Celestia sat alone in the Canterlot garden. It felt so nice to be alone without any guards or paparazzi following her every move. She levitated her teacup up to her muzzle and had a small sip. As Celestia put her cup down, she came to a halt when she heard a small sniffle from a nearby bush. She slowly stood up and made her way over to the bush.
Celestia peered inside the bush to see a small purple and green dragon curled up into a ball, shivering, and covered in scratches. "Hello little one." Celestia said softly to the dragon. The dragon snapped his attention to her before getting on all fours and letting out a low growl. He snarled his teeth at her in defense.
Celestia levitated the small dragon off of the ground making him growl louder. She put the dragon in her arms and started to cradle him. He lashed around growling while trying to bite Celestia's arm. Her horn glowed a soft yellow as she cradled him. His growling started diminishing quickly as his eyes grew heavy. The dragon let out a soft snore as he fell asleep. "Always works." She thought to herself.
Celestia put him on her back and walked into the castle. When the guards spotted her the bowed down in respect."Guards, tell the royal organizer to clear my schedule for the day." Celestia said sternly. The guards nodded their heads before running off. She walked into her room, locking the door behind her.
She place the dragon on her bed, watching him snuggle into Luna's plush bat, Starry. Celestia walked in her personal bathroom and turned on warm water in the tub. She filled the tub with apple scented soap. Bubbles floated around the bathroom making the whole room smell like apples.
"M-mommy?" The dragon said from the bedroom. Celestia's ears perked up at the sound. She walked in the room to see the dragon sitting up and his eyes wide with fear. He looked around and spotted Celestia. As Celestia approached him he let out a low growl while backing away from her.
"It's okay little one, I'm not here to hurt you." She said in a calm tone. "I see that you like Starry." She said softly. The dragon held Starry close to him. He calmed down slightly but was still very far away from Celestia. "My name is Celestia." She said happily. "Celes.. Cele.. Celly?" He struggled to say.
"You can call me Tia, what's your name?" Celestia questioned. He he backed up little more “S-spike." He said nervously.
"And how old are you?" Celestia asked while kneeling down to his height. "I'm five." Spike said slightly more confident.
"Only five? I thought dragons lived with their parents until they were teenagers. Celestia thought to herself. "Where are your parents?" She asked.
Spike's scales drooped and his eyes filled with tears. "M-my mommy's gone!" Spike shouted before crying loudly. Celestia got taken aback by the answer. She scooped Spike up and cradled him.
"It's okay, I'm here, I'm here." Celestia repeated soothingly until he stopped crying.
Celestia carried him into the bathroom before stopping in front of tub. Spike gripped on Celestia when he saw the bubbles. She giggled at his reaction. "It's okay the bubbles won't hurt you." Celestia said while giggling. She slowly lowered Spike into the warm water. When he was fully emerged in the water he let out a small giggle. Celestia smiled in amusement.
Celestia grabbed a handful of soap suds and placed them under her chin making a beard. Spike giggled at the silly sight. He grabbed some soap suds and placing them on his head. They both went into full blown laughter before being interrupted by a loud pounding on the door.
"Your Majesty, the Saddle Arabian delegates have arrived!" The guard shouted urgently.
"I told you to cancel all of my plans today." Celestia replied.
"It was last minute, we couldn't cancel it." The guard said.
"Dang it.." Celestia muttered.
"Give me a second!" She shouted while taking Spike out of the tub throwing a towel over him. He flailed around under the towel while growling loudly. Celestia quickly pulled off the towel while shushing him.
"Shh they can't know you're here." She whispered. She quickly dried him off and threw the towel across the bathroom.
Celestia picked up Spike and walked into her room. She placed him on the bed and started pacing around the room. "What am I going to do, what am I going to do?" Celestia muttered to herself. She turned around to look at Spike, who was looking back at her confusedly. "Go retrieve Princess Cadence." Celestia said.
"Yes right away your majesty." The guard replied. After a few minutes the room door opened with a low creak.
"Sorry I took so long, I was watching Twilght." Cadence said as she walked in with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. Spike's ears perked up when he heard her voice. He spotted Candance and backed away snarling. Cadance's eyes widened. "Princess you have a dragon?!" She said in a shocked and scared tone.
"Can you please watch him while I'm in this meeting, I promise he's harmless." Celestia pleaded. Cadence glanced at Spike, who was curled up in a ball, growling. She hesitated for a second before speaking.
"Okay Princess, I'm only doing for you." Cadance said with a sigh.
Celestia pulled Canadce into a tight hug. "Thank you so much, you won't regret this." She said happily before rushing out of the room. Cadence turned to Spike. He glared at her as he clutched onto Starry.
"Hi my name is Cadance, what's your name?" Cadance asked while crouching down to Spike's height. Spike shuffled back until his back hit the wall. Cadance walked over to Spike slowly. He bared his teeth and let out a low snarl. "It's okay I won't hurt you." Cadance said in a soft sweet voice.
As Cadance got closer, his growling got louder. She approached him and Spike started to shake in fear. His eyes welled up with tears and his growling slowly stopped. He hid his face into the stuffed bat and let out a soft sniffle. "Aaw, It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." Cadance said as she put her hoof on his shoulder.
Spike let out a loud yelp at the sudden feeling and let out a loud cry. Cadance moved back at the suddenly loud noise before quickly levitate him in her arms. "Shh it's okay, it's okay." Cadance comforted. His sobbing soon turned into small hiccups.
Spike's stomach growled loudly. "Poor thing you must be hungry." Cadance said. She turned to see a small chest of gems on the bedroom shelf. "I heard that dragons liked gems. I'm sure the princess won't mind. She thought to herself as she picked up a few red and green gems.
"Here you go." Cadance said as she handed him the gems. Spike's eyes lit up in excitement at the sight of the gems before he quickly skarfed them down. "Wow you where really hungry." Cadance thought out loud. Once Spike finished he let out a satisified burp of fire. Cadance smiled lightly.
"Now that you're calm gonna try this again. Hi I'm Cadance, what's your name?" She asked again. Spike hesitated for a second before speaking. "Spike." He said softly. Cadance smiled softly at his cooperation. After a few minutes of silence Cadance said something.
“Do you want me to tell you a story?” She asked. Spike smiled and nodded his head. Cadance reached into her duffel bag and pulled out a book. The title read ‘The Adventures of Rockhoof.’
Cadance opened the book and started to read. “Once upon a time there was a small pony named Rockhoof...” as she continued to read, Spike scooted closer to Cadance and laid on her side. Cadance paused smiling slightly.
She continued reading when she suddenly heard a soft snoring. She looked down to see Spike sleeping peacefully, sucking his thumb. Cadance put the book down and let out a soft sigh.
The bedroom door creaked open, making Cadance’s ears perk up. Celestia walked into the room.
“How was he?” Celestia asked in a hushed tone.
“He cried a little but other than that he was fine.” She responded. “Princess what are you going to do with him, you’re to busy to take care of him." Cadance asked in a worrisome tone. Celestia looked Spike.
Twilight stood in front of Celestia’s office. She had been called in after school for something very important.
“What if she wants me to leave the school? What if she no longer wants me to be her student? What if she banished me from Equestria!?” Twilight said as she paced in front of the office door. She shook her head and faced the door.
“Whatever Princess Celestia has in store for me, I’m sure she’s right.” Twilight reassured herself. She opened the door slowly and cautiously. Celestia looked up from her desk and smiled when she saw her star pupil.
“Ah Twilight, come in.” Celestia said kindly. Twilight hastly aproached the desk. As she sat down she heard...... growling?
“As you know, you are my star pupil. You are above all of you’re classes and hatched an owl egg when no one else could.” She started off. Twilight smiled at her praise.
“I have a very important task for you that I cannot trust anyone else with.” Celestia continued.
“Yes Princess, what is it?” Twilight said eagerly. Celestia’s horn glowed as she levitated a small dragon from behind her desk. Twilights eyes widenened and her jaw dropped open.
“I need you to take care of him. He is alone and is to young to be by himself.” Celestia explained. Twilight looked at the dragon who was glaring at her.
“I don’t mean to be rude Princess, but why must I take care of a dragon. I'm only thirteen, I don’t think I’m responsible enough to take care of a child.” Twilight said.
Celestia chuckled at Twilights response. “I am far to busy to watch him and I trust you enough to watch him.” She responded. “His name is Spike and I packed a bag with things that he needs. If this doesn’t work, then you can bring him back to me and I’ll relocate him.” Celestia instructed.
Twilight looked Celestia wearily and let out a sigh. “I respect your choices Princess.”
Celestia smiled and handed Spike to Twilight. He wore a yellow backpack. Spike let out a growl and backed up to Celestia’s desk. “It’s okay, she won’t hurt you.” Celestia reassured while pushing him back to Twilight. Spike glared at Twilight, clutching onto Starry protectively.
Twilight levitated Spike on her back. Spike sat down stiffly, obviously not trusting her. Twilight made her her way out of the office.
“Have a wonderful spring break!” Celestia shouted before the door closed.
Okay, stay calm. I only have a week until I can give him back. I can just tell the Princess that it didn’t work out and she can send him back were he came from.” Twilight thought to herself. She looked back at Spike, who was still glaring daggers at her.
Twilight shuddered as she felt him stare. “This is going to be a long week.”
Twilight walked in her house, closing the door behind her. “Mom, Dad I’m home!” Twilight shouted making Spike flinch.
“I’m in the kitchen!” Velvet responded. Twilight put Spike on the floor and made her way to the kitchen. Owlicious was perched the counter as Velvet chopped carrots.
“How was your day sweetie?” Velvet asked. Twilight hesitated before speaking.
“Today was great but...” Twilight trailed off.
“If it’s those bullies again, I will take them down myself.” Velvet threatened.
“No it nothing like that. Princess Celestia gave me a... mission. She wants me to take care of a.... a dragon.”
Velvet dropped the knife on the counter in shock. Owlicous feathers fluffed up in fear.
“He’s only five and he’s all alone.” Twilight explained. Velvet let out a sigh.
“Well if Princess Celestia trust you with this task, then I trust you.” Velvet said.
“Would you like to meet him, he’s in the living room.” Twilight asked. Velvet nodded her head and made her way to the living room. Spike sat on the floor while playing with Starry.
“Hello.” Velvet said softly. Spike turned around and growled. Velvet took a step closer, making Spike hide under a nearby table. Velvet walked over to the table, crouching down to his height.
“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Velvet said softly. Spike hissed and swiped his claw. Velvet flinched and moved back.
“You’re father and brother will be home any minute, they'll handle this.” Velvet said as she walked away from the table.
Twilight nodded her head in understanding. Owlicous flew next to Twilight and rubbed his head against her hoof.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately.” Twilight said while petting Owlicous head. Everyone’s ears perked up when the front door opened.
“We’re home!” Night Light shouted. Shining Armor stood next to his father. Spike growled and moved farther under the table. Night Light and Shining Armor jumped back at the sudden noise.
“What heck was that?” Shining Armor asked in fear.
“That was Spike. Princess Celestia assigned me to watch a dragon.” Twilight said in a exasperated tone. Night Light and Shining Armor slowly backed away from the table.
“Well he is full of... energy? I guess.” Night Light said, trying to be optimistic. Shining Armor glanced at Spike who was glaring back at him.
“Do you even know how to take care of a dragon?” Shining Armor asked in a concerned tone.
Twilight looked over to Spike. “No, but Princess Celestia gave me a bag with all the things I need.” Twilight said in a ‘’matter of fact’ tone. Shining Armor looked around as if he were looking for something.
“And where is that bag?” Twilight looked around. Her eyes widened in realization. “It’s with Spike.”
Everyone turned to Spike, who was still growling softly. Twilight carefully walked over to him and slowly put her hoof out. “Is it okay if I just...” She said as she tried to grab the bag. Spike hissed and swatted her hoof away.
Twilight flinched back and cradled her hoof. Shining Armor rushed to her side. “Twily are you okay?!” He asked with panic lacing his voice. Twilight tested up a little bit.
“Y-yeah I’m fine it’s just a little scratch.” She said reassuringly.
“I’ll go get them bandages.” Shining Armor said while rushing out the room. He glared at Spike on his way out.
Tears rolled down Twilights cheek at her hoof throbbed in pain. Spike felt a pang in his heart as he saw her cry.
Shining Armor walked back in the room with a bandaid. He levitated Twilights hoof and put it on.
“There all better.” He said proudly. Twilight smiled at her brothers enthusiasm. She felt a light tug on her tail that made her look back.
Spike stood there holding his bag up to her. His eyes didn’t meet her gaze. Twilight smiled.
Twilight rummaged through the bag, hoping to find something useful. “Ah ha!” Twilight exclaimed as she pulled out a book.
“After adopting a foal!” Twilght said read out excitedly. “The best parenting book in Canterlot.”
Twilight opened the book to the first chapter. She quickly skimmed through the chapter and closed the book. First step: make sure the foal feels safe in the environment.
Twilight crouched down to Spikes height. “You’re safe here and no one here will hurt you.” She said with a blank expression on her face. Twilight popped back up and opened the book to the second chapter.
“Twily sweetheart, I don’t think that was very comforting.” Velvet said while gesturing to Spike. Spike had backed up to the wall to keep distance from everybody and clutched onto Starry.
“Hm? I was sure that would work.” Twilight flipped back to the first chapter to see what she did wrong. As she reread the chapter, thunder crackled making everyone flinch.
Shining Armor peeked outside the window to see dark clouds littering the sky. “ I forgot there was supposed to be a storm today.” He said as he walked away from the window.
Lightning flashed through the sky and thunder boomed. Spike let out a small squeak and cover his ears. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He let out a small sniffle making everyone look at him.
Twilight walked over to Spike. “Are you okay?” She asked in a concerned tone. Thunder boomed making Spike scream loudly. He let out a loud sob, shaking in fear.
“Aw you’re afraid of thunder.” Twilight said sympathetically. Twilight picked Spike up and held him close to her chest.
“It’s okay, the thunder won’t hurt you.” Twilight said while stroking Spikes head. He started to close his eyes.
“See? Now you’re getting the hang of it.” Velvet said encouragingly. Soon his crying turned into soft hiccups and sniffles. He buried his face in her fluffy chest.
“He’s starting to like you.” Night Light commented. Twilight grinned at her achievement.
“I might as well catch up on some reading as the storm continues.” Twilight said while levitating a book from her saddle bag. She opened the book and read it silently to herself.
Spike tugged on the book in an attempt to see the words. Twilight let out a small smile and lowered the book. They both read together, completely forgetting about the storm.
“Twilight, dinners ready!” Velvet called from the kitchen. Twilight looked up from her book to see that the storm had stopped and the moon was shining. She looked at Spike who was still reading.
Twilight placed him on the floor and stood up, stretching her legs in the process. “Come one Spike, it’s time for dinner.” Twilight said as she made her way to the kitchen. Spike followed close behind.
Twilight sat next to her brother, who was staring at Spike to make sure he didn’t attack his sister again. Spike struggled to get onto the chair due to his tiny legs. Twilight giggled and levitated him on. He sunk down into the chair, his head barely above the table.
Velvet handed everyone their plates. Shinings stomach growled loudly. “Wow Mom this smells great!” He said while licking his lips. Night Light nodded in agreement. Everyone started to eat their delicious meal.
Twilight smiled and looked over to Spike, who was staring at his small bowl. “Eat up Spike, it’s really good.” She reassured.
Spike leaned over to the bowl and sniffed the food. His ears perked up a wonderful smell. He picked up a spoonful of food and put it in his mouth. His eyes widened at the wonderful taste. He quickly scarfed the food down. Everyone stared at him in shock as he finished his food before anyone could start.
“This little guy has an appetite.” Night Light said. They all let out a chuckle when they saw Spike’s mouth covered in food. Twilight levitated a napkin to clean his face. Spike flinched back before calming down slightly. Twilight smiled at his trust in her.
By the time dinner was over, everyone was stuffed. “You really outdone yourself sweetheart.” Night Light complimented. Velvet blushed at the compliment.
“Oh sweetheart, it was nothing.” Velvet said as she put the dishes in the sink. Shining Armor quickly stood up from the table.
“Don’t worry Mom, I got it.” Shining said as he walked over to the sink. Velvet smiled at her son.
“It looks like someone is tired.” Night Light pointed out. Twilight looked over to Spike, who was dozing off at the table. Twilight levitated Spike onto her back.
“I’ll put him to bed.” Twilight said as she walked towards out of the kitchen. As she made her way to her room, Spike let out a small mumble.
”Starry...” He mumbled softly. Twilight looked around to see the small stuffed bat under a table. She levitated over to Spike, who cuddled into the doll. She smiled lightly and walked to down the hallway.
When Twilight entered her room, she put the small dragon on her bed. He cuddled into the fluffy blanket. Twilight smiled lightly at this display. She walked over to her desk in the corner of her room.
“I need to do my homework before school starts again.” She muttered as she took out her homework. Twilight stared intently at her work, trying to finish as quickly as she could.
She was half way through her homework already and it’s only been ten minutes.”One hundred divided by sixteen makes-“ Twilights thoughts were cut off by sobbing. She turned around to see Spike crying and hyperventilating heavily. Twilight rushed over to him as worry took over her.
When Twilight reached Spike, she noticed how red his face had gotten. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. He didn’t even acknowledge Twilights presence next to him.
”What do I do, what do I do!?” Twilight internally panicked. She sat next to Spike on the bed, making him flinch. He looked at Twilight with fear in his eyes.
Twilight slowly reached her hoof out to him and softly stroked his scales. “It’s okay, you’re safe.” She whispered. Spike latched onto Twilight and let out loud sobs into her fur. She kept petting his head as he softly sniffled into her. They both laid down on the soft bed.
Soon he became quiet and let out a soft snore. Twilight tried to move back to her desk, but Spike continued to hold onto her protectively in his sleep. She was completely unable to move without waking him up. She felt her eyes become heavy.
“I can finish my homework after this quick nap...”
Twilight awoke with the sun shining on her face. She let out a yawn and tried to stretch her legs. Something warm pressed against her legs. She looked down to see Spike curled up at her side, letting out soft snores. She smiled and slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake Spike up.
Spike stirred slightly before letting out another snore. Twilight stretched her legs and looked at the time. It was eleven o’clock. “I can’t believe that I slept so late.” Twilight muttered. She left her room and made her way to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes and eggs filled the air. Twilights stomach growled loudly and she rushed to the kitchen.
Night Light stood at the stove. Velvet ate her breakfast with Shining Armor sitting next to her, munching on his food. “Morning Twi.” Shining said with a mouth full of food. Owlicious sat on the counter and let out a small ‘hoot’ as a hello.Twilight waved sleepily and sat at the table.
“Did you sleep well?” Night Light asked. Twilight nodded her head. Velvet chuckled slightly at a picture in her hoof.
“I went to go wake you up but you and Spike looked so peaceful, I that you two have been getting along well.” Velvet said as she showed Twilight the picture. It was a picture of Spike cuddling into Twilight, both sleeping soundly. Twilight smiled nervously.
Night Light put a plate with pancake and eggs in front of her. “I made breakfast. Enjoy!” He said. Twilight sighed in relief at the change of subject. She took a bite of the food. The taste exploded on her tongue.
“You are the best cook.” Twilight complimented. Night Light smiled and kissed Twilight on the head. Velvet gave a fake shocked look.
“But I thought I was the best cook. I feel so betrayed.” She said dramatically. Twilight chuckled and continued to eat.
Night Light looked around the room. “Hey where’s the little guy?” He asked.
“He’s still sleeping.” Twilight responded. Shining Armor got up from the table.
“I would love to stay and chat but I have training today.” He said while walking out the kitchen. Twilight frowned.
“I wish I could come, but I have to watch Spike. I don’t think it’s a good idea letting him around all those ponies.” She said sadly. Velvet sensed her daughters disappointment.
“We can watch him for you.” Velvet suggested. Twilight quickly shook her head.
“No I couldn’t let you do that, he’s my responsibility.” Twilight stated.
“Cmon Twily, we can handle him, besides you’ve been working so hard on your school work, you deserve a little break.” Velvet said. Twilight put her hoof up to go her chin, pondering in what to do. She let out a sigh.
“I guess I could use a little break.” Twilight said softly. Her parents smiled at her cooperation.
“Well you better start getting ready then.” Velvet said. Twilight quickly stuffed her mouth with food and rushed towards the bathroom to take a shower. They heard the faint sound of the shower turning on.
“This will be great bonding!” Velvet said excitedly. Night Light looked nervously.
“Honey, are sure this is a good idea, I heard dragons are really dangerous.” Night Light said in a soft, worried tone.
“I know he seems dangerous, but if the Princess trust Twilight with this, he can’t be that bad.” Velvet reassured. Night Light let out a sigh.
“I guess you’re right.” He sighed out. Both of their ears perked up when the heard Twilights bedroom door open. Spike walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily and clutching onto the plush bat. He sat on a chair across from Velvet.
“Good morning.” Velvet said cheerfully. Spike gave a small wave while hiding his face into the bat. Velvet gave her husband a wide smile. Twilight walked into the kitchen with a saddle bag on her back. Shining Armor was close behind, wearing his Armor.
“Spike, I’m leaving you here with Mom and Dad.” Twilight said. Spike’s eyes widened and he let out a whimper. “Don’t worry, they’re nice and they won’t hurt you, I promise.” Twilight reassured. She faced her parents.
“The average five year old needs a nap for at least a hour, so please put him down for a nap.” Twilight said. Night Light chuckled lightly.
“We know Twilight, we already had two kids.” He said jokingly. Twilight sighed nervously.
“Sorry, I’m just afraid that you won’t get along and something bad will happen.”
“Well we survived you and Shinings random magic surges when you were babies, I’m pretty sure we can handle this.” Velvet said in a confident tone.
“Cmon Twily, we’re gonna be late let’s go!” Shining Armor shouted from the front door.
“Be good Spike, I promise I’ll be back in a few hours.” Twilight said as she left the house. The front door slammed making Spike flinch. He let out a loud whimper and his eyes filled up with tears.
“No, please don’t cry. Twilight will be back I promise.” Velvet reasurred. Spike sniffled and look at Velvet. Her mind raced in ways to make sure he didn’t cry.
“Are you hungry?” She questioned. Spike nodded his head. Velvet gave him the rest of the pancakes that were on the table and drowned them in syrup. Spike grabbed a nearby fork and took a small bite. He quickly started gobble the food.
“See I told you we could handle him.” Velvet said happily. Night Light gave his wife an uneasy look. Before they knew it, Spike had finished eating. His hands and face were sticky with syrup.
“Honey, can you please clean this up while I give him a bath?” Velvet asked. Night Light nodded his head and levitated a few plates. Velvet levitated Spike on her back and made her way to the bathroom. She sat him on the toilet seat as she filled up the tub with water and pumpkin soap. She turned to Spike to see him licking the syrup off of his fingers. Velvet giggle and put him in the bath.
Spike splashed around in the tub, getting water everywhere. Velvet shielded her face and giggled. By the time he finished splashing, Velvets hair was soaked.
“That’s enough splashing for now.” She said as she washed him with a small cloth. He giggled at the feeling. Velvet smiled at his giggling. Once she finished, she levitated him out of the tub.
Spike got on all fours and shook the water off of himself. Velvet shielded her self and wrapped a towel around him. Spike hid under the towel, letting out small giggles. Velvet smiled and quickly dried him off. She dried off her hair and levitated him onto her back. She walked into the living room and sat him on the couch.
Velvets eyes wandered to a stack of letters on the table. “Honey, I thought I told you to bring these to the post office!” Velvet shouted.
“Sorry, I got distracted!” Night Light replies from the kitchen. Velvet sighed and levitated the letters. Her horn glowed brightly and the letters evaporated into the air. Spike gasped in amazement.
“You liked that?” Velvet asked. Spike grinned and nodded his head. His eyes shined brightly with excitement. ”Don’t all creatures have a little magic in them? I guess I could teach him this spell to keep him busy for a few hours.” Velvet thought to herself.
Velvet crouched down to Spikes height. “Do you want to learn this spell?” She asked. Spike grinned wider (if that were even possible) and nodded his head vigorously. Velvet grabbed a piece of blank paper and handed it to him.
“Just think about me, light the paper on fire and then it will send to me.” She explained. Spike nodded his head and lit the paper on fire. The paper disintegrated in his hands.
“This is going to take a while.”
“Let’s try this one more time...” Velvet said tiredly. They had been trying to do the spell for an hour and all they’ve gotten was dust, ashes, and curtains burning.
Spike took a deep breath and lit the paper on fire. It vaporized in the air and a light appeared above Velvets head. The paper floated down into the floor in front of her.
Velvets eyes widened in surprise. “You did it!” She exclaimed. Spike cheered in excitement before letting out a loud yawn. He laid down on the couch and his eyes started to droop.
Velvet smiled and wrapped blanket around him and handed him Starry. He cuddled into the bat and let out a soft snore. Velvet looked at the time and her eyes widened. She walked into the kitchen.
“My library books are due in ten minutes and the library is across town, so can you please watch Spike, I just put him down for a nap.” Velvet pleaded.
“Sure thing honey.” Night Light responded.
“Thank so much your the best!” Velvet said as she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. She ran out of the kitchen. Night Light heard russling in the living room and the front closing.
Night Light pulled out flour and sugar from the cabinet. ”The kids will be so surprised to see that I made cookies.” He thought to himself. He pulled out eggs, butter, milk, and chocolate chips from the fridge. He pulled out a large bowl and baking powder from the cabinet.
As he preheated the oven, he heard a quiet sob from the living room. Night Lights ears perked up at the sound. He slowly made his way into the living room. He saw Spike hiding under the blanket, shaking violently.
Night Light slowly made his way over to the couch, carefully trying not to scare Spike. He let out small sniffles, cuddling closer into the blanket.
Night Light sat next to Spike, making him jump in surprise. He was breathing very heavily. “It’s okay little guy, I won’t hurt you.” He said in a calming tone. Spikes breathing slowed down. Tears dripped down his cheeks.
“It’s okay, there’s no need to be scared.” Night Light said in an attempt to comfort him. Spike hugged Night Lights leg tightly. He picked Spike up and hugged him. He sung a soft tune that he sung whenever Shining Armor and Twilight got to fussy.
Spikes crying soon turned into sniffles as he calmed down. Night Light put him gently back down onto the couch.
“Do you want to help me make cookies?” Night Light asked in an attempt to cheer Spike up. He slowly nodded, not making eye contact. Night Light got up and walked to the kitchen, Spike following close behind.
They both entered the kitchen and Night Light immediately got to work. He levitated the flour and poured some in the bowl. Spike stared intently at the display. Night Light looked at Spike and handed him the bag of sugar. He pulled over a near by chair and levitated Spike onto it.
“Pour some sugar, put not to much.” Night Light explained. Spike nodded his head and started to pour. Once he finished he poured some milk in.
“You’re doing great!”
The sun had already set when the front burst open to reveal Twilight and Shining Armor.
“I’m so sorry that I took so long to get back! I got distracted and lost track of time!” Twilight said as she rushed into the house. Spike ran over to Twilight and hugged her tightly.
“Don’t worry about it Twily we had everything covered. I even taught him how to make cookies.” Night Light said. Spike held up a cookie to Twilight and Shining Armor. Twilight took a bite and her taste buds practically exploded.
“These are really good.” She complemented. Shining Armor nodded his head in agreement.
“Oh! I taught him a spell!” Velvet said excitedly. Spike nodded his head and picked up a peice of paper. He lit it on fire and it appeared in front of Velvet. Twilight stared in shock.
“I guess I was worried for nothing, you did a great job.” Twilight said with a sigh of relief.
“Shining how was your day?” Velvet asked. Shining Armor let out a muffled ‘good’ as he stuffed his mouth with more cookies. She chuckled.
Spike still sat quietly, not joining in on the conversation. ”He’s really quiet.” Twilight said to herself. She walked over to Spike, holding a book.
“Spike can you say ‘book’?” Twilight asked while holding a book up to him.
Spike stood at the table, wrapping a present for Moondancers party. “And... done!” He said as he tied a perfect bow on the top. He walked towards the door only for it to burst open, hitting him in the face.
Twilight stood at the doorway and looked down at Spike. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!” She apologized. Spike stood up with a groan and turned around to see his tail impailed the gift he just wrapped.
“It’s fine.” Spike said as he pulled the present off of his tail. “Why are you in such a rush? The party doesn’t start for another hour.”
Twilight walked past him, shaking her head. “We’re not going to the party.” Twilight stated. Spike groaned loudly.
“You can’t avoid your friends forever Twilight.” Spike said in an annoyed tone. Twilight glared at him.
“I am not avoiding my friends, I’m making sure the Princess knows about a potential threat.” Twilight said sternly. Spikes ears perked up at ‘potential threat’.
“Spike, take a letter.” Twilight said as handed him a scroll and a quill.
My dearest teacher,my continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover a precipice of disaster! For you see, the Mythical Mare on the moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she is about to return to Equestria, and bring onto her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true. I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
“And done!” Spike said as he sent the letter away. Spike looked at Twilight anxiously. “So how big is this threat?” He asked while twiddling his thumbs.
“According to the prophecy, Nightmare Moon will bring on eternal night. She’ll rip families apart and enslave every creature in sight.” Twilight stated. She looked over to Spike who had a scared expression on his face.
“That parts just a myth, there’s nothing to worry about.” Twilight said nuzzled into Spike. As he hugged her back he let out a loud burp, making a letter appear. Twilight eagerly levitated the letter and opened it.
My dearest, most faithful student Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completelty, but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!
Twilight let out a soft gasp at the statement.
My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying, so I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this years location: Ponyville. And I have an even more task for you to complete: make some friends!
Twilight looked at the back of the letter, searching for any further instructions.
“Are you kidding me! This isn’t the time to be making friends, this is the time to be taking action!” Spike shouted angrily.
Twilight shook her head and sighed. “Princess Celestia knows best. Pack your things Spike, we’re going to Ponyville.”
Twilight and Spike sat on a chariot as it flew through the sky. Owlicious sat next to Spike as he sat grumpily with his arms crossed. “This can be a major threat to Equestria, friends aren’t important right now!” Spike said angrily.
Twilight let out a frustrated sigh. “Spike you’ve been going on about this for twenty minutes. The Princess is right, I’ve been spending to much time reading and not with my friends.”
Spike let out a soft grunt of annoyance, but didn’t say anything. The chariot soon landed on the ground. Twilight and Spike hopped out with Owlicious flying close behind.
“Thank you.” Twilight said to the guards. They both smiled in response and flew away. As they walked through the town, they saw a pink pony bouncing in there direction.
“See this is a perfect time to make some friends.” Twilight said. Spike rolled his eyes. She approached the pink mare with a smile on her face.
“Hi my name is-“ Before Twilight could finished her sentence, the pink mare let out a loud, dramatic gasp and ran away.
“What a great way to make friends.” Spike said sarcastically. Twilight glared at him and pulled out her checklist.
“First stop, Sweet Apple Acres.” Twilight said. They both walked through the town, listening to the ponies chatter. The town seemed so peaceful. After a few minutes of walking Twilight stopped.
“Spike I think we’re lost, I’m going to ask for directions.” Twilight said as she gained the attention of a nearby pony. The sweet smell of cookies caught Spikes attention. He turned around to see a bakery called ‘Sugarcube Corner’. His stomach growled loudly.
“Hey Twi, do you think we can grab som-“ Spike trailed off as he noticed Twilight was nowhere in sight. He felt his heart pick up pace.
“Twilight couldn’t have gotten that far.” He muttered to himself. Spike wandered around town looking for Twilight. With every step he took he felt him self panic more.
“Sweet Oranges? No that’s not it.” Spike mumbled as he tried to remember the name of where Twilight went. His mind was foggy and he couldn’t concentrate.
His heart started to pick up pace as he looked for Twilight. “Where is she? Where is she?” He felt himself losing his breath as he slowed down.
Spike looked around to see that he had wandered to the outskirts of town. Trees towered over him. Spikes legs started to wobble and he leaned against the tree.
Tears came to his eyes and his breath quickened. He slid down while hiding his face in his hands. “I’ll never see Twilight again and it’s all my fault.” Spike said as tears spilled down his face. He heard birds singing a tune of an opening show.
It reminded him of the time Twilight took him to the circus. He remembered seeing ponies on stilts, and the jugglers. He remembered Shining Armor screaming in fear at the sight of the clowns. Spike chuckled at the memory. He felt himself calm down as he listened to the cheery tune. His breathing slowed down as he felt a sense of calmness wash over him.
Spike stood up and looked around. Trees towered over him and colorful flowers sprouting out of the ground. He started to walk around, observing more of his surrondings. The singing birds got louder as he walked around.
Spike stopped walking when he saw a yellow pegagus next to a group of singing birds. She seemed to be directing them.
Spike cleared his throat. “Um, hello?” Spike said awkwardly causing the yellow pegasus to jump and her birds to fly away. The yellow mare turned around and gasped when she saw Spike.
“Oh my, a baby dragon!” She said happily. She rushed over to Spike, making him flinch. The pegasus picked him up and hugged him tightly. Spike tried to push away from her.
“PUT ME DOWN!” He shouted angrily. The mare quickly put him down.”
“I’m so sorry, I’ve just never seen a baby dragon before.” She apologized. Spike took a few steps back. The mare noticed that he was uncomfortable. “My name is Fluttershy, what’s your name?” Fluttershy asked sweetly.
“Spike and like the song you were teaching then birds.” Spike said in an attempt to change the conversation. Fluttershy smiled widely at the compliment.
“That’s so great to hear! They’re preforming for the Summer Sun Celebration.” She said happily.
”So she’s the one in charge of the music.” Spike thought to himself. “That means Twilight is going to come here to check on the progress later.”
Spike turned around and looked at the field he had just come from. He knew that if went to go look for Twilight, he would get lost again and start to panic more.
“Do you mind if I stay here for a while?” Spike asked. Fluttershy smiled and nodded her head.
“I don’t mind at all.” Fluttershy said as she turned to her birds. Spike laid under a nearby tree as the birds sung loudly. His eyes slowly closed as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Spike awoke to the feeling of something repeatedly tapping his face. He swatted the feeling away, trying to go back to sleep. When the tapping continued, he slowly opened his eyes. Owlowiscious stared at him.
Spike slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around to see where he was. The moon was high in the sky. He suddenly remembered had fell asleep under a tree waiting for Twilight. He looked up to see a pegagus with a rainbow mane talking to Fluttershy. Next to the pegagus he saw Twilight standing there anxiously.
Spike quickly stood up and rushed over to Twilight. “Twilight!” Spike shouted happily. She turned around before breaking out into a wide grin.
“Spike!” Twilight shouted as he hugged her tightly. “Thank Celestia I found you.” She said as she hugged him tighter.
“I told you that I would find him.” The blue pegasus said cockily. Twilight glared at her. “You weren’t even helping me, you just followed me around and talked about how awesome you are.” She said in an annoyed tone. The pegasus scoffed.
“Well I least I helped you get here, you were freaking out when I found you.” The pegasus responded.
“I guess I was a little stressed, I was supposed to get here hours ago.” Twilight said sheepishly. She let out a yawn.
“I’m pretty tired, let’s go home so we can get some rest before the celebration.” Twilight said as she put Spike on her back. She looked around.
“Rainbow Dash, do you know where the Golden Oaks library is?” Twilight asked to the rainbow pony.
“Of course I can, I know this place like the back of my hoof.” Rainbow Dash said cockily. She quickly flew off, making Twilight follow behind. They walked silently down the dark road until they saw the library in sight. It was a big tree which Spike felt was a little unsafe.
“Thank you for helping us.” Twilight said greatfully.
“No problem, I am good at helping ponies out.” Rainbow said. As Twilight and Spike entered the house, they saw that it was pitch black.
“Where’s the light switch...” Twilight muttered to herself. Spike felt that something was wrong. It felt as if hundreds of eyes were watching them. Suddenly the lights flicked on.
”SURPRISE!” Twilight jumped up in shock and Spike quickly stood in front of her, making sure nothing hurt her.
A large group of ponies stood inside the house with large grins on there faces. The same pink pony from earlier quickly ran up to them.
“Hi I’m Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you! I set this up hours ago but I didn’t think you were going to show up! So were you surprised?!” Pinkie pie jumbled. Spike stayed in front of Twilight, not moving an inch. He glared at Pinkie.
Pinkie pie looked at Spike and broke out in a grin. “You’re so adorable!” She squealed loudly. Spike growled in response. Twilight moved him behind her so he didn’t do anything crazy.
“Thank you for this party but I was kinda wanted silence.” Twilight said. Pinkie pie laughed.
“But what kind of party is quiet, that’s just boring.” She said, clear long not understanding what Twilight meant. Twilight sighed and made her way to her room. Spike followed closely. They squeezed their way through chatting ponies.
Twilight tripped and fell to the ground. Before Spike got to her an orange pony helped her up. “Ya’ll got to be more careful there.” She said in a southern accent.
“Thanks Applejack.” Twilight said as she rubbed her head. A white unicorn with a purple mane walked up to her.
“Are you okay darling, that was quite a nasty fall.” She asked concernly. Before Twilight could answer Spike grabbed Twilight by the hoof.
“She’s fine bye.” He said as he led her upstairs. Once they got upstairs Spike sat her down on the bed. Twilight started to giggle a little bit.
“Jealous much?” She said between giggles. Spikes face stayed stern.
“I’m making sure nopony hurts you. And get some rest, you don’t want to be tired for the celebration.” He said in a bossy tone. Twilight let out a yawn.
“You’re right Spike, night.” She said as she dozed off.
“Night Twily.”
Ponies gathered into town hall as they waited for the Princess to enter. Excited chatter filled the room.
“This is going to be so awesome!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. Spike looked at Twilight who sat there with a small smile on her face.
