"The Return of Sludge"

Family.

What was once perhaps the scariest word in the dictionary according to Spike - quickly became one of his favorites. It was ironic in a way - this seemingly impossible goal the dragon had yearned for years all the sudden became his reality. Years of heartache and questioning turned into the concrete answers he so desperately searched for.

And all he had to do was ask.

On reflection, Spike realized that his fears were all nothing but a vex cursed into his own mind. He made a very likely occurrence into this improbable fantasy - a nightmare that continued to haunt him until he opened his eyes and braved out into the unknown.

He tried, he fought, he achieved. He completed his dreams. He had all he could ever want. He had a family.

These ponies who he had thought wanted nothing to do with him, they had become his biggest believers and his strongest supporters. All he had to do was approach them - to close the gaps that his own mind had opened. It was a rough road at points, but he had shared his heart with them and they in turn kindly shared theirs.

Ever since that fateful quest to discover his family, Spike considered himself the luckiest dragon in the world. 7 very special ponies and a whole onslaught of other family members had carved their way into his life - an experience he would never trade.

Of course, the dragon knew that everyday with his very large family would be a string of adventures in and of their own. There would be happy moments and sad moments, bouts of laughter and bouts of tears, there would be acceptances and arguments; but he knew that no matter what crazy routes he and his family traveled, they would be together forever.

Family isn't always easy, but the stories that they would go through every day would be worth it.

And one story such story begins now - with an anxious dragon pacing back and forth in the castle map room.

Its been roughly a week since Spike had finally returned home from his long voyage across Ponyville (and Cloudsdale). The drake was finally free from his past burdens, thankful to finally be able to simply enjoy the pleasures that came with his new extended family. With so many ponies involved in his life, there was always someone to see or something to do.

And this would especially hold true today.

The dragon was currently pacing back and forth between the cold, hard tiles of the map room while 6 ponies each sat rather anxiously in their own personalized thrones that circled around the room; Starlight Glimmer herself just stood rather awkwardly as she too was waiting while also glancing worriedly at the mobile creature in front of her.

It had all started yesterday. A letter sent from Dragon Lord Ember asking for an audience with all the Elements, as well as Spike specifically. Not much was stated in the letter besides the fact that it was 'an issue of upmost importance'. The letter in and of itself was already highly unusual - the rather gruff and sometimes brash dragon lord never took the time to visit Equestria unless it was either a major crisis or some form of cross-nation delegation event. Simply put, when everyone found out Ember was visiting, they knew it would be a matter worth attending.

The drake continued to walk back and forth anxiously waiting for the guest's arrival.

"I wonder what Ember wants with all of us. Is there some sort of emergency friendship mission? Is there a dragon who needs pony help? Or what if the nations of Equestria and the Dragonland Empire are entering a war?!?!" he rambled on.

Starlight stopped his gradual panic with a hoof to his body, blocking him from his entranced pacing.

"Spike. I highly doubt there's going to be a war. We have dragons at the School of Friendship and they're doing really well both socially and academically. Our nations are no doubt better allies than they probably ever were."

"Indeed," spoke up Rarity who seemed to rub a hoof to her chin, "Though Ember's visit still has me concerned..."

All the other mares and dragon collectively nodded their heads in agreement before a rather relaxed alicorn voiced her own statement.

"We'll find out soon enough. I'm sure she'll be here any minute now." declared Twilight.

On top of her magical abilities, the princess was now apparently a psychic as no sooner as she had finished her sentence did the doors to the room open up, revealing not only Ember but the young dragon student Smolder as well oddly enough.

"Hey guys. Sorry we're late. I wanted to bring Smolder along for this." explained Ember as she suddenly found a weight latch onto her lower frame - a green and purple weight with a smile on his face as his claws wrapped themselves around her torso.

Ember blushed awkwardly as she tapped the small dragon on the head, still not used to the whole 'affection' thing.

"Hey there, Spike. Heh, heh. Still a hugger I see..." she trailed off embarrassingly. Smolder, standing right beside her, instantly smirked at the cute, yet comedic display while almost every pony in the room held hoofs over their lips as they were politely trying to stifle any giggles.

"You get used to it." quipped Rainbow Dash, finding solace in the fact that she wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable with mushy feelings sometimes.

"So, what brings you guys here?" Twilight asked curiously as Spike released himself from the hug, allowing the three dragons to stand in front of the group, Spike taking a few steps back to stand besides Twilight and Starlight.

Upon the seemingly normal question, both Smolder and Ember developed frowns on their faces, the latter of the two rubbing a claw behind her head trying to find the right words to convey.

"Well, y'see... Smolder here recently sent me a letter, detailing me about some... recent events... involving a certain dragon that stayed in your castle."

Everyone in the room immediately felt themselves tense up with hardened frowns on their faces. They quickly knew what Ember was referring to.

Spike himself felt his eyes widen in shock, not expecting a certain series of events to be relived so soon. A certain name that sent a chill down his spine.

Sludge.

Smolder sighed as she felt the need to elaborate further.

"After Sludge left, I knew I had to tell Ember what happened. I wanted to wait it out for a bit in case he suddenly returned..."

Smolder then focused her sympathetic gaze towards Spike.

"...then I recently heard about your 'journey' and... after hearing what you went through, how you felt... I knew Sludge must've contributed to part of that. I felt bad that I didn't send the letter before you left, so as soon as I heard about your mission and your return, I knew I had to tell Ember right then and there."

All the ponies remained speechless, still processing Smolder's speech, while Spike wordlessly walked over to the orange dragon, giving her a quick hug.

"Hey. It's ok. It's not your fault. I needed to go on this journey regardless..."

Smolder waited patiently, allowing for Spike to continue.

"I've felt like I've been missing a family ever since I was just a hatchling. They were feelings I thought I'd live with throughout my whole life. But, thanks to that journey, I found a family to call my own - a family that I love to pieces. I finally resolved something that's been bothering me forever, and to have that weight gone... I wouldn't trade my mission or them for anything in the world." he concluded as he motioned to the ponies behind him.

All the ponies and Smolder smiled warmly at him and his heartfelt speech - Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy each began developing soft tears in their eyes.

Ember allowed herself an inward smile for a moment, before steeling her resolve.

"Regardless of that Spike, despite the typically known culture and attitude of dragons, one thing dragons hate in particular are those who abandon or mistreat their children - real or not. As such, once I discovered this was going on, there were... certain measures I knew I needed to oblige by before I punish someone for a very long time." she ended pointedly with a slight snarl.

Spike and the others looked at each other in confusion while Smolder glanced at their confused expressions with a slight wince, knowing full well what would be coming next.

"What do you mean by that...?" Spike haphazardly asked.

Ember sighed, realizing that the ponies in this room would probably be furious with her for doing this; but she felt like she needed him to see the error of his ways, whether he realized them or not.

"Guards... bring him in." she muttered.

After a moment, two dragon guards walked into the room, one on each side as the ponies saw a very familiar and rage-provoking face handcuffed in between them. With large drawn out gasps, everyone eyed this newcomer with shock and fury laced in their voices.

"SLUDGE?!"

"Hey there... how's it going?" the new dragon nervously chuckled amidst the 7 rather hostile glares the equines were burning into his soul. While not the smartest creature in the world by any means ( the chains around his wrists making him regret the decision to go back to the Dragonlands after fleeing from this 'Pony Town'), he knew that if looks could be lethal, he would've been killed on the spot half a dozen times by now. He was very lucky there were other witnesses in this room, otherwise he wasn't sure what these normally cute ponies would've done to him.

Applejack was the first one to speak as she roared at Ember with a hoof banging on the map.

"What in tarnation is he doin' here?!" the cowpony practically spat as her victim had to take a step back.

While not normally afraid of anything.... or at the very least admit she wasn't afraid of anything (especially ponies), she could feel the hate and disgust radiating off the room once Sludge made his entrance. The glares, the stiffness in their postures, and now the way their voices laced with venom - and some of it was being directed at her.

"In hindsight I should've really seen this coming..." she internally mused before steeling herself for a response.

"Our guards found and captured him after I read Smolder's letter. And before he goes to jail for a long time..." she added for emphasis (whether for Sludge or for her own protection was up to debate), "...we have a tradition in the Dragonlands where we make prisoners appear in front of their victims and issue an honorable apology."

"An honorable apology?" Spike vocally repeated, as his eyes shifted nervously between Ember and Sludge.

"Think of it like a noble dragon code." clarified Smolder, "Though it's really only used for serious offenses."

Sludge finally seemed to forget the tension that was directed at him as he openly sneered in disgust.

"And what 'offense' would that be?"

Thankfully, Ember was more than happy to accommodate his pointed question as she marched right over to him and silenced him with a glare.

"Let's see - there's taking advantage of another noble's hospitality, there's placing a pretended offspring in danger by making him serve you and abandoning him in a cold environment by making him sleep outside, and on top of that, you took advantage of another ruler's child - you've basically committed treason against your own country and potentially caused an international war!" she roared as she finished, making her target and even the guards wince.

Now, if Sludge were smart, he would've accepted his grievances and wisely remain quiet for the duration of his visit.

Sludge wasn't smart.

"Oh, come on! Aren't you overreacting?!" he whined as several horrified gasps echoed throughout the room.

Sludge definitely wasn't smart.

"Overreacting?! We nursed you back to health when we thought you were injured and how do you repay us? By taking someone we see as our own, get their hopes up that he's found his birth parents, and then proceed to metaphorically and literally have him wipe your putrid feet just so you can steal his life?! We are underreacting here, darling!" Rarity hissed.

"After years of wondering, you came in and made him think he finally figured out who he was, only to stomp all over his hopes! You are the worst creature I've ever met!" angrily spat Pinkie Pie.

Sludge decided he had received enough verbal lashing as he glared back at the furious ponies in defiance.

"Hey, hey! Don't give me that! Like I said before, I did what any dragon would've done!"

Before anyone could allegedly object, a voice spoke up that halted any potential arguments.

"Funny you say that when there's multiple counters to your claim."

"What?" Sludge asked a little taken aback by the rebuttal before he addressed the new voice that had taken the spotlight.

Smolder leisurely made her way over to where Sludge and the guards stood as Spike followed closely behind - his gaze narrowed, yet confused at the same time.

"You say that any dragon would've done what you did... well, Ember wouldn't have done that, I wouldn't have done that, Spike wouldn't have done that, there's a lot of dragons who wouldn't even think of doing what you did!" she growled.

Smolder stopped just a few feet in front of Sludge, a now captivated Spike right beside her as he gazed up at her with a twinkle in his eye.

"So when you say any dragon, what could you possibly mean?!"

Sludge found himself unable to move or speak for a moment as he took in what she said, his eyes wavering back and forth between the circle of ponies and the dragons right beside him.

Unfortunately, that silent moment didn't last as Sludge gave a rather sinister chuckle as he glared at the dragons in front of him.

"Jeez, you kids sure are stupid aren't ya?" he sneered, eliciting several narrow looks of bewilderment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Smolder roared back confrontationally as Spike merely glared.

Another sinister chuckle.

"You'll never figure it out. You want to change the culture that dragons have built for a millennia, just to 'make friends' and spend your time with these namby, pamby ponies."

He closed his eyes as he smiled.

"You're not real dragons, you're just a bunch of fakes."

Spike finally found his courage as he stepped in front of Smolder before almost finding himself muzzle to muzzle with his 'father'. A burning desire in his eyes that he swore he never felt before.

"Finally some payback."

"Hey! I lived with ponies all my life and I've made friends with all sorts of creatures in this wide, wide world of ours! I've seen old traditions dismantled in place of newer and better ones. A world where all creatures can come together and learn from one another, make friends with one another, be happy with one another! You may think that those different from you aren't worth anything, but I've seen beings and entire empires happier than ever before!"

He took another step closer as he pointed his claw at the opposing creature.

"I used to think I had to be who I was born as to be complete, but I was wrong! I have the life that I've always wanted, thanks to these ponies right here!" he yelled, gesturing to the jaw-dropped ponies behind him. "They showed me the power in being yourself, to accept and to live alongside others! They gave me a family when no dragon ever would! I'm finally something because of them! I'm finally real because of them! So don't you say that others who don't fit your mold aren't right, because they're the ones who have changed the world for the better!

"I'm me and I'm happy!" he shrieked defiantly as he burned with conviction and passion.

Unfortunately, the older dragon was clearly not moved by the sentimental speech as he suddenly lowered himself with a smirk before latching onto the baby dragon's shoulder with a claw.

"You're wrong kid. You're too easy - as long as you hang out with these ponies..." he paused as he grinned wickedly at the shocked youngling's form.

"You. Are. Worthless."

Before the older dragon could give himself a metaphorical celebratory pat on the back however, a quickly appearing flash of yellow and pink clouded his vision as two fiery spheres of turquoise lurched deep into his soul. The being that had separated the distance between dragons was now giving Sludge a look that immediately made him start seeing his own grave.

Except he wouldn't be the one digging it.

"YOU MONSTER!" Fluttershy roared as she screamed in the face of the now frightened dragon - the normally timid pegasus showcasing a fury no creature, not even her friends had ever seen before. This wasn't bold Fluttershy, this was deadly Fluttershy.

"YOU STEP AWAY FROM MY SON THIS INSTANT! I HOPE YOU ROT IN JAIL FOR ETERNITY! ROT! AND IF I SEE EVEN A TRACE OF YOU NEAR MY CHILD EVER AGAIN, I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE A LIFETIME IN JAIL SEEM LIKE A PICNIC, YOU HEAR ME?!?!" she practically had a royal Canterlot voice of her own at this point.

Rainbow and Applejack never thought they'd see the day where they physically had to restrain the usually kind pegasus, but here they were as they struggled to keep her from going after a retreating Sludge, Ember forcing herself in the way between them.

"Fluttershy, calm down! He's not worth it!" Rainbow plead, but she fell onto deaf ears as Applejack grit her teeth on the rope she lassoed her in.

No one thought the boiling pony was able to be tamed at this point, until a warm and gentle smiling Spike slowly approached her.

"Mom?" he issued softly. "It's ok. Forget about him, I'm not upset." he commented genuinely as a soft smile embraced his lips, showing the pegasus what Sludge said hadn't bothered him in the slightest.

Like a light switch had flipped off, Fluttershy's erupting demeanor had vanished as that glimmer of nurturing and kindness returned full force in her eyes. Her body dropped like a ton of bricks as she visibly relaxed before she swooped up the dragon with a free hoof as she coddled him.

"I'm... I'm so sorry... I didn't know what came over me... He just..." she stammered, before a tangling of rope released itself from her body and replaced itself with the tender touch of an orange hoof.

"It's alright, sugarcube, I don't blame ya. If someone had said somethin' like that to Apple Bloom, I'd have reacted the same way." assured Applejack.

"Nothing's scarier than a mother's wrath." Smolder sagely agreed with a wink as Fluttershy blushed a little bit before seeing the the rest of her friends slowly approach Ember and more importantly Sludge in an eerily threatening manner.

No one was scarier than Twilight though.

"Lord Ember," she breathed as she grinded her teeth with a look of pure hate as her focus traveled through the blue dragon and onto a slightly sweating one. "Please kindly remove that from my presence before I do something I might regret as a princess." she hollowly stated as a sudden spark of magic shot through her horn with a deadly soul-piercing glaze.

"Guards, take him back to the Dragonlands. Send him to a nice, dark chamber." Ember muttered with a slight wicked smile on her face as the guards carried a now thankful prisoner away, slowly learning to appreciate his jail sentence.

After a moment or two for the tense atmosphere in the room to simmer, everyone began to look at the back-turned form of Spike, immediately fearing he was going to re-enter another depressive episode.

"He's been doing so well too. After his journey, he was great..." Twilight nervously thought.

Slowly, the alicorn made her way over to the isolated creature as everyone else (Ember included) stared at him with apologetic and worried expressions.

"Spike, I'm so sorry. To see him again, to have him say that to you..." but she was cut off by a series of strange sounds emitting from the dragon.

All the others in the room glanced at each other with hesitation.

These didn't sound like any tears or sobs they've heard before... they sounded like...

Spike then proceeded to turn around as he wiped a tear from his eye with a loopy smile on his face.

...laughter?

"Ha ha!" he choked out as he calmed down. "Woo, I'm sorry about that. Sludge really is an idiot, huh?"

Everyone proceeded to look at the creature like he grew a second head.

"Wait, so...you're not upset?" haphazardly questioned Smolder.

"And you're not just pretending to be fine to try and 'spare our feelings' right?" Rainbow rose a worried eyebrow at the drake.

Spike proceeded to finish off a few more chuckles before he ultimately relaxed with a thoughtful look.

"I will admit a few weeks ago that probably would've hurt... a lot actually."

Spike paused for a moment to reflect on a previous iteration of himself. Indeed, he could very well see himself moping around in an almost catatonic state from being called 'worthless'.

But that was then, this is now.

"But, now knowing that I have all you guys here for me, why should I worry about what one foolish dragon thinks?"

The stares in the room altered drastically in mere seconds. What was once a room filled with trepidation and heartache for the young dragon was now proud, beaming smiles mixed in with a few teary-eyed quivering smiles - all overjoyed to see that their dragon was alright and amazed at how much he's already improved.

"Heck, yeah! That's my cousin!" Rainbow chirped as she rubbed her hoof on his scales.

The others quickly rushed in to envelop him in a group hug, smiles all around.

After a moment or two though, they heard a fake cough as Ember hastily walked over to Spike with a look of regret.

"Spike, I'm so sorry I brought Sludge here. I wanted him to see what he's done and maybe even offer an apology before he went to a jail cell, but I should've realized something... that not everyone can change." she hung her head in shame.

However, her head was quickly brought back up by a tiptoeing Spike as he motioned with a claw to look firmly at him.

"You're right. Not everyone can or will change." he bitterly replied with a lopsided smile.

Ember internally winced.

"But look at how many others have changed." he motioned with his claw.

"You, me, Smolder, practically everyone at the school. We've all grown and improved ourselves for the better. And as times are changing, more and more creatures are changing as well. More creatures are seeing the powers of diversity and friendship and are opening themselves up, and while not everyone will, there's so many out there who are or can." he concluded.

The ponies and Smolder behind him were all touched by his words as many of them felt their eyes water.

Twilight in particular was nothing short of proud at seeing how far her little baby has come. From his days in Canterlot as a mere toddler to this very moment where she saw a strong, kind-hearted being.

"Spike..." she tearfully muttered as she dabbed an eye with her hoof.

Even Ember was touched as she gave a fond, cheerful smile.

"Smolder, come here and join Spike for a sec."

Smolder happily obliged as she joined Spike side-by-side as they both peered up at the Dragon Lord.

"I know I'm not good with the whole 'words' and 'feelings' thing, but let me be the one to tell you... you two are the truest dragons I've ever met. Both of you have shown our lands and those throughout what a true role model is all about. You've stood up for what's right, you've helped those around you and you've shown all of us what it means to be heroes."

"You two and those who follow you - you're going to make the future a better place."

Spike and Smolder both smiled fondly at the elder... well, elder for them at least... as they let a few stray sniffles escape.

"Thank you." they both uttered before they were quickly attacked from behind for another group hug.

Ember and the others laughed at this before she noticed how long she kept her guards waiting.

"Sorry to end things so soon, but I've got to send someone to prison. And trust me when I say, many of the dragons agree that he should be locked up for a long while. I don't think you'll have to worry about him again."

Spike gave a slight smirk at that.

"Think I'm worried?"

Ember gave a smirk of her own right back.

"I know you're not."

Smolder decided to walk up to Ember as she joined her for the exit.

"And I forgot I have a study session with Ocellus." she explained.

Starlight gave an odd grin at this.

"This 'study session' wouldn't happen to involve a teaset and some pastries, would it?"

The orange dragon quickly felt a blush forming at her cheeks as Ember gave a slight chuckle at her misfortune.

"...maybe." she quietly admitted.

The two dragons gave one last wave goodbye before exiting the map room, a group of ponies and one dragon smiling fondly at the descending pair.

"So we met Sludge again, huh?" Starlight questioned as the gang found themselves seated in a neat array of thrones (plus an extra chair or two) around the center of the room once more.

"Yeah. It's hard to imagine we didn't knock him into next week." Rainbow commented.

"She stole mah threat." Applejack bitterly thought.

"Fluttershy almost did." added Pinkie Pie, much to the pegasus's chagrin.

Fluttershy sighed.

"I would say I wouldn't do it again, but I feel like that would be a lie." she added with a wry grin as the room erupted into bursts of laughter.

"Darling, I was about to go 'hydra' on him." admitted Rarity with no reluctance in her posh voice whatsoever.

"Please, I've still got a bathtub somewhere with his name on it." spoke Starlight as the room descended into hilarity once again.

As the chortles subsided, Twilight decided to turn her attention to the wheezing dragon sitting by her side.

"So, now that my thoughts on using dark magic on him are gone..."

"Wait, what?!" was the collective response from the room.

The alicorn grinned sheepishly.

"So now that we know Sludge will probably never return, it looks like all of your important quest matters are truly over. What's going to be your next step?" she asked curiously.

Spike simply chuckled as he gave a knowing look to his oldest friend.

"When you're with your family, everyday is an adventure." he commented.

The group wore bright, knowing smiles at that. Family was a never-ending journey, but it's perhaps the greatest journey of all. When you're with those you care about, life becomes full of surprises, drama, comedy, and all the other fantastical elements that make it all worthwhile.

And everyone of these creatures wouldn't have it any other way.

"To us!" Spike cheered.

"To us!"

Author's Notes:

*This chapter was dedicated to those of you who wanted to see Sludge get confronted by Ember in the prequel. I wanted to see it too and now its happened. You're welcome.*

Hello everyone and welcome to my brand new story!

Now some of you may be curious as to why I specifically made this story an anthology one. Well, in all honesty, I wanted this story to be open as much as possible because pretty soon (life and education) I don't know how much time I'll have to update this story in the future or even how many chapters this could be.

It could be 3 chapters, it could be 50. But I want to leave this open and free for whenever I can update. Maybe this will be left as an incomplete relic forever, who knows? But, I don't want you to think about that, I want you to have a good time with this story no matter what it gives you.

Anyways, the way I'm seeing future chapters work- I definitely want this to have more "comedy" in it than "Spike's Family Journey" but I also want to include plenty of those heartwarming moments and fuzzy slice-of-life bits that I (and hopefully you) enjoy. There probably won't be too much of an over-arching narrative at this point (we'll see how and where this goes), but the main focus is Spike's life in Ponyville (and sometimes traveling beyond) with his family.

So, I hope you stick around for more! Again, I'm sorry if this story doesn't end up giving you everything you want in the future as I know my writing time will definitely be cut off drastically in the near future, but I'll try to give you all as much as I can.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I'll see you next time!

Sincerely,

-frenettek314

"Night of the Dragon"

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

This was the backyard of the Royal Rulers of Equestria.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We almost never made it at all."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes." Twilight huffed.

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

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

Spike's grin fell as his eyes immediately widened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"...now."

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

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

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

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

Celestia gave a rather odd laugh at that.

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

"From what sometimes I don't know."

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

Luna laughed at the overly-cute display.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It's not?!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Old memories?!"

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

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

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

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

Cadance laughed as she rapidly nodded her head.

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

Twilight guffawed.

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

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

Meanwhile at the Crystal Empire:

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

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

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

"All your mashed peas." he twitched.

Then the mares proceeded to look at another photo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A bitter frown slowly made way to her features.

"I was foolish."

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

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

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

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

"I barely know him at all."

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

Luna's eyes widened.

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

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

Luna's eyes began dripping with tears.

"Always..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"My journey!" he suddenly cried in understanding.

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

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

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

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

"I trust him." Twilight interrupted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'll try."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She gave a slight wince to her head.

"...making memories..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What do you mean?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And what was that?" she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luna remained silent as Spike continued.

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

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

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

She could learn a lot from her nephew.

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

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

The dragon allowed himself a playful smirk.

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

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

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

Her laugh paused as a small frown returned once more.

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

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

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

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

"We know so." came a new voice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"SPIKE!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Spike's First Date"

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Rarity, being the ever so talented mare she was, had many different facets of interest. Besides running a growing fashion empire and making herself known as a highly successful seamstress, the unicorn possessed many hidden passions - a love for charities and benefits (being the generous spirit she was), an enticing fan of classic detective novels, but one pursuit that the often-labeled 'dramatic' pony self-prided herself in - she was an absolute sucker for romance.

Despite the wide variety of cheesy romance stories currently kept stashed away in her room, Rarity more so preferred to hear about the real-life theatrics and rumors spread around Ponyville and beyond. Being quite the gossiper herself, the social unicorn loved nothing more than hearing about potential new couples, secret crushes, upcoming weddings, anything that involved the concept of love. From eavesdropping on spa visits to engaging in exciting banter with any of her clients, the mare practically swooned at the idea of two creatures falling head over heels in romantic bliss.

Sometimes she wasn't even sure why she was captivated by the idea of romance. It was practically adorable to see others find their soulmates, but what made the unicorn so intrigued by it?

Perhaps it was because she herself often had trouble finding ponies. She was an independent working mare with an occupied social life and a bustling career; as much as she loved her friends and her stores, she had to admit that they left her little to no room for the dating scene - a fact that while not fully comfortable with, grew more accepting as the years went by; plus, there was the fact of the matter that her previous crushes ended up being a forcible blow to her face rather than an elegant caressing - stallions like Blueblood and Trenderhoof still left a rather unpleasant taste in her mouth.

No matter what the specific reason(s), Rarity, still yearning for the day the love of her life would come knocking on her door, decided that seeing and hearing about others' romantic conquests would be an appropriate substitute to fill the small void in her heart. It wasn't a complete fix, but it was a fine replacement all the same. Love would always be a topic of interest for her - when she'd be reading or whenever one of her friends confided a secret crush to her - and that was good enough for her.

The romantic spirit she contained would always squeal in delight whenever she discovered a new pairing or a new leap into the field of pining hearts.

Or so she figured anyways.

"Thanks for helping me come up with new designs for new school curtains, Rarity!" Twilight appreciatively commented as the alicorn and unicorn were currently walking through the main foyer of the castle.

"Oh, think nothing of it, darling." the generous mare said. "These students deserve only the brightest and best materials around. I'd hate to think about learning in a place so drab and tasteless." A shudder went down her spine though as she noticed Twilight's inquisitive look.

"N-not that the school's interior was drab before, far from it! I was just..." she hastily stumbled, Twilight merely smiled with a knowing roll of her eyes.

Just as the two reached the main entrance of the castle, the two stopped as they noticed a pair of creatures engaged in conversation - one of which looked surprisingly dapper in a tuxedo with a cute little bow-tie to boot.

"Think she'll like this?" asked the dragon as he admired his formal attire with a slight hint of anxiousness.

"Spike, for the tenth time you look great! Don't worry so much about this - you've known her for a while and you're both new to this sort of thing. It'll be fine." assured Starlight with a slight amused raising of the eyebrows as she couldn't help but find his Twilight-like worries cute.

Both Twilight and Rarity took a moment or two to marvel at the spiffed up appearance - Twilight with awe-impressed admiration while Rarity simply gaped in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"You look great, Spike!" Twilight complimented as she trotted over to her little dragon with a quick hug.

"Thanks, Twi. I hope so. Hope this goes well." he blushed a bit.

"I know it will. Oooo this is so exciting! You're growing up!" Twilight cooed as she felt her eyes water in delight.

Starlight gave a fond smile as well as she patted her brother's back with a hoof. Meanwhile, a momentarily forgotten white unicorn made her presence known.

"What's exciting? What's going on?" Rarity questioned as the trio immediately relented from their touching moment.

Everyone proceeded to look at the unicorn with dazed looks - well, Spike actually appeared more nervous.

"You know what tonight is, right?" Twilight asked, only to be met with a shake of a head and a raised eyebrow.

Suddenly, the alicorn refocused her attention to the now sweating dragon as they both spoke in nervous, harsh (yet audible) whispers.

"You didn't tell her?"

"I was going to but... you know how she gets!"

"You told all the others though!"

"Yes, because I knew they'd take it better."

Rarity finally had enough as she cleared her throat to bring everyone's attention back.

"Tell me what? What exactly is going on here?!" she asked, an accusatory look in her eyes.

Spike sighed, knowing he was forced to come clean - though this didn't make the reveal any easier in his mind.

"I-I'm... I'm going on a date..." he finally relented.

The white mare simply froze in place with a struck expression on her face, staring off into nothingness in the distance as the others in the room simply glanced at each other with slight fear.

Spike wasn't sure how Rarity was going to take this news, but he saw a lot of negative possibilities - he saw anger, he saw fear, he saw sadness, but one result he definitely wasn't expecting came to fruition once the unicorn came to.

Laughter.

Rarity very suddenly began howling with laughter as she wiped tears in her eyes. Twilight and Spike stared at each other in bewilderment - unsure how to react - while Starlight proceeded to continue gawking at the pony like she had gone insane.

Actually, insanity wasn't a far off possibility for the drama queen, Spike should've considered it.

"G-good one Spike." Rarity breathed out as she began laughing. "You got me good. I believed you for a second there."

A lavender alicorn flew over to her hysterical friend as she draped a soft wing over her back to grab her attention.

"That wasn't a joke, Rarity. Spike's actually going on a date."

"First date, actually." Spike added in helpfully with a weak smile.

And just like that, the laughter and the chuckling immediately vanished as her eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks, her coat turning even more white if possible. This could only mean one reaction was imminent.

"WHAT?!"

A shriek echoed throughout the halls of the crystalline castle. Starlight was pretty sure she heard a window shatter somewhere in one of the far-off rooms, but she prayed it wasn't her room and decided she would check on it later - preferably when a certain voice-shattering pony wasn't around.

The dragon gulped as he became the subject of an irrational and ballistic tidal wave rapidly drilling questions into his skull.

"Who? When? Why? Where? How? Leave no details! This is a matter of life or death!"

"Okayyyyy." Twilight nervously drawled, stepping in between the panicking mare and the shell-shocked dragon. "I know I'm not one to lecture others on freakouts, but I think you need to settle down."

Starlight and Spike frantically nodded their heads in agreement.

The unicorn took a moment to catch her breath, letting out an airy sigh as she approached the others in a much more subdued state.

"I'm so sorry. I suppose I overreacted just a smidge..."

"A smidge?" Starlight's eyebrow rose.

"Ok, a lot, but still, this is a lot for me to take in. I mean - how did Spike end up getting a date in the first place?"

The others seemed to calm down significantly as well as they all carried on smiling with much more relaxed postures.

"Well, you remember Gabby the Griffon from when she hung out with the CMC?" Twilight asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

"Well soon after, Twilight and her sent letters back and forth discussing griffon culture and cutie marks and such..." Spike continued.

"...but then, I sent a few letters of my own to her and we began writing back and forth. Soon we became pen pals, then we started hanging out whenever her job made her do deliveries in Ponyville, and after a while we just became...close" he finished with a slight blush.

"So naturally seeing how close the two were to each other, I suggested he ask her out on a date to test and see how things would go, and she told him yes." Twilight excitedly squealed with glee.

"The love story of the year." Starlight playfully quipped.

Rarity processed this new information in begrudgingly before her brows furrowed slightly at a certain alicorn.

"Wait, wait, wait! Beg your pardon darling, but let's get things straight. You of all ponies are ok with this?"

Twilight's head awkwardly leaned back, feeling slightly offended at the accusation.

"Yeeeah... why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, no offense sweetheart, but you usually freak out over the smallest things, so seeing something big like this..." Rarity motioned her hoof in a continued formation.

"Hey! I do not 'freak out'." the princess defended, her wings popping out slightly.

"You freaked out this morning when you found 'Elements of Harmony' listed before 'Efficient Filing Systems'." Starlight rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Because 'L' does not come before 'F'!" she retaliated as if her retort was the most obvious statement in the world.

"Yes, well..." Rarity interrupted, ending the bickering between the two. "...whether you do or you don't, I would've expected a bigger reaction from his main caretaker."

"Oh trust me, there was." Spike smirked.

Twilight blushed.

"Ok, so maybe I panicked for a brief moment..."

Spike didn't consider three tubs of vanilla ice cream and the digging out of Spike's baby pictures to be a 'brief moment', but he knew she had a point and elected not to object.

