On A Dark and Stormy Night...
From another story, from another author
Just as with the castle staff, the magical light grew too blinding to watch and a final burst was heard before the Prince emerged. His appearance had changed after all; he was without all the excess magic and vibrato he had grown accustomed to hiding behind. Instead, he became a proud and confident Prince with actual characterization and personality. However, it wasn’t a pony that stood before them now, but instead a much smaller creature, a baby dragon.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeexcuse me?” Pinkie asked in horror.
“Spike. This whole time the Prince was SPIKE?!” Appleclock asked both in confusion and irritation.
“I didn’t think you’d want to get to know the real me if you saw me for who I am, but now that I know you’re my friend, Sparkelle, I-- wait. Where’d the story go? Guys? GUYS?!”
Everypony had disappeared, walking away from him as quickly as they were able.
“Nopony likes you Spike!” Appleclock called.
The End...
NOT!
"WHAT?!" Cried the voice of a baby dragon, who stood at the doorway, frozen cold in his track, dropping a plate of cupcakes and milk on the floor, shocked at what he heard.
"Oh! Spike!" Pinkie Pie gasped, upon realizing too late that her friend Spike was standing at the doorway.
"...Nopony...likes me?" Spike asked, choking on his words, because of an overwhelming lump in his throat. "Are you kidding me?"
"N-N-No, Spike, of course everypony likes you!" Pinkie Pie shook her head, as she scrambled from her chair, with the baby cakes' gazes following her. "I...It's just...a joke!"
"A joke?" Spike asked again, with more tears pouring from his eyes, as he stepped away. "Is that how I am? A joke to you? Are you for real? Is that all I am? A clown? A fool? Some...some dragon for you to...to drown in a lake? Or to make fun of, because I'm not as big or as ferocious like all the dragons? A lame dragon, like Rainbow Dash called me? Huh? Is that it?" He ranted, with his tone becoming sadder and angrier with each second.
"No, no! Not like that! Spike, please, let me explain, I–" But Spike refused to listen, as he walked out the door, into the rain. "Wait! Spike! Come back! Wait! SPIKE! I'M SORRY!!!"
But it was no use. Pinkie Pie's apology was drowned out by a clap of thunder, as she watches Spike disappear into the rain.
Spike didn't know how far he's run. He just wanted to get away from Pinkie Pie as far as possible. As he ran, his thoughts went wild as he recalls every past moments in his life, when the girls had mistreated him.
First one he recalled was during Winter Wrap Up, when the young dragon curled himself up into a ball, for a relaxing nap. Then, next thing he knew, he was kicking and splashing in a lake of freezing water with the ponies laughing at his expense, around him. Secondly, there was the time when they went to the Grand Galloping Gala. Spike had strongly suggested that he and the girls should hang out and spend the night together. But instead, first chance they got, they immediately ditched him to be by his lonesome. Third, there was the Great Dragon Migration, when Spike was the target of Rainbow Dash's bullying, who labeled him as a 'lame dragon' with the other girls joining in, and Rarity embarrassing him even further.
Even though Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had followed him all the way from Ponyville to the Dragon Land, to watch over and protect him, it wasn't enough to fully make amends, since Rainbow Dash never apologized. Then again, if she was truly guilty of her past action towards him, then she would never have called him out as such, when Tank was hibernating.
Her words continued to haunt him, "Well, what would you know?! You're a dragon!"
Spike clenched his claws tightly into a fist. It hurts him both inside and out that somepony he thought was a friend could say something so prejudice towards him. This made him questioning, was he ever a friend to the ponies, and Twilight's friends? Or was it all just a facade?
If it was the latter, then a deep gaping pit was opened in his stomach as he recoil at the horror that it meant Rarity never reciprocates his feelings and that she had been leading him on, or that he's been fooling himself, all these years, for nothing. This made his heart crack even deeper at such realization.
Lastly, his thoughts go out to Fluttershy. He remembers how much the bashful pegasus loved her animals, but was absolutely terrified of dragons. In fact, she wasn't even around to watch the Great Dragon Migration with her friends, nor did she bothered joining her other friends on their mission to save Spike. Fluttershy's fear of dragons is understandable, but what if there was a deeper meaning than that? Could she not have come along, simply because she doesn't care Spike enough to overcome her fear? Does this mean, their friendship means nothing to her?
"I guess Pinkie's right," Spike cried, as his running slowed into a saddening walk, in the rain. "Nopony likes me...not Rainbow Dash, not Fluttershy, and...not Rarity..." Wiping his face clear of tears and raindrops, Spike sniffed as he looked around the empty streets of Ponyville, "Maybe I should just...leave. Move out of town. Go to the Crystal Empire. At least the Crystal Ponies like me. Right?"
Spike was so busy talking to himself in his sadden thoughts that he failed to notice a certain mail delivery griffon, flying overhead, wearing a raincoat, and carrying an umbrella. She looked down and happened to spot Spike.
"Hey Spike!" The griffon greeted cheerfully.
"Hi Gabby..." Spike replied miserably as he continued to walk, only to be stopped by the griffon.
"Spike, what's wrong?" Gabby asked, with a look of concern on her face. "What are you doing out in this weather? You're gonna get a cold and... Are you crying?" She asked, upon noticing the red shade that colored his eyes.
Spike was shivering so intensely from the cold, he could hardly speak. To Gabby, he seemed more dead than he is alive, which frightens the griffon. Without wasting a second, Gabby quickly wrapped her wings around Spike to keep him warm, while holding her umbrella over his head.
"C'mon, let's get you back to Twilight's Castle," Gabby said frantically, as she took the dragon back to his and Twilight's home, where he will be safe and recover.
At Twilight's Castle
It was another night of Twilight Time, when the Cutie Mark Crusaders were on their way to the front doors of the castle. Accompanying them are Princess Twilight herself, and Apple Bloom's cousin from Manehatten, who was visiting, Babs Seed.
"Thanks again for inviting me to join in on yo Twilight Time!" Babs Seed smiled. "It's not everyday I get to hang with a princess alicorn!"
"The pleasure's all mine, Babs," Twilight smiled. "It's nice to meet another relative of Applejack's family."
Suddenly, without warning, Gabby burst through the front door, carrying a cold ridden Spike, much to Twilight, Babs Seed, and the CMCs' horror.
"Princess Twilight! You gotta help Spike! Fast!" Gabby squawked frantically.
Spike was tucked into bed, while Twilight was checking his temperature with a thermometer.
"Sweet Celestia!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed in shock. "Spike! Either I need glasses, but according to these numbers, and the symptoms, you've gotten pneumonia!"
"Pneumonia?!" The CMCs present exclaimed in shock.
"It's not uncommon, but a lot of creatures can die from it..."
"Die? Die!?" Gabby whimpered, before she burst out crying. "Spike's gonna die?! NO! HE'S TOO YOUNG TO DIE!!" Gabby cried tearfully, while hugging Sweetie Belle so tight, the poor marshmallow unicorn was turning red, then blue, and then purple.
"Oh, nice going, Princess..." Babs Seed snarked to an embarrassed Twilight.
"Whoa, Gabby, it's okay, okay," Twilight tried to reassure the crying griffon. "Spike's not gonna die! I can whip up a–Gabby!"
It wasn't until Scootaloo and Applebloom both stuffed an apple pie into Gabby's beak that the griffon stopped crying.
"Shhhhh!" Both Scootaloo and Applebloom shushed the griffon.
After Gabby's tearful outburst was put to a halt, Twilight was able to hear herself think as she said, "I'm gonna go and whip up a batch of medicine for Spike's soup. Can you girls stay here and look after him while I'm gone?"
The CMCs, plus Gabby and Babs Seed, all exchanged random agreements, watching as Twilight took her leave. After Twilight left the room, Gabby walked over to Spike's side and looked at him with concern.
"Hey, Spike?" Gabby began as she tenderly puts a claw over his. "You're going to be okay. Okay?"
"Yeah, just take it easy there, Spike," Apple Bloom joined in, followed by the other girls.
"Soon you'll be right as rain!" Sweetie Belle added.
"Sweetie Belle!" The girls exclaimed at the unicorn's choice of words.
"What? Oh," Catching on and realizing what she just said, Sweetie Belle blushed a shade of pink as she stammered, "N-N-No pun intended, Spike! What I meant was...get well soon, okay? We're all here for you."
"Totally," Scootaloo added. "We're your friends and we're all rooting for ya to pull through!"
"What they said," Babs Seed pointed.
Spike was at first silent for a moment, until he mustered every amount of strength he could manage and asked, "Do...you...mean...that?" He asked, to which the girls responded by exchanging agreements to the young dragon. "You...like me?"
"Of course!" Gabby smiled. "What's there to not like about you?"
The girls watched as Spike shifted in his bed, barely keeping his eyes open. But a few drops of tears were running down his cheeks.
"So...some ponies...like me. Right?"
"Of course we like you, Spike," Sweetie Belle replied. "Why would you think we don't?"
With that, and with every energy he barely has, Spike told the CMCs, Gabby, and Babs Seed, about Pinkie Pie's bedtime story to the Cake Twins – Pound and Pumpkin – and how it ended with a very bad plot twist. Needless to say, the girls were beyond dumbfounded at what they've heard.
"She said that?!" Gabby gasped.
"Why would she say something like that?" Apple Bloom asked. "Especially when she makes it sounded like mah sister would say that! And Applejack would never!"
"I know Pinkie's weird and all, but that joke was bad! Even for her!" Scootaloo added.
"And it's not funny!" Babