

"First item here...  Banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acres," he said, then considered the farmland before them.

An apple sign swung from a arch festooned with apples, before a farmhouse with walls painted in various apple-related shades, against a backdrop of apple trees that stretched all the way to the distant hills.

"...The corn and carrots almost ruin the theme," said Shining after a moment, looking to the leftmost fields.

"They probably had to add those to keep things from collapsing into a apple-shaped singularity," replied Spike, before leading the pair onto the farm.

It didn't take long before they ran across another pony walking off the orchard, a pair of full baskets (of apples, of course) slung across her middle and a stetson hat perched upon a blond and ponytailed mane.  She froze for a moment, then smiled broadly and waved an orange leg, changing course towards them.

"See?  Nice and friendly.  And not explosive," murmured Shining, as he and Spike headed towards the mare.

Spike sighed in response, still remembering the stares.  "Let's get this over with..."

Ignoring Spike's grousing, Shining trotted towards the mare, who was shifting the baskets onto the ground.

"Hi there!  My name is Shining Armor, and thi--"

He was cut off by the vibrations being caused by the sheer enthusiasm and power of the hoofshake he found himself in.

"Well howdy-doo, Mr. Armor!" said the mare, "A pleasure making your acquaintance.  I'm Applejack.  We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like meeting new ponies!  And, uh, dragons!"

Shining finally reclaimed his hoof and gently vibrated off to one side as the mare - Applejack - turned to Spike.

"And what's your name, mister?" she asked, grabbing ahold of one of his long limbs with both front hooves, and... looked down in surprise as the arm failed to move from its outreached position.

After a moment, Spike pumped his arm up, and then down.  This seemed to placate the mare, who settled back, grinning up at him.

"Spike," he finally replied.

"Well hoo-whee, Spike, you're a strong'un!  What can I do ya for?"

Spike reached over and clapped a hand down onto Shining, finally ceasing the stallion's shaking, and cleared his throat.

"Well, my brother and I are here to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and you're in charge of the food?"

"We sure as sugar are!  Would ya care to sample some?" said Applejack brightly.

Spike's stomach rumbled.  It growled, it griped, it groaned.  It made sounds that thesauruses were embarrassed to list.

"...Yes."





"...Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, aaand Granny Smith!"

Spike looked across the crowd of ponies he and Shining had just been introduced to - apparently the entire Apple clan was in town to help with the celebration, and that meant one long list - towards where Applejack was pointing.

An ancient mare with a lime green coat and age-colored white mane snorted and woke up from her rocking chair, then started towards the group as Applejack called her over, with such loud snaps and crackles of ancient limbs that Shining winced and drew back his ears in sympathy.

Spike's attention, meanwhile, was focused on what lay on the lunch table.  An immense tower of apple-related foods - from cakes to danishes to drinks and more - had been constructed before him and Shining.  It creaked almost as ominously as Granny Smith's joints.

"...That's a lot of apples," said Shining with awe, turning to stare up at the tower.

"Yeup!  We've got all hands on deck for this 'un - we wanna see the Princess' face when we lay out a spread like this for her!" Applejack replied, familial pride radiating off her.

"Well, there's certainly a lot of variety... but are you sure there's going to be enough in time?" asked Spike, scratching his chin.  He wore a slight grin.

"Hold on there, mister," Applejack said, snapping her gaze to Spike.  "Ya think this ain't enough?  This here is just a sampler - you'd burst just from Cousin Bruschetta's fancy bread!"

Pomme Bruschetta nodded primly, throwing back his head as several other members of the clan nodded around him.

"I think I could finish it off just fine.  And all the rest," replied Spike, still not returning Applejack's gaze.

"Ya can't eat all'a them, no matter how big ya are!"

Spike finally and slowly turned towards Applejack, his grin widening into one of pure challenge.

"Forget you, I can eat all these apples," he growled.

Applejack's gaze narrowed, and she grinned back, the challenge accepted.

"Prove it."





"I feel sick..."

Spike, his mood utterly repaired via the magic of victory and vittles, bumped shoulders with the now slightly green-hued and muttering Shining.  Both he and Shining were walking back towards town, passing by a few mud puddles amongst the soft grass of the surrounding fields.

"Th... that was too much pie, bro.  Not to mention what you did with the strudel - I think I saw a pony faint when you slammed that away."  Shining shuddered at the memory.

"What can I say; I'm a growing boy, like mom says.  Now c'mon, we need to find a..."  Spike consulted his list for a moment.  "Rainbow Dash.  Meant to be leading the Weather Team in clearing the weather.  Not that she seems to be doing a very good job, does she?"

They both spent a moment appraising the cloud-strewn sky, Shining narrowing his eyes at a particularly low flying cloud.

"Tartarus, I could do a better job.  Here, watch," he said, his horn lighting up with a magenta corona.  A shield popped into being around the cloud, and started to drag it towards the pair.

"See?  Not that hard.  Maybe I should try out for the Weather Te--"  Shining cut off as his head suddenly jerked to one side, his expression growing surprised.

"Uh, Shining...?" asked Spike, looking at Shining with concern.

He grew more concerned as his brother's head whiplashed in the other direction, then back, before he started being dragged backwards, picking up speed.  Spike reached out for him, before Shining lost traction on the wet ground - in moments, he was being ping ponged around the dragon, letting out a loud wail all the while.

Spike looked around hurriedly for the source of the assault, before his frenzied gaze landed on the shield-surrounded cloud.  Which, in perfect time with Shining Armor, was bouncing around the cloudy skies, briefly warping with each sudden jerk.  As though something was hitting it from the inside.

Spike sighed.  "Shining," he said as his brother passed by.

"What?" shouted back the unicorn, already several feet away.  It took a few more rebounds before he was back in range.

"Drop your shield, Shining."

"Oh!" said Shining, realization spreading across his face.  Moments before he slammed horn-first into a tree.

As muffled cries of pain emanated from the tree's newest ornament, the shield dropped from around the cloud, and a rainbow streak shot free.  It twirled above the scene for a moment, before crashing down before Spike, resolving into a cyan pegasus with a short rainbow mane.  And a very annoyed expression.

"What's the big deal, huh?  Think you can just go around bubbling pegasii whenever you want?  Well guess what, buster!"  The mare snorted, rearing up on her back legs and making punching motions at Spike's chest.  "Rainbow Dash isn't gonna take it!  Waking me up from a perfect nap, why I oughta--"

"Horn," interrupted Spike.

The pegasus froze mid-punch, looking up at Spike.  "Huh?"

"No horn," said Spike, gesturing to his forehead.

Rainbow Dash dropped to her hooves, peering up at Spike speculatively.  "...Maybe you're one of those bubble blowing dragons?" she hazarded.

Spike rolled his eyes, then thrust his snout treeward - and towards the source of the still ongoing cries of pain and exertion coming from Shining, as he attempted to extract himself from the bark.

The mare looked between this particularly pitiful sight and Spike a few times, before her anger broke, accompanied by an audible snort.  "Heh, yeah, that's right!  Even when the Dash is taken by suprise, you still end up feeling the pain!"  She reared up again, doing a few victory air punches - until she spotted Spike watching with a flat expression.  "Uh...  You want some help getting him out, or something?"

"Please," replied Spike, before mare and dragon made their way over to the struggling Shining.

With Rainbow grabbing Shining by the mane, and Spike taking a hold around his brother's front, it took them only a moment to tug him free with an audible 'pop!'

Shining immediately grabbed his horn, frantically checking it for splinters or cracks... before the headache caught up with him.

Ignoring his brother as he fell to the grass and started to pain-roll, Spike looked to the now giggling Rainbow.  "So, you're Rainbow Dash, right?  Meant to be heading up the Weather Team?"

Rainbow got in one last snort, before focusing on Spike.  "Yeah.  Gave the team the day off."

"Yeah, we can... see that."  Spike threw a look up at the still cloudy sky, then returned his gaze to the grinning mare.  "Why, exactly?"

"'cause when you have The Dash, you've already got more awesome than you need for any job!" replied Rainbow, tapping her chest and smiling proudly.

"Right..."  Spike looked back down at his checklist, not noticing a brief gust of wind.  "Listen, I still need to find a... Rarity and a Fluttershy, and the day is really close to being over with.  If you could get ahold of some of the Weather Team, maybe you can get something..." he trailed off as he looked back up, first noticing the lack of pegasus before him.

Looking up, he then noticed the lack of cloud above him.

"...Well, okay then," he finally managed, as a rainbow blur dynamically landed beside him.

"See?  Ten seconds flat!  What'd I say, huh?"  She preened, eyes shut, radiating almost toxic levels of smug.

"Not bad.  You got all the clouds," replied Spike, nodding his head and scratching his chin.

"Exactly!"

"Including your pillow."

"Exact-- wha-huh?!"  Rainbow's eyes shot open, darting about the perfectly clear sky.  "Awww, cloudapples!  Now I have to find a new one - I over awesomed this one!"  She leapt into the air, gave the brothers a quick wave, then disappeared towards a distant white blur in the sky, calling out "Don't be bubble jerks...!" as she went.

Spike watched the pegasus go, then looked to the no longer yelling and now only slightly whimpery Shining.  "You done?"

"...I need a hug.  Or icecream."





The interior of the town hall was a flurry of fabric, fashion, and fabulosity.  At the center of the ever-adjusting hurricane of cloth and ribbons was a unicorn, brilliantly styled and maintained mane of purple against a pure white coat, her horn alight with a soft blue glow.  And a frown of deepest annoyance on her face as she considered the most important and final decision of the night.

"Royal Blue against Royal Pink...  Or Royal Pink against Royal Blue?  Oh, choices, choices!" Rarity muttered to herself, glaring at the offending swatches.  She barely even registered the door opening as she switched the pair again, flicking her gaze at the intruder for a bare second.

The part of her mind not currently focused on the Summer Sun Celebration switched into dressmaker mode, inventorying the new pony:  Stallion, white coat, mane in gradiating stripes of royal blue to cobalt to sky blue.  Well built, might be of a military background based on bearing and the way subject holds himself, above average horn length (which meant nothing, regardless of what those trashy little gossip magazines Rarity had a few dozen subscription to said).  Slightly borish or uncouth based on the evidence of icecream (chocolate, remember to buy new tub after tonight as reward, hide from Sweetie Belle) upon subject's muzzle.  Opening mouth to ask a question and interrupt One's train of thought.

That last thought penetrated the fashionista's design haze, making her ever-so-delicately scrunch her nose (nothing more than a touch, it leads to wrinkles!), and turn away from the still hanging and slowly rotating pieces of cloth.

"I'm incredibly sorry, darling, but I simply cannot be interrupted no matter what the issue; I am exceedingly late on these decorations and they must be perfect!" she spoke, radiating pure businesspony at the intruder.

The stallion came to a screeching halt, of course; Rarity knew exactly what effect her coiffure, style, and delicately touched up eyes (just a little eyeshadow and liner, enough to make One's gaze pop!) could have on most grown colt minds.  Or a surprising number of mares.

Rarity took no prisoners in the everlasting war of beauty.

"I simply must have focus, dear!  These designs must be tres magnifique; oh just imagine the look on the Princess' face when she comes out and sees..."  Rarity allowed herself a little pride-driven squee - a critical mistake, as it gave the stallion time enough to recover.

"We only need a moment of your time, miss--"

Rarity cut him off with a dynamic flip of her hair, turning her head away.  "No, no, and no!  I have to have focus.  It can wait a hour... perhaps two?  Yes, two, and..."  A detail clamored for attention, a warning of more interruptions to come.  She looked back to the stallion, then to the door behind him.  "I'm sorry, you said we?"

The double doors opened again.  Rarity glanced towards it once, turned her attention back to the stallion as her brilliant mind began to do what it did best, then slammed her attention back to the doorway as said mind crashed and skipped the rails on what it had glanced upon.

The figure - no, dear heavens, the dragon - walked into the room with the grace and control of a large jungle cat.  It was the colors that struck Rarity the most, the way they subtly shifted with his movements; those upon his back and limbs shimmering between rich royal purple and a rich lavender, while the plating that adorned the underside of his chin and all the way down his stomach - and beyond (don't stare at his flank don't stare at his flank) - gradiated between a soft lime and the color of new spring grass.  Cropped short spines of matte emerald ran from the back of his head to the base of his shoulders, only to reappear again across the latter half of his tail, itself ending in a sharp arrow shape.

Not that the body that the scales were covering didn't warrant a mention, of course; the young dragon had what Rarity would classify as a swimmer's body, all tight muscle packed around densely around those long limbs, thickest across his chest and that delightful flank that Rarity was most definitely not looking at again, and definitely present in that strong tail he kept a bare inch above the ground.  Merely standing upon all fours he already held himself a few inches higher than even the accompanying stallion, but she could tell his long neck could easily hold his head well above a crowd.

Rarity was only vaguely aware of his approach, thoroughly distracted by now taking in said head.  It was quite like that of a pony's, although sharper, more defined; that cat comparison floated into Rarity's mind again.  But that wouldn't do duty to the dragon's jaw, strong and wide, albeit marred with a touch of what appeared to be vanilla icecream; as he got closer, she could make out the way the finer scales lay against the powerful muscles there.  Particularly as they moved.

He was speaking, wasn't he?

"...quite alright?" he asked, in a baritone rich with concern and a distinct tinge of Canterlot accent, wonderfully inviting without being too casual.

Rarity found herself suddenly overcome with a deep blush and a horrific case of the giggles as her brain frantically attempted to recover from the trainwreck it found itself in.  She managed a nod as she stroked nervously at her mane, unable to meet those vivid emerald eyes for more than a moment.

"My name is Spike.  And yours?" he said, holding out a hand.

"Oh, uh... 'm Rarity," she squeaked, reaching out a hoof - claws polished yet dulled, but so hard and strong to the touch - for him to shake.

A second derailing was reported in Rarity's mind as Spike bent his head to deliver a light, courtly kiss, just above her hoof.  It was brief, practiced, and neither too dry to chafe nor wet enough to disgust.

It took several valuable seconds for Rarity to come to her senses, realize that the muscled dragon with clear court training was now looking over her decor, and then snatch back her long released yet still held out hoof.

"Well, it certainly appears that everything is nearly ready.  What do you think, bro?" said Spike, looking towards the stallion that Rarity only now truly remembered was still sharing the room.

"Looking good, looking good," agreed the dragon's... brother?  "But speaking of looking good, you got a little bit of..."  He gestured at his under-chin with one hoof.

Spike let out a grunt, scratched at his chin for a moment, then--

Oh dear Celestia his tongue just went halfway around his snout.

As Rarity felt the blush deepening on her cheeks, the stallion shook his head.  "Missed it."

This time, the tongue went around three times.

Rarity felt her eye twitch as her mental railway violently exploded, a volcano rising from its remains spewing out all sorts of scaled, muscled, and overly-tongued thoughts.  Around her, the various remaining decorations were slammed into place, each perfectly aligned and co-ordinated with their neighbors.  Ribbons were tied, bunting stringed, curtains ruffled as Rarity tried to focus on anything other than the way the dragon's tongue was stroking down across those strong muscles and oh buck everything.

"If you'll excuse me I think I leftthecrossstichdying," she squealed, before diving for one of the side doors, forcing herself to focus entirely on finding a very, very cold shower.

The Royal colors, now in place on the wall, sat side by side.





Both males stared after her, Shining grinning slightly and Spike deeply confused.

Spike looked to his brother.  "Was it something I said?"





Shining was still laughing as he and Spike headed towards the Ponyville park, there to find the last goal of their quest.  Slash pointless government busybodying.

"I still don't see what's so funny," grumbled Spike, who was using his height to try and spot their target.

"You, busting out the court moves, that's what.  Something about her tickle your fancy?" said Shining, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully.

Spike growled softly under his breath, feeling a hint of a blush tinting his cheek scales.  "Just... seemed appropriate."

"Yeah, I'll say.  Think it did the job, as well."

"Job?"  Spike broke from his scouting to look down at Shining.  "What do you mean?"

"What, you didn't see the way she was looking at you?" smirked Shining, applying his eyebrows to the conversation once more.  "Reminds me of the way..."

Spike could almost see Shining's brain switch tracks, his face falling from brotherly teasing to painful remembering.

They continued on for a few more minutes in silence.

"Still doing letters?" Spike asked, the question gentle.

"Every week, without fail," replied Shining, his voice a rough mix of heartache and warmth.

A warm weight fell across Shining's shoulders, pulling him into a side-on hug.  The two leaned together in brotherly harmony for a while.

And then Shining's ears flicked, picking up a strange melody somewhere nearby.

"Are those birds?" he asked, pulling out of the hug; Spike pulled his head up, squinting into the distance.  They both wandered towards the source of the sound.

Rounding a few trees and bushes, said source came into view; a yellow coated pegasus with a long pink mane, conducting a choir of birds.  She was in the midst of correcting one when Shining trotted up, the stallion waiting for a break in her instructions to speak up.