Spike had terrible feeling that something was wrong. Their were barely and guards in sight. That left a chance of a pony attacking the Princess. He got snapped out of his trance when he heard the birds singing.
“And now introducing...Princess Celestia!” The mayor said.
The curtains opened up to reveal nothing. Ponies gasped in shock and started to let out whispers. Spikes heart pounded in his chest loudly. Loud laughter echoed acros the room making everyone fall silent. A tall dark figure appeared on the balcony.
Nightmare Moon stood on the balcony, staring down at everybody with a wicked grin. “Oh my beloved subjects it’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious face.” She said in cold voice. A shiver ran down Spikes spine.
“What did you do the Princess?!” Rainbow Dash shouted angrily. She charged at her but halted when Applejack pulled on her tail. Nightmare Moon let out a fake pout.
“Am I not royal enough for, that’s just a shame really. Do you not know who I am?” She asked.
“You’re Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said making everyone turn to her. “And if we don’t stop you the night will last forever.” Ponies gasped in shock.
Nightmare Moon broke out into a grin. “Well I see somebodies educated.” She let it a loud cackle. “THE NIGHT SHALL LAST FOREVER!” She shouted. And with a stomp of her front hooves, she vanished into blue dust.
Ponies let out scared murmurs. Twilight got up an quickly ran out the door. Spike followed close behind. He stopped running when he saw Nightmare Moon flying over head. He looked at Twilight who hadn’t stopped running.
Spike turned around and followed Nightmare Moon. “I’ll save you Tia.”
Spike stood at the edge of a dark forest. Nightmare Moon had flew in there. He let out a nervous shaky breath. He could barely see ten feet ahead of him. Spike picked up a nearby branch and lit it on fire.
He held the torch in his hand and started to walk down the path. He saw a trail of blue dust, leading its way in the forest. He decided to follow it, knowing that it would lead him to that villainess scum.
Spike approached a cliff and looked over the edge. There he saw Nightmare Moon at the bottom. She was inches away from a growling manticore.
“What is she up to?” Spike asked himself. He crotched closed to the ground so she didn’t see him. The manticore raised his paw up to attack Nightmare Moon. Her horn glowed brightly and struck the manticores paw. He flinched back and let out a whimper. Nightmare Moon chuckled and walked away. ”She getting away!” Spike thought to himself. He quickly stood up to go follow her.
As he stood up, there was a loud rumbling. The edge of the cliff broke off making him fall off. Spike let out a loud yelp as he hit the ground with a loud thud. When opened his eyes, his vision was blurry from the impact on his head.
As his eyes adjusted he saw the manticore towering over him. The creature let out a loud snarl as his fangs dripped with saliva. His eyes were blood shot.
Spikes eyes widened as he tried desperately not to scream. The manticore slowly raised his paw. His claws shined in the moon light. At that moment Spike knew that he either attacked or died. He took a deep breath and let out a large puff of fire. The manticore moved back fearfully. As the manticore was distracted Spike ran past it.
The manticore quickly turned around and chased after Spike. Spike ran as fast as he could but the manticore was faster. As he started to lose his breath and slow down, the manticores paw hit a tree branch, making him fall face first onto the ground. Once the manticore was completely out of sight, Spike slowed down.
He saw the trail of blue dust and started to follow it again. As he walked a felt something long touch his shoulder. He quickly turned around to see something tall with large fangs staring down at him. Spike started to run away, only to bump into another one. He soon realized that he was surrounded by these creatures. They let out loud moans and groans.
Spike let out a sharp growl and prepared his claws for attack. When the creatures didn’t come any closer, he tilted his head in confusion. He slowly walked up to one of the creatures, only to realize that it was a tree. They were all trees. Spike let out a sigh of relief and continued to follow the dust.
Soon he approached a river. He heard loud sobbing from the river. He looked up to see a giant purple serpent, sitting in the water. The water splashed violently, which was way to dangerous to get across. Spike had remembered reading about these types of serpants. The more upset they get, the more dangerous the waters they lived in got. The only way for Spike to get across was to calm him down.
Spike let out an annoyed sigh before speaking in his best fake concerned voice. “Excuse me sir, what wrong?” The serpent look down at the small dragon.
“Oh it’s absolutely terrible! I was just sitting here minding my own business when this tacky little blue cloud came zipping past and cut my mustache clean off!” He said while sobbing into his hands. He noticed that half of his mustache was cut off unevenly.
Spike rolled his eyes.”What a drama queen.” He thought to himself.
“Without my mustache, I’m hideous!” He said dramatically.
“You’re not hideous, you look great.” Spike said in an attempt to make him feel better. The serpent sniffled.
“Oh you’re just saying that, I look absolutely horrid. Without my mustache I’m completely useless!” He said as he laid on the river bank. That gave Spike an idea.
“But you’re not useless. You can help people get across the river with no problem.” Spike said as he climbed into the serpents empty hand. He wiped a tear from his eye.
“I guess you’re right.” He said as he put Spike at the other side of the river. “Thank you for showing me that I can be fabulous without my mustache.” He said greatfully. Spike smiled and waved goodbye as he continued to follow the blue dust. He smiled to himself before shaking his head.
“I need to focus on stopping Nightmare Moon.” He said seriously. Spike stopped walking as he approached an old bridge made out of wooden planks and rope. Spike was hesitant about crossing the bridge. He looked up and saw Nightmare Moon on the other side of the bridge, staring back at him with cold, piercing eyes.
Spike felt his blood boil just by looking at her. He ran onto the bridge, ready to make sure she didn’t see the light of day. Nightmare Moon smirked at him. Her horn glowed brightly and she let out a beam of light, which barely missed Spike. The beam of light had burned the rope of the bridge making it fall. Spike let out a loud scream. The side of the bridge hit the rock that was supporting the it. The sudden impact knocked the air out of his lungs. His hands were shaking as he kept his grip.
Spike panted heavily and looked up. He could see Nightmare Moon walking away. He took a deep breath and started to climb upwards. His arms shook as he struggled to hold up his on body weight. His grip was so tight that his knuckles were turning white.
When Spike reached the top, he flopped to his side to catch his breath. He stood up and looked up to see he was standing in front of an ancient building.
Spike grabbed a large branch as a weapon and slowly made his way upstairs. He entered a large empty room. He walked around the room cautiously, knowing that Nightmare Moon could pop up any second. He saw five perfectly round rocks on five pillars. Before Spike could understand what the were, he heard bone chilling laughter behind him. He turned around to come face to face with Nightmare Moon.
“Do you really think you can stop me, you are just a mere, pitiful baby dragon.” Nightmare Moon said with a grin. Spike growled in response.
“What did you do to the Princess!” He said angrily. Nightmare Moon smirked at the question.
“If you really want to know, why don’t you just go join her.” Nightmare Moon shot a beam of light at Spike. He desperately tried to move out of the way but unfortunately got his. And with that Spike vanished.
Spike opened his eyes to see nothing but darkness. He tried to sit up but he seemed to be floating around in nothingness. He put his hand in front of his face and saw it clear as day.
“Spike!” A voice called out from behind him. He turned around to see Princess Celestia. Spikes eyes widened and he try to make his way towards her. He started to float in the opposite direction. He felt a pair of warm hooves wrap around him.
“What are you doing here?” Celestia asked.
“I was trying to stop Nightmare Moon and save you.” Spike said. He looked around. “I guess that didn’t work out.”
Celestia kissed his head softly. “You didn’t have to save me at all because it look like we’re about to get out.” Spike looked around to see the darkness flickering. Suddenly there was a blinding light and a numbness spreading over his body.
Spike opened his eyes to see he was in the same old room he just entered. He looked out the window to see that the sun was up. Spike turned his head to see Celsestia hugging a blue alicorn. “I’ve missed you so much my dear little sister.” Celestia said happily. Spike gasped in shock making few heads turn towards him.
Twilight ran up to Spike and hugged him tightly. “I thought I lost you again.” Twilight said. Before Spike could respond, Pinkie pie started to cry loudly.
She abruptly stop and smiled widely. “You know what this calls for? A party!”
Ponies stood outside cheering loudly at both Princesses return and the mane six defeating Nightmare Moon. Twilight hugged her new friends with a sad look on her face.
“Why so glum my faithful student? Are you not happy that you can return to Canterlot?” Celestia asked. Twilight let out a sigh.
“It’s just that I made these new friends and I don’t want to leave them so soon.” Twilight said sadly.
Celestia smiled. “Spike take a note please. I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall stay in Ponyville to continue her study in friendship. She must report her findings from her new home Ponyville.”
Twilight and her friends cheered in a excitement and hugged. Spike was hoping to go back to Canterlot after this. He let out a exasperated sigh.
Spike pushed a wheel barrel full of apples. Twilight and Applejack carried baskets of apples on there back.
“Thank you kindly for helping me out. I bet Big Macintosh that I could get all of these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunch time. If I win, he’s gonna walk down Stirrup Street wearing one of granny’s girdles.” Applejack said as she chuckled.
“It’s not trouble at all. I’m glad that the goal is by lunch time. All the work is make me hungry.” Twilight said as her stomach growled loudly. Spike rummaged around in the wheel barrel and pulled out a shiny apple.
“Here you go Twi.” He said as he handed her the apple. Twilight smiled.
“That looks delicious, thanks Spike.” She said as she bit into the apple. Spike smiled before letting out a burp. A letter appeared and he grabbed it before it could hit the ground. He opened it and started to read out loud.
”Hear ye, hear ye. Her grand royal highness, Princess Celestia of Canterlot, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala. This invitation invites Twilight Sparkle and one guest of her choice.” Spike read out as he pulled out two golden tickets.
“The Grand Galloping Gala!” Applejack and Twilight said in unison. They both started cheer happily.
“I go with Spike every year, it’s really fun.” Twilight said happily.
“Aw shucks it sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to go. Land sakes, if I had an apple stand set up, ponies would be chowin’ our tasty vittles til the cows come home. Do you have any idea how much business I could drum up for Sweet Apple Acres? Why, with all that money, we could do a heap of fixin up ‘round here. We could replace that saggy old roof, and Macintosh could replace that saggy old plow, and Granny can replace that saggy old hip.” Applejack said. She kicked her hoof in the dirt sadly. “I would give my left leg to go to that gala.”
“I wish I could bring you but I only have two tickets and I’m bringing Spike with me. I’m sorry that I can’t take you to the Gala.” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash fell from a nearby tree and onto the ground in front of them.
She quickly got up with a wide grin. “Did somebody say the Grand Galloping Gala!” Rainbow Dash said exitidly. Applejack let out an angry grunt.
“Rainbow dash, you told me to busy to help harvest apples. What were you doing, were you spying on us?” Applejack said angrily.
“No, I was busy napping.” Rainbow dash said as she pointed up at a tree. A pillow and blanket laid on a thin tree branch above them. Rainbow dash turned a around to Twilight.
“Did you say you had two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?!” Rainbow dash said loudly.
“Yeah but-“ Twilight started before Rainbow cut her off.
“YES! This is so awesome. The wonderbolts perform at the Grand Galloping Gala every year. I can see it now. Everyone would be watching the sky. Their eyes riveted on the Wonderbolts, but then in would fly Rainbow Dash!” She said while hovering excitedly in the air.
“I would love to take you, but I’m taking Spike with me.” Twilight said while gesturing towards Spike. Rainbow dash looked at him for a few seconds before getting an idea.
“Whoever gets to Fluttershy’s cottage and back first gets the ticket. One two three go!” Rainbow dash said as she zoomed off to the cottage. Spike rolled his eyes and put the wheel barrel in the barn.
“Let’s go before she comes back.” Spike said as he started to walked away. Twilight put her basket of apples in the barn and waved goodbye to Applejack.
Twilight and Spike walked through the noisy town. Twilights stomach growled. “Where should we go to eat?” She asked Spike. Before he could answer, he saw Pinkie pie running full speed towards Twilight, not paying attention to where she was going.
“TWILIGHT WATCH OUT!” Spike shouted as he pushed her out the way. Pinkie pie rammed into him, making them both fall on the ground. Twilight rushed over to them.
“Are you okay?!” She asked concernedly. Spike stood up and rubbed his head before giving her a thumbs up. The tickets landed on Pinkies face, causing her to let out a loud scream.
“AAAH BATS ON MY FACE!” Pinkie pie shouted as she jumped up. The tickets floated to the ground, causing her to stop screaming and gasp.
“Wait those aren’t bats, those are tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!” She said as she hopped around enthusiastically. “That’s the most amazing incredible tremendous super fun wonderful terrific party ever! I’ve always wanted to go!” She shouted as she happily hopped around.
Before Twilight could respond Rarity walked over a let out a gasp. “Are this tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala?!”
”Here we go again.” Spike thought in annoyance. Pinkie pie nodded her head.
“Mhm and Twilights taking me!” Pinkie said with a large grin. Rarity’s face scrunched up.
“Twilight are you sure that Pinkie pie is the best option, she can be rather.... excitable.” Rarity said. “If you take me I can meet him.” She said with a sigh.
“Him?” Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie asked in unison. Rarity hugged both of the tickets close to her chest as if it were a pony.
“Him. I would waltz in the Gala with all eyes on me, and every one will wonder ’who is that mysterious mare?’ The princess will be so taken aback by my style, she’ll introduce me to her nephew, him. Our eyes would meet and our hearts will melt. He will ask for my hoof in marriage and of course I would say YES!. We would have a royal wedding and I will be a princess.” Rarity said with a giggle. Spike took the tickets from her grasp.
“I hope that you’re not talking about Prince Blueblood, because he’s a huge narcissistic jerk. And I’m going to the Gala with Twilight.” Spike said as he started to walk away. Pinkie pie zipped in front of him.
“I’ll make you cupcakes for a whole month!” She said with a large grin. Spike turned around to walk away, only to bump into Rarity.
“Darling if you give the ticket to me I’ll give you half of my gems for the rest of the year!” She said desperately.
Twilight stood between them. “He made his desicion and you need to respect that.” She said sternly. Spike nodded his head in agreement. A small bunny ran up to him and snatched the tickets out of his hand before running away.
“Hey!” Spike shouted as he chased the bunny. The bunny ran up to a familiar yellow pegasus and showed her the tickets.
“Angel these are perfect!” Fluttershy said happily. Spike snatched the tickets out of Angels grasp and glared at him.
“These are mine.” Spike said as he made eye contact with Angel.
“You’re so lucky to go to the Gala, I’ve always wanted to go.” Fluttershy said. Spike let out a loud groan of annoyance because this is the fifth time someone had said that in a hour.
“I would love to see all of the little critters in the garden. The most beautiful flowers are there and even cuter birds. There are the sweetest little humming birds, the cutest buzzard, and the fluffiest blue jays.” Fluttershy swooned.
“Yes I mean uh no, maybe. The point is that you lost the race, so hand over the ticket.” She said while sticking out her hoof.
“Now just wait a dog on second.” Applejack said as she walked up.
“Were you following us too?” Twilight asked.
“No I was following her to make sure she didn’t try any funny buisness.” Applejack said, glaring at Rainbow.
“I’m just making sure he doesn’t lose my ticket.” She said smugly.
“But I thought he was giving the ticket to me!” Pinkie whined out.
“Clearly he’s giving the ticket to me.” Rarity said.
“If he doesn’t want to give the ticket to anyone then that’s fine.” Fluttershy said softly.
They all started to talk over each other loudly. Spike covered his ears because of the yelling.
“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted making everyone but Pinkie be quiet.
“And I said oatmeal are you crazy... oh.” Pinkie pies said in realization that everyone had stopped talking.
“Spike made his decision and you have to respect that.” Twilight said. Rarity, Rainbow dash, and Pinkie hung there head in shame. Applejack and Fluttershy nodded there heads in agreement.
“Come on Spike, lets get something to eat.” Twilight said as she walked off. Spike followed her closely.
“I kinda feel bad now.” Fluttershy said as rubbed her arm.
“Yeah.... I’ll just need to try harder for the ticket.” Pinkie pie said.
“Darling if anyone’s going to get that ticket, it’s going to be me.” Rarity said.
“Oh please it’s definitely going to be me.” Rainbow said.
“Now hold on there, didn’t Twi just say to stop buggin Spike bout the ticket.” Applejack said sternly.
“I’m not bothering him about it, I’m just letting him know what a great friend I am.” Rarity said as she started to walk away.
“Yeah and I’m just going to check on this thing I’m doing.” Rainbow said as she flew off.
“And I’m totally not going to make cupcakes for a trade.” Pinkie said as she backed away. Before Applejack could stop them they all ran off in different directions.
“Oh no.” Fluttershy said softly.
Twilight and Spike sat at an outside table at a restaurant. They had already ordered their food and they were just chatting.
“Ponies can sure get crazy over a ticket.” Spike said as he picked petals from a flower that was in a vase on the table.
“This is for the biggest event of the year, of course ponies would get crazy over it.” Twilight said. A loud crack of thunder boomed, making Spike scream and cover his ears. He looked up only to see that it was pouring rain. Both Twilight and Spike were completely dry. They both looked up to see an opening in a cloud above them.
“Hey there best friend, enjoying the nice weather?” Rainbow dash said innocently. Spike growled angerily.
“Bribing me won’t make me give you the ticket!” He shouted.
“What do you mean, I would never bribe my best friend.” Rainbow said as she batted her eyes. Spike glared at her until she let out a defeated sigh.
“Okay fine.” She said angerily before closing the cloud. Spike immediately regretted his decision when cold rain poured over him. He looked over to Twilight who was shivering. Rarity walked down the path with an umbrella over her.
“Twilight darling it’s raining.” She said as if it hadn’t been obvious.
“No, really?” Twilight said sarcastically making Spike snicker.
“Come with me before you two catch a cold.” Rarity said.
Spike looked st her suspiciously. “We’ll make it to the library, it’s closer. And I wouldn’t want to trouble you now would I.” Spike said bitterly. Another boom of thunder echoed through the sky. Spike let out a loud scream and started to tear up. Twilight levitated him on her back and ran after Rarity.
They all enterted the boutique, Twilight and Spike dripping wet. Rarity handed them both a towel so they can dry off.
“Once you two dry off I have some marvelous outfits I want you to try on.” Rarity said as she made her way to her workstation.
“Oh goody.” Spike said sarcastically as he folded up both of the towels and placed them on a nearby table.
Twilight chuckled. “Oh come on, it can be that bad.” She said as they entered the workstation. Rarity ran over to Twilight with a dress and slipped it on her.
“Oh darling you look simply beautiful.” Rarity complimented. Twilight looked in the mirror to see a sparkly blue dress with star patterns on them. She smiled at her appearance.
Rarity enetered the room with a sea foam green dress on. She had on teal heels a made her way to Twilight.
“Just imagine, both of us at the Gala, being the most gorgeous ones there.” Rarity said, putting the image in her mind. Twilight took a step away from her.
“You can’t try to make me take the ticket away from Spike, this is his desicion.” Twilight said angrily. Rarity turned around a looked at Spike with puppy dog eyes.
“No.” Spike said blandly. He looked out the window to see that it had stopped raining. “Oh look the rain stopped, let’s go Twi.” Spike said as he made his way to the front door. Twilight quickly took off the dress and followed him. They both walked down the wet streets of Ponyville.
“I can believe that she tried to make you take the ticket from me! Element of Generosity my butt.” Spike said bitterly.
“That was really shallow.” Twilight said in agreement. They both approached the library, only to see that the doors were wide open. Spike stood in front of Twilight protectively. He made a ‘shh’ motion and slowly walked inside.
They both stopped walking when the saw piles of cupcakes littering the floor. Applejack and Fluttershy stood there. “We tried to stop her, but when we came it was to late.” Fluttershy said in disbelief.
Pinkie cartwheeled over to Spike and held out a cupcake for him. “Here’s a gemstone cupcake for my most super duper best friend ever.” She said with a large grin. Rainbow dash and Rarity rushed in the library.
“Hey Spike, if you can’t get to Cloudsdale before me, I get the ticket.” Rainbow dash said. Rarity nudged her out of the way.
“Darling have some class and have a tea party with me.” Rarity said.
Spike slapped the cupcake out of Pinkies hoof angrily. He stormed upstairs without saying a word. “Spike wait!” Twilight shouted. She turned around at the three now guilty mares.
“Go upstairs and apologize to him right now.” She said sternly. Rainbow dash, Pinkie, and Rarity made there way upstairs. Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy followed close behind.
They all entered the room to see Spike sitting at a desk. Rarity cleared her throat to get his attention. “We didn’t mean to put so much pressure on you, we were being selfish.”
“I don’t like making my friends feel bad, it makes me feel all icky inside.” Pinkie said.
“Look we’re just trying to say-“ Rainbow started before Spike cut her off.
“I know that you're trying to apologize but it doesn’t matter, I sent my ticket back to Tia.” Everyone gasped in shock.
“But why, I thought you really wanted to go!” Pinkie pie shouted.
“Eh, I think that the Gala is really boring anyways. I only go cause of Twilight.” Spike replied.
“Spike I had no idea that you didn’t like the Gala.” Twilight said. Spike shrugged his shoulders before letting out a burp.
A letter appeared. He opened it and read it out loud. ”Dear Spike, why didn’t you say anything in the first place. I would be more then happy to let your friends got to the Gala.” He read out as he pulled out six tickets.
Twilight and Spike sat on a park bench as Pinkie pie rambled loudly.
“She was like a stunt superstar, flying higher and higher, and then Rainbow Dash swooped down and right before she hit the ground—shoom-she pulled up— vrrrrm!” Pinkie pie said as she zoomed around while making sound effects.
“Uh huh.” Twilight said, obviously not paying attention.
“And then she looped around and around like whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo!” She said as she spun in circles to demonstrate.
“Uh huh.” Twilight said as she flipped to the next page of her book. Spike looked up as he saw Rainbow Dash fly over head.
“Isn’t that Rainbow right there?” He asked as he pointed up to the sky. Pinkie pie gasped and ran after her while shouting her name loudly.
Twilight and Spike finally sat in silence. “Thanks Spike.” Twilight said as she enjoyed the silence.
“No problem.” He said as he smiled. They both turned their heads when they heard Rainbow dash scream. She flew off quickly as Pinkie pie hopped behind her excitedly. Twilight chuckled at the sight before she continued reading.
Spike swung his legs off of the side of the bench and closed his eyes, listening to the birds sing. It was so peaceful.
“AHA!” Twilight shouted, making Spike jump. “I think I just found the formula to Mage Meadowbrooks healing potion!” She said excitedly.
“That’s great Twi.” Spike said happily. Twilight stood up from the bench. “I need to study this further, let’s go back to the library.” Spike nodded his head and they both walked down the dirt path.
They both soon entered the busy town. Ponies were walking and playing around peacefully. Spike didn’t want to admit it, but this was a really nice change from Canterlot. It was nice to see ponies that weren’t stuck with their heads so far up that they could almost reach there as-
Spikes thoughts got cut off when he heard Rainbow Dash screaming and Pinkie pie still chasing her. When they finally reach the library, they felt the cool air wash over them. It was so much better than being in the hot sun.
Twilight walked over to her bookshelf and grabbed a book called ‘Potions and Spells’. “Spike, can you grab my beakers and test tubes?” She asked. He nodded his head and made his way to the basement. The basement was way colder than the rest of the house. He shiver ran down his spine. He quickly grabbed the beakers and test tubes and ran back upstairs.
Spike walked in the room to see that Twilight had gotten everything ready for the experiment. “Here ya go Twi.” Spike said as he handed her the beakers and test tubes.
“Thanks Spike.” She said as she walked over to grab a scroll and quill. She noticed that they were almost out of scrolls. “Hey Spike, do you mind going to pick up some scrolls?”
Spike froze. ”l guess it’ll be alright, Twilights going to be safe inside.” Spike thought to himself. “Sure thing Twi.” He said as he made his way out the door. He walked through the town, on his way to town hall.
The mayor said that she would glad to let Twilight use as many scrolls as she needed from town hall for her research. He entered town hall and walked down a long hallway to a back room were the scrolls were held.
As Spike grabbed some scrolls, he couldn’t help to feel like he was being watched. He looked around only to see nobody was there. Spike walked out of the room and made his way outside.
BOOM
Spike screamed and dropped the scrolls to covers his ears as the thunder cracked through the sky. He heard loud laughter coming from in front of him. He opened his eyes to see Rainbiw dash and Pinkie Pie laughing. His heart was pounding and hands started to shake slightly.
“Oh no, you’re not hurt are you?” Pinkie asked concernedly. Spike looked down as his hands and closed his eyes. He slowly counted to ten in his head. When he finished he look back up at Pinkie.
“I’m fine, but please don’t do that again.” Spike said. He noticed that the scrolls had scattered across the ground. He let out a groan and started to pick up the scrolls.
Once he finished he looked up to see that Rainbow and Pinkie were long gone. He sighed and made his way back to the library. Spike made sure not to walk into anything because the scrolls were blocking his vision. He soon approached the library and opened the door.
“Twilight I’m back!” He shouted as he put the scrolls neatly on a shelf. Spike walked in the room to Twilight, only to see she was wearing lab goggles.
“Thanks Spike, you’re the best.” She said as gave him a small kiss on the head. Everything on the table had been set up in perfect order, not the jumbled mess that had been on the table before.
Spike sat and watched Twilight pour a red liquid into the test tube. The liquid started to boil and Twilight turned around and scribbled something down on a paper. She put a purple flower in the liquid and turned back to the notes.
Twilight looked in shock as she saw the notes she had taken were gone. She looked back at the experiment that was now boiling heavily. She looked at the back notes before she heard a loud boom from behind her. The experiment had exploded. Smoke, glass, and suds covered the house.
Spike quickly got up an ran over to Twilight. “Are you okay?” He grabbed her face and checked for cuts or bruises. When he didn’t find any he let out a sigh of relief. They both heard loud laughter from outside.
They both looked out of the window to see Rainbow dash and Pinkie pie laughing loudly. Twilight rolled her eyes and Spike let out a growl.
“Let it go, they were just having fun.” Twilight said as she walked away from the window.
“What If you got hurt? That wouldn’t be so fun now would it.” Spike said angerily. Twilight sighed and handed him a mop.
“Spike I don’t have time to have this conversation with you. Let’s start cleaning before it gets late because this is going to take a while.” Twilight said as she swept up the remains of broken glass.
Spike sighed and started to mop.
Spike woke up to feel warm hooves wrapped around him. He opened his eyes to see that he was pressed against Twilights body. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to it. Everytime he had a nightmare he would climb in Twilights bed, which was basically every night.
He looked out the window to see that it was about 9’clock. All that cleaning had really tuckered them out. Spike softly tapped on Twilights face in an attempt to wake her up.
“Hey Twi, wake up.” He whispered as he flicked her nose. She turned over to her other side to avoid waking up.
“I don wanna...” Twilight mumbled out sleepily. Spike rolled his eyes.
“Twilight it’s almost nine.” He said bluntly. Twilights eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up straight up.
“NINE?!” Twilight shouted. She hopped out of her bed and ran downstairs. Spike rolled out of bed and went to go follow her. When he got down stairs he saw Twilight pulling out a Bunsen burner.
“Why are you in such a rush?” Spike asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
“I need to solve Mage Meadowbrooks potion so I can send a letter to the Princess right away!” Twilight said as she pulled out a test tube holder. She rummaged through her the cabinet and pulled out a few test tubes and a single beaker.
“Didn’t I have another beaker?” Twilight asked.
“One of the beakers exploded yesterday.” Spike said.
“I’ll get another one later.” Twilight said as she rummaged through the cabinet. “Shoot, that was my last fresh lavender. I really needed it.” Twilight said dissapointedly.
An idea popped in Spikes head.”She’ll be in the house by herself, I guess I can get lavender.” Spike thought to himself. “I’ll get you some.” He said happily.
“Are you sure, I know you don’t like being alone.” Twilight said.
Spike scoffed. “I’ll be fine Twilight, this helps know the town by myself.” She looked at him skeptically before giving in.
“Fine just stay safe okay. Twilight said. Spike nodded his head and made his way outside. He felt the warm sun wash over his body.
Spike walked into the town. Ponies were selling products and just having a good time. Spike looked around to see Fluttershy walking backwards, leading a group of ducks somewhere. She wasn’t watching where she was going and accidentally walked into a griffon named Gilda. Pinkie had came over and complained about her yesterday while he and Twilight were cleaning.
“Oh I’m so sorry.” Fluttershy said in an apologetic tone. Gilda scowled down at her.
“Hey, you better watch were you’re going loser.” She spat out bitterly.
“I’m sorry I was just-“ Gilda cut her off.
“Shut up you dingus!” She shouted. Fluttershy cowered in fear and Gilda towered over her. Spike had seen enough.
“Hey back off!” Spike said as he stood in front of Fluttershy proctectively.
“What are you gonna do pipsqueak, you’re just a baby.” She spat out. Spike stared at her with a cold glare.
“Do you have nothing better to do with your life but scare innocent ponies, because that’s just shallow and sad.” He said.
Gilda looked taken aback at the comment. “I um... you! Ugh.” Gilda said as she failed to think of a comeback. She glared at Soike before flying away.
Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Spike. “Thank you so much.” She said happily as she hugged him tightly. Spike patted her on the head softly.
“No problem Fluttershy.” He said as he started to walk away.
”Now to get some lavender.” He thought to himself as he made his way to a big field
Gilda sat on a cloud angrily, her face red and steam coming out of her ears. ”I can’t believe that brat told me off like that.” She thought as her tail twitched like a cat.
“Hey Gilda, what’s up?” Rainbow dash asked as she sat next to her. Gilda pouted before an idea popped in her head.
“I have a great for a idea prank.” She said slyly. Rainbow dash’s eyes lit up.
“Whose it gonna be on?” She asked excitedly. Gilda smirked.
“Have you ever seen that baby dragon?” Gilda asked. Rainbow dash’s face dropped.
“We can’t prank Spike, he panics easily.” Rainbow dash said.
”Even better.” Gilda thought with a smirk. She wrapped her wing around Rainbow.
“Oh come on, it’s just a harmless little prank, it won’t even harm anyone.” Gilda said.
Rainbow dash was in deep thought for a second before breaking out into a grin. “So what’s the plan.” She asked.
Gilda smiled evilly. “Have you ever heard of a Roc?”
Spike was kneeling over a bed of flowers. He carefully picked up lavender from the ground. It was so peaceful and quiet with no ponies in sight. The birds chirped happily before going silent. He looked around in confusion at the sudden silence.
Thats when he heard it. A loud caw echoed through the sky. Spike’s heart started to pound loudly. He looked up in panic to see a large silhouette in the shape of a bird. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears.
Spike started to hyperventilate and tears welled up in his eyes. The bird was getting closer and closer. Spike dropped to the ground and covered his head.
The bird landed in front of him to reveal Rainbow dash and Gilda strapped to a giant wooden bird as if it were a sleigh. They both laughed loudly.
“Hahaha you should’ve seen the look on your face!” Rainbow dash said between giggles. Spike still stayed on the ground, shaking violently.
“Spike are you okay?” Rainbow dash asked concernly. She put her hoof on his back only for Spike to scream loudly.
“NO!” Spike shouted fearfully. He continued to sob into his hands as Gilda continued to laugh.
“Wow and I thought dragons were supposed to be tough!” Gilda said as she laughed.
“Gilda this isn’t funny, I thinks he’s hurt!” Rainbow dash said.
“Well that isn’t my problem.” Gilda said as she stretched her wings.
“I’m going to go get Twilight, stay with him until I get back.” Rainbow said as she dashed off. Gilda scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“What a loser, you know that right?” Gilda said as she circled Spike. Spike was still hyperventilating.
“That’ll teach you to mess with me.” Gilda said as she glared down at him.
“SPIKE!” Twilight shouted as she ran past Gilda. She touched his back causing him to scream again.
“Come on Spike, it’s me.” Twilight said softly. Spike slowly looked up at shed before running into her arms and sobbing loudly.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Twilight said as she said as she stroked his head. As Spike calmed down, he let out a sniffle.
”I wanna go home.” Spike muttered out.
“Okay let’s go home.” Twilight said as she placed Spike on her back. He cuddled into her back as they made their way back home.
They both entered the peaceful library. Twilight put Spike on her bed and handed him Starry. He cuddled into to her tightly.
“I'll be back.” Twilight said as she walked downstairs. Spike looked down at his hands to see that they were still shaking.
“One, two, three, four, five...” Spike started to count before crying into his hands again. “Just calm down everything is fine.” He mumbled in an attempt to calm himself down.
Twilight walked back up the stairs with a cup of tea. She handed it to Spike and laid next to him on the bed.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked. Spike looked at his to see that his hands were shaking again. He choked out another sob. Twilight placed the tea on her nightstand and hugged him tightly.
“Oh Spike.” She said. Twilight felt so warm and safe. Spike closed his eyes. There moment was interrupted when they heard the doorbell ring.
Twilight got up to answer the door leaving Spike alone. He had calmed down a lot. Rainbow dash and Pinkie pie walked up the stairs with Twilight behind them.
“I heard about what happened so I brought brownies!” Pinkie pie said sympathetically. She handed him a container of brownies.
Rainbow dash rubbed the back of her head. “I’m sorry that Gilda was such a jerk, I would have never invited her if I knew.” She said.
“Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t you’re fault anyway.” Spike said as took a bite of a brownie.
“Come on Twilight, you can do it!” Spike cheered on as Twilight struggled to do a spell.
“Okay, here it goes.” Twilight said as her horn started to glow. Spike felt a tingling sensation on his upper lip. A long, black mustache grew on his face.
“You did it! Spell number twenty five.” Spike said as he checked that off of the checklist. Twilight grinned happily. Her horn started to glow again, making the mustache disappear. She stood up and stretched her legs.
“Let’s go outside, we both need some fresh air.” Twilight said as she walked towards the door. Spike followed closely.
“How can you just be so blunt about this, you learned twenty five new spells in half a day.” Spike said as they walked through town.
“Is it really natural for a unicorn to learn so many spells so quickly? I know unicorns that struggle to do one simple spell in a week!” Twilight said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s natural or not, as long as it make you happy and doesn’t hurt anyone you’re fine. Besides you’re the most talented unicorn I know.” Spike complimented. Twilight blushed.
“Aw Spike, that’s not true.” Twilight said bashfully. Spike nodded his head.
“But it is! Most of the unicorns I know can’t even get past the levitation spell!” He said. Twilight smiled happily. They both turned their heads when they saw a large group of ponies walking over to a large stage. In the middle of the stage, there was a blue pony with a purple hat and cape with stars on them.
“Come and be amazed by the great and powerful Trixie!” She shouted loudly, attracting more ponies over. Twilight and Spike walked over in curiosity.
“Watch in awe as the magnificent Trixie preforms the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by ponies eyes!” Trixie shouted as fireworks exploded from her cart in display. Spike flinched at the noise.
“My my my, what boasting.” Rarity said in a snooty voice.
“Oh please, nobodies as magical as Twilight.” Spike said. Twilight glared at him.
“Spike hush, I don’t want any pony thinking I’m better than them.” Twilight said barely above a whisper.
“It looks like we have a nieghsayer in the crowd. Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magic ability of the great and powerful Trixie? Do you not know they are in presence of the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria?” Trixie said.
“We don’t need her when I’m here being better then the rest of us.” Rainbow Dash said cockily. All of her friends glared at her. “Uh I mean, magic shmagic, boo!” She corrected herself.
“Just who does she think she is?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah we all know that Twilight is the most powerful unicorn in Equestr-mpphh!” Spike was cut off in the middle of his sentence when Twilight covered his mouth.
“Quiet Spike, I don’t want you to bring attentions to ourselves.” Twilight whispered to him. Spike looked around to notice a few ponies staring at them. He glared at them, making them quickly turn around.
“If you don’t believe me, you’ll believe when I tell you how I vanquished a dreaded Ursa Major!” Trixie said dramatically. The crowd gasped, making Spike roll his eyes.
“When all hope is lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but the great and powerful Trixie stepped in, with her awesome magic, vanquished the Ursa Major and sent it back to the deep cave within the Everfree forest!” Trixie said, setting off more fireworks. Some ponies gasped in amazement while others rolled their eyes and scoffed.
“What a show off, she actin’ like she better then us with her fancy magic.” Applejack said. Twilights ears flattened at that comment.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Spike grumbled out. “Besides, Twilight is way more powerful than you’ll ever be.” He said cockily. Twilight snapped her head in his direction and shook her head.
“Spike no.” Twilight said through her teeth. Spike noticed the look of uncomfortableness on Twilights face.
“Oh would you look at that, the Princess is calling, we have to go.” Spike said as he started to back away. Twilight nodded her head and followed him. They soon made there way out of the crowd and enetered the silent streets of Ponyville. Everybody in town was a Trixie’s show.
“I’m sorry if I was forcing you to do something you didn’t want to do, but you need to show that ‘show pony’ whose boss.” Spike said confidently. Twilight shook her head.
“You saw how everypony looked at her, what if they think I’m a show off too?” Twilight said anxiously.
“But isn’t standing up for your friends with magic different than showing off with magic?” Spike asked.
“But it’s exactly the same Spike, I’ll be just as bad as her! All of our friends will hate me!” Twilight, tearing up slightly.
“Woah calm down, no ones forcing you to do this. If they were your real friends they wouldn’t care.” He said as he wiped her tears away. “Besides, no one would believe her unless a giant Ursa Major came walking down the street for her to vaniquished.” He said as they walked through town.
Snips and Snails walked behind them. “Hey Snails, you thinking what I’m thinking?” Snips asked.
“What is it called a flea market if they don’t sell fleas?” Snails said with his tongue sticking out.
“Yea- what no! Just follow me.” Snips said as he walked away and Snails followed.
Spike leaned on Twilights side as she peacefully read a book. Spike let his eyes close as he listened to Twilights soothing breathing. He almost fell asleep, but was interrupted when a loud bang came from outside. His eyes snapped open and he sat up. Spike looked over to Twilight to see she had put down her book and looked around confusedly.
Loud screams came from outside as the stomping got louder. A loud roar echoed through the town. Spike and Twilight looked out the window to see an Ursa Major making it’s way towards the library. Spikes eyes widened and he pulled on Twilights forleg.
“We need to hurry up and leave before the Ursa Major gets here!” Spike shouted as he pulled Twilight out the front door.
“Great and Powerful Trixie, you’ve got to vanquish the Ursa Major, it took a lot of work for us to bring it here.” Snips said as Snails nodded his head in agreement.
“Wait you brought that here?!” Trixie shouted in disbelief. Snips and Snails nodded there heads.
“Remember, you’re the Great and Powerful Trixie, you can do this!” Snips cheered her on.
Trixie swallowed nervously. “Yeah, piece of cake.” She said as her horn started to glow. A roped snaked out and wrapped around the Ursa Majors jaw. “See like I said, piece of cake.” She said cockily. The Ursa Major opened its mouth, letting the rope rip open with a big snap.
“Stop playing around a vanquish the Ursa Major!” Snails said. The Ursa Major stomped closer. Trixie’s legs started to shake.
“I MADE IT UP, I’VE NEVER DEFEATED AN URSA MAJOR.” Trixie shouted fearfully.
“WHAT?!” Snips and Snails shouted in unison.
“Twilight lets go!” Spike shouted as he tried to get to the train station, but Twilght just stood there. The Ursa Major lifted up its paw to strike at Trixie. Twilights horn started to glow and a small breeze wiped across the down.
A song like a lullaby spread through the town, making the Ursa Major lower its paw and rock back and forth sleepily. Her horn started to glow brightly and a nearby water tower got lifted up. The water got poured and it made its way over to a barn.
Loud mooing and shocked gasp inside the barn. The water tower was now filled with warm milk, making its way to the Ursa Major. The Ursa Major started to tip over as it fell asleep, almost crushing Trixie. With a struggle, Twilight managed to lift up the Ursa Major. Ponies stared in shock and awe at the sight.
She gave the Ursa Major the water tower, which was now being used as a bottle. It drank from the bottle as Twilight slowly put the Ursa Major back into its cave. Her horn started to dim as she caught her breath.
Everybody cheered at the amazing show. Spike rushed over to Twilight. “Are you okay, that didn’t hurt you did it?” Spike asked concernedly. Twilight giggled.
“I’m fine, that was just tiring.” She said. Spike let out a sigh of relief.
“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Heavens to Betsy! We knew you had an ability, but not that much!” Applejack said in astonishment. Twilight gave a scared look.
“Please don’t hate me.” Twilight begged.
“Darling why would we ever hate you?” Rarity asked.
“I know how much you hated Trixie showing off, so I thought-“ Twilight was cut off by Rainbow Dash.
“Whoa whoa whoa, magics got nothing to do with it. Trixie’s just a loud mouth.” Rainbow said. Rarity and Applejack nodded their heads. Twilight gave a look of relief.
“So you don’t mind my magic tricks?” She asked with a smile.
“Of course we don’t mind sugar cube, your magic is apart of you and it makes you who you are.” Applejack responded.
“And after whooping that Ursa Majors hindquarters, we're even prouder.” Rainbow Dash said proudly. Trixie cleared her throat.
“So how did you vanish that Ursa Major anyway?” She asked.
“When I left your show, I did a little reading on Ursa Majors. And that wasn’t an Ursa Major, that was an Ursa Minor.” Twilight said. Trixie’s eyes widened.
“That was a baby?!” She said in shock. Twilight nodded her head.
“And it was just cranky because someone woke it up.” Twilight said while looking at Snips and Snails. They both cowered back.
“Trixie will be back to show you off!” Trixie shouted as she let off one her smoke bombs. Once the smoke cleared up, she was running far out of Ponyville.
“Why that little...” Spike said as he was about to chase after Trixie.
“Let her go, someday she’ll learn her lesson. Now about you two.” Twilight said as she faced Snips and Snails.
“We just wanted to see some awesome magic.” Snails said. Snips nodded in agreement.
“Yeah and whats more awesome than putting the entire town in danger for a magic show.” Spike said sarcastically.
“You both need to clean up the entire town.” Twilight said. Snips and Snails eyes widened. The whole town was covered with broken wood and parts of houses.
“The whole town!? But it’s a mess!” Snips shouted.
“Well you should've thought about that before you let a Ursa Major into town.” Spike said. Snips and Snail grumbled and got to work.
Spike hugged Twilight tightly. “You’re my favorite unicorn.”
Twilight and Spike sat inside the library at a desk. The window was open, letting the fresh air in and to listen birds sing. Twilight had her face buried in a book and Spike leaned on her side. Spike closed his eyes and let in a deep breath of fresh air. His eyes shot open as he the scent of smoke hit his nostrils. He out the window to see a trail of smoke covering the sky.
“Hey Twi, is that smoke?” He asked. Twilight looked up. She tilted her head in confusion.
“Is it a fire?” Twilight asked. Just then, Spike let out a burp and a letter fell on the floor. He picked it up and started to read.
”My faithful student, I have been notified that their is smoke covering Ponyville and Canterlot. Do not be alarmed, for it is not a fire. It is a sleeping dragon. You and your friends must go to the top of the mountain to wake the dragon up before he covers all of Equestria in smoke. I am counting on you. Yours truly, Princess Celestia.” Spike read out loud. Twilight got up from the desk and stretched her legs.
“Let go get our friends so we can stop this.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head and they both made their way outside. Ponies stood outside, staring at the sky in fear. Some let out gasp of shock at the smoke. Twilight stood on a nearby crate and started to speak loudly, making everyone turn around.
“Listen up! Smoke is spreading all over Equestria. I just received a letter from the Princess informing me that the smoke is not from a fire.” She said. Ponies sighed in relief.
“It’s coming from a dragon!” She claimed. Ponies gasped in shock. They all started to murmur to each other. Twilight hopped off of the rock and Applejack walked up to her.
“What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full grown dragon doing here in Equestria?” She asked.
“Napping.” Twilight said in a matter of fact tone. “According to the Princess Celestia he’s taking a nap, which is causing all of the smoke.”
“He should really see a doctor about that. That doesn’t sound healthy at all.” Pinkie pie said while hopping over. All of their friends had approached them.
“Well at least he’s not snoring fire, but what are we supposed to do about it?” Rarity asked.
“I’ll tell you what we’ll do about it: Give him the boot!” Rainbow dash said as she did a karate kick into the air. Twilight gave her a stern look.
“We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else or all of Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years.” Twilight said. Fluttershy let out a gasp.
“Hmph talk about beauty sleep.” Rarity said.
“Alright everypony, I need you to gather your supplies quickly. We’ve got a journey ahead of us. Let’s meet in front of the library in less than thirty minutes.” Twilght said. Rainbow dash, Applejack, Pinkie pie, and Rarity all nodded there heads before running off in different directions. Fluttershy cowered lowly and slowly walked off.
Spike and Twilight walked into the library and grabbed their bags. Spike started to put water bottles into his blue backpack. He went up stairs and grabbed the first aid kit. He looked over to Twilight who was packing a map in her saddle bag, not paying attention to him at all. He reached under his mattress to pull out a pocket knife that he had stole from Shining Armors room a few years back.He quickly shoved it in his bag, hoping Twilight wouldn’t see. She had no idea that he had it.
The doorbell rang. “That must be them!” Twilight said. Spike ran down the stairs and saw all of Twilights friends standing outside. He walked outside as Twilight pulled out the map.
“Alright girls, listen up. I’m mapping out the fastest route, but we’ve got to get good pace if we expect to make it up the mountain by nightfall.” Twilight said.
“M-m-mountain?” Fluttershy stuttered out while shaking.
“The dragon is on the top of that mountain.” Twilight said as she pointed at a mountain in the distance. Spike squinted at the mountain.
“How have I never noticed that.” He muttered to himself. Fluttershy walked over to Twilight.
“Um excuse me, Twilight I know you’re busy but...” Fluttershy started off.
“Uh huh. Well we could go this way.” Twilight said, her face buried in the map.
“But if I could have a second...”
“Uh huh. No we should avoid that.” Twilight said, still not paying attention.
“So, um, I was thinking that maybe I should stay here in Ponyville.” Fluttershy said as she cowered down.
“Uh huh.”
Fluttershy’s was perked up and she stood up straight. “Oh good, I’ll stay here and-“
“Wait you have to come! Your way with wild animals can come in handy.” Twilight said cheerfully. Fluttershy wimpered and backed away. Rainbow dash flew over to Twilight.
“Are you sure that we should bring Fluttershy? I mean that pony’s afraid of her own shadow. She’ll just slow us down.” Rainbow dash said while gesturing to Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked down to see her shadow and jumped in the bushes in fear.
“Oh I’m sure she’ll be fine once we get going. Okay girls, let’s move out!” Twilight said as she headed towards the mountain. Fluttershy let out a tired sigh and followed.
They all aproached the bottom of the mountain, ready to start their journey. A loud snore echoed from the top of the mountain, making the ground shake.
“Whoa, what was that!? Rainbow dash asked in shock.
“That’s what it sounds like when a dragon snores.” Twilight said. Fluttershy stared up at the mountain.
“It’s so high...” She whispered. Rainbow dash rolled her eyes.
“Well it is a mountain.” Rainbow dash said as she started to fly upwards. Fluttershy gulped as everyone started to climb.
“I hear the only thing that sparkles more than a dragons scales are the jewels they used to build there nest. Ooo, if I play my cards right, I might convince him to part a few!” Rarity said happily.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Wow that’s so genrous of you.” He mumbled under his breath.
“Rarity this is serious. Fluttershy, you’re the animal expert what do you think the dragon will be like? Fluttershy?” Twilight turned around to see Fluttershy at the bottom of the mountain, hiding in a bush.
“Hey what are you waiting for, an invitation!?” Rainbow dash shouted.
“Ooo I think I have one of those!” Pinkie pie said as she pulled out a invitation. She opened it, making confetti and party streamers pop out.
“Well yeah, it is a cliff. You could just, I don’t know, fly up here!” She said impatiently.
“Come on Fluttershy, flap those wings!” Pinkie pie cheered. Fluttershy swallowed and opened her wings slowly. The dragon let out another loud snore making Fluttershy squeak and her wings snapped close. She hid her head in her hooves.
“We don’t have time for this!” Twilight said in an annoyed tone. Applejack grabbed the map from Twilights bag and made her way to Fluttershy.
“I’ll need this if I’m gonna take her around the mountain another way.” She said as she hopped down the hill. Rainbow dash groaned.
“Around the mountain? That gonna take them forever.” Rainbow dash complained.
“Don’t worry Twi, We’ll be up there lickety spilt.” Applejack said. Twilight sighed.
“Let’s go.” Twilight said as she walked up the steep mountain.
“Woo-hoo, I win again!” Pinkie pie said as she drew an O into the dirt. She and Rarity had been playing tic tac toe.
“Ugh thats thirty five games in a row. Best of seventy one?” She asked.
Applejack came up the mountain, completely out of breath while dragging Fluttershy by the tail.
“I told you they were going to take forever.” Rainbow dash whispered to Twilight. The group continued to climb the mountain until they aproached a small cliff. The opening was so small that you could just hop over it. Rainbow dash ran over to the ledge and jumped over it. Everybody else followed, landing safely at the other side.
Fluttershy looked over the ledge and quickly jumped back. “It’s so wide...” She whispered as she clung to the side of the mountain.
“Come on Fluttershy, we should be much farther along by now.” Twilight said tiredly. The dragon snored again making her squeak in fear. Spike rolled his eyes.
“We don’t have time for this.” He said grumpily as he jumped over to Fluttershy. He picked her up, making her gasp in surprise. She was surprisingly light. He jumped over the ledge and landed safely on the other side.
“There, now we’re across.” He said as he put Fluttershy down. Everybody stared at him with a shocked expression. Twilight shook her head and continued walking.
“Let’s go, I don’t want to get up there by tomorrow.” She said as her friends followed her. They soon aproached a narrow path.
“Let’s keep it down. According to the map, we’re entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep can cause a huge rock slide.” Twilight whispered. They all walked down the path in silence. Rainbow dash flew under a tree, making a few leaves fall off. A single leaf slowly landed on Fluttershys flank. Her eyes widened in fear.
”AVALAN-“ She started to scream, but was cut off by Spike covering her mouth. Everybody froze, listening for any signs of movement. They all let out sighs of relief. Suddenly, the ground started to shake and rocks started to fall.
“AVALANCHE!” Everybody shouted as they ran for cover. Large boulders hit the ground and every one ran in different directions while screaming. Rainbow dash stayed high in the air, successfully dodging every rock. Spike looked over to Twilight, who didn’t see a giant rock heading towards her.
“TWILIGHT WATCH OUT!” Spike shouted as he tackled her out of the way. The rock hit the ground with a big bang. Everyone started to cough at the dust that had piled up. The rocks had blocked their path.
“Is everyone okay?” Twilight asked. Everyone nodded there heads. Rarity let out a long whine as she noticed that she was covered in dust.
“This will take forever to get off of my perfect coat.” She whined out.
“Sorry.” Fluttershy whispered out. Twilight let out a sigh.
“I guess we’ll have to climb over it.” Twilight said. Everyone groaned and started to climb. This was going to take forever.
They finally made it to the top of the mountain, panting and sweating from all of the hard work. Spike reached in his bag and handed everyone a water bottle.
“Thanks Spike. Rainbow dash, I need your wings to clear the smoke.” Twilight said. Rainbow dash nodded.
“Rarity and Pinkie pie, you’ll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get hairy from there.” She said. Rarity nodded and Pinkie pie shook a rubber chicken in her mouth.
“Applejack, you’re ready with the apples in case he decides to attack. But it shouldn’t come to that because Fluttershy will do what she needs to wake him up. Is everypony ready?” Twilight asked. Everyone nodded there heads except for Fluttershy.
“I can’t do it...” Fluttershy whispered. Everyone’s attention snapped to her.
“Why is it now?Rainbow dash said with a groan. Fluttershy gulped.
”I’m afraid of dragons.” She whispered.
“What?”
”I’m afraid of dragons.” She said slightly louder.
“I still didn’t get that.” Twilight said.
“I’M AFRAID OF DRAGONS!” Fluttershy shouted. The dragon snored making her hide behind a rock. Everyone groaned.
“Spike is a dragon and you’re not scared of him.” Pinkie pie said.
“But that’s because he’s a cute baby dragon, and he still scares me a little.” Fluttershy said softly. Spike smirked slightly.
“If you’re so afraid of dragons, why didn’t you say something before we got all the way up here?” Twilight asked.
“I was afraid to.” She whispered. Rainbow dash rolled her eyes.
“Ugh fine we’ll go on without you.” Rainbow said as she flew towards the cave. Twilight grabbed Rainbows tail with her magic, making her jerk back.
“I’ll go first and try to compromise with him.” Twilight said as she walked in the cave. Spike gave a nervous look before quickly following her.
Twilight walked over to a large,red, snoring dragon. “Um, excuse me Mr dragon.” Twilight said softly. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a loud yawn, cause Twilight to nearly gag at the horrid smell.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and my friends and I are residents here in Equestria. Ponyville, to be exact. We've come here to ask that you find another spot to take your nap. It's just that you seem to be doing an awful lot of snoring, and every time you do you send out a terrible cloud of smoke. Equestria simply can't survive a hundred years in a dark haze. You understand, don't you?” She asked sweetly. The dragon rolled his eyes and let out a puff of smoke in Twilights face.
Twilight and Spike started to cough and exited the cave. “Well that was a bust.” Twilight said dissapointedly.
“Well yeah, you tried to handle it like a pony would handle it.” Spike said.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked.
“Twilight was being too nice about it. If you want a dragon to listen to you, you have to show them that you’re tougher.” Spike said.
“Tougher, got it!” Rainbow dash said as she zoomed into the cave.
“Rainbow dash wait, you didn’t let me finish!” Spike shouted. She didn’t listen and continued to rush towards the
“Hey lizard brain, get out!” Rainbow dash said as she kicked him in the nose. The dragon got up and let out a loud roar, making Rainbow fly backwards. She crashed into her friends, knocking them all over.
The dragon slowly came out out of the cave, towering over them by forty feet. They all stayed close to each other, shaking in fear. Spike stayed in front of Twilight, protecting her from whatever would happen next.
Fluttershy looked at them from behind a rock. Her eyes started to glow with anger. “How dare you... How dare you! Listen here, mister. Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully! You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not-- I repeat-- You do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?” Fluttershy said as she flew up to eye level with the dragon.
The dragon wimpered in fear. “Well?” Fluttershy asked, waiting for a response.
“But that Rainbow one kicked me.” He said softly. Rainbow dash nodded her head making Spike glare at her.
“And I am very sorry about that. But you're bigger than she is, and you should know better. You should also know better than to take a nap where your snoring can become a health hazard to other creatures.” Fluttershy said angrily. The dragon started to tear up before letting out a loud cry and flying away.
As the dragon flew away, everyone started to cheer at her act of bravery. “I knew you could do it!” Twilight said happily. Fluttershy grinned widely.
“Now let’s go home.”
Twilight and her friends stood outside the Golden Oaks library, laughing and cheering at there accomplishment. Spike stayed inside, thinking deeply to himself.
“I need to take better care of Twilight. If something happened to her I don’t know what I would do.” Spike said to himself. He shuddered at the thought of losing Twilight. Suddenly he got an idea. He grabbed a scroll, a quill, and a bottle of ink. He dipped the quill in ink and started to write.
Twilight studied intently from a spell book. “Twilight you know you don’t have to do this, right?” Spike said as he grabbed a large blanket from a closet.
“Of course I have to do this, I know how you feel about thunder. That’s why I’m casting a silencing on the library so you can’t hear anything.” Twilight said. Spike smiled.
“Thanks Twi.” He said greatfully. He felt something come up his throat and he let out a loud burp. A letter appeared and landed on the floor. He opened it and stared to read to himself.
”Dear Spike, please come to the Canterlot castle, I have some work for you to do. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.” Spike flipped over the scroll to see if there was anything else. A train ticket was on the back of the scroll. When there wasn’t anything, he rolled up the scroll and walked over to Twilight.
“I think I got the spell down.” Twilight said as her horn started to glow.
“There’s no need, Tia called me to Canterlot.” Spike said as he showed her the letter. Twilights face dropped.
“I was really looking forward to do this spell.” She said sadly.
“It’s okay, you can do it another day.” He said as he patted her back. “I need to go pack my stuff.” He said as he walked out the room. He went upstairs and grabbed his backpack. He put two Power ponies comics and Starry into the bag. At this moment Spike realized he only owned three items. He walked back downstairs and gave Twilight a hug.
“See ya later Twi, don’t go outside.” Spike said as he walked to the front door. Twilight playfully rolled her eyes.
“I know Spike, have fun!” Twilight said as she waved goodbye. Spike waved back and made his way to the train station. He looked up to see storm clouds covering the sky. The weather team had missed a rain shower when smoke covered Ponyville, so now they had to do a whole storm to make up the loss rain.
Spike arrived at the train station, greatful that he didn’t have to be here for the storm. The train station was empty, probably due to everyone wanting to stay inside to avoid getting wet. Spike looked up when he heard the train approaching the station. He entered the train to see that it was empty. He sat down on a soft seat and put his head back, closing his eyes.
It felt so peaceful to just relax, listening to the train hit the tracks. He almost fell asleep like that if it weren’t for a pony walking up to him.
“Ticket please.” The stallion said kindly as he held out his hoof. Spike dug through his bag and pulled out a wrinkled ticket. He handed it to the stallion, who tipped his head thankfully and walked away. Spike leaned onto the seat and closed his eyes again. For him, sleeping was never an easy task. Within an hour he would wake up from a nightmare which is why he usually avoided naps, but this just felt to relaxing to avoid.
Spike hadn’t noticed the train had stopped at his destination. “WE HAVE APPROACHED CANTERLOT!” The conducter shouted making Spikes eyes snap open. He looked around before quickly grabbing his backpack and exiting the train.
He watched the train speed away and he made his way to the castle. He walked around the castle and approached a tree covered in vines. Spike always hated going through all of the Royal Guards because every time he came to the castle, he would always have to go through a full body search. He gripped onto the vines and started to climb upwards.
Spikes claws gripped onto the side of the tree as he pulled himself up. Soon he reached the top of the tree. He could almost see all of Canterlot from there. Spike walked over to the edge of the large branch. The window across from him was open and he jumped through. He landed on the tiled floor with a thud. He had landed in one of the bedrooms in the castle. Spike got up and looked around to see that no one was there. He opened the door only to reveal Princess Celestia standing there.
“You don’t have to keep going through the window.” She said. Spike shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s more fun to climb than to walk through the front doors. I mean who wants to walk through doors?” Spike said. Celestia chuckled.
“I guess you’re right.” She said as they both walked down the hallway.
“Soooo.... why did you call me here?” Spike asked.
“Shining Armor told me about the letter you sent him. Starting today he will be training you how to use a sword.” Celestia said a she opened two large doors. Inside the room there were tackling dummies lined up. Spike broke out into a large grin.
“Thanks you so much!” Spike said happily as he took of his backpack and put it on the floor. Shining Armor walked out from behind one of the dummies and handed Spike a fake replica of a sword and a small, round, wooden shield.
“You’ll get a real sword and shield one you improve. Now stand in front of the dummy.” Shining Armor instructed as he pointed to a dummy. Spike nodded and walked over to it.
“Put your left leg back and your right arm forward.” Shining Armor said. He did as he was told and looked at him, waiting for his next instruction.
“Now swing the sword towards the dummy to strike.” He said. Spike swung his arm out and hit the dummy harshly with the sword, knocking it over. He looked over to Shining Armor and smiled brightly.
“Good now do that to the next one.”
Celestia and Shining Armor stared with there mouths gaped open. Stuffing had lied across the floor and multiple dummies were shredded to pieces.
“HOW DID YOU EVEN DO THIS, ITS BEEN THIRTY MINUTES AND ONE OF THE DUMMIES IS ON FIRE! YOU DIDN’T BREATH FIRE HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?” Shining Armor shouted in disbelief as he looked around the room. Spike looked around sheepishly.
“Sorry, I guess I went a little overboard.” Spike said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“No this is great! It shows that you learn a lot faster than most royal guards.” Celestia said with a smile. Spike blushed.
“Well dragons are made for hunting.” He responded. Suddenly the doors opened making everyone turn around.
“Sister it is time for my magic lessons.” Luna said as she walked into the room. She looked around the room and her eyes widened.
“What in Tartarus happened here?” She asked in surprise. Shining Armor sighed.
“We were giving Spike sword fighting lessons and this happened.” He said tiredly. Celestia’s ears perked up when an idea popped into her head.
“I have an idea! What if we combined Luna and Spike’s training! It would help them learn how to combat others. Besides, Spike is already way ahead for a beginner. It will be perfect!” She said excitedly as she clapped her hooves together.
“I don’t know Princess, don’t you think that a little to much I just think-“
“I’ll do it.” Spike said, cutting off Shining Armor. Celestia smiled.
“Excellent. Now Luna, don’t use all of your strength on him, he’s just a baby dragon. And Spike, don’t use fire on her.” Celestia said. They both nodded there heads.
Luna’s horn started to glow and Spike got into a defensive stance. Luna let out a beam of light from her horn and it shot towards Spike. He held the shield up, blocking the beam and barrel rolled over to Luna. He swung the sword at her, only to miss by Luna dodging the attack.
Luna teleported away, causing Spike to look around in confusion. He felt something hit his side, causing him to fall over. Luna stood over him, pointing her horn in his face. They maintained eye contact and the room fell silent.
“That was amazing!” Celestia shouted excitedly, making Spike and Luna break eye contact and looked at her. Luna got off of Spike and smiled with a slight blush.
“Thank you sister, that means so much to me.” She said with a smile.
“Thanks Tia.” Spike said. He was slightly disappointed that he didn’t win the fight. He looked down at the ground and kicked a piece of stuffing that was still on the floor.
“I’m gonna go get some water.” He mumbled out as he walked of the room. He walked down the long hallway in deep thought. ”If I can’t protect Twilight then I won’t be able to proctect others.” Spike thought to himself. He got snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Shining Armor calling his name.
“I noticed you looked sorta bummed when he left, what wrong?” He asked. Spike let out a sigh.
“I thought I would be able to beat Luna, but I failed.” He said sadly. Shining Armor looked taken aback.
“So what if you failed? That was awesome! That was your first lesson ever and you were better than most of the Royal Guards. That’s amazing!” Shining Armor said happily.
Spike swept the floor as Twilight ran through the library, reorganizing books. Twilights stepped on Spikes tail, causing him to scream out in pain. He grabbed his tail, causing Twilight to slip and fall over. Spike lost his footing and fell on the floor next Twilight.
“Ok we need to try something different, this is the third time you’ve stepped on my tail in the past hour.” Spike said as he clutched his now red tail.
“Sorry Spike, I’m just so stressed about Princess Celestia visiting tomorrow. What if she doesn’t like it here and send me back to Canterlot! This has to be perfect.” Twilight said as she was about to run off again to do more work. Spike held his hand up to her, making her pause.
“Listen, Tia won’t care how clean this place will be or how fancy it is. She’ll just care about how happy all of this makes you.” Spike said. Twilight let out a sigh.
“But what if she hates it here! I can’t have this go wrong!” Twilight said as she tried to do more work. Spike pushed her back.
“You’re stressing yourself out to much, let’s go out into town to see how everyone else is doing on there task.” Spike suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea.” Twilight said with a light smile. As Spike made his way to the front door, his tail brushed against the floor. He let out a yelp of pain. He looked at his tail that was red and blistered from it being stepped on. Twilight cringed at the sight.
“Sorry for stepping on your tail. I have something that can make your tail feel better.” Twilight said as she walked out the room. She came back with some ointment and a roll of ace bandages.
“Here, put this on your tail and it should feel better.” Twilight said as she handed him the ointment. He poured some on his tail and instantly felt a cool relief on it.
Twilight wrapped the bandages on his tail neatly. Spike smiled when he saw the bandage had little quills on them.
“You got the ones with quills?” Spike asked playfully. Twilight blushed.
“I-I like the design.” She said bashfully. “Now let get going.” Twilight said as they both walked out the front door. Ponies stood outside, watering flowers and hanging up ribbons.
Twilight paused when she saw a sign that said ‘Welcome Princess Celest’.
“What happened to the rest of her name?” Twilight asked.
“We couldn’t fit it all in.” One of the mares said. Twilight shook her head.
“You can’t hang up the banner looking like that. Take it down and start over.” Twilight instructed. The two mares groaned and took the sign down.
“Let’s check Sugarcube Corner to see how the snacks are going.” Spike said. Twilight nodded her head and they started to walk to Sugarcube Corner.
They entered the store to see half eaten cookies and mushed up cake and cupcakes all over the floors and walls.
“What happened here!?” Twilight asked in shock.
“We keep making treats but Pinkie Pie keeps eating them!” Mrs. Cake said as she stirred batter as fast as she could, desperately trying to make at least one cake before the Princess got there.
Pinkie pie stuffed her face in a chocolate cake and started to eat it from the inside. Soon the whole cake was gone and frosting covered her face. She licked the frosting off with a loud slurp.
“Pinkie, What are you doing? Those treats are for the Princess!” Twilight shouted with anger in her voice. Pinkie threw a tray of cupcakes into the air, making all of them fly off of the tray. The flew into the air and flawlessly fell into her mouth.
“I know. That's why I'm tasting them. Somebody needs to make sure that everything is tasty enough to touch the royal tongue, and I, Pinkie Pie, declare that these treats are fit for a king, or a queen, or a princess.” Pinkie pie said as she ate a pie in one bite.
“Twilight, Pinkie, Spike, won’t believe... oh I’m sorry, and I interrupting?” Fluttershy said as she slid through the front doors.
“Not at all, make yourself at home.” Pinkie pie said as she ate a tray of brownies.
“You won’t believe what I found on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Come out little guy, it’s okay.” Fluttershy whispered out into her mane. Three small, round bugs flew out of her hair. They all let out little chirps and purrs.
“They’re amazing. What are they?” Twilight asked as the yellow one rubbed up against her face.
“I'm not sure. I’m also not sure were these other two came from.” Fluttershy said in confusion.
“Well I’ll take one off of your hooves, it’s just so adorable.” Twilight said as she held it on her hoof.
“Pinkie, do you want the other one?” Fluttershy asked. Pinkie pie scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out in disgust.
“Ugh, a parasprite. Are you kidding?” Pinkie pie said in disgust.
“A para-what?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“Ugh, now I gotta find a trombone.” Pinkie pie said as she walked out of the store. Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike stared at each other in confusion.
“Let’s go see if Rarity wants the other one.” Twilight suggested. Spike nodded his head and they made there way to Carousel Boutique.
They entered the Carousel Boutique to see beautiful outfits all over the place.
“Wow Rarity, these are amazing.” Twilight said. Rarity smiled.
“At least someone enjoys my work.” She said as she glared at Rainbow dash. Both of there ears perked up when they heard a soft chirp come from Twilights mane.
Three parasprites hopped out of her hair. Twilight and Spike looked in surprise. Rarity and Rainbow dash gasped.
“Woah, what are they?” Rainbow dash asked in awe.
“The better question is we’re did they come from? I only had one a minute ago.” Twilight said.
“Uh, I'll take one.” Rainbow dash said as she grabbed the blue parasprite.
“Me too, they’re just perfect.” Rarity said. Pinkie pie ran through the front door urgently.
“Does anyone know where I can get an accordion?” Pinkie asked. Everyone was to invested in there parasprite to notice Pinkie at the door.
“Guy! Hello! This is important!” She said before stomping her hoof and walking off. Spike stared at her in confusion, having a feeling that she know something.
“Hey Twi, I’m gonna go with Pinkie.” Spike said.
“Sure Spike, have fun.” Twilight said, not fully paying attention. Spike left the boutique and followed Pinkie pie, who was angrily marching away.
“Hey wait up!” He shouted as he caught up with her. She smiled at the sight at one of her friends.
“Oh hey! What are you doing here?” She asked happily.
“Why didn’t you get a parasprite, I thought you loved cute things.” Spike asked. Pinkie pies face quickly turned to disgust.
“They might look cute, but don’t let the looks fool you. Once they get one bite of food, they’ll be all over the place! Eating all of the food in sight! That why I live on a rock farm and not a peach farm.” Pinkie pie explained. Spikes eyes widened.
“So how do you get rid of them?” He asked with worry in his voice.
“Parasprites loves music, they’ll follow it where ever it goes. That’s why I’m looking for an accordion.” Pinkie said as she hopped.
“I have an accordion.” Spike said. Pinkie stopped and faced towards him with a wide grin.
“You do?!” She said excitedly. Spike nodded his head.
“I can play a few instruments, so I keep them around the house.” He said casually. Pinkie vibrated with excitement.
“That’s perfect, let’s go!” Pinkie said as she made her way to the library. Spike chuckled and followed her.
They entered the Golden Oaks Library, which was actually kinda messy.
“Oh geez, this place is a mess.” Spike said. He started to pick up some books and put them on the shelves.
“The instruments are in the closet down the hallway to your left.” Spike said as he climbed up the ladder to put more books away. Pinkie pie nodded her head and bounced down the hallway. He soon heard a door open and an off key accordion hit the ground, followed by a few other instruments.
Pinkie pie came bouncing into the room with a bunch of instruments on her back.
“Thank you soooo much!” She said as she hopped up the ladder and pulled him into a tight hug. Spike let out a strained ‘you’re welcome.’ She hopped off of the ladder and put a hoof to her chin.
“Now all I need to find is a harmonica.” Pinkie said as she walked out the library. Spike continued to pick up books and place them on the shelves, waiting for Twilight to get home.
Spike felt a soft nudging on his cheek. ”Spike wake up.” He heard someone say. He swatted his hand at the voice and turned over.
“Spike this is important, wake up!” Spike recognized that voice. It was Twilight. He slowly opened his eyes to see Twilight standing over him.
“What is it Twi.” He mumbled out, his eyes slowly drooping.
“PARASPRITES ARE TAKING OVER THE TOWN!” Twilight shouted. Spike quickly sat up, only to notice that he had fell asleep on the floor.
“A few got into some apples and then they started to multiply and then they started to eat everything, so I tried to do a spell to make them stop eating and now they’re eating everything but food.” Twilight said in one breath. Spike looked out the window to see a parasprite eat a table.
“The Princess is coming tomorrow, what do we do.” Twilight said in a panicked tone. A small glint came from a nearbly table making Spike turn his head. A harmonica layed on the table. He suddenly remembered what Pinkie pie had said.
Spike grabbed the harmonica off the table and turned towards Twilight.
“Pinkie pie knows what to do, I just need to give her this harmonica.” Spike said as he ran out the front door.
“Spike wait! What does that even mean?!” Twilight shouted from the library entrance before chasing him. Spike ran to Sugarcube Corner, ignoring all of the screams of fear from ponies. Soon he spotted Pinkie pie, who was strapping instruments to herself.
“Pinkie!” Spike shouted as he held up the harmonica in the air. Pinkie pies smiled and ran over to him. A parasprite behind Spike looked at the bandages on his tail and licked it’s lips.
Spike nearly made his way to Pinkie but stopped when he felt something tugging at his tail. He turned around to see a parasprite attempting to eat the bandage. Spike flicked his tail, causing the parasprite to fly off. He felt something tug at the harmonica in his hand. A parasprite attempted to eat it. He tugged the harmonica backwards only for the parasprites to put his whole hand into its mouth.
Pinkie pie gasped. Spike desperately tried to shake it off of his hand but it only bit deeper. It’s teeth were surprisingly sharp.
Polka music rang throughout the town. Pinkie pie bounced to the beat of the music as she marched towards the Everfree Forest. All of the parasprites attention snapped toward Pinkie pie and the all started to bounce with the rhythm. Soon they all followed her out into the forest.
Spike let out a sigh of relief as he felt his arm get released. Twilight ran up to him.
“Spike, what were you thinking?! Running out into monsterous bugs is very dangerous!” Twilight said sternly. Spike smiled.
“I’m fine, besides, everything is back to normal.” Spike said as he gestured to the town. A half bitten sign fell from its stand and onto the ground. “Sorta.”
Twilight let out a sigh. “Just promise me you won’t put yourself in danger like that again.” Twilight said.
“I promise.” Spike said. What Twilight didn’t see was that his fingers were crossed behind his back.
Twilight let out a strained grunt as her horn glowed brightly. Spike stood with his legged perched on a rock. He held a large stick in his hand and had a rock balanced on his head. A few leaves wrapped around his neck like a necklace. The stick to glow before turning into smoke. It turned into a fancy cane. The leaves flawlessly turned into a blouse, tuxedo jacket, and red bow tie. Spike started to cramp up and attempted to move his leg a little.
“Spike, stop moving! It crucial that we keep our concentration.” Twilight said.
“Sorry Twi.” He said as he moved his leg back in the same position as before. The rock on his head started to glow and slowly turned into a top hat. The rock was almost completely turned into a hat when suddenly Pinkie Pie zipped past, breaking Twilight out of her concentration.
The hat turned back into a rock and slammed onto Spikes head, causing him to topple over onto his stomach.
“Spike! Are you okay!?” Twilight asked in concern. Spike head was spinning and he let a shaky thumbs up. Twilight let out a sigh of relief before turning her head to Pinkie.
“Pinkie, you have to be more careful! You’ll end up hurting someone!” Twilight scolded. Pinkie hid behind a tree with an umbrella hat on. She then zipped under a table and peaked her head out, looking at the sky.
“Twitch a twitch.” She said to herself as she grabbed her tail. Spike and Twilight looked at each other in confusion. They both walked up to her.
“Pinkie pie? What in the wide, wide world of Equestria are you up to?” Twilight asked. She turned her attention to Twilight.
“Oh! It's my tail! It's my tail! It's a-twitch a-twitchin'! And you know what that means!” She said as her tail twitched. Twilight tilted her head in confusion.
“Actually, Pinkie, I haven't the slightest idea.” Twilight said. Pinkie’s eyes darted around.
“The twitchin' means my Pinkie Sense is telling me that stuff's gonna start falling! You two better duck for cover.” Pinkie said as she sped under a tree. Twilight chuckled.
“Oh Pinkie, it’s not gonna rain. There’s barely a cloud in the-AAAUGH!” Twilight screamed as a frog fell onto her face. Spike flinched before quickly taking the frog off of her face.
“Are you okay?” Spike asked. Twilight blinked in surprise, trying to process what happened.
“I’m fine, but we’re did the frog come from?” Twilight asked in confusion. Fluttershy flew over them with a wheel barrel full of frogs. She also had some in her saddle bag and in a basket she was holding in her hooves.
“Oh, I'm so, so sorry. You okay, Twilight Sparkle? I just couldn't stand to see the pond getting so over-populated, what with the frogs all hopping into each other and all, so I decided to fly as many as I can on over to Froggy Bottom Bogg.” Fluttershy said as Spike handed her the frog.
“Of course you did.” Twilight said, wiping the frog slime off of her face.
“Bye!” Fluttershy said as she flew off. Pinkie pie tossed her umbrella hat to the side and hopped away.
“Come on, Spike. Let’s go find somewhere more quiet to practice the spell.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head and the both started to walk a quiet spot. Before they could even get a few feet they heard Pinkie shout.
“TWITCHY TAIL!” She shouted as she hid under a rock.
“Ugh, not this again.” Twilight said in an annoyed tone as she continued walking.
“Nothing is going to happen, something just happened to fall from the sky. I think this is all a load of- AH!” Twilight yelped as she fell face first into a muddy ditch. Spike jumped in after her, landing on his feet.
“Twilight! Are you okay?” He asked. Twilight sat up and coughed up some mud.
“Just peachy.” Twilight said sarcastically.
“I’ll go run you a bath!” Pinkie said as she hopped towards her home. Applejack walked over and peered into the ditch.
“Now why are you two hanging out in a ditch?” She asked.
“Pinkie pie said something about her ‘Pinkie sense’ and a twitchy tail.” Spike explained. Applejack eyes widened and she cover her head.
“Twitchy tail?!” Applejack said in fear. Spike rolled his eyes.
“Relax, I’m pretty sure it’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Spike said. Applejack shook her head.
“I know it doesn't make much sense, but those of us who have been in Ponyville a while, have learned over time that, if Pinkie's a-twichin', you better listen.” She stated. Spike sighed and helped Twilight up.
“Let’s go to Pinkie’s to get you cleaned up.”
Twilight sat in Pinkie pies bathtub, in surrounded by warm water and cupcake scented soap. Spike sat on the edge of the sink, slouched over.
“So how does your Pinkie sense work?” Spike asked. Twilight glared at him.
“Sooo, basically, it works like this: I get different, little, niggly feelings and they mean different things. Like when my back is itchy, it means it's my lucky day. Sometimes I get combos. Like ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch, which means ‘watch out for opening doors. And, when my knee gets pinchy, that means something scary's about to happen.”
“Is your knee pinchy now?” Twilight asked.
“No, but my shoulders achy. That means there’s an alligator in the bathtub.” She stated. She dunked her head into the water and pulled out a small alligator. Twilight screamed and jumped out of the tub. Spike sat up, ready to punch an alligator in the face.
“How come your knee didn't get pinchy?! That isn't just scary, it's downright dangerous!” Twilight shouted. Pinkie pie giggled.
“He’s not dangerous, this is my pet Gummy! He doesn’t have teeth. See!” Pinkie said as Gummy bit her arm.
“Okay, okay I get it.” Twilight said with a groan. She levitated a towel from the sink and started to dry herself.
“Well, I still don't believe all this... "special power" stuff. It's just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.” Twilight said. Pinkie giggled.
“What’s so hard to believe? You believe in magic.” Pinkie said. Spike looked at Twilight to see anger written all over her face. Twilight took a breath to calm herself down before speaking.
“Magic is something that you study and practice. It only happens when you decide for it to happen.” Twilight explained. Pinkie pie shrugged her shoulders.
“Whatever you say.” She said as she hopped out of the bathroom. Once she was out of earshot, Twilight faced Spike.
“I have to figure this out.” Twilight said as she left the bathroom. Spike hopped off of the sink and followed her.
Spike and Twilight sat in a bush as they watched Pinkie pie hopped around town.
“I know you want to figure this out, but I’m pretty sure stalking her isn’t the solution to this.” Spike said.
“If she won’t tell that she’s lying, then I’ll find out myself. Take notes.” She said as she gave shoved a notepad and pencil into his arms. Spike sighed and got ready to start writing.
Pinkie rolled around in some grass before standing up and scratching her nose. “Spike write that down.” Twilight whispered. Spike nodded his head and wrote it down. Pinkie pie ran under a large statue of a horseshoe and cowered under it.
“Aha! That makes no sense. See? She's hiding like something's about to fall from the sky, but a twitchy tail means something's gonna fall from the sky, not an itchy nose.” Twilight said excitedly. “This proves that this is just some made up thing.” She said happily. Spike heard a loud buzzing from behind Twilight. He looked over her shoulder to see a swarm of bees heading towards them. His eyes widened.
“Twilight look out!” Spike said as he forcefully pushed her head under the bush. They both heard a loud buzzing as the bees flew overhead. They both peeked there heads out once it went silent. The bees were long gone.
Twilight took the pencil and notepad from Spike and wrote something down. “Itchy nose equals bees.” She muttered to herself. Spike scratched the back of his arm.
“That was a close call, we should probably just go back home. The Pinkie sense seems pretty real.” Spike said. Twilight snapped her head towards him.
“There’s no way I can stop now. There has to be a reasonable explaination for this.” Twilight said. Pinkie pie looked around in the sky before leaving from under the horseshoe and hopping off.
“She’s getting away!” Twilights said as she chased after her. Spike let out a shaky sigh and followed her.
Spike and Twilight hid behind barrels of hay in Sweet Apple Acres, watching Pinkie sniff a flower. Twilight wrote that down.
“Twilight, I don’t think you have to write that down.” Spike said. Twilght held her hoof up to him, gesturing for him to be quiet. Pinkie pie paused before her ears flopped on her face, her eyes fluttered, and her knees twitched.
“Didn’t she say that means beware of opening doors?” Spike asked. Twilight scoffed.
“Do you really believe that? I’ll show you that there’s nothing to worry about.” Twilight said as she opened the barn door. She let go of the door and started to walked away.
“See there’s nothing to worry abou-AAAH!” Twilight screamed as she fell into the cellar. Spike ran over to the cellar.
“TWILIGHT!” He shouted in fear. Twilight shakily stood up with Applejack supporting her side. Once they got onto solid ground, Spike ran up to Twilight and grabbed her face.
“Are you okay?” He asked in concern. She nodded her head and levitated the notepad and pencil towards her.
“I’m fine, but I still need to figure this out.” She said as she flipped through her notes.
“Twilight you’re hurt, you need to take a break.” Spike said.
“You did take one mighty fall there Twilight, Spike is right, you need some rest.” Applejack said. Twilight shook her head.
“I won’t take a break until I figure this out!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Twilight please...” Spike muttered. Twilight turned around to say something, but paused when she saw the sadness on his face. She let out a sigh of defeat.
“Okay Spike, we should go home.” She said. Spike smiled and helped her get back to the library.
Twilight sat at her desk as Spike put a bandaid on her cheek.
“All better.” Spike said cheerfully. Twilight smiled lightly.
“Thanks Spike, I just wish I could have figured out all of that ‘Pinkie sense’ nonsense.” Twilight said. Suddenly, the library door burst open, making both of them jump. Pinkie pie and Applejack ran inside.
“Twilight, my Pinkie sense is telling me that something big will happen at Froggy Bottom Bogg!” She shouted frantically.
“That’s were Fluttershy was headed!” Applejack commented.
“This again? Give me a break.” Twilight said.
“I don’t know Twilight, they sound pretty serious.” Spike said. Twilight rolled her eyes.
“Fine I’ll come with you. But only to prove that the Pinkie sense isn’t real.” She said. They nodded there heads and all ran out the front door.
They had arrived at Frogger Bottom Bogg, which smelled like mold and swamp water. Fluttershy stood at the edge of the swamp, watching the frogs hop around. Pinkie pie tackled Fluttershy into a hug, making her let out a yelp of surprise.
“FLUTTERSHY YOU'RE OKAY!” Pinkie pie shouted in relief. She tilted her head in confusion.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She asked. Pinkie pie took in a deep breath and started to speak.
“Well it all started today when my Pinkie sense started going off and I didn’t think much of it cause it happens but then it’s beem going on all day and then it told me to come here because you would be in big trouble!” Pinkie said in one breath. Fluttershy blinked, trying to process that.
“Pinkie's made a lot of predictions today but what we've shown here is that there's no point in believing in anything you can't see for yourself.” Twilight said with a grin. Spike looked down when he noticed smoke covered his lower half.
Applejack, Pinkie pie, Fluttershy, and Spike looked up in terror as a hydra slowly emerged from the water. Twilight continued to talk, not noticing the impending doom right behind her.
“TWILIGHT LOOK OUT!” Spike shouted as he pulled her towards himself. Twilight look up to see the hydra, and her face twisted into fear.
“RUN!” Twilight shouted, making everyone run in opposite directions. The hydra let out a loud roar and chased after them.
“UP THAT CLIFF!” Spike ordered. Everyone ran up the steep hill with the hydra close behind. The hydras foot got caught in the bogg, delaying it for a few moments and letting them get farther up the hill. They all stopped at the edge of the cliff, slimy water below them. Six large, thin rocks were lined up to jump across. If they missed the jumps they were goners for sure.
The hydra made its way up the hill with large stomps. “It’s gonna get up here at any second, we have to jump across one at a time.” Spike said.
Fluttershy peered over the edge and let in a deep breath. “A hop, skip, and a....jump!” Fluttershy said as she jumped across, landing safely at the other side. Applejack picked Pinkie pie up and hopped across, both landing on the other side unscathed.
Twilight picked Spike up and jumped across. The hydra let out a loud roar and stomped its feet, causing the rocks to fall apart. Twilight jumped, causing Spike to fall off of her back. When Twilight made it to the other side, her eyes widened when she realized Spike wasn’t with her. The rocks started to shake and break down under him.
Without thinking he got on all fours and jumped to the next rock. Before he could make it to the last one, the rock crumpled under him, causing him to fall. “SPIKE!” Twilight shouted as she reached her hoof out, wishing he could grab on. Spike fell with a loud scream.
A bubble at the bottom of the bogg started to form and Spike fell on top of it. He sunk in for a few moments befoe it popped, sending him upwards to his friends. He landed perfectly on his feet to his surprise. Twilight ran up to Spike and hugged him tightly.
“I’m so glad that you’re okay!” Twilight said. The hydra stood and the edge of the cliff and let out a loud roar before walking away. Pinkie pie shuddered and shook.
“That’s wasn’t what my Pinkie sense call me for!” She exclaimed. Twilights mouth hung open in shock.
“What do you mean that not what it called us here for?!” She asked with a tint of anger in her voice.
“My Pinkie sense is still going so the hydra wasn’t it.” Pinkie claimed. Twilight let in a deep breath before letting out a scream of anger, making everyone flinch and Spike cover his ears.
Once she finished she let out an angry grunt. “ I can't fight it anymore. I don't understand how, why, or what, but Pinkie Sense somehow... makes sense. I don't see how it does, but it just does. Just because I don't understand doesn't mean it's not true.” Twilight said defeatedly. Pinkie pie let out a gasp and her whole body started to shake. Once she finished, a popping noise happened, as if someone just used a confetti popper.
“That’s what my Pinkie sense called my for!” Pinkie said happily. Twilight went to say something but closed her mouth a let out a chuckle.
“Only Pinkie pie.” She muttered to herself. “Now let’s go home.”
“Isn’t the hydra still over there?” Fluttershy asked. Everyone paused at the realization.
“I guess we have to take the long way around.” Twilight said. Everybody groaned and started walking.
Spike leaned on Twilights side as she read a book at her desk. They had been sitting there for at least two hours in complete silence. The doorbell rang, making them both look at the door.
“I got it.” Spike said as he hopped up and made his way to the door. He opened the door to reveal Rarity. Spike let out a groan.
“Twilight your friend is here!” He said as he let Rarity inside. Twilight walked in the room and smiled when she saw Rarity.
“Hi Rarity, how are you doing?” Twilight asked politely.
“Absolutely terrible darling. Sapphire Shores came to the boutique and ordered six dresses!” Rarity said dramatically.
“Isn’t Sapphire Shores famous? If anything that’s great publicity for your shop.” Spike said.
“It would be great if I weren’t out of gems. I need rubies and sapphires for this dress and I just ran out. And they’re out of season, what ever will I do!” Rarity said as she pulled out a fainting couch and dramatically sprawled out on it. Spike rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.
Twilight put her hoof on her chin, pondering for a few seconds. “I know a place outside of town where you can get gems. They're underground, but a little digging can get them out.” Twilight said. Rarity made a face of disgust.
“I do appreciate the help darling, but I won’t step one hoof in that icky dirt!” She said. Twilight pondered some more before an idea popped into her head.
“How about Spike goes with you, he’s really good at digging things up.” Twilight suggested. Spike paused when he heard the suggestion. He walked back into the room, already ready with an excuse.
“I would love to help you out but I have so much work to do.” Spike said. Twilight cocked her head in confusion.
“You don’t have any work to do all week, I’m just studying. Besides you need some fresh air.” Twilight said. Spike let out a sigh of defeat.
“Fine.” He said grumpily. Rarity pranced up to him an hugged him tightly. Spike pushed her off.
“Don’t touch me.” He said as he made his way to the front door.
Today was going to be a long day.
Spike followed Rarity in a big empty field, pulling a wagon behind him. Rarity’s horn glowed as she search for gems.
“Keep your eyes peeled darling, we need to find the most fabulous gems.” Rarity said. Spike was going to respond when suddenly, he smelt something. It smelt tangy and sour. Spike followed the smell and stopped at a smooth patch of dirt.
“Did you find anything?” Rarity asked. Spike got on his knees and started to dig with his claws. Soon his claws hit something hard. He pulled out six shiny green emeralds. Rarity gasped.
“Those are perfect!” Rarity said happily. Spike put the gems in the wagon when suddenly Rarity’s horn started to glow. A small patch of dirt glowed a light blue.
“Start digging right there.” Rarity said as she pointed to the blue patch. Spike nodded his head and started to dig. He pulled out a pearl. It smelt salty. He put it in the wagon.
“At this rate we’ll be finished in no time!” Rarity said. Spike sure hoped so.
The wagon was now filled to the brim and gems toppled out of the cart every time it moved.
“Rarity I think we have enough.” Spike said.
“I suppose you’re right, we should get goi-OOOH!” Rarity shouted in surprise as her horn started glow brighter than before and dragged her across the ground. She started to walk to keep up the pace. Spike followed close behind. She approached a tree.
“The gem is in a tree?” Rarity asked. She moved the leaves to see a small shiny gem.
“Oooh.” Rarity said softly. The leaves in the tree rustled and a head poked out, making them both jump back. Rarity started to speak, trying to be polite.
“Uh... uh... Good day, gentle... uh, fellow. Uh, I am Rarity and this is my friend Spike.” She said, gesturing towards Spike. Spike stood in a defensive pose, ready to attack at any moment.
“And you are?” Rarity asked uncomfortably.
“A Diamond Dog.” He said as he jumped out of the tree. He wore a red vest and a black collar with little gems on it. He spoke in a raspy voice. His teeth where sharp and yellow. His breath smelled like hot garbage. Rarity desperately tried not to gag at the smell and backed away slightly.
“Oh really? Oh well, that explains your fine taste in jewelry. I mean I-I-I know that diamonds are a girl's best friend and now I know that they're a dog's best friend too, ha ha ha. So, um, you're out hunting for gems as well?” Rarity said, trying to start a conversation.
“Yes. We hunt.” He said.
“We?” Rarity asked.
“We hunt for gems, but you are a better hunter. So now we hunt for you!” He shouted a he lunged at Rarity. Diamond dogs emerged for the ground and surrounded them. Rarity let out a loud scream and tried to run. Once of the Diamond Dogs grabbed her tightly.
Spike got on all for and let out a sharp growl. He pounced and landed on the face of the Diamond Dog who was holding Rarity. The Diamond Dog screamed and dropped her onto the ground. Spike jumped off of his face and got back on all fours.
“Rarity run, I’ll hold them back.” Spike said. Without hesitation, Rarity started to run towards town. Unfortunately, she didn’t even make that far when a Diamond Dog tugged on her tail and started to drag her into a hole.
“SPIKE!” Rarity screamed as she gripped onto the dirt. Spike turned around and rushed over to Rarity. Before he could reach her, a Diamond Dog picked him up.
“Not today little dragon.” He said with a twisted grin. Spike took in a deep breath and let a gust of fire blow into his face. The Diamond Dog screamed in pain and threw Spike backwards. He landed face first into the tree, knocking the wind out of him. He tried to stand up but he was to dizzy and his vision was blurry. He could feel his left eye starting to swell. The last thing he saw was Rarity being dragged into the hole before he blacked out.
Spike regained consciousness, his head pounding. He kept he eyes closed. He laid on a hard surface that didn’t feel like his or Twilights bed. He ran his hand over the surface. It felt like dirt. Suddenly memories from earlier that day had come rushing back to him. He quickly sat up, but immediately regretted it when his body ached. His left eye had became purple and swollen.
Spikes legs shook as he stood up. He looked at the sun to see that he had been knocked out for about an hour. It was already noon. He walked out into the field with a limp.
“Just need to go down the hole and save Rarity. That can’t be so....” Spike trailer off when he saw hundreds of holes covering the ground. He peered into one of them, only to see darkness. He didn’t even know how far the drop was. He picked up a small rock and threw it into the hole. It was at least thirty seconds before he heard it hit the bottom. If he fell in he’ll only get a few scratches.
“Even if I jump down the hole, how will I know which one to go down.” Spike thought out loud. A certain smell caught Spikes attention. It was a mixture of gems coming from a certain hole. He followed the smell until he reached the hole.
“They have to be in there.” Spike said. He slowly lowered himself into the hole and gripped onto the sides tightly. It was like going down a latter. Just one slow movement at a time. Soon he reach the bottom, which had a five foot drop just to get to flat ground. He let go and landed perfectly on his feet. Surrounding him, there were at least a dozen tunnels.
“How will I find her now?” Spike asked himself. He could easily get lost in this place. He heard a loud high pitched scream come from a tunnel, making him flinch.
“That must be Rarity!” Spike said as he try to run down the tunnel. He got a sharp pain in his leg, causing him to fall to his side. He let out a yelp of pain. He heard the scream again and got up. He moved as fast as he could.
Spike soon approached a large metal gate. It seemed like the screams were coming from in there. From the side of his eye, Spike spotted a fallen stalagmite. He picked it up. It was no heavier than his sword.
“I’m coming Rarity.” Spike muttered. He kicked opened the gate and got ready to fight. He lowers the stalagmite in confusion when he saw the Diamond Dogs laying on the floor, covering there ears. A few of them were even crying.
A Diamond Dog spotted Spike and gave him a pleading look. “Please take her back we can’t handle the whining!” He cried out. Spike walked over to Rarity, who was whining very loudly.
“What are you doing?” Spike asked. Rarity turned around in surprise at the sound of his voice.
“Oh Spike, you’ve come to get me!” Rarity said happily. Her face quickly turned into concern.
“Darling, whatever happened to your face?” She asked. Spike shrugged it off.
“Don’t worry about it, now let’s go out of here.” Spike said. Rarity pulled out three carts filled with gems. Spikes jaw dropped.
“Grab a cart and lets get going.” Rarity said.
Spike laid on Rarity’s couch with a ice pack over his eye and leg. Rarity had gone to go Twilight because she didn’t want Spike walking all the way home with a black eye and messed up leg. He closed his eyes, letting the coolness wash over him. He heard the door to the shop open and the bell ring. Spike opened his eye to see Twilight trotting over to him.
“Spike! Thank Celestia you’re okay!” Twilight said as she pulled him into a hug. Spike let out a soft chuckle.
“I’m fine Twilight.” He said, not wanting her to worry.
“I knew I should’ve just let you stay inside today. You would have never gotten hurt.” Twilight said.
“But if I didn’t go, Rarity would have never gotten away from the Diamond Dogs. Besides, look at all of the gems she gained from it.” Spike said, gesturing to the carts of gems. Twilight smiled a little.
“I guess you’re right.” She said. She pet his head softly.
Twilight, Spike, Pinkie pie, and Rarity stood outside of the Canterlot Boutique. Pinkie hopped on a trampoline excitedly.
“I...can’t...believe...the...Grand...Galloping...Gala...is....tonight!” Pinkie shouted with each jump.
“Pinkie pie please stop shouting, I’m trying to concentrate.” Twilight said, her face buried in a book. Pinkie pie continued jumping with a large grin a little giggles.
“Pinkie Pie! Stop that right now. It's time to prepare for the Gala, and I refuse to let you put on your new dress when you're all sweaty.” Rarity said sternly. Pinkie stopped jumped and landed on the trampoline with a small bounce.
“What’s Twilight doing?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head.
“She’s working on this awesome new spell for the Gala!” Spike said excitedly. Rarity looked around.
“Where are the others, they’re late.” She said as she look down the street.
“Hold your horses girl. We’re right here.” Applejack said as she, Fluttershy, and Rainbow dash approached them.
“Perfect! I’m ready.” Twilight said happily. Spike put down an apple in front of Twilight.
“Ooh an apple. Are we making apple pie?” Pinkie asked.
“Shh. Watch.” Spike said as he pointed to Twilight.
Twilights magic started to glow around the apple. The apple rapidly grew in size and parts of it started to break apart. Long branches grew out of the bottom and curved around, resembling to wheels. Golden swirls covered the apple and a small wooden door appeared. Twilight had made an apple carriage.
Everyone ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the magic trick.
“That is so cool!” Pinkie shouted with a large grin on her face.
“Thanks, but that’s just the start. Fluttershy, did you bring the mice?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, will they be safe Twilight?” Fluttershy asked as she put four white mice on the ground. They sniffed around curiously.
“You have my word.” Twilight said. Her horn started to glow and magic covered the mice. The mice legs started to grow and there bodies got longer. Soon the stood up straight and resembled to horses with whiskers and large mouse ears. Everyone grimaced in disgust at the sight.
“Isn’t it cool? The spell last until midnight.” Twilight boasted. Spike turned his head when he heard a rustle from a nearby bush. Rarity’s cat slowly came out, and her eyes lit up when she saw the horse mice. She prowled down before pounding on one of them.
“Opalescence, no!” Rarity shouted. The horse mouse whinnied in fear and all of them ran off into the distance before they were completely out of sight.
“Wait! Come back! Those horses were supposed to pull our carriage. How will we get to the Gala?” Twilight said in distress. Spike sympathetically patted Twilights shoulder. Rarity put her hoof on her head and look up to the sky.
“Whatever shall we do?” She said sarcastically before walking over to two stallions. She flipped her hair and batted her eyes to show off some charm.
“Uh... ahem. Excuse me. Uh, would you boys mind pulling our carriage to the Gala? She said with a bright smile. Both stallions looked at each other before eagerly nodded there heads.
“Oh. Yeah, right.” Twilight said in a defeated tone.
Spike knocked on the door of one of the rooms in the boutique.
“Can I come in?” Spike asked.
“Sure thing buddy.” Rainbow dash said. Spike heard the door knob jiggle before aruptly stopping. He heard Rarity let out a loud gasp from the other side of the door.
“And watch us while we dress? Absolutely not!” Rarity said dramatically. Applejack cleared her throat.
“But Rarity, we don’t usally wear clothes.” She pointed out. He heard Rarity let out a groan before the door swung open.
“Well I’m sorry if some of us have standards!” Rarity said as she marched off. He walked inside to see Twilight and Pinkie sitting under hair dryers. Pinkie took the dryer off of her head to reveal that her mane was completely straight. Within a few second it instantly poofed back up.
“I’m so excited for the Grand Galloping Gala! It’ll be so much fun!” Pinkie said as she tried to do a cartwheel. Rarity yanked on her tail with magic, causing Pinkie to fall back.
“I can’t wait to meet him.” Rarity said dreamily, pink dusting her cheeks. Rainbow dash smirked.
“I can’t wait to meet the Wonderbolts! If I impress them then they’ll ask me to be a part of the team.” She said confidently while zipping around the room.
“I just want to sell enough fritters for my family.” Applejack said, tipping her hat to the side.
“I,um like the animals.” Fluttershy said softly. Twilght took her head from under the dryer and smiled.
“I can’t wait to talk to Princess Celestia about magic spells!” Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. Rarity cleared her throat uncomfortably.
“Spike darling, if you are going to be in here, can you at least turn around while we dress?” Rarity asked. Spike playfully rolled his eyes and turned around. From the side of his eye he saw his tuxedo laying on the table. It was only a shirt, tie, and jacket. He reached out for it and started to put it on.
Once Spike finished putting on his white shirt he put on the jacket. It was a dark blue to match Twilights dress. He started to tie his tie which was a light grey. After struggling for a few minutes he turned around.
“Can one of you help me tie this please?” He asked. He was taken aback when all of the mares wore beautiful dresses.
“You all look gorgeous!” Spike exclaimed. Rarity smiled and walked up to him.
“Thank you I worked very hard on making these dresses as you recall.” Rarity said as she tied his tie into a perfect bow.
“Let go, I want to see the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow dash said as she bolted out of the boutique and into the carriage. Everyone followed behind and entered the carriage. Before Spike could get in, Twilight stopped him.
“Thanks for being my date for the Gala.” Twilight said. Spike smiled.
“It’s no problem. It’s like taking my sister who can’t get a date to prom because she doesn’t have friends.” Spike said as he hopped into the carriage. Twilight was taken aback by that comment.
“Gee, thanks.” She said sarcastically as she walked into the carriage.
Tonight was going to be the best night ever.
They all walked through the castle doors and gasped in amazement. The floors were shiny and tiled, the windows were large and spotless. A large carpet was layed out on the floor, leading to the throne. To top it all off there was a large statue of an alicorn on a table in the center of the room. Ponies were scattered around the room, talking quietly.
“This is going to be. So. Much. Fun!” Pinkie shouted before running off to look at everything. Applejack pushed a green cart inside.
“Everythin here is so fancy like.” Applejack marveled. “With so many ponies here I can sell my treats in no time.” Applejack said as she pushed the cart outside into the garden.
“I can’t wait to see all of the exotic animals.” Fluttershy said excitedly before following Applejack outside.
“Oh my Celestia the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew over towards them. Rarity scoffed.
“How could they act so immature at the most high class Gala.” Rarity said. Prince Blueblood walked past, making Rarity’s face go red. She shook her head and cleared her throat.
“If you excuse me I have a very important stallion to attend.” Rarity said before following Prince Blueblood. Spike chuckled and turned to Twilight, only to realize that she was already with Princess Celestia. Spike ran up to catch up with her. Ponies stared at him in disgust as he ran up the stairs to Twilight and Tia. He made it up the stairs and stood next to Twilight. Celestia smiled at him.
“Hello Spike.” She said sweetly. Spike smiled.
“Hi Tia.” He said with a wave.
“Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala.” She said as she shook a stallions hoof. The stallion turned away to walk down the stairs. Once his back was fully turned, he let out a girlish giggle while hopping down the stairs. Spike and Tia held back a laugh at the childish sight.
Tonight was going to be fun.
They had only been at the Gala for twenty minutes and it was already boring. Twilight could barely speak to the Princess with all of these ponies here. Spike didn’t notice Twilights dissapointment but he sure did notice all the ponies. He claws picked at the skin on his hands as he tried to control his breathing.
”So many ponies, so many ponies, so many ponies.” Spike repeated in his head. His eyes welled up with tears and he desperately tried not to cry. Twilight put her hoof on Spikes shoulder making him jump.
“Are you okay? Do we need to go home?” Twilight asked. Spike shook his head. He didn’t want to ruin Twilights big night.
“No I just need some fresh air.” Spike managed to get out through his shortened breaths. He nearly ran down the stairs,but stopped himself from more staring which would have made everything worse.
Spike started to speed walk until he made it outside to the garden. He let in a deep breath of fresh air and he instantly felt better. He wiped the tears from his eyes. Ponies were outside, but not as many inside. He let out a sigh of relief and started to walk around. Soon he spotted Rarity attempting to flirt with Prince Blueblood but he wasn’t paying any attention.
“Hey Rarity, how’s it going?” Spike asked. Rarity let out a defeated sigh.
“I wish I could say it was going well. No matter how hard I try he just doesn’t pay attention.” Rarity said in a sad tone.
“I told you that he was a jerk.” Spike said. Prince Blueblood turned around and let out a loud gasp when he saw Spike.
“You’re the same dragon that burned all of my satin suits!” He shouted, hiding behind Rarity. Spike grinned.
“Yeah and I’m coming for your velvet suits next.” He said. Prince Blueblood put his hoof up to his forehead and fainted to the ground. Rarity gasped.
“Spike that behavior was completely uncalled for!” Rarity said sternly. Spike chuckled.
“He’s a jerk anyway, I say that he deserved...” Spike trailed off when he noticed a crowd forming around them. Spike felt his heart to speed up again. Ponies started to whisper.
”What did he do to the Prince?” ”Who invited a dragon here?” “He should be banished for doing that to the Prince.” They murmured. Spike felt his hands start to shake. This was way worse than being on the stage with Tia. This time all the attention was on him.
“Spike are you okay?” Rarity asked. Spike managed to weakly nod his head.
“I... just need water.” He choked out. Rarity tilted her head before giving an understanding nod. He looked around until he found a small opening in the crowd. He squeezed through the judgemental ponies and made it out to the other side. He started to walk to as far away from the Garden as he could. Once he couldn’t hear anymore chatter he stopped walking and took in a deep breath. His throat was dry.
“I’m so thirsty but I don’t want to go back around the ponies.” He muttered to himself. Suddenly and idea popped into his head.
“I can get in the castle kitchen to get water.” He said. His scales drooped when he remembered the problem to that. “Right but the security is extra tight tonight to make sure no one breaks in.” He muttered. Suddenly he got another idea.
“The tree!” Spike exclaimed. He rounded the corner to see the large tree. The area was abandoned and the window was open, as usual. He approached the tree and jumped up, letting his claws dig into the bark. He climbed up as if he was climbing a ladder. Luckily, thanks to all of his sword fighting he had been gaining muscle which made it easier to climb the tree.
Spike made it to the branch in front of the window and adjusted himself onto it. He got on all fours and jumped through the window flawlessly. He landed on the floor with a thud. He walked up to the door and opened. Spike looked both ways down the hallway to see nobody was there.
“Perfect.” He whispered. He tiptoed down the hallway, making sure no guards heard him. Even if they did spot him it didn’t really matter, they already know him. It was fun to be sneaky, it was in a dragons nature.
Spike made it to the main hallway and saw guards walking across the long hallway in front of the kitchen.
”Every ten seconds there’s an opening between between me and the door. The Royal Guards won’t turn around for another five seconds so the gives me a solid three seconds to get through the door without being seen. Spike thought to himself. Both Royal Guards walked to the end of the hallway and Spike bolted into action. He silently sprinted towards the door and open it before sliding in and closing it silently.
“Works like charm.” Spike said cockily. He turned around and jumped when he saw Princess Luna standing there, holding a cookie jar in her hooves and half a cookie sticking out of her mouth.
“Oh,um hi.” Spike said with an awkward wave. Luna awkwardly waved back as she swallowed her cookie.
“What are you doing here?” Luna asked. Spike sheepishly rubbed his arm.
“I couldn’t handle being around all the ponies at the Gala, it felt so suffocating.” Spike said. Luna let out a groan.
“At least you can go to the Gala, sister says it is best that I stay here due to ponies still being frightened of Nightmare Moon.” Luna said.
“But everyone saw you after you were reformed, they shouldn’t be afraid.” Spike stated. Luna let out a sigh.
“I wish that were the case but unfortunately it is not.” Luna said sadly. Spike gave her a sympathetic look. Suddenly there silence was broken when Luna’s stomach growled loudly. She blushed.
“I am sorry, I have barely eaten all day.” Luna apologized. Spike rubbed his stomach.
“Me either, I could really go for a doughnut right now.” Spike said. Luna tilted her head in confusion.
“What are doughed nuts?” Luna asked. Spike stared at her like she had two heads.
“You’ve never had a doughnut before?” He asked. She shook her head.
“I have been on the moon for a thousand years.” Luna reminded him. Spike cringed at his oblivious nature.
“I know a perfect place to get donuts!” Spike said.
Luna and Spike sat at a table in Donut Joes shop with two boxes of donuts and a mug of hot chocolate in front of them. Spike picked up a donut and munched on it. Luna looked at them skeptically.
“Are you sure these doughed nuts are safe?” Luna asked while inspecting one closely.
“They’re perfectly safe, try one.” Spike said. Luna picked up a donut and took a small bite. Her eyes widened at the taste and she shoveled three into her mouth at once. Spike laughed at the sight.
“I’m guessing they’re good.” Spike said. Before he knew it, both boxes of donuts were gone in less than thirty seconds. Luna slammed her hooves on the table.
“I DEMAND ANOTHER BOX OF DOUGHED NUTS!” She shouted, making Spike flinch. Pony Joe ran over in fear and place five boxes of doughnuts done before running away.
“Luna, I think I see why ponies are still scared of you. You’re too demanding, this isn’t a thousand years ago. You can relax and not yell when you want something. That can be your first step to improvement.” Spike said. Luna nodded her head.
“I understand. Speaking of improvement, I have been watching your dreams lately.” Luna said. Spike froze up.
“Every night is the same nightmare and every time I try to enter it does not work.” Luna said. “The only explanation is that it is a memory, which is why I cannot alter it.” Luna explained. Spike let out a sigh.
“Please don’t tell Twilight, I don’t won’t her to worry about me, she’s already stressed enough as she is.” Spike said while burying his head in his hands. Luna put her hoof on his shoulder.
“The key to self improvement is not being to dependent on other. You need to care for yourself too. If you don’t care for yourself, you can’t properly protect others.” Luna said. Spike let out another sigh.
“I know, I just don’t want to lose anyone.” Spike said sadly. Luna put her hoof on her chin, thinking for a little while before she got an idea.
“How about you write a journal expressing your feelings that no one has to know about. That will be a start.” Luna said. Spike smiled slightly.
Spike held a stack of books in his arms, trying to balance himself so he didn’t fall over.
“Twilight I don’t think we have to clean the library every week.” Spike said as he put the books on the floor. He heard Twilight let out an over dramatic gasp from the other room.
“We absolutely have to! What if one day we miss a cleaning day? Then we would have a huge mess!” Twilight shouted dramatically. Spike rolled his eyes.
“I doubt that would ever happen, can it at least be every two....?” Spike trailed off when he looked out the window.
“Twilight I think you need to see this!” Spike shouted. He heard Twilights hooves approach him. Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.
The clouds were cotton candy and some Pegasi were getting trapped in them. The rain was brown and a herd of rabbits stomped by with legs as long as giraffes.
“What in Equestria is going on!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know, but it must be something big.” Spike said.
“Come on Spike, let’s go check on our friends.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head and they both walked outside. When they went outside it was complete choas. Street lights had come to life, buildings were upside down, and books flew around like birds. Some brown rain landed on Spikes nose and he put some on his finger, sticking his tongue out to lick it.
“Don’t eat it, that could be poison for all we know!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike ignored her and licked it.
“Calm down it’s chocolate milk.” Spike said. Twilight let out a breath of relief. A loud bang came from across the town, making both of them turn there heads.
“I think that came from Sweet Apple Acres!” Twilight exclaimed. They both started to make there way to Sweet Apple Acres, hoping nothing bad happened.
Twilight and Spike approached Sweet Apple Acres to see that everything was turned upside down. Rainbow Dash chased a cotton candy cloud, only to get stuck in it. The corn swelled up before popping and turning into popcorn. Apples grew so big that a few trees snapped in half holding their weight. A few of Fluttershys rabbits started to eat an apple. Suddenly, with a burst of light, the rabbits had legs as long as giraffes and the galloped away. Pinkie pie giggled and opened her mouth, letting the chocolate milk pour in. Rarity stood there with a fancy raincoat and an umbrella attached to her like a saddle.
“Don’t worry everpony, I have a new spell that can stop all of this!” Twilight exclaimed. She started to strain her body as her horn glowed brightly. The glowing quickly stopped as if a lightbulb blew out. Twilight opened one eye to see the results. Her eyes widened at what she saw.
“It.. it didn’t work.” Twilight said in dibelief. Spike gave Twilight a look of concern.
“At least you tried.” Spike said, trying to comfort her. Twilight looked at the chaos around her before and idea popped into her head.
“Rainbow, can you corral all those clouds in one corner of the sky? Applejack, I need you to bring those high-strung storm clouds down to Earth.” Twilight ordered. Rainbow dash and Applejack nodded there head and got to work. Pinkie pie gave a confused look when the rain stop pouring down her throat.
“Hey, what happening?” Pinkie shouted. Rainbow put the cotton candy clouds on the ground and Applejack quickly lassoed them, making them stick to the ground. Twilight walked over Fluttershy and whisper something in her ear. Fluttershy broke out into a grin.
“Oh dear. I hope none of the animals see these delicious chocolate-filled cotton candy clouds. I'd hate to have to share them.” Fluttershy said in a stage whisper.
“You and me both sister!” Pinkie shouted. All of the animals turned there heads and galloped towards the cotton candy clouds. They all stuffed there faces in into the candy, munching on it happily. Pinkie pie squeezed through the animals and started to eat with them.
“And when y'all are done with that, feel free to have some popcorn for dessert!” Applejack said while gesturing towards all of the popcorn. Twilight put her hoof on her chin.
“What could be causing all of this?” Twilght asked. Spike gagged slightly before burping up a letter. Spike picked up the letter and started to read.
“The Princess wants to see us immediately!”
“Princess Celestia! We came as fast as we could!” Twilight shouted as they all ran through the castle doors. Celestia turned around and gave them a greatfull smile.
“Thanks you Twilight Sparkle, thank you all.” Celestia said.
“Is this about the weather? And the animals' weird behavior? What's happening out there? Why isn't my magic working? Is there–” Twilight got cut off when Celestia raised her hoof.
“Follow me.” Celestia said as she walked out of the room. They all entered a long hallway filled with stained glass windows.
“I've called you here for a matter of great importance. It seems an old foe of mine, someone I thought I had defeated long ago, has returned. His name... is Discord.” Celestia said as she showed them a large window. The creature on the window had the head of a pony, the body of a snake, and the wing of a bat. He was made up of multiple different creatures. Fluttershy let out a whimper of fear.
“Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness. Luna and I saw how miserable life was for Earth ponies, Pegasi, and unicorns alike, so after discovering the Elements of Harmony, we combined our powers and rose up against him, turning him to stone.” She said while gesturing towards a window. It was of her and Luna using the Elements of Harmony against Discord.
“I thought the spell we cast would keep him contained forever, but since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell has been broken.” She said as she walked over to a large door.
“ This is Canterlot Tower, where the Elements are kept inside since all of you recovered them. I need you to wield the Elements of Harmony once again and stop Discord before he thrusts all of Equestria into eternal chaos.” Celestia said.
“But why us? Why don’t you-“ Twilight was cut off by Pinkie pointing out a window a shouting.
“Hey look, we’re famous!” Pinkie shouted excitedly. The window showed Twilight floating in the air with her crown on. Applejack, Rainbow dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie pie, and Rarity stood behind her with there Elements of Harmony on. Nightmare Moon stood there with a large magical orb around her.
“You six showed the full potential of the Elements by harnessing the magic of your friendship to beat a mighty foe. Although Luna and I once wielded the Elements, it is you who now control their power, and it is you who must defeat Discord!” Celestia exclaimed dramatically.
“Don’t worry Princess, you can count on-“
“Hold on a second! Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!” Pinkie shouted, cutting off Twilight. Everybody stared at Pinkie.
“Don’t listen to her Princess. We’d be honored to use the Elements if Harmony again.” Twilight said proudly. Celestia smiled. Her horn started to glow and the door in front of her glowed with it. The door opened and Celestia pulled out a small golden case with gems encrusted on the sides.
“Ooh, forget about the Elements, I’ll take the case!” Rarity said with starts in her eyes. Spike rolled his eyes.
“Have no fear, ponies. I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord with these!” Celestia said as she slowly opened the case. Everybody gasped in shock.
“The Elements! They’re gone!” Twilight shouted in disbelief. Celestia dropped the case in shock.
“That chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break! This doesn't make sense!” Celestia shouted. Suddenly, chilling laughter echoed around the room.
“Make sense? Now what’s the fun in making sense?” The voice said. Everyone huddle together while Spike and Celestia got into defensive stances.
“Discord, show yourself!” Celestia shouted. The window with Celestia and Luna defeating Discord started to move ever so slightly. Suddenly, the Discord on the window started to move.
“Did you miss me, Celestia? I missed you. It's quite lonely being encased in stone, but you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone.” Discord said with a smirk.
“Enough! What did you do with the Elements?” Celestia asked sternly. Discord let out a giggle.
“Oh I just borrowed them for a teensy little while.” Discord said before snapping his fingers and disappearing from the window.
“You’ll never get away with this Discord!” Celestia shouted. Discord appeared in a different window.
“Oh, I'd forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It's really quite boring.“ He said while tracing his fingers across the glass design. Spike let out a defensive growl.
“Hey! Nobody insults the Princess!” Rainbow dash shouted. She charged at Discord, ready to attack. Rainbow dash face planted into the window and fell to the floor.
“Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash, famed for her loyalty, the Element of Harmony you represent.” Discord said. Rainbow dash puffed up her chest.
“That right! I’m always loyal to the Princess!” Rainbow dash said.
“We’ll see about that.” Discord said slyly. Rarity scoffed.
“I can’t believe we’re wasting our time talking to a window.” Rarity said. Discord appeared in the window in front of her, gazing down at her.
“The beautiful Rarity, representing the element of generosity, if I'm not mistaken?” Discord said. Applejack rolled her eyes.
“So what, you know who we are, big deal.” Applejack said.
“Oh, I know much more than that, honest Applejack.” Discord said.
“You seem to know our strengths too.” Twilight pointed out.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, and yours is the most powerful and elusive element, magic. Fluttershy's is kindness and Pinkie Pie's is a personal favorite of mine - laughter.” Discord said as he sat on window Twilights head.
“Stop stalling, Discord! What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?” Celestia shouted sternly.
“Oh, so boring, Celestia. Really? Fine, I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you my way. To retrieve your missing Elements, just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began. Discord said before letting out an evil cackle and disappearing.
“Can we go home now?” Fluttershy asked in a whisper, shaking like a leaf. Spike walked up to her and gave her a comforting hug.
“What do you reckon he meant?” Applejack asked. Twilight put her hoof on her chin, mumbling the riddle to herself.
“That’s it! I bet Discord hid the Elements in the Palace Labyrith!” Twilight exclaimed. Celestia gave a nod.
“Good luck my subjects. The fate of Equestrian is in your hooves.” Celestia said. Twilight saluted Celestia.
“We won’t let you down Princess!” Twilight said before running out the castle doors.
The approached a laybrith with large wall like hedges. Fluttershy let out a nervous gulp.
“Do we have to go in there?” She asked. Rainbow dash smirked.
“Not when I have these babies!” Rainbow dash exclaimed, opening her wings. She launched herself from the ground and started to fly over the labryth. Suddenly, with a bright light, Rainbow dash fell to the ground with a thud. She groggily opened her eyes and looked at her wings. They were gone.
“MY WINGS!” Rainbow dash shouted in fear. Fluttershy let out a squeak of fear when she noticed her wings were gone to. Rarity and Twilight screamed when they saw both of their horns were gone. Loud hysterical laughter surrounded them.
“You should have seen you faces. Utterly priceless.” Discord said, wiping a tear from his eye. Fluttershy hid behind Spike in fear. Twilight approached Discord.
“Give us our horns and wings back!” Twilight demanded.
“You'll get them back in good time. I simply took them to ensure there's no cheating. You see, this is the first rule of our game: no flying, and no magic.” Discord said. Spike gave him an angry look.
“Oh and don’t even think about burning through the labyrinth, I took away your fire breathing.” Discord said. Spike gave him a look of shock.
“The second rule is everypony has to play or the game is over, and I win. Good luck, everypony!” Discord said with an evil laugh before disappearing.
“Don’t worry guys, we can make it through as long as we stay together!” Twilight said enthusiastically.
“Yeah, we can do this!” Rainbow dash shouted.
“Together!” Everyone said in unison, taking one step forward. Suddenly, large hedges came in between them, creating a barrier. Everyone let out screams of fear.
“Twilight?” Spike asked nervously.
“Don’t worry Spike, I’m here. We can just regroup in the middle of the labyrinth.” Twilight said. Everyone made sounds of approval.
“See you on the other side.” Spike said as he heard everyone run in different directions. He started to walk, hoping he wouldn’t get lost.
Spike walked around the labyrinth, nervously fiddling with his hands. He had been walking around for nearly 30 minutes.
“I wonder what Discord meant by not being able to breath fire.” Spike wondered to himself. He took a deep breath a tried to let out some fire. He started cough up smoke.
“Ugh bad idea.” Spike said to himself.
“Bad idea indeed, you almost lost the game.” A voice said. Spike quickly turned around to see Discord floating.
“If anything you’re cheating because you’re using magic right now.” Spike pointed out. Discord let out a fake gasp.
“But what’s the point of that, it’s not fun.” Discord said floating. Spike let out a soft growl.
“What do you want.” Spike said bitterly.
“Oh I just want to talk about your relationship with Twilght.” Discord said.
“That’s none of you concern.” Spike said as he started to walked away. Discord teleported in front of him.
“Oh come on, you don’t want to see what she really thinks of you?” Discord asked. Spike thought for a few moments.
“I guess.” Spike said softly. Discord clapped his hands together.
“Oh this will be perfect!” Discord said as he pulled out a projector and a bag of popcorn. He pressed play on the projector. The video started, revealing all of his friends talking to each other. It looked like they were in the middle of the labyrinth.
”Ugh Spike is so annoying, I don’t know why I even keep him around.” Twilight said to her friends. Everyone nodded there head in agreement. “Yeah he’s more annoying then Pinkie, and I didn’t even think that was possible.” Rainbow dash said. “Darling You should just get rid of him, dragons are so uncouth after all.” Rarity suggested. Twilight smiled. “Yeah that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Suddenly the video cut off, only leaving static. Spike hadn’t realized that he had been crying.
“N-no Twilight would never do that, she’s my best friend.” Spike said. Discord smirked.
“She clearly doesn’t care for you and she never did.” Discord said. Spike fell to his knees and let hot tears roll down his cheeks. He buried his head in his hands. Discord placed his finger on Spikes head and he started to turn grey. Spike stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Spike heard the hedge rustle behind him. The hedge suddenly collasped, revealing Twilight, Pinkie pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Twilight gasped ran up to hug Spike.
“Spike, I found you!” Twilight exclaimed while wrapping her arms around him. Spike froze for a second before pushing her off.
“Ugh don’t touch me.” Spike said as he wiped himself off. Twilight looked taken aback by that comment.
“You weren’t worried?” Twilight asked. Spike rolled his eyes.
“Why would I be worried about a loser like you. I don’t care about you.” Spike said as he pushed past her. Twilights ears flattened.
“H-hey, that’s not very nice.” Twilight said. Spike scoffed.
“Who cares about ‘being nice’. I’m outta here.” Spike said as he started to walk away. Twilight started to follow him.
“Spike what’s wrong? You never act like this.” Twilight said concernedly. Spike rolled his eyes.
“Get off of my back, you’re not my Mom!” Spike shouted. Twilight stopped walking. She had never heard Spike mention his parents before, let alone compare her to a parental figure. Before she could say anything else, Applejack shouted something.
“Well would you look at that, Rainbow dash is flying away!” Applejack shouted, pointing to the sky. Twilight looked up in shock to see Rainbow dash flying away from the labyrinth.
“No...” Twilight whispered in fear. They had lost the game. They were never going to get the Elements back. A loud laugh echoed around them and bright light apeared, making them close there eyes. When the opened there eyes, it was revealed that they were in the middle of the labyrinth. All of the hedges were gone and seems like they were standing in a ditch. Another flash of bright light and there horns and wings were back. Discord apeared, laughing loudly. Pinkie pie growled.
“What are you laughing about?” She said with a snarl. This only cause Discord to laugh harder.
“Oh, you ponies are just the most fun I've had in aeons.” He said as he wiped a tear from his eye.
“Well, quit it! You'd better think before you laugh at the Pink...ie Pie!” She said awkwardly. Spike rolled his eyes at her stupid phrase.
“Oh yeah? Well, ha ha ha.” Fluttershy said with a sly grin.
“Quit it.” Pinkie said harshly. Fluttershy broke out into a grin.
“No. Ha ha ha.” She said again.
“I said quit it!” Pinkie shouted. Fluttershy stuck her tongue out causing Pinkie pie to tackle her to the ground. Applejack walked over to Rarity.
“Uh... Rarity? This here diamond of yours? Twilight said we should split it seven ways since we, uh, found it together.” Applejack said while rubbing the giant boulder. Rarity let out a snarl before kicking Applejacks hoof away.
“Try it punk! He’s mine!” Rarity shouted while repeatedly kicking Applejack. Spike laughed and cheered Rarity on. Twilight stood in shock.
“Guys stop! Why are acting like this?!” Twilight asked in concern. Discord continued laughing, clutching onto his sides.
“Stop it Discord, you're not playing fair.” Twilight said. Discord stopped laughing.
“I'm not playing fair? Perhaps we haven't met. I'm Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony. Hello?” He said while gesturing to all of the choas he had caused.
“How are we supposed to find the Elements of Harmony when you took away the labyrinth before we could get to the end?” Twilight asked. Discord froze up before breaking down into hysterical laughter.
“You thought the Elements were in the Labyrith?! You ponies are simply rich!” Discord exclaimed. He snapped his fingers and they both appeared in the Canterlot Castle. Twilight looked to see her, her friends, and Princess Celestia standing there. It seemed like this as a flashback.
“Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began” Flashback Discord said. He snapped his fingers again and they both were back in the Labyrinth.
“I never said that the Elements were inside the Labyrinth.” Discord said. Twilights ears flattened.
“But....but.” She said in a loss for words.
“Keep trying Twilight Sparkle.” Discord said. With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared. Chocolate milk rain started to come from the sky. Pinkie pie scrunched up her face in disgust.
“Ugh I hate chocolate milk!” She exclaimed.
“Think, Twilight, think! "Find the Elements back where you began." Back where you began.” Twilight muttered to herself, clutching onto her head.
“Don’t touch my gem!” Rarity shouted at Spike, who was sitting on top of the boulder. Fluttershy put her hoof on it.
“I’m touching your gem Rarity. Ha ha.” Fluttershy said. Pinkie snarled.
“What are you laughin about?!” She said angrily. Twilight groaned.
“Ugh. I just want to go home... Wait a minute... Home! "Back where you began!" The Elements must be in... Ponyville! Come on, guys. I'm certain this is what Discord's riddle really meant. If we get back to the library, I have a book that I just know can give us a clue.” Twilight said excitedly. Spike scoffed.
“Took you long enough. And I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.” Spike said bitterly. Twilights ears flattened at his crude behavior.
“Hopefully I can find the solution to this.”
Twilight finally approached the library after what felt like an eternity. Discord turned the roads into soap so they slid in different directions, he made it night so they couldn’t see, and to top it all off Twilights friends wouldn’t stop heckling her.
“Okay we’re here. Can we just please please please please please just go inside.” Twilight begged.
“I absolutely refuse.” Applejack said while walking in.
“With pleasure.” Fluttershy said while following.
“Ugh I hate libraries!” Pinkie said while looked around.
“This place is a mess, just like you.” Spike said. Twilight looked at Rarity who stayed outside, with her nose high in the air.
“Pleeeeeaaaase, we gotta hurry!” Twilight said.
“Of course someone like you would beg.” Spike said. Twilight ignored his comment.
“Forget it, Twilight. I know what you're up to. The second I go in, you'll have your little minion Spike come and take Tom!” Rarity said. Spike snarled.
“I’m not her minion, I don’t even like her!” He exclaimed bitterly.
“You’re not going in without him are you?” Twilight asked. Rarity shook her head. Twilight levitated the boulder and smashed it through the wall.
“There! It’s inside!” Twilight shouted. Rarity ran up to the boulder and rubbed its sides.
“Careful, Twilight! You'll ruin his beautiful finish.” She said as she kissed the rock. Twilight rolled her eyes and walked over to her bookshelf. On her way there, her hoof hit a book that was laying on the floor. The title read ‘The Elements of Harmony.’ Twilights face instantly lit up and she flipped through the pages of the book, looking for a clue. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp.
“The Elements have been here the whole time!” Twilight exclaimed. She turned to her friends.
“I told you we could do it!” She said with a large grin. Everyone gave looks of disinterest and did there own thing. Twilights ears flattened in dissapointment.
“Nobody cares.” Spike said bluntly.
“I never thought it would happen. My friends... have turned into complete JERKS!” Twilight shouted angrily. She pulled out the Elements and marched over to everyone.
“Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! And... big crown thingy!” She shouted as she put the Elements on everyone. Twilight looked at the final Element that was in her hooves. She levitated Spike and put it on him.
“There, you’re the new Rainbow Dash!” Twilight exclaimed in anger. Spike looked down at the Element that was around his neck.
“This is stupid.” Spike said.
“Let's go defeat Discord so we don't ever have to talk to each other again!” Twilight shouted. Everyone walked outside except for Rarity and Twilight.
“Here comes Tom!” Twilight exclaimed. She levitated Tom out of her balcony and it crashed on the ground. Discord appeared a few feet away from the library.
“Well, well, well, I see you've found the Elements of Harmony. How terrifying!” He said sarcastically.
“I figured out your stupid riddle. You’re in for it now!” Twilight said, just wanting to get over with it. Discord giggled.
“I certainly am. You've clearly out-dueled me, and now it's time to meet my fate. I'm prepared to be defeated now, ladies. Fire when ready.” Discord said as he put on sunglasses and a giant target on himself.
“Formation now!” Twilight exclaimed. Everyone rolled there eyes and slowly walked over next to Twilight.
“Alright, let’s get this over with!” Twilight shouted. She closed her eyes and strained her body, causing the Elements to glow. All of the mares floated off of the ground. Discord tilted down his glasses in surprise. Was this actually going to work?! Suddenly, the glowing came to an abrupt halt and they all landed on the ground with a thud.
“What’s going on?” Twilght asked. Applejack poked at her Element.
“Mines fine, there must be something wrong with yours.” She said.
“I hate the Elements of Harmony!” Pinkie said while crossing her arms.
“Hmph, garbage.” Fluttershy said as she tossed her Element to the ground. Rarity rushed over to it and grabbed it.
“Mine!” She shouted greedily.
“Bravo, ponies, bravo! Harmony in Equestria is officially dead. Discord rules, Celestia drools.” Discord said while skating away on the soapy roads.
“It's your fault it didn't work.” Pinkie said, looking directly at the audience.
“Who are you talking to?” Twilight asked. Pinkie looked around.
“Any of you! ALL OF YOU! I'm outta here!” She said as she grumpily hopped away.
“I better go, too. I've got new betterfriends waiting for me at the farm.” Applejack said while walking away. Rarity pushed her boulder away.
“Yeah! I'm sick of you losers.” Fluttershy said while flying away.
“FINE! Leave! See if I care! I don't need you guys either! With friends like you, who needs...enemies...?” Twilight said. Her ears flattened as she realized that all of her friends were gone. Tears welled up in her eyes. Spike snickered, causing Twilight to look at him.
“Why are you still here? Don’t you want to insult me one last time before you leave?” Twilight asked.
“I’m just here for your misery.” Spike stated. Twilight stared at the ground for a few moments. Tears fell from her eyes and her legs started to shake. She collasped on the ground and broke down into a fit of sobs. Spike stared at her as she cried. He wanted to laugh but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to. It felt as if he should do something like comfort her. Spike felt a warm feeling coming to his heart as the color slowly returned to him. He closed his eyes and shook his head before letting out a small gasp.
“Twilight!” Spike exclaimed.
“Go away.” Twilight said as she continued to cry. Spike walked over to her and grabbed Twilight by the cheeks, forcing her to look at him.
“Twilight this isn’t your fault and your friends don’t hate you. Discord had something to do with this.” Spike said. Twilight pulled away from his grasp and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick to make me cry again?” Twilight asked.
“Discord corrupted me into hating you. You know I could never hate you.” Spike said with a soft smile. Twilight hugged Spike tightly.
“Thanks Spike.” Twilight said softly.
“No problem.” Spike answered while pulling away from the hug.
“I think I have the solution to fix our friends.” Spike said. Twilight tilted her head.
“Oh, what is it?” She asked. Spike ran into the library and came back out with a book. He handed it to Twilight.
“I remember finding that book on memory spells when we were cleaning up the library.” Spike said. Twilight flipped through the pages.
“This might actually work!”
Spike and Twilight approuched the barn in Sweet Apple Acres to see Applejack. Twilight approached her and stomped her hoof on the ground.
“Applejack, I'm here to fight for our friendship.” Twilight said. Applejack scoffed.
“Oh, now you want to fight. Where you went when I was battlin' Discord?” Applejack asked, rolling her eyes.
“You’re not a liar!” Twilight exclaimed. Her horn started to glow and Applejacks eyes widened. Her body slowly started to regain her color.
“Wh-what happened? Twilight! I saw a vision of us feudin' and fightin'. I couldn't face the truth, so I started tellin' lies. Can you ever forgive me?” Applejack asked. Twilight hugged her.
“I already have. Let’s go!” Twilight shouted as she ran off.
Spike kicked open the door to Fluttershys cottage, causing her to jump slightly.
“Ugh what do you loser want?” She asked bitterly.
“Fluttershy, you’re not mean, you’re one of the nicest ponies I know.” Twilight said. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and started to fly away.
“Whatever, I’m out of here.” She said. Applejack pulled her rope out from under her hat and lasso it around her hind leg. She pulled Fluttershy down with ease and tight her legs together. Twilight put her horn inches from Fluttershys face. The color returned to her and she blinked her eyes.
“Oh I just had the worst dream.” Fluttershy said. Twilight and Applejack smiled. Now off to Rarity.
They all walked into the boutique, only to see Rarity making out with a rock. Her head snapped around when she saw everyone staring at her. She let out a hiss.
“Stay away from my precious diamond!” She hissed out. Twilight rolled her eyes and walked up to Rarity.
“What are you doing get awa-!” Rarity was cut off as the spell took affect on her. She got up and fixed her mane. She levitated the rock out of her house and let it fall on the ground with a loud boom. She turned to her friends with a large blush.
“We will never speak of this again.”
They walked into Sugarcube Corner to see Pinkie pie stuffing her face with cake. This was going to be easy. Twilight walked over to Pinkie and did the spell. Pinkie pie broke out into a wide grin and giggled. She hopped in happily.
“I turned gray! Can you believe it?” She said with a giggle.
They all approached a large cloud house, looking for Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy flew up and looked through a window.
“She’s not here.” Fluttershy said. Everyone let out a gasp.
“Great, she could be anywhere by now!” Applejack exclaimed.
“Isn’t she right there?” Pinkie asked while pointing at a cloud. Rainbow dash laid lazily on the cloud.
“Rainbow dash!” Twilight shouted. Rainbow kept her back turned from them.
“Hey guys.” She said, waving her hoof lazily.
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Twilight said.
“That’s nice.” Rainbow dash said, obviously not caring.
“Discord is still on the loose. We need the Element of Loyalty to defeat him!” Twilight said.
“Pfft. Loyalty, schmoyalty! Have you guys seen Ponyville? It's a disaster! I'm staying here in Cloudsdale where everything's awesome!” Rainbow dash said.
“How in Equestria does she think that tiny cloud is Cloudsdale?” Rarity asked.
“The same way you thought that boulder was a diamond.” Spike said with a smirk. Rarity glared at him.
“I thought we agreed to never speak of that.” She said with a large blush on her face.
“Time for plan B.” Twilght said.
They rode in a hot air balloon, next to the cloud Rainbow was sleeping on.
“Okay, Fluttershy, you grab Rainbow Dash and hold her down. Applejack will lower me down from this rope so I can cast the memory spell on her.” Twilight whispered, making sure Rainbow Dash didn’t hear. Applejack sat on top of the balloon, holding a rope in her hooves. Fluttershy nodded her head.
“Got it.” She said. She flew up to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow dash opened one eye.
“Um, do you mind if I hold you down for your will for a little bit?” Fluttershy asked softly. Spike facepalmed.
“Nice try, Ponyvilles your promblem, not mine!” Rainbow exclaimed as she flew off. Twilight lowered the rope in front of Fluttershy.
“Come on, Fluttershy, we've got to catch her. Hyah!” Twilight shouted as she tugged on the rope. Fluttershy started to fly as fast as she could, chasing after Rainbow dash. Suddenly, Rainbow dash started to do unexpected twist and turns.
“Applejack!” Twilight shouted as she tossed up a rope to Applejack. Applejack tied the rope into a lasso and it around as Rainbow dash got closer. The rope wrapped around Rainbow, causing her to look in confusion. She started to fly faster, causing the need of the rope to wrap around Rarity’s and Pinkies hind leg. They both screamed as the got pulled out of the balloon and dragged along with Rainbow. Rainbow started to slow down because of the extra weight.
“Oh, Fluttershy, would you be a dear and FLY FASTER, please?” Rarity shouted in fear. Fluttershy started to whimper and tears fell down her cheeks.
“I can’t.” She cried out softly. Spike leaned over the edge.
“If you can't catch her, Discord wins!” Spike shouted. Fluttershys eyes widened and she gritted her teeth.
“That big... dumb... MEANIE!” Fluttershy shouted. With all over her power, she sped up, inches behind Rainbow dash.
“Okay Applejack last rope, make it count!” Twilight shouted while tossing the last rope up. Applejack swung one end of the rope and it tightend around Rainbows stomach. Everybody smiled at there success and Fluttershy slowly lowered them to the ground. Everybody got out of the balloon and Applejack tightend the rope around her wings. Rainbow bucked her rear legs, attempting to escape.
“Lemme go! I don't need you guys! Leave me alone!” Rainbow shouted. Twilight walked over to her and place her horn on her head, doing the spell. Rainbow dash closed her eyes before opening them and looking around.
“How's Ponyville? Where are the Elements?! Did we stop Discord?” Rainbow asked in concern. Everyone smiled and pulled into a group hug, relieved that everyone was back to normal. A stampede of long legged rabbits ran past.
“Maybe it’s a little bit early for a group hug.” Spike said.
Discord sat on a throne in a middle of town, onlooking all of the chaos.
“Chaos is a wonderful thing.” Discord said cheerfully.
“Not as wonderful as friendship.” Twilight said, approaching his throne.
“Oh this again.” He said with a groan, rubbing his temples.
“Oh, Applejack. Don't lie to me. I'm the one who made you a liar. Will you ever learn? ” Discord said, using his magic to pull her closer to him. Twilight turned around to see all of her friends were also being dragged towards him. Twilight gritted her teeth and teleported between her friends. She summoned a magic bubble to surround them and put them back on the ground. Discord let out a yawn of disinterest.
“I'll tell you what we've learned, Discord: we've learned that friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike clapped his hands at the speech in the background. Discord let out a yawn.
“Ugh, gag. Fine, go ahead. Try and use your little Elements. Friend me. Just make it quick. I'm missing some excellent chaos here.” Discord said while sipping on a drink.
“Alright ladies, let’s show him what friendship can do!” Twilight exclaimed as her horn started to glow. They all levitated off of the ground as a bright light surrounded them. A rainbow wrapped around Discord, causing his eyes to widen.
“Huh. What's this? No. NO!!!” Discord screamed as he was being turned back into stone. First his legs, then his body, then his wings, then his arms. Lastly his face, which was left in a screaming state. His statue fell on the ground with a soft ‘clink’. A large bubble surrounded Ponyville and with a bright light, everything was back to normal.
”Whoa.” Spike whispered.
Spike stood in the throne room with Celestia with trumpets playing. Hundreds of ponies stood in the room for the celebration of the main six. The doors opened, and all of the mare walked in. They all wore there Elements. They walked down the large red carpet and up a small set of stairs to face the Princess.
“We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos.” Celestia said happily. Everybody hollered and cheered at this achivement. Celestia used her magic to drape a curtain aside to reveal a window.
The window had Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie pie defeating Discord.
Spike slowly opened his eyes. He felt dizzy and his limbs felt weak. He slowly sat up and looked around. The sun was barely up and Twilight wasn’t in her bed. For some reason he still felt tired even though he got over eight hours of sleep. He felt freezing cold.
He got out of his bed and stumbled slightly. It felt like he was carrying the weight of the world his shoulders. He walked down the stairs with shaky legs. He made it to the bottom of the stairs and weakly turned his head to look for Twilight. Twilight sat at her desk reading a book.
”Twilight...” Spike called out, but it came out horsley. Spike slowly walked over to Twilight, shaking with each step. He finally made it over to Twilight which felt like an eternity. He put his hand on Twilights leg, making her turn around.
“Oh you’re up. I’ve never seen you sleep so long.” Twilight said with a smile. Her smiled turned into a frown when she gave him a closer look.
“Are you feeling okay, you look pale.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head.
“I’m fine.” He said horsley. Twilight put her hoof on his forehead and her eyes widened.
“Spike you’re burning up!” Twilight exclaimed.
“I said I’m fine.” He mumbled out. Twilight shook her head and put Spike on her back.
“No Spike, you need rest.” Twilight said as she walked up the stairs. She placed him in her bed and wrapped a thick blanket around him. He let out a whine of protest. Twilight gave him a soft kiss on the head and handed him Starry.
“I’ll go get you some medicine and tea.” Twilight said as she went downstairs. Spike wanted to follow her but felt to weak to even move. He held Starry in his arms and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know how much time had past when he heard Twilight walking up the stairs. Spike sat up to see Twilight pouring some medicine in a small paper cup.
“Drink up.” Twilight said, putting the cup up to his lips. Spike grimaced and hid his face into the blanket. Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.
“If you don’t take it, you won’t be able to come with me when I go out.” Twilight stated. Spikes eyes widened and he quickly gulped down the bitter tasting medicine. Twilight smiled and gave him tea. After he took a few sips, he put it down on the table next to him.
“Now I know you don’t like sleeping, but you need to get more rest.” Twilight said. Spike was too tired to protest and he laid down. Twilight started to walk away but Spike tugged on her tail.
“Don’t go...” Spike said weakly. Twilight smiled.
“Okay, let me just get some books.” She said as she walked down the stairs. Spike nodded his head and cuddled into the blanket. He let his eyes close and dozed off before Twilight got back.
“Are you ready for the first day of school?” Twilight asked. Spike clung to Twilights leg and shook his head. Twilight put her hoof under Spikes chin and lifted his head so he could meet her gaze.
“I know you’re scared, but I know you can do this. You’re six now and you’ve been braver than ever. Now are you ready?” Twilight asked. Spike smiled nervously and nodded his head.
“Okay, let’s go.” Twilight said as she started to walk inside with Spike trailing behind her. They both walked inside the front office and the mare behind the desk smiled brightly. There was a plaque on her desk that said ‘Bumble Wisp.’
“Hello, how may I help you?” Bumble Wisp asked cheerfully. She had a little southern accent.
“I’m here to drop off Spike for school.” Twilight said while gesturing to Spike, who hid behind her leg. Bumble Wisp smiled brightly.
“Oh we’ve been expecting you. Now aren’t you just the cutest thing?” She said. Spike squeezed closer to Twilight leg.
“He’s a little shy.” Twilight explained. She nodded her head in understanding. Twilight pulled out a piece of paper and handed to the mare.
“Here’s a list of emergency contacts. Please don’t be afraid to call. Spike can have his... episodes at times.” Twilight said. The mare nodded her head and took the paper.
“I understand, now let’s go show you to your class.” Bumble Wisp said. Spike let out a whimper and looked at Twilight.
“It’s okay, I’ll be back to come and get you when school is over, I promise.” Twilight said. She gave Spike a kiss on the head.
Spike gulped nervously and followed Bumble Wisp down the hallway. He stared at the floor as he followed her. Bumble Wisp stopped walking causing him to bump into her leg. He looked up at her, blushing.
“Sorry.” Spike mumble softly. She smiled.
“It’s fine sweetheart. Look we made it to your class.” Bumble Wisp said enthusiastically. Spike let out a shaky breath as he opened the door. A pink unicorn mare who was facing the board turned around when she heard the door open. Bumble Wisp walked inside the room with Spike.
“I’m here to drop off the new student.” She said. The teacher smiled. Spike shakily walked into the room. He felt the eyes off fillies and colts on him.
“My name is Mrs. Dove." She faced the class, touching Spikes shoulder, making him tense up.
“This is Spike, our new student. You can sit right next to Raspberry.” Mrs. Dove said while pointing to an empty seat next to a red unicorn filly. Spike nodded his head and walked to the table. He felt every bodies eyes on him. He heard them whispering stuff like ’is that a dragon?’ and ’what if he tries to eat us?’
Spike sat down next to Rasperberry, who moved her chair away a few inches.
“Now class, it’s time for a pop quiz.” Mrs. Dove said, making the whole class groan. She started to hand out test. She approached Spike.
“You don’t have to take the test if you don’t want too.” She said. Spike felt his classmates staring at him.
“I want to take it.” Spike said softly. Mrs. Dove looked at him in surprise and handed him the test.
“When you’re finished, put you’re test on my desk.” Mrs. Dove said. Spike reached into his back and pulled out a pencil. He looked at the test. It was simple addition and subtraction problems.
Spike answered the questions in less than a minute. He stood up, making everyone stare at him. Spike cowered as he walked to Mrs. Doves desk and put the paper on her desk. She looked at him curiously as he walked back to the table and sat down.
”Theirs no way he could finish the test that quickly in such a short amount of time. He must have guessed every question.” Mrs. Dove thought to herself. She picked up her pen and started to grade the test. Her jaw dropped when she finished grading.
”H-he got everything right!” She thought in disbelief. She looked up at Spike who was reading a book.
”I need to talk to him after class.” Mrs. Dove thought. The minutes ticked by and more children handed in there work. By the time the kid handed in their test, the recess bell rung, making all of the children jump out of there seats and run out the door. Spike slowly got up and trailed behind the class.
“Spike may I please speak with you.” Mrs. Dove said. Spike tensed up and walked over to her desk. He looked at Mrs. Dove with tears in his eyes.
“Don’t cry, you’re not in trouble.” Mrs. Dove said reassuringly. Spike wiped his eyes.
“Spike, how did you finish that test so quickly.” Mrs. Dove asked. Spike shrugged his shoulders.
“It was easy.” He mumbled. Mrs. Dove looked at him in surprise.
“You can go and play now.” Mrs. Dove said. Spike nodded his head and walked out the door. He walked down the long hallway until he reached to large doors.
Spike walked out the doors to reveal a large playground. Ponies of different ages ran around and screamed. Spike covered his ears at the noise. He walked around the playground, looking for a quiet spot to hide. Spike felt like he was suffocating from the noise. It became hard to breath and he started to hyperventilate. He felt a hoof on his shoulder, nearly making him scream. He whipped around to see Mrs. Dove giving him a concerned look.
“Are you okay?” She asked in a sweet tone. At this point Spike was shaking like a leaf. Tears welled up in his eyes he ran inside the school. He ran down the hallway, looking for a quiet spot but it seemed everywhere he went, it just go louder. He opened a random door and ran into the room, shutting the door behind him. He looked around to see that he was in a dimly lit janitors closet. He sat on the floor and clutched onto his ears. Spike could hear his heart pounding loudly.
“Just breath like Twilight taught you. In and out. In and out.” Spike thought to himself. He continued doing this for a few minutes until his breathing calmed down. The lunch bell rung, making Spike jump and his breath quicken.
“In and out.” Spike whispered to himself, trying to breath normally. He laid on the floor, tears streaming down his face.
”I want Twilight.” Spike thought to himself as sobbed loudly. He wanted to yell for her, but it was useless. Another bell rang making him scream. He sobbed louder as he heard the loud sounds of ponies walking and talking down the hallway. It seem like the noise was going to go on forever, but luckily it stopped. Finally, the sound of silence.
Spikes breathing calmed down but he continued to cry. He felt too emotionally drained to get up and go back to class. The door opened, making him jump back. He turned around to see Velvet standing there. Spike quickly stood up and ran into her arms, letting out a sob.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Velvet said as she rubbed his head. Once he calmed down, he pulled away from the hug.
“Do you want to go home?” Velvet asked softly. Spike nodded his head. Velvet put Spike on her back and made her way to the office. She picked up a pen and signed her name on a sign out sheet before waving goodbye to Bumble Wisp and leaving the school. Velvet walked outside and a fresh breeze.
“I’m sorry for making you leave work...” Spike apologized. Velvet stopped walking
“Spike it wasn’t your fault, I promise. You just got a little overwhelmed. Now let’s go home, Twilight should be there by now.” Velvet said as she continued walking.
Spike stirred awake and looked around. He felt a lot better. He noticed Twilight laying on the bed next to him, reading a book.
“Hey Twilight.” Spike said. His voice sounded a lot better too. Twilight snapped her attention to him and smiled.
“Oh you’re up. You slept all day!” Twilight said. Spike noticed that it was now night time.
“Do you remember that time I went to school and freaked out so I went home early and never went back.” Spike said. Twilight put her book down.
“Oh yeah, remember that. Mom said that she found you in a janitors closet. What made you bring it up?” Twilight asked.
“I just had a dream about that day. I remembered little details like what the room smelled like and all of the questions on the test that I took.” Spike said. Twilight raised her eyebrows.
“It sounds like you’re getting better. That’s good because your birthday is in a few days, and you shouldn’t be sick on your birthday.” Twilight said happily.
Spike bounced in his seat excitedly with a large grin on his face. Twilight giggled at the sight.
“I’ve never seen you this excited before.” Twilight said with a laugh.
“This is my first birthday with new friends!” Spike said, still bouncing. The doorbell rang and Twilight opened the door. Pinkie pie cartwheeled in with a large grin and hugged Spike tightly.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPIKE!” Pinkie yelled. Spike winced at the noise.
“Thanks and please don’t yell.” Spike said.
“Oops I mean happy birthday Spike!” Pinkie said softly.
“The others will be here soon, but first I need to decorate.” Pinkie said. Spike blinked and everything was set up. He and Twilight looked around in confusion.
“How did-“ Twilight got cut off by the doorbell ringing. Twilight opened the door to see all of her friends standing there. Twilight let them in.
“Happy birthday Spike!” They all said happily.
“It’s time to get this party started!” Pinkie shouted as she pulled out a record player. Upbeat music played and the party started.
The party had went on for hours. It was way past noon, and it seemed like the party wouldn’t stop. Spike opened a present from Applejack, sitting in the piles of presents that he had gotten. It was a blanket with apples on it. He hugged her tightly.
“Thanks Applejack.” He said with a smile. Applejack patted him in the head.
“It’s no problem Sugarcube.” Applejack said. Spike pulled away from the hug and rubbed his arm.
“Sorry, I’m just not used to getting so many presents. I usually ask to not that many.” Spike said sheepishly. Pinkie jumped out from under the pile of presents.
“Talking about presents, the Cakes have a special surprise for you at Sugarcube Corner.” Pinkie said with a smile.
“You should go, I’ll clean this stuff up.” Twilight said. Spike gave an uneasy look.
“Are you sure? I can help.” Spike said. Twilight waved her hoof.
“Go out and have fun, you’re still a kid.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head a left the library. Time to go find out what is special surprise was.
Spike entered SugarCube Corner and walked up to the counter. He had to get on his toes to see over it. Mr. and Mrs. Cake walked over to the counter with large grins.
“There's the dragon of the hour! Happy birthday, Spike!” Mr. Cake exclaimed. Mrs. Cake pulled out a cupcake with blue frosting and sapphires sprinkled on top of it.
“When we found out it was your birthday, we couldn't resist trying out a new recipe: sapphire!” Mrs. Cake exclaimed excitedly. Spike stared at the cupcake.
“How much does it cost?” Spike asked. Mr and Mrs. Cake laughed at the question.
“Spike it’s on the house, it is your birthday after all!” Mr. Cake said. Spike gave an uneasy look.
“Are you sure?” He asked.
“Yes we’re sure, just consider it as a present from the both of us.” Mrs. Cake said, pushing the cupcake towards him. When Spike grabbed the cupcake, he felt a small surge of power. He walked out of the store holding the cupcake with both hands. Something was different. Usaully, when the Cakes gave him free food, he would always slip some money into the register. But this time, it felt like he deserved it. It made him feel... powerful. Spikes eyes widened and he shook his head.
“No, I will not let myself get greedy. I just need to keep myself under contro-WHOA!” Spike exclaimed as he fell over. The uneaten cupcake fell out of his hands and landed on the ground with a splat. He looked up to see Cheerilee struggling to pick up her groceries. Spike rushed over to her and helped her.
“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Spike apologized as he handed her a grocery bag.
“It’s okay Spike.” Cheerilee said.
“Twilight told me today was your birthday so I got you something!” Cheerilee said excitedly as she rummaged through the grocery bag. She pulled out a white hat with a red band and a red feather sticking out.
“Sorry that I didn’t wrap it, I just bought it.” She said, handing him the hat. He felt another surge of power hit him when he held it. Spikes stomach dropped.
“It’s okay, you didn’t need to get me anything.” Spike said, trying to give the hat back. Cheerilee scoffed.
“Nonsense, everyone deserves something on there birthday.” Cheerilee said with a smile. She pushed the hat back into his hands and walked away. Spike stared at the hat with shaky hands.
“I don’t need this, I don’t need this, I don’t need this.” Spike repeated to himself as he mindlessly walked around town.
“Hey Spike!” Someone called out making Spike turn around. It was Applebloom with a large grin on her face.
“Oh hey.” Spike said. It appeared that she was hiding something behind her back.
“I heard it was your birthday so I got you something!” Applebloom said, revealing a yellow and blue bouncy ball. Spike slowly reached his hand out to touch the ball. His eyes turned into slits and he grabbed it.
“Thankssss.” Spike said with a little hiss. Appleblooms ears folded and she took a few steps back.
“Are ya feeling okay?” Applebloom asked. Spike blinked and shook his head, snapping himself out of the trance.
“Y-yeah, I just need to get some rest bye!” Spike said as he bolted in the other direction. Once Applebloom was out of sight, he slowed down.
“I can’t believe I lost control again. How could I be so stupid!” Spike spat bitterly at himself. Something shiny caught his eye. He trailed over to it and saw that it was a silver button. Spikes eyes turned to slits again.
”Mine.”
Twilights ears perked up when she heard the front door open. She turned around to see Spike, holding items that towered over his head. She levitated it out of his arms and placed on the floor.
“Where were you? The moon has been up for an hour!” Twilight exclaimed. It wasn’t like him to go out for long periods of time without any feedback whatsoever. Spike let out a chuckle.
“Sorry Twi, I guess I was to busy getting all of these cool presents.” Spike said, gesturing to the pile of items on the floor. Twilight stared at the pile. Some of these made for very wierd birthday presents. There was a hearing aid in there. Twilight let out a sigh.
“I’m just glad you’re safe.” Twilight said while hugging him. Spike yawned.
“I’m going to sleep.” Spike said. Twilight tilted her head. That was odd, he would always stay with her as she read, even if he was tired. It must have just been him trying to get into new habits. He even looked a few inches taller.
“Well aren’t you going to eat your fire ruby? You’ve been saving it for weeks.” Twilight said while handing him the heart shaped gem. His eyes turned to slits for a split second.
“You know what, I’m just going to keep it.” Spike said as he walked up the stairs, staring at the ruby. There was something off about Spike, but Twilight couldn’t figure out what.
Ponies screamed as loud stomping echoes around Ponyville. A loud distant roar, caused animals to flee. Ponies pushed pass a purple unicorn.
“I can get through to him, I know it!” Twilight shouted. A large, 80 foot purple dragon stomped through town eating, stealing, and burning everything in sight. The dragon approached Twilight, who stood in place. Tears streamed down her face.
“Spike I know this isn’t you, please snap out of it the real you would never do this!” Twilight shouted. Spike stared at her before a large, wicked grin spread across his face. He wrapped his claws around the purple unicorn, squeezing her tightly. She let out a strained wheeze as Spike brought her up to his face.
“NO PLEASE DON’T, YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND, I LOVE YOU!” Twilight screamed in terror. And with that, the dragon ate the unicorn in one bite.
Spike sat up in bed, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and tears welled up in his eyes. He looked over to see Twilight still sleeping soundly in her bed. He looked around his bed to see various items surrounding him.
“I can’t let that dream come true.” Spike whispered to himself. His voice was a lot deeper than before. He got out of bed, only to realize that he had grown big enough to be considered a teenage dragon. He picked up the “presents” and brought them downstairs. Spike rummaged through a closet and pulled out a big backpack and a wagon.
Spike made his way to the front door and was about to open it when he paused. He turned around to see his birthday presents laying on the floor. He walked over to them and put them in the wagon.
“I don’t deserve these.” Spike muttered to himself as he left the library. The cold night air chilled his scales. Spike walked to the first house and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a stuffed animal and placed it at the front door. On to the next house.
Spike stood in front of the door of Sweet Apple Acres, holding the blanket and numerous presents Applejack had given him. He placed it on the doorstep. The wagon was completely empty and Spike shrunk back down to his normal size. He turned around to walk away, when he heard something hit the ground. He turned around to see Starry laying on the ground. Spike held his breath. He picked her up.
“I must have accidentally put you in my bag.” Spike said to himself. He stared into Starry’s lifeless doll eyes and looked at the gifts he put on the doorstep.
“I don’t deserve you.” Spike muttered as he stared at the toy. Tears started to slide down his cheeks. He kissed Starry on the head.
“I’ll miss you girl.” Spike whispered as he put her on top of the blanket. He walked away, the wagon creaking behind him. Spike walked in silence, listening to the birds chirp. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Spike was so lost in his thoughts, he almost didn’t realize that he was in front of the library. He opened the door and walked inside. He put the wagon and the bag back into the closet.
Spike made his way upstairs to see Twilight still sleeping peacefully. He looked at his bed to see the fire ruby sitting there. Spike picked it up and walked over to Twilights bed. He slid the ruby next to her and gave her a soft kiss on the head. He walked back downstairs and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs, butter, and milk.
He might as well make himself useful if he wasn’t going back to sleep. He went to the cabinet and pulled out flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. He slipped on his pink apron and got to work.
Spike had been in silence for so long, he almost didn’t hear Twilight walk into the kitchen. She let out a yawn, making him turn around.
“Morning Spike.” Twilight said as she sat down at the table. Spike mumbled a greeting.
“What are you doing up so early?” Twilight asked.
“You know, just making breakfast.” Spike mumbled. Twilight noticed something was off. Spike was usually happy to see her. Now he seemed bland and upset. He also had heavy bags under his eyes. Did he not sleep?
“I noticed that you put your fire ruby in my bed.” Twilight stated.
“I don’t want it anymore, you can have it.” Spike said. Twilight blinked in surprise. Before she could say anything, Spike put a stack of pancakes onto the table. Twilight levitated a few pancakes into her plate and poured some syrup. She took a small bite and her taste buds exploded.
“These are really good.” Twilight complimented. Spike stared at his pancakes.
“Thanks.” He mumbled while picking at his pancake.
“Are you not going to eat?” Twilight asked. Spike pushed his plate away.
“I’m just gonna go lay down for a bit.” Spike said as he got up from the table and walked out of the room. Now something was definitely wrong. Spike never lost his appetite unless he was sick or something bad happened. Since he was sick a few days ago, something had to be wrong.
Twilight stood up from the table and was about to go upstairs,but stopped when she noticed Spike laying in the middle of the library floor. He seemed to be staring at the ceiling. Twilight walked over to him.
“Spike what’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
“There’s nothing wrong, I’m just laying here.” Spike said. Twilight went upstairs to get his comfort item. She looked inside of his bed to see that Starry wasn’t in there. She looked in her bed but Starry wasn’t there either. Twilight walked back down stairs.
“Spike what happened to Starry? You never let her out of your sight.” Twilight said. Spike seemed to stiffen up at the question. Before he could answer, the doorbell rang. Twilight walked over to the door and opened it to see all of her friends with concerned looks.
“Hi girls, what are you doing here so early?” Twilight asked. They walked in, holding very familiar presents.
“We found our dear Spikey Wilkey’s presents on our doorsteps when we woke up.” Rarity said. Twilights eyes widened in shock.
“That’s unlike him, but he had been acting weirdly all morning.” Twilight commented.
“He even gave me back the blanket that he said he loved so much.” Applejack said.
“But I don’t remember giving him this.” Applejack said as she pulled out a dark blue and purple plush bat. Twilight was taken aback.
“Thats Spikes favorite toy, he would never give her up that easily.” Twilight said.
“I think we need to get to the bottom of this.” Rainbow dash said. All mares nodded and walked over to Spike, who was now laying on his face.
“Spike we need to talk.” Twilight said sternly. Spike let out some muffled words that couldn’t be deciphered.
“Why did you give the presents back? If you didn’t like them you could’ve just said so.” Pinkie Pie said. Spike still laid there in silence. Twilight levitated Starry from off of the floor and nudged Spike in the head with her. Spike sat up slightly and his eyes widened. His eyes welled up with tears and he grabbed her as quickly as he could. Twilight sat down next to him.
“Now are you ready to talk?” Twilight asked. Spike sniffled and nodded his head.
“There’s this thing call dragon greed, where when a dragon get too greedy, they start to grow and lose sight in what important. All of the presents you gave me made me too greedy and I started to lose control of myself. I started to steal thing from ponies and then lied and told you they gave them to me. I would have hurt anyone just to get something meaningless. I thought if I gave everything back, I wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Spike explained. Twilights eyes widened and she hugged him tightly.
“Spike I know that would never ever happen to you. You are one of the most selfless people I know and you would never go that far.” Twilight said. Fluttershy walked over.
“Next year we don’t have to give you as many presents so you can still be happy.” She said. Spike nodded.
“I think that for the best.” Spike said. All of his friends walked over to him and pulled him into a group hug. With all of these loving friends, Spike knew he wouldn’t lose control in a long time.
Spike entered the training room to see Celestias smiling face.
“Spike, I’m so glad you could make it!” She exclaimed. Spike smiled.
“Since your birthday was a few days ago, I got you a little something.” Celestia said with a smile. Spikes scales flattened before he shook his head.
”No, I won’t punish myself this time.” Spike thought to himself.
“What is it?” Spike asked. Celestia grinned and pushed a medium sized box over to him. It had beautiful wrapping that said ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ and a neat golden bow on the top.
“Open it.” Celestia said, bouncing slightly. Spike tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a cardboard box. He opened the box and his eyes widened. It was his very own sword, shield, and armor. Spike looked up at Celestia with a wide grin. He ran up to her and hugged her.
“This is the best present ever!” Spike exclaimed. Celestia chuckled.
“Go put it on, practice will begin soon.” Celestia said with a smile. Spike nodded his head and carried the box out to his room.
Spike walked into the room he was staying in and closed the door behind him. He pulled out the top. It was golden to match the royal gaurds and a small green flame on the front. He slipped it over his head. It had holes in the back so his spines poked out. Next he pulled out small golden shoes. They were different from the royal gaurds shoes, probably because they were made for hooves while Spikes was made for feet. Two sleeve like cuffs were pulled out of the box. They had small purple gems embedded in them.
He slipped them on and pulled out a helmet. Just like the royal guard helmets, it had a hole at the top for hair to go through. Or in his case, scales. He slid it on his head. Spike looked in the box and saw a sword holder with a leather strap. He placed it over his armor. A large metal shield sat at the bottoms of the box. Spike placed the shield next to him and looked in the box. Lastly he pulled out a sword. It was slightly longer than the one he practiced with. It was metal with a golden handle. There was a piece of paper stuck to the sword.
“This sword is fire proof and the shield is magic proof.” Spike read out loud. He slipped it into the holder and looked in the mirror.
“Lookin good.” Spike said with finger guns and a wink. He picked up the shield, opened the door, and made his way back to the training room. Spike opened the door to reveal Luna talking to Celestia.
“Ah, I see that you’re ready to lose.” Lina said with a smirk. Spike glared at her. Celestia moved over to the side of the room. Spike walked in front of Luna and looked her in the eyes.
“One, two, three start!” Celestia exclaimed. Spike pulled out his sword out of his holder and swung at Luna. Luna jumped back and let out a blast of magic. Spike blocked it with his shield. He launched himself at Luna and kicked her in the face. She stumbled back and blinked in surprise. She snarled in anger.
Luna flew a few feet into the air and her horn started to glow a light blue. Spike jumped up and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain and fall onto the floor. She quickly stood up and charged at Spike.
Spike spun around and swept his feet under her hooves. Luna stumbled backwards. She kicked Spike in the side causing him to slide back. Before he could attack, Luna pinned him to the ground with a smirk.
“You almost beat me this time.” Luna said happily. If it weren’t for Luna’s genuine smile, he would have been bitter about his defeat. Luna put out her hoof to help him up. Spike took her hoof and stood up, patting his armor. The doors burst open, causing everyone to jump and turned around. A royal guard stood there, out of breath and covered in cake.
“Princess there’s an emergency in the kitchen!” The guard exclaimed. Celestia looked at Luna and Spike.
“Keep training, I will be back shortly.” Tia said as she followed the guard out of the room. The door closed behind them with a soft click. Spike smacked his lips.
“Before we start, I’m gonna get some water.” Spike said as he walked over to his bag. He pulled out a water bottle and Starry fell out with a soft plop. He took a few gulps of water before putting it back in his bag. Spike stood up with a little bounce.
“Are you ready? I can totally beat you this time.” Spike exclaimed with stars in his eyes. Luna stared at Starry with a confused expression.
“Spike is that my doll?” Luna asked. Spike looked back at Starry.
“No, she’s mine, Tia gave her to me.” Spike stated.
“Sister gave her to me for my fiftieth birthday so she is mine!” Luna exclaimed. Spike put his hands on his hips.
“Well Tia gave her to me when I first got to Equestria!” Spike said. Luna stomped her hoof on the ground.
“I-I’ve been gone for a thousand years, so I deserve her more!” Luna said. Spike rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
“Oh real mature, take a toy from a child, I applaud you.” Spike said while clapping sarcastically. Luna stomped both of her hooves on the ground, causing it to crack.
“I challenge you to a duel. Whoever wins gets Starry!” Luna exclaimed. Spikes scales flattened. If he lost then he wouldn’t be able to keep Starry, but if he said no Luna would keep bugging him about it.
“You’re on!” Spike exclaimed. He picked up his sword and shield and stood across from Luna.
“One, two, three, go!” Luna exclaimed. Spike quickly sprang into action and charged a Luna. He swung the sword at her chest and she took a few steps back. Luna’s horn started to glow and a large beam of magic shot out. Spike stopped it with his shield and the magic bounced off. The magic beam shattered a nearby window. Neither of them stopped and they both continued fighting.
Luna flew a few feet into the air before teleporting away. Spikes ears perked up, listening to any sound. He heard soft hoof steps behind him. He whipped around and hit Luna with his shield. She tumbled back and let another beam shoot from her horn.
Spike barrel rolled across the floor and the beam made a hole in the door. Luna charged at him, causing Spike to flip back and kick her in the face. Luna stumbled back before letting out a snarl. She kicked Spike in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He collasped on the ground and caught his breath. Did he lose? He could see Luna smile and she made her way over to Starry. He felt anger course through his veins.
Spike stood up and let out a large gust of fire, causing his sword to light up. He ran towards Luna, causing her to turn around. Her pupils turned to the size of needles before he jumped, raised the sword over himself and striking Luna in the head. Spike landed on the ground, catching his breath. Luna stood up with shaky legs and looked at Spike. A part of her mane had been chopped off and there was no way to cover that up. There was also a long cut on her scalp, luckily it wasn’t deep enough to do any permanent damage.
“Congratulations, you finally beat me.” Luna said with a weak smile. Spike broke out into a wide grin.
“I won!” Spike exclaimed excitedly.
“WHAT IN EQUESTRIA HAPPENED HERE?!” Celestia shouted, standing in the doorway. There was a broken window, the floor was cracked, and there was a hole in the door.
Spike and Twilight walked into a ditch to see Rainbow dash, Applejack, and Pinkie pie wearing camouflage.
“Have any dragons passed yet?” Twilight asked in a whisper.
“Not one.” Applejack responded. Rainbow dash banged her hoof on the ground.
“Shoot! You don't think we missed them, do you?” She asked disappointedly. Twilight shook her head.
“No, I don't think so. We're just a little early, and I'm glad we are. This way, we can watch every moment of the migration without bringing any unwanted attention to ourselves!” Twilight said. A burst of glitter came from behind them and a red carpet rolled into the ditches. Trumpets played as Rarity sashayed into the ditch wearing a pink dress with brown and green splotches on it.
“What do you think? Am I the toast of the trench or what?” Rarity asked while posing so everybody can get a look.
“You'll be toast alright, when the dragons see you parading around in that getup.” Applejack said. Pinkie pie hopped over to Spike and put her arm over his shoulders, not respecting his personal space at all.
“Talking about dragons, where are you from anyway? Twilight told me that you moved in with her when you were five, so you had to live somewhere!” Pinkie exclaimed. Spikes scales flattened and his eyes darted around. As if Celestia could hear his thoughts, a distraction appeared.
“Look the migration is starting!” Spike exclaimed while pointing to the sky. Hundreds of dragons flew past, doing little tricks and trying to playfully knock each other out of the sky. All of the ponies ‘oooed’ and ‘aaahed’ at the sight. Spike stared at the dragons lost in his thoughts.
”They all look so happy together. Friends and family. Having fun and spending time with each other. Do any of them know that at any moment they could lose each other? Will they see each other again? Will I ever see my family again?” Spike thought to himself. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice tears falling down his cheeks.
“Spike isn’t this amazing?!” Twilight asked in excitement. When she got no response, she turned to look at him. Twilight gave a look of shock when she saw that he was crying. She rushed over to him.
“Spike are you okay?” Twilight asked. Spike snapped out of his trance and blinked a few times. He saw all of his friends staring at him in concern.
“I’m fine I just need to go clear my head.” Spike said before running out of the ditch. Twilight was about to go after him, but was stopped by Applejack.
“Give him his space. He needs time for himself.” Applejack said. Twilight gave her an uneasy look before nodding.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Twilight said with a sigh before sitting back down and watching the migration.
Spike walked through the Everfree Forest, wiping the tears from his eyes and kicking a rock.
“Why did I have to start crying and ruin the whole thing? I’m such an idiot!” Spike exclaimed angrily while kicking the rock against a tree. The rock bounced off of the tree and back in front of him. He let out a sigh and continued to kick the rock.
Spike stared at the ground as thoughts flooded through his head. Mainly about family and mortality. From the side of his eye, Spike saw something glowing a yellowish orange from a nearby bush. It looked like it was a fire. He rushed over, not wanting for the forest to burn down. He came to a halt when instead of a fire, he saw an egg.
“A phoenix egg?” Spike questioned. He touched it to feel that it was still warm. He picked it up and looked around to see if there were any nearby phoenix nest. When he didn’t find any, he looked back down at the egg.
“I’ll help you find your family little guy.” Spike said to the egg. He walked around, looking for any signs of phoenix or phoenix nest but found nothing. A dragon must have dropped it during the migration. He almost forgot that dragons eat eggs. He looked back down at the egg.
“I guess I’m taking you home with me.” Spike said as he made his way back to the library.
Spike opened the door to the library and walked inside.
“Twilight I’m back!” Spike exclaimed. When there was no response, he closed the door behind him. She must have still been out with her friends. Spike carefully placed the egg on a table and searched around for warm items. He walked over to the supply closet and pulled out a small blanket. He walked over to the egg and wrapped the blanket around it. He stared at the egg for a few moments.
“That’s not enough.” Spike said before walking into the kitchen. He picked up the kettle that was filled with water and let a small flame hit the bottom. The water immediately started to boil. Spike took out a mug and poured the water in it. He put the kettle down and walked back into the room.
Spike place the hot mug next to the egg. He walked away and grabbed a few books to read. He sat down at the table and started to read. He had to do something while waiting for the egg to hatch.
Twilight walked into the library and looked to see Spike reading a book.
“I was hoping that you were here.” Twilight said, making Spike look up.
“Hey Twilight, how was the rest of the migration?” Spike asked. Twilight smiled.
“It was great, after the migration, we went to get something to eat.” Twilight said happily. She placed a bag next to Spike. It smelled wonderful, making his stomach growl.
“I brought you back something.” Twilight said with a smile. Spike smiled back.
“When you’re done eating, go to bed, you don’t want to be tired in the morning.” Twilight said, giving him a kiss on the head. He nodded his head as Twilight walked up to her bed. Spike pulled out a container of food to reveal steamed carrots, broccoli, and squash. He licked his lips and pulled a fork out of the bag and started to eat. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. Within five minutes, the food was gone.
Spike stood up and threw away the container in a nearby garbage can. He looked at the egg and rubbed the top of it before going upstairs. Twilight was laying on her bed, reading a book. Spike laid down in his bed and cuddled into Starry, pulling the blanket over himself.
“Night Twi.” Spike said as he closed his eyes.
“Goodnight Spike.” Twilight said as she continued reading. Spike drifted of to sleep and let out a soft snore. Once he fell asleep, Twilight let herself go into deep thought.
”I wonder why Spike started crying? Is he hurt? Where did he go when he ran off? Why was he so hesitant to talk about where he came from? Why did- Twilights thoughts got cut off when she heard Spike whimper.
“He must be having another nightmare.” Twilight said. She got out of bed to wake him up. She raised her hoof to tap him awake.
”Mom...” Spike muttered, making Twilight jerk her hoof back. He never mentioned his parents before or talked about them in his sleep. It wouldn’t hurt to listen for a few more seconds.
“Mom no...” Spike whimpered as tears started to fall down his cheeks and he quivered in fear. Twilights eyes widened and she quickly shook him a little. Spike sat up straight, clutching onto his chest and hyperventilating. Tears spilled down his cheeks. Twilight levitated him into her arms and hugged him tightly. Spike relaxed in her arms and hugged back.
“Feeling okay?” Twilight asked. Spike nodded his head and let his eyes close. Twilight got on her bed and laid both of them down. Soon, they both fell into a peaceful sleep.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes and looked around to see that Spike wasn’t next to her. He wasn’t in his bed either. She groggily got out of bed and walked down stairs. She heard Spike laughing and a bird chirping. Twilight looked in surprise when she saw Spike feeding a phoenix chick. He turned around when he heard the floor creak behind him.
“Oh morning, did I wake you up?” Spike asked. Twilight shook her head.
“Where did you get a phoenix chick?” Twilight asked while pointing to the chick that was now eating berries out of his hands.
“I forgot to tell you that I found a pheonix egg yesterday! He hatched over night.” Spike said with a large grin. Twilight smiled at his excitement.
“What’s his name?” She asked.
“I’ve been thinking about naming him Peewee.” Spike said while rubbing his fingers against Peewees head. Twilight walked over to Spike and sat down next to him.
“Why did you start crying yesterday?” Twilight asked in a soft tone. Spikes scales flattened and he looked down at the floor.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to I was just-“ “I miss my family.” Spike said, cutting Twilight off. Twilight was taken aback by his direct approach.
“I just wanna see my family again.” Spike said in a softer tone. Twilight felt a pang in her heart.
“What happened to them?” Twilight asked. Spike let out a sigh.
“When I was five, my mom took me out to go hunting because I was to afraid to eat meat. We were in a big empty field, waiting for something to come by. Mom told me to stay close to her but I didn’t listen.” Spike said. Twilight listened intently.
“I wandered off and didn’t hear my mom calling me. She was trying to warn me about the roc. When it got to me, it was too late. The roc picked me up and flew away. I could hear my mom scream my name. I looked through the claws of the roc and saw her flying after me. Before she could reach me, I saw her get struck by lighting. She fell to the ground and she died!” Spike cried into his hands, not being able to finish his story. Twilight hugged Spike tightly, petting his head. He sniffles into her fur.
“The worst part about this is that the day replays every time I go to sleep. Sometimes I wish I was the one who died.” Spike said. Twilight gasped.
“Spike don’t ever say that. It wasn’t your fault for what happened.” Twilight said. Peewee hopped off of the table and onto Spikes head, rubbing his head against his scales. It was as if Pewee was trying to comfort him.
“It feels good to tell that to someone.” Spike said. Twilight gave him a sympathetic smile.
Spike, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie pie, Rainbow dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy sat on a picinic blanket. Peewee laid in Spikes lap, wearing a red vest that said ‘Service Animal in Training’.
“It is gorgeous out. Just gorgeous!” Rarity said as she looked at a few butterflies flying past. Everybody nodded their heads in agreement. Spike let out a belch and two letters fell on the ground. Peewee hopped out of his lap and pulled on one of the letters, trying to give it to Spike. Twilight giggled and levitated the letter from his beak. She started to read out loud.
“Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot. Wedding? I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music.” Twilight read out. Fluttershy gasped.
“What an honor!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception.” She continued to read.
“Hip, hip, hooray!” Pinkie shouted, doing a cartwheel into the cake.
“Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception.”
“Well, color me pleased as punch!” Applejack said while tilting her hat forwards.
“Rainbow Dash–” Before Twilight could finish reading, she let out a loud yawn.
“...I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their "I do"'s.”
“YES!” Rainbow dash shouted as she shot up into the air.
“Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.”
“Princess Celestia wants me to design a wedding dress?!” Rarity said in disbelief. She let out sputters as she rocked back in forth, getting ready to faint. Fluttershy tried to catch her, but she fell to the ground with a large grin on her face.
“Spike, you will be in charge of the bachelors party.”
“Sweet!” Spike said happily.
“And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia.” Twilight finishes reading. She tilted her head and looked at the back of the paper.
“Who’s getting married?” Twilight asked. She levitated the other letter and started to read.
“Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and...” Twilight let out a gasp.
“My brother?!” She exclaimed in shock. Spike eyes widened in surprise. Applejack walked over to Twilight and put her hoof on her shoulder.
“Congratulations Twilight, That’s great news!” Applejack said happily. Twilight scowled.
“Yeah, great news. That I just got from a wedding invitation! Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor. I mean, really, he couldn't tell me personally?” Twilight exclaimed angrily. She levitated a sandwich and moved the bread slices around as if it were talking.
“Hey, Twilight, just thought you should know I'm making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, never mind, you'll hear about it when you get the invitation.” She said, mimicking Shining Armor voice. She let the sandwich drop to the grass.
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Who in the hoof is that?!” Twilight said with a snort. Everyone except for Spike took a few steps back at her outburst.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight let out a sigh.
“Sorry, it's just that Shining Armor and I have always been so close. He's my B.B.B.F.F!” Twilight said. Everyone tilted their head in confusion.
“Big brother best friend forever.” Spike stated.
“Oooh.” Everyone said.
“Well Twi, we’ll be there every step of the way.” Applejack said comfortingly. Twilight sighed.
“We should get going. I want to me this Princess Mi Amore Candenze.” Twilight said bitterly before marching off. Spike started to follow her and Peewee hopped after Spike.
They sat on the train on the way to Canterlot, chatting happily. Twilight pouted out the window.
“Why the long face, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, sitting across from Spike, Peewee, and Twilight
“I'm just thinking about Shining Armor. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, we've been seeing each other less and less. And now that he's starting a new family with this "Princess Mi Amore Ca-whatshername", we'll probably never see each other.” Twilight said sadly.
“Shining Armor cares about you too much to just abandon you like that, he’ll make time for you.” Spike said. Twilight let out a sigh.
“He didn’t make enough time to invite me to his wedding.” Twilight said grumpily. The approached Canterlot, which was surrounded by a giant pink bubble and royal guards stood at every corner.
“We’re here, we’re here!” Pinkie shouted excitedly while bouncing up and down.
“Whoa, what's with all the guards?” Rainbow dash asked in confusion. Rarity scoffed.
“Well there’s a royal wedding so obviously they hired extra security.” Rarity said in a matter of fact tone. They walked past the royal guards and into town.
“Now, let's get going! We've got work to do!” Rarity said as she made her way into the castle.
“And you have a brother to congratulate.” Applejack said, giving Twilight a nudge. Twilight looked around until she saw her brother standing at the part of the castle, ording guards to do things. She marched over towards him.
“I've got something to say to you, mister.” Twilight said sternly. The guards pointing their spears at her and Spike stood in front of Twilight, making sure she didn’t get hurt. Shining Armor smiled and pulled off his helmet.
“Twily!” Shining Armor said happily, making the guards out there spears down. He started to walk down the stairs to approach her.
“I missed you kid. How was the train ride? I-“ “How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married! I'm your sister, for pony's sake!” Twilight scolded, cutting him off. Shining Armor frowned.
“It's not my fault! Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security. Didn't you see all the guards at the train station?” He asked. Twilight rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, there’s a big wedding coming up, haven’t you heard.” Twilight said bitterly, avoiding eye contact.
“It has nothing to do with the wedding. A threat has been made against Canterlot. We don't know who's responsible for it, but Princess Celestia asked that I help provide additional protection. This, you need to see.” Shining Armor said as he took a few steps back. A beam of magic shot out of his horn and onto the top of the bubble, before coming back down and hitting his horn. He let out a groan and rubbed his head.
“The burden of keeping Canterlot safe and secure rests squarely on my shoulders. Staying focused on the task at hand has been my top priority.” Shining Armor said as he walked up the stairs and gestures towards all the guards standing there. The walked to the top of a bridge to watch the guards march in perfect lines.
“Okay, okay, I get it. You've got a really important job protecting all of Canterlot with a force field only you can conjure up. But still... how could you not tell me about something as big as your wedding? Am I not that important to you any more?” Twilight said sadly. Shining Armor smiled.
“Hey. You're my little sister. Of course you're important to me. But I'd understand if you didn't want to be my best mare now.” Shining Armor said with a smirk.
“Me, your best mare? I would love that!” Twilight exclaimed happily before going back into a frown.
“But I'm still pretty ticked you're marrying somepony I don't even know! When did you even meet this "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza"?” Twilight asked. Shining Armor chuckled.
“You tell me. She was your foalsitter.” He said. Twilights brows furrowed.
“But I’ve only had one foalsitter and that was...” Twilights eyes widened in realization.
“You’re marrying Cadance?!” Twilight exclaimed with a large grin. Spike smiled.
“Wow, I didn’t even think you’d build up the courage to asked her on a date.” Spike said. Shining Armor glared at him before facing Twilight again.
“You’re marrying Cadance, you’re marrying Cadance.” Twilight shouted in a sing song voice while hopping around. Cadance walked up behind Twilight with a scowl. Spikes scales flattened. She would never give that look to Twilight.
“I hope I’m not interrupting something.” Cadance said as she walked up from behind. Twilight turned around with a large grin.
“Cadance! Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Twilight said, doing the little dance that they always did together.
“What are you doing?” Cadance asked in disgust.
“Cadance, it's me, Twilight!” She said happily. Cadance looked at Shining Armor and started to walk towards him.
“Yeah uh huh.” She said, not paying attention. Shining Armor wrapped her hoof around her shoulder. Cadance put on a fake smile that Spike could see right through.
“I've gotta get back to my station, but Cadance will be checking in with all of you to see how things are going. I think I speak for both of us when I say we couldn't be more excited to have you here. Right, dear?” Shining Armor said while looking at his fiancé.
“Absolutely.” She said as they both walked into the building. Once they were out of earshot Spike started to speak.
“Something is off, Cadance it never like that.” Spike stated.
“Maybe she’s just nervous for the wedding.” Twilight suggested. Spike shook his head.
“I’m gonna find out what up.” Spike said while walking in the direction of Cadance. Peewee hopped after him with his short legs.
Spike stood next to the bakery, standing on a wooden crate to peek through a window. Peewee sat on his head to look inside. Princess Cadance walked in the bakery with the look of disgust on her face.
“Hiya, Princess!” Applejack said with a smile and a wave.
“Please, call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” She said with a sickingly sweet smile.
“Hiya Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You come to check out what's on the menu for your big day?“ Applejack asked nicely.
“I have!” She said, her eyes flashing green for a split second. Spike gasped and wrote that down in his notebook. Cadance took a bite of a fritter.
“Delicious! I love-love-love them.” She said, obviously trying not to gag. Applejack smiled.
“Aw, shucks. Why don't you take a few to go? I know how you brides can be. So busy, you forget to get a little somethin' in your belly.” Applejack said while handing her a paper bag. Cadance smiled and walked out the door. Her face turned into a scowl. She tossed the bag out in the trash and went into the town. Spike hopped off of the crate and went to follow her.
Spike sat on Rarity’s bed, listening to Cadance and Rarity speak. It wasn’t exactly spying, but it was the best he could get.
“Your highness! Let me just start by saying what an honor it is to play a role in such a momentous occasion.” Rarity said with a nervous laugh. Cadance rolled her eyes.
“Uh-huh. Is my dress ready?” She asked, not noting Rarity’s nervous state.
“Of course your highness, it’s right over there.” Rarity said while pointing to a dress. Cadance made a look of disgust.
“I was hoping for something with more beading and a longer train.” She said. That was not the way Cadance usually speaks. She would use please and thank you’s and be as sweet as possible. Rarity letter out some stammers.
“Oh yes of course.” Rarity said with a little bow. Cadance would never let anyone bow to her.
“And change the color it’s hideous.” She said with a scowl.
“I like the color.” One of the bridemaids commented.
“Me too.” Another one said.
“I think it’s lovely.” The third bridesmaid said. Cadance glared at them, making them cower back. Spike wrote that down.
“Make them a different color.” She said before walking out the room. Spike grabbed Peewee and followed her.
Spike and Peewee stood behind a pillar, listening to Pinkie ramble on about the reception and the activities.
“So isn’t this going to be the best reception party ever!” Pinkie pie exclaimed excitedly.
“Yeah.” Cadance said with a smile.
“If this were for a six year old.” Cadance insulted. Pinkie put her hoof on her heart.
“Aaw, thank you.” She said, not understanding the insult. Spike wrote down more notes. Something was definitely wrong.
Spike and the main six sat at a table in front of a cafe. Peewee ate some fruit from his fruit salad.
“Has Cadance been acting like a jerk today?” Spike asked his friends. Rarity scoffed.
“She’s just a little stressed from planning the wedding, it’s perfectly normal for the bride to be a little grumpy.” She said. Spike pulled out the notebook he had been writing in.
“I’ve been taking notes of everything Cadance had done and this is completely out of character for her.” Spike said. Twilight gasped.
“Spike, have you been spying on Cadance?” Twilight asked in disbelief.
“That’s not the point, there’s something seriously wrong.” Spike said. Twilight shook her head.
“Go up to Cadance and apologize now. When you’re finished, go to our room and think about what you’ve done.” Twilight said. Spike let out a grumble and place Peewee on the ground next to him.
“I demand justice!” Spike exclaimed as he walked away from the table. He got up so quickly that he didn’t notice that Peewee wasn’t directly behind him. Spike muttered stuff under his breath as he made his way to Shining Armor and Cadances house, which wasn’t too far from the castle.
Spike approached the house and when to knock on the door to see that it was unlocked. He looked around and entered the dark house. He saw that some light came from a room and he peeked inside. He heard Shining Armor groan and Cadance standing in front of him with a smirk. A green aura shot from her horn onto Shining Armors horn. His eyes turned green and he looked like he was in a trance.
“I only serve you my love.” He said in a monotone voice. That was not Cadance.
”I have to tell the others.” Spike thought, getting ready to escape. He turned around and bumped into a table, knocking it over. He heard both ponies in the room go silent. Before he could run away, he came face to face with Cadance.
“Well would you look here, it seem I’ve found myself a little spy.” Cadance said in a voice that wasn’t hears.
“Do you know what I do with spies?” She asked. Spike knew if he tried to run, she overpower him. A green flame surrounded him. He reached his hand out to touch it and jerked his hand back in pain. Dragons were fireproof. This was magic fire.
“We get rid of them.” Cadance said with a sickly smile. The flames washed over his body until he was gone. Cadance smiled and walked back into the room, closing the door behind her.
Peewee stood at the doorway in shock at what he just saw. He had to get help.
Rarity stood in the mirror putting on her makeup with all of her friends behind her, chatting excitedly.
“I can’t wait to perform the sonic rainboom so everyone can see how awesome I am!” Rainbow dash exclaimed, zipping around the room. Rarity grimaced and turned around.
“Rainbow dash I don’t want you all sweaty when you put on your dress.” Rarity said. Rainbow ignored her and kept flying.
“Ain’t you excited to see your brother get married?” Applejack asked. Everyone looked around to see Twilight wasn’t in the room.
“Have any of you seen Twilight?” Applejack asked. The room doors opened to reveal a very sleepy Twilight and Peewee hopping after her, letting out loud distressed chirps.
“Darling where have you been? You look awful.” Rarity stated. Twilight looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“I can’t find Spike anywhere. I was up looking for him all night.” Twilight said before flopping face first onto the bed.
“Oh haven’t you heard? Spike went back home last night.” Cadance said while walking into the room. Twilight sat up and shook her head.
“You know Spike would never do that. He would never leave without telling me. Even if he did, left everything here. He left Starry, he left Peewee and Peewee follows him everywhere for Celestias sake!” Twilight exclaimed, pointing to Peewee. Cadance took a few steps closer to Twilight and Peewee jumped in front of Cadance. He opened his wings and tried to let out a screech, but it came out as a small scream. Cadance scowled in disgust and took a few steps back.
“Ugh, gross bird.” Cadance muttered as she walked out of the room. Twilight flopped back down onto the bed and let out a cry. Her friends walked over to her.
“Maybe you should skip the wedding and get some rest.” Rarity said. Twilight popped up from the bed.
“What no! I’m his best mare, I can’t do that!” Twilight exclaimed.