"...but I realized Spike's growing up and I can't hold onto him forever. He needs to go out and explore life, and a relationship is an important part." she concluded with a growing smile as Spike nodded his head in appreciation.

Rarity froze in shock at Twilight's confession for a moment before she gave a slight, dignified pout.

"Yes, well, I don't believe dear Spikey-Wikey is ready for the world of romance." her reply came out with a bit of fancy diction at the end for emphasis.

"And that's exactly why I didn't tell you." Spike agreed with a knowing sigh.

"Beg your pardon?" she turned her head towards him with a light glare.

"He means you're overdramatic." Starlight nonchalantly clarified.

"I most certainly am not!" she harrumphed.

All three creatures at this point gave Rarity unamused glares, clearly not believing in the theatrical pony's denial.

"What?! All I'm trying to do is protect him."

"Protect him?" Twilight's eyes narrowed in skepticism.

"Yes, of course. I've seen it in so many novels. A young one's first ever crush - they go on the date of their lives after several years of pining for their sweetheart. But then, the date ends up being a failure, the crush says that they're not interested before their ex shows up and they embrace in a passionate kiss, effectively breaking their poor, fragile heart. Depressed, they return home, not eating or moving for weeks - sure they eventually move on, but the pain remains deeply embedded forever, preventing them from ever finding true love again as they seal themselves away under a layer of false optimism and a growing feeling of isolation."

Rarity concludes, falling back onto a seemingly spontaneously appearing fainting couch.

The three stood there and gaped at her.

"Yeah... no offense, but I don't think that's happening." Spike replied.

"Gabby and Spike don't even have ex's." Twilight pointed out.

"I think you're projecting, Rarity." Starlight simply said.

"Ok..." Rarity began as she lifted her head up from a lying position. "But what if she's only using him to try and find a missing piece of her life only to discover that she doesn't feel the same way. She's forced to lie through marriage to avoid hurting the one who cares for her, but she soon discovers her childhood best friend who she's lost contact with after many years. They get together in secret on occasions, discovering he was the missing piece all along, before the husband discovers the truth and leaves utterly heartbroken in the cold, pouring rain?"

Once again, a series of gapes met her.

"What the... what are you even talking about?!" Spike indignantly asked.

"What kind of romance novels are you reading?!" spoke Twilight.

"Did something happen that you want to talk about?" curiously regarded Starlight.

"Why do you care so much about this date, anyways?" began Spike. "You're not just jealous of the fact that I'm hanging out with someone else and as such can't spend time doing services and chores for you, right?"

Rarity's head immediately rose up as she looked at the young dragon with a flabbergasted expression.

"What?! Absolutely not! That would be a terrible thing for me to do! I would never, ever get jealous just because you wouldn't be offering your assistance! I can't even imagine someone actually writing that as an episode..."

"...of our lives!" randomly exclaimed Pinkie Pie, her head appearing over Rarity's shoulder before quickly disappearing.

"...yes yes, of our lives, thank you Pinkie. The point is is that I'm your sister and I don't want your heart to end up broken." she turned her head abruptly to stop a few stray tears from becoming visible.

Spike's eyes softened at that as he felt his tension drop.

"Look, I appreciate your concerns Rarity, but this is something I need to do. If it works out, that's great. If it doesn't, yeah it may sting for quite a while and I may get my heart broken, but I'll get through it - especially with you girls here."

Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Well said Spike. Life is all about risks and chances. Again, not the best pony to say this probably, but even I admit that you need to take chances."

Rarity sighed in defeat, looking back at the others again with trepidation written on her face.

"None of the others are worried?"

"Twilight had her moments, Rainbow awkwardly tried to give me 'the talk' whatever that means..."

Twilight and Starlight both cringed, remembering that moment. Thankfully, she was too embarrassed to give out any information (as revealed by Spike, telling them she just awkwardly skyrocketed away), but there was a long talk afterwards between alicorn and pegasus on what were appropriate discussion topics.

"... Applejack congratulated me before she left to go to the barn (I thought I heard tears though), Pinkie's already planning our wedding party, and Fluttershy hopped in excitement and wants to know all about it next time I go over for tea." Spike listed off, fondly remembering each pony's unique responses at the mention of his date.

"Besides that, I'm sure they are, but they also know when to let go." Starlight added for good measure.

"What if it was Sweetie Belle going on a date?" Twilight tried to offer as a means of getting her friend to understand.

The white mare visibly recoiled at the question. A past discussion of her telling her sister that she couldn't date until she was 21 played in her head.

"I... I see your point." Rarity somewhat lied.

Spike hopped up to Rarity on the couch, startling the unicorn slightly before he wrapped her in a tight, yet soothing hug.

"I promise I'll be ok Rarity, but you need to trust me."

Rarity's eyes watered as she hugged the dragon back.

"Just please be careful. I... I trust you, my Spikey-Wikey."

The two remaining magic users both smiled at the display before a time-punctual alicorn felt an internal alarm going off.

"You need to get going though, Spike. You can't be late for your reservation!"

Spike stopped the hug as he jumped off the couch.

"That's right. 'The Evening Trawl'. I gotta go!"

"Bye guys!" Spike quickly waved as he began taking off through the castle doors.

"Good luck, be safe!" Twilight felt her lips tremble slightly, overcome with emotion at seeing her baby dragon finally ready for this moment.

"You'll do great!" Rarity waved with a slight sniffle.

"Have lover-bird bring you home by midnight, champ!" Starlight called out, only stopping her casual smirk when the other two ponies looked at her in slight shock and annoyance, their eyes narrowed.

"What?"

After a while longer of engaging in conversation with the two castle mares, Rarity decided to make her way back to the boutique before it got too late. Contemplating on whether she would partake in a relaxing evening of reading or if she'd instead attempt to indulge in a round of 'midnight creative inspiration' for a line of new dresses, she was absentmindedly making her way back through a nice sunset- lit part of town. She was so lost in concentration that she almost failed to hear the familiar sound of laughter tickling her hearing. Key word being 'almost'.

The laughter rang through her ears again as she stopped mid-step.

"That sound... Spike?!"

The unicorn instantly began scanning around for the source of that infectious sound before she spotted them - an all too familiar dragon and a recognizable griffon seated at an outdoor table with plates of salads in between them.

Rarity's eyes widened in mental disarray. What were they doing here? Then, like a faded out but not yet dim light bulb, it clicked.

Of course "The Evening Trawl" just so happened to be on the way to the Boutique. It was fate making this happen, she surmised.

She was about to continue her walk when the contagious sounds of delight from the restaurant's patrons made her pause.

She instead started making her way over to them, before instinctively shaking her head in disapproval.

"Shame on you, Rarity. You trusted Spike to do this and a lady always keeps her promise."

Before she could chastise herself any further though, she noticed the two slowly started holding paws at the table. Her face contorted in thought before she noticed a bush perfectly set up near the couple.

"But a lady can check on her siblings...right?"

With stealth like precision, the unicorn went unnoticed as she slid into the bush, only her eyes carefully peeking out to view the actions of the two creatures.

"So Gilda really put salt instead of sugar in her muffins?" Spike asked with a claw over his concealed giggles.

"Yeah," the ecstatic griffon replied. "Grandpa Gruff had to clean salt out of his dentures for weeks!"

And just like that, the pair erupted into a fit of chortles for a solid minute, before settling back down.

"This seems innocent enough so far." Rarity thought from her hiding place.

As the drake wiped the cries of laughter from his eyes, he turned to face Gabby with a soft, sheepish smile.

"Hey. I just wanted to say thank you for this evening. I'm not sure if we're ready for a full-on relationship yet, but hanging out with you - it's been really great. I love spending time with you, hearing your job stories; you're an amazing friend."

Gabby gave off a slight blush before she warmly smiled back at the dragon.

"I wanted to thank you too. You're one of the best friends I've ever had! No doubt I want to come and visit Ponyville more often - hanging out with you is the greatest! And... maybe we don't have to figure a relationship out right now. What if we just continue to hang out and maybe go on a few more dates, see where it takes us?"

Spike rose up from his seat to approach the griffon as she stood up too, giving each other a warm, friendly hug.

"I'd like that. Alot."

"Awww." Rarity quietly cooed from the bushes at the adorable display, before she suddenly found a different sensation overwhelming her nostrils. "Ah...ah...ah...."

"Oh no! Please for the love of color-coated fabrics not here!" she silently pleaded.

But it was too late.

"ACHOO!"

With that, the force of the sneeze was powerful enough to send the unicorn through the remains of the bush and tumble forward into direct sight of the surprised duo.

"Rarity?!?!" Spike jumped with a gasp, seeing the unicorn collide mere inches from their table. Gabby jumped a bit too, more confused than shocked.

Snapping out of her sniffles, Rarity quickly rose her head up to meet the looks of an annoyed dragon and a stumped griffon.

"Uh... hi." she weakly muttered with an all too wide toothy smile.

Not sure whether she should be thankful or not, Gabby seemed unaware of the obvious tension that was building as she gave a nice, shiny smile as opposed to Spike's growing scowl.

"Oh, hey. I remember you. You're the fashion pony! The one Spike used to have a crush on. Rarity, right?"

Scratch that. That last statement made Rarity want to hurl with overwhelming guilt.

"Uh, yes. Pleasure to see you again Gabby." she meekly offered as Spike continued to cast glares at her.

"Gabby, could you please give us a moment?" he finally managed, not once moving his sights away from the regretful unicorn.

The griffon finally seemed to notice something amiss as she nervously looked between the two.

"Yeah...sure... I'll be over on that bench when you're done."

Spike succeeded in taking his attention off of Rarity for a split second, smiling appreciatively and nodding at Gabby as she retreated to the nearby seat, far enough away to avoid seeing or hearing upcoming conversation.

Rarity wished she could be in her spot at the moment.

The unicorn picked herself off from the ground, the dragon motioning for her to take the seat at the table once belonging to his date as he sat opposite of her. The mare found it difficult to maintain eye contact with the dragon, seeing him send her nasty looks.

Finally he gave a long drawn out sigh in frustration.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well...I was just in the neighborhood." Rarity pathetically rubbed her hooves in shame.

"I saw you come out of that bush."

"And what a lovely bush it was." she agreed.

"Rarity!" his voice rose an octave, "You said you trusted me!"

"And I do!" she countered. "Honest! I was on my way home from the castle when I saw you two talking. I was going to leave you be but... I just got curious. So... I hid in the bush... and..." she trailed off, realizing how bad this made her sound.

"Sounds like you don't trust me to handle this!" he huffed, leaning on his arm that stood on the table.

"It's not about trust, darling! I just wanted to make sure everything was going well."

"Everything was until you showed up! I was fine on my own until you intervened!" he snarled.

"Well, I'm glad it was. I'm glad you're happy." she offered, hoping this would remove some of the anger.

It didn't.

"So, are you going to follow us on future dates to make sure it stays that way?!" he bitterly scoffed.

That scoff was enough to send Rarity into her own frustration.

"Spike, don't be ridiculous! I may have overreacted..."

Spike snorted, causing the unicorn's mood to sour even more.

"Oh, ok! You know what?! I'm sorry I wanted to make sure my brother and best friend was in a healthy relationship! Are you satisfied, darling?!"

Unfortunately, for the both of them, that last "darling" was laced with enough venom to send Spike over his breaking point.

"What would you know about healthy relationships?! Every stallion you fall in love with is just a self-centered jerk!"

The unicorn flinched as if she had been struck - and indeed she had been struck, though not physically. With a slight rock of her head, she felt her eyes stare longingly at the table. She bit back the tears threatening to cascade down.

Spike's anger immediately vanished, only to replaced with gut-punching dread.

"What have I done?"

"Rarity..." he whispered, as he reached a claw over to try and comfort the unicorn. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to say that... I..."

He was stopped however as she placed a delicate hoof over his claw, her gaze going back up as she delivered him a pained, yet warm smile.

"Darling, it's ok. I...I never meant to make you feel like I didn't trust you."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have said that." he countered as his brows furrowed with worry.

A bitter chuckle escaped Rarity's lips as she closed her eyes in thought.

"And yet, I think I needed to hear it."

Spike remained silent, opting for Rarity to continue her monologue.

"I've always been so invested in others' relationships and crushes, and yet I never understood why. I think it's mostly because of my rather... poor experiences with love before. I felt like if I couldn't find love myself, I'd make it my mission to ensure everyone else could find theirs. I keep pushing myself into others' feelings and privacy to give them the thing I haven't been able to find." she paused as she looked up, noticing Spike's undivided attention.

"Sorry if that was overdramatic, but I guess that's my explanation for everything. Still, you and everyone else have a right to their privacy. Everything won't always work out and unless I'm specifically asked or if you're in absolute danger, I need to respect that you need to find your own solutions...."

"...even if I haven't found mine."

"Rarity..." Spike started.

"Spike, don't you dare apologize to me! I won't have it! I should be thanking you because I'm finally understanding a perspective I needed to!"

But... I do owe you an apology - you and Gabby - you both deserve to be trusted enough to continue your romantic endeavors no matter where they take you."

Spike leapt out of his seat for the second time that night, to again give a lady a firm hug.

As he surprised her with the affection, his words bewildered her more.

"If I can't apologize to you, can I at least say something?"

"Y-yes..of course you can." she took a minute to find her voice.

"Don't give up."

She quickly raised her head up from the hug as she stared in the distance.

"Wh-what?"

"Don't give up." Spike reaffirmed. "Even if you feel like you can't find love, I know the perfect stallion is out there for you somewhere. Don't be afraid to try if you're ready. Yeah, it's taking a chance - but like Twilight said, 'life is full of chances'. I know you'll find someone who really loves you. We all believe in you."

Rarity felt the sting of tears overwhelm her. She'd have to clean off her running mascara and makeup later but who cares?

"Spikey-Wikey..." she exhaled, wrapping her hooves around her dragon brother.

After awhile, the two let go as Rarity rubbed her eyes with a dainty hoof.

"You're absolutely right, darling. If I can help others, I can help myself." she proclaimed.

"As long as you promise not to interfere with anyones' actual dates?" Spike asked with a quip, yet a knowing smile as well.

Rarity chuckled as she tapped a hoof on his shoulder.

"I promise. We all need a bit of freedom to truly enjoy life after all."

"Couldn't agree with you more." he complied.

The dragon and unicorn soon made their way over to a patiently waiting griffon, who immediately hopped off the bench in glee.

"Hey guys!" she happily chirped, "Are you two BFF's again?"

Spike grinned as he walked over to his griffon pal.

"You betcha. Want to go get some Ice Cream?"

Gabby nodded excitedly.

"That sounds great! Want to come with, Rarity?"

The unicorn politely shook her head, winking at the pair.

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I must be heading home. It was lovely to see you again dear. Please stop by and visit me at the Boutique whenever you like."

Gabby and Spike both looked at each other, turning back around to give Rarity cheerful grins.

"We sure will. See ya!"

"Bye, Rarity." Spike replied. The two waved as both groups went their own separate ways - both glistening with newfound courage and hope.

As Rarity continued on her own rendezvous back to the Boutique, she couldn't help but let her mind get the better of her.

"I suppose I could let Sweetie know she can date whenever she's ready. I'm sure Mom and Dad will agree."

Having that score settled, she then began thinking about her own love life. She doubted she'd own more than 3 shops and she was getting settled into her teaching role; plus, it had been a long time since her last disaster when Trenderhoof came to town.

"Perhaps, I'll see if I can find a stallion for my own company as well."

She found herself coming to a halt however when she noticed one of her friends further down the trail.

Applejack - the country pony and the pride of Sweet Apple Acres herself - was closing up shop for the day. The always hardworking orange mare proceeding to hitch up a cart to her backside as she walked ever so humbly back to the farm, yearning to retire for the evening.

As Rarity continued to watch her friend travel further away from her field of sight, the unicorn let out a soft inward chuckle as she carried on her own path.

"Maybe it won't even be a stallion."

"Pranking Pinkie Pie Places Profound Perspective"

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If you had asked Spike this morning what he was planning on doing today, waiting patiently on a plush couch while Rainbow anxiously trotted back and forth within the confines of her cloud-based living room would've been one of the last things he suggested; but leave it to life's unpredictability to surprise him.

It had started out weirdly enough with the pegasus asking him to come over as she 'needed his help'. Ever since she and him became cousins, he would occasionally come over to watch some movies, or to simply hang out - but for the usually prideful and independent pony to be asking him for help was certainly unusual. The strangeness of the situation itself was enough to keep Spike on edge, desperately trying to decipher why she needed his assistance specifically.

Unfortunately, Rainbow did the opposite of easing his nerves as she continued pacing in eerie silence, each agonizing minute making him more curious.

Eventually, after what seemed like 10 minutes, Spike decided he had enough.

"Um, Rainbow? Is there a reason why you asked me over here?" he skeptically asked, snapping the mare out of her trance.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." she shook her head. "Like I said, I'm going to need your help."

"Alright....with?" he motioned for her to explain.

The pegasus sighed as she pulled out a chair to directly oppose the couch, the mare sitting in it with a serious expression on her face as stared intensely at the dragon.

"Pinkie."

"Pinkie?"

"Yes. Pinkie."

Spike blinked blankly at his comrade. This was going nowhere.

"Alright, what about Pinkie?"

Rainbow snapped out of her serious glance, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head with a wing.

"Right, sorry. I forgot I needed to provide more context."

A slightly less serious expression returned.

"Pinkie's been on a pranking spree against me lately and I need help getting her back."

Spike slightly gasped in mild shock - he knew the two ponies were avid lovers of pranks. Ever since he could remember, Rainbow and Pinkie would always find time together to spread their love of jokes and gags across Ponyville. Thunder clouds made ponies jump, banana peels were placed, joy buzzers and whoopie cushions were scattered like piles of leaves, almost no one (with very few exceptions) was safe from their hilarious reign - himself included.

What he wasn't expecting was for one of the dynamic duo to engage in solo combat with the other.

The two ponies usually played their tomfoolery together - not against one another. And now Pinkie was apparently determined to prove to Rainbow who the queen of pranks was in spite of the pegasus's relentless competitive nature.

"I mean, she's been on my tail this past week."...

Flashback Prank Montage:

Rainbow was currently walking over to her locker after a full-on practice with the fellow Wonderbolts. Just like every other routine or show, she gave in her trademark '120%' as she began sweating profusely. Eager to freshen herself up and head back to her place for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, she slowly began opening her locker until...

"Fwoom!"

At the sudden loud noise, the pegasus shot up into the air with a startled yelp before recognizing the air horn taped to the side of the door.

"Gotcha!" a voice called from behind as Pinkie removed the air horn and happily pranced away, Rainbow blushing as she heard a few snickers coming from the nearby lockers.

Rainbow began making herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast one early morning as the half-awake pegasus lazily began pouring milk into her bowl of 'Wheaties'. She yawned as she slowly started draining the milk until she noticed a peculiar sight coming from the tube. Instead of a white, clear liquid poured out... a fluffy, foamy substance.

Now fully awake at the strange phenomenon, she hesitantly prodded some of the substance in the bowl with a hoof before tasting an all too familiar flavor.

Whipped Cream?

"Gotcha!" yelped a balloon-strapped Pinkie directly behind Rainbow, startling the pegasus enough to make her hooves flail. The beloved cereal bowl fell off the table and through the cloud floor, where it shattered a few seconds later onto the cold, hard ground below.

"Don't worry, I'll get you a new bowl." Pinkie promised as she flew away, the pegasus simply twitching in despair at her fallen breakfast.

Rainbow was flying through the clear blue skies above Ponyville - not a care in the world as she swooped and dived gracefully across the open blue yonder - until she noticed a heavenly appearance on the ground below.

There, seated on a crystalline plate on top of a checkered picnic blanket sat the daredevil's favorite treat - an apple cider-glazed doughnut. Licking her chops, the pony made a beeline for the beloved pastry until she abruptly stopped, a new thought coming to her.

"Wait..." she stated aloud. "This is too good to be true. This must be a Pinkie Prank."

With a smug satisfied grin, she cackled to the sky above, "Nice try, Pinks. But you can't fool me this time."

This self-proclaimed victory was short lived however as a random stallion, discovering the doughnut, quickly took it off the plate before eating it in one bite as he walked off.

There was no pitfall, no trap, no apparent disturbance in the taste of the doughnut.

"What gives?" she gaped, before she was met by a casually walking pink pony.

"The joke here was that I made you think I was trying to prank you, effectively making you deny a perfectly good pastry that you'd normally never turn down. So in other words.... Still Gotcha!" she happily chirped as she bounced away, making the mare sniffle slightly in memory of the beloved treat.

End of Flashback Prank Montage

"She even pranked me by not pranking me! Who does that?!" Rainbow scoffed in disgust.

"Only the impossible feats of Pinkie Pie at her finest." quipped Spike.

The mare momentarily lost her sulk to deliver a cocky snort.

"You're right about that, I never know what to expect from that one."

But then her frown returned.

"I can't just let her outshine me in one of my own games though."

The dragon merely nodded in understanding.

"So you want to prank her back to show her who's the best?" he asked.

The pony gave him a bright smile as she proceeded to give him her typical noggin ruffle.

"Exactly! You get it, kid!" she proclaimed joyfully, "And I need your help - you know how to be funny - and I can't do this alone. It has to be an awesome prank!"

His smile faltered for a moment as he considered this, a claw rubbing the back of his head as a thought occurred to him.

"I don't know. You've... been known to go overboard with your pranks in the past."

Rainbow arched an eyebrow in confusion before realizing where he was going with this.

"He's talking about the incidents that led to the cookie zombies, isn't he?" her mind shuddered with a tinge of guilt. That was an experience she wished she could take back.

Sitting back in her chair, she addressed him with a slightly softer tone.

"Alright, I'll admit I've taken things too far in the past - but that was when I wasn't thinking about the ponies I was pranking."

The dragon looked at her, sympathy laced in his eyes. She sounded like she was being sincere.

"Trust me, I've learned my lesson about considering who enjoys my pranks - it's not like I'm trying to scare Fluttershy, this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about. If anyone can enjoy a good prank it's her."

The drake considered this. Pinkie was a pony who always enjoyed a good laugh and Rainbow seemed right in her power to give a little payback, but he still felt slightly unsure about the whole ordeal.

"I... I still don't know." Spike hesitated.

"Oh, come on." Rainbow lightly gruffed in a mild case of irritation. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"What if... what if we end up hurting her feelings and she hates me?" the small creature twiddled his claws together in a moment of pure emotional vulnerability.

Just like that, the pony's irritation and impatience immediately vanquished. Seeing someone she considered family look so upset, look so worried about a potential fear; Rainbow usually dispelled her fears to everyone - except her closest friends on rare instances - however she related to the feeling of what it was like to worry that your friends and loved ones didn't have your back, that they didn't love you anymore. The pegasus wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone and to see her cousin experience this pain - it secretly broke her heart.

"Hey, hey..." Rainbow assured as she flew over to sit besides Spike, draping a wing over his shoulder.

"I know she'd never hate you. I promise no matter what sort of prank we do, I guarantee she'll still love you."

The drake slowly looked up at the prismatic mane, eyes subtly glimmering with hope.

"You sure?"

"I promise." Rainbow affirmed solidly.

He delivered a sincere grin in return.

"Alright, in that case, I'll help you."

"Sweet!" Rainbow exclaimed as she launched herself a few feet above Spike in celebration.

"But... how can we prank Auntie Pinkie Pie?" the dragon rubbed his chin in thought.

Her flight faltered as she slowly brought herself back down to the couch, trying to wrap her head around an idea.

"We can't just do a physical slapstick prank or a simple scare - she'll just see right through that! We need something unexpected, something that'll catch her off guard. We need the ultimate prank!"

"Yeah... how can we..." she paused before a sudden key word replayed itself.

"Auntie."

With a slightly devilish grin, Rainbow knew she struck gold. The mare walked her way over in front of Spike as she brought a hoof to his shoulder.

"You just gave me an awesome idea!" she proclaimed.

Her hooves began rubbing together in anticipation.

"...and I know just how to do it."

The following morning, both dragon and pegasus marched their way over to the famed Sugarcube Corner with one goal in mind - to positively prank party pony Pinkie Pie. Rainbow grew excited as she drew near her destination; today she'd finally succeed in turning the tables on the pranking menace and gain superiority over her longtime partner/rival once and for all.

Spike on the other hand was still a little apprehensive about their agreed plan.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, looking up at the beaming pegasus.

She simply patted his back in a comforting motion.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm going to be right there with you in case anything goes wrong. Just stick to the plan."

The dragon gave a slight gulp as the two found themselves on the front porch of the famed bakery - already smelling a plethora of delectable goodies from inside.

"It's now or never..." he muttered, slowly pushing the door in.

Thankfully for him, there didn't appear to be too many active customers around, making the prank less nerve-wracking in his mind.

"Good. At least there won't be too many witnesses."

As the two creatures made their way to the counter, a perky and upbeat hum cascaded their ears. Knowing who that jolly murmur was from, Rainbow smiled in glee while Spike gave a softer grin. Their target was here. The duo waited patiently for a moment before a certain pony made her way from the back room, noticing her guests at the register with a squeal of excitement.

"Spike!" she happily cheered as she quickly gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"You came to visit me! Good thing I had 3 cups of coffee this morning! Now we can talk, hang out, have fun...!"

The dragon and pegasus briefly glanced at each other with widened, concerned looks. The already hyperactive party pony and caffeine seemed like a dangerous combination. A combination they feared for their safety.

The earth pony stopped her continuous list however as she now noticed the pegasus awkwardly standing next to Spike.

"And Rainbow too?!" she gasped, "I was not expecting that! I'm going to need another cup!"

"NO!" Rainbow all too nervously exclaimed before she calmed down, seeing her friend's apparent confusion at her outburst.

"...I mean... I don't think that's necessary Pinks. I think 3 cups is good for a year."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

"You mean a day?"

"...sure." came the meek reply as the dragon seemed to be frozen in place.

Thankfully, the often random pony seemed to drop the subject as her infectious smile took hold once again.

"Okie dokie lokie!" she chirped. "So, what brings the two of you here?"

Rainbow decided to continue the conversation as she gently nudged Spike with a wing.

"Well, we were just in the neighborhood and we thought we'd stop by for some cupcakes."

Pinkie immediately squeed as she dashed off into the kitchen before bringing back a half-dozen vanilla-frosted cupcakes.

"Say no more! I've got these cupcakes leftover from a previous order! They're free and all yours!"

The excitable mare gave a gentle nuzzle to the now smiling dragon's cheek.

"For my favorite nephew."

After she nuzzled him, she turned her attention to the pegasus as she gave her a quicker nuzzle, much to an embarrassed pony's secret delight.

"...and for my favorite Wonderbolt."

"Heh, thanks Pinkie." she responded.

"Yeah, thank you Pinkie." Spike eagerly added.

"Great. Now I feel extra bad about this." he mentally berated with a slight frown.

Unfortunately, he had no room to back out now as Rainbow turned to give him a subtle wink when the earth pony wasn't looking, having retreated to go retrieve something from the kitchen.

The dragon slowly nodded in response, receiving the message. He knew what he had to do.

With one last nervous gulp, Spike quickly picked up one of the cupcakes and proceeded to take a small bite out of it, letting it digest into his stomach for a brief minute before he clutched his sides in pain, gently falling to the bakery floor with a thud.

"Oh...it hurts..." he mumbled as Rainbow gave him a quick nod before fear filled her voice.

"Spike? Spike?! SPIKE?! What's wrong?! PINKIE!" she hollered.

Rainbow had to give herself credit. She didn't think she was much of an actress but as she hollered, Pinkie quickly came running out with intense worry on her face. The pegasus may have to consider an acting career once this is all over.

As Pinkie bounced over, she loudly gasped as she saw the dragon rolling around in apparent pain.

"Spike?! OH NO, SPIKE!" she cried as she positioned herself down next to him.

"What happened to him?!" she shook with concern, her lip trembling slightly already.

"I-I don't know!" Rainbow stuttered, trying to sell the panic as she flew over the pair with a stunned expression. "He was just eating a piece of the cupcake you gave him before he clutched his stomach and fell!"

Pinkie felt her eyes ready to burst as she delicately picked Spike's head up with her front hooves.

"N- no... It can't be... the cupcakes..." she choked.

Rainbow gave a small internal smirk. The plan was working like a charm.

With a small trace of anger to buy that she was genuinely upset, Rainbow turned to her friend with her hooves slightly trembling.

"What did you put in those cupcakes?!"

Pinkie finally began crying uncontrollably as she nuzzled Spike close to her chest, the dragon still writhing in pain.

"I..I...I don't know. I put in the exact same ingredients as I would with any other cupcake. I-I don't know what I could've done."

Rainbow frantically positioned herself towards Spike.

"Spike! Buddy! What's wrong?! What can we do?!"

The drake merely gurgled in response as he heaved his stomach in agony.

Pinkie stared down at the pained creature with a haunted look, like she was watching him die right before her eyes. How could one of her delicious baked goods cause so much pain? How could she be doing this to her own nephew? She didn't even know what she did, but she must've accidentally mixed in something to have him respond this poorly. It was all her fault. Spike was sick or possibly worse because of her.

"Sp-Spike..." she chokingly sobbed as she cuddled him. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... We're going to get you help..." she felt her heart shatter as she quickly pecked him on the cheek. "...you're going to be ok, I promise."

Rainbow suddenly felt her external shell shatter as she watched how scarred and tormented her friend seemed to be. She was expecting her to care and be upset, but she was taking this hard.

"Good thing this prank is finally over." she told herself as she landed next to Pinkie.

"You're right... he will be ok because..." she started, giving Spike a good-measured wink to stop the act.

"Gotcha!"

Suddenly, both dragon and pegasus stood side by side as they stared at the pony with knowing smiles on their faces, though Spike's was considerably smaller than Rainbow's.

Pinkie's expression froze as the tears continued to fall.

"Wh...what?"

"I'm not really hurt or sick." Spike calmly explained, giving Pinkie a hopeful smile.

"Yeah!" Rainbow exclaimed as she hovered a couple inches in satisfaction. "It was a prank and I got you good!"

Pinkie's sniffles continued as she watched the two in front of her, not believing what she was seeing.

"A...a prank?"

"Of course, silly. I had to get you back!" Rainbow boasted as she started to break out laughing.

"I wasn't expecting you to get so worked up though. Thankfully, its finally over." she resumed her laughing.

Spike decided to contribute a few nervous chuckles, not wanting to disappoint Rainbow but also not wanting to see Pinkie so upset.

But as Pinkie continued to watch her two friends laugh, she found herself scowling. She was sincerely worried about Spike - utterly convinced she had poisoned him to a certain degree - and now they were laughing and shrugging it off like it was funny? She thought she hurt her nephew, her family, her best dragon ever.

As the two unknowingly continued their celebratory chuckles, Pinkie's tears finally stopped flowing as she soon found herself with a severe glare. Silently, she picked herself off the floor before proceeding to storm off.

As she started walking away with a bit of force in her steps, Rainbow and Spike finally began to realize something was amiss, noticing the pony's rather furious and dejected expression. Grimacing at each other, the two used their wings to fly after Pinkie as she stubbornly started making her way up the stairs.

"Pinkie, what's wrong?" nervously asked Spike as he made his way in front of her.

Rainbow hovered next to Spike as she gave the pony a puzzled gaze.

"Yeah, Pinks. It was just a prank - you know we laugh, maybe give a quick sentimental hug, and then everyone's happy?"

Much to their surprise though, Pinkie continued to deliver a burning glare right through their souls. They winced as they saw the levels of sadness, betrayal, hurt, but most prominent was anger - an emotion that was often hard to find on the bubbly pony - but it was there and it was powerful.

`"That was your idea of a prank?! You thought that was supposed to be funny?! That was supposed to make me laugh?! Well, let me tell you something - that was a horrible prank!" Pinkie scowled.

All the dragon and pegasus could do was back up, never seeing the usual happy-go-lucky Pinkie Pie so enraged.

"Pinkie, it's...it's over with now... Spike's not actually hurt..." Rainbow gulped, a bad feeling forming in her gut with the way things were going right now.

"That doesn't matter! You still let me think I made him sick! You let me continue crying as I thought I severely hurt my nephew, someone I love! You let me feel like I was the worst pony in the world - that I could've lost someone close to me and it was all my fault!"

"Yet you want me to laugh it off and pretend everything was fine, but it wasn't! I thought the worst and all you two can do is laugh! Like you don't care about my feelings at all!" her eyes suddenly held a new resource of water in them.

"H-hey!" Rainbow tried to defend herself. "You pranked me too you know."

Pinkie scoffed in irritation as she plowed a hoof directly into the pegasus's chest.

"Yes, because an air horn and a doughnut are on the same level as a family member being poisoned!"

The prismatic pegasus suddenly felt sick to her stomach. What had she done? Her prank wasn't even on the same length as the previous ones, she took things way too far as usual, but why? She considered who she was pranking and she...

Then, realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

She considered who but she didn't consider what. She concocted a prank too far for anyone! She made her friend think she seriously hurt someone! Someone that was like family to both of them!

Her hooves began shaking as tears threatened to reveal themselves. She was a monster!

Spike felt his heart drop to his stomach, seeing this colorful creature become so consumed by guilt and pain. He should've never agreed to do this prank, it was a stupid idea and he should've known better.

He needed this to end now! He needed to end the suffering.

"Pinkie, please. We didn't... We're really sorry..." he weakly offered, suddenly feeling like he was actually sick.

"SAVE IT!" Pinkie roared as she pounded past the pair and made her way to the top of the stairs, right next to her room.

"JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" she offered one final decree before she snapped her door shut with a loud thud.

Spike and Rainbow could only stand halfway up the stairs in complete horror. They never expected to go this far. They never wanted this to happen.

Suddenly, snapping out of his gaze, Spike finally processed everything. Her hurt, her words, every detail.

His Auntie Pinkie Pie now hated him.

And it was mostly Rainbow's fault.

"This is all your fault! I didn't want to do this but you made me!" Spike turned to the pony with a fierce snarl on his face, tears freely falling.

"Sp..spike..." Rainbow softly uttered, feeling like she was being stabbed in the heart for the second time.

"Now she hates me because of it! You always take pranks too far, even when you promised me she would be alright. Surprise Surprise! That backfired!"

"Spike... I didn't ..."

"I'm out of here! This is what I get for trusting you!"

He quickly flew downstairs, exiting the bakery with a slight huff.

Rainbow only stood there as she had now witnessed 2 important beings in her life walk away from her, leaving her all alone like she deserved to be. Sobs flew from her cheeks as she quivered at her handiwork.

"This is all my stupid fault. I hurt Pinkie, I hurt Spike. I took things too far like I always do..."

Her eyes sharpened with one last declaration.

"I... I promised to protect him. I promised she'd still love him... "

Then, as if her lightning cutie mark had shocked her itself, something snapped within the pegasus. She suddenly stopped shaking, she suddenly stopped crying. She felt a wave of determination hit her as she sent an all powerful glare in the direction of the upstairs bedroom.

"No. I'm not letting either of them down."

With newfound courage, she marched up the stairs, a fierce wave of passion flowing through her.

She was going to make everything right. No matter what it took.

Marching up the stairs with a steel stature, the pegasus pounded on Pinkie's door with all her might.

"PINKIE PIE! OPEN THIS DOOR! WE NEED TO TALK! NOW!"

She could hear her shuffling inside for a split second, before an equally loud voice yelled back.

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"DON'T MAKE ME KNOCK THIS DOOR DOWN! YOU NEED TO GO AND TALK TO SPIKE!"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO HIM RIGHT NOW!"

Rainbow needed to take a deep breath. She knew what she needed to do to coax the stubborn earth pony out. It would be one of the most painful things she had to do...

"Spike. Pinkie."

...but one second of thinking about her two friends and family members made her realize she'd gladly do it in a heart beat.

Rainbow slightly lowered her voice - no longer shrieking, but still giving a vocal yell.

Little did the two ponies know that a certain dragon had come back to try and apologize to Pinkie - his guilt becoming too severe to just abandon her - no matter how much she currently despised him. Spike made his way back up the stairs before seeing Rainbow right next to Pinkie's door, opting to hide himself behind a wall as curiosity got the better of him.

"Alright Pinkie, you want to know the truth?! Well, here it is. Everything was my fault! Spike didn't even want to help me prank you, but I made him do it anyways! He was worried you'd get mad if it went south, but I assured him you'd always love him! Of course, this should've been my first instinct not to pull such a harsh prank, but I guess I'm too foolish for my own good!"

Pinkie didn't retort back. She was either listening or ignoring her, but with how boisterous Rainbow was being, she assumed the first option.

Spike's eyes widened as he slowly crept forward ever so slightly in order to see Rainbow's reactions.

"I told both him as well as myself that you'd be able to handle any prank! I knew how much you loved jokes so I just assumed any prank that could ultimately get you would be alright! I thought about the 'who' but I didn't even consider the 'what'!"

Rainbow felt the tears creep up as she placed a hoof over the door in emotional turmoil.

"I don't even know how I thought it was a good idea! I never even considered putting myself in your place - thinking that I had unintentionally hurt someone I loved!"

At this point, she began heavily sobbing.

"...but... I did hurt those I love. You... and Spike..."

Spike felt his heart beat slightly faster. Rainbow did care. She wanted to fix this. She wanted to help him. She was doing everything for him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Pinkie sat on the edge of her bed with full intrigue. Yes, she was still miffed about the recent attempt at a joke, but hearing her usually confident and brash friend pour her heart out, to hear those sobs... it made her question her anger. She sounded truly sorry. She seemed to care about her feelings.

"I never wanted you to feel like you were ever going to hurt someone, because believe me you won't. You're one of the sweetest, jolliest, and most thoughtful creatures I know. I know you'd do anything to help a friend or family in need and you always will.

Pinkie found her mouth slightly hang open as she digested Rainbow's words. She did care.

Rainbow braced herself, for this was the toughest part.

"But this was all my dumb idea, not Spike's! I'm the one who pranked you, I'm the one who hurt you, I'm the one you should hate! Now he thinks his favorite aunt in the world doesn't want anything to do with him and it's all my fault! I told him you'd love him no matter what and I broke that promise!" she felt her tears clouding her vision.

"The kid just got himself a family and I put it at risk like the jerk I am!"

"So, please. I don't care if you and Spike hate me for the rest of my life, I don't care if you two never want anything to do with me ever again, I deserve it! I deserve for you two to hate me!"

Both Spike and Pinkie's eyes widened as they stared at (or in the direction) of the pegasus with speechless admiration.

"Just... please..." Rainbow's voice lost its luster as she found herself slowly sinking down to the ground.

"Just please go talk and make it up with Spike. He loves you. He needs you. He can't be alone again."

"He can't be like me." she bitterly thought.

Rainbow finally collapsed to the ground in a fit of tears.

"Please...I'm sorry..."

As Rainbow finally dissolved into a weeping mess on Pinkie's floor, she began to reflect on the hopefully impactful speech she made.

"Well, I'm an ugly crying mess on the floor, but it was worth it... I hope..."

The pegasus was so consumed in her sorrows that she at first failed to recognize the creeping door that pushed its way open in front of her hooves. Finally feeling the pressure placed by the colliding door, Rainbow slowly looked up only to find a sight she wasn't expecting to see so soon if at all.

A smiling Pinkie Pie. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she had on a warm, genuine smile. And it was directed at her.

"Dashie..."

Her nickname. She was back.

"P-pinkie... I'm..."

"Shhhh..." Pinkie interrupted with a soft hoof to her friend's mouth. "Don't say anything. I heard you."

Dash smiled for a moment before her eyes shook in fear again.

"But... Spike..." she muffled.

"I heard you too." came a third voice, grabbing the two ponies' attention as they turned around to see a beaming dragon approach them.

"I...may have come back so I could be here for Pinkie, but I overheard everything you said. I forgive you." he said as he wrapped the quivering mess on the floor in a comforting hug.

"And I do too!" Pinkie happily chirped as she gripped the other two, before letting go after a moment.

"...though maybe we should talk in my room. I'm surprised no one's gone up to see the commotion yet."

Rainbow and Spike both silently agreed before stepping into the pink pony's private room.

The trio collectively decided to seat themselves in a circle around the floor, seeing there wasn't exactly enough room on the bed. They made themselves comfortable on the tiling below before Pinkie elected to speak first.

"Guys, I'm super duper sorry. I didn't want you both to think I hated you! I could never hate you! I was extremely upset, but all that emotion was from that combined with my heart still pounding from earlier. I guess I just needed a while to calm down."

"Me too." agreed Spike, "I let my emotions run wild and the thought of Pinkie hating me caused me to lash out at you Rainbow. I'm sorry."

Rainbow sighed as she placed a hoof on each of her friends.

"Guys, please don't apologize. I was the one who took things too far and almost ruined things. I deserved the lashings."

Pinkie gave a bittersweet smile.

"Well, your joke was incredibly hurtful but I wouldn't go that far... come to think of it..." she paused, "...you two probably don't realize why I was so upset, do you?"

Spike respectfully shook his head.

"Uh... because family?" Rainbow guessed.

"Well, yeah. That's definitely a big part of it, but there's more." the pink pony responded.

"Spike, do you remember the story I told the day I became your aunt?" she asked.

The dragon nodded, gradually gaining pieces of the puzzle.

"Yeah. You mean back how when you were on the rock farm, you grew depressed because you didn't know what to do with your life?" he questioned, while Rainbow felt her brows raise, this being the first time hearing about Pinkie's past to this extent.

Pinkie softly nodded. "Yes, but there's more."

The dragon proceeded to continue.

"...because you felt alone, like no one loved you... oh." his expression darkened in realization, Rainbow's heart freezing in her chest.

"Mmmm hmmm." Pinkie responded sadly.

"Ever since I moved to Ponyville and became super-duper close with all of you, I always grew worried that something would happen to one of you, or that I'd end up chasing you away; and when Rainbow made me think the cupcake hurt Spike..."

Both dragon and pegasus felt a claw/hoof appear over their hearts as they gaped at the earth pony with looks of sincere regret.

"I...I didn't even consider that..." Spike muttered.

"I.. didn't even know about this... I never thought..." spoke Rainbow.

Suddenly, the pegasus surprised the earth pony by tackling her in a warm embrace - not that she minded.

"Pinkie, I'm so sorry! I never imagined I'd make you feel..."

She was once again silenced by a hoof.

"Dashie, it's ok. You didn't know, but now you do."

Rainbow, still in the hug, simply smiled appreciatively with a nod.

"I know you're the exact same way with us too. What you said back there... you really care about us don't you?"

Rainbow let go of the embrace as she directed her attention to the two warm presences in her immediate view.

With a light chuckle and a soft sigh, she answered sincerely.

"Honestly if anything ever happens to the two of you, or the girls, or Scootaloo, I don't know what I'd do."

Both Pinkie and Spike scooted over to her, huddling closer to each other as they sighed in each others' close company.

"Us too, Dash. Us too." confirmed Spike as Rainbow lightly roughed his scales.

"Still, now that we know how much we care about our family, maybe we should promise to keep pranks and jokes to simple, silly stuff rather than potentially dark and hurtful stuff?" Pinkie asked as she continued to embrace the others.

"We promise." Spike and Rainbow replied in unison as the three continued to enjoy the warmth radiated by their closeness.

And just like that, the great prank war between Baker/Party Planner and Wonderbolt had finally ended. While there were no official winners or losers, the smiles on each of their faces suggested that none of that mattered; for they had won the greatest prize of all (even if it was a little sappy for a certain pegasus) - family. Those they can hold, those they could share struggles with...

...those they could love.

The cyan coated mare looked at the two blissful creatures hugging her as a confident voice echoed in her mind.

"I told you I'd keep my promise. I'll always keep my promises for you."

"Shipping and Handling"

View Online

In a small, yet cozy clubhouse nestled within one of the hundreds of trees on Sweet Apple Acres resided five close friends, happily spending a lax afternoon in each others' company as they each took turns regaling several of their hilarious adventures.

"...and that's how I got my wings." Spike summarized, taking a moment to glance around and survey the incoming reactions.

"Woah..." the other four gaped at once.

"Ya mean ya'll had to save Zecora from that giant Roc monster?" piped Apple Bloom.

"As well as Rarity?" nervously asked Sweetie Belle, slightly shaken that her sister had been in danger.

"All while you had to deal with those terrible molt-effects?" Scootaloo questioned in awe.

"Well, once I broke free from the mold and sprouted my wings, the symptoms were gone... but I may or may not have taken 3 showers that day." the dragon bashfully replied, remembering how it had taken him nearly an hour to finally feel like he was clean and free from that pungent odor.

"But you saved them anyways! You're a hero!" happily chirped Gabby as she swooped up Spike in a firm hug, causing him to blush at the affection given to him.

"Awww..." cooed two of the three gazing fillies, while a slightly less emotional Scootaloo playfully rolled her eyes in response.

While still not officially a couple, Gabby kept to her promise that she would visit Ponyville more often - and more often she did. As she and Spike found more time to hang out and become even closer, the two also decided to spend a good chunk amount of their time hanging out with the CMC.

The griffon, being a proud honorary member of the group, already accepted this with no hesitation whereas Spike slowly crept his way into the idea. The dragon was initially nervous at the idea, seeing as he hadn't spent much time with the three adventurous fillies before; but after their warm acceptance of him during his family quest, he found himself spending more and more time with these ponies. He had to admit it still felt a little awkward hanging out with others more attuned with his age group as opposed to one of the older girls, but he quickly began loving their company all the same. The three had become like proper siblings to the dragon, and now with the griffon being a best friend (if not more), Spike found himself relishing the prospect of simply getting to feel like a kid.

As the two winged creatures exited their hug, they proceeded to sit back down in a circle on the wooden floor before a sudden realization grabbed their attention - a feeling that strongly clouded the heads of the group, threatening to take them into its cruel submission.

They were bored.

"Well, now what should we do?" prompted the tiny orange pegasus, seeing as story time was officially over.

"We could try to find something to do on the farm?" offered Gabby.

"Like what?" asked Sweetie Belle.

The earth pony filly merely began chuckling at their curious pondering as she sagely looked out the clubhouse window, gesturing to the wide open fields in the distance.

"Don't be silly! The farm is ah wide open landscape of possibilities waitin' to happen."

The remaining four creatures slowly made their way off the floor to curiously peek at what Apple Bloom was referring to, seeing only swarm-fulls of trees and a familiar barn and house in the distance.

The filly, seeing her friend's confused looks, decided she needed to elaborate.

"Don't ya see? Everyday in the great outdoors is ah new adventure waitin' to take hold. The gentle breeze of the grass we can roll around in, the tall, generous structures of the trees we can climb, the beautiful scope of the plains we can run and frolic in..."

"...Rarity making her way towards the barn,..."

"Wait, what?!" Spike finally interrupted, caught off guard by the last declaration before he peered with greater focus at the outside world. Indeed, over in the distance near the entrance to the farm walked a dainty white unicorn as she slowly made her way towards the Apple Family's supply and storage space.

"You're right, there she is." he stared at the sight with ever-growing fascination.

"Really? Rarity's here?" Gabby asked as she took notice of the phenomenon herself. "Is she here to pick Sweetie up?"

"I doubt it." Scootaloo slightly grimaced. "She's been over here what seems like every day for the past few weeks."

"Really?!" gawked both dragon and griffon, not expecting that response.

"It's true." Sweetie Belle nodded with a look of puzzlement. "Lately, we've been seeing her visit frequently. She never used to visit the farm as much as she has."

"And that's not all." proceeded Apple Bloom. "Ah was in the fields once or twice and ah heard her say she was lookin' for my sister."

The dragon silently nodded, prodding a claw to his chin as he slowly made a stride back and forth inside the clubhouse.

"But why would Rarity be visiting Applejack so much? They're friends, sure, but last I knew she wasn't all too crazy about being in 'rural lifestyle'."

"That is strange." mused Gabby, "Why would she go out of her way to see her?"

Everyone silently theorized about the potential implications concerning the unicorn's behavior before Spike suddenly gained an idea.

"Why don't we go check it out and see if we can find anything?"

The others slowly displayed excited smiles as they collectively nodded their heads in agreement.

"I am curious about my sister." Sweetie stated.

"I've always wanted to solve a mystery - besides, it's not like we have anything better to do." Scootaloo declared.

"Yay! CMC detectives!" Gabby squealed in excitement.

"What are we waitin' for? Let's go!" Apple Bloom began making her way down the steps of the treehouse, the others in close pursuit behind her as they eagerly made their way to the center of the acres - the prospect of a shocking discovery danced in their minds.

Little do they know how right they are.

As Spike and the rest of the gang carefully made their way over to the barn, they glued themselves to the siding. Huddling uncomfortably close to one another, they slowly peeked their way through the corner of the door to see who was inside. Sure enough, as clear as day, stood the elegant unicorn as she stared at the slightly bewildered expression of the cowpony, both of them appearing to be engaged in conversation unbeknownst to the sets of eyes out of their peripheral vision.

"There they are!" anxiously whispered Sweetie Belle.

"Shhh.... let's listen." prodded Apple Bloom as they focused their hearing on the two mares.

"I must say darling, it's a beautiful day out there today." gently coaxed the unicorn as she batted her lovely eyes at the suddenly sweating farmer.

"Heh heh. Yeah it sure is." Applejack nervously rubbed a hoof to the back of her head.

"So, anyways, what brings ya all the way out here?"

Rarity slowly froze in thought before she returned with a very lucid and cheerful grin.

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I was wondering if you wanted to do something together - just the two of us - that is, if you're not too busy?" she batted her eyelashes again as her eyes conveyed a blissful sense of hope.

"Why does she keep battin' her eyelashes like that?" whispered Apple Bloom.

"Maybe she's having a stroke?" haphazardly guessed Scootaloo.

"Either that or she's really bad at staring contests." Gabby added.

Meanwhile, Spike kept silently staring at the ongoing scene as a sudden familiar set of triggers were picked up in his head.

"Wait a minute... the way she's staring at her, the flirty way she's batting her eyelashes, the slight calm tinge she's setting in her voice, where have I seen this all before?"

"Well, I'd love ta sugarcube..." Applejack momentarily stuttered. "...but ah fear these chores may take all day."

The unicorn's smile melted into a disappointed pout as a faint twinkle etched in her eyes.

"Applejack, darling, you've been saying that every day I've stopped by."

The farmer lowered her head in slight guilt as her lips quivered for a brief moment.

"Ah know and ah'm sorry, but the workload's been hectic recently."

"No it hasn't." Apple Bloom turned to the four sets of eyes with a shake to her head, indicating that her sister was lying.

But Applejack almost never lied - she was the 'Element of Honesty' after all - so why would she be lying to her friend?

Spike's mind was now working overtime as it desperately tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Even now with the way her lips slightly tremble in subtle dread. It reminds me of those times where she gets rejected by one of those stallions..."

Suddenly, Spike's body ceased all function as he gaped in realization.

He had completed the puzzle.

"Rarity's acting like those times where she's trying to ask someone out... but if she's doing that now with..."

"*GASP*"

"Rarity has a crush on Applejack!"

Almost as if the universe was trying to confirm his answer, Rarity's voice spoke out once again.

"It's a shame really, I just wanted to spend time with you."

Applejack tried her best in vain to look natural, though her constantly shifting eyes failed to help her.

"Well that's awfully sweet of you, but ah've been awfully busy. Maybe ya could hang out with someone else?"

The dragon couldn't take the torture Rarity seemed to be subjecting herself to any longer as he turned and glanced at the other pairs of curious eyes in a frantic manner.

"Pssst, guys! I figured out what's going on."

"Wait, you did?! What is it?!" Sweetie's eyes widened in anticipation.

"Rarity's in love with Applejack."

The others harshly, yet silently gasped as they appeared to have their worldviews shaken.

"What?!" Gabby exclaimed. "But I thought she loved the wealthy stallion types."

"I did too." Spike countered, "But the way she's talking and looking at her... I know it."

"But can she even like mares? I thought she's made it pretty clear she went for stallions." Scootaloo retorted.

"Again, I did too."

Sweetie just stared at the scene with introspective eyes, trying desperately to put two and two together but to seemingly no avail. Finally, she turned back to the dragon.

"No, there's no way. Rarity wouldn't like..." she defiantly tried to argue before he stopped her.

He sort of knew that the others would have a hard time believing this - heck, he was having a hard time believing it. They have all known Rarity for a long time (well, considerably less in Gabby's case), they thought they knew the pristine mare's in's and out's like a book; but here she was displaying a new side of her that he was sure no one had ever seen.

Of course they'd find the whole situation preposterous, he couldn't blame them for that; but he did have an ace in his sleeve to make them realize it.

With a heavy sigh, he turned to the quartet.

"Girls, picture Rarity and Applejack are Sugar Belle and Big Mac. Gabby, pretend they're us."

The four creatures stood gazing at the creatures with concentrated contemplation before they all ceremoniously let out airy gasps, turning back to the dragon like they had just uncovered the meaning of life.

"Yer...yer right." squeaked Apple Bloom.

"I...I never knew my sister could like mares..." Sweetie held a hoof over her mouth.

"Rarity's there trying to woo her, but Applejack isn't taking the bait." Scootaloo nodded solemnly.

Suddenly all their glances focused on her with inquisitive expressions.

"What? I helped Sugar Belle and Big Mac get together. That's taught me a little about romance."

"So... does that mean she doesn't like her back?" asked a saddened Gabby as she glanced at the pair.

"But I wanted to spend time with you dear." Rarity slightly whined.

Applejack's lips began trembling slightly as she turned her head away to hide her pain from the other mare.

"Ah...ah'm sorry... but ah don't know what else ah can say."

Apple Bloom directed her attention to her sister, her eyes slightly narrowing at her reaction. The way the mare hesitantly had been rejecting the unicorn's offers, the way in which she bashfully hid herself from her sight, the way she glumly viewed the unicorn's disappointment. Something wasn't right here.

"Ah don't know about that. Ah know my sister, and seein' the way she's rejectin' her - she's clearly regretting lying about the chores and ah can see the slight tremblin' of her lips that usually means she's upset. She's saying no to hide something."

Sweetie slowly tilted her head in thought.

"Perhaps she's worried about liking her back for some reason?"

The earth filly sympathetically glanced back at her sister as the unicorn next to her - her head lowered slightly in a sad sort of display.

"Ah don't know, but ah feel like we should help them before someone's feelings get hurt."

"JUST KISS HER ALREADY!" boomed a loud, ear-splitting shriek, definitely drawing the attention of the two now shell-shocked, blushing adult ponies who had discovered the crowd of watchful eyes from the barn.

Seeing the jig was up, the gang defeatedly walked in front of the barn, making their presences fully known to the horrified mares.

"Gabby, what the heck was that about?!" Spike shot an annoyed glare at the griffon who shrugged sheepishly.

"What? Apple Bloom said we needed to help them!"

"Yeah help them, not traumatize them!" countered the now face-hoofing filly.

"I liked Gabby's idea." a pegasus's voice made itself known as two irritated fillies and one judgmental dragon acknowledged her.

"What?"

Rarity and Applejack merely stood still as fragile statues - the lightest gust of wind or the contact of a stray leaf could probably crumble them into bits of ashes. Only after what seemed like several agonizing minutes did someone make a move.

Way too quick of a move.

"I...I think I need to be going, if you excuse me." jumped a slightly teary-eyed Rarity as she gradually raced out of the barn and through the acres like a grounded Rainbow Dash.

"No, Rarity! Wait!" called out Spike, but he was too late.

"Shoot."

Meanwhile, Applejack looked ready to keel over as her coat turned many shades lighter.

"What...have ah done..." she mumbled.

Despite the rather stressful situation presented to them, the dragon was quick on the objective. Seeing the pained and emotional expressions on both mares, he not only knew his instincts were right, he knew he to fix this before things got worse.

"Apple Bloom and Scootaloo - you two stay here with Applejack. Gabby and Sweetie, you two follow me to find Rarity."

Everyone simultaneously gave affirmative nods as each creature made their way to their respective task. The earth pony and pegasus fillies approaching the still stiff farmer while the dragon, unicorn filly and griffon all ran their way to the center of Ponyville.

"Don't worry, we're going to fix this."

As Spike and Sweetie confidently led the way back to the Carousel Boutique, a slightly confused griffon staggered closely behind the pair.

"Are you sure she came back here?" she hesitantly asked, peering up at the familiar shop.

Spike and Sweetie gave each other ear-splitting smirks before turning over in her direction.

"Oh, trust me. When it comes to an upset Rarity, we know her patterns like the back of our hooves." Sweetie Belle chuckled.

"Or claws." Spike interjected.

"Right, sorry." the unicorn blushed.

"The point is we know how to get her out, but you need to trust us and remain quiet for a second, ok?" Spike rose an eyebrow at her.

Seeing how assured the two of them in front of her were, Gabby felt a smile form on her lips as she gave a silent, enthusiastic salute, motioning for the pair to continue.

With one more glance at each other and a firm nod, they slowly walked over to the door as the unicorn delivered several rounds of knocks.

"The boutique is closed for right now on the account of emotional distress, if you could so kindly..."

"Ice-Cream Man." the dragon interrupted with a false soprano.

All too swiftly, a white hoof opened the door as a red, puffy-eyed unicorn stepped out to greet the supposed visitor.

"Oh thank goodness you're here! I need my depression special - 2 gallons of vanilla..." she halted, staring down at the three new creatures on her doorstep, realizing she had been had.

"Hello....." she stretched, "What brings you three here?" she added with a fake, toothy grin to boot.

"Rarity, we need to talk." the dragon spoke in a serious, yet well-meaning tone as the others silently agreed.

"About what darling? Everything is fi..."

"Sis, we were there." Sweetie deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at her sister's way too obvious attempts at curveballs.

The mare sighed, knowing there was no way out of this.

"Fine. Please do come in." she stepped out of the way, leading the trio in as they all gathered in her living room, sitting in a wide collection of couches and chairs.

After a moment or two of making themselves comfortable (which all but Rarity seemed to), the dragon decided to initiate the fatal ice-breaker.

"So. You like Applejack huh?"

Rarity winced ever so slightly as she nodded her head in shame.

"It's true. I've been rather attracted to her as of late, so I've been trying to spend more time with her over the past week or two."

"Rarity... we didn't know...we always thought you were attracted to stallions." commented Sweetie Belle as she reached a gentle hoof out to comfort her sister, the unicorn smiling appreciatively at the gesture.

"Well Sweetie, it's time I told you all a secret I've been keeping for a long time. While I typically have tried going after the perfect gentlecolt, I do also find myself swooning for the occasional mare. I've known for a long time, but I always told myself I would find my prince charming and live happily ever after like one of those storybook princesses." she dreamily spoke.

"So...what happened?" Gabby asked.

Rarity snapped out of her trance as she focused back on the topic at hand, "Well dear, I've realized for quite a while now that I've had...rather little to no success when it comes to finding the perfect male for me."

Spike's eyes struck wide in terror as he was taken back to a particularly recent memory.

"But when I found you spying on Gabby and I, I said... I told you all the guys you liked were jerks... Rarity... I'm so sorry..." he twiddled his claws in shame.

However, a unicorn leapt out of her seated position and gave the poor drake a reassuring embrace.

"Spike! Don't apologize! This has nothing to do with what you said to me, I can assure you on that!" she nuzzled him for a moment longer before heading back to her seat, leaving the dragon with a much more relaxed smile.

"But I have had a sort of crush on Applejack for quite a while. Ever since we started going to spa and began hanging out more often, I felt captivated by her. It was only until recently I finally decided to make a move on those feelings."

"Really? Why Applejack?" Sweetie regarded curiously.

Rarity lovingly smiled.

"Well sweetie, I love Applejack because I admire how strong, loyal, and hard-working she is. She cares deeply for her friends and family and I find myself taken by that devotion to protect those closest to her. She may be more of a country pony, but her heart is one of the biggest and shiniest I've ever seen."

"Awww..." the trio chorused as they saw the unicorn develop a light blush.

"But why hide this for so long, Rarity? Don't you want to be happy?!" Gabby's brows furrowed with worry.

Rarity felt her heavenly smile vanquish as she carefully rubbed her eyes with a hoof.

"I've wanted to tell her for a while but... I haven't even told anyone I'm bi."

"You have to leave? Why?" Gabby tilted her head.

Rarity softly chuckled as she decided to ever so elegantly explain.

"No, dear. Bi as in Bisexual. It means I can be attracted to either males or females."

"Oh....." Gabby drawled, as Spike and Sweetie nodded in understanding as well.

"Why wait to say anything though? You clearly want to hint it at her, what's stopping you from outright telling her?" Spike cautiously motioned.

Rarity found herself with a nervous lump in her throat, struggling to hold back her pent up feelings until a moment of three worried stares made her burst like a balloon.

"I'm scared, that's why!" the unicorn exclaimed as she bowed her head in guilt, causing the three other creatures to look at each other in confusion, before turning back to face her.

"Rarity, our friends will support you no matter what. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're not the only potentially gay mare in our group." lectured Sweetie.

"I'm like 85% sure Rainbow is gay." Spike added thoughtfully.

"I'll place 5 bits on Pinkie potentially having interest in a mare." added Sweetie.

"And I seriously think Fluttershy could be bi as well. I mean, I've never really been a big fan of the whole 'Fluttercord' ship - I mean, he can be a great best friend, sure, but lover? All I'm saying is that maybe we should get Fluttershy a soft, cuddly mare - someone like Pinkie or Twilight or even Rainbow." Gabby concluded in a huff.

The others in the room simply stared at Gabby with looks of bafflement.

"Gabby, you're not wrong, but you're projecting." Spike deadpanned, much to the griffon's embarrassed chagrin.

"No, no. I don't mean telling our friends - though I suppose I do owe it to them to tell them - I'm referring to telling Applejack." Rarity sighed.

"Ohhhh." the three mouthed in unison, now understanding where this conversation was going.

"Besides me not knowing how she feels about that way of thinking, she comes from a rather traditional family and I don't want her to have to make a choice if any of the family disapproves."

The trio processed everything she had said. She wasn't just worried Applejack would deny her, she was worried that her family would make her choose between them or her. If there was anything the farm pony loved more than her precious crop of apples, it was her family. If there was any more evidence needed for Rarity to be the 'Element of Generosity', worrying about her crush's feelings certainly helped. Though as they soaked this all in, they suddenly felt a new wave of resolute wash through them, Rarity may be worried right now but there was one thing that would guarantee everything would be alright, no matter what.

Spike and the others crowded around Rarity, each of them giving the unicorn a giant group hug.

"Don't be afraid to tell her, the worst she could say is no." quoted Spike.

"But she's your best friend and I know she'll always care for you no matter what." added Sweetie.

"And whatever happens, we're always going to be here for you." affirmed Gabby.

Seeing the three creatures around her give her fond smiles and words of encouragement prompted the waterworks to start anew for the unicorn. As she slowly sniffled a few tears down her cheeks, she reciprocated the gesture with a tender voice.

"Thank you - all of you. I suppose you're right. I'm finally ready to do this, I must tell her."

The three split apart from her to give her positive sounds of reinforcement as they all motioned for her to follow them out the door.

"What about my makeup?" she asked.

"Your makeup is fine. Besides, I have a feeling Applejack may have a surprise for you." the dragon replied.

The unicorn furrowed her brow ever so slightly.

"Really? How can you be so sure?"

"Just a feeling. Now come on, let's go." he quipped, the group beginning their trek back to the beloved Apple orchards.

Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres:

"...and she's been like this ever since." finished Apple Bloom, with Scootaloo silently nodding in worry as Big Mac and Granny Smith viewed the horrified, mouth-gaping, catatonic state of the working pony with their own bouts of concern.

The elder Apple ponies glanced over at each other as if thinking the same thing.

"Mac, do the thing." Granny ordered; the stallion giving a gruff nod in response.

With a deep breath, he walked up to Applejack and...

"Apples or Strawberries?"

Snapping out of her trance, Applejack turned to Big Mac, her face deep red as she shoved a hoof in his chest.

"HOW DARE YA'LL SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT! EVERYONE KNOWS APPLES ARE..." but she soon paused as she noticed the group of ponies surrounding her.

Taking her hoof off of her brother and bashfully rubbing it at the ground, she began to acknowledge everyone else.

"Uh... hey ya'll. Ah'm guessing ah did the 'zone-out' thing again, huh?"

Everyone nodded.

"Right. So, ah'm just gonna..." she tried to turn around for a hasty retreat.

"Sis, we all know ya have a crush on Rarity." Apple Bloom dryly replied.

Her body tensing up, the older sister gave a fake grin that not even a foal would buy.

"What?! Apple Bloom, that's the silliest thing ah've ever heard! Where would ya even..."

"We saw the way you avoided looking at her when she wanted to hang out with you." equally dryly replied Scootaloo.

"And we all know that the chores haven't been 'hectic'." mentioned the earth pony filly.

` "Well... ah.... ya see....the thing is...." the mare stumbled, sweating profusely as she tried to escape the room full of knowing, judgmental eyes.

"Wait a sec, Rarity?! As in that fancy pancy unicorn ah see you going gaga about? Ya'll still haven't asked her out yet? Sheesh, yer slower than molasses girl." Granny Smith sighed with an annoyed roll of the eyes.

"Wait... ya'll knew as well?!" Apple Bloom pointed a hoof at the elderly pony with her eyes widening.

"Well, sure." Granny replied. "Was the most obvious thing in the world. A blind filly could've seen that coming."

"...eeyup." Big Mac quietly replied, not wanting to be as direct as his grandmother, but also agreeing with her in most aspects.

The two fillies awkwardly glanced at each other, not wanting to bring up the fact that Spike was the only one who had noticed the circumstances earlier.

"Woah, woah, woah, hang on a sec. Yer telling me ya knew the whole time?" Applejack all too haphazardly asked, having just gotten rid of the shock that everyone seemed to know about her troubles.

"Mmm hmmm." Granny and Big Mac nodded.

"...and yer... ok with it?"

Granny seemed to notice that last answer was more directed towards her than the stallion as she slowly focused her attention on the slightly quivering form of the normally bold pony.

"What do ya mean by that?" Granny slightly glared as her voice seemed to be laced with suspicion.

The mare coughed in her hoof lightly as she started looking everywhere but at the fragile pony in the room.

"Well... it's just.... the family.... and tradition.... and...."

Granny's eyes slowly took on a more concerned look as she began to piece together why her granddaughter was so apprehensive. Slowly hobbling over to the mare, she placed an elderly hoof on her back, drawing the frantic pony's attention.

"Applejack, when ah first met yer mother, ah made the terrible mistake of not accepting her. Ah wanted her to stay away from yer father and keep away throughout most of their early relationship. But then they got hitched behind our backs and ah saw them so happy, only to see your Grand Pear turn away his own daughter."

The three Apple siblings felt a harsh sting of sadness, recalling the story of their parents' love and some of the tragic implications that proceeded. While Scootaloo wasn't aware on the full details of the story, she draped a hoof over the young filly's back, knowing that this was a rough topic for her, having little to no memories of her folks.

"In that moment, ah knew ah wanted nothing more than to accept them, to show them that ah loved them. That ended up bein' the best decision of mah life. They gave me three beautiful grandkids ah wouldn't want to go without - before...before they passed away..."

All the Apples in this room, as well as Scootaloo, had tears in their eyes at this point, touched by the mare's sentimental words as well as the loss she was describing.

"That's when ah realized... if ah hadn't grown with them, ah'd have missed out on so much. Yer Grand Pear wasn't so lucky - he's gotten to know you kids now, but he never saw his own daughter again. Ah don't know what ah'd have done if ah turned my son away, only to find out ah was too late."

Granny wiped her eyes before allowing herself to finish.

"The point here is ah almost wasted the chance to be with one family because of beliefs and traditions, ah'd be stupid to try the same thing again with you! "

Her tone abandoned its harshness as it dissolved back into a much more nurturing one.

"Applejack, ah love ya no matter who ya love or what ya do, and if anyone in our friends and family has a problem with it, then maybe they shouldn't be welcome on the farm. Because the ones in our family are the most important things after all."

Applejack tried to keep from outright bawling as she struggled to hold back the tears in her eyes with a snort.

"Granny... ah... thank you. All of you."

Suddenly, everyone rushed into the cowpony for a powerful group hug as they enjoyed the sanctity of the embrace for a good while. As they let go though, Applejack asked one more important question.

"Do ya'll think she feels the same way though?"

"I know I do."

Suddenly, all eyes inside the barn shifted towards the entrance only to discover a certain unicorn standing in the doorway with warm salty tears in her eyes - Spike, Sweetie, and Gabby appearing behind her, warmly smiling at the Apple Family - before they all made their way inside.

"Rarity." Applejack choked out as she slowly made her way over to the unicorn. "How much of that did ya hear?"

"Well thankfully, we got here just in time to hear Granny Smith's beautiful story - thank you by the way for your kind words." she sweetly acknowledged the elderly mare, receiving a firm smile and nod in response.

Meanwhile, the rest of the creatures made their way to a section of the room to admire a hopefully heartwarming moment between the two ponies.

"Nice job on the timin' by the way." whispered an impressed Apple Bloom.

"We were just lucky to be able to console Rarity in time." Sweetie Belle retorted with a sigh of relief.

"Think that'll be us one day?" asked Gabby as she leaned in towards Spike's ear.

"Heh heh. Maybe." a rather rosy cheeked-dragon muttered.

"Shhhh! Quiet! The show's about to start!" admonished a flighty Scootaloo.

"Rarity, ah'm so sorry. Ah knew you'd been tryin' to give me hints...."

"I was?" innocently inquired the unicorn.

The farm pony gave her a deadpan glare.

"You've willingly visited the farm more in the last few weeks than ya have in the years we've known each other."

"Right, sorry. Please continue."

"Anyways, ah knew you've been wanting to say something, but ah kept hidin' the truth and pretended ah didn't notice because ah didn't want to hurt your feelings if the family didn't approve."

"But we do!" offered Granny, much to the pair's delight.

"Right, but ah... ah'm sorry ah kept knowingly pushing ya away."

Rarity cupped the mare's cheeks with her hooves as she stared lovingly into her eyes.

"Darling, it's alright. I understand. I've been hiding the outright truth from you as well. The fact of the matter is I've sort of had feelings for you for a long while know, but only recently did I have the courage to act on them. I'm to blame too for trying to 'not so subtly' tell you after all this time of secret pining."

Applejack blushed as she felt a warmth radiate through her.

"Ya don't have to hide from me, Rare. Ah'll always be your friend - whether we're at the spa or having fights at a sleepover." she winked.

Rarity giggled into her hoof before she came to realize something as she lowered her hooves and shied away ever so slightly.

"I just... I didn't know if you'd have feelings in return or not."

The earth pony stood there stunned before it was her turn to cup the other's cheeks as she too gazed warmly into the unicorn's eyes.

"Of course ah do, ya silly mare. Yer one of the most beautiful creatures I know - inside and out. Besides yer radiant charm and the way you carry yourself with such grace, yer one of the kindest, most generous ponies I know. Ya care deeply for those around ya and ya do anything it takes to make those around you happy. Ya have such a big heart inside of ya'll and ah'd love to be a part of it."

"Oh, Applejack..." Rarity cooed as she felt happy tears barricade her eyes. "I feel the same way about you."

The two mares both hugged before they lightly pulled away from each other with warm smiles.

"So, ya want to try this relationship thing and see if it works?" Applejack asked.

Rarity gave a playful snort as she poked a hoof at the mare's cheeks.

"Just don't expect me to work on the farm 24/7. No offense, of course." she motioned to the Apples, who nodded.

"Only if ah don't have to model the latest dresses all day." she retorted as both ponies found themselves laughing.

"I love you Applejack."

"And ah love you too, Rare."

Then, like a magical moment in a romance film, the two mares slowly found their lips touching as they caressed each other in a simple, sweet kiss. A moment that would last forever, a moment that touched any heart who had witnessed it, a moment...

"Felt too forced, take it from the top!" hollered Granny Smith in the background.

"GRANNY!" Apple Bloom and Applejack yelled in horror as the others did their best to hide their chuckles.

"I think our family's growing even bigger." Spike commented as the dragon rushed to the two mares for a playful hug; the other fillies, griffon, and even Big Mac joining in as they all collided onto the floor in a heap of howls and blissful laughter.

The elderly mare merely witnessed this scene with a golden smile as she prodded her heart with a frail hoof.

"That's what it's all about."

"Time Travel Unravel" - Part 1

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A cool spring breeze permeated through the air as the soft pitter patters of dragon and alicorn tiptoes chorused on the patches of grass below, grazing ever so quietly as they rounded near their confirmed destination.

A beautiful almost enchanted-like cottage at the edge of Ponyville. Birds, squirrels, and other small woodland creatures alike darting in and out of the small paradise without a care in the world.

With firm nods, the two carefully rounded the corner to scope out the preservation behind the home. There it laid - Sweet Feathers Sanctuary - a natural-like oasis filled with various lush habitats suited for the treatment, caring, and otherwise extended stays of any animal who decided to stop by. A multitude of various creatures - herbivores, omnivores, and even some carnivores could be seen inhabiting the precious landscape around them.

However, a different target was expected to be seen as the duo silently made their way behind a large tree, close enough to peer at any potential visitors coming by. The two patiently waited for a few minutes before they quickly spotted exactly who they were looking for.

There, obliviously strolling out into the fields, their back turned to them stood a yellow pegasus, long pink mane and tail intact. It seemed like she was curiously gazing out at some of the aquatic creatures in the nearby river, not paying attention to a narrowed set of eyes in the distance.

"Target acquired." whispered Spike as he got into a battle-like ready stance.

Twilight smirked at him as she paid close attention to their subject.

"You know what to do, Agent Spike."

And just like that, the dragon took off gliding in the air, honing in on his target before he ever so carefully positioned himself directly above her.

"Initiate action protocol." he could hear Twilight whisper in the distance, thankfully not drawing the pegasus's attention.

"Time to roll." he devilishly grinned; this was it.

With one swift motion, the dragon came to a smooth glide below as he landed with a gentle 'thud' right on the pegasus's back.

The mare gave off a startled jump and a squeak at the new source of pressure on her back. Thankful that he had managed to get a firm enough grip to avoid being bucked off, he watched with glee as the startled pegasus frantically began looking around, trying to find the source of who had just scared her so, before she saw him.

As she drifted her head behind her shoulder, she soon found a suppressed giggling drake on her back, prompting her to erupt in a wide, cheerful smile.

"Spike!" she exclaimed joyfully as she beamed up at him - well as much as she was able to from her limited viewpoint - "You scared me, you silly dragon! Come on down so I can say hello."

Spike smirked teasingly as he placed a mock thoughtful claw on his chin.

"I don't know, it feels much comfier up here."

At this, Fluttershy puffed her cheeks out in a fake pout, which Spike had to admit was adorable.

"I just wanted a nice, big dragon hug." she huffed, making a show of turning her head away from him.

Spike laughed playfully as he proceeded to fly on down from his position and face the pegasus with open arms.

Fluttershy's 'pout' instantly went away as she gave him a great, warm hug - nuzzling him close to her chest.

"Oh Spike! I haven't seen you in a couple of days. I've missed you! How have you been?" she cooed.

The dragon returned the nuzzle happily.

"Usual school this and friendship castle that." he joked.

"I heard that!" came a voice from the distance as Twilight flew over to the two with a wry grin on her face.

"Didn't say it was a bad usual." he countered, Fluttershy stifling a laugh.

"I know." Twilight winked, the two ceasing their hug a moment later as the pegasus now turned her attention to the alicorn.

"Twilight!" she chirped, as she wrapped her friend in an embrace. "You came to stop by as well I see, I'm glad."

"Hey Fluttershy." the alicorn responded in the hug, "How did your butterfly migration trip go?"

The pegasus let herself free from the hug as she addressed the two smiling creatures in front of her.

"Oh, it was wonderful! There were so many butterflies - some I had never seen directly before - they were all so beautiful flying through the skies like that, it was just amazing to witness!...." she gleefully rattled.

Spike and Twilight could only sit through her explanation in awe. The pure, unfiltered happiness - free from any hesitations whatsoever - in her voice whenever she was talking or discussing animals was an experience to behold. The way she could excitedly ramble on about any creature or knowledge of fauna proved to the world that she truly held a burning passion for wildlife. The lack of any sort of her timid personality when she talked about something she loved sent a warm feeling through her closest friends - to see such a gentle creature like her so happy was a treat they'd never get sick of.

Come to think of it, the dragon in particular began to notice that the mare also held back much of her reserved nature whenever he was in the picture. Ever since she had confessed and successfully became his 'second mother', the small drake found himself entangled with so much love and care from her. It was almost like a switch had been flipped as soon as she revealed her feelings out in the open - no longer did she ever seem hesitant to speak or approach him, instead the two practically saw each other at least a couple times a week.

Always giving him a warm smile and a very soft, affectionate hug whenever she would see him, the two would then spend a good chunk of the day together. From letting him help her around the sanctuary whenever he wanted, to the fun nature hikes and picnics they would have, to the laughs and adventures they would share, to even the simpler moments when she would always snuggle him close whenever he was upset or just had a bad day - they were like two peas in a pod whenever they were together.

He found it somewhat hilarious though - if a couple months ago you had told him the closest one to him besides Twilight or even Starlight would be Fluttershy, he would've dismissed it as a cruel joke; but now he found himself getting to know the pegasus more so than he ever had before. He had never seen Fluttershy so open and carefree - she was always very open and expressive with him, even revealing a sense of humor he never knew she possessed.

Suffice to say, when Fluttershy had said she deeply cared for the dragon, she wasn't kidding. He was just glad she could now let her love and affection out, rather than having to worry about keeping it in check. He would've never thought she could become a motherly figure to him, but he would proudly declare she was an awesome 'second mother'.

However, as he warmly began thinking about his Flutter-Mom, an important thought had occurred to him - he knew that she loved him, saying before that she wanted to become that nurturing presence for him - the question though was why.

Why specifically him? Why did she want to care for him? Why had she kept it hidden?

Why were Twilight and Fluttershy frantically waving their hooves in front of his face? Oh.

"Spike! Spike! Are you in there?!" Twilight wavered worriedly as Fluttershy simply watched with overwhelming concern.

"Huh? Wh-what?" he sputtered before he took in his surroundings.

"Oh. Heh. Sorry. I guessed I kind of zoned out there." he replied rather bashfully, earning a nervous exchange between the two ponies.

"Spike. Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" the yellow pegasus asked as she gently rubbed his shoulder.

The dragon gave a quick sigh. Of course, seeing as the two ponies were so close to him, they'd easily figure out something was wrong.

"Alright, but.... I'm not sure if this a big deal or not." he honestly admitted.

"That doesn't matter to us. We want to help." Twilight reassured as the three gently took their seats on the soft patches of grass.

Looking at the soft, inviting faces of his two mothers proved to be too much, he knew they'd worry no matter what so it was best to get the truth out in the open.

"Ok. I was thinking about the day when Fluttershy told me she wanted to be my 'second mother'..."

The pegasus in question developed a gentle blush as she gave him a soft smile.

"...and something's just bugging me about it."

The blush disappeared as a look of sadness washed over her.

"Did I... did I do something wrong?" she nervously asked as the dragon swore he could see her heart threaten to crack.

"No no no!" he quickly stammered out, not wanting to see this sweet mare be shattered. "You've been amazing, I love spending time with you!"

Though Twilight didn't fail to notice the mare's pained glimmer in her eyes, she chose to say nothing for now.

Fluttershy's smile returned as she quickly nuzzled him. Crisis averted.

"So what is?" Twilight asked haphazardly as she peered over his shoulder with a heart-melting worried look.

"Well... I know that she loves me and wants to be there, but I don't know why."

The two mares stared at each other in a contemplative silence before they focused back on him.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, her head slightly tilted.

"I mean I guess I wish I knew why specifically me. Like I wish I had more context as to the reasoning behind it. I mean I know we've had the 'don't worry about the past, and focus on the present' moral a bunch of times before, but I feel like a piece is still missing. "

The pegasus nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what he was saying, but unsure how to explain it.

"Well sweetie, there are a bunch of reasons why, but I'm not exactly sure how to explain it." she awkwardly traced a hoof in the grass.

Meanwhile, the alicorn started thinking on this particular problem at hand.

"Past. Explain. Missing."

Then suddenly, her eyes lit up as she jumped into a standing position, much to the surprise of the other two.

"I think I have an idea that can help you both!" she proudly declared.

"You...you do?" the dragon's ear suddenly perked, curious to hear what had gotten the alicorn so excited.

"Mmm hmmm. I do, but I want to plan some stuff out for it to work. Fluttershy, do you think you could meet us at the castle at 10AM tomorrow morning? I'll explain everything then."

The pegasus, still confused, couldn't help but display a positive smile as she nodded her head in earnest.

"Of course. I'll be there."

"Perfect!" she exclaimed. "Sorry to cut this visit short, but I want to get started right away. You coming along Spike?"

He glanced back and forth between the two mares for a brief moment, deciding on what he wanted to do.

"Actually, I think I want to spend a little bit more time with Fluttershy. Is it cool if I come home later?"

The princess merely chuckled cheerfully as she reassured the two pleading creatures before her.

"Of course. I'll see you later then." she gave him a quick goodbye hug.

Fluttershy happily clopped her hooves together in excitement.

"I'll go get the tea!" she heavenly chimed as she took off back towards her cottage, Spike close behind her as Twilight watched the pair with a fond smirk.

The Next Day - 10:00 AM

"Come on Twilight, can't you just tell me already?" Spike impatiently prodded as he sat in the castle throne room, an eager Twilight and a somewhat excited Starlight pacing in front of him.

"Not yet, Spike!" the alicorn lightly admonished. "We need to wait for..."

As if on cue, the butterscotch pegasus entered the room as she quickly took to Spike's side, wrapping him in her usual hug.

"...Fluttershy! Perfect timing! Alright, now that everyone's here, I have some exciting news!"

"In order to help you two see how close your relationship is, I've organized... a field trip!"

Both dragon and pegasus gave dedicated awes at the grand mystery of a surprise visit.

"Where are we going?" curiously asked Fluttershy.

To her surprise though, a certain unicorn delivered a hearty chuckle as she walked over to the pair.

"Well Fluttershy, it's not a question of where we're going, but when." explained Starlight.

"Huh?" was all the two of them could say, not quite understanding the brain teaser they were given.

"What Starlight means to say is, we're going time travelling!" proudly declared Twilight.

"WAIT, WHAT?!" came the unified response, both creatures looking highly frightened at the suggestion.

Spike quickly went over next to Twilight as he placed a firm claw on her back.

"Umm Twilight, no offense, but we haven't exactly had the best track record with time travel."

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll be coming along." prompted Starlight from the sidelines.

The dragon merely glanced over his shoulder to give her a somewhat annoyed glare.

"That's exactly the problem."

Though, seeing his sister's genuine hurt look, he lightened his stare.

"No offense, just... there were some moments I'd like to forget."

"Same." the unicorn offered a bittersweet smile.

"You're not the only ones." muttered Fluttershy.

"Look, Spike, I know we've had some... near fatal disasters..." she gestured with a hoof.

The dragon, pegasus, and unicorn all succeeded in giving her deadpan looks.

"... some pretty close near fatal disasters, but I can 100% guarantee that things will be safe this time around."

"Really, how?" the dragon curiously rose an eyebrow.

"Because Twilight and I have completed a spell that allows us to go into the past and allows us to be safely secured inside an invisible bubble."

"An invisible bubble?" spoke a puzzled pegasus.

"It's a spell that allows us to go through various points in the past while under the sanctity of a one-way visible structure." Twilight proclaimed with an enthusiastic grin.

"Basically, we can see the past, but no one can see us and we can't interact with the past at all, effectively making sure we can't alter time. Think of it like a movie." the unicorn summarized.

"Huh. I guess that would be ok then, what do you think Flutter-Mom?" the dragon asked the timid mare.

Lightly blushing at the sweet nickname, she offered a much more relaxed smile.

"Well... it does sound interesting and as long as we can't get hurt, I'd be perfectly fine with it."

"Great! Then it's settled then! We're going to the past!" the lavender pony rose triumphantly.

"Awesome! I've always wanted to know what you guys were like before I met you. I betcha Twilight was a super cranky bookworm and Fluttershy was barely able to speak." the unicorn giddied in her snarky excitement.

"We were not!" echoed two annoyed mares.

"Oh, you definitely were." Spike amusingly replied, Starlight snickering as she patted him on the back.

"SPIKE!" came two incredulous cries.

Ignoring them, he prodded on.

"So where..." Starlight shot him a raised eyebrow, "...when are we exactly going to?"

Having recovered from her brief humiliation, the lavender princess gave him a knowing smile.

"Don't worry about that. I talked to some of our other friends yesterday and we decided on a few key points we think are going to help you two out."

"I hope she's right." anxiously thought Fluttershy, not too sure about seeing any of her past exploits.

"Especially that..." her mind shuddered.

"I'm excited. It'll be like a reminder of how much we've grown." the dragon walked over to gently nudge the shy pony, lifting her spirits up considerably.

"I.... guess that's true. We've all changed over the years." she replied.

"I still would prefer not to be reminded of anything too awful.... please don't tell me we're..."

Again, Twilight saw something glisten in the mare's eyes for a split second, but chose to remain silent.

"Well, what are waiting for, let's go!" Twilight declared as her horn began glowing in a magical aura.

As the four began ready to transport through time and space, one final voice could be heard before the blast accompanied them.

"Good thing I brought the camera." Starlight whispered.

Author's Note: For these flashback sequences, the following key will help you navigate through the dialogue:

Bold Text = A statement made by or describing someone in the past. (The time-traveled memory)

Regular Text = A statement made from or describing one of the current characters. (The observers)

Italic Text = An internal thought made (usually) by one of the current characters. (Internal Dialogue)

Alright, hopefully this should clear everything up. Now back to your regularly scheduled story.

With a bright flash of light, our time travelers appeared a few feet above ground in a familiar part of Ponyville, a large purple circle surrounding them.

"Huh. It is a giant bubble." Fluttershy marveled, taking in her surroundings.

"Yeah, but the question is when exactly is this?" Starlight asked, looking around at what appeared to be a park on the outskirts of Ponyville.

"Wait. You mean you don't know?!" the dragon retorted incredulously.

"Meh. Twilight wanted to keep it a surprise for me too. Keeps things exciting." she shrugged.

"Shhh... guys. I think we're about to witness a past memory." lectured Twilight, drawing everyone's attention.

Then, as the group began to survey the surrounding area, they soon noticed a familiar pegasus who seemed to be constructing a choir of birds on top of a nearby tree.

"Wait a minute.... no way! This is..." Spike gasped incredulously with an impressed smile.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy blushed as she tried to cover one of her eyes with the locks of her mane.

"Why? What's happening?" Starlight asked curiously as she glanced at the two polar reactions to the scene.

"Spike and I's first day in Ponyville. The day we were tasked to check on the planning for the Summer Sun Celebration, the event which soon brought back Nightmare Moon and caused the Elements to free Princess Luna from her banishment. Also the day we met Fluttershy for the very first time." Twilight narrated with a tinge of collective nostalgia in her voice.

"Wait, really?! Oh, this is cool." the unicorn squealed like a little kid.

"Yep! I myself wanted him to see this one. Let's watch!" she instructed, everyone viewing the picture below.

Fluttershy began harmoniously instructing her choir of birds for the upcoming festival in Ponyville, but upon noticing one of her birds was off key, she found herself forcing the feathery little musicians to pause for just a moment.

"Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off. Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-"

Suddenly, a rather loud purple unicorn mare had scared her in surprise.

"Hello!"

The pegasus gasped before turning around timidly at the newest visitor.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten your birds. I'm just here to check up on the music and it's sounding beautiful."

An awkward pause followed as the unicorn was forced to conjure up a nervous smile.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

"Um... I'm Fluttershy." she weakly muttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Somehow even quieter. "Um... My name is Fluttershy."

"Didn't quite catch that."

Now, the pegasus was just incoherently squeaking, hoping the new pony would go away.

"Well, um, it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!"

More squeaking followed.

"Oookay."

Meanwhile, in the bubble, Fluttershy was doing her best not to cower in shame at her past borderline socially malfunctioning self, realizing first hoof that she had indeed grown over the years. She tried not to wince at the memory with all her might until two distinct noises caught her attention.

Glancing over, she saw Spike was furiously trying to conceal fits of laughter while Starlight was outright snorting mercilessly at the scene.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry Flutters, but this is hilarious." choked Starlight, as Twilight now had to hide her own giggles.

Fluttershy's cheeks tinted red as she gave a slight huff, clearly flustered.

"Are you going to be laughing at me this whole trip?"

Thankfully, Spike took the initiative to put a comforting claw on the pegasus's frame as he forced down any leftover hiccups.

"Sorry Shy, but we're not trying to laugh at you, we just find it funny to look back on now that we know you're different than that. Plus, Starlight's never seen you that meek and timid, so this is a new experience for her."

"And don't take it personally, I laugh and make fun of all the creatures I love the most. It's why I tease Twilight every day."

The alicorn merely shrugged as she gave a polite nod.

The pegasus sighed with a small smile adorning her lips.

"Alright, but don't expect me to go easy on you. Remember I'm the one who destroyed your cult after all." she smirked.

"Fluttershy!" exclaimed Twilight.

Meanwhile, Starlight and Spike were practically on the ground of the bubble crying in fits of laughter.

"See, this is why I love you." the unicorn got up with slightly strained effort, patting the satisfied pony on the back.

"Oh, wait til' you see this." the dragon pointed as he gained everyone's attention to the scene once again.

Suddenly as a small baby dragon made himself visible to the scene, the weak, stuttering pegasus's eyes suddenly sparkling in excitement - a proverbial switch being turned on inside her animal-loving brain.

"A baby dragon!"

The pony charged her way with blinding speed towards this fascinating new arrival, sending a dazed unicorn flying several feet in the air.

Starlight burst out laughing at this, much to Twilight's chagrin.

"I think this may be a testament to how much Fluttershy likes me." the princess responded.

"Oh, Twilight! Stop that!" the pegasus responded, draping a soothing wing over the alicorn's back. "I love you very much! You just surprised me is all. Besides... you know how much I struggled with ponies before you and the girls came along..." she sighed as she looked over the scene with a tinge of guilt. She was so glad she wasn't as afraid as she used to be, but she still felt bad for how rude she must've came off to the unsuspecting eye.

"I know. But that was then. You've gone through so much, and now look at you." her friend marveled, making the pegasus blush with a warm smile on her face.

"It's true. We wouldn't know what to do without you." Spike hugged her chest.

"You've always been there for us, and we wouldn't want it any other way." Starlight smiled as she patted the mare on the back once again.

Fluttershy felt happy, appreciative tears building up in her eyes as she used her wings to gather everyone in a warm hold.

"Thank you. Thank you all so much."

"Even though there are times I don't feel like I deserve it." she let a frown show for a split second.

"Ooo, look Spike, remember this?!" Twilight pointed out eagerly from the pegasus's hold, drawing everyone's attention to the ground below once again.

"Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's sooo cute!"

The dragon looked over at his still shaken partner with a look of pride.

"Well, well, well...!"

Fluttershy gasped in amazement.

"Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful I, I just don't even know what to say!"

"Well, in that case we'd better be going." interrupted a haughty Twilight, placing the somewhat disappointed dragon on her back with her magic as she attempted to escape as quickly as possible.

However, the suddenly eager pony wouldn't be deterred.

"Wait, wait! What's his name?"

The dragon eagerly turned around on the unicorn's back, much to her annoyance.

"I'm Spike."

"Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?"

"Well, what do you wanna know?"

"Absolutely everything!"

And with that, an irritated unicorn let out a groan as she and her two occupied accompaniments headed their way to the library, eager to finally get some rest after an exhausting day in the new town.

"Those two talked all the way back to the library. I even had to drag him in and close the door behind us before she could follow us inside." Twilight narrated, an amused smile flashing her way to her three observers.

"Come on, Twilight. She wouldn't have followed us in." the dragon rolled his eyes.

"Ummm... actually, if she hadn't stopped me, I probably would've." the pegasus awkwardly admitted.

"Wow. Who knew Mama Twilight was jealous of Mama Shy from day one?" the unicorn stated.

Twilight's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she gave a small indignant huff.

"I was not jealous. It was just... I wasn't big on making friends and I was focused on trying to stop Nightmare Moon by myself. I guess I just got sick of having voices distract me from doing my supposed mission." she slowly cast her eyes downwards with slight dejection. Seeing her former self nearly scowl at what was now one of her best friends put things in perspective.

"But now you have lots of great friends, and so many great stories to share!" Spike happily exclaimed as he nudged Twilight's hoof.

The princess gave a thankful smile. "You're right, Spike. I'm glad Celestia was right about sending us to Ponyville."

"Best decision of our lives." he agreed.

"And then you extended the power of friendship to me, and I couldn't have asked for anything better." the unicorn replied, surprisingly getting a little teary-eyed.

"Yeah. Still, who knew Fluttershy would be the one to show me such kindness later on with that Manticore?" Twilight pondered.

"Even though you were a little bit jealous." the pegasus gave a smile.

The alicorn turned to her friend.

"I was not!"

"Maybe just a tad?"

"No, I just knew you were excited about Spike."

"Is that why you sent him to bed before we left for the forest?"

"Fluttershy!"

Spike and Starlight each gave snorts at the pegasus's power of sly comments.

"This is why I love her." the unicorn glowed.

"You'd be quite surprised. Once you get to know her, she can be quite sneaky." the dragon sagely nodded.

"I have my ways." she said, gently massaging a hoof over his scales with a way too proud grin.

Twilight, snapping out of her slight bout of frustration, went back to the scene to notice the three creatures below were gone, having made their way away from the park to head towards the library.

"Ah. The library." she reminisced, before turning back around to address the crowd in the bubble.

"Well, Spike. There was an important reason why I brought you to this specific moment. What do you think the takeaway here was between you and Fluttershy?"

The dragon surveyed the now barren scene below, rubbing a thoughtful claw to his chin before he continued to stare back at the once bird-filled tree with a somewhat skeptical look.

"That she began to like me because I wasn't a pony?"

At that response, Fluttershy's eyes softened seeing the poor creature in front of her before ultimately sending the princess a threatening glare as her eyes narrowed - a look that ultimately screamed, "I suggest you say otherwise."

Even Starlight felt intimidated by her glare as she nervously glanced back and forth between the two ponies with trepidation, the dragon still focused on the landscape below.

Thankfully, Twilight gave the pegasus a reassuring shake of the head, telling her that she had something else up her sleeve.

"No, no Spike. Not that. Sure, she may have warmed up to you a bit because of your different species..."

One of Fluttershy's eyebrows rose.

"...but the point I'm trying to make here is that she already felt a special connection with you from the very beginning, a feeling that while you may not have felt always showed was still there nonetheless."

Fortunately, the pegasus seemed to wholeheartedly agree with the response as she gave the alicorn a thankful smile and nod of the head as she directed her glance to a now attentive dragon.

"That's right, Spike. Like I said back during your journey, I knew you were special from that very first day and I meant it. I couldn't quite explain it at the time, but I felt a connection with you - both you and Twilight - that told me you two were going to become very important to me." she nuzzled his cheek.

"Awww..." chorused a heart-warmed Twilight.

"You really mean that?" he glanced up at her hopefully.

"Absolutely!" she beamed. "No doubt in my mind. I somehow knew I would always be there for you."

"I just couldn't tell him. Because I wasn't sure he would feel the same." her mind echoed sadly.

"So, is it possible there's an unexplained connection bonding you together - like how the sonic rainboom foretold each of your cutie marks and your eventual friendships?" inquired a curious Starlight.

"Exactly!" nodded Twilight. "We can't explain everything that happens; sometimes there's a force that just allows creatures to come together or allows certain events to happen."

"Well, that is nice to hear that she felt that way then..." thought Spike, "...but that still kind of doesn't explain 'why' she cared so much. She may have felt a way about us from the beginning, but how did that translate into wanting to be a mother figure - especially since our early years were....rocky." he and Fluttershy both winced bitterly.

Fluttershy more so, feeling a sudden freezing in her veins.

"Please tell me we're not going to bring up that."

"Not to worry, Spike. I think some more stops will hopefully help paint a brighter picture. Rarity and Applejack suggested this next memory if everyone's ready?"

With everyone giving affirmative cues of agreement, the alicorn's horn flashed once again, as they vanished in another wall of light.

The previous flash of light gone, the quartet found themselves in the middle of Ponyville - however, while last time appeared to be quite vacant (save for the combination of Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy), this time appeared much more crowded as almost the entire town seemed to be waiting for something in earnest.