"Excuse me, mi--" he began, only to be interrupted by the pegasus' suprised yelp.  The birds took flight in a panic at the sound, as the mare whirled about and dropped to the ground, looking suddenly bashful.

"Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting you, miss... Fluttershy, yes?" said Shining, giving the nervous-looking mare a smile, quietly hoping that what happened in the town hall wouldn't repeat.

She immediately looked away, ducking behind that long mane of hers; it hung down over one of her sea-green eyes.  The part of Shining that had spent long years being beaten into a highly functioning member of the Guard voiced its thoughts over the effect such a mane would have on combat visibility, but it did look cute.

"There's no need to be, er, shy," Shining continued, his smile growing slightly before the mare's nearly palpable nervousness.  "I'm Shining Armor.  My brother and I are here to check on the performance; it sounds lovely, doesn't it Spike?"  Shining shot his brother a look, calling in reinforcements against the shyness.

"Yeah, I'm sure the Princess will love it," said Spike, nodding.  One of the mare's ears flicked up.

Shining belatedly realised, as she reached for her mane, that Spike would have been right in her blind spot the entire time.  He was thus not suprised, as the nervous mare spotted his brother, to see her eyes go wide and her pupils constrict into tiny dots.

"D-d-d-dragon...!" she stammered out, in a voice like fluffed cotton.  Shining could see the shock spreading through her; one leg immediately jabbed out to point at Spike, the other three went perfectly stiff, and her mane and tail went straight with shock.  Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out.

Shining stared at the tableu for a moment, then reached for the stricken mare; he was interrupted by a pained yell from his side.  Jerking his gaze around, he had a perfect view of Spike grabbing either side of his head, the dragon's eyes wide with pain.

"Spike, what is it?" asked Shining, looking between the pegasus and the dragon frantically for the source of his brother's pain.

"You can't hear that?!" replied Spike, eye twitching.  "It's like nails being dragged across my brain!"

Shining twitched one ear; there was the faintest of high pitched ringing, now that he listened closely.  Glancing between the two one more time, Shining's gaze landed on the pegasus' still wide open mouth.  With a light touch, he placed a hoof on the underside of the mare's chin and pushed her mouth closed, then held her chin in place.

Spike immediately relaxed, dropping his hands from his ears.  "Thanks, bro, you have no idea how much tha--"

He cut off as Shining lowered his hoof, the mare's jaw dropping once again.

"Shining, why?!"

"Because you let me ram into a tree instead of just grabbing me!  And then left me there to snark!" replied Shining, shouting slightly to ensure he was heard.  Then he lifted his hoof again.

"You really shouldn't hold a grudge, Shining," muttered Spike, rubbing around his earfins.

"What I am holding is apparently some formerly unknown draconic super-weakness, so lets hear that apology."

Rolling his eyes, Spike took a breath for what would have no doubt been an eloquent and well-deserved apology, if it weren't for the brown bear that erupted from the bushes with an enraged roar.  Shining's jaw dropped, Spike's jaw dropped, and then Fluttershy's jaw dropped as Shining's hoof fell.

"My ears!"

"It summons bears, too?!"

Leaping into action, Shining threw up a barrier before the animal, falling immediately into a familiar combat stance.  He stared into the bear's eyes, calling up a steely glare that had won him several bouts on its own.

The bear looked back at him, then glanced towards the pegasus - still frozen in place, Shining could see from the corner of his eye - and then Spike - who was trying to ram his head into the earth.

Then it grunted, rolled its eyes, and politely tapped a claw against the shield.

Shining felt one eyebrow creep up, unbidden.  It only creeped up further as the bear once again tapped against the shield, a rappa-tat-tat that was sounded far too familiar to someone knocking at the door.

After another moment's consideration, Shining carefully dropped the barrier, keeping his horn lit and ready to react at a moment's notice.  The bear huffed at him, then laboriously dropped back to all fours, padding towards the still stiff pegasus.

Shining almost attacked as the bear brought its massive arms forward, only for it to sweep the pegasus up into a suprisingly gentle hug.  It rocked her for a moment and stroked her mane, grumbling something utterly unintelligible to Shining but which were apparently words of comfort, considering the way the mare relaxed in its grip.

Fluttershy squeaked something up at the bear, who rumbled a reply, and then looked at Spike and Shining with a brilliant blush and a look of pure embarrasment.

"Uh, ummm...  So sorry," she managed, before hiding behind her mane again and squeaking.  The bear added a few choice bear-words of his own, glaring at Shining and the recovering Spike, before padding off.  Towards the town.

Shining watched the retreating bear for a few minutes, listening for any sudden screams or shouts, before leaning towards the now slightly recovered Spike.

"Bro, I think this town is a bit nuts."

"What?"





Spike and Shining both stared up the main road of Ponyville, ignoring the few looks they were getting from passing ponies.  The target of their gaze had, once upon a time, apparently been a library; then budget cuts had taken their toll.  The huge tree was now dark and empty, its bare branches waving in the wind, black against the darkening sky.  They could barely make out the deeper shadows of where its windows and doorway sat, almost giving the ancient tree a face, one twisted and deformed by the way the thicker branches had been combined to form rooms and balconies.

"So, did I mention I should go meet up with the rest of the Guard?" said Shining, not taking his gaze off the road.  "Because I should go do that."

Spike snorted, a grin tugging at the edge of his mouth.  "Fine, scaredyhooves, I'll see you at the afterparty."  He ruffled his brother's mane for good measure.

"You going to be okay though?" said Shining, adjusting his mane once Spike had taken back his hand.  "Taking up Sunbutt's recommendations and all that?"

"Might give it a try.  A change of pace and all that, right?  Not like you, mom, and dad are that far away.  The train goes straight to Canterlot."  Spike scratched his chin, then nodded.  That'd do.  "You go meet up with the Guard; you mind sending me a few of my things from the tower, after?"

Shining nodded, smiling broadly.  "Sure thing, bro.  You have fun, and we'll meet up at the after-party."  He dragged Spike down into a hug, which the dragon happily returned, before they parted ways with a final wave.

Spike took his time finishing the trek to the tree, now very aware of the watching eyes of the townponies.  He did his best to shrug it off, however; long years of similar stares had given him some measure of armor against the looks.  Eventually, inevitably, he came to the doorstop of what a battered old sign told him had once been the 'Golden Oaks Library'.

A touch to the doorway saw the door creak inward, revealing little but darkness.  Spike felt for a light switch, but of course there wasn't one in easy reach.  Muttering about building design, he carefully stepped inside, a cold gust of wind following him.  Which was a surprising contrast to the interior, which felt rather warm; almost like the room was near full to bursting with--

Light exploded around him, revealing a huge group of ponies, all of whom immediately screamed "Surprise!" with such volume Spike felt his scales vibrating.  Confetti rained down all around him, the empty shelves that made up the walls were covered with bunting and party streamers, tables with food and drinks were strewn about with plenty of mingling space, and there was a prominent pink pony popping up point blank in front of him.

"Surprise!" she shouted again, bouncing in front of Spike.  "I'm Pinkie Pie!  And this is a party that I threw, just for you!  Did we getcha, did we?  Or did you know?!  I don't know, maybe dragons are able to feel things in their scales!  I feel things sometimes, but it's usually just too many cookies.  Or cakes.  Or cookie-cakes!  Do dragons eat cookie-cakes too?"

As Spike recovered from the exclamation assault, he realized a few things.  The first was that the assembled ponies had, other than a few more curious looks, already settled into a gentle party rhythm around him.  The second was that he recognized this Pinkie Pie; it had taken him a moment to put it together, considering she wasn't riding fireworks straight for his face nor screaming, but that bouncing was too unique.  Not to mention the lingering scent of gunpowder.

The third was that his mind had reached some sort of internal limit for insanity for the day, leading him to just nod to the poofy, bubbling mass of pink before him.

"Oh, neato!  I was worried you wouldn't like the snacks, or," she said, gasping in horror, "were allergic!  I'm allergic to some things, like bee stings or grasping nettles or this one time where a rocksnake bit me, but that last one wasn't really an allergy 'cause apparently rocksnake bites make everypony puff up.  But you aren't a pony so maybe..."

Spike slowly tuned out the babbling mare, his slightly short-circuited brain focusing on the snack and drink table straight ahead.  She followed him, carrying on the conversation in the same bright and peppy tone, even as he reached amongst the bottles and picked one at random.

"So, let me get this right," said Spike, interrupting Pinkie's stream of dialogue and considering the bottle in his hand.  "You ride explosives, throw parties for new people in the blink of an eye, and everypony finds this entirely normal?"

"Ya-huh!" she replied, beaming.

Spike considered Pinkie, then bit the top of the bottle of hot sauce off, munching down the glass.  The loud crunch attracted the attention of the party goers, who then watched in no small measure of awe as Spike chugged down the entire bottle of Captain Pepper Maestro's hot sauce.

"Alright.  Let's do this!" he said with conviction, before burping twin jets of green flame out his nostrils.

The party immediately exploded into whoops and cheers, none greater than those of Pinkie Pie herself.  Screaming "Party!", she pulled out a big red button and rammed her hoof down onto it.

"Huh.  What does that do?" Spike asked, as nothing immediately happened in the party room.

"It set off the fireworks on the balcony, of course!" Pinkie replied.

"Upstairs?  With all the old wood?"

"Ya-huh!"

Spike stared down at Pinkie as the first explosion went off far above the old library, bright lights flashing in through the windows.

"And, just to be clear, this place has been abandoned for ages, right?  Not, perhaps, kept up to date with any fire wards?  Or the fire code, in general?"

"Yeppers and nope-a-roonie!"

Spike continued to stare down at the mare, as the first wisps of smoke began to filter down the staircase.

"...Ooooooh," she said, ears flipping down.

Heaving a great sigh, Spike tossed the empty bottle into his mouth, before the evacuation began.





"So, this happen often?" Spike asked the fire-chief several hours later, as the fireponies saw to the now heavily charred upper half of the former library.

"Yah, ya get used ta it," replied Crackling Blaze, fluttering his wings.  "Fortunately we keep plenty a' spare rainclouds about jus' fer these sortsa situations."

Both of them considered the tree for a moment longer, as Pinkie continued to wail apologies against Spike's leg.

"So's the roof an' the upper floor're complete right-offs," continued Crackling, gesturing with one wing.  "Ground floor 'n the basement are jus' fine though.  Solid growth there, don'tchaknow."

"At least no one got hurt," Spike said, as he tugged Pinkie off him and plopped her onto the ground.  "Think the basement is big enough to live in?"

"Eh, if'n ya clear out the ol' stores, yar." asked Crackling as he arched his eyebrow at Spike.

"Yeah, if it's safe enough."

"I'll have the boys check it out fer ya," promised Crackling, nodding to Spike as he made notes on the report he clutched in one forehoof.  "Getcha the paperwork by tomorrow, no problem."

"Thanks again - sorry for hauling you out tonight of all nights."

"Eh, it's the job.  You jus' enjoy yer night, what's left of it; and as fer you, missy," the glimmer pony continued, turning his attention to the wide-eyed and very incarnation of remorse that was Pinkie Pie.  "We'll be expectin' you at the next fire safety lecture.  Again.  With bagels, if ya have the time."

Pinkie nodded, sniffling as massive tears rolled down her soot stained cheeks.  With a huff, Crackling hovered into the air, flitting off to check on the rest of the Ponyville fire crew.

"Spike!  I'm sorry!  I was just so awesome-super excited to have a new person in Ponyville and so I got straight into party planning mode and and and--" Pinkie began, only to be cut off as Spike's hand landed heavily on her mane, gently ruffling it.

"It's okay, Pinkie.  Really," he said, finally turning to give her a honest smile.

"You... you mean it?  I mean, I did just turn half your new house into a giant romane candle," said a surprised Pinkie Pie, a measure of disbelief in her voice.

"I mean it, really.  I mean, it's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me.  And considering how the day has gone, it's a pretty appropriate capstone."  He took his hand from the midst of the mare's mane, settling back onto all fours.  "Though I'd appreciate help cleaning up and moving in."

Pinkie promptly perked up, her mane and tail poofing out.  "I'd love to!  Not only am I Ponyville's premiere party planning pony, but I'm the hoofinest handy mare you could ever handle!  Just ask the Cakes - I help them out all the time when Sugarcube Diner hits the lunch rush!"

Spike couldn't help but chuckle at the mare's earnest response, finally turning from the old library, the last smoldering pieces being smothered under thick rain-soaked cloud by a few pegasii.

"C'mon then.  Don't want to miss the Celebration, right?" he said over his shoulder, making his way towards the town hall.

"Right!" chirped Pinkie, bounding after him.





The Town Hall was packed with ponies, all chatting and whispering to each other amongst the (very well put together, in Spike's opinion) Summer Sun Celebration decorations and the plentiful snacks (primarily apple-based, and delicious, still in Spike's opinion) on offer to one and all.  Several ponies were enjoying the musical melodies of a few songbirds, who would occasionally flit off to be provided a carefully rationed sip of coffee by Fluttershy in between her conducting.

The sky was crystal clear, the town hall's windows providing a perfect view of the flawless full moon and the turning of night to day, the sky beginning to turn a lightening purple with the approaching sun.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" called Mayor Mare from the hall's upper balcony stage, the silver-maned and brown coated mayor of Ponyville drawing the attention of all in attendance.  Several nobleponies, all unicorns, waited in matching sun-and-moon robes to either side of the stage.

Spike watched from the back of the town hall, swirling a glass of (apparently Pinkie-brewed) punch in one hand as he listened to the Mayor's speech.  The dragon's attention waned, the speech similar to several he'd heard over the years back in Canterlot.  He only really started to pay attention near the end, as the mayor gestured to the curtained off back of the balcony.

"And without further ado, I bring you our beloved Princess!"

Rarity, standing to one side of the curtains, took the dangling rope in mouth and pulled, drawing the curtains.  The purple silks slid aside, revealing a darkened corridor.

The assembled ponies (and dragon) stared up as the silence stretched.

And then a dark shadow erupted from that darkness, bounding up and onto the balcony railing.  It spread its wings, threw back its head and with a long practiced motion regally gestured to the assembled ponies with its horn, soft blue mane falling across the dark blue of her coat.

"Gweetings, my bewoved woyaw subjects!" called Princess Luna, the filly smiling broadly as the ponies cheered their Princess of the Night.

Spike cringed at the admittedly adorable speech impediment the Princess still had, but couldn't help but grin at the sight, even as the Mayor continued her introductions.

"And of course our equally adored and honored Queen of the Sun, Monarch of the Six Tribes and Guiding Light of Canterlot, Queen Celestia!"

From the shadows came the great and imposing figure of the Queen, her brilliant white coat topped by a long soft pink mane, the color of which had long become known as Royal Pink - a counterpoint, of course, to Princess Luna's Royal Blue.  She strode across to her sister, easily over twice the height of any other pony in the hall and utterly dwarfing the alicorn filly, and nuzzled her beloved sister.

The light glinted off her full regalia, the formal golden armor covering her body polished to perfection, as she raised one wing to wave to the gathered ponies as well, drawing this time a hushed, awed silence from them, tense and waiting.

Then, with matching motions, both Princess and Queen threw up their horns, both lighting with magic.  The waiting robed nobleponies did the same, joining their power with the royals.  Outside the sky answered to their power, all of those gathered feeling the arcane might; inevitably, the sky shifted from a lingering night to the beginning of another glorious day.

"My little ponies," said the Queen, smiling warmly upon the crowd, "let the Summer Sun Celebration begin!"

The crowd broke immediately into celebration, batponies donning their sunglasses and dropping from their perches to join the glimmer ponies, who where in turn flashing their diaphanous wings as they swooped into the air with the pegasii, while unicorn, earth, and the rare few crystal ponies all stomped their hooves with approval.

Spike remained in the shadows, eyes focused on Luna, grip tightening on his glass.
> Chapter 2 - A Nightmare's End, pt. 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Summer Sun Celebration was nearing its end.  That is to say, it was nearing full daybreak.  Once the sun was fully visible above the horizon, that would be the cue for the festivities to wrap up.  Until the afterparty, of course.

Spike found himself sitting at the table set aside for those involved in the preparations; one table length separated him and his companions from the long table reserved for the nobles and Royals.  The latter was mostly deserted, in the name of snobby mingling; he could see the Queen's pink hair above the throng, dipping now and then to indulge in conversation.  Luna, as usual, had disappeared with her escort to investigate these new surroundings.

He was trying to spot the Princess again when a thumping from the organizer's table drew his attention back around.

"Hey, Spike, focus here," Rainbow Dash was saying, slapping her hoof down once more on the table.  "I'm in the middle of telling them how your jaw dropped after my sweet bit of cloud clearing!"

"You get to the part where you bucked your own pillow?" Spike replied, taking a gulp of his drink as Rainbow shot him a glare.  Applejack, now laughing softly at Rainbow's expression, downed some of her own; she, Spike, and Rainbow Dash all had steaming mugs of the traditional Summer Sun Celebration post-rise drink, coffee.

The only one who wasn't partaking of that particular brew was Pinkie, who - judging by the foot thick topping of whipped cream, sprinkles, and bright red and brown sauces - had been downing cups of hot chocolate all night.  The pink mare also joined in on the laughter, giggling as she looped a arm around Rainbow, pulling her into a hug.

"D'awww, did Dashie miss out on her nap?  Maybe momma Pinkie should tuck you into beddie-byes!" she burbled, rubbing her cheek against Dash's.

"Cut it out, Pinks!" growled Rainbow Dash, flailing in Pinkie's grip.  This only managed to set off Spike, while Applejack broke into a full on chuckle-fit, the two only settling down once Rainbow had managed to break free of the vicious cuddle-beast.

"Anyhoo..." said Applejack, looking around with her ears perked up straight, "Anypony seen th' other two?  Not surprised 'Shy ain't here, but not seein' lil' miss fussy-hooves at a gatherin' like this is like not seein' ants at a picnic."

"I've seen them!" Pinkie said, thrusting a hoof into the air and waving it like an overeager student.  "I know where they are, ask me, ask me!"

Applejack chuckled again.  "Alright then, where are they?"

"Over there!" replied Pinkie, gleefully pointing between Applejack and Spike; both immediately turned to look back where, true to Pinkie's gleeful word, a certain butter-yellow pegasus and a unicorn with a coat of pure white were making their way through the gathered ponies, heading toward the table.

The assembled ponies and singular dragon made their various greetings, Pinkie's enthusiastic waving only stopping when Rainbow seized ahold of her hoof.  The two newcomers to the table, meanwhile, made their way to the clearing between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.  Fluttershy lowered herself to the floor as she neared and passed Spike, until only her ears and pink mane could be seen peeking up over the edge of the table, while Rarity refused to look Spike in the eye as she found her spot, a faint flush on the fashionista's cheeks.

"Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, before gently clearing her throat and glancing up at Spike.  "Ser Spike."

Spike flushed slightly at the ancient form of honorific, gently shaking his head.  "I'm far from a ser, and definitely not a sir.  But hello to you too, miss Rarity."

"Yes, well, I believe that both Fluttershy" she replied, once again looking away from him - did her blush deepen? - and gesturing to the suggestion of a pegasus beside her, "and I failed to properly introduce ourselves.  So.  I am Rarity, fashionista by trade and artiste by nature.  And this is..."

She trailed off, rolling a hoof at the barely visible Fluttershy.  After a moment, a gentle poke from the unicorn and a squeak from the pegasus saw Fluttershy's head creep up over the edge of the table, tilted so that her hair hung protectively between her and Spike.

"And, um, 'm Fluttershy..." murmured the pegasus, barely loud enough for Spike to catch the last syllable.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," said Spike, after the awkward silence had filled the table.  "I... really enjoyed the singing?  Especially the bluejay."

"Oh!  Oh, really?"  Fluttershy's head came up another inch, her head turning towards Spike; he could finally see her green eyes.  "Thank you, he really has come so far."

"Give him my compliments, then.  And I'm happy to see that you're not so..."  Spike rolled a hand for a moment, searching for the right words.  "Petrified of me, now?"

Fluttershy squeaked again, dipping her head as Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack looked at her with interest.  Rarity smiled, clearing her throat to draw their attention from the pegasus.

"I'm afraid Spike here rather surprised our Fluttershy when he went to meet with her," explained the unicorn, "and she has that little... problem with dragons, of course.  We had a little talk before coming over here, and after I explained to her your, ahem, background..."

Spike was now the recipient of a trio of curious looks, while Fluttershy dragged herself from the depths of her embarrassment and back into the conversation, her head fully rising above the table.

"Oh, I am so terribly sorry about acting like that, mister Spike," she said, nervously rubbing her forehooves against the table top.  "Rarity told me you were one of the friendly dragons, not one of the mean pony-eating ones."

"Well, I'm definitely not about to chow down on any ponies.  Way too stuffed from all of the Sweet Apple Acres fare."  He raised his cup to Applejack, who beamed with familial pride.

"Yeah yeah, the Apple clan is amazing with apples, amazingly awesome news that I've never heard before," interjected Rainbow Dash before Applejack had a chance to speak, "but what's this about some mystery background, huh?"

Applejack gave Rainbow a brief glare, but then turned a kind look on Spike, patting him companionably on the shoulder.  "Now don't you mind her, Rainbow's jes' got less tact than a introverted skunk.  You don't needta tell us anythin' ya don't want to, sugarcube."

"I...  I know some really friendly skunks..." murmured Fluttershy from across the table.

"Yeah!  You shouldn't judge skunks, Applejack!" added Pinkie, drawing a happy nod from Fluttershy.

As Applejack gave the pair a flat look, Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof down on the table once again.

"Getting off topic!  Mystery dragon, secret background; spill!" commanded the pegasus, pointing at Spike; all attention turned towards him again.

"Well, since at least two of you know already..." Spike said, glancing at Rarity out of the corner of his eye; the unicorn flushed, looking slightly ashamed of her conversational slip.  "It's no big secret, though.  The papers were all over it, of course."

"That's how I was reminded of it, actually.  It took me a little while, but I couldn't help but remember your brother," Rarity said, and at this she nodded towards where an armored Shining was looking over the crowd, all his relaxed friendliness now replaced by the stern look expected of the Guard.  "And from there, well, I recognized the family name..."

"Wait, yer brother is a pony?  How's that work?"  Applejack asked.

"And what happened with him?  I bet it's something super-juicy; Rarity always knows the juiciest gossip!  Like rumor raisins!  Or scandal scones!  Or mmmph-mph-mmph!" said Pinkie, getting interrupted by Rainbow stuffing a hoof into the party pony's maw.

"Getting off topic again!" said the rainbow-maned pegasus.  Pinkie nodded in agreement, Rainbow's hoof still in her mouth.

"Well, I can answer Applejack quick enough, and it ties into it anyway.  I'm adopted."  Spike said it without a tinge of concern; he'd long since accepted it.  "As far as I'm concerned, though, they're my real family."

"Thas' the spirit; yer kin are yer kin, no matter if'n you're adopted or not!  Right, Pinkie?" said Applejack, nodding to Pinkie as the pink mare freed herself of Rainbow's hoof.

"That's right!" Pinkie replied, as Rainbow looked at the underside of her hoof and made a face.  Fluttershy quietly offered Rainbow a hanky.

"Anyway," continued Spike, "it all comes back to the Princess and my sister.  Do any of you remember that before the Return, the Queen had a protege?  Her personal apprentice?"

While Pinkie pondered and Rainbow continued to look impatient, Applejack flinched and gave Spike a consoling look.  Both Fluttershy and Rarity also bore looks of concern; Spike ignored them, keeping his attention on the only two clearly not in the know.

"Twilight Sparkle.  My sister.  She was caught in the backlash of the Return, when... when the Queen banished the evil that had been in control of Luna."  Spike took a moment to swig his coffee, while the rest of the table waited in silence.  "She was turned to stone.  They're still trying to free her, but..."

Spike weathered the ensuing wave of sympathy as he had many times in the past; the words came easy to him, now.  About the only unexpected reaction was a brief yellow blur and a sudden warm, comforting presence wrapping around his arm.  It took a few moments for the wave to recede and Fluttershy to be gently pried off him, but Spike took it in stride.

"Time passed.  The media was all over us for a while, but that died off in a few months.  The Queen probably had something to do with that."  Spike swirled his coffee, then drained the dregs.  "I ended up being named a Ward of Equestria, and spent my time keeping Twilight's place clean for when they figure out an answer.  Well, until now; you volunteer for one thing and end up getting royal instructions to take a holiday, I don't know..."

"A holiday, you say?" Rarity said, a demure smile appearing on her face.

"Mmm-hmm.  I was going to be staying in the old library, but then there was that sudden fire..."  Spike shot Pinkie a look, though he couldn't help but smile at the sudden stricken look on her face.  "Though it isn't a big deal, as I already explained to Pinkie; she'll be helping me move in, in exchange.  The basement should be fine, so with a few repairs..."

Pinkie relaxed a little, though the looks a few of the others were shooting her had her looking quite sheepish.  Rainbow snorted, shaking her head.

"Fire safety, Pinkie!  At least I've never had to listen to one of Crackling's lectures..." the pegasus smirked towards Pinkie, who narrowed her eyes in return.

"You blew up half of Sugarcube Corner with a lightning storm!"

"That's old news!  And that was when I was new on the job, to boot.  Right here and now, we have the hot news of you setting fire to your third building!"