“He’s your B.B.B.F.F, I’m sure he’ll understand.” Applejack said. Twilight let out a sigh.
“I guess you’re right.” Twilight said as she laid back down. Wishin seconds she fell asleep. Peewee hopped on the bed a let out loud chirps. Fluttershys eyes widened.
“WHAT!” She exclaimed, making everyone look at her.
“What is it, Shy?” Rainbow dash asked.
“Peewee said that Cadance got rid of Spike.” Fluttershy said, making everyone gasp.
“He did seem rather suspicious of her.” Rarity said.
“We need to find out what she did to him before the wedding starts.” Rainbow dash said, pounding her hooves together.
“And we have three hours twenty three minutes and thirteen seconds before the wedding starts.” Pinkie pie said. All mares nodded to each other and ran out of the room. Peewee hopped into Fluttershy tail and got dragged along with her.
“We’ll find you Spike.” Applejack whispered to herself before closing the door behind her.
Spike regained consciousness, but kept his eyes closed. Wherever he was felt cold and the surface he was laying on was hard. He could hear the echoed sound of dripping water. Spike went to pull his blanket over him, but found nothing. He quickly sat up as he remembered what happened that night. He looked around to see that he was in a cave. Spike heard laughter from behind him, making him turn around. Cadances face apeared on a rock.
“I see that you’re finally awake.” Cadance said. Spike got on all fours and let out a growl. Cadance laughed.
“Do you really think he can take me on! Hit me with your best shot.” Cadance said with a grin. Spike let in a deep breath and let out a large flame. Instead of the flame being green, it was blue. The flame froze the rock and it shattered to pieces on the ground. Another laugh came from behind him.
“Over here!” Cadance cackled. Spike let out a snarl and let another blue flame shoot from his body. It hit the rock and it shattered.
“You have to try harder than that!” Cadance said with a grin, appearing on all of the rocks. Spike let all of his anger control him and he shot a giant flame at the biggest rock in the cave. The rock broke into pieces, revealing Cadance who was sitting there, covered in dust. Her face lit up when she saw Spike. Her face quicky contorted into fear when she saw him charging at her. Spike tackled her to the ground.
“Spike it’s me, the Cadance that trapped you down here is an imposter.” Cadance said. Spike sat in her chest and crossed his arms.
“And how do I know you’re not the imposter.” Spike said while raising an eyebrow.
“When I first met you, you were terrified. I knew that you just wanted to be safe and I tried my best to make you feel that way.” Cadance said. She sat up causing Spike to slide off and fall onto the cold ground. He hopped up and hugged Cadance tightly. She hugged him back.
“I knew you weren’t a jerk.” Spike mumbled into her coat. Cadance smiled and patted his head.
“We need to stop her before it’s too late.” Spike said, pulling away from the hug. Cadance nodded her head. They walked through the cold caves, looking for any exit.
“Where are we anyway?” Spike asked.
“We’re in the caves under Canterlot. They were used for trapping over powered unicorns, but they’ve been abandoned for thousands of years.” Cadance said. They walked for some more before Cadance teared up.
“We’re not going to make it. I’ve been wanting to marry Shining Armor since I first laid eyes on him and it’s all ruined!” Cadance exclaimed, letting tears fall down her cheeks. Spike walked over to her and wiped the tears off of her face.
“I know we’ll make it in time. The way Shining Armor looks at you is the look of true love, he would never give you up that easily.” Spike said. Cadance smiled and sniffled.
“What do you know about love?” She asked with a chuckle. Spike smiled.
“I’ve had married parents before.” Spike said. He turned around to see a cart on a railroad which was going downhill. Rocks we’re on the sides holding it in place. Cadance ran over to the cart and tried to push it, but it only wiggled. Spike picked up a few rocks and dropped them to the ground. Soon the cart was free to go. Cadance put Spike into the cart and gave it a slight push. It started to roll and she hopped in.
The cart sped down the railroad. Wind blew on there faces. Spikes eyes widened when he saw the railroad stopped abruptly at a cliff, which would cause them to tip out of the cart and fall. The cart met the end of the railroad, launching them both into the air. Spike clung onto Cadance, and she opened her wings, landing them on flat ground.
“That’s our way out!” Spike exclaimed, pointing to a crack on the roof of the cave. The three bridemaids from before walked in front of them with glowing green eyes.
“You're not going anywhere.” They said in unison. Cadance looked around to see pretty flowers growing out of a crack. She levitated the flowers and swung it in the bridemaids faces, causing them to all stare. She tossed it across the cave and they all chase after it.
“That was easy.” Cadance said as she put Spike onto her back. She flew out of the crack into the sunlight. She closed her eyes at the bright light and looked around. It seemed that they were in the basement of the castle. Spike hopped off of her back.
“Go stop the wedding, I need to get something!” Spike exclaimed while running up the dungeon stairs. Cadance nodded her head a flew behind him. Time to crash a wedding.
“Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you–” Princess Celestia was cut off by doors bursting open, causing everyone to look at the door. Everyone gasped when they saw Princess Cadance standing there. Shining Armor seemed to be in a daze.
“That’s not the real Cadance, she’s an imposter!” Cadance exclaimed. Everyone turned to face the other Cadance, who had the same shocked expression as the crowd. The mane six ran into the room with there Elements of Harmony on.
“Stop the wedding that isn’t the real...” Twilight trailed off when she saw two Cadances. Applejack tilted her head in confusion.
“Who’s the real Cadance.” She asked, taking a few steps back.
“She's a changeling. She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them.” Cadance said. The other Cadance started to laugh and a green fire surrounded her. Once the fire disappeared, it revealed a large black pony like figure with holes all over her body.
“Right you are, Princess. And as queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!” Chrysalis exclaimed. Guards came from different angles and tried to attack her, but all got shot down to the floor. The main six turned around to see Spike march into the room wearing armor and holding a shield. Chrysalis cackled.
“You’ve run out a guards so you bring a child onto scene, pitiful really!” She said with a laugh. Spike charged at her and she took a few steps back. He tipped over and put all of his weight on his shield and launched himself at her. He kick Chrysalis in the face, causing her to stumble back in surprise. Chrysalis let out a growl and let a a beam of magic shoot from her horn. The magic bounced off of the sheild, hitting a few changelings that flew into the room to join the fight. They collasped on the floor.
Spike pulled out his swords and made a deep gash on Chrysalis’ leg, causing her to bleed heavily. She collasped on the ground. She tried to stand up, but stopped when the sword pressed against her nose, almost making a cut. Ponies started to evacuate the room as more changelings flew in.
“Stay down.” Spike said, looking Chrysalis in the eye. Her eyes were filled with fear. The main six and Princess Celestia fought off changelings that tried to enter the room to save their queen. Cadance rushed over to Shining Armor, who was still under Chrysalis’ control. Her eyes filled up with tears at his state and she hugged him. Her horn sparked, causing a small heart to float out. The heart hit Shining Armor on the forehead, causing him to blink a few times and shook his head.
“Wha– where... huh? Is...is the wedding over?” He asked while rubbing his head. He looked around to see the chaos unfolding around him. Shining Armor tried to use his magic, but failed as a small spark came out. Chrysalis snickered, causing Spike to glare at her. She instantly shut up, knowing that a child could kill her at any moment. Cadance rubbed up against Shining Armor.
“My love will give you strength.” Cadance said as she touched there horns together. A bright light formed between them, causing changelings to fly out the windows. Chrysalis’ eyes widened in fear as the bright light covered her. She was thrown back out the window, shattering it. Bloodcurdling screams echoed around Canterlot as the changling got blasted far away.
Shining Armor wrapped his hooves around Cadance and spun her around in the air, kissing her deeply. He placed her back on the floor, and Twilight ran up to both of them, hugging them tightly.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Twilight said happily. She turned to Spike and put her hooves on his shoulders.
“Spike, I’m glad you’re okay and all, but where did you learn to sword fight?” Twilight asked, trying to stay calm.
“I asked Shining Armor how to teach me.” Spike said. Twilight looked at her brother with wide eyes.
“You taught him?!” Twilight asked in disbelief. Princess Celestia put her hoof on Twilights shoulder.
“It’s quite alright my faithful student, I supervise him during every session.” Celestia reassured. Spike nodded his head.
“Yeah and I defeated a queen!” Spike exclaimed happily. Twilight smiled.
“You can keep training, but just be carful alright.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head.
“Now lets get this wedding started!” Pinkie pie exclaimed.
Shining Armor and Cadance stood at the alter, gazing into each others eyes. Spike and the mane six stood at the side of the alter. Spike held the rings on a pillow.
“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza–” “Cadance is fine.” Candance interrupted. Celestia smiled.
“The union of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love, undeniable. May we have the rings please?” Celestia asked. Spike held up the pillow and she levitated the rings onto Cadance and Shining Armor horns.
“I now pronounce you mare and colt!” Celestia exclaimed, causing everyone to cheer. Shining Armor and Cadance walked outside to the balcony to see thousands of cheering ponies. They kissed each other deeply, tears streaming down there faces. Celestia whispered something to Rainbow Dash, causing her to fly up and zoom out of the window. She flew upwards and a loud boom rang through the sky. A beautiful rainbow fluttered across the sky, causing everyone to ooh and aah.
Everyone stood out in the Canterlot Gardens, enjoying the reception. Princess Luna flew down next to Spike, who was standing by himself.
“Hello Spike, did I miss anything?” Luna asked. Half of her mane was still chopped off, but made to look like a cool mohawk.
“Did you not hear the city getting attacked by thousands of changelings?” Spike asked. Luna’s eyes widened and she shook her head.
“Not at all, I slept through the whole wedding.” Luna said. Spike took a sip of his drink.
“I need to ask sister if Philomena has chicks, because I found this little one sleeping in my bed.” Luna said, revealing Peewee in her hair. Peewee eyes widened when he saw Spike and he let out happy chirps, jumping onto his head. Spike giggled.
“This is my service animal, Peewee.” Spike said. Luna nodded her head in understanding. Before she could say anything else, horn blew to get everyone’s attention.
“Thank you so much for coming to this wedding, it means so much to us that you were all able to make it.” Cadance said happily before getting into a carriage with Shining Armor, leaving for their honeymoon. Spike walked next to his friends and waved goodbye to them as they rode out of sight. Even though this story had a happy ending, it felt as if he was forgetting something.
Twilight rushed around the library, grabbing notecards and quills, stuffing them into her bag.
“Do you think I need my notes from magic kindergarten? Of course I need my notes from magic kindergarten!” Twilight exclaimed, not letting Spike answer her question. Spike touched her leg, causing her to freeze.
“Twilight you need to calm down, it’s just a little test.” Spike said. Twilight looked at him with wide eyes.
“JUST A LITTLE TEST?!” Twilight exclaimed, making Spike jump and cover his ears. Twilights ears flattened.
“I’m sorry, I’m just a little stressed about this.” She apologized. Spike cocked an eyebrow.
“A little?” He said. Twilight let out a sigh.
“Fine a lot. What if I fail the test and Princess Celestias sends me back to Canterlot?” Twilight asked. Spike rubbed her foreleg softly.
“We both know she would never do anything like that. And you’ve never failed a test in your life!” Spike said. Twilight smiled.
“Thanks Spike, that really helped. Do have your things packed?” Twilight asked. Spike nodded his head and slung his backpack of his shoulder. Spike let out a whistle.
“Peewee come here!” Spike exclaimed. Peewee hopped down the stairs. With each hop he flapped his wings, only getting into the air for a few seconds. After he got to the bottom, he ran over to Spike. He was almost up to Spikes hand and could keep up with him while he was walking. Spike scratched Peewees head lightly.
“You’ll be able to fly soon.” Spike said with a smile. Twilight opened the door and they all made there way to the train station, on there way to Canterlot.
Twilight, Spike, and Peewee walked into the throne room to meet Princess Celestia. Celestia turned around with a serious look.
“You wanted to see me? To give me a test? I brought my own quills and plenty of paper to show my work.” Twilight said, taking off her overloaded bag. As the bag dropped to the floor, papers flew out of the sides. Celestia kept a stern face.
“This is a different kind of test. The Crystal Empire has returned.” Celestia said. Twilights ears flattened.
“The Crystal Empire? I'm sorry, I-I thought I'd studied. Ooh. I don't think there's anything in any of my books th–” Twilight started, but got cut off by Celestia, who was levitating a purple crystal. She placed it I front of Twilight.
“There wouldn't be. Few remember it ever existed at all. Even my knowledge of the Empire is limited.” Celestia said, shining her magic onto the crystal. The crystal laid out a hologram of what appeared to be the Crystal Empire.
“But what I do know is that it contains a powerful magic. One thousand years ago, King Sombra, a unicorn whose heart was black as night, took over the Crystal Empire.” Celestia said, letting her horn glow black and purple. The scenery changed, and jagged crystals poked out of the ground. A black unicorn with an strangely shaped, red horn stood on a balcony, telling everyone what do to. Spike assumed that was King Sombra.
“He was ultimately overthrown, turned to shadow, and banished to the ice of the arctic north.” Celestia showed two silhouettes that seemed to be her and Luna banishing Sombra.
“But not before he was able to put a curse upon the Empire. A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air.” She said, causing the crystal to suck up the hologram. She levitated the crystal.
“If the Empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria.” The crystal glowed, shining a bright, beautiful rainbow. Twilight and Spike smiled.
“If hatred and fear take hold... Which is why I need your help finding a way to protect it.” The crystal glowed black, and a shadow casted over them. Black crystals shot out of the ground, causing Twilight and Peewee to jump back. Spike reached his hand out to eat on of the crystals, but Celestia chimed in.
“I recommended you don’t eat those, they can make you very sick.” Celestia said. Spike frowned and put his hand down. Celestia turned back to Twilight.
“You want me to help protect an entire empire?” Twilight asked.
“It is, as I said, a different kind of test. But one I'm certain you will pass.” Celestia said, putting the crystal back in it’s case. Twilight looked down nervously before looking back up.
“How do I begin?” Twilight asked confidently. Celestia smiled.
“By joining Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire.” Celestia said. Twilight smiled.
“My brother is there?” She asked, as if the Princess didn’t just say that five seconds ago.
“He is. And your Ponyville friends will join you there as well. I have every confidence you will succeed. And when you do, I'll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies.” Celestia said, levitating Twilights bag back on her back as walking her out the door. Twilight smiled and turned around to look at Luna. Her ears flattened at the princesses mighty gaze.
“But what if I fail?” Twilight asked.
“You won’t.” Celestia responded.
“But what if-“ Twilight got cut off by Celestia putting her hoof on her chest.
“You won't. But Twilight, in the end, it must be you and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the Empire. Do you understand?” Celestia said. Twilight nodded her head.
“Then go. There is no time to lose.” Celestia said. Twilight started to leave the castle and Spike followed close behind. Before they left, Spike turned around a stuck his tongue out at Luna. Luna put her hoof on her chest and let out an over dramatic gasp. Spike smiled and walked down the stairs, Peewee hopping close behind. Now it was time to start art the test.
The main six and Spike sat on the train on there way to the Crystal Empire. Peewee was curled up into a ball on Spike lap.
“So let me get this straight, the Crystal Empire is a an Empire that disappeared for a thousand years and is corrupted by Kinf Sombra?” Applejack asked. Spike bit his tongue, holding back a sarcastic comment. Twilight nodded her head.
“Yes, and the Princess sent us to fix it.” Twilight said. The train came to a steady halt as they arrived to the Crystal Empire. Everyone exited the train to meet the cold air.
“And you made fun of me for packing so many scarves!” Rarity exclaimed with a laugh, revealing at least ten suitcases filled with scarves. They all shielded there faces from the bitter cold.
“Twilight!” A stallions voice called out. Twilight squinted to see a unicorn with a scarf and goggles approaching them.
“Shining Armor?” Twilight asked. He walked onto the train platform and took off his goggles. Twilight hugged him. Shining Armor put his goggles on.
“Twily! You made it! We'd better get moving. There are things out here we really don't want to run into after dark.” Shining Armor said, leading them to the Crystal Empire. Spike shivered as he walked through the blistering cold. He could feel himself getting weaker with every step. Being cold blooded was not good in the situation. Peewee rubbed up against his leg to give him warmth. Spike scooped Peewee up into his arms and let the warmth wash over him. It wasn’t enough to keep him completely warm, but it gave him a little energy to keep going.
They had been walking in the bitter snow for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
“Something keeps trying to get in! We think it's the unicorn king who originally cursed the place!” Shining Armor shouted through the wind.
“But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the Empire! If King Sombra can't get in, then it must already be protected!” Twilight responded back. A loud howl came from around them, making Fluttershy squeak.
“Guh. We have to get to the Crystal Empire! Now!” Shining Armor shouted.
A large black cloud appeared behind them. A face appeared. It was Sombra. His face was large and almost black and his eyes were green with black pupils and purple smoke coming out of the side. He had large fangs and a wicked grin on his face. For some reason, Spike couldn’t find himself to move. He stared at Sombra as he got closer. It felt oddly calming and not scary at all. It reminded him of something but he didn’t know what. Peewee hopped out of Spikes arms and tugged on his tail, trying to get him to move. Twilight levitated Spike and Peewee onto her back and continued to run behind Shining Armor. In the distance, the saw a large glowing dome.
“Almost there!” Shining Armor said. He turned around as everyone kept running. He shot a beam of magic at Sombra, only for it to be reflected back at him. They all ran into the dome to reveal a spring like environment. Everyone collasped on the ground, catching there breaths.
“Everypony okay?” Twilight asked while catching her breath. Everyone nodded there heads, trying to catch there breaths. Shining Armor stumbled inside and collapsed on his chest, breathing heavily. Spike hopped off of Twilights back, letting her run over to him, helping him up.
“Shining Armor your horn!” Twilight exclaimed. The top of his horn had small black crystals on it. He tried to use his magic but it stopped once it reached the crystals. Pinkie pie gasped when she saw the empire.
“Sparkleriffic!” She exclaimed. Everyone looked in amazement. Everything was shiny and made out of crystals. In the middle, there was a large castle. They all started to walked towards the castle.
They all walked into the throne room to reveal Cadance sitting on the throne. Her horn was glowing and she looked very tired.
“Cadance!” Twilight exclaimed. Cadance smiled and ran towards her.
“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” They said while doing there little dance. They both let out laughs and hugged each other.
“One of these days we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn'thanging in the balance.” Cadance said. She let out a groan and her horn flickered, causing the bubble around the empire to fade for a few seconds.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“Cadance has been able to use her magic to spread love and light. That seems to be what is protecting it. But she hasn't slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but my protection spell has been countered by King Sombra.” Shining Armor explained. Cadance sighed.
“It's alright Shining Armor, I'm fine.” She reassured. Shining Armor shook his head.
“She's not fine. She can't go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what's out there waiting for that to happen.” He said with concern lacing his voice.
“That’s why we’re here.” Twilight said with a smile.
That’s why we’re all here.” Applejack said walking next to Twilight. All of her friends followed. Everyone nodded there heads.
“Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven't been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies.” Shining Armor said. Rarity gasped.
“CRYSTAL PONIES? There are crystal ponies!” Rarity said with a giggle. Everybody stared at her, which made her clear her throat.
“Um, ahem. Please continue.” Rarity said. Spike didn’t listen to the rest, lost in his own thoughts.
”I could probably get some information from the crystal ponies. They’ve been here for a thousand years, they should know something.” Spike thought to himself. He drummed his fingers on his leg, causing Peewee to look at him. Spike slowly backed out of the room and Peewee followed him. Once they made it into the hallway, he started to speed up. Time to go investigate.
Spike knocked on someone’s front door. The door opened, revealing a blue mare with a purple mane. Her mane was flat and she had heavy bags under her eyes. She looked very tired and stressed.
“Hello, I’m here for a school project, may I ask you some questions?” Spike asked, putting on his most chipper voice.
“Sure, go ahead.” The mare said. She sounded tired too.
“What’s it like living in the Crystal Empire?” Spike asked.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t remember.” She said. Spike tilted his head.
“You don’t remember anything at all? No special memories?” Spike asked. The mare shook her head.
“I'm sorry. I wish I could help you. But I... can't seem to remember anything before King Sombra came to power. And I don't want to remember anything about the time he ruled over us.” The mare said before shutting her door. Spike gave Peewee a concerned look.
“It looks like they’re under some spell. It’ll be no use checking the others, they might be under the same spell.” Spike said. He hopped off of the porch.
“There needs to be some type of history. Like some documents or a...” Spike trailed off when he walked in front of a large building. He beamed.
“A library!” Spike exclaimed. He went inside with Peewee following him. Spike gasped at what he saw. The library was huge. It was bigger than the library in the Canterlot Castle. Everything was so shiny.
“Ahem. May I help you?” A voice said. Spike turned around to see a old mare.
“Do you have any history books?” Spike asked. The mare smiled.
“Yes. Of course. History, history... Ah, yes.” She said. Spike smiled. After a few seconds of silence he tilted his head.
“Do you mind telling me where it is?” Spike asked. The mare frowned.
“I... I can't seem to remember. I'm not sure I actually work here.” The mare said. Spike sighed.
“It’s fine, I’ll find it myself. Let’s go Peewee, it can’t be that hard.”
Spike held his head in his hands with books scattered around him.
“How could I have not have found anything.” Spike said. Peewee hopped over with a book in his beak, dragging on the ground. Spike took the book from his beak.
“History of the Crystal Empire” Spike read out loud. He smiled.
“This is actually helpful!” Spike exclaimed happily. He flipped through the book.
“A 'Crystal Faire'. According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition. The Faire was held every year to "renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm!” Spike said happily.
“I need to tell the others!” Spike exclaimed. He ran out of the library with Peewee running behind him.
Spike showed Twilight the book eagerly while bouncing up and down. Twilight smiled.
“This might actually work!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Fluttershy, you get some animals for the petting zoo.” Twilight said. Fluttershy smiled and flew out of the window.
“Rainbow dash, you’re in charge of jousting.” She said. Rainbow dash saluted and sped out he window.
“Rarity, you can make the flags and Applejack, find some crystal berries.” Twilight ordered. They both nodded there heads and ran out the door.
“And Pinkie, go find some flugelhorns, there have to be some around.” Pinkie pie smiled and hopped out of existence.
“What do you need me to go Twilight?” Spike asked. Twilight levitated a large block of blue topaz.
“At the end of the book said something about the crystal heart. We’re going to carve one for the festival.” Twilight said while handing him an ice pic. Spike smiled. He loved working with sharp objects. Time to get to work.
“It looks amazing! I don't know how I could've done this without you! One last check to make sure everything is in place, and then the festivities can begin!” Twilight said while looking at the festival. It looked just like it did in the book! Ponies started to join the festival. A few ponies smiled and quickly turned into crystal and played some games.
“Spike, let’s go back to the castle, I know you don’t like crowds.” Twilight said. She looked at Spike who looked at the fair excitedly. Peewee laid on his head.
“You know what, you can stay here and have fun.” Twilight said. Spike grinned at her and ran towards the fair. He walked towards the food tent.
“Howdy Spike, what can I get for you?” Applejack asked.
“Crystal berries please.” Spike said. Applejack handed him a small tray of crystal berries. He stood to the side of the food tent and started to eat. He heard a conversation between two ponies.
“I can’t believe they got the real crystal heart!” The stallion exclaimed.
“Once our spirits are lifted the empire can be protected from the king! I can’t believe they found it, I thought King Sombra hid it forever.” The mare said happily. Spikes eyes widened.
“The real crystal heart?” Spike muttered to himself.
“I have to tell Twilight.” Spike said before running to the castle.
Spike ran up onto to the balcony where Shining Armor, Cadance, and Twilight stood, watching over the fair.
“TWILIGHT WE NEED THE REAL CRYSTAL HEART!” Spike exclaimed. Twilight turned around.
“What?” Twilight asked.
“Apparently we need the real crystal heart to protect the Crystal Empire.” Spike explained. Twilights eyes widened and she flipped through the book. She let out a gasp.
“There’s a page ripped out! How did I not notice?!” Twilight exclaimed. Cadance smiled weakly and her legs shook.
“It's alright, Twilight.” Cadance said. Her eyes rolled back and she collasped. Shining Armor caught her. Her horn flickered and the bubble surrounding the empire disappeared. Cold air surrounded the empire and a loud growl echoed around them.
Darks shadows started to approach the Empire at a rapid pace. Sombra grinned and let out a throaty laugh. It made a chill run up Spikes spine. Shining Armor looked at Twilight.
“The Crystal Empire is under attack.” He said. Cadance stood up, regaining consciousness. Shining Armor nuzzled her, making her smile. Her horn glowed brightly, causing the bubble to reappear. The bubble chopped of half of Sombra’s horn, causing him to screech in pain. The broken horn fell to the ground, causing black crystals to grow from the ground. From the outside of the bubble, Spike could hear muffled growls and snarls coming from Sombra. Cadance kneeled down, struggling to keep her magic together.
“I have to find the crystal heart.” Shining Armor said, getting ready to take off. Twilight shook her head and pushed him back.
“No, you stay here with Cadance. She needs you, Shining Armor. I'll retrieve the Heart.” Twilight said.
“I can help, my nose is made for sniffing out gems.” Spike said. Cadance leaned on Shining Armor as Twilight and Spike ran off of the balcony. Peewee clung onto Spikes tail in order to keep up.
“You look for the heart, I need to tell make sure our friends hide the heart.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head. He continued to run down the hallway as she ran down the stairs that led out of the castle. Spike slowed down. He pulled Peewee off of his tail and looked out the window. Crystal ponies were now cowering in fear from this close encounter to Sombra and a majority of them decrystalized. This wasn’t good at all.
“Even if we do find the Heart, I don’t think they have enough magic to protect the empire.” Spike thought out loud. Peewee noticed his worry and rubbed up against his hand. He pet his head softly, letting the soft feathers stick between his fingers.
“Okay, time to find the Heart.” Spike said while walking away from the window. He started to sniff around the castle, looking for any type of scent from the Heart. The whole castle was made of crystals so all he could get was a bunch of different smells.
“This is going to be harder than I thought.” Spike muttered to himself.
“Girls, we have a problem.” Twilight said while walking over to her friends.
“What is it darling? Did I not make enough hats? I knew this would happen.” Rarity said. Twilight shook her head and started to speak in a low whisper.
“I need to find the real Crystal Heart.” She said in a whisper. Rainbow dash tilted her head.
“What do you mean the real Crystal Heart?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight looked around to make sure nobody could hear them.
“The Crystal Heart is what we need to lift everyone’s spirits so the empire can be protected. Without the real one, it won’t work. King Sombra hid it and I’m going to go look for it.” Twilight said.
“What do you need us to do?” Applejack asked.
“Make sure nobody looks at the Crystal Heart, and try to keep everyone’s spirits up.” Twilight ordered. They all nodded there heads and ran off in different directions. Rainbow Dash yanked a flag down from a pole and threw it over the fake Crystal Heart. A decrystalized stallion started to approach the Heart, but got turned around by Pinkie Pie shoving corn in his mouth. He turned back into crystal quickly and happily munched on the corn. Twilight ran back into the castle and upstairs. She turned around to see Soike on his hands and knees. He moved a large rug out of the way and his hands were pressed firmly on the floor. A large throne sat behind him. It wasn’t the same one Cadance was sitting on earlier.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asked. Spike looked up.
“I can smell the Heart, it’s down here.” Spike said. Twilight tilted her head.
“Are you sure? That’s just a floor.” Twilight said. Spike nodded his head.
“I’m definitely sure. It’s the only thing that smells different from everything else. It smells rare too.” Spike stated. Twilight walked over to where he was sitting and knocked her hoof on the floor. It was hollow.
“There’s no handle or anything so I don’t know how to get it.” Spike said. Twilight put her hoof on her chin, pondering for a moment. She looked up at the throne to see the same type of crystal Celestia used. She let out a small gasp.
“This isn’t where Kig Sombra lived in the past!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike cocked an eyebrow.
“Isn’t this the same castle?” He asked. Twilight nodded her head.
“Yes, but this isn’t what it looked like in the past.” She stated. She levitated Spike and Peewee next to her. Twilight closed her eyes tightly and let her horn glow. Her eyes clenched tighter, her body strained as her magic got darker and she let out small grunts. The sides of her eyes revealed shadows, resembling to Sombras. Soon her magic turned completely black and a dark beam hit the crystal. Darkness burst out of the crystal and a shadow looked over the floor, making a rectangle. The floor shook for a moment before crumbling, revealing a dark stairwell. Twilight let the tip of her horn glow purple, giving a little light.
“You stay here and keep me updated on what’s going on outside.” Twilight said. Spike gave her an uneasy look before nodding his head. He watched her walk down the stairs before she was completely out of sight. Spike looked out of the window to see Rainbow Dash tackle a crystal pony away from the fake Crystal Heart. Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash back and pointed somewhere, as if she were telling her to go somewhere else. Rainbow Dash visibly huffed before grumpily flying off.
“Spike, whats it like outside?” Twilight asked from the deep caverns. The bubble started to flicker as King Sombra used the broken part of his to form dark crystal inside the Empire.
“It's not good! Cadance's magic must be fading faster than before!” Spike shouted back. He heard a few more hoofsteps before a series of loud thuds.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked. There was a few seconds before he heard her speak.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Twilight said. Spike let out a breath of relief before looking out the window again. A mare tried to look at the Crystal Heart. Pinkie Pie picked her up and just threw her across the fair, obviously out of breath. Spike chuckled at the sight. It had been quiet for a few minutes.
“Twilight?” Spike said, loud enough for her to hear. When he got no answer, worry washed over him. He started to think about the worst case scenarios. Spike picked Peewee up and started to walk down the stairs. Peewee worked as a small light, glowing and lighting up the way. He stayed quiet. If anything had attacked Twilight, he couldn’t let it know that he was there. He made his way to the bottom of the stairs to see Twilight staring at a door.
“Twilight?” Spike asked. Her eyes were green and her pupils were red. It looked like Sombras eyes. When he got no response, Spike felt his heart rate pick up. He shook her.
“TWILIGHT!” Spike shouted. Twilight blinked and shook her head. Twilight blinked and shook her head.
“Spike, what happened?” Twilight asked.
“I know you told me to stay up there, but you were down here for such a long time and you weren't answering and I got worried so I came down here and you were just staring at that door and... I was calling your name, but I couldn't seem to get your attention, and– What were you looking at? I mean... it's just a door.” Spike asked, looking into the door. Spike looked around to see that he was in the Canterlot Mountains. The bitter cold struck his scales.
“Twilight?” Spike asked. She was no where in sight. He felt himself panicking.
“Twilight would never leave me, she loves me.” Spike said to himself. His claws dug into his hands, almost drawing blood. He was all alone.
”I’m alone again, I’m alone again, I’m alone again.” Spike repeatedly thought to himself. A loud caw echoed across the mountains, making Spikes eyes go wide. A large roc landed on the ground in front of Spike. His breath quickened and his body locked up. The roc loomed over him, breath heavily. Spikes legs shook before he collasped on the ground, shielding his face. He let out loud, shaky sobs.
“Go away go away go away go away.” Spike muttered between the sobs. He heard a door close and something touch his side lightly. Spike let out a squeak of fear before crying louder. Something soft and fluffy forcefully moved his hands from his face. He opened his eyes to see Peewee inches from his face. Peewee rubbed his head against Spikes face, trying to calm him down. Twilight levitated Spike into her arms. He nuzzled into her, happy that she was there.
“What happened?” Spike asked fearfully.
“That was King Sombra's dark magic. A doorway that leads to your worst fear.” Twilight explained.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“I saw that I was in the Canterlot Mountains again and I was alone.” Spike said. Twilight rubbed his back, knowing how much he hated being alone.
“Again?” Twilight questioned. Spike had barely ever left her side since they met and when they were separated, he stuck with whoever was watching him.
“When I got taken by the roc, it accidentally dropped me in the Canterlot Mountains. It was terrible. I was alone in a freezing cold place with barely any food or water.” Spike said. Twilight let out a gasp, she had no idea. It must have been terrifying for a five year old to be by themself.
“That was the first time I was ever alone. I was alone for months Twilight. I’ve never been separated from my family before and I was alone without anyone to help me. Now I don’t even have a family anymore and it’s my fault. I know I can’t face the rest of my family after I killed my mom. If I would have listened to my mom than this would have never happened. Now you’re the only family I have left and I can’t lose you!” Spike exclaimed as tears started to slide down his cheeks. Twilight hugged him tighter.
“Spike, it wasn’t your fault, you were young and did what any young child would do.” Twilight said while wiping the tears from his eyes. Spike sniffled. A beam of magic shot from her horn and hit the crystal. The crystal turned white and the door swung open, revealing a white stairwell that was going upwards. Spike sniffed the air.
“The Crystal Heart is up there.” Spike said. Twilight smiled.
“Let’s get going then.” Twilight said while walking up the stairs. Spike picked Peewee up and walked up the stairs. This was going to be a piece of cake.
Spike panted heavily as he walked up the stairs. They had been walking up the stairs for thirty minutes and there was no end in sight. Peewee tugged on his tail, trying to get Spike to sit down and take a break.
“What if this is just more of his magic? He makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare. Why not a staircase that goes on forever?” Spike suggested. Twilight stopped walking and looked up. It did seem like it went on forever. An idea popped into Twilights head. She levitated Spike and Peewee onto her back.
“Hold on tight.” Twilight instructed. She levitated herself upside down and connected her hooves to the bottom of the stairwell above her. Without and warning, they sped upwards in a spiral. Spike closed his eyes tightly and clung onto Twilight while she laughed loudly.
“Whoooooahahaha! I actually studied gravity spells, thinking it might be on my test! Turns out I was prepared for this! Wooo-hooo!” Twilight exclaimed happily. They went through a doorway and flipped back normal. Spike hopped off of her back and placed Peewee on the floor. The stood in a large attic like chamber. It was windy and the Crystal Heart floated in the middle of the room.
Twilight walked over to the Heart with a large smile on her face. Spike looked under the Heart and noticed something. The floor under it was different. His eyes widened.
“TWILIGHT WAIT!” Spike exclaimed. Twilight stepped next to the Heart and looked at Spike in confusion. The floor flashed beneath her. Twilight jumped up and tried to Grand the Heart, only for her to push it further. Black crystals surrounded her, trapping her inside. Spike tried to get closer to Twilight , but black crystals started to grow out of the ground, causing him to back away. Twilight tried to teleport out, pit immediately got trapped back into the crystals. She tried again but the same thing happened. She looked through a crack in the crystal to see Spike trying to get towards her. Peewee tugged on his tail harshly, trying to get him to safety. The Heart was behind both of them.
“You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the Faire.” Twilight said. Spike froze.
“I don’t want to leave you, you can hurt.” Spike said.
“I’ll be fine, just go.” Twilight said.
“But-“ Spike started, only to get cut off by Twilight.
“GO!” She commanded. Spike turned around and grabbed the Heart. He stood at one of the openings. He jumped out of the opening without hesitation. Peewee let out a squawk of fear at he watched Spike fall. Peewee jumped out after Spike. He started to fall and flapped his wings desperately. He started to fly and grabbed Spike by the scales. He tried to lift him off the ground.
Spike landed on a crystal platform with a thud. He looked around to see crystal ponies running around in fear. The magical bubble had dropped and black crystals started to appear everywhere. Shining Armor held Cadance in his arms. She laid there tiredly. Sombra started to roam into the Empire.
“I GOT THE CRYSTAL HEART!” Spike exclaimed, causing everyone to look at him. Sombra let out a loud hiss and went into the ground. A trail of black crystals appeared on the ground, getting closer to Spike. He started to run down the spiraling crystal, trying to reach the fair. Peewee tumbled after him. A crystal burst out of the ground, revealing Sombra on top of it. He let out a loud growl and lunged at him. Spike jumped off of the side of the crystal. At this point, he didn’t care if he died, he just wanted everyone to be safe. He heard ponies gasp, and one of his friends scream. It sounded like Fluttershy. He knew for a fact that she had covered her eyes so she didn’t see the result. Spike closed his eyes. He lived a good ten years. He smiled at the memories of him and Twilight. ”See you soon mom.” He thought.
Without any warning, Spike felt an impact on his side and felt himself slowing down. He opened his eyes to see that Cadance had caught him. She levitated the Heart and landed on the ground. She placed the Heart in the center of the Empire.
The ponies bowed down and the Crystal Heart started to glow. The ponies started to smile as they turned into crystal. The ground started to glow a light blue. Sombra looked around in fear at the sight. He tried to use his crystals to destroy the Heart, but they shattered once they got close. The ground stopped glowing and a loud boom rang across the Empire. A bright light appeared and Sombra let out a scream. Spike looked down at his body to see he turned into crystal. He looked around to see that everyone had turned to crystal.
The castle let out a burst of light, letting beautiful lights. They danced across the sky. The sky around them changed from a dirty brown, to a beautiful light blue. Spike looked up to see Twilight peeking out the window, smiling widely. Peewee flew down next to Spike and nuzzled his head onto his cheek. Spike had saved the Empire.
Twilight entered the throne room nervously with Spike following her who had a guilty look on her face. Princess Celestia looked out the window, smiling at the lights from the Crystal Empire.
“It’s beautiful.” She said with a sweet smile. Twilights ears flattened.
“I’m sorry Princess, I failed the test. You told me to save the Crystal Empire, but I didn’t.” Twilight said, looking at the floor.
“I didn’t mean to make Twilight fail her test, she was trapped and the Empire was in danger, I just did what felt right.” Spike said.
“Twilight, as I understand it, Spike brought Princess Cadance the Crystal Heart because you weren't sure how quickly you could find a way to escape the tower. You weren't willing to risk the future of the citizens of the Crystal Empire in an effort to guarantee your own. Far better that I have a student who understands the meaning of self-sacrifice than one who only looks out for her own best interests.” Celestia said with a small smile. Twilight looked up from the floor with wide eyes.