Starlight gazed at the bustling streets in bewilderment.

"Alright, I'm lost. Is this some sort of festival or something?"

Spike and Fluttershy seemed to be equally confused as they merely offered a shrug.

Then suddenly Twilight spoke up, eyeing another direction.

"You'll find out soon enough. Look, there's Spike right there!"

Grabbing everyone's attention, they viewed from Twilight's vantage point to see there was indeed the dragon (still without his wings).

Spike appeared to be giddy as he climbed up the tall base of a tree, prancing in excitement on a very fragile tree branch.

"Why do I look so excited up there? Up in that tree, prancing around..."

Then, it suddenly clicked in his mind.

"Oh, no. Not this!" his eyes widened in horror.

"What?" both Fluttershy and Starlight glanced down at him with equal looks of concern, wondering why the dragon appeared so frightened all the sudden.

"Yes, Spike." Twilight monotoned sadly, not wanting to see him like this - but she knew it was for a good cause. "This is the event of the Breezies."

"The Breezies?" Starlight tilted her head.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy soon realized what Twilight and Spike both meant. With a startled gasp, she instantly took to Spike's side and placed him in a suffocating hug.

"Spike, Spike! Sweetie, it's ok. It wasn't your fault at all, it could've been any one of us." she softly cooed.

"Unlike me. I've done things I'll never forgive myself for.", her expression darkening for a moment.

"That look again. Something's clearly wrong." Twilight thought, regarding the pegasus curiously.

"I know." Spike lowly replied, casting his eye back to his younger self. "That's not what I'm worried about."

"Ummm, Twilight, may I please have some context here?" Starlight asked, never taking her worried eyes off of the hugging duo in front of her.

Twilight sighed. "This was when Fluttershy organized a town-wide party to help the Breezies catch the gusts of wind they needed to deliver their collected pollen back to their portal home."

Starlight nodded, taking this in. "But why would this upset Spike so much?"

Twilight merely focused her attention back to the scene with an all too serious expression, almost like she felt guilty herself.

"Watch and find out."

As Spike bounced around, excitedly catching a glimpse of the fabled creatures, a stray leaf fell off from the branch he was positioned on, sending a small group of Breezies dangerously off course.

"Oh, no!" he cried out in regretful panic.

Thankfully, the group watched on as Fluttershy heroically saved the small cluster of breezies from an impending doom, gliding them back to safety as her friends soon cheered around her.

"Soon, those Breezies became attached to Fluttershy, not wanting to go back home. Fortunately, one of them named Seabreeze helped teach her that by being too kind and not actually making them go, she was doing them a disservice. She learned that sometimes you need to be firm and assertive to truly be kind." Twilight stated.

"Mmmm hmmm." Fluttershy glanced up, looking at Twilight with a warm smile. "We were just lucky to help them get through the portal before it closed."

Starlight regarded the two with a happy expression, before a previous point made its way back up.

"But why would Spike be upset by it? Sure, he accidentally caused the Breezies to scatter, but it was a simple mistake and everything was fixed."

Spike looked back at the ponies with a solemn expression, trying desperately to smile.

"Yeah... it was. And everyone did forgive me, but.... that's not why I was upset."

"What do you mean?" Starlight asked; even Fluttershy seemed to be slightly unsure as she gave the dragon a puzzled, yet pitiful look.

Twilight gave a slight bow to her head in shame.

"I think I know. Watch." she instructed as the focus was recaptured on their group of friends complimenting the pegasus on a job well done.

"I, for one, am very proud of you, Fluttershy. Leaping into action like that." awed a recently crowned Princess Twilight.

" I feel like I should design you a special hero's gown! Heh... Or a sash. At least a sash." added a persistent Rarity.

Suddenly, a sobbing dragon ran head first towards Fluttershy's hooves in despair.

"Okay, okay, okay! I know what you're all thinking! Why don't you just say it?! I'm sorry! This is all my fault! I'm so, so sorry!" he cried, his voice in pure regretful shame.

However, what seemed odd about this was that Twilight and Fluttershy looked from the quivering dragon to themselves, not in concern or pity, but rather stone-cold confusion. Come to think of it, the rest of the group seemed equally blank about the tearful dragon as well.

"What the...?" Starlight looked at their faces with bewilderment and a subtly increasing form of disgust.

"Oh, Spike, it's okay! It could have happened to any one of us." commented a slightly sympathetic Fluttershy, trying to do her best to cheer up the dragon.

Luckily for her, Spike seemed to perk significantly as he smiled up at her.

"Okay... Thank you!" he exclaimed before wrapping himself tightly around Fluttershy's frame.

While this exchange of a hug would've been not only adorable but very casual, seeing how close the pegasus and dragon now were, there was something off about this scene that sent Starlight's mind into overdrive.

While present Fluttershy would've reciprocated the affection easily with a bright, beaming smile - and perhaps a gentle kiss or two - this Fluttershy... didn't. At all.

Instead, Starlight and the others watched on in shock as the pegasus appeared quite uncomfortable with the dragon's contact - quite externally wincing.

Fluttershy in the present bubble felt a sharp stab in her heart as she felt a couple of tears, pour down her cheeks. She couldn't believe she would've been so uncomfortable giving her special dragon a warm embrace - especially considering he was writhing with guilt after an accident he felt responsible for. Was she really that cold to him in the past? How could she have been so blind?

"I... I didn't... How could I...." she cried, Spike standing next to her as he pet her mane soothingly.

Seeing the dragon next to her, the pegasus instinctively reached out and sent him in a powerful grip of affection - threatening to never let go for the fear of potentially hurting him again.

"I'm so sorry. I was just occupied with saving the Breezies... I didn't mean... I shouldn't have... I love you! Please! I do!" she cried out frantically, threatening to send Twilight into a fit of sobs in a moment.

"Fluttershy?" the alicorn and unicorn both worried.

"Shhh... it's ok. Your child loves you." Spike reassured, squeezing her neck tight, though not hard enough to choke her.

Fluttershy still unleashed several heart-wrenching sobs, but as the hug prolonged, the more she calmed down.

"Spike... I had no idea..." Starlight muttered, feeling herself shake slightly in response.

"It's ok, really. Now is much better, but... there's more." he added, gesturing back down to the scene once more.

As Spike hugged an uncomfortable Fluttershy, he accidentally pushed her into the Breezies she had just saved, sending them into angry cries of indignation.

Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Spike slowly backed up from a still wincing pegasus as he slowly made his way out of sight from the Breezies.

"Uh... I'm... just... gonna stay over here."

All the ponies merely glanced blankly at the now once again sulking dragon before turning to address Fluttershy again, seemingly forgetting he was even there with an extremely remorseful demeanor.

"So, Fluttershy, you want us to get the breeze going again so these little guys can get a move on?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hang on a second. The Breezies yelled at him, making him upset again, and all you girls did was just blankly address him before shoving him out of the picture?!" Starlight threw an accusatory hoof at the duo of shameful ponies, not believing there was a time where they would've ignored him so blatantly like that.

The alicorn finally had her tears fall as she and Fluttershy bowed their heads in shame.

Spike sighed.

"It's ok. I understand now. All of you were preoccupied with making sure the Breezies got back safe, it's alr...

"No."

"Huh?" Spike looked up to see two sets of glaring, yet still crying eyes in front of him.

"No, it's not alright Spike!" Twilight dabbed an eye with her hoof. "You were clearly upset about what happened and we weren't even remotely close to sympathetic with you. We just simply left you there to wallow in guilt while we went and sent the Breezies home. It wasn't right - here or any past incident you can think of."

Fluttershy firmly nodded her head in agreement, though her body shook for a fraction of a second - being noticed by Twilight.

"We all acted like we didn't care, and I'm... we're sorry." Twilight sniffled, both mares wrapping their wings around the dragon's form.

The dragon, with a smile on his face, returned the hugs, allowing a distant Starlight to smile fondly in earnest before another question popped in her head.

"But why would you, Rarity, and Applejack, want to show Spike this? Is it to show that despite past mistakes, that Fluttershy (and you too) have and will always love him?"

As the three exited their hug, their tears ending, Twilight offered a shake of the head.

"Well, that's part of the reason, but I'm more referring to a conversation that happened right after we sent the Breezies home."

With another flash of the horn, the group was quickly fast forwarded to a canyon just outside the closed Breezie portal.

Fluttershy seemed to cheer up at the sudden remembered memory, though a bright blush formed on her cheeks.

"Oh, goodness. I forgot all about this part." she pointed at the walking group of ponies below.

"At least we're not going where I thought we were..."

As a group of breezie-fied ponies slowly transformed their way back into their typical equine selves (though a flower was ever so curiously pinned in Fluttershy's mane), they all took the chance to stretch.

Rainbow Dash, seemingly intrigued by Twilight's transformation spells, attempted to convince the alicorn of a potential offer. "So, uh, I've always kinda wondered what it would be like to be a griffon."

However, Twilight and the others simply rolled their eyes as they proceeded to head back towards Ponyville.

Rainbow wouldn't be deterred. "You sure? What about a dragon? No? It doesn't have to shoot fire!"

Then, with a sudden halt, Fluttershy felt her whole body freeze, her immobile form catching the attention of her friends.

"Spike..." she harshly whispered as she felt her eyes begin to water.

"Spike?" Applejack regarded curiously, "What about him?"

"He... he felt so bad about what happened with the Breezies and all I did was refuse his hug while he sulked away afterwards - we all just disregarded him as we stood in front of him, ignoring him!"

Pinkie Pie and Twilight both appeared to be saddened at the realization, feeling their own guilt eat away at them.

Rarity, however felt unsure.

"It can't be that bad, darling. You did say you didn't blame him. It's not like you abandoned him."

"No, but I should've been more sensitive to his feelings! I should've comforted him, offered him the chance to formally apologize and make things up to the Breezies; but I was so focused on helping them, I forgot all about him!" she started tearing up.

Applejack finally felt a deep frown etch on her face as she pulled her hat over her eyes.

"Shucks, sugarcube! Yer right. We all did exactly that - and after we got through telling him a while ago that he was important to us - that incident with the 'Power Ponies'."

The others all nodded their heads in shame, except for one cocky pegasus.

"Come on everypony, it's not that big of a deal! Spike's probably forgotten all about that. Tomorrow, he probably won't even remember it at all, waking up to clean the library or do some other chore like he always does."

Despite the attempt to be reassuring, Rainbow's efforts were clearly anything but - hearing a collective round of gasps echo around her. No one's reaction was worse than a glaring Fluttershy's though.

"Rainbow Dash! That's horrible! How can you say that?!" she exclaimed, her sobbing eyes, slowly burning a fire within.

"What? What's the big deal? I'm sure he'll be fine. We all care about the kid, but you seem to be extra concerned for some reason."

"...and there's Rainbow begin Rainbow." Starlight pointed out, slightly annoyed.

The tears abruptly stopped as Fluttershy soon stood muzzle to muzzle with the fellow pegasus, pointing a hoof in her chest.

"You know EXACTLY WHY I care about him! Don't you DARE pretend that you don't!"

Rainbow momentarily retreated, before she felt a scoff escape her.

"I never said I didn't, I obviously do! But what I AM saying is maybe you should tell him how you feel instead of sitting here crying about it!"

Fluttershy's burning glare soon cooled out as she felt a strength of depression surge through her, her head flopping down to the ground, surveying the dirt with heavy eyes.

"You know I can't. I couldn't take it if he rejected me. I'm not strong enough."

Rainbow's own anger faded out as she suddenly felt like a hoof had clobbered her in the chest.

"Shy..."

"Rainbow, that's enough!" Twilight cautiously proclaimed, before wrapping the butterscotch pegasus in a comforting embrace.

"It's ok. We know how important he is to you - to all of us."

Fluttershy silently nodded.

"But ya will have to tell him one day. If accidents like today keep happenin' who knows what he'll think? We need to show him we care."approached Applejack.

"Indeed," added Rarity. "One day we all will, we just... don't know how to bring up such a subject, do we?"

Her gaze lowered. "I suppose none of us are strong enough..."

Rainbow held back a few tears as she kicked the dirt in frustration.

Pinkie, having surprisingly remained silent throughout the entire exchange, finally made her presence known.

"Family is hard. But I know when the day comes - when we finally tell him - we'll do our very best for him and you'll be the greatest second mother he could ever have." the pink pony hugged the quivering pegasus.

"Wait... so they knew about... you?" Spike interrupted.

The present Fluttershy gave him a sad nod as confirmation.

"And... you guys knew you wanted to....?"

"For a long time, Spike." Twilight replied.

Then she closed her eyes in thought.

"If only we told you so long ago..."

Spike admired the scene below with longing interest.

"So that's why Applejack knew... and her and Rarity sending us here..."

"Pinkie... everyone.... thank you." Fluttershy stammered out with a soft smile, affectionately nuzzling each of her friends, each of them returning the gesture.

"Come on, let's head home and we'll all make sure our special little guy is ok." declared Twilight as each of them continued on their trail back to town.

Spike fondly watched over the sunset of the canyons.

"There were still mistakes in the future, but very few. After that day, they were almost non-existent. Sure, I still felt lonely and forgotten at points, but I never realized how much of a turning point today initially started. From then on, I got to spend more time with you all." he offered a small, lopsided smile.

"It still took a few more years to finally open up though." Twilight admitted solemnly.

"Yeah."

"Maud Pie, The Equestria Games..." Fluttershy listed off emotionlessly.

"Yeah."

Starlight finally sighed.

"Well, as much of a bittersweet idea as it is, you could say it was a good thing Sludge came to town. Without him, you would've never been pushed to your limit and we may not have found the perfect opportunity to consult you."

Spike looked up at her as a more sincere smile graced his lips.

"Yeah. It all worked out for the best."

As Twilight picked him up for a hug however, he shocked her mid-hold.

"That still doesn't explain everything though."

"Wh-what?" she nervously gulped.

"I mean - clearly you, the girls, and Fluttershy - you all knew how you felt about me, but that still doesn't explain how it happened."

Twilight slowly began stammering. "B-but.. uh.. some of these things just can't be explained, right?"

Spike looked up at her curiously.

"But there must be some event that happened between the first day and here - an event that got Fluttershy to tell you how she felt, sending you guys into recognizing your own feelings."

Twilight sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get around him.

"There was an event between that time - a big one. Rainbow and Pinkie wanted me to show you, but..." she then looked directly at the pegasus. "...some of you may not like it."

Fluttershy began thinking of what she could possibly mean.

"An event between the beginning and the Breezies...."

Then, her eyes shone frantically.

"Oh no! Celestia, please no! No no no no no! Anything but that!"

Unfortunately for her, Spike's eyes only widened as he sincerely pleaded his case.

"Please Twilight! I just want to know!"

"Spike..."

"I know that the past may hurt, but like we've all been saying - the past is the past, the present is now."

"Spike! Please don't!"

Starlight decided to speak up.

"If you're sure..."

"NO!"

But before Fluttershy could outwardly object, Twilight's horn lit up again, sending them to a different time period.

Once again, with a shimmer of light, the group appeared above a new timepoint, though this time oddly enough, they were in front of Fluttershy's cottage - a lack of a sanctuary clearly noticeable.

"Huh. Fluttershy's without the sanctuary - been a while. But... uh, why are we here?" curiously piped Starlight.

"Twilight, don't." Fluttershy outwardly muttered, yet it went unnoticed as Twilight stared at the scene.

"I'll explain, but we need to head inside to see." she motioned as the bubble began taking them inside the warm and secluded house, inviting them to a truly perplexing sight.

There, inside the cottage flew an angry Rainbow Dash chasing after a desperately fleeing Fluttershy; a slightly gasping unicorn Twilight observing the two of her friends.

"Twilight, please. Stop." warned Fluttershy, but to no avail.

This time though, the alicorn seemed to have heard her as her ears perked up ever so slightly. Unfortunately for the pegasus, this plea also went unanswered.

"Uh, Twilight?" Spike asked, "I don't remember this at all."

Twilight grimaced ever so slightly as she placed a gentle hoof on his back.

"That's because this is the morning of the Dragon Migration. Rainbow and I were on our way to pick up Fluttershy..."

"Twilight!" Fluttershy's voice slowly rose in volume.

"Really? Huh, neat. But, uh... what does this have to do with us?" he replied, oblivious to the gradually upset pegasus.

"You'll soon find out. This is something both of you need to face." Twilight explained. Now she was looking directly at Fluttershy - and she didn't like it one bit.

"Twilight, I appreciate the fact you're trying to help..." she said through chattering teeth, "...but this isn't going to work."

The alicorn merely began looking at the scene with a firm stare.

"Here we go."

"But Fluttershy, the great dragon migration happens only once in a generation! Do you really wanna pass up a chance like that?" an inquisitive Twilight politely asked, almost oblivious to the fact that Fluttershy was now clutching on her door frame for dear life.

"Now that you put it that way, yes!" the pegasus cried, feeling the pain of Rainbow trying to force her way out of the cottage. But she wouldn't move. She couldn't move.

Speaking of oblivious Twilight's, the alicorn seemed to not notice the pegasus next to her getting more irate by the second.

"Twilight! Please stop this! Take us home! I... he can't see this!" she briefly stuttered.

"Fluttershy, this is for your benefit too." the alicorn sagely replied, giving her friend a sympathetic glance.

However, the pegasus only halted for a second before she grew even more frustrated.

"No it isn't! We can't see this!" she hollered.

Meanwhile, Spike slowly watched the scene with growing interest. Even now, it was rare for the pegasus to be this stubborn with her friends. Something must really be bothering her for her to resist so insistently.

Similarly, Starlight gaped at the argument with growing interest, not expecting the quiet mare to put up a fight with the brash Rainbow Dash.

"Note to self - place bits on Fluttershy in a fight." she noted.

"Aw, Fluttershy, we just don't want you to miss out." the unicorn cooed.

"Twilight! Stop this, NOW! You need to listen to me!" Fluttershy began growling.

The princess merely shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but we all agreed, you needed to see this."

Fluttershy let out a gasp before she placed her head directly onto Twilight's.

"Well they're WRONG! I can't bare to watch this! It's going to hurt m... him! You need to stop this IMMEDIATELY!"

At this point, Spike and Starlight both momentarily paused from watching the past moment to glance worriedly at the now screeching pegasus. She was getting mad and looked ready to burst any minute!

"Fluttershy, it's ok." Spike tried, "I won't be upset no matter what happens. The past is over with, remember? Besides, what happened anyways? You just didn't want to go to the migration, big deal."

Unfortunately, the shaking pegasus had a different reply as she turned around to acknowledge him.

With a slight sigh, she exclaimed:

"No, Spike - you're wrong! It was so much worse than that! So bad that I never forgave myself! I never want to even have to think about it again, it just eats me up inside!"

"Fluttershy..." Spike felt his heart ache for his clearly hurt mother. Twilight and Starlight looked at each other with knowing glances.

"In fact, this whole idea was bad from the start! I had to remember how nice I was to you on the first day before I ended up neglecting you for the longest time, I had to remember how I just left you by yourself when you really needed someone, I had to remember how much of a coward I was for telling everyone except you how much I love you..."

Tears finally poured like a river from the winged-pony's body before she whipped her head back around to face Twilight.

"But I WILL NOT sit here and watch myself say the most careless thing I could while HE sits there and watches. I love being his mother more than anything in the world, but I DO NOT want to be reminded of how much of a terrible parent I could've been back then!" she stomped, though it was now clear she was more scarred and frightened than actually angry.

"Fluttershy, stop! You are not or have ever been a terrible parent! Mistakes happen, everyone makes them! But you need to confront all of your past so you can help yourself out here! If you still have a piece that is continuing to hurt you this much, you're not doing yourself any favors! Running and hiding won't solve anything! Starlight exclaimed.

` The unicorn's gaze suddenly lowered as a certain wave of memories flooded back into her mind.

"...believe me I know." she coldly stated.

Now Twilight took the initiative.

"Starlight's right. This mission wasn't only for Spike's benefit. I've noticed how there appears to be something bothering you - both yesterday and today - whenever any of us mentioned the past! The girls and I have been trying to decipher what exactly was causing you so much pain, and we came out with a few hypotheses."

"Unfortunately, the others all noticed how you tend to run and hide whenever the 'Migration Incident' was noticed."

Twilight's eye shifted off to the side in an apologetic show.

"I was hoping this would be more of a 'last resort' thing, but now that I know this is where you're hurting, we want to help you!"

Her gaze steeled itself once again, peering back at the pegasus.

"The past can hurt, but you can't let it control you like this! You're not hurting Spike, you're hurting yourself!"

"STOP THIS NOW, TWILIGHT! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS!"

Twilight let a few tears fall down her cheek as she glanced at her friend.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy. Starlight, restrain her."

With a nervous exchange, Starlight lit up her horn as she held the squirming pegasus in a magic grasp.

"NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE!" she squirmed, tears running down her whole body.

"Fluttershy, please!" Spike cried, never having seen the pegasus this worked up. "Do this for me! Do this for yourself! During my journey, I told you to leave the past behind and focus on the present. You can't let looking at something like this scare you! You can't keep hiding the pain! We can do this together!"

"NO, SPIKE! PLEASE! I LOVE YOU! DON'T LISTEN!" she pleaded, covering her ears with her hooves. The dragon's heart broke, seeing this mare who he thought was completely free from their past burdens be this traumatized.

"Fluttershy, what could you have possibly said, that was this..."

And that's when the bombshell hit.

"MISS OUT ON WHAT? DRAGONS? BIG, SCALY, FIRE-BREATHING DRAGONS?"

Like time had stopped inside the bubble, all four creatures could only stand speechless as they gawked helplessly in front of them.

"Well... yeah!" Twilight replied to the outburst.

"Thanks, but... no thanks!"

"Look, Fluttershy..." Rainbow finally spoke, "...I watched that boring butterfly migration with you, so now it's your turn to watch the dragon migration with me! You owe me!"

Then like a lift off from a rocket, Fluttershy snapped.

"I... said... no!"

Releasing herself off the door with great force, the yellow pegasus shot from behind, bucking a fallen Rainbow in the stomach before ultimately charging.... ok more like pausing and opening... her window before she frantically took off for the Everfree Forest.

"Okay, I guess I'll let you off the hook this time." a dazed Rainbow uttered.

As the cyan pegasus and lavender unicorn eventually took off in silent retreat to the dragon observing site, the four creatures inside the bubble merely stared out into empty space, no one saying anything for what felt like an eternity, until Starlight finally released Fluttershy from her magical aura.

As the pegasus began to shakily get up, the dragon hurriedly ran over to be by her side before she could react.

"Flutter-Mom, it's alright. I heard what you said and I'm not the least bit angry. I know that's not who you are now. I'm still 'Happy Spike' see - smiling, laughing, giggling. Let's just enjoy a nice, soft Flutter-hug shall we?" he tried with a toothy grin.

"......." was all that was released from a sniffling and trembling form.

"Fluttershy, we're all ok. No one is mad or hurt. We all love you. I know you'd never say anything like that on purpose. Please, let's just take a deep breath in and..."

"N-no! Spike! It's not ok! I'm not alright! I-I thought of you as my child...and....and.... I said that about dragons! Never mind me not showing up, never mind me being too much of a scaredy cat to tell you how much I care, how could I say that and then run away! How could I continue to do stuff like this for so long! I....I..... I...... I'M A BAD PONY!"

Spike latched onto the pegasus with all his might, Twilight and Starlight each approaching a side of her to calm her down from her now hyperventilating state.

"Flutters! Calm down! You are not a bad pony! You may have said and done something you regret, but we can work through it! No one here or back home is mad or blames you for any of this! We want to help you, please!" Starlight begged in a hopefully soothing voice.

"I'm a bad pony! I'm a bad pony! I'm a bad pony!" Fluttershy kept repeating, sitting on her haunches as she kept rocking herself back and forth. The three creatures in front of her gazed at her with pained expressions. She was severely hurt.

"Fluttershy," Twilight petted her, her eyes on the brink of tears in fear, "Please. It's ok. Take a deep breath, everything will be fine. We're not going anywhere." she whispered.

"Bad.... pony.... I.... sorry....." she could only breath out as she felt her chest tighten in pain.

"Mom?" Spike prodded as he rubbed his scales around her neck.

Then like a blur, Fluttershy bolted with somehow enough strength to break the seal on the enclosed bubble, running through the same open exit her past self did as she took off for the forest.

"I'M A MONSTER!" she cried, leaving the three others stunned.

"FLUTTERSHY!" they all tried calling out, but it was too late.

This sweet, sensitive pony with a heart of gold had been beating herself up by a past accident. Actually, whether it was merely this single one, or whether it was a string of things and this was merely the breaking point was debatable.

Regardless, she loved this sweet baby dragon like the son she didn't have and only realized afterwards that she had denounced his entire species based on a past phobia. Not only had she left him on his own before, nor had she lacked the courage to tell him the truth for so long, but she had actively fled in fear and disgust from him and his 'kind'. It didn't matter if she meant to characterize him as a dragon (or whether he felt that way) or not, she still mentally beat herself up over it for so long.

And now, she was lost in the past. A past that she was tormented by.

Spike felt his fists hastily clench, bursting out through the exit with no shortage of purpose.

"Mom!" he cried out, chasing after the fleeing pony with all his energy. The two mares behind him just stood as still as statues for a moment, processing what happened.

The princess sat on her haunches in a shock, the unicorn who also looked ready to crack silently gripping onto her back for support. Twilight could feel a burning sense of dread and guilt build up in her as she glanced helplessly out into the forest.

"What have we done?"

Author's Notes:

Hello and welcome to an unexpected two-parter!

I've been planning this sort of idea for a Fluttershy/Spike-centric story for a while now and I'm so excited to finally be writing it. (That hopefully explains the length of this chapter and the fact there will be a part 2.)

Besides that, the other reason why I'm doing such a grand-scale update this time around. A while ago, I mentioned my personal life would become hectic with my education and whatnot approaching - well it's happening very soon and I won't have the time to keep continuously updating. As such, I wanted to at least do a big send-off before I go - and what better way than a 2-part Fluttershy piece?

Again, I don't want to scare anyone, I can always come back to this story at any time and continue (the perks of a mostly anthology-style narrative) , but I hope you're able to enjoy each of the chapters separately for their own value.

(*I may upload a one-shot or two before I go on break but we'll see.*)

Regardless, please do continue to enjoy reading, and thank you for your continued interest and support.

(*I'm planning on part 2 being incredibly emotional though, so keep your eyes peeled when it arrives. *)

Sincerely,

-frenettek314

Images used in this chapter:

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

"Time Travel Unravel" - Part 2

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Author's Note: Hey everyone! Just like in the last part, the following key will help you navigate through the dialogue - HOWEVER, there are some slight differences this time around. Considering our characters are now stuck in the past, the following will be done.:

Bold Text = A statement made by someone in the past. (The time-traveled memory character.)

Regular Text = A statement made from one of the future/present characters or otherwise describing the setting/any current moment. (The time-travellers and their new experiences in the past.)

Italic Text = An internal thought made. (Internal Dialogue)

This way, it'll be easier to read if let's say our main characters run into someone from the past. (Ooooooooo!) Now back to your regularly scheduled story.

Spike felt his heart pound rapidly inside his chest as he frantically navigated through the lonely and exotic wilderness of the Everfree Forest, looking for any traces of a pink mane or a yellow feather in sight.

"Fluttershy?! Fluttershy?!" he cried.

His mind was going a mile a minute. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. He was just curious as to why the pegasus had taken such a shining to him, he never meant to hurt her by reliving her worst moments.

"Fluttershy?! Where are you?!"

He thought all the negative memories she could've held involving him were gone. He thought she had accepted that the past was long gone and that it couldn't hurt her unless she wanted it to.

"Fluttershy?!"

But she was hurting, she kept letting certain things bother her after so long - only to hide it under a thin veil of her typical quiet nature for everyone. She kept it from her friends, her family, him.

"Please, Fluttershy. Come back!"

Why hadn't she told him? They've been practically inseparable the past few months - he told everything to her -surely that meant she could trust him with anything. Why did she feel the need to place a burden within herself, yet bury it unless directly confronted? All her friends love and respect her unconditionally, they've supported her through thick and thin, she's grown over the years because of them - so why was this the exception? Why was she hurting herself so much from this? Yeah, it might have stunk before if he had heard her basically recoil at the thought of dragons, but he knew he was different to her - didn't she know that?

"Fluttershy?!"

But now they were too late. Twilight had unintentionally sent the sweet mare's mind into a frenzy - prompting her to run away in a heartbreaking display from her loved ones. Not only was she hurt by the past, they were now directly in the past - lost and separated. He just wanted to learn more behind his family.... he never wanted this to happen.

The dragon felt his fists shake as tears poured out of his eyes in his stride.

"MOM?!"

Finally out of breath and energy, the drake defeatedly sat on an open log, staring down at his claws in agony, letting his tears roll freely as he gasped for air.

"What if we don't find her before something bad happens?"

"What if she doesn't forgive us?"

"What if she doesn't forgive herself?"

He breathed out one more time as he surveyed the forest around him in absolute horror.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he shuddered - letting the crisp, quiet atmosphere of the woods settle him down for a few more minutes before he would probably opt to continue his search of the nearby area.

He let the exotic calls of the forest fauna fill his ears as his tears soon ceased, leaving room for only the occasional sniffle.

"How are we going to be able to help her?" he thought worriedly.

But then, just as he had finished his train of thought, an all too familiar voice spooked him.

"Oh my goodness.... Spike?! Is that you? What are you doing all the way out here?"

Spike's eyes lit up. "No. No way. It's too good to be true."

He quickly looked around to discover a butterscotch pegasus with her traditional pink mane and tail (albeit with slightly red puffy eyes) slowly waltz her way over to him, her eyes shimmering with concern.

"It is her!"

He swiftly found himself stepping off the log as he ran excitedly to the pegasus, tackling her in an affectionate embrace.

"Fluttershy! Thank goodness we found you! I know you're probably upset right now, but I've been looking everywhere for you - in fact I'm sure Twilight and Starlight are probably searching too."

However, something didn't seem quite right here. He felt the pegasus awkwardly pause in the embrace, making him slowly exit himself out of the hug to glance up at the mare. As he looked up at her, he knew something wasn't right. Instead of a cozy blush or a smile, he found... a hesitant arch of the eyebrow?

The mare shyly tilted her head at the dragon's now equally puzzled expression.

"Umm... who is Starlight? And, shouldn't you be with the others watching the migration?"

Instantly, the dragon's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. This wasn't the right Fluttershy, this was...

"Uh-oh. Not good. Very, very not good." No pony from the past was supposed to see them.

Now, he had two options - he could either run and hope she didn't follow or he could try to explain himself.

"And... are those wings?!" she gasped, "...since when do you have wings?"

Scratch that, he had three options - he always forgot about flying.

The dragon gulped, trying to mull over his options. Unfortunately, this somewhat new pony was not making it easy.

"Spike? Is something wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

No, not that motherly concern on her face. He had grown to love and trust that face so much over their present's newfound time together. He couldn't abandon or lie to this face, it was simply impossible. While this Fluttershy may not have realized it, she found his weak point.

With a heavy reluctant sigh, the dragon moseyed on over back to his sitting log, motioning for the pegasus to join him, which she did without a second thought as she sat mere inches away from him.

"All right, here we go. Hopefully Twilight and Starlight can fix any time paradoxes later..."

"Ok. What I'm about to tell you is probably going to sound crazy and impossible to you, but here it goes. I'm... not your Spike."

The pegasus rose an eyebrow as she eyed him over.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

The dragon twiddled his claws for a moment, conjuring up his next response.

"I'm...actually from the future. I came here with a future you, Twilight, and Starlight - (Twilight's student, you're going to be her friend one day...)" he added with a slight smile before turning serious again, "We used a time-travel spell to explore this past memory, but we got separated and now one of us is lost in here." he added, wincing slightly as he judged his guest's reaction.

Thankfully, the kind mare didn't outright scoff or dismiss him, but he could tell she was skeptical at best.

"I... Is this a prank? Did Rainbow Dash put you up to this?" she tilted with a slightly narrowed look.

Well, he should've seen this coming, but still, how could he prove he was telling the truth? If only he could say something that...

Then a bright flicker in his mind gave him an idea.

"If you don't believe me, I know your dream is to one day build an animal sanctuary despite the fact that you haven't told any of the girls yet."

The pegasus's reservations immediately left her face as she gawked at him.

"B..but... that's... impossible... and... you..." she stammered.

"And despite your claims that Chamomile is your favorite tea, you've been slowly developing a fondness for Chrysanthemum."

She backpedaled even more.

"Y-yes...but....how did... Wait, are you really...?" she suddenly pointed towards the wings currently folded alongside his back.

With a smirk, the dragon opened his wings, allowing for the pony to touch them.

"And these? Totally real."

After a minute or two of moving and prodding his wings - finding them attached to his spine and feeling the authenticity of them - she finally let out a bright, shiny, grin before surprising him with her own embrace.

"It's true! You are from the future! Oh my goodness! You have wings in the future, that's wonderful news! That's so incredibly amazing, I-I just don't even know what to say!"

Spike felt himself blush from the hold before a saddening thought returned.

"Just like my Fluttershy." true, he noticed this pony was a bit more anxious than his, but without all those years of confidence-building under her belt, it was to be expected. Still, if there was any doubt in his mind that this was an impostor, her gentle hugs and the way her motherly excitement echoed in her voice quelled any doubts.

After a while of constant coddling and fawning, the pony seemed to notice his disheartening look as she slowly released him before stepping in front of him.

"Spike? Is something the matter? Is this about one of your...our - sorry, this is confusing - friends being lost?" she prompted with her soulful irises staring at him.

The dragon sighed again, knowing he especially couldn't escape now.

"Yeah, it is... but, I don't want you to worry. Technically, I'm not even your Spike."

The pegasus regarded his response, before she placed a comforting wing on his back.

"It doesn't matter to me whether you're my Spike or not, you're still my friend and I want to help you... that is, if you want me to." she gently shied at the end with a light blush.

Spike couldn't help but give an odd smile at the caring pony in front of him.

"Well, she wasn't lying about being nervous to confront me. Still, if I allowed myself to talk to and open up to her earlier, then could we have...?" but he mentally shook his head no, disregarding the fact. "...doesn't matter, what happened happened, not matter what the 'what if's' are. But, if she is wanting to help..."

"Sure. Take a seat though because some of the things I say may shock you."

Taking her seat, she politely rubbed her hooves together. "Oh, believe me. I'm already shocked. I'm actually surprised I'm doing fine with this so far. Futures, and wings, and..."

Spike allowed himself a chuckle once he realized her rambling stopped.

"You and me both." a grateful smile returned towards him.

"Alright so, the friend who is lost, well... it's you."

"M-me?"

"Yes. Well, future you anyways."

The pegasus nodded, allowing him to continue. He didn't want to scare her with the 'mother' stuff right away, but he made sure to give her enough context.

"She and I - we've been really getting along lately, but I wanted to know how our relationship began, so Twilight and Starlight gathered us and sent us to different points in the past - well some of those are still your future - to gain a greater clue as to why I mean so much to you."

After that last sentence, the pegasus quickly directed her head away from him, a thick crimson covering her face.

"Ah, so she does know about the family thing, or at least her share of it. I'll have to check back on that."

"But Twilight also noticed something was troubling her - some past experience that she kept trying to run away from."

"Oh, dear!" she gasped, "Something I did?!"

"Hmm mmm. And that was today. We... sort of heard what you told Rainbow and Twilight - about not wanting to take part in the Dragon Migration watch." he rubbed his claw to the back of his head, fearing how her past self would react to the recent trauma.

Expectantly, she was quite shocked. With a trembling hoof over her mouth, processing what she had said, she finally let out a squeak. The recent moment hadn't occurred much in her mind - other than the fact she wanted to run as far away from the others as possible. But now, as she had the time to contemplate with the friendly little guy in front of her, she felt her heart break.

"Oh no oh no oh no! I- I said... I... I yelled and ran because.... When you are.... Oh no oh no oh no!" cried Fluttershy as she slowly had tears falling down her muzzle. "How could I...."

Spike instinctively reached out and draped the pony in a nice side hug.

"Hey hey hey! Please, don't cry. It's ok. I don't blame you, you were just scared. That's what I told her anyways..."

The pegasus sniffled as her sobbing form stared at the dragon.

"It's -it's not ok! I shouldn't be scared! You're my friend and imagine what would've happened if you actually heard me! Scratch that, it's WORSE! The way I feel about you and I say THAT about your species, how COULD I?! I say that when I lo..." she suddenly paused as she turned her head away again, her hooves covering up her crying face.

Despite probably should've expecting this, Spike was completely floored, realizing what she had almost let out.

"She DOES feel that way. She... she..."

Using his claws to retract her hooves from her face and lifting her head so she could make eye contact with him, a soft smile brushed on his face as he prodded lightly.

"...because you love me?"

Though she was quite startled by the question, she lightly nodded her head in confirmation.

The dragon then began placing his head within Fluttershy's soft, fluffy chest - initially surprising the pegasus - but that jump quickly faded as she soon took to wrapping her wings around him and nuzzling his soft, scaly head.

The drake immediately snuggled up to the contact.

"This is just like her too. If I had comforted her like this then... no, stop it Spike! There's plenty opportunities for hugs now!"

"I know you're probably upset and a little embarrassed right now, but mind if we talk while like this?"

The mare flashed him a bright smile through her teary, though less rampant, eyes.

"I'd like that."

He decided now was a good of time as any to drop the big truth.

"Can't reveal too much of the future though. That could damage things."

"The other reason why I think my Fluttershy got so upset. You see, I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say a major event made me question whether the other elements loved me like Twilight does."

He felt the mare's grip around him tighten, motioning his head with her hooves so he was meeting her bewildered face.

"Spike! That's terrible! Why would you ever think that?!"

Spike however opted to bury his head back into the wall of fluff.

"Let's just say there were times in your past, present, and near future that you girls either left me behind on one of your many adventures, or there was a major component where I felt you didn't care."

He felt her body stiffen.

"And, let's just say that the first day we met was the extent of our conversation history for a long while." he grimaced, knowing she wouldn't take too happy to that particular news.

He felt the sniffles reignite.

"Spike, I... really?" she asked pitifully, almost making Spike's heart stop despite his inability to see her most-likely crushed face at the moment.

"But it all ends up ok though. There's a good ending to this." he quickly reassured.

He felt the sniffles stop as she peered down at him.

"A-a... good ending?"

"Yeah!" he happily exclaimed, finally releasing himself so as to show the mare his genuine smile.

"Then, Twilight sent me on this journey to bond with each of you girls and you all revealed you wanted to be my family. Rarity's my sister, Pinkie Pie's my aunt, Rainbow and Applejack and her family are cousins, and you..."

He gently hugged her upper half.

"...you're the best 'second mother' anyone could ask for."

He was expecting her to let out a faint squeal of surprise or to nearly drop back in shock - any kind of a reaction to such big news. But as seconds ticked by with no response, he decided to check and see what the pony was thinking.

However, as he looked upon her, he would've never expected what he saw.

Her eyes sparkled like diamonds as her jaw hung loose below her chin. Her wings graced him in their full wingspan as her whole body began to tremble. Though what was most odd though was the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.

"I...I get to be a mommy?" she breathed.

He nodded.

"A... a mommy? And you get to be my son?"

Another nod.

"I...I finally told you..."

Assuming at what she was referring to, he gave one more nod.

Then, suddenly a new fresh wave of tears came, though with the biggest brightest smile on her face as her body trembled in silent joy.

"I finally get to be a mommy! I get to be called a mother! And I got to give you another loving parent. I...I'm a mom!" she happily chirped, sending him into the biggest bone-crushing hug he had ever been a part of (and he had been hugged by Harry the bear).

Now his heart had officially shattered. This mare in front of him had the happiest, most carefree expression he had ever seen on another living pony - including Pinkie Pie. And it was because she got to be a mom? His mom?

"But why would that?... wait." he pondered.

All of her friends, including him, knew that Fluttershy, her kindred soul and nurturing presence, was the most 'motherly' out of all of them. The way she always worked her hardest to make her friends feel better, the way she tended to her animals every single day, the way her kindness would touch even the darkest spirits.

She would definitely make a fantastic mother - even without himself as proof - but...

He always imagined her being satisfied with the raising and caring of nature's woodland creatures surrounding her home (and life) like a bunch of dragons to a shiny gem, but what if she wanted more? What if she wanted to feel the gift of properly raising something from a young age and care for it like it was her own flesh and blood? Sure, she could do that with the animals, but they tended to wander off when she was done treating them.

"She.... she really wants to be a mom... she wants to love and care for someone..."

"But why was she so happy to be mine? And why would she be so scared about the 'Migration' thing?"

As Spike began ready to voice his questions however, he took another look at the blissful and tender appearance of this sweet, sweet pony in front of him. She looked so radiant, that smile that could warm up the world. Perhaps those questions could wait a little longer.

Come to think of it in fact, maybe if he could use this Fluttershy's newfound revelation and joy, he could coax the answers out of his Fluttershy and effectively help her let go of the burden she was carrying. If they knew what exactly made her so happy and then so fearful at the prospect of him, she could be helped. Win-win.

"I feel the same way about you, Fluttershy. I really do. You have so much love in that heart of yours."

The pegasus graciously beamed at him with a wide, quivering smile.

"But the same reason you're so happy about being my mother is also the reason why my Fluttershy basically ended up in a nervous breakdown after she relived her migration speech." he frowned.

While the smile immediately vanished from her lips, he supposed it was a good thing she seemed to have an understanding of what the issue was, tensing up with a fearful frown on her face.

The dragon laid a gentle claw on her shoulder.

"Do you think you know the reason why she'd be so upset - involving that and perhaps some of the other stuff I hinted at?"

Still looking like she saw a ghost, she quickly nodded her head yes.

"Listen, I know we kind of technically just met and that this 'future' thing is pretty freaky, but do you think you might be able to help me out with my Fluttershy? Maybe if she had someone... well, herself... know exactly what she's going through, we could help her confront that issue. I wish she'd tell us, but right now it doesn't look good."

The past Fluttershy shook her head sadly.

"I fear it's a very personal issue. Knowing me, she probably isn't comfortable sharing with anyone else. She's probably worried it'll change how you see her."

The dragon nodded sympathetically, raising a claw to his chin.

"I suppose you're right. Still, it's kind of weird..."

"What?" she asked.

He smirked as he looked at her.

"You've grown a lot over the years. You're still the sweetest, kindest pony I know..."

She gave an appreciative blush.

"...but you're a lot more confident know. You can talk to others easier, you've worked on your goals, you've gone through so much... I guess it's just sad to see her not trust us with something."

The pegasus dabbed an eye with her hoof.

"Th-thank you. That's really nice to hear. But, I wouldn't be offended, this... um... this is something that like I said is very personal... If we do this, you have to promise you'll be there for her no matter what."

He chuckled politely. "Cross my Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye."

Her eyes widened at the familiar guarantee before she nuzzled him quickly.

"Perfect. Let's say we start looking for me... her...?"

They both started laughing as they headed into a different direction of the woods.

Despite his initial worries of coming into contact with a past version of his beloved friend and mother, her same personality (even though she was more timid) had instantly won him over - in fact, he could already tell she was relieving alot of her anxieties with him as well, opening up to him so much in just a short amount of time. He felt like he had her again with him, but he knew there was his special pony out here somewhere, waiting for him. Still, he was very thankful he had run into her out of all possible options.

"Hopefully we can find Twilight and Starlight along the way. I have a feeling you'll love them."

"Fluttershy! Spike! Where are you?!" Starlight yelled, she and Twilight currently searching every crevice they could possibly check in the forest.

They've been searching for what felt like hours now, though they could be wrong and just feel like the pulse-pounding rescue was taking hours in their heads. Still, this was not good. No sign of either of the two yet and they were still stuck in a past that could haunt them.

"Guys?! Where are you?!" Starlight pleaded, her eyes watered with worry.

As she continued pleading and calling however, she noticed a loud sob next to her. The alicorn not only looked miserable, she looked devastated. Her whole body was itching while her eyes alternated between open and wailing and clenched shut. Her sniffles overwhelmed the unicorn's senses, making the mare pause her search as her stomach lurched at the sight of her friend.

"T-twilight?"

"This is all my fault. I just wanted to help Fluttershy. I-I didn't mean for her to... What was I thinking?"

"Hey hey. Stop that." she lightly chastised the princess. "This isn't your fault. None of us knew her reaction was going to be that extreme."

"YES IT IS!" she yelled, making the unicorn flinch.

"I made her watch a moment she constantly regretted. I-I was just trying to help her, to show her that she needed to accept it since she's stronger than that - but I didn't. Now she's off crying somewhere thinking she's a horrible pony! And Spike... what if those two don't get along again, what then?!" she blubbered.

The unicorn watched her lavender-colored friend break down in pity before a sudden strong feeling welled up in her chest. Something that reminded the unicorn of herself. Something this pony needed to hear.

With a sudden narrowing look, she grabbed Twilight's face with her hooves, peering directly into her large pupils.

"Twilight, no! Don't think that! What you've done may have not been the best plan, but it's a lot better than the alternatives!"

Starlight freezed for a moment as she let out a shaky sigh, letting go of her friend as stared at the treetops above.

"Trust me when I say that she needed to confront this! Part of it may hurt forever, but she needs to accept it! If she keeps trying to push herself and conceals it, it's going to be worse than any hurt or pain she's facing now."

The unicorn looked back at her friend with a weary glance.

"If I had been able to properly deal with Sunburst leaving so long ago, I wouldn't have created the cutie mark village, I wouldn't have tried to stop the Elements of Harmony, I wouldn't have wasted so much of my youth in vindictive rage."

Twilight's eyes enlarged, knowing well Starlight's past tended to be a sore spot.

"Starlight..."

The unicorn allowed a small smile to escape.

"It's ok. It still hurts, it will always hurt a tiny bit. But now that I have friends I can confide in, that pain doesn't bother me - it's manageable."

A serious frown returned.

"But I know from experience that the mind isn't built to endure intense suffering for so long. If she had kept allowing these thoughts to build each time it was mentioned or she was with Spike, who knows what could've happened."

The princess's now puffy eyes dimmed in understanding.

"I just didn't want her to suffer any longer. I've met plenty of ponies who've let experiences haunt who they are - Luna, Tempest,... you."

Starlight's eyes softened as she wrapped her friend and mentor in a hug.

"I know the situation is bad right now, and yes, we all made mistakes here. But, honestly I'm not sure if there's too much 'right' in this situation. She may be hurting now, but it's better than her reaching her breaking point. At least now, when we find her, we can be there for her and Spike in anyway we can - we can help her forgive herself. What you did may feel like the bad choice, but it could be the best possible option later if you understand me?"

Twilight gave off a warm smile as she nuzzled the unicorn appreciatively.

"Thanks, Starlight. I'm glad you came along. Do you think we can help her?"

Starlight lightly nudged her shoulder.

"You all helped me - and I thought I was a lost cause. I know we can. Like I said, the regrets she may have may never fully go away, but she can move on from them - she can accept that they happened and focus on the present."

The alicorn offered a thoughtful smile before it contorted into pure contemplation.

"I just hope we can find Spike and Fluttershy soon."

And just like that, a familiar scratchy voice made them jolt.

"Twilight! Starlight!"

The two mares swiftly turned to the direction of the voice to discover their wish had been answered. Running towards them with smiles on their faces were the dragon and pegasus they had been searching for.

Twilight found her mind pause before she instinctively trotted towards the pair with thankful tears in her eyes. They were safe!

"Spike! Fluttershy!"

The alicorn tackled the dragon to the ground in an overbearing cuddle.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried!"

She then turned to acknowledge the pegasus who looked... surprised?

"Fluttershy, I know I caused you to relive what happened and I'm so, so sorry. I was just..."

"Twilight?! Is that you?! Are those... are those wings?! Does everyone grow wings in the future?

The alicorn and the now caught up unicorn both gaped at the presumed familiar face, their eyes glistening with sheer horror.

"Spike..." Twilight squeaked, not moving nor taking her frightened eyes off the pony in front of her. "...why did she say that?"

The dragon nervously chuckled as he glanced over at the pegasus who was now entranced with the alicorn's appendages, prodding them with a curious hoof.

"Heh, heh. So... this is a bit of a story."

The four creatures, now sitting down on a group of rocks thankfully nearby, were just finished summarizing what they knew about the situation in front of them.

"So let me see if I got this straight, this is the Fluttershy from this time period and after you explaining the dilemma to her, she thinks she knows what's bothering future her and you think she can help us?" prodded Twilight, gesturing back and forth between the two creatures across from her.

"Yeah, basically." Spike said with a sheepish grin.

"Spike! This is not good. We weren't supposed to interfere with the past!" she lightly scolded.

"Ummm... excuse me." a timid voice brought up. "In his defense, I was the one who found and confronted him, so I wouldn't say it's his fault."

The alicorn roughly sighed as her eyes softened.

"I know. I'm sorry, it's neither of your faults. I'm just not sure how we can keep the future intact..."

"Actually, Twilight." Starlight interrupted, "There is a way we can keep the timeline stable but..." she trailed off, winking nervously at the mare next to her. At first she didn't seem to get what she was referring to, but after a moment of concluding what she meant, the alicorn gave a somewhat sullen, but understanding nod.

"But that's enough about that for now. I'd say as long as we make sure she's the only one we run into, we'll be fine. Besides, she could help us out here." concluded Starlight now looking on with a smile at the slightly nervous pegasus.

"O-oh. Thank you... Starlight was it?" she shyly grinned.

The unicorn gave a firm nod.

"Yep, that's me. Princess Twilight's pupil and guidance counselor for the School of Friendship."

"STARLIGHT!" Twilight yelled, exasperated.

"What?! She should be fine with a little leeway after all..." she winked at the princess again, making the pony's disposition falter slightly with another nod.

The pegasus gasped, a look of bewilderment etched her face.

"P-p-p- princess?! TWILIGHT'S A PRINCESS?!?!"

"It's how she got the wings after all." the dragon sagely responded with a wry smirk.

"O-o-oh dear. Forgive me, your highness." the pony instantly bowed as a form of respect, much to Starlight's secret amusement and Twilight's chagrin.

"Umm... Fluttershy? You don't need to bow, Twilight's still your best friend. In fact she kind of hates the whole 'treated like royalty' thing most of the time." the dragon guiltily informed.

"Oh... I'm so sorry. Umm..." she stuttered.

"Just talk and act like she's unicorn Twilight." Spike suggested.

"She may be a princess, but she still has the biggest book collection you'll ever see." winked Starlight - this time with a smile - thankfully putting the nervous pegasus at ease as she displayed a stifling giggle, thankful there was still familiar ground with this new Twilight.

The princess merely rolled her eyes with a slight smirk.

"Ummm... but what is the 'School of Friendship'?"

Twilight eagerly decided to take the initiative on this one.

"Well, our friends and I decided to build a friendship school in Ponyville. In some of our spare time, we teach all sorts of different creatures from around the world the virtues of friendship."

The pegasus's eyes sparkled in fascination.

"All sorts of creatures? Not just ponies?"

"Oh yeah!" Spike affirmed, "And they're all super nice! We've got a few dragons, some yaks, some griffons, hippogriffs, changelings, all sorts of creatures..."

The pegasus's intrigue immediately vanished as she took a fearful lean back.

"...d-dragons? g-griffons? ch-ch-changelings?"

"Don't worry, the ones at our school are all super friendly. You and the others have actually done well with reforming and making allies with many of the other kingdoms." the unicorn reasoned, much to the pony's relief.

"That does sound nice...being able to share friendship... I suppose it's something I'll look forward to." she offered with a grin.

"Diversity in Equestria has certainly improved." Starlight agreed.

"I'm sorry. I hate to interrupt catching you up and all, but I think we should start looking for our Fluttershy soon." Twilight offered with a slight blush.

"Oh, right!" the drake exclaimed, turning his attention back to their new friend. "I don't suppose you know of any hiding spots she may have in this forest, do you?"

At this, she rubbed her hoof to her chin in thought before her mind suddenly sparked.

"Actually... I do have one hidden canopy in here that I go to whenever I'm really upset. We could try there."

"Perfect! Then let's all go...actually, before we do. I just realized - it's going to be awkward calling you both 'Fluttershy'." he noted with slight hesitation.

"Hmmmm... he's right. Perhaps we can give you a nickname for now?" offered Starlight.

The pegasus thought deeply for a moment before she suddenly found her coat to be a source of inspiration.

"Well, how about 'Buttershy'?"

The trio smiled as they all nodded their heads in approval.

"I like it!" complimented Twilight. "It suits you."

The mare blushed as she awkwardly rubbed a hoof on the ground. "Th-thank you."

"Alright, it's settled. Let's go get back Fluttershy!" Spike declared, gesturing for Buttershy to lead the way.

"And I can answer any of your questions along the way!" Starlight patted the pony's back.

The dragon and alicorn merely looked at each other with a burning sense of dread.

"Poor Buttershy." they thought, closely following the other two.

"...and so that's why you and Discord have tea every week, any questions?" a subtly smug Starlight asked the now frazzled mare beside her.

Buttershy addressed two sympathetic creatures behind her.

"S-she's joking right? There's no way I reformed Discord...right?"

Twilight and Spike merely glanced anywhere but directly at her.

"W-w-wait. So... we're actually friends then?"

Another awkward exchange - though this time the dragon did offer a slight nod as confirmation.

"Maybe more if you play your cards right." snickered Starlight.

"O-oh my..." she suddenly whispered, turning a lighter shade of color.

"We shouldn't have let Starlight talk to her..." Twilight bitterly thought.

Though her thoughts immediately subsided as the group began to hear a low form of sniffles coming from somewhere nearby. In fact, these sniffles sounded very familiar, almost as if they were...

The group's eyes all lit up at once. Fluttershy.

"Pssst. The canopy is right there." Buttershy pointed towards a grove of trees that indeed had a little nook with a leafy ceiling on top. As they slowly waltzed closer, they could hear the sniffles become more audible. She was in there!

With a claw to his lips - indicating to the others to keep quiet - the dragon slowly tiptoed over before he quietly opened a part of the canopy, revealing a puffy-eyed, but much more relaxed pegasus.

"Mom!" Spike hastily called with a quivering smile, catching the mare's attention.

"Sp-Spike?!" she lowly whispered before she proceeded to jump out of the awning and embrace the small creature with all her might.

"SPIKE!" she happily exclaimed, sending a round of kisses to the dragon's head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to take off like that! Oh, I'm just so glad you're ok!"

Buttershy felt her face heat up, though a wide smile still took control of her facial features.

"Me?!" the dragon incredulously cried as he hugged the pegasus harder. "I was worried about you - we all were! You just took off without a trace! We were scared we'd never find you!"

"I'm especially sorry!" Twilight made her presence known as she carefully trotted over to the reunited duo. "I didn't mean to send you into a breakdown! I-I just wanted to help you, I knew something was bothering you, but I---"

"Shhh... it's alright." the pegasus lightly sniffled as she wrapped a hoof around Twilight's frame, still holding Spike.

"I was just really upset is all. I didn't mean to get so mad - I... I just couldn't take it any more. I needed some time to calm down." she gently explained, giving Twilight a warm smile.

Twilight however seemed to be concerned at the pegasus's sudden change in demeanor.

"R-really? You... you're not still upset, about..."

To her and Spike's surprise, the pegasus's face switched to a look of fear for the slightest of seconds before she plastered back on a grin.

"Nope, everything's ok now. Let's go home." she all too quickly shot up, trying to make her exit.

The alicorn and dragon worriedly looked at each other before rushing over to Fluttershy.

"No, you're not!" Twilight countered. "We need to talk about this. You're clearly trying to hide it for some reason, but what happens when you start thinking about it again? I won't replay that memory for you again, but we DO need to discuss this."

Fluttershy swiftly turned around with a firm, pleading frown.

"Twilight, please. Not now."

Now it was his turn.

"No, Fluttershy! You say 'not now' but when will it be?"

"Spike..."

"Something's affecting our relationship and I don't know why. I thought we had no fears between us, but I was wrong."

"Spike..."

"Look, I know you may not trust us with whatever this is. But we're always here for you, no matter what. So, please?"

A tear fell down the pegasus's cheek as her hooves shook just a tad.

"No Spike! It's not that I don't trust you - it's that it hurts too much! I've made a lot of mistakes between us, but seeing me turn around and run because of some 'big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons', it makes me so upset that I could ever say that about you. You weren't there but what if you were? On top of the times where I was too afraid to talk to you or whenever we forgot about you on a mission, it just reminds me of how unintentionally horrible I was to you."

More tears began to fall.

"I blame myself for that because that was the pinnacle of my carelessness. It hurts me so much to think I would even say or think those things, because...."

She gave a furlong sigh as she wiped an eye.

"...well, no one really knows."

"But I do."

At that, everyone's heads turned around to see a skittish looking Starlight, but more importantly, a sickly sweet and understanding Buttershy as she slowly waltzed over to the now shocked pegasus with a welcoming warmth surrounding her.

"I....I....I...." was all poor Fluttershy could stammer.

"Fluttershy, meet our new friend." the dragon introduced quietly.

Buttershy laid a soft hoof on her future self's shoulder as she gave her a firm hug.

"Nice to meet you...uh... me. I've heard alot about you. You have some amazing friends here."

Fluttershy couldn't find any words to say. How could she? There was... her openly hugging her with that same caring passion that she constantly gave to others. It was such a surreal moment, all she could do was let out a sob as she hugged back.

"I know we've had some regrets, believe me I've already dealt with some of them - one this morning - but these nice creatures have been praising about you, telling me how wonderful you are and all the amazing things you've done."

Upon hearing those sentiments, Fluttershy began to bawl as the sensitive walls in her heart began tearing down. Twilight and Spike both looked ready to cry themselves while Starlight felt her lip tremble slightly.

"I'm so happy to hear all the wonderful things we're going to do, but why are you letting that stop you from enjoying it? Your slip-ups are no longer 'you' after all. From what I know, you have everything you could ever want."

Fluttershy clenched herself back as she buried her head in her shoulder.

"I- I do... I really do. But I... how can I...?"

"And you finally get to be a mother. You know how long we've wanted something like that?"

Fluttershy couldn't take it anymore. With one loud heartbreaking scream, she dove back into her past clone's embrace as she let out a long wail of sobs.

With anxious trepidation, Spike made his voice known as he blinked away a few tears.

"What...do you mean by that?" he calmly asked, Starlight making her way over to stand next to Twilight and him.

Draping a few tears off herself, seeing her future self in a much needed consoling, Buttershy addressed the trio with a sad smile.

Looking over at Fluttershy, the still crying pegasus gave a small nod in agreement, feeling like there was no longer another choice in the matter as she meekly looked over her shoulder to gauge her friends' reactions.

With a shakily collected sigh, Buttershy spoke.

"We've always wanted to be a mother, for the longest time actually. We've always wanted to raise a young one and see it grow into an adult - to give it all the love and care we could ever give. To spread our kindness to someone who we could reciprocate it with."

Buttershy's smile vanished though as a depressed frown took over.

"But we've discovered a secret long ago that changed that. We went to a doctor when we first moved to Ponyville years ago, and... some tests came back..."

"...we discovered that day we could never have children."

The three collectively gasped in horror, feeling their veins freeze.

"We tried to hide our desire for a child with the animals we take care of, but... we always felt something was missing."

"F-fluttershy... no." Twilight stuttered.

"Fluttershy. Why...? Why didn't you ever tell us?" softly questioned Starlight.

The pegasus sniffled as she exited the hug from her duplicate, turning to lower her head at the three now shell-shocked beings in front of her.

"I-I was planning on telling you all...one day... but... the things with Spike happened... and I...."

Spike slowly came to a disturbing thought, his claws shaking as he walked ever closer to the pegasus.

"Because of me. You wanted to be my 'second mother', but thinking back on the things we've gone through in the past... you thought I was your only chance of getting to be a mom, right?"

The mare nodded.

"You weren't just scared to tell me, you were afraid our friends would berate you for never speaking up if I was your only shot at motherhood."

Another nod.

The dragon suddenly tackled her into a hug as he cried his eyes out.

"Even now you're afraid of losing me - of losing the one chance you could and eventually did have of being a mom."

The pegasus finally poured it all out as she cradled the drake in her grip.

"YES! IT'S ALL TRUE! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU! I THOUGHT IF YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE MIGRATION, YOU WOULDN'T WANT ME ANYMORE! I LOVE BEING YOUR MOTHER, SPIKE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO NOW THAT I HAVE YOU!"

With a light pound of his fists on her back, he retaliated.

"AND YOU NEVER WILL!"

Fluttershy ceased her wailing as she looked down at the dragon before her.

"I know you're scared, but I can promise you you'll never have to stop being my mother! We can work anything out - that's what I told you that night at your parents' house, isn't it?! We can work it out if we communicate, not letting it eat us up until it explodes! All your friends and family are there to help you Fluttershy, so don't ever expect any less!"

Twilight, Starlight, and Buttershy all came around and tackled her for a group hug.

"Fluttershy, some of the stings will probably remain forever, but you can find the light. We can work on focusing on the present and what lies ahead! That's what all of you did for me, and I'm darn sure I promise to never give up on you!" exclaimed Starlight with tears in her eyes.

"Fluttershy, you shouldn't have to hide anything from us! We all love you so much! We never want to see you hurt yourself! You've earned the right to be our best friend, to be worth our time and energy, and most of all, to be a mother! We would never and have never thought any less of you despite what may have happened!" cried Twilight.

"No matter what lies ahead, I know this moment will make it all worth it in the long run, so you should too!" Buttershy quivered.

"You've always earned the right of being a mother." Spike much more calmly stated. "It's funny, sometimes I think I haven't earned the right to be your son, considering how amazing you are."

He gave a light chuckle as he gave her a soft peck on the cheek.

"Guess we both have things we need support with, huh?"

Fluttershy felt her emotions push through one more time. All the fears, the bottled-up emotions, the worries, the doubts, the anxieties, the hidden things, they all came pouring out as she squeezed the ever-loving life out of those around her.

"My friends... My family... I LOVE YOU ALL!"

They all smiled back.

"We love you too."

A near eternity felt like passed as the four creatures had soothed an emotional Fluttershy into a blissful state of serenity. Hearing no more chokes, sniffles, or gasps, they all proceeded to make their ways off of her, addressing her with hopeful smiles.

"How do you feel?" Twilight asked - the others awaiting a response.

Fluttershy sighed as she felt her head lower.

"It still hurts..."

Everyone's eyes lowered, feeling their efforts were in vain.

"but..."

Fluttershy instantly perked up as she adorned her traditional cheerful smile.

"...I feel much better now. Having finally gotten that off my chest, and knowing you guys and our friends back home will be there - I promise I'll be open with all of you, and I know that I'll be alright."

The others instantly cheered as they all nuzzled her for a brief moment.

The pegasus gave a soft chuckle.

"You were right, Twilight. I needed to confront that - it's how I was able to let it out of my system. And if it wasn't for your persistence and the assistance of... well... me, I wouldn't have opened up. Thank you." she said as she hugged Twilight.

The alicorn still felt guilty however.

"I feel like I could've thought of a much better plan though..."

A yellow wing petted her mane.

"Maybe, but we got to where we are now."

The two let out a chorus of laughter as the others watched in delight.

Seeing as everything on his mothers' ends were cleared up for now, he decided now was the time to address the elephant in the room.

"There's still one more part of my question that needs answering though..."

Everyone stared at the dragon with curious gazes, allowing him to continue.

"I know now that Fluttershy always wanted to be a mother, but why did she want to be my mother? What is it about me in particular? She could've always adopted or..."

To his surprise, Twilight simply gave him a knowing smile.

"I forgot with everything going on - but there's another reason why I brought us to the events of the migration. The answer to your question."

"R-really?"

She nodded.

"Though, another time travel bubble's probably not the best idea at the moment..." she thought, before her eyes focused on Buttershy, gaining an idea.

"Hey Buttershy. Would you like to help Fluttershy and I with a demonstration?"

Buttershy merely looked taken aback, giving a slight confirmed murmur.

"Sure..."

Fluttershy looked at Twilight, perplexed for a moment, before something finally snapped in her mind.

"Oh! That's right! This was when... we all... I completely forgot, how could I have?!"