Spike watched, bemused, as Pinkie threw back a retort about some old attempt on Rainbow's part to speed up the weather cycle.  The rest of the table seemed to be tuning them out, as Rarity began to chat with Fluttershy about her cat - Opal? - and Applejack leaned over to Spike to give him some background on Ponyville and its goings on, all the while keeping an eye on Rainbow and Pinkie.  She broke into a grin as they fell into a bout of good-natured wrestling.

It was some time later, after Rainbow and Pinkie had exhausted themselves and joined in on the general conversation that had formed at the table, that Spike noticed Shining approaching the table, a concerned look on his face.  At a gesture from his brother, Spike excused himself, following Shining into a secluded corner, well away from the other guests.

"Something happen?" he hazarded, as Shining - still in full Guard mode - carefully checked about for listeners.

"Luna's gone missing."

Spike hissed softly, careful to keep from showing any other reaction.  The Princess was, amongst both the Inner and Outer Castle staff, known to disappear from sight in order to seek her own fun.

"Trackers?"  That was the usual solution, a few of the enchanted gems slipped into broaches and tucked into Luna's hair, but--

"Slipped them off.  She's been doing that more lately, not sure if it's a sign of her... getting better."  Shining sighed, then leaned in to Spike.  "Listen, we need to find her quietly.  It's bad enough on the castle grounds, but if a group of guards suddenly start poking about and flying everywhere..."

"The papers would have a field day, right."  Spike scratched his chin, thinking, before finding his eyes wandering back to the table he'd just vacated.  Five pairs of inquisitive eyes peered back at him.

"I think...  I have an idea..." he said to Shining, before leaning in to explain things.





"You want us to do what?"

Rainbow Dash's shout echoed down the near empty street; Spike quietly thanked his lucky stars that there weren't anypony nearby, or that most were getting a start on the afterparty.

"Keep it down!"  Spike urged, while the others continued to stare at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"The Princess is missing?"  Rarity gasped, looking on the edge of fainting.

"Well, it's not exactly the first time..." Spike said, rubbing the back of his head.  Then he noticed their looks.  "She has an alicorn's powers and a child's focus, okay?  It can get a little tricky, particularly when there's a new moon..."

Applejack shook her head, cocking her stetson back with one hoof.  "An' the Guard can't be seen runnin' about, so ya need us to help track down the missin' Princess 'fore anypony catches wind, right?  How in tarnation are we meant ta do that?"

"With this," replied Spike, holding up a silver amulet holding a deep blue gem, a few flecks of silver gently bobbing against one side.  "This will get us to the general vicinity of the Princess, but then we'll have to use more old-fashioned means to find exactly where she's gotten herself."

"But why us, darling?" Rarity asked, while leaning in to appraise the gem.

"Well...  You were already trusted with the Summer Sun Celebration.  Except for Pinkie, but I figure as long as we keep her away from fire she'll be fine."

"I said I was sorry!" Pinkie wailed, dramatically throwing herself to the ground in front of Spike and hugging his arm in a show of purest remorse.

"Beyond that," Spike continued, placatingly patting Pinkie's prodigious poof, "are you all willing to help?  I won't begrudge any of you stepping out, though hopefully she's just somewhere in town."

Pinkie was the first to offer up her help, perking back up onto all fours and saluting.  Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at each other, shrugged, and added their consent, while Rarity finally nodded to Spike with another smile.

"Oh, of course I'll help!  That poor dear, what if she's lost and alone...?!"  Fluttershy finally spoke up, worry clear on her face.

Spike snorted.  "I doubt she's even noticed.  But it's best if we're quick, regardless..."  He held up the gem, inspecting the flecks and getting his bearings.  "This way."





It was two hours later, the mares having followed Spike and fallen into another companionable conversation as they trekked through the town, Spike half-involving himself as he focused on navigating through the streets.

And now they stood before a dark treeline, Ponyville a few fields behind them.  Wild clouds hovered ominously in the distance, while the thick foliage cast the trees in a sinister light, branches clawing at the air above bushes thick with thorns.

"And of course she went into the Everfree," Spike sighed, settling back on his haunches to ponder this new obstacle.

"She's in the Everfree?!" squeaked out Fluttershy behind him, in a tone and volume he hadn't previously heard from the pegasus.

"Looks like.  Could be the old stories the Queen tells, apparently there're rui--"  Spike was cut off by a yellow blur passing by him and disappearing past the treeline.  "Hey, wait!"

He started forward, the rest of the ponies not far behind him, only for Fluttershy to just as quickly dart back out with a frightened squeal, and instead start pacing nervously along the treeline as the group caught up with her.

"Bit quick on the draw there, 'Shy?" asked Rainbow, an eyebrow arching up.

"We can't just leave the poor dear all on her own!  The Everfree is such a nasty place, no sweet filly should be alone in there - especially not the Princess!" Fluttershy kept trotting in place, wings half-raised as though to dive back into the darkness.

"But the Everfree isn't exactly safe for us either, right?"  Spike waited for Fluttershy's rapid nod.  "Then we'd better go back to get the Guar--"

"Right, on it!" interrupted Rainbow, dashing them all a quick salute before disappearing off in a rainbow streak.

"An' we'll get a head start lookin' fer th' lil' tyke!" announced Applejack, who had been inspecting the trees.  Turning in place, she landed both rear hooves against a particularly fragile specimen, cracking it in half and sending it toppling back, clearing the start of a path.

"Wait, what about the Guard?" asked Spike in bewilderment, as Fluttershy followed close behind Applejack, crossing the felled tree with a flick of her wings.

"Rainbow'll get to 'em well before us!" came Applejack's reply, as Pinkie pronked along next.  "'sides, Ah'm not about to leave a filly alone in th' Everfree either!"

Spike found himself being dragged along out of sheer force of personality, hauling himself onto the treetrunk with a resigned sigh.

Meanwhile, Rarity peered at the freshly upturned tree, its roots crawling with bugs and heavy with fresh dirt.  Leaves still drifted down, some lined with wicked little spines, and she could clearly see that the shadows further in only got deeper.

"Maybe I can fashion some sort of... emergency booties..." she murmured to herself.

"Ya comin' or not, Rarity?" erupted Applejack's voice, shocking her out of her musing.

"Fine!" she shouted back, climbing onto the tree as gingerly as possible.  "Oh, this is going to be simply ruinous on my manicure..."





The group of ponies and one dragon worked their way into the Everfree, the sun crawling higher as they went.  Applejack and Spike did the bulk of the work, hacking through the thick undergrowth and clearing the way.  Fluttershy hovered both literally and figuratively nearby, depending on how close the trees got, pointing out plants to avoid, while Rarity and Pinkie Pie took up the rear.

They finally broke out onto an ancient and overgrown road.  Spike considered the tracking amulet for a second, then directed then deeper into the woods, following the curve of the road.

Moments later, a rainbow blur slammed down from the skies, sending up a cloud of dust.

"'sup!" greeted Rainbow, flexing her wings as the dust settled around her.

Spike snorted, clearing his nostrils, before gently pulling Fluttershy off the top of his head, the pegasus having apparently mistaken him for a tree in the excitement.  Putting aside the apologizing mare, and as the others variously coughed up dust, glared at Rainbow, or giggled happily at Dash's reappearance, Spike spoke up.  "Any luck with my brother?"

"Yup!" was the peppy response.  "He's sending out a few guards, quiet like.  And before you ask, I made sure to it on the down-low."

"And then you just... sneakily zoomed back over?  With a rainbow contrail and everything?"

"What?  I do it all the time!"

Spike blinked.  "You go to the Everfree a lot?"

The group, now mostly recovered, resumed their trek as the two talked.

"Well, yeah.  There's all sorts of awesome old stuff out here.  And Pinkie lives out in the Everfree, too!"  Rainbow pointed to Pinkie, who was nodding rapidly.

"Yeppers!  Right on the edges, though.  It's not that bad; I don't haveta pay taxes, and the rent is really cheap!" Pinkie said, perky as ever.  "And it's not like I'm the only one of us who does, either!"

"Oh?" Spike glanced back at the rest of the group; Fluttershy continued trotting along, clueless, while one by one the others looked towards her.

She eventually picked up on the stares, glancing around, then looking in the opposite direction, as though they were looking at something past her.  Then, looking back to see them still staring at her, she squeaked, rapidly shaking her head.

"Oh, no no no, I could never live in the Everfree!" she explained to Spike.  "I live on the edge of Ponyville, and some ponies get a little confused..."

"Fluttershy, c'mon, you live past the treel--" started Rainbow, only for Fluttershy to cut in with the first bit of real force Spike had seen in the yellow mare.

"I don't live in the Everfree, Rainbow."

Rainbow and Fluttershy stared at each other for a time, as the group continued down the road.  Spike could see a silent argument going on between the two, spoken in twitches of the eye and flickers of the ears, Fluttershy's face remaining placid while Rainbow's flickered between various states of disgruntlement.

Fluttershy won.

"Fine, you don't live in the Everfree!  You just happen to live down a long dark twisted road a half-hour past the treeline!" Rainbow finally cried, throwing up her hooves.

Fluttershy clapped her hooves together, happily nodding.  Spike shot a glance at Rainbow, arching an eyeridge, who just rolled her eyes.  Then stopped in midair as she took in the road ahead.

It split, one road curving slightly back towards Ponyville and well lit by the sun.  Fresh grass sprouted between ancient flagstones, flowers were abundant along its edges, and the trees gave way to spotty clearings.

The other turned directly into the depths of the Everfree, its stones growing more cracked and ruined as it disappeared beneath a thick canopy of darkness.  Flora abundant with vicious spines and dripping with nasty, ominous liquids were obvious, while Spike could swear he saw eyes flashing amongst the depths of the undergrowth, sinister and slitted.

Frowning, Spike considered the amulet once more.

"Lemme guess," drawled Applejack, "th' Princess've th' Night went fer a stroll under th' trees?"

"...Actually, it looks like she's off in this direction," Spike replied, heading down the path of light and grass.

Applejack blinked in surprise, then perked up.  "Well hay, maybe this is goin' t' be easier than Ah thought!"  She began to follow Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity trotting along with her while Rainbow muttered something about having to take the boring road, flapping along.

"Onward!  For Princessness!" proclaimed Pinkie, pronking after the rest.





"I think we're going to have to split up," Spike sighed, holding up the amulet.  The small flecks of silver upon its gem bounced against the edges, uncertain and wandering.

"Ah jus' knew it'd come ta somethin' like that," said Applejack, peering about from the small rise they'd found themselves upon.

Trees still dominated the landscape, but wide splotches of grass broke up the darkness of the undergrowth.  By no means was it welcoming, with the trees still twisted and the wildgrowth living up to its name, but there was a sense of begrudging welcome with the light beaming down from above.

"Well, at least the Princess has good taste in where she takes these little... playdates."  Rarity flicked her mane out of her face.  "Rainbow Dash, would you be a dear and keep an eye on us, if it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

Rainbow nodded, gave the group a quick salute, then zipped into the air again.  The remainder watched her fall into a wide circling pattern, before beginning to drift apart with promises to keep to the lighter areas.

It was not long after that Spike found himself clambering across a small, rocky ridge; he waved to Rainbow as she passed by, far overhead, then froze.

He could hear singing.

Glancing again at the sky and the sun, Spike headed towards the sound - it was coming from within a dense copse at the end of the ridge.  The trees had failed to overgrow where the earth had once long ago been split, forming a small archway which almost seemed to beckon him into its cool embrace.

Spike crept inside carefully, eyeing the trees as he passed; they were as bent and twisted as any other in the Everfree, but didn't appear to be hosting anything malevolent.  Continuing deeper, and pushing past a thick bush, he found himself in a shadowed clearing; a near perfect circle filled with dappled sunlight, edged with bushes, and currently playhouse to one alicorn filly.

Luna rolled about on the grass, singing a formless, wordless child's tune.  She looked none the worse for wear, Spike could see, apart from some leaves in her coat and mane, along with judicious streaks of dirt and stains from the grass.  Her maids would be having a fit later, no doubt.

It was only when Spike cleared his throat that she actually noticed him, turning bright, gleaming eyes towards him and waving from her spot in the grass.

"Hewwo!" she called, speech impediment as thick as ever.  "I'm Woona."

Spike suppressed a sigh; the Princess tended to forget people she didn't interact with regularly.

"Hello, Princess Luna," Spike said softly, approaching the filly carefully.  "Been having fun?"

She nodded energetically, soft blue mane bouncing as she did.  "I found a buggy!  It... was wed," she proclaimed, with all the grace and power a princess with the body of a six year old could muster.

"I'm sure that was very exciting," Spike said dryly, glancing up at the sky again.

Luna resumed rolling back and forth in the grass, before a thought apparently occurred to her.  Rolling onto her belly, she turned a look on Spike that had bought strong-willed babysitters to their knees, her wide eyes shimmering and a quivering pout appearing on her lips that would turn the coldest hearts to warm, nourishing soup.

"A-awe 'oo here to take Woona back?" she asked, her voice quavering.

Spike shook his head, looking back down at her.  "Not yet.  Almost."

Instantly, Luna's expression changed.  With a joyful squeal, she threw herself back down, resuming rolling about in the cool, soft grass.

Spike looked back up.  Subconsciously, he stretched his claws.  The Princess could play, for now.

It would only be a few more minutes until noon, anyway.





Canterlot Mountain stood tall and proud, lit near perfectly from above by the summer sun.  Its purple hue was home to innumerable crevices and ancient caves, most long since investigated by the ponies who made their home against its side; Canterlot itself was the cause of the largest piece of its shade, the great city erupting out into the air, kept aloft by ancient magic.

That great shadow wasn't important to this day, however.  Not as the sun reached its highest point and noon struck, and one particular crevice was turned into a tight line of dense darkness by the angle of rock and light.

A line that thickened further, filling the crack to its limit, then poured forth as pure darkness down the sunlit mountainside.  The shadow made solid, watery and undulating, flowed slowly at first; then, as it fell through the light, it began to pick up speed.

As it hit the next crevice, it was flowing like oil, its trail evaporating in the sunlight.  By the time it had reached halfway towards the ground it had thickened into a blot the width of a pony's hoof, moving faster than a falling pegasus.

When it hit the base of the mountain, it suddenly pulsed, tripling in width and speed and surging forth.  Leaving a trail of smoke and mist, it sped across the countryside, curving across field and hill, flowers closing in its wake and creatures being sent scurrying with a nameless fear.

Eventually, as it passed across the flat expanse of Saddle Lake, it took form; what burst from the other side was a undulating mass of purest inky darkness, slamming into the edges of the Everfree with a formless force that tore leaves from the trees and made the grass itself pull back and shrivel.

And when it finally passed into an ancient stand of trees and into the side of Princess Luna, it exploded into a column of darkness swirling with the deepest of blues and purples which in turn erupted outward in a great wave of dark power.

As it passed over Spike, the roiling mist jerked back from his scales, even as he strode forth and rammed one claw forward its heart.





Pinkie's ear twitched, causing her to pull her head out of the small hole she'd been investigating, the mare looking around suspiciously.  She didn't see the wave as it struck her, tendrils of shadow snaking into her mane as she tumbled forwards.





Applejack was looking across the terrain upon another small rise, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hoof.  Her eyes widened as the shadow erupted over the edge of the rise, washing across her hooves then leaping up to engulf the rest of her.





Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as the dark tide overtook Applejack, and threw herself into a dive towards her friend; she didn't notice as a jolt of darkness burst from the mass, taking her in the wings.  As the tendrils squirmed between her feathers, she barely managed to redirect herself towards a particularly thick looking tree, her crash landing softened by the leafy boughs.





Rarity looked up at the sound of a distant crash, lighting up her horn; with the trees around her so thick, everything was cast in darkness.  She thus only had a split second to recognize the wall of dark power before it slammed into her, curling down her horn and throwing her further into the darkness.





Fluttershy shook her head, not seeing the dark blots around her squirming and seething as they evaporated into nothing.  She blinked, then rubbed her eye, trying to remember what had just happened; she'd clearly fallen over at some point.

Maybe it had just been a brief lapse in concentration?

She put it out of her mind, she had a job to do.  She started to push through the bushes again...





In the depths of the copse, Spike kept his eyes focused on where his hand disappeared into the darkness.  He could feel something warm thrashing against his grip, but he held strong, waiting as the darkness receded and wisped away into the surrounding air.  His eyes remained narrowed even as the final dregs of mist dispersed, revealing the small twitching form of Princess Luna, his claws wrapped securely around her neck.

Her thrashing slowed, gentled, then stopped entirely, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head.  With a sudden gasp, however, she snapped back to wakefulness, eyes going wide and jerking around in a panic - before finally focusing on Spike.  The confusion disappeared slowly, becoming recognition; as she tried to speak, however, Spike flexed his claws, cutting off her breath.

"Your first words had better convince me not to crush your neck here and now," he warned, almost snarling as smoke leaked from his nostrils.  Only then did he relax his grip, barely enough for Luna to breath.

She sat there for a long moment, breathing hard, before finally swallowing and finding her voice.

"You once ate the cover of an ancient tome of illusion spells because it had gems on it."  Luna's ears flicked as she glanced around again, confused, before realization set in.  "And sweet heavens, is that my voice?"

Still a child's voice in tone, the Princess' speed impediment had disappeared.  In its place was a control and accent that Spike associated with Canterlot's upper crust.  Or, even more strongly, with Celestia.

Spike ignored the filly's confusion, his eyes still focused on the Princess as she took another look around.  And then he slowly pulled his hand from her neck, letting her roll onto all fours and stand, shaking herself off before beginning to look over her body.

"So, she wasn't rambling.  You really escaped," he said in slight wonder, the tension gradually draining out of his body.

Luna twitched her ear, her self-inspection interrupted.  "Yes," she replied, "and trust me when I say it was as much a surprise to me as it is you.  I believe she didn't think I would approve of this plan, and she would be right."

Luna began to stretch her limbs one by one, testingly, as Spike absorbed this news.  A maelstrom of emotions raged inside him, but one question forced its way forth.

"Is she okay?"

"Well, having spent that long with her, I wouldn't call her exactly o--"

"Will Twilight Sparkle be okay?" Spike cut the Princess off, clenching his claws with the sheer need to know.

Luna looked at him for a long moment, letting him recover himself, before she replied.  "When I last saw her, she was smiling.  And I dare say that she will be able to keep herself alive for some time yet, with or without your attendance."

Spike let out a shuddering breath, dragging a hand across his face.  Luna waited, the incarnation of patience - even with a body Spike was more used to seeing fidgeting during royal functions - until Spike finally found his voice again.

"I thought it would be her.  Escaping, I mean."  He took another deep breath.  "Princess Luna, the real one, I presume?"

"I am sorry...  Spike?"  Luna waited for Spike's nod.  "She talked about you, a lot.  All I can tell you for now is that she's proud of you, and missed you dearly; anything more will have to wait."

Luna's tone had become serious, taking on a edge Spike had never heard from the filly.  He took his hand from his face, blinking away the hints of tears as he focused on her and gestured for her to continue.

"You must have felt it, or seen it, when I came back to myself.  When Twilight breached our prison and forced me free, more than I came along.  I felt it, in the transition, the last of that clinging corruption."  Luna shuddered, wiping at her coat as though to remove a stain.

"I saw it.  Felt it, even; I don't think it could get another hold on me, however."

Luna nodded.  "You are scarred, just as I am now.  It won't be easy for the Nightmare to reclaim its grip, not without great effort.  But the nature of it means it will not seek to fight; it will look for those who are weak, to recover its strength within them."

Both dragon and alicorn froze as a distant cry went up, ponies calling to each other.

"The Guard.  Or those who came with me to find you," Spike explained.

"Then we don't have much time," Luna replied, frowning and thinking furiously.  "We need to ensure the Nightmare is not let loose to grow upon Equestria; not as it did in me, all that time ago.  I would not wish that fate on my worst enemy."

"Can't you just get your sister to help?  Or just use put that horn to use, do some banishment?"

Luna shook her head.  "I'm too weak, now, from that thing's infestation; it will take time, years perhaps, for my power to return properly.  Hence, I believe, why I am still this... tiny."  Luna's frown deepened as she looked down on her filly body again.  "And the Nightmare is too insidious.  It will find a host, or hosts, and hide deep within them.  Everything they learn, it will learn, and if it discovers it is being hunted..."

"It'll go dark.  Wait until the hunt is called off."

"Exactly.  We can't remain vigilant forever, and it knows that."

Both of them glanced towards the edge of the copse as more yells went up, closer this time, more organized.

"Listen to me, Spike," Luna said, her voice commanding; Spike looked down to her, focused again.  "It won't have gone far.  Stay here, in Ponyville, and be my hunter of shadows; I don't believe I will be able to remain, not if I'm to keep up an act of my own.  I take it my dear sister moved since last I saw her?"

"Yeah.  Canterlot," Spike replied.

"That stuffy old city?" Luna said with surprise, before shaking her head.  "No matter.  I will conduct a hunt of my own from there; there's always a chance the breach will not seal correctly."

"And what do I do if I find a pony with this... Nightmare?" Spike said, softly.

"Be sure.  And once you are sure, be swift," Luna replied, looking him straight in the eye.  "If they are too far gone, and the Nightmare is in control, slay them.  It will be a mercy.  If not... you must cause in them a schism."

"A schism?"

"Something to make them realize the presence of the Nightmare through word or deed.  It is a thing of corruption and subtlety; thrown into the forefront, into the mind's gaze, and it will have nowhere to hide."  Luna looked back at herself, frowning.  "A strong enough pony will then be able to cast it out."

She looked back up as Spike rested a hand on her shoulder, comfortingly.  

"It won't do any good to blame yourself, for any of this," he told her, his voice soft.

"...It sounds like you know something of blame," Luna replied, the ghost of a smile appearing at the shared pain.

"Yeah, well, years of therapy helps."  Spike reached over and, at a nod from Luna, gathered her up into his arms.  "Speaking of therapy, you're going to need to fix your speech.  You do not sound like the Princess Luna we know right now."

"What do you mean?"

"'oo nee' to tawk mo' wike dis fo da woyaw subjects," Spike said, face twisting at the sound coming out of his own mouth.

It was nothing compared to the look of absolute horror on Luna's face.

"I speak like that, once more?!" she gasped.  "We spent years with the most distinguished bards and lyricists to banish such monstrosities from mine tongue!"

"Well, you have about... three minutes to undo all that.  Just be as sickeningly twee as possible and you should pass muster."

Luna's grimace deepened, as she started to mutter 'Woyaw' under her breath, over and over.





It was later.  Noon had well passed, and so had the effects of the group's coffee, most yawning outrageously even as they began to head back towards Ponyville; they had all gathered with the approaching guard, who had in turn followed their path.

The five who had originally accompanied Spike had cooed over the Princess, who was - as far as any of those gathered were concerned - her usual bubbly self, any oddness explained away by tiredness and at having her playtime interrupted.

Spike delivered a very judiciously edited oral report on what happened to the lead guard, Lieutenant Hawthorn, praising the five mares with him; despite some light damage they'd each taken during their search, he made sure to emphasize their dedication to the Princess and how they'd contributed to successfully rescuing her.  There was some suggestion of under-the-table recognition for their efforts, which they accepted, variously recognizing the need to keep things on the down-low or merely enjoying the idea of an easier tax season.

Eventually, inevitably, they began to make their way back; the guard patrol took the lead, Hawthorn's horn lit as he held a protective spell over the assembled group, ensuring nothing could surprise them, especially with the Princess in tow.  Spike, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy brought up the rear, the six chatting amongst themselves.

"Well, I have to say that was a daring adventure, darlings," Rarity said, the leaves and sap in her mane glossed over by the thought of royal rewards.

"Pfft, that wasn't an adventure!  It was, like...  An afternoon out!" complained Rainbow, but she couldn't hide the grin on her face as she looked at Luna, riding atop one of the guards ahead.

"A bit've an anti-climax, thas' fer sure, but Ah'm jus' glad the lil' filly was fine," Applejack added, also smiling.

"Yeah!  And it was so awesome having everyone together!" Pinkie added, bouncing along.  "We should totally do it again!"

"I, uh, don't think the Princess goes missing that much, Pinkie..." Fluttershy said, flying just behind Spike, who snorted.

Rarity hummed to herself.  "Well then...  How about next time we go for drinks?  It certainly was good to have everyone together; why we've never done it before, I don't know!  We certainly have known each other long enough."

"Drinks!" Pinkie and Rainbow chorused, as Fluttershy looked towards Spike, who had been mostly quiet during the return trip.  She glanced to Rarity, catching her eye, then nodded towards Spike with a small smile, one that Rarity happily returned.

"And," Rarity coughed into her hoof, loud enough to break Spike from his reverie, "I am quite sure no one would complain about you joining us, Spike dear?"

Spike looked back, Rarity fluttering her eyelashes at him pleadingly.  Glancing further back, he couldn't help but laugh at the friendly, happy looks on the rest of the mares - who he couldn't help but start thinking of as new friends.

"Sure.  I'm in."

They burst into cheers, Spike unable to fall back into thoughts of the impending Nightmare hunt as he joined them in chatting and discussing Ponyville.

None noticed how the shadows of the five mares subtly shifted, their edges straining away from Spike's presence.