“Does that mean...?” Twilight started. Celestia nodded her head.
“You passed the test.” Celestia said. Twilight squealed in excitement and hopped around in circles. Spike let out a breath of relief. He wouldn’t know what he have done if he caused Twilight to fail something.
“Spike, I have something to show you.” Celestia said, walking down the hallway. Spike followed her until she came to a stop. Spike looked up to see a window with him on it. He held the Crystal Heart high into the air and tiny ponies cheered in the background.
Spike walked around a forest, looking for anyone. He couldn’t find Peewee, Twilight, or is parents anywhere. There was a gust of wind, causing him to turn around. To his terror, he saw a giant roc coming after him. The roc let out a ear shattering screech, causing him to fall back. Everything started to feel freezing cold. He let out a cough and few ice shards flew out his mouth, landing on the ground in front of him. He couldn’t seem to move his body as if it were frozen in place. He could feel himself shrinking in fear.
The roc charged at him with it’s sharp, blood covered claws pointing towards him. Spike let out a scream and covered his face, letting out a cry.
“Spike!” Twilight exclaimed. Spikes eyes snapped open to see that he was in his shared room, not the forest. Twilight must have shaken him awake, because her hooves were on the sides of his arms. His breathing was fast and tears slid down his face. He was shaking slightly from fear and coldness. It was odd that he was cold because it was the middle of summer.
“Are you okay?” She asked in concern. Spike mindlessly pulled his body closer to Twilights, hugging her closely. She hugged him back, rubbing his head and humming softly. That was always so calming to him. Spike felt something warm touch his leg. He glanced down to see that Peewee had leaned on his leg, trying to comfort him.
“Why is it so cold?” Spike asked, still shivering.
“You started breathing ice in your sleep, I don’t think you’ve ever done that before. You don’t even breath fire in your sleep.” Twilight said in bewilderment. Spike looked around to see that the walls and floor had patches of ice on it. He thought for a moment.
“I’ve done this before. When Queen Chrysalis trapped me in the caves under Canterlot, I destroyed some rocks by breathing ice.” Spike explained. Twilight gave him a look of surprise and looked out the window. It had to be at least two in the morning.
“I know it’s still pretty late, but do you mind if I do some experiments?” She asked. Spike shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t mind at all, I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to sleep anyway.” He said. Twilight grinned and pulled away from the hug, walking over to her desk. Spike got hit with the feeling of coldness, causing him to shiver more. His teeth clattered together. He absolutely despised the cold. Being on the Canterlot mountains messed up snow days for him because he was to afraid to go outside for a while.
Peewee hopped onto his lap. He closed his eyes tightly, letting out a small squeak. Peewee burst into flames and leaned on Spikes stomach, warming him up. Twilight turned around holding a red sweater.
“Put this o-“ Twilight stared at Spike and Peewee for a few moments. She let out a sigh. “I told you two not to start fires in the house.” She said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Spike let out a nervous laugh.
“Sorry.” He apologized. Peewee flapped his wings slightly and the fire went away. Twilight tossed the sweater to Spike, and he caught it with no trouble. He slipped it on and it was quite comfortable. Rarity made it for him during winter.
“Let’s start.”
Spike sat on a stool that was in the middle of the basement. He swung his feet off of the side because his legs were to short to hit the floor. He had small suction cups covering his body to check his vitals. He also had a metal helmet on with little flashing lights on it. There was a large metal contraption placed on the table that Peewee laid on top of. Twilight pressed a few buttons on the machine and faced Spike, holding a journal and a pen.
“Can you breath fire for me?” Twilight asked. Spike nodded his head and let a small flame shoot from his lips with ease. Twilight looked at the machine and jotted something down. Spike didn’t really know what she was doing, but it had to be important science stuff.
“Now can you breath ice for me?” She asked. Spike took in a deep breath and exhaled a green flame. He looked at the flame in confusion for a second before trying again. The same result happened.
“Did you do something before to breath ice?” Twilight asked. Spike thought for a moment.
“When I did it the first time I was really angry. When I did it earlier I was scared. Maybe it happens when I get emotional?” Spike suggested. Twilight gave him an uneasy look.
“I don’t want you to get upset just for an experiment, that wouldn’t be good.” Twilight stated. Spike crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows.
“I can do it.” He said grumpily. Twilight rolled her eyes. She was used to Spike being extra stubborn.
“You don’t have to do, we can do this later.” Twilight said, walking over to the machine to shut it off. Spike let out an annoyed huff, his cheeks puffing out. He wasn’t really mad at Twilight, he was mainly mad at himself cause he couldn’t do it and dissapointed her. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at himself.
“I can do it right now!” Spike exclaimed. Before Twilight could respond, he let out a large blue flame. It covered the machine in ice, freezing it over completely. Peewee flew off of the machine before the ice could get to him. Spikes scales drooped.
“Sorry, I know that was expensive.” Spike apologized. Twilight shook her head.
“It’s fine I needed a new one, that was old. What you did was amazing, that was way more than what you did in you sleep!” Twilight exclaimed in astonishment. Spike smiled slightly. They both turned around when the machine started to spark. It shook slightly as bolts and screws started to shoot out. The machine started to break apart, causing the pieces to go everywhere. A sharp piece of metal made it way towards Twilight. Spike ripped the helmet off of his head and ran towards her.
“Twilight watch out!” Spike exclaimed in terror. He pushed her out of the way and the metal made contact with the bridge of his nose. It stuck into his skin, causing him to bleed heavily. He heard Twilight gasp and stumbled slightly. The impact had made him very light headed. The machine let out a loud booming noise, make Spike flinch. Twilight had used her magic to unplug the machine.
“Stay still.” Twilight commanded as she ran over to get the first aid kit. Spike’s knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor with a thud. Peewee let out loud screeches to get Twilights attention. Spike felt saw everything around him go dark before he blacked out.
Spike groggily opened his eyes. He moved his eyes around to see Peewee was pressed against his side and Starry was in his hands. He felt a sharp pain come from his nose, causing him to wince in pain. He noticed that there was a bandage on the bridge of his nose.
Peewee looked up at him because of the movement and happily flapped his wings when he saw that Spike was awake. He flew out of the room in a hurry. Spike sat up to see that he was in Twilights bed. The sun was rising, which meant he had to have been out for a few hours. Hoofsteps came from up the stairs, causing Spike to turn around. Twilight rushed over to Spike and pulled him into a tight hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike smiled and hugged him back. “You promised not to do things that could get you killed.” She exclaimed, now angry and pulling away from the hug. Spike rubbed his arm, avoiding eye contact.
“I know that I need to protect you from anything that’s bad, it doesn’t matter if I die, it just matters if you stay alive.” Spike admitted. Twilight let out a gasp.
“Don’t you ever say that, your life is just as important as anyone else’s and you will take better care of yourself!” Twilight exclaimed while pulling Spike into another hug. He felt himself tearing up and hid his face into Twilights arm.
No matter what, he’d have to stay alive for Twilight.
Spike walked around the house, looking for Peewee. He looked under Twilights bed. There were only a few books under it. It was odd because he never left his side since he was hatched. He walked down the stairs for the hundredth time that day. He approached Twilights desk where she sat reading.
“Have you seen Peewee?” Spike asked. Twilight looked up from the book that she was reading.
“Not at all, he didn’t even eat his breakfast.” Twilight said. Spike frowned.
“I haven’t seen him since yesterday.” He said, his scales drooping a little and his eyes tearing up. Twilight rubbed his shoulder.
“Do you want me to help?” She asked. Spike nodded his head, sniffling a little. That made the cut on his nose sting slightly. She got up from her desk and walked around the library. Spike walked out of the room and into the kitchen. He heard the faint sound of singing coming from one of the bottom cabinets. It sounded like Peewee. Spike opened the door to see Peewee chirping to Owlicious, curled up into his side. He had gotten older over time and it showed. His feathers turned a light shade of gray, his eyes were fading, and he shook constantly.
“There you are!” Spike exclaimed happily. Peewee looked at him with sadness in his eyes. Spike reached his hands into the cabinet and pulled Owlicious out, cradling him. Peewee hopped out and flew next to his head in concern. Owlicious looked terrible.
“Twilight I think there’s something wrong with Owlicious.” Spike stated while walking into the library. Twilight looked at Owlicious and her face twisted into a frown. She walked over to him.
“Well he is old, maybe it’s his time to go, you two are the same age.” Twilight said. Spikes heart jumped at the sound of that. He was closer to Owlicious than Twilight was. He was like his first pet.
“He can’t die yet!” Spike exclaimed. Twilights eats flattened. He never yelled.
“We can take him to the vet to see if she can do anything.” Twilight said. Spike looked at Owlicious. He was shivering and his feathers were ruffled.
“Let go then.” Spike stated. He grabbed a blanket off of the table and wrapped Owlicious in it. He stopped shivering and let out a soft coo.
Spike stood next to the vets table, picking at his hands nervously. Peewee rubbed his head against Spikes hand to make him stop. He rubbed his hand on his feathery head. Dr. Fauna put a stethoscope up to Owlicious’s chest. She let out a soft hum and wrote something down.
“How old did you say he was again?” Dr. Fauna asked.
“Ten, he’ll be eleven in about six months.” Twilight stated. Dr. Fauna’s eyes widened.
“No wonder he looks like this, he’s way older than any owl is supposed to be.” She said with a slight chuckle.
“Is he going to be okay?” Spike asked. Dr. Fauna’s smile turned into a frown and she shook her head.
“I’m sorry, he doesn’t have the much time left. He won’t even make it through the day. You should just enjoy how much time you have left with him.” Dr. Fauna stated. Spikes scales flattened and he stared at the ground. Twilight put her hoof on Spikes shoulder.
“It’ll be okay.” She comforted. Spike looked at Twilight with determination in his eyes.
“I’m gonna make today the best day of Owlicious’ life!” Spike exclaimed, his tail wagging slightly. Twilight smiled. Spike carefully took Owlicious off of the table and held him in his arms.
“You have fun!” Twilight said as she watched Spike marched out of the room. Peewee flew close behind.
Spike walked up the path to Fluttershy’s cottage with Owlicious in a blue blanket and Peewee flew next to him. It was well in the afternoon so he had a few hours to spare. He walked up to the cottage door and knocked on it. The door opened carefully to reveal Fluttershy.
“Hello Spike, what brings you here?” Fluttershy asked.
“Owlicious is old and is going to die soon. I heard that you were watching everyone else’s pets today, can he see them one last time?” Spike asked nonchalantly. Fluttershy blinked in surprise before opening her door to let him in. Spike walked in with a little skip to his step.
Winona looked up and started to wag her tail when she saw her friend. She let out a bark and hopped excitedly. Opal started to purr, which was amazing that anyone could make her do that. Tank slowly turned his head and smiled. Angel tapped his foot excitedly. Gummy had his same blank stare. Spike put Owlicious down in between them, were he got attack by Winona licking his cheek. Spike sat on Fluttershy’s couch and Peewee sat on his lap. Fluttershy sat next to him and cleared her throat.
“You said that Owlicious is dying?” She asked in disbelief. Spike nodded his head.
“We took him to Dr. Fauna and she said the he’s way older than any owl she’s ever seen. I don’t know why I’m so surprised, we’re the exact same age. We even have the same birthday, isn’t that crazy?” Spike asked. Fluttershy nodded her head in surprise. Spike looked at Owlicious who was smiling a little, enjoying his time with his friends.
“I’ll be back in a few hours, I need to do something.” Spike stated while sliding off of the couch.
“See you later Spike.” Fluttershy said with a wave. Spike walked out the front door with Peewee flying behind him. Time to start his plan.
Spike walked into the library, making Twilight turn around from her organizing.
“You’re back earlier than I expected, where Owlicious?” Twilight asked. Spike walked passed her and kneeled in front of a floorboard.
“Owlicious is a Fluttershy’s cottage. I’m going to get a gravestone for him and bury him at the top of the hill.” Spike explained while lifting up the floorboard. Inside of it there was a pouch of bits and gems. There was enough in the pouch to buy a small building. Twilight blinked in surprise.
“Where did you get all that money?” Twilight asked. Spike took a few half eaten gems out of the pouch.
“Everytime you pay me for chores or I don’t finish my gems, I save them for traveling.” Spike stated while walking over to a storage closet and pulling out a shovel. Twilight cocked her eyebrow.
“And where are you traveling to?” She asked. Spike scales flattened and he let out a nervous laugh. He stood up and made his way to the front door.
“That’s not important. If you want to say goodbye to Owlicious one last time, meet us at the hill during sunset.” Spike said while walking out the door. He closed the door behind him and started to make his way to the pet cemetery. Peewee sat on his head, tired from all of the flying. His eyes drooped closed as he tried to stay awake.
Spike had the shovel tightly in his hand, making his knuckles turn white. He really didn’t want to lose Owlicious. He was his only friend his age. He helped Spike get over his fear of birds when he was younger. He cuddled with Spike when he woke up from a nightmare and Twilight was in the Canterlot library. He didn’t want to cry about this and seem childish. Twilight didn’t seemed to be worried about it at all. If she wasn’t worried why should he be.
Spike arrived at the pet cemetery and looked around. He spotted a small building at the far end of it. He walked over to the building, which felt like forever. When he approached it, he knocked on the door which quickly swung open to reveal pegasus mare. She couldn’t have been much younger than Velvet. She was she pale blue with a white mane. Her eyes were a deep blue and her cutie mark was of a tombstone with a pawprint on it.
“How may I help you?” She asked in a sweet but raspy voice.
“I heard that you make tombstones for pets.” Spike stated. She looked at him and looked at Peewee.
“I do. Should you have your dead pet on your head?” She asked in confusion. Peewee laid on his head, sound asleep.
“He’s not dead, just asleep. I need a headstone for my pet owl, he’s not gonna make it though the day.” Spike explained. The mare gave him a somber look and gestured for him to come inside. It looked very nice. There was a brown couch and a table with tissues. Her large desk had a plaque on it that said “Stone Chipper”. Behind her desk there were blank tombstones. The nice mare walked behind her desk and grabbed a chisel and a blank tombstone.
“What would you like for it to say?” Miss Chipper asked. Spike thought for a moment.
“Thank you for being the best pet in the world.” Spike stated. Miss Chipper nodded her head and started to chisel that into the stone. Spike closed his eyes and listening to the sound of the rock being picked away. It reminded him of something from the dragonlands but he didn’t know what. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed until he heard Miss Chipper speak up.
“Is this fine?” She asked while holding up a tombstone. Spike opened his eyes and looked at the tombstone. It read ‘Thank you for being the best pet ever’ in neat cursive. Under it there was a very detailed feather.
“I love it!” Spike exclaimed, causing Peewee to jolt awake. He looked around in confusion. Spike reached into his bag and pulled out twenty half eaten gems.
“Sorry that they have bite marks in them.” Spike apologized. Miss Chippers eyes widened. This was way more than she needed.
“I can’t take all of this, I don’t need it.” Miss Chipper said while pushing half of the gems towards him. Spike glanced at the tombstone the laid on the desk.
“You can’t give it back if you can’t catch me!” Spike exclaimed while grabbing the tombstone. He bolted out of the door and ran as fast as he could. Miss Chipper looked at Peewee who flew out the door behind him, letting out loud chirps. She chuckled.
“What a generous young man.”
Spike walked up the hill with Owlicious wrapped in a blanket. The sun was going to set soon, which was perfect. His legs had started getting tired from all the walking he was doing that day. Spike finally made it to the top of the hill. Owlicious gave a look of surprise at what he saw.
There was a tombstone a few feet from a tree. Surrounding the tombstone there were candles with blue flames. In front of the tombstone there was a hole the perfect size for an owl. Peewee sat on the tombstone and Twilight sat next to it.
“Do you like it?” Spike asked. Owlicious let out a strained who and flapped his wings weakly. Spike sat next down to Twilight and handed her Owlicious.
“Hey Owlicious, you had a good run over the years but it’s your time to go.” Twilight said, starting to tear up. Her breath hitched. “You were my first pet and one of my first friends.” She finished, now started to cry. Owlicious lifted his wing and wiped the tears off of her face.
“You’re the only friend my age and you were there for me when Twilight wasn’t. You’re my best friend.” Spike said with a smile, rubbing his thumb on Owlicious brittle feathers. One of the feathers fell off and into his hand.
“Look, the sun is setting.” Spike stated. They all looked to see the most beautiful sunset they had ever seen. As the sunset faded, so did the light from Owlicious eyes. Twilight looked at Owlicious and sadness washed over her.
“He’s gone...” She muttered sadly. Spike took the motionless owl out of her arms and placed him into his grave. He grabbed the shovel and started to drop dirt over him. Peewee let out a sad chirp and lowered his wings. Once Spike was finished, he placed a single flower on the grave. He looked at the candles. There was no point of blowing them out since he used ice fire, the worst it could do is make that area a little icy. He picked Peewee up and started to walk down the hill.
He and Twilight walked down the hill in silence. Spike knew that he was supposed to be sad, but he wasn’t. He looked at the feather that was in his hand and tightened his grasp on it.
Spike stood in front of Luna with his armor on. He had his sword in one hand and his shield in the other. Luna glared down at him, getting ready to attack at any moment. Her legs were far apart and her ears were low. Peewee sat next to Celestia, letting out soft wines of worry. His job was to make sure Spike didn’t get hurt and right now the opposite was about to happen. His wings twitched. He already got taken once under his care and he didn’t want it to happen again. Celestia raised her hoof.
“One, two, three, start!” Celestia exclaimed, stomping her hoof on the ground. Spike charged at Luna. She stood up on her hind legs, ready to blast him with her magic. Spike slid on his side to get under Luna. Once he was under her, he kicked her in the stomach. Luna’s horn stopped glowing and she instinctively reached down towards her stomach. Spike slid from under her and quickly stood up. Luna quickly turned around to face him, her cheeks pink from embarrassment and anger.
Luna shot a blast of magic at him, which he easily dodged. Spike slid his shield across the floor, making Luna lose her balance. He took in a deep breath and covered the floor in ice. Luna let her horn glow again and started to charge her attack. She took a step forward, only for her hoof to slip. The magic shot forward, going directly towards Spikes head. He took a quick step back, only to slip on the ice. His landed on the ground, his arm making a loud snapping noise. He let out a loud scream of pain, causing everyone to freeze. His arm was bent at an awkward angle.
“Spike!” Celestia exclaimed. Peewee flew over to him in worry. He clutched on his right arm in pain, starting to sweat heavily. Peewee put his head under his injured arm to give him some support. Luna had already flew out of the room to get some medical help. Celestia rushed over to his side and levitated him into his arms. Spike was shaking like a leaf, sweating heavily.
“Am I dying?” Spike asked between shuddering breaths. Celestia shook her head and used her magic to take some of his armor off.
“You’re not dying, everything will be fine.” Celestia said in a soothing voice, trying to remain calm. Spike struggled to keep his eyes open. Soon everything went black and the last thing he felt was Celestia stroking his face.
Spike stirred awake by a soft beeping noise. He kept his eyes closed, listening for any key sign to see where he was. He could hear the clack of hooves on hard tile floor, fast enough to sound like pacing. It sounded like other ponies where whispering to each other. He felt something next to his left foot. It was very warm. He opened his eyes to see that he was in a hospital. His right arm felt very stiff and was numb. He turned around his arm was in a cast. Peewee bolted up from his spot on the bed and rubbed his face against Spikes head, making him chuckle.
“Calm down I’m fine.” Spike stated happily. Twilight rushed over to him.
“I’m so glad that you’re okay!” Twilight exclaimed while hugging him. Spike hugged her back with his one good arm. She pulled away from the hug. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walked over to him. They were his only friends there.
“How are you feeling?” Fluttershy asked. Spike shrugged his shoulders.
“Fine I guess, I can’t feel my arm.” Spike stated. Pinkie Pie handed Spike a potted plant. It was a budded flower.
“Twilight told me that you like plants so I got you this!” Pinkie Pie stated happily. Spike smiled.
“Thanks.” Spike said with a smile. The doctor walked in the room, holding a clipboard. He was a yellowish orange unicorn stallion with a brown mane.
“Ah, I see that you’re awake.” The doctor stated. He was a doctor in Ponyville, not Canterlot. Spike must have been transferred when he was unconscious.
“Your surgery was a success and you’re arm should be healed up in two months.” The doctor stated while reading through the paper on the clipboard.
“You are very healthy and can go home right now. I recommend not doing anything too physical until your arm heals up.” He suggested. Spikes scales flattened. That meant he couldn’t sword fight for two whole months. Twilight wouldn’t let him help out around the house either. He let out a sigh and removed the blanket from his body.
“I recommend getting pain killers too, and make sure you don’t over work yourself. Don’t get your cast wet either.” The doctor stated. Now he knew that Twilight wouldn’t let him do any work. He actually liked working, it made him feel like he wasn’t being a burden to Twilight. Spike got out of the hospital bed, holding his potted plant. The doctor handed Twilight a piece of paper.
“That’s the bill.” He stated. Spike grimaced. He hated when Twilight had to pay for a mistake that he made. She levitated about thirty bits and handed it to him. Peewee hopped off of the bed and stood close to Spike.
“Let’s go home.” Twilight said. Spike started to walk towards the door, only to be levitated onto Twilights back.
“I’m carrying you, you had a long day.” Twilight stated. Spike let out a sigh. This was going to be a long two months.
Spike and Peewee sat on Twilights bed, watching her getting ready to leave. He held a container of apple fritters in one hand. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity had came over to check on him. Applejack gave him some fritters, Rarity gave him a large gem (which he had saved under the floorboards), and Rainbow Dash signed his cast.
“Are you sure you can stay here by yourself?” Twilight asked. Spike playful rolled his eyes.
“You’re just going to the pharmacy to get some painkillers, I’ll be fine.” Spike stated.
“It might take a while, I still need to do a few more things. Make sure to just relax and don’t do any work. Your arm can get worse if you do to much.” Twilight explained. Spike nodded his head and pet Peewee on the wing.
“See you later Twilight.” Spike said, taking his hand off of Peewee to wave. Twilight walked down the stairs and Spike heard the front door close.
“What should I do?” Spike asked Peewee. He let out a soft chirp as if he were saying he didn’t know. Spike thought to himself. He couldn’t draw or write because his couldn’t move his right hand, he wasn’t allowed to clean, or sword fight. He read all of the Power Pony comics at least a hundred times and a new one wouldn’t come out until next week. He let out a groan a flopped onto the bed. Peewee looked at Spike and let out a chirp laid next to him. He turned his head to look at the plant Pinkie Pie had given him. It looked very pretty in the sunlight.
“I know what I can start doing!” Spike exclaimed before hopping off of the bed. He rushed down the stairs and Peewee flew after him. He went to the floor boards and pulled one up. He pulled out a pouch filled with bits. Peewee tilted his head in confusion.
“Spike I’m back!” Twilight shouted as she walked into the house. She looked around when she realized Spike didn’t answer. Did he fall asleep? Twilights ears perked up when she heard someone in the house. She walked through the back door which was wide open to see Spike on his hands and knees with a hand held shovel in his left hand. He wore Twilights sun hat which was way to large for him. Peewee rolled in a dirt pile next to him, clearly enjoying himself. His vest laid next to Spike.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asked. Spike looked up, the hat flopping in the wind.
“I started a garden!” Spike said happily. Twilight looked to see rows of flowers. They were plenty of different colors and types. “I realized that I don’t have many hobbies but I like flowers so I decided gardening would be fun to do.” Spike stated excitedly, his tail wagging a bit. Twilight smiled.
“It looks like you’re having fun.” She commented. Spike nodded his head. Twilight levitated the hat off of his head.
“I have a sun hat that can fit you better.” Twilight stated before walking back inside. She can back a few moments later with a dark blue sun hat. She placed it on Spikes head.
“Much better.” She stated. Spike smiled. He liked this new hobby.
Spike, Twilight, Peewee, and Fluttershy stood in front of her cottage. A group of animals happily chittered to each other as Fluttershy shook in fear.
“Don't be scared, little friends. Twilight is wonderful with magic.” Fluttershy said in a soft tone to her animals. She quickly turned to face Twilight, there noses pressing together. “If anything happens to them, Twilight, so help me...” Fluttershy started, only to be blocked by Spike. He pushed her back with his one good arm.
“Aww, don't worry, Fluttershy, Twilight's magic has gotten a lot better since she accidentally crushed me and Applejack with a giant snowball.” Spike explained. Twilight blushed at the memory. Fluttershy let out a sigh.
“Of course she's good with magic. Twilight's great with magic. I guess I just don't want my little friends to be scared. Oh, oh, look how scared they are!” Fluttershy said with a nervous laugh. Spike looked at the animals to see that they were perfectly fine and not nervous at all. He chuckled a bit.
“You’re being a little dramatic, they’re fine.” Spike stated.
“I promise, Fluttershy. Nothing bad will happen to them.” Twilight said confidently. She put her magic around the animals.
“Stop, stop! They can't take it!” Fluttershy exclaimed in terror, laying on the ground. Twilight gave her a look of confusion. She hadn’t even lifted the animals off of the ground yet. Twilight turned back around and started to levitate the animals off of the ground. She lifted them into the air and they all chittered happily. Fluttershy bit her hooves as she watched her animals. Spike pet her hair as he watched Twilight twist and turn the animals in the sky. The animals let out happy chitters, enjoying the ride. Twilight rocked her head, making the animals go in different directions.
“Twilight, that looks amazing!” Spike exclaimed. Twilight lowered the animals back onto the ground. She wiped the sweat from her brow and let out a breath. The animals surrounded her, putting there arms up to be put up in the air again.
“That's all for now, little ones. Maybe we can practice again later, if Fluttershy says it's alright.” Twilight said, gesturing to Fluttershy. She laid on the ground, shaking like a leaf. Peewee rubbed his beak against her hair, relaxing her a bit. All of the animals surrounded her, jumping about and down happily.
“Your magic has really improved since we came to Ponyville, Twilight. Princess Celestia's going to love it.” Spike complimented. Twilight smiled.
“Thanks, Spike. I have to be at my best when she arrives with the delegates from Saddle Arabia. I can't believe she's trusting me with the entertainment.” Twilight beamed. Spike went to say something, but noticed a shadow on the ground approaching them rapidly. He looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying quickly. She had a look of urgency on her face. She landed next to Twilight.
“Twilight! Come quick! It's an emergency!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Twilight levitated Spike on her back and followed Rainbow Dash into Town Hall. Peewee and Fluttershy flew after them, wondering why was going on.
Twilight ran into town hall, seeing a large crowd surrounding something. Spike hopped off of her back and pushed his way through the crowd to see what was going on. Someone wearing a black cloak hit Rarity with a magic beam. A brown, lime green, and pink dress appeared on her, making her gasp.
“You beast! This shade of brown should only be used for accents!” Rarity exclaimed, about to faint. Applejack ran behind her and caught her before she hit the ground.
“Come on, Applejack. We've got to get her in a nice, soothing pink, stat!” Pinke Pie said, following Applejack. Twilight managed to push her way through the crowd, looking around in confusion.
“What's going on here?” Twilight asked. The pony took off the cloak dramatically, revealing Trixie. Spike gave her a confused look. She wasn’t that much of a threat when she was in Ponyville before, why was everyone so scared?
“Well, well, well. If it isn't... Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie said with a smirk. Her eyes flashed red for a moment, making Spike take a step back. Twilight let out a gasp.
“Trixie!” Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow Dash flew closer to Trixie.
“You call that great and powerful?” She asked with a scoff. Spike wanted to side with her but felt like Trixie was going to do something crazy. She hit her with a beam of magic. Rainbow Dash’s right wing became humongous and she struggled to fly properly. Her magic aura was different which threw Spike off. He looked at Trixie’s neck. She had a black amulet on her neck.
”That must be the source of her power, she could barely do a teleportation spell when she was here, let alone spells that could change body parts.” Spike thought to himself. He looked up to see that Snips and Snails horns were connected. They were both running around in a panic as everyone stared.
“Stop picking on my friends Trixie!” Twilight exclaimed sternly.
“You and I have some unfinished business. My magic's gotten better since I was here last. And I'm going to prove it! Me and you, a magic duel. Winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville forever! Trixie exclaimed, making everyone gasp. Spike stood in front of Twilight defensively.
“Forget it, she’s not going to do that!” Spike exclaimed angrily. Trixie smirked and got a few inches from Spikes face.
“Would you like to suffer for Twilight instead?” She asked. Spike nodded his head.
“Kick me out instead, see if I care.” Spike stated. Twilight pushed Spike behind her and shook her head.
“Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked. Trixie sneered and made a small magical screen appear.
“Why? Because you humiliated me! After you showed me up with that Ursa Minor, I became a laughing stock! Everywhere I went I was laughed at and ostracized. I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living! A rock farm!” Trixe shouted angrily, stopping her hoof.
“Hey! You're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She continued to ramble on about how wonderful rock farms are. Trixie rolled her eyes and wrapped her magic around Pinkies muzzle. She took it off of her face and tossed it in a nearby trash can. Pinkie Pie tried to say something but it just sounded like muffled screams.
“Now I want revenge! And I'll just keep casting spells 'til you agree. Well? What do you say?” Trixie asked. Twilight looked around to see her friends suffering from Trixie’s torments. “If I lose, I won't set hoof in Ponyville again. But if you lose, you're the one banished from this one-horse town.” Trixie suggested. That was a deal breaker.
“Fine!” Twilight exclaimed. Trixie smirked.
“Excellent.” She said. She reversed the effects on every bodies spells. She turned Rainbow Dash’s wing back to normal, took the dress off of Rarity, and disconnected Snips and Snails. Pinkie Pie still didn’t have a mouth. Spikes heart raced at the thought of Twilight losing. He couldn’t lose her. Twilight and Trixie stood a few feet from each other. Spike could feel Twilights nervousness.
“Draw!” Trixie exclaimed, letting a blast of magic out of her horn. She levitated an apple cart and launched it into the air. Ponies scattered int different directions, trying not to get hit. A mare tripped and fell onto the ground harshly. She shielded herself as the cart approached her. Twilight levitated the cart away from her moments before it hit the mare and placed it on the side, placing the apples inside neatly. The mare ran off as Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
She turned around to see a dozen pies appear in mid air. They charged at her at full speed. Twilight thought for a moment before getting an idea. She teleported a parasprite, which ate all the pies with ease. The parasprite burped out another parasprite and Twilight quickly teleported them away before they could do any more damage.
“You can do it Twilight.” Spike muttered to himself. He pet Peewees head anxiously. Trixie summoned a large pile of snow above Twilight and dropped it on her. Twilights horn glowed and she melted all of the snow. She shook the water off of herself. Twilight hit Trixie in the face with a magic beam. A long mustache grew from her upper lip, causing everyone to giggle. Trixie summoned a pair of scissors and cut them off with ease.
“Snips, Snails, step forward!” Trixie commanded. The both shakily walked towards her and bowed down.
“Wh-what is it, oh Great and P-P-Powerful Trixie?” Snips stuttered out. Trixie levitated them both into the air and covered them in magic. There was a bright light and both of them fell on the ground. Snails was an old frail stallion while Snips was a small foal. Twilight gave a look of surprise.
“An age spell? But... how could you do an age spell? That's only for the highest level unicorns!” Twilight exclaimed in shock. Trixie smirked cockily and shined her hoof on the amulet.
“Well, Twilight? Give up?” Trixie asked. Twilights ears flattened. She enveloped Snips and Snails in her magic.
“Come on Twilight you can do it.” Spike said hopefully. Sweat dripped down Twilight’s face as she struggled to change them back. Her magic weakened and she dropped Snips and Snails on the ground, trying to catch her breath.
“Trixie is the highest level unicorn!” Trixe exclaimed with a laugh. She faced Twilight. “And now it's time for you to leavePonyville! FOREVER!” She commanded. All of her friends ran in front of Twilight to protect her.
“That's enough, Trixie!” Applejack stated, stomping her hooves on the ground.
“You proved your point, but you can't possibly expect Twilight to leave Ponyville!” Rarity said with worry laced in her voice.
“You fools! She's already gone!” Trixie exclaimed while using her magic to throw Twilight out of town. Twilight let out a scream as she was flung away. Spike quickly ran after her, being followed by his friends. He could see Twilight laying on the ground near the Everfree Forest. Spike sped up, already way ahead of his friends. Before he could reach her, a giant glass blocked them, keeping Twilight out.
“Twilight!” Spike exclaimed, banging his hand on the glass. It glowed red whenever his fist his the glass. It must have been magic surrounding it. Spike picked him up to make sure he didn’t hurt himself.
“I’ll be fine Spike. I'll figure something out. Just take care of each other. And keep an eye on Trixie. There's something strange about her.” Twilight said before running off. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity muttered to eachother. Spike hopped out of Fluttershys arms and started to pace back and forth in worry. He stopped pacing when he heard the sound of something dragging across the dirt and a whip. Trixie sat in a carriage with no wheels. Snips and Snails, who we’re now back to normal, struggled to pull it.
“You six, come with me, you have some worshipping to do.” Trixie commanded. They couldn’t fight back so they followed Trixie back to Town Hall, whispering things to each other. Spike rubbed Peewees head to get his attention.
”Let’s go.” He whispered. He slowed down as he watched his friends follow Trixie. Spike turned around and made his way to the library.
Spike sat on the library floor, flipping through a book about amulets. Peewee laid his head on his lap.
“There has to be something on the amulet that Trixie is wearing.” Spike said to Peewee. He flipped through the pages of the book until he found the amulet that she was wearing.
“The Alicorn Amulet, and whoever wears it is blessed with untold power. Even though it provides great power, it also corrupts the user.” Spike read out. He continued to skim the page.
“You can't just take the Alicorn Amulet off her neck, it has a magical lock! Trixie's the only pony who can take it off!” Spike exclaimed. He thought to himself for a moment. He stood up, making Peewee roll off of his lap and land on his back. Spike started to pace back and forth.
“I need to trick her somehow. She’s not that smart so it shouldn’t be that hard.” Spike stated. He stopped walking and looked at a dark blue necklace that Twilight had gotten for her birthday. It had a blue sapphire in it and a thick golden chain. He picked it up off of the table and an idea popped into his head.
“Come on Peewee, I have an idea.” Spike said before walking outside. Peewee followed him out the door. He looked around to see that the town was empty. It was eerily quiet, making Spikes blood run cold.
“It’s like a ghost town.” Spike muttered. The silence was terrible and he hated it. It made him feel like he was alone. Peewee noticed his tension and started to sing softly. It calmed Spikes nerves and made him smile a bit. They entered Town Hall to see Trixie sitting on a throne made of sweets. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash struggled to hang up some tapestries. Applejack stood in a pit of apples, trying to crush them up. Rarity sat at a sewing machine, making tapestries. Pinkie Pie was dancing with a red magical aura around her. Everyone else was either cleaning or fanning Trixie. The Mayor sat in a small cage.
“Dragon, massage my hooves.” Trixie commanded, sticking out her right leg. Spike grimaced.
“Actually Trixie, I have something for you.” Spike said while showing her the necklace. “It’s a new amulet, much more powerful than the one around your neck.” He stated. Rainbow Dash flew over to him in a rush, making Fluttershy drop the tapestry she was holding.
”What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked through gritted teeth. Spike ignored her and took a step forward.
“This can help you rule all of Equestria and you would barely have to use any magic.” Spike explained. Trixie squinted at him.
“How do I know that you’re not trying to trick me? Besides, why would you give me more magic?” Trixie asked. Spike instantly thought of an answer. Trixie didn’t know him that well so he could say anything and she could believe him.
“I’m tired of the same boring rules the Princess Celestia makes, with you in control, it can be different.” Spike encouraged. Trixie snatched the necklace from his hands and took off the amulet. Her eyes flickered red for a moment before going back to its regular purple color. Spike looked out a window to see the shield around the town had disappeared.
“Get rid of this, I don’t want it anymore.” Trixie said as she handed Spike the amulet. He grinned. Trixie put the necklace on her neck and looked at Rainbow Dash. She struck her with a beam of magic, making her laugh.
“Stop it! Tha-that tickles!” Rainbow Dash said between laughter. Trixie gave a look of confusion.
“Tickles?! That was supposed to make you writhe in agony! This amulet is defective!” Trixie shouted. She faced Spike. “Give mine back!” She commanded.
“I’ll give it back if you can catch me first.” Spike said before running off. Peewee flew after him. Trixie ran after him in blind rage. Spike glanced at the enterance of the Everfree Forest.
“Peewee, fly around town and make sure she follows you, I’ll go get Twilight.” Spike commanded. Peewee nodded his head and flew off into a different direction. Spike hopped over a log and entered the forest.
“If I were Twilight where would I go?” Spike asked himself. Before he could think of something, he bumped into something and got knocked to his back.
“Spike, what are you doing here?!” Twilight asked in surprise. Spike stood up and hugged her.
“I got the amulet that was controlling Trixie.” Spike said while showing her the alicorn amulet. Twilight tilted her head.
“Is that why she was so powerful?” Twilight asked. Spike nodded his head.
“She’s mad at me and is trying to catch me. I told Peewee to keep her away.” Spike stated. She smiled and put Spike on her back.
“Let’s hurry before Trixie gets away.” Twilight said as she ran out of the forest.
Twilight and Spike entered Ponyville to see Trixie surrounded by the rest of their friends and Peewee. She looked at Twilight with fear in her eyes.
“What are going to do to me?” Trixie asked. Spike looked at her with cold eyes.
“Murder.” Spike said with a deadpanned expression. Trixie started to shake in fear.
“We’re not going to murder you.” Twilight stated. Trixie let out a sigh of relief. “I don’t want you to come back to Ponyville until you truly changed, understood?” Twilight asked. Trixie nodded her head before standing up and running off.