Twilight gave her a wink, "It was a long night that evening though." to which the pegasus agreed.

Meanwhile, Starlight trotted her way over to an equally confused Spike, wondering what the other three were up to.

"You have any idea?"

"Not a clue." he shrugged.

"Alright, Spike this is the night after you returned from your 'Dragon Quest', you were fast asleep in your bed and the other girls stopped by when I, Rarity, and Rainbow asked them over." Twilight narrated.

The dragon nodded, trying to set the scene in his head.

"Alright, Buttershy. I want you to give the very first responses that pop into your head. It's important you react on your initial instincts. Be yourself here."

Buttershy nodded with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Alright, Buttershy. A few days after the dragon migration, you come over to the library to meet me and the rest of the girls. I tell you all about how Spike went on his own to live with the other dragons - Rarity, Rainbow, and I having given him full permission - before he ultimately returns home. What do you say?"

Then, like a trigger had just been pulled, Buttershy's face turned sour as her wings unfurled.

"WHAT?!" she roared. "You let Spike go out and live with dragons five times his size, and you didn't tell any of us! HOW COULD YOU?!" she seethed, delivering a light snarl.

Spike and Starlight sat there stunned. Was this... was this how she actually reacted or was she just pretending?

Fluttershy gave a bashful smile, forgetting how furious she was that night ( also seeing it on her face put things in perspective). Though she didn't have much time to reminisce as she received a light nudge from a waiting Twilight.

Putting two and two together, Fluttershy quickly spoke up.

"Oh! And then Rarity says 'Darling, don't get so worked up. We just did what he wanted.'" with an almost flawless Rarity impression.

"Doesn't matter! You could've at least told us he was going! We love him right here in Ponyville!" Buttershy still glared.

"And then Rainbow Dash says, 'Jeez Shy. Relax. Since when do you care so much? You didn't love any dragons the other day.'" Twilight imitated.

At this, Buttershy's face turned nearly dark red as she stormed over to 'Rainbow Dash'.

"How DARE you say that?! I LOVE Spike with all my heart! I don't see him like I do the other dragons! Spike is special. I see him like my..." and then Buttershy paused, somehow syncing with Fluttershy's past response perfectly.

"'Yer what, sugarcube?'" an Applejack-like Fluttershy questioned, getting a snort out of Starlight.

"My...my...." Buttershy stammered, suddenly finding herself embarrassed.

"Yes?" Twilight herself asked.

"MY SON!" Buttershy called out, suddenly clamping her hooves over her mouth.

Spike and Starlight watched on with complete intrigue.

"'A...a son? Like the one in the sky or...'" a pitch perfect Pinkie Pie- Fluttershy asked.

"No. Like my child." Buttershy sighed.

A Rainbow-esque Twilight was next.

"'Flutters... we... we never knew that..."

"'You... you want to be a mother to Spikey-Wikey?'" 'Rarity' questioned.

Buttershy looked up to the 'crowd' of her friends with an intense determination.

"Of course I do. If I was ever a mother, I'd love to have Spike as a child."

"'May we ask why, Sugarcube?'"

"When Twilight told me that Spike grew up never knowing his parents, and how alone he sometimes felt being the only dragon in Canterlot, I was shocked. I remembered..." she paused, glancing down at her hooves before picking herself back up.

"I remembered how lonely I felt back when I was a filly. A shy, fragile pegasus with no friends, constantly getting picked on because I was different with my weak-flying skills. I-I don't want the same thing happening to him! I want to make sure he has a better childhood than I ever had!"

Spike and Starlight both gaped in awe at the reveal, neither of them expecting something so profound from the shy pony.

"That's why. That's the answer." he whispered.

"Yeah." Starlight nodded.

"'Fluttershy, we didn't know about that.'"

"Well... now you do. I'm just happy he came back home when he realized those other dragons were being bullies. I'm still upset that he was almost gone for who knows how long."

Twilight and Fluttershy nodded their heads, making it seem like a crowd of five agreed.

"Why have you never told him?" Twilight asked.

"One day I plan on it, but right now I just can't! I don't want to talk about it, but I'm not sure how well I could take it if he rejected me." Buttershy had a single tear fall down her muzzle.

Twilight and the others now realized this referred back to the unfortunate news Fluttershy just told them. Everything made sense now.

Soon though, Twilight placed a comforting hoof on the pegasus's back, causing her to look up.

"It's alright. We understand. Though, we know he'll love you too. One day whenever you're ready, you can tell him. Until then, let's be the family Spike deserves."

"'Darling, I'm afraid you're not the only one. I've always wanted to be a family to Spike as well.'"

A bunch of "me too's" and "yeah's" (even from a reluctant 'Rainbow Dash') were made to characterize each of their friends.

Buttershy sniffed. "Really?! You too? Why haven't you told him?"

"'Because we're all super scared he won't love us anymore.'" 'Pinkie Pie' stated, the 'others' agreeing.

"'But one day we'll all be ready to tell him too, and we'll show him just how much he means to us.'" declared 'Applejack'.

Buttershy let out a happy sob as she hugged her 'friends'. "Everyone...thank you. We'll all do this one day, and we'll all love him. I just hope... he'll feel the same, no matter what happens."

"And...cut!" Twilight cried, snapping Buttershy out of her emotional trance, as Fluttershy hummed a delightful giggle.

"What... what happened? Did I do good?!"

Fluttershy giggled as she hugged her copy.

"You did perfect! Everything you just said actually happens."

"Wait, really?"

"Mmm hmm."

As the two exited the congratulatory hug, a dragon shot up to give Fluttershy a warm hug, which she graciously welcomed.

"So, that's the answer all along?" he asked with a sense of wonder in his voice. "You wanted to be my mother because you wanted to give me a better childhood than you had?"

"Mmm hmm." she agreed, as she kissed his head. "Every word you heard, it was said."

Her smile faded as she took a more wary tone.

"Though, I said I would be there and then the 'Crystal Empire' and the 'Breezies'..."

"Doesn't matter." Spike interrupted. "Like I've been telling you, we're all together now and that's what counts."

The pegasus's eyes watered as a fond smile graced her lips.

"Yeah. I guess it does. It was all worth the wait." she hugged him as Buttershy felt a sting of tears from viewing the tender scene.

"I do get there. I do make it. Heh. I guess there's not too much to worry about after all."

Spike then hopped down and approached Buttershy's side as he patted her on the back.

"And you'll make it too. Though, it's going to be kind of awkward now, seeing as you have to knowingly repeat everything, knowing the outcome." he pointed out, earning a bout of laughter from both of them.

However, initially unbeknownst to them, Twilight and Starlight gave each other regretful looks as they pitifully watched the scene in front of them. This was not unnoticed by Fluttershy though.

"Twilight? Starlight? What's wrong?" she asked with a curious frown, gathering the attention of the other two as they also began looking at the mares with worried frowns.

Twilight felt her insides crunch, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

"Well... there's a problem with that. Remember earlier when Starlight and I told you there was a way to keep the timeline stable, even with Buttershy?"

Spike and Buttershy silently nodded while Fluttershy continued to acknowledge the mares with bewilderment.

Starlight went up to the plate.

"You see, the moment you interacted with Buttershy, you created an alternate path in the timeline - a version which differs from the original - seeing as you interfered with her original actions...whatever she was doing before she met you."

"Crying and Cowering." Buttershy painfully admitted. Fluttershy nodded, remembering how long it took her before she quietly retreated back to the cottage that day.

"...right, thank you." Starlight continued. "Anyways, if we let the alternate path continue, it could drastically change events in the future."

Spike decided to speak up.

"What if we make sure she acts like she normally would?"

Starlight glumly shook her head.

"Sadly, that knowledge still being there can alter things, it's too high of a risk. In order to ensure everyone has the same future, we have to..." Starlight trailed off, finding herself slightly teary-eyed. She didn't want to have to say this to Spike.

Thankfully, an alicorn placed her hoof on her shoulder as she took the courage to resume.

"Spike. To ensure you get your wings, Fluttershy gets her sanctuary..."

Buttershy's eyes lit up like a decorated tree.

"Really?!" she squeakily whispered to Fluttershy, earning a warm smile in response.

"...to make sure you can keep your family, we have to...destroy the path."

Spike gasped, feeling his heart beat stop.

"Wh-what?!"

"Spike, we're going to have to eliminate the path so that all the events of the migration - including the moments where Fluttershy runs into the woods and comes back out- remain just as how they originally were."

"But...but that means..." his body shook.

Twilight and Starlight both nodded.

"The time we had here today will no longer exist; the dividend in the path outside of the part where we came and started this mess will be lost..."

"...basically it will be an endless loop of us coming in and then having to clear the path again..." Starlight added.

"...right, but Spike..."

"...Buttershy and all her memories and knowledge of meeting us - they'll be gone."

"No... NO!" Spike breathed in horror. "Buttershy's going to be erased?! She's never going to have the knowledge that she's a mom or that her future is safe?!"

Starlight sadly nodded.

"Only when she's going through that loop, but after this point... the 'Buttershy' you know will be gone."

Fluttershy let out a squeak of shock, while Buttershy remained oddly neutral.

Spike felt the burning sensation of tears flow.

"But...but... isn't there any other way...she deserves this!"

Twilight draped a wing over his back as she nuzzled him close.

"I'm so sorry Spike. I wish there was an other way, but..."

The dragon clenched her mane for a moment before he pulled away in frustration.

"So that's it?! Fluttershy's not going to know until my 'journey'? She's going to have to go through this again?!"

Fluttershy sadly nuzzled his cheek.

"Spike, sweetie. I know this is rough, but think about it, we're on the correct path. We're making sure our futures are bright. I'll go through hard patches, but I'll come out on top - like I just did."

Spike sniffled as he clung onto her coat.

"B-but Buttershy. She's going to have to..."

"Spike?" a voice called out, the other butterscotch pegasus slowly walking over to him.

The dragon looked up at the new pegasus as she cast him an oddly warm smile.

"Come here. It's time to say goodbye."

"No." Spike whispered, fearing what he was about to witness.

"Spike, I think another me would like to have a word with you." Fluttershy spoke sweetly, smiling at her counterpart.

Spike tacked himself onto the past pegasus with all his strength, burying his head into her chest.

While initially taken back by the force, the pony soon resumed her kindest smile as she draped her wings over him, rubbing his back continuously.

"I'm so sorry." Spike cried. "I'm sorry! I-I wish there was another way. This is all my fault, if I hadn't ran into you, we..."

"Spike, please stop being a silly dragon right now! You've done absolutely nothing wrong!"

Spike paused his tirade as he stood shocked. While her voice had been enough to stop him, it was the strength of it which halted any opposition. He swore this younger version had the same reflection of assertiveness and confidence his usual Fluttershy did. It was uncanny how sure of herself she sounded.

"I know I have to say goodbye, but you've given me a great gift today that I wouldn't ever give up."

"Bu..but.." he stammered, "You're not going to see..."

"Technically, I always have and always will be Fluttershy. I am her, She is what I will become. When you hug her, you hug me."

The pegasus kneeled down as she positioned Spike to directly face her.

"You know? I should be sad that I'm sort of leaving, but... I'm not sad one bit."

The dragon tilted his head at her as he sniffed.

"You aren't?"

The pegasus wisely shook her head, that inviting smile still present on her face.

"Nope. Thanks to all of you, I know I'm going to keep and gain new best friends, I'm going to grow more bold and confident, I'm going to see my dreams come true,...."

Buttershy then leaned in for a hug over his shoulder.

"And I'm finally going to become a mom... and it's all thanks to you." she felt the tears stream down her cheek.

"I have everything I could've ever wanted. I'd say goodbye a hundred times if it means I know I'll have an amazing son like you."

The dragon finally felt his last bit of strength fade away as he gripped onto the pegasus for dear life, wailing to his heart's content.

The three mares around him all openly began weeping - Fluttershy especially, knowing everything she said was the absolute truth.

"Shhhh... there, there. It's ok... my son."

After a few minutes, the painful choking eased up as Buttershy guided his head back towards direct eye contact.

"You have your own Fluttershy who'll always love you. Make sure you always remember that, ok?"

The dragon wiped the tears from his eyes as he smiled back for the first time.

"I will. I promise."

She patted his head in return.

"I know you will. Just know we will always be there for you."

She then turned her head to meet Fluttershy's emotional gaze.

"Make sure you take care of him, but also make sure to take care of yourself. You...we... have such wonderful friends. I'm glad we do."

Fluttershy sniffled. "The best."

Twilight finally decided to make her voice heard.

"We should probably get going."

The dragon nodded, hugging the soon to be faded memory one last time.

"Goodbye Buttershy. And thank you - for everything."

Buttershy delivered a kiss on the cheek, preventing herself from blushing.

"Goodbye Spike. Thank you - I can rest easy knowing we'll live a wonderful life."

As the dragon slowly made his way back to his mostly calmed-down family, he took one last look at the kind mare who had helped both him and his mother so much.

"Oh and Fluttershy - Good luck with what Starlight calls 'Kissing the very ground Discord floats above...'. I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it's lovely."

Fluttershy whipped her head towards Starlight's direction so fast it should've snapped her neck.

"STARLIGHT!" she roared, giving the unicorn a furious glare, while Spike and Twilight silently chortled.

"What?" Starlight not-so-innocently questioned.

"Goodbye!" Twilight and Spike fondly cried out one last time, before the alicorn's horn lit up, sending the four of them back home once again.

Buttershy's eyes closed, feeling an encompassing warmth surround her.

"Farewell... and good luck."

Back at the Friendship Castle:

With one last aura of light, the four creatures found themselves home again. Back in their own time, in the sanctity of the familiar crystalline castle.

The group remained silent for a minute or two, letting the calm songs of chirping birds outside through the tall glass windows help them regain their senses.

"So..." Starlight began. "Today sure was interesting."

"You can say that again." Spike groaned, swearing he cried more today than he had any other single day.

"I feel like I need 30 cups of tea." Fluttershy mumbled, staring vacantly outside a nearby window.

Twilight sighed.

"I still feel bad I made everyone go through that today. I'm so sorry. I'll never suggest time travel again."

"I wouldn't say that..." interrupted the pegasus, catching everyone's attention.

"...I mean, sure today was very stressful, but it helped out a lot. Spike got his answer on why I wanted to become his mother, I got to finally confide a secret of mine that I've wanted to share forever, you two got to learn more about us - I promise I'll also tell the others about my past if they ask. I wouldn't recommend making this a common thing, but I'm glad I did this with you guys." she offered a bright smile.

Twilight went over and hugged the yellow pony.

"I am too. I'm glad I could help someone as amazing as you."

The pegasus blushed slightly as she then went over to pick up Spike.

"I'm sorry about causing such a panic. But thanks for being so understanding with me, you're the best son in the world!"

"And you're an amazing mom!" he happily replied.

"But not the best?" she tilted her head with a fake pout.

"Twilight's in the room." he pointed out.

"Ah. I see."

"Hey!" they heard her cry behind them, causing them both to laugh.

"Well Fluttershy, thank you for helping us learn more about you. You must be exhausted after today." Twilight reasoned.

"Oh, yes. In fact, I should probably start heading home. It looks like it's getting late." she mentioned, noticing the bright orange hues of sunset outside.

"Wait, Twilight!" Spike called, before anyone could move. "Is it ok if I sleepover with my other mom for tonight? That is, if it's alright with the both of you..."

The alicorn gave a warm smile as she took notice of the two pleading creatures in front of her.

"Of course you can." she confirmed, causing the two to beam in excitement.

"Alright! Thanks Twi!" he gave her a quick hug before turning his attention back to the pegasus. "Chrysanthemum Tea?"

The pegasus clopped her hooves in excitement. "I'll make cookies!"

Before the two could excitedly make their leave however, a unicorn's voice stopped them.

"Wait! Fluttershy! Before you go..."

The dragon perched himself on the pegasus's back as she herself turned to face the unicorn with a curious smile.

"Yes Starlight?"

The unicorn briskly made her way over to them, putting a firm hoof on the mare's shoulder and looking into her eyes with all the seriousness in the world before she said:

"If it's not Discord you're woozy over, who is it? My money's on either Twilight or Pinkie."

Fluttershy gaped in shock for a moment before turning her body back around with a roll to her eyes.

"We're leaving. Come on, Spike."

The dragon giggled as the unicorn gave him a wink unseen to the mare. Nodding his head, he smirked, hopping off her back as he and the unicorn began following after her.

"Let's see there's Fluttercord, Twishy, Pinkieshy..."

"SPIKE!" the pegasus huffed as she tried to hurry up her pace.

"How about Flutterdash?" called out Starlight.

"STARLIGHT!" the pegasus groaned as she playfully started running away from the two, they being close in hot pursuit.

Twilight just rolled her eyes as she saw the three creatures run off into the distance.

"Family isn't always easy, but these moments are the best feelings in the world."

At Fluttershy's cottage, it was late at night as the two creatures decided it was time to retire for the evening.

As the two walked upstairs however, a thought had occurred to Spike.

"Where should I sleep?" he cautiously asked his host.

She blushed a little as she led him to her bedroom. "Actually, I thought you could sleep in here with me - that is, if you wanted too."

Looking at the big fluffy bed, he gratefully looked back up at the even fluffier pegasus.

"I'd like that."

As the pegasus turned out the light in the room, she began to make herself nice and cozy on the bed as a small dragon hopped up after her to settle down in her opened hooves, becoming one with the luxuriously soft hold.

She kissed him on the head as she let out a comforting yawn.

"Good night, Spike. I love you."

The drake felt his mind slowly drift away, into the soothing presence of the night and the eager promises of tomorrow.

"Good night, Mom. I love you..."

"...and I always will."

"In Our Castle"

View Online

For many, spring cleaning - while time consuming - was a necessary chore that honestly wasn't too terrible once gotten the hang of. Sure, many grumbled and complained at the prospect of tidying up, but the satisfaction afterwards was well worth the labor.

Whoever these poor souls were had no idea of the treacherous terrain that was Starlight Glimmer's room.

"Ugh! Why did the Great and Powerful Trixie agree to accomplish such a hazardous activity?!" an aqua unicorn scowled in disgust as she used her horn to levitate months old food from underneath Starlight's bed. The stench of rotting pizza was not one that Trixie found appealing in the slightest.

"Because you feel bad that you almost put a group of students in danger." Starlight snarked, remembering the recent events that had occurred during her search for assistant headmare. Though, she was equal amounts of resentment as she threw some old headbands and other accessories into a garbage bag.

"And because Starlight wouldn't do it by herself." reasoned Spike with a vacuum in claws.

Starlight whipped her head around to give the dragon a mildly annoyed glance, only for him to whistle casually in the other direction. Despite her irritation, she knew Spike was right. She knew she was terrible at cleaning.

Just then, a few mice scrawled out from underneath her dresser.

Scratch that, she was horrible at tidiness. No wonder Twilight practically fainted when she saw the pitiful sight earlier.

Why clean when you could fly a kite though?

Trixie harrumphed as she levitated a dustpan, knowing that her friend was absolutely correct. That "headmare" escapade was embarrassing to say the least. Why did the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie have to become the 'Great and Naïve'?

Starlight snorted in the background. "I offered you a maid outfit for more comfort, but you refused."

The aqua unicorn now had a dark crimson blush on her face. "You just wanted to see Trixie as a maid."

"Guilty." came the only response with a smirk on the lavender unicorn's face.

"Your relationship is weird!" Spike called out over the sound of the vacuum, though he did keep a smile to himself as he had to admit their chemistry was genuine in its own...unique way. Nevertheless, the two unicorns cared for each other and that was something he could always admire.

"Get used to it!" Starlight shouted back. "When Trixie moves in, there will be 3 all powerful mares in this castle, and only 1 of you!"

This was true. Ever since Starlight realized Trixie full-on lived in her caravan, she and Twilight both firmly insisted that the magician move into the still extremely spacious castle. Though Trixie was hesitant at first, she was rather excited to be moving in with her (practically) marefriend and 2 of her closest friends. Plus, a caravan in the depths of winter was never really a joyous experience.

After Spike turned off the heavy-duty vacuum, the trio grouped together to admire their own handiwork. As they scanned the surrounding area, they were pleased to announce that the room was finished.

...well, half-way finished anyways.

Trixie groaned as she realized there was still much more to complete.

"Grrr... why does Starlight have to be so unorganized with her personal property in the first place?"

Starlight flashed her a lopsided frown.

"You're one to talk. I'm surprised your smoke bombs don't go off in the crowded caravan when you're sleeping."

Trixie growled in stubbornness.

"Trixie is not unorganized! She's strategically ordered."

"M-E-S-S-Y" Starlight slowly spelled out.

"To a tee." Spike sagely agreed, biting back a snort.

Trixie gave her marefriend and the accompanying dragon a bump on the shoulder with her hoof, before the three of them descended into a fit of chuckles. Though they may seem like a dysfunctional group to the untrained eye, they were always able to joke with each other and keep their bond strong.

After their laughter slowly began dying down, Trixie flashed the group a blissful smile.

"In all honesty, Trixie is excited to begin moving in. Hopefully, we can be as close as you two are.", motioning with her hoof to the other two creatures in the room.

However, much to the unicorn's surprise, they awkwardly looked away from each other, a thoughtful, yet embarrassed frown accompanying both their features.

"We, uh- we weren't always this close." Starlight admitted, rubbing her front-hoof awkwardly, while Spike scratched the scales at the back of his head.

"What?!" Trixie yelped in shock. "But, you two always got along. Ever since Trixie came back to Ponyville and befriended Starlight."

Spike sighed, knowing that the trip down memory lane was inevitable at this point.

"Yeah, but, there was a time where I was quite...angry...with her." the dragon claimed, glancing shamefully at the lavender unicorn during his pause.

Trixie's ears drooped, as she scuffled her hoof.

"Oh... sorry. Trixie doesn't mean to bring back bad memories." she replied, sympathizing with the two. The magician certainly had moments she wished she could forget.

However, to her surprise yet again, the two slowly looked up at her with somber smiles, letting her know she was never blamed.

"Don't worry, Trix. You didn't know. And besides, you're part of this family. You should probably hear what happened." Starlight proclaimed, glancing down at Spike to make sure she wasn't out of line.

Fortunately, Spike seemed to be on the same page, glancing around the room before he responded.

"We deserve a break anyways. Why not sit down and share?"

Starlight agreed with a nod of the head, Trixie following suit, as the three creatures sat down and made themselves comfortable on the bedroom floor.

Spike gathered his thoughts, before opening up the narrative.

"Well, this was soon after the whole 'Revenge Time Travel Fiasco'..." Spike paused, before blushing nervously at Starlight.

"No offense."

"None taken." she smiled warmly at him, prompting him to continue.

"Anyways, Twilight had just taken Starlight as her pupil, and I'll admit, I may have not been okay with her living with us..."

**Flashback**

Spike was definitely not okay with this power-crazed unicorn now living it up with him and Twilight.

A simple three days ago, this pony who had stripped an entire village of their cutie marks, and afterwards decided to enact revenge by destroying his loved ones and time itself, all because she lost a friend when she was a filly; the same exact pony became the princess's newest pupil and was now living in the exact same castle of her two former targets.

Spike was absolutely dumbfounded with this decision. Sure, he managed to hide his annoyance for a song sequence, but he was nevertheless questioning life itself.

While the dragon had originally planned on asking Twilight if she lost her marbles, he also realized Princess Celestia would've probably done similar. Equestrian Politics were screwy at best, and absolutely insane at worst.

But, just because Twilight and the others were willing to 'forgive and forget' didn't mean that he had to. By all means did he have no intent on forgiving the former dictator anytime soon, and he was going to make his discontent clearly visible for everyone to see. It was the least he could do.

Though the dragon was bitterly in his thoughts, he soon found a smile on his face as he walked into the dining room, seeing a smiling Twilight in his peripheral vision. Finally, the two could have some alone ti...

"...good morning, Spike..." came a reluctant voice that caused any happiness to hibernate. Of course, it had to be her.

The alicorn must've noticed his disposition as she all too quickly wrapped him in a warm hug and carried him to the breakfast table.

"Good morning, Spike! We were just waiting for you." she grinned nervously, her eyes darting back and forth between unicorn and dragon.

Seeing the unicorn trying to melt in her spot, and the princess looking ready to cease a fight at any moment, Spike deduced that the two ponies were fully aware of his stance.

"Good." he thought. "They can't pretend they don't notice."

"So... how did you sleep?" his guardian asked genuinely, with a hint of added worry.

"Fine." he mumbled, pouring into the cereal before anyone can object. If awkward breakfasts could convince Twilight to reconsider her decision, he was all for it.

Unfortunately, the plan must not be working too particularly well, as the two mares began engaging in a conversation without him. Spike internally sighed as he continued eating in silence.

"So, any plans for today, Starlight?" Twilight genuinely asked.

"Oh, not really." Starlight seemed to have her mind taken off the dragon, all the more willing to engage in friendly banter.

"Since I have everything moved in, thanks for your help by the way..." she paused with a blush.

Spike angrily rolled his eyes.

"...I don't have anything to do."

Twilight hummed in thought.

"You could always help Spike and I reorganize the library."

At the mention of his name, the dragon sent the alicorn a hostile glare. While Spike hated being angry with Twilight, this was a rare incident where he felt every bit justified. The look he sent her way must've been particularly terrifying though, for she quickly avoided his gaze and backpedaled her earlier statement.

"...or you could always go and explore Ponyville."

If Spike wasn't currently giving Twilight a death glare, he would've taken the time to do so now. As it stands, he settled for a slow shake of his head.

"Show the vindictive pony the town. Great idea!"

Starlight though, appeared to be quite fond of that plan.

"That's a great idea. I haven't really had the chance to explore Ponyville at all yet. I want to see everything there is to offer."

"You shouldn't get to." Spike growled internally.

Twilight beamed in delight. "Wonderful! I know of quite a few places I think you should check out." she clopped her hooves in delight.

Starlight seemed to be equally excited, her eyes sparkling just that much brighter.

"Oooh. Any suggestions on where to start?"

However, it was at this point in the continuous conversation that Spike had enough. How was everyone except him okay with having this unicorn frequent his town, his home, his family? He had been visually expressing his anger for the last few days, but if they wanted to ignore it and pretend that he was merely being ridiculous, then he would make it so that he couldn't be ignored.

"Tartarus." he spoke frigidly, his voice sending a tense chill throughout the entire room.

And just like that, you could hear a pin drop.

Starlight's eyes were now shimmering for a different reason. Her mouth gaping open as her body sat rigidly where joy once took place. Twilight was not much better, her expression seeming to more benefit a ghost than a live pony.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a voice could be heard.

"Sp-Spike! How could you say that?!" the alicorn spoke, wishing to believe that her mind was playing tricks on her. Did Spike just...

Meanwhile, the dragon gawked in indignation.

"How can I say that?! How about you?! How are you okay with her walking around like that, as if it's no big deal!"

"Spike... you need to..."

"No, Twilight! You need to understand! Starlight had enslaved an entire village and ripped them of their cutie marks, then she used Starswirl's time travel spell and came this close to sending Equestria into some dystopian future..."

As Spike was ranting, all Starlight could do was look in shame. She had originally thought her redemption arc had come all too easy. She practically committed acts of tyranny and possible murder (depending on the timeline) and she didn't get a slap on the hoof. Of course, she knew it wouldn't be that simple.

"...She did all of that, and now she gets to be taught by the Princess of Friendship and practically gets to go sightseeing?! How is that fair?!"

Whether it was used to justify her reasoning, or to try to protect her newfound friend, she didn't know. Regardless, what Twilight said next was...

"Spike, what's gotten into you?"

And with that seemingly lax sentence, Spike found himself uttering in disbelief, banging his tiny fist on the table.

"What...what's got... what's gotten into me?! What's gotten into you?!"

"Ponies have gone to prison for much, much less, and she gets off scot free! After everything she did, I thought..."

"Spike, she said she was sorry."

"I THOUGHT OUR FRIENDS WERE DEAD!"

Realizing what he just exclaimed, but also realizing the two other creatures in the room were in a state of shock from said outburst, Spike took the initiative, though he could no longer keep his tears in check.

"Every future she sent us back to, they were either non-existent or miserable. Each and every outcome, they were soldiers, slaves, or practically worked to the core, and it only got worse! And then, when the scroll was almost torn up, I thought we... I thought they..."

Both mares came to a mutual realization, their eyes softening at the emotional dragon in front of them. Starlight, in particular, felt terrible. She knew she did horrible things, but she never understood the context of what exactly happened.

"How could I have...he's just a kid..." her heart practically split in half.

"Oh, Spike. I..."

But the dragon persisted.

"I remember, back in Canterlot. Ponies saw a dragon and they wanted me either on a leash or locked in a cage somewhere. It didn't matter that I never did anything to them, they wanted me to be punished."

"Spike..." Twilight whimpered. She was openly bawling alongside Spike now. Her decision made him feel this way? Made him think this way? What kind of guardian was she? Her hooves were as stiff as stone, yet she wanted to embrace him and protect him from the world. But instead...

"Now this pony almost took everything I had, and it's all supposed to be okay?"

Starlight flinched in disgust with herself. He was in no way, shape, or form wrong. She got off scot-free and he suffered, both in the past and in the present.

Just what kind of pony was she?

"No-no-no! Spike! Please...!" the alicorn begged.

And she was interrupted again; but this time it was by a fleeing dragon on foot as he ran from the room, headed for the exit of the castle without stopping. Before anyone could react, the front door opened and closed again.

"SPIKE!"

Twilight practically yelled, before a firm hoof stopped her in her tracks.

"Let me talk to him. I... I know you don't want to blame me, but it's my fault this happened, and the least I can do is owe him an apology."

"Starlight..."

The lavender unicorn simply smirked before her new mane style flowed in the wind, carried by the window nearby.

"If I'm going to be the pupil to the princess of friendship, I need to own my mistakes. I need to be a good friend."

Starlight paused her triumphant monologue, seeing a reflection of her younger self in the distance.

"For the first time in my life."

Twilight couldn't help but give a soft smile at the bold display she was witnessing.

"Looks like my new student has potential after all."

"I'm coming as well."

Both ponies nodded as they confidently (at least on an external level) galloped out of the castle and onto the streets of Ponyville.

"Spike, we're coming for you." Twilight declared in her mind.

"Spike, I promise I'll try to make things right. I'll do what I should've done so long ago." Starlight also thought as she ran, images of Sunburst flashing in her mind.

"Communicate."

**Still in Flashback, at the Ponyville Park:**

Though the late afternoon glow of the park in the center of town indicated the land was quite vacant, one of the creatures currently occupying the space made up for the lack of population with his depressed demeanor. His slouched over body on a bench speaking volumes over the soft serenade of birds chirping overhead.

Spike felt absolutely horrendous now that he had the chance for self-reflection. His adrenaline finally winding down, he was left with a rather bitter aftertaste. He shouldn't have yelled at Twilight like that. Even if he was adamantly opposed to her choice, she didn't deserve to face his rage. Even Starlight...

No. Spike shook his head rapidly, trying to prevent himself from further exploring that thought. She needs to be responsible for her actions. She needs to learn consequences. It wasn't his fault she went full-on psychotic.

"Even still... I shouldn't have pushed my problems onto her..."

Oh, who was he kidding? He let his emotions boil until they reached their absolute limit. Despite what she did, he didn't have to cause such a scene.

"How am I going to make this up to Twilight? What do I even say...?" Spike pondered, the quiet serenity of the park making his mind wander.

"Excuse me!"

Well, almost serene.

Spike was jerked out of his inner turmoil by the shrill call of an older looking stallion, practically a senior citizen, sending him a cold glare. The wrinkles around his lips sent a near scowl, only further confusing the dragon.

"Uh, can I help you?" he questioned, wondering what he could've done wrong.

"Yeah, some ponies would like to sit on that bench. Move it scaley!" the elder bellowed, his glare only getting narrower.

"Oh, great. One of these attitudes." the dragon internally sighed before addressing the newcomer.

"Sir, I apologize, but I was here first. However, there is another bench right over..."

"Don't talk back to me, reptile! This park is for hard-working ponies, not pets! If you don't move it, I'll call the police."

If Spike wasn't miserable before, he most certainly was now. This narrow-minded elder succeeded in making the dragon wish to curl in on himself. Why did this have to happen today? Why did this have to happen at all?

"Sir...!"

But before he could get another word in, a saggy hoof had connected with his cheek, plummeting him to the ground and onto the cold, hard dirt below. Taking a moment to process the pain coming to the side of his face, the dragon finally looked up to see the stallion crouched over him, a sinister smile slowly forming.

"Want to try that again, or do you want to be behind bars?"

Unfortunately for the foolish elder pony, he wouldn't even get another attempt.

"Touch him again, and you'll wish you were in a cell."

Both creatures turned around to find out who called out, when they were shocked by the sight of a lavender unicorn, her horn practically glowing in righteous fury.

Spike couldn't believe his eyes. "St-Starlight?"

The old stallion gawked in surprise for a moment, before his gaze narrowed.

"Wait a minute. You're that lunatic pony that the princess just took in, right? The one who hates cutie marks and rainbooms? Tch, what a joke!"

Starlight smirked devilishly.

"Correct, but I also have a special place in my heart for bigots; and unless you want to test me on that, you'll leave him alone." her left eye practically twitching, awaiting any form of resistance.

The elder, however, seem unfazed.

"Please. I could have both of you arrested, like you belong, in a heartbeat. Not even your idiot princess could save you."

"Oh, really?" came the sound of another voice over the horizon, this one making his fragile and bitter heart quiver in fear, his cocky grin quickly replaced by a shaky gulp.

Indeed, appearing right next to Starlight came the mentioned alicorn herself.

And if Starlight was furious, Twilight was an active volcano ready to erupt.

The stallion could only backpedal away from Spike's laid form quickly enough, before a teleporting Twilight and her eyes filled with fiery fury met his regretful appearance.

"P---Princess. What a pleasu..."

"Save it!" Twilight barked, steam practically blowing out of her nostrils.

Twilight's horn glowed in its purple aura as she levitated the pony so close their muzzles could practically touch. Perhaps later, Twilight would realize she went too far, but her anger reminded her this wasn't later.

"You can think whatever you wish about my diplomacies, you can even consider me an 'idiot'..." she scoffed, before her glare turned icy cold.

"...but if I EVER see or hear you talking with my child ever again, you'll WISH you were lucky enough to receive a mere jail sentence. I will PERSONALLY make your life worse than Tartarus. ARE. WE. CLEAR?"

Spike was amazed at his guardian's display. She may have occasionally referred to him as her child, but this instance felt particularly special for some reason.

The stallion could only nod his head rapidly, still caught in Twilight's magical grip.

The alicorn then proceeded to turn around and acknowledge her student, only minorly shell-shocked upon witnessing her teacher's passionate remarks.

"Starlight, care to add anything before I let him go?"

The lavender unicorn, snapping out of her stupor, found the courage to nod insistently, before trotting over to the others in a calm and collected pace. Too calm and collected.

"You know what? Some of the things you said were absolutely true. I did take control over a whole town's cutie marks and I did almost alter the course of history. It was all for a petty reason, I realize now, but it doesn't change the fact that I still did horrible crimes."

Starlight paused, looking back at the captivated dragon who had complete interest in what she was saying.

Starlight gave a weak smile as a single tear fell down her cheek, her eyes not leaving his.

"The worst of it, however. I ended up hurting those I now find myself already caring so much about. Creatures who never deserved what I have or almost had done to them. I became so blinded by past events and revenge, that I turned into someone who I will always regret being."

Spike's eyes widened, clearly touched by such a delicately woven response. Starlight quickly beamed at the display, before she turned around to find the main source of her speech, glare returning anew.

"I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of making up for my faults. However, there is a main difference between you and me. I'm sorry."

The stallion's brow rose in confusion, prompting the unicorn to continue.

"I can't expect you to believe me, after all it's still such short notice from my supposed reformation; but I am sorry for what I've done and said. I regret my actions and I want to do better."

"Have I gotten off easy on the punishment chart? Absolutely." Starlight turned to face Twilight, who seemed like she wanted to object, but found that she couldn't. She knew she was right.

"But I swear, with the princesses of Equestria as my witnesses, I will become a better pony. Even if there are many who will never forgive me, even if I can't take it back, I can change myself here and now."

Starlight trotted even closer, going muzzle-to-muzzle with the stallion.

"You, however, aren't sorry. I can see it in your eyes. You think you're right. You don't find fault with your views, and you may never do so. You'll walk away not regretting a thing. You'll stay away, but only because we told you so. Not because you've realized anything."

Starlight backed away, facing away from the stallion as she somberly spoke. Perhaps she was reaching a level of drama that Rarity would be proud of, but darn it was it fitting.

"Forgiveness isn't forgetting, it's the chance to improve. You won't ever change, and therefore I won't forgive you."

Starlight nodded once more, prompting Twilight to release her hold on him.

"Now get out of here."

The coward didn't need to be told twice, galloping out of the park way faster than someone his age should've. He may not have found his actions reprehensible, but he did learn an important lesson. Never mess with the saviors of Equestria.

Seeing that their target was long gone, the two mares turned around to find Spike slowly getting up from his spot on the ground, wincing as he sharply rubbed his cheek in pain.

"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, running into her favorite dragon, before embracing him in a tight hug with her wings.

"Spike. Are you okay?! I'm so, so, sorry. I-I didn't..." she stuttered, tears pouring out of her quivering eyes.

Spike's guilt grew even more, realizing her tears were falling down his scales.

"I'm fine. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have..."

But Twilight stopped him right there, releasing the hug and staring at him with a firm, yet concerned expression.

"No, Spike. I'm the one who should be sorry. I never even considered how you felt. You were with me on the journey through time and alternate universes. You saw all the horrible things that I saw. I should've talked with you about Starlight before I gave her her role. I'm so sorry!"

Spike now discovered he was the one crying, enforcing the hug as he held onto her for dear life.

"Thank you, Twilight."

Just then, another pair of hoofsteps, this pair being more nervous, approached the duo with a look of immense guilt. She darted her eyes between them both before she steadied herself with a calming breath.

"Spike. I'm the one who needs to say sorry. Even if you never forgive me. I knew you were upset about me being in the castle, but I never approached you about it because I wasn't sure how you'd react. But, looking back, I regret taking their cutie marks. I regret trying to permanently erase the sonic rainboom."

Starlight took a leap of faith and forced her way into the hug.

"I regret hurting you Spike. You have a bigger heart than I'll ever have. You're more than a dragon, you'll always be important to me."

Spike paused in momentary surprise, before he found his claws around Starlight's frame.

"I forgive you. Thank you, Starlight Glimmer."

Starlight's heart repaired, a warm aura glowing around it.

"Anytime."

As the hug naturally ended, the trio soon looked up at the sky and realized that an orange sunset spread across the sky, indicating the moon would be making an appearance shortly.

Twilight looked at her two friends... no, her family.

"You ready to head back to the castle?"

Both dragon and unicorn nodded, ready to begin a new life in the castle together. It may take some time, but they were more than willing to move forward.

As the three began their trek back to the large crystalline structure, conversations began flowing good-heartedly for the first time in days.

"I'll have to start planning a friendship lesson for Starlight. Perhaps when we go to the Crystal Empire for the Crystalling. Want to help, Spike?"

The dragon eagerly nodded.

"We should get her a friendship journal while we're at it. So much more convenient than having to send letters to Celestia all the time."

As both the alicorn and dragon exchanged bouts of giggling, Starlight's brow rose in confusion, yet her playful smile remained intact.

"Wait. So scarring the elderly doesn't count as a friendship lesson?"

Twilight gave a light annoyed glance while Spike stifled a snort.

"Nah. That's not normally what we do. Usually it involves talking out feelings and character development." the dragon boasted.

"Ah, but that was fun." Starlight whined, her hoof over her muzzle.

"Don't worry. We'll find the time to stop bigots along the way, I'm sure." the dragon quipped back.

Meanwhile, Twilight found herself sarcastically rolling her eyes.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

The three creatures erupted into howls of laughter, their joyous jaunt persisting as the sun slowly descended upon them.

**End of Flashback:**

The Great and Emotional Trixie tried her best to keep her tears in check throughout the tale, but alas, she lost whatever hold she had about halfway through. Now that the story was finished though, she tried to compose herself once she noticed all eyes were on her.

"That was...wow. I didn't know that actually happened."

Starlight and Spike smiled at each other, the two creatures clearly having come a long way from their past experiences.

"Yeah, it was a rocky start, but soon enough we were able to begin working everything out and get to where we are today." Starlight affirmed.

Spike nodded with a nostalgic smile, pleased to know the pony in front of him.

"Yeah. I'm glad I ended up giving her a chance. It's crazy to think what we've been through since then."

Spike then proceeded to rise up, walking over and hugging a quickly accepting Starlight.

"You're the best...sis."

Starlight somehow managed to hold together, for she was more touched than words could say, but the words she did use felt perfect.

"No. You are...bro."

"Awww." came a new voice, which made everyone jump in surprise. All sets of eyes turned to the door of the bedroom to find a warmly smiling Twilight standing there.

"How long have you been there?" questioned the lavender unicorn.

"Since the story began." the princess responded simply, before she walked closer into the quarters.

"I guess it's a good thing we made Starlight my pupil, huh?" she questioned Spike, not out of cockiness, but out of fond reflection.

Spike couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Creatures can change for the better if they want to." he affirmed, before noticing Trixie in the middle of the room.

"And now we get to have another unicorn in the castle! What do you say, Trixie? You ready?"

Trixie, tried as she might, couldn't resist the urge to join in the group hug, a sign that she truly belonged in the family. A family she as well, once antagonized, but soon grew appreciative of over the years.

"Trixie is ready."

Starlight nodded excitedly at her marefriend, ready for the adventures ahead, before she remembered just where exactly they were.

"But first, let's finish cleaning up here."

And with that, the four of them resumed their mission to tidy up the once filth-covered room.

But soon, the room will have the chance to sparkle just like the crystal walls that make up the castle, and just like the hearts of those inside.

"Breaking the (S)mold"

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*NOTE:

The majority of this story takes place as a flashback extension of "School Daze". There will however be a noted time skip near the end to the "present".*

When you send your student to Ponyville, have her form a group of life-long friends.

When your student surpasses her predecessors, make her a princess.

When the princess and her friends save Equestria from a magic-stealing centaur, give her a castle.

And when said princess becomes the princess of friendship, she'll eventually open up a friendship school.

At least, that's the string of logic that Spike and the others seemed to follow, as evidenced by Princess Twilight Sparkle quickly scanning her last minute checklist before she would soon open the doors to the first friendship school Equestria has ever seen.

While he had known Twilight since he was practically a hatchling, he would've never had predicted this would be the next step in the alicorn's reign. It seemed like just yesterday where he and the other elements of harmony ventured beyond Equestria to discover the key(s) needed to defeat Tempest and the Storm King. It was an adventure with high stakes, exotic locations, and of course, new friends.

But it was during said journey where Twilight had come across a startling truth.

There were many creatures beyond Equestria; some she had only heard of in her academic research.

And yet, it was with this discovery that Twilight (and eventually the others) concluded that there was an opportunity to spread the magic of friendship, and to hopefully create new allies and opportunities for Equestria. After all, ponies could learn a lot from other species.

And it was with this thought in mind that had Spike fully on-board with Twilight's rather sudden idea. Not only could he get the chance to befriend other creatures, but maybe he could finally encounter other (willingly friendly) dragons!

With only moments away, Spike was practically jumping in anticipation. A bright future for Equestria, for his family, and maybe even himself. Friendship could finally spread for future generations to co...

"Welcome to the School of Friendship! I'm your headmare Twilight Sparkle. Please follow Guidance Counselor Starlight to sign in and get your class assignments. Then we can show you your living quarters." Twilight's voice finally called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh. Since when did Twilight open the door?" he thought to himself, concluding he must've tuned everything out, before gaping at the wide variety of students the new school had to offer.

"Ooh! Students certainly traveled from far and wide to attend our school!" Rarity remarked.

She certainly wasn't kidding. The dragon could see yaks, hippogriffs, griffons, changelings, and...

Spike gasped as his eyes found a pair of dragons jaunting through the halls, one of them looking very familiar.

"But dragons are better than this! Why am I here?" an older orange dragon whined, being dragged to her "punishment" as she referred to the crystalline structure she was sure was mocking her.

Life was funny for the young dragon. One minute you were living near a pool of lava and challenging the other kids around to contests of brute strength, the next minute you were called by your ruler to attend a "namby pamby pony school".

Smolder hated this. She hated this a lot. Ever since Ember won the gauntlet of fire and became the dragon lord, she subtly and gradually shifted the dragon culture to be more "accommodating" and "open-minded". Which was fine for her, but she herself was perfectly happy living her own life away from other (and not as cool) creatures.

Even if she felt like she had no choice but to be alone...

But that doesn't matter. What she wouldn't give to have Torch return to his reign at this very moment. She wouldn't be forced to step foot into this colorful overload of a kingdom.

"Because as Dragon Lord, I'm ordering you to be here!" challenged the more mature one in question, but she was all the sudden discovered by Spike, running to her with obvious excitement.

"Dragon Lord Ember!"

The dragon in question popped her head around to find out who was calling to her, before her hardened gaze softened considerably, a natural smile forming on her face.

"Hey, Spike! Come meet Smolder." Ember beamed, though she did find herself stumbling a bit upon the younger dragon hugging her waist. She still had a long way to go before she was comfortable with physical affection.

Thankfully, the hug came to a natural end as Spike turned to greet the newcomer before he found himself blinking in confusion.

"Wait, wasn't there only one a second ago?"

"Uh, which one is Smolder?"

Ember quickly whipped around only to find that there was indeed a second, taller dragon standing there. Though, for some reason, this one seemed awfully shy and anxious. Before Ember or Smolder could retort however, a certain king came flying in with a look of worry.

"Ocellus! What did we talk about?"

The new dragon suddenly transformed to reveal a much smaller changeling.

The two older dragons were shocked to say the least, for the shape-shifting insects were not often encountered by dragon-kind. Then again, dragons typically didn't possess a lot of "love" anyways. All the more reason for the friendship school to exist.

Even with word spreading about the hive's reformation, and her friendship with Thorax, Ember was still taken back by their new appearances to say the least.

"Is that what's going to happen to us?"

Meanwhile, Smolder was baffled for a completely different reason. Her upbringing wanted to think of this changeling as "weak" or "pathetic", but some part of her found the being...cute? She quickly shook her head to bring herself back to reality. Complex emotions could be processed later.

As a new conversation quickly began - an overactive hippogriff in awe by the mysterious shape shifter - the trio of dragons took this opportunity to bid Thorax a quick farewell before they wandered off to continue their own chat.

Spike decided to lead the two to his own private quarters, which they were immensely grateful for. When they had reached his room, he decided to start the initial revival.

"Sorry about that. Lot of creatures out there." he offered sheepishly.

Thankfully, Ember eased his nerves by offering a polite shake of her head.

"It's not your fault. I didn't realize how many creatures were coming."

The two shared a quick chuckle, before the dragon lord remembered her original point.

"Oh, yeah. Back to before. Spike, meet Smolder."

Spike smiled in Smolder's direction, offering her an open claw to shake.

"Very nice to meet you. Welcome."

Smolder regarded his gesture with confusion before skeptically shaking his claw in return. Where did this kid come from, and why was he so...friendly?

"Saaaaame. But, uh, how come I've never seen you in the Dragon Lands before?"

Ember found her smile slowly faltering, realizing where this conversation was headed. Her eyes began darting in awkward tension. Unfortunately, fire-breathing couldn't save her out of this predicament.

Though, Spike, in a more oblivious state, took the bait with seemingly no alarm.

"Oh, that's because I was raised here in Equestria."

Ember's face fell even more as Smolder's perplexed expression quickly shifted into a shocked trance.

One could practically see the gears in the orange dragon's head turn.

"Wait... you mean... you were raised by ponies?"

Spike's optimism slowly began to fade, replaced by a sense of incoming dread. Hopefully this conversation was not going to go that route.

"...yyyyyeah...?"

"Smolder." Ember sternly warned, but it was far too late.

The bombshell was dropped.

"Are you their slave or something?" she grunted accusingly.

"Smolder!" Ember yelled. Even dragons should know when something was going too far. And Smolder had just flew past that line.

Meanwhile, Spike could only deliver a grimace. Of course he wasn't a slave! Just because he wasn't raised with the rest of the dragons didn't demerit his value.

"No! I was hatched in Canterlot, and that was when I met Twilight. Ever since then, I've been her assistant."

"Slave." Smolder tried to correct, an eyebrow raised. How naïve this poor child was in her eyes.

"Smolder!" Ember yelled again; but this time, instead of looking furiously at her young subject, she worriedly focused on a slowly angered Spike, her claws raised up to her muzzle in a less than confident poise.

It was funny. There was once a time where Ember would care less about others' feelings. Now, she wouldn't know what to do if this young creature never forgave her. Of course, she tried to cover her pride as much as possible.

"No! I'm not a slave! I have my own life, my own interests, my own everything!"

If Spike were younger, he may have more so contemplated what the dragon in front of him was saying; but now, he knew better than to question his status. He knew Twilight respected him. Cared for him. Loved him.

Smolder slowly stepped forward, her narrow gaze locking on with Spike's. She was going to wake this dragon up and get both of them out of there.

"Tell me, do you do favors for these ponies?"

Spike's glare softened for a split second in confusion, wondering how to proceed.

"Yes?"

Smolder continued.

"Do you run errands?"

"Yes?"

"Clean? Cook?

"Yes?"

"Smolder. Don't." Ember practically pleaded. If this were any other conversation, she would smirk at the irony of the Dragon Lord begging.

"Then you're their slave. Congratulations."

It was then when Spike had finally had enough. Marching up to the expecting taller dragon, he reached out his claw to point at her, their faces mere inches from each other.

"I don't care what you say, you're wrong. I choose to do those things because I like doing them. I especially like doing them for the ponies who are my friends!"

Unfortunately, his opposed was unaffected, simply scowling in indignation.

"Real dragons don't do friends."

Ember was now ashamed for bringing Smolder along. She knew that dragons had the chance to improve, just as Spike had once taught her, and Smolder was definitely in need of learning a thing or two if this was how she openly acted in front of others. This could be a new beginning for future generations of dragons, and yet she regretted who she chose to represent their home. Whether this meant Smolder needed lessons now more than ever was none of her concern, as Ember wanted to quickly reprimand her and apologize profusely to her closest friend.

But before she had the chance to, the door to the bedroom quickly opened, revealing a bewildered alicorn.

"What's going on in here?!"

And just like that, the Dragon Lord herself secretly wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and never come out.

Judging by the princess's facial expression, she had at least heard a good portion of the conversation. So much for an alliance.

Before Spike or Ember could reason with Twilight though, the rebellious orange dragon decided to swing around the already burned bridge.

"Forget this! I don't care if you're a Dragon Lord or not, I'm not going to sit in this 'friendship school' and become a brainwashed PONY LOVER!"

And with that, Smolder quickly used her wings to fly out of the room...and hopefully finding her way out of this darned castle.

The three remaining creatures stood shell-shocked at the sudden outcome, lost on knowing what to do.

But all three thought the same thing:

"What if this friendship school doesn't work out?!"

Normally, underneath the Ponyville Bridge sat the gentle stream of water that travelled across the town and beyond. However, there was a temporary guest sulking near the water flow. A rather bright and orange visitor.

"Stupid town, stupid school, stupid Ember!" Smolder growled out loud, picking up a nearby pebble and flinging in into the murky depths of the water.

"Why do things need to change? Everything was perfectly fine before!"

"Were they?" came an authoritative voice she was all too familiar with.

Smolder, in a startled jump upon hearing the new voice, quickly turned around to find the trio of Dragon Lord, small pony/dragon, and alicorn. A group she thought she had long since ditched.

She sent them a glare as she went back to avoiding them.

"How did you find me here?"

Twilight allowed herself a tiny smirk as she boldly took a step forward.

"Well, there aren't too many orange dragons hanging around Ponyville..." she quipped, before her features subsided into a slight melancholy, "...and I hope that changes soon."

The dragon in question snorted in annoyance.

"Fat chance. There is no way I'm letting you change who I am."

The trio felt their hearts sink slightly, finally beginning to understand why she was so upset, as they glanced at each other with worry.

"Smolder, no one here is forcing you to change. The only one who can let that happen is you." Twilight reasoned in a sickly sweet sympathetic tone.

No matter how sweet her voice sounded though, Smolder was determined to remain unfazed.

"Why am I here, then?!"

Ember was about to respond before she was interrupted.

"Besides the fact that it was an order from the Dragon Lord."

The dragon leader's voice went silent for a second, before rediscovering what she wanted to say, taking the opportunity to sit a few feet away from her subject.

"Because I think this is a good thing for you. Because I know this would be good for a lot of future dragons, and I believe you're the model they'll go by."

Smolder quickly turned her head back around to confront her ruler, not caring in the moment about titles.

"Dragons aren't nice to other ponies, dragons don't hang out with inferior creatures, and dragons certainly don't do friendship!"

Much to her surprise however, the response to that was met with a weak chuckle, Ember forming a sheepish, yet knowing smile that she swore she had never seen before.

"Funny. I used to feel the exact same way."

Seeing no immediate objections, she decided to press on.

"I was only ever concerned with myself; who I am and who I felt I had to become. I used to think that meant closing yourself off and focus on getting stronger, but the moment I let others in, I'm now stronger and happier than I ever was. I became my own creature."

Ember turned around to acknowledge the familiar Equestrian duo she was all too thankful for.

"And while I'm still getting used to admitting things like 'feelings', I owe my title as Dragon Lord to these two... plus, Rarity, of course."

The pair found themselves gratefully smiling in return, before an irritated voice brought them back to the conversation at hoof.

"But dragons aren't supposed to rely on others! Dragons need to be strong, fearless..."

"Dragons don't need to be anything!"

Smolder found herself staring wide-eyed once again, curiosity making herself silent once more. She definitely hadn't expected the Dragon Lord to proclaim that.

"Once I won the gauntlet, I realized that a dragon isn't some single term to live by, much like we've been taught for centuries now. In fact, those 'strong' and 'fearless' dragons almost killed me then. Including your brother."

While her brother's façade was not of a surprise to her, Smolder still found herself ashamed by what she had just heard. Perhaps Ember had quite the authority after all.

"The dragons have been bitter and hostile creatures for so long, and for what?! To have no allies, to know very little of the outside world, to face threats alone?"

"But we've been just fine!" Smolder found herself countering.

"Have we?" came a pointed question in retaliation, freezing her to the spot.

Twilight and Spike merely eyed each other in shock, before returning to Ember's cold and calculated glare.

"Tell me, Smolder. Do you enjoy where you're at right now? No friends, nothing to do besides competitions 24/7, no one around when you need them? Do you enjoy that?"

For the first time in quite a while, the orange dragon felt herself visibly shaken. Her mind coming to realization with the words being spoken. She thought she hid her mild displeasures well, but clearly not good enough. She just did what she felt was right, what she felt she needed to do, but Ember had read her like a book.

Was this really what she wanted? To continue her dull life in solitude? She could say she was a "superior dragon" all she wanted, but would that ever change?

Wait... did she just admit she wanted change?! After despising it for so long?!

Who was Smolder anyways?

"I... I've been fine..." she mumbled, now finding herself unable to meet her leader's eyes.

But with the sudden appearance of two comforting claws - one for each shoulder - she felt her sight guided back to an unexpected caring grin.

"You shouldn't be 'a dragon', and you shouldn't be 'fine'. You should be Smolder."

The dragon felt the corners of her eyes filling up with her moisture. On any normal day, she would resist the urge with all her might. Today wasn't a normal day.

"B--but... I... I don't want to be a disgrace to my species."

"Oh man, does that hit close to home."

Everyone had paused their participating/observing of the conversation to let their eyes fall upon an almost sage-like Spike, who had remained quiet up until this point. Now though, he knew the time was right, slowly marching over to nestle in between the other dragons.

"Earlier, when you asked me about being raised in Equestria. The fact of the matter is my egg was discovered outside the woods of Canterlot, far away from any crevasse of the dragon lands. That meant that whoever my parents were abandoned me."

Both Ember and Smolder found themselves dumbfounded, neither having any prior knowledge of Spike's origin besides the fact that he was raised by ponies. While Ember had begun pondering the possibility of abandonment, she would've never thought he was this self aware.

"But then, when Twilight hatched me, she became the parent I never had before. She taught me to read and write, to play, to learn, all this stuff I never would've had otherwise."

Spike took a brief pause in his monologue to gaze upon the captivated alicorn, bringing a warm smile to his cheeks.

"She's everything to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

No matter how many times he offered sentiments or appreciation, Twilight couldn't help but discover a cascade of tears and a large, beating heart inside her chest every time.

Spike turned back around to directly acknowledge Smolder, presenting her a knowing look with a hint of pride.

"And everything I do is because I like doing it, or is a reflection of the fact that I was gifted such abilities. I used to think I was wrong, but I'm not a 'typical dragon' and I'm not a slave. I'm Spike."

Ember found herself in awe by his speech, growing a newfound appreciation for her friend. It may have come at the cost of desperately trying to hold onto her pride, but it was well worth it.

"And you're pretty cool, Spike." she stated, though in a warm tone that made him know she was grateful.

"And that's what we want you to be. To let other dragons have the chance to be themselves."

Twilight felt this was the moment to step in and provide her own thoughts.

"I didn't create this friendship school to forcibly change anyone, or to tell others what to do. I created it so that creatures - even those beyond Equestria - could learn and enjoy having friends."

She took another step forward, making sure she graced Smolder with a welcoming smile.

"But more than that, I want to give every creature the chance to be who they want to be, and to let them discover the friends who will support them in doing that."

"And if you like doing 'dragon stuff' that's fine. Just because Ember and I are friends doesn't mean she no longer loves burning boulders to smithereens." Spike quipped, earning him a playful shove (and perhaps a minor blush) from the Dragon Lord herself.

Ember took the time to grab onto Smolder's shoulders once again, hoping she came across as confident, but approachable.

"Smolder. I know things may seem like they're changing. But I only want to change things for the better. For everyone."

The orange dragon looked at the three shining creatures in front of her and couldn't help but feel moved. She had so desperately wanted to remain stubborn and unwilling, but with what they said and offered, maybe...

"So...what if I decided to give the school a try?" she found herself sheepishly looking down, though a visible smile forming for the first time since she came to Ponyville today.

Ember could only chuckle as she looked at her subject, reaching out with her claw.

"Only one way to find out."

Spike and Twilight, seeming to have developed the same idea, reached out with their own appendages, beckoning her to join them.

Smolder looked at them once more, before she stood up with much more poise, eagerly using her claw to reach the others.

"Deal."

*Present Day (Set after "School Raze"):*

For Smolder, this past semester was anything but boring. Perhaps recent events involving the takeover of Twilight's school and the near drain of all Equestrian magic played a part of it, but things turned out great in the end.

Still though, neither her or any of her new friends would've suspected "sweet" and "innocent" Cozy Glow could create such a diabolical plan (with some help from a once speciesist Chancellor Neighsay, and the power-absorbing maniac that was Lord Tirek). Cozy Glow was so close to winning too if it hadn't been for the surprisingly quick thinking of Sandbar and the CMC.

True, there were some close calls - fake betrayals included - but the ragtag group of students helped Equestria's saviors and teachers restore all magic. Once a collection of various creatures who were forced to learn about friendship, saw their bond grow strong, strong enough to save the world.

If that wasn't poetic justice, Smolder didn't know what was.

And while her friends were disappointed that their heroism didn't equal graduation, if it meant the orange dragon could continue being with the best creatures she knew, then perhaps more lectures weren't such a bad thing after all.

Of course, their efforts didn't go unnoticed.

As Princesses Twilight and Celestia, along with the CMC (and hopefully reformed Neighsay), went onwards to discuss the previous mission, Smolder and her friends were walking back to their dorm rooms. She would've joined them if it weren't for a certain voice stopping her in her tracks.

"Smolder!"

There, alongside Spike, was a being she hadn't seen in a while.

"Dragon Lord Ember!" she called out, quickly making her way to the others. "What are you doing here?"

The noble leader only chuckled, setting upon her a genuine smile which had honestly felt good after today's events.

"When I heard what was happening, I made my way over as fast as I can."

Ember looked back at Spike with somewhat of a smirk.

"Though, when I got here, I discovered everything turned out alright, in large part due to you and your friends."

Despite Smolder's blush indicating that she wasn't used to such praise and compliments, especially from her kingdom's ruler, deep down she was incredibly honored and even a little touched.

"I-it was nothing..." she awkwardly stumbled, shuffling her foot on the ground.

"Yes it was." Ember countered, returning an even warmer smile than before. A true gift.

"Even though you can't graduate just yet, you have no idea how proud of you I am . You've come so far, you've made some incredible friends..."

She looked back towards Spike, motioning for him to stand next to the other young dragon.

"...and just like I had told you both back when you stood up against Sludge, you're role models for the world of today and tomorrow."

The Dragon Lord then set her claws upon her subject's shoulders, speaking in a rarely used soft, but grateful tone.

"...but most importantly, you're becoming the 'you' that you want to be, the creature I knew you could. And that is the best thing anyone could ask for."

Smolder found herself at a loss for words, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Her still stubborn pride tried desperately to hold back the tears threatening her eyes, but she was losing the battle.

"E...ember... I.... thank you..." she finally choked out, before quickly rubbing her eyes, lest anyone see her in such a state.

Ember, having become somewhat better at handling emotions, playfully chuckled and nodded, before turning back to Spike with a playful glare.

"Though, the school really should've advertised 'psychotic fillies' in the brochure."

Spike rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, though he still found himself with a knowing grin.

"If we did that though, the school wouldn't have gotten students. Or at least the students we want going here."

The three dragons partook in a round of boisterous laughter before it naturally subsided, the trio each remembering the first day they all met, and how much they've grown since then. Particularly Smolder.

Ember looked at the two dragons again with a more confident expression.

"So, as a special reward for totally showing that filly who's boss, I figured we could get some grub. You in?"

Spike eagerly nodded. "I'll go see if Gabby wants to join. Smolder, you and Ocellus want to come?"

She didn't need to be asked twice, giving a proud "thumb's up" before using her wings to take to her dorm and retrieving the changeling in question...who she may or may not have decided was cute after all.

As she was gliding through the hallways though, she reflected on how much her time in Equestria has changed her so far.

Once upon a time, Smolder had to be dragged just to set foot in this building, actively despising Ember as she did so. Now, she was immensely appreciative for what was the best decision of her life. Once an empty and shallow existence, trying to "fit in" with the other dragons through a partially fake bravado and a million strength competitions, was now a satisfying time filled with fun, magic, and adventure. Smolder could be herself, and she knew her 5 best friends (including her potential girlfriend) were always right beside her.

Looking back, she couldn't believe how she used to tell herself that friendship was for the weak, that "real" dragons were emotionless warriors, and that any dragon who didn't fit that mold was worthless. That she was worthless.

She had said and did things she certainly regretted, all for the sake of being who she thought she was supposed to be.

But that all changed when she came to Ponyville and met her new family; including an amazingly friendly and kind dragon named Spike, who became like a brother to her.

Her life had changed for the better, and while she wasn't sure what would happen next, one thing was for sure. She was definitely ready for next semester.

Watching from behind, Spike couldn't help but feel a huge burst of pride upon seeing the transformed dragon before his eyes. He and Ember regarded each other with fond smiles, each subconsciously agreeing with the same statement.

Twilight's friendship school was helping Equestria become a better place, and transforming lives one student at a time.

Spike's Family Chronicles

by frenettek314

This story is a sequel to "Spike's Family Journey"

"The Return of Sludge"

"Night of the Dragon"

"Spike's First Date"

"Pranking Pinkie Pie Places Profound Perspective"

"Shipping and Handling"

"Time Travel Unravel" - Part 1

Author's Note: For these flashback sequences, the following key will help you navigate through the dialogue:

Alright, hopefully this should clear everything up. Now back to your regularly scheduled story.

"Time Travel Unravel" - Part 2

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Just like in the last part, the following key will help you navigate through the dialogue - HOWEVER, there are some slight differences this time around. Considering our characters are now stuck in the past, the following will be done.:

This way, it'll be easier to read if let's say our main characters run into someone from the past. (Ooooooooo!) Now back to your regularly scheduled story.

"In Our Castle"

"Breaking the (S)mold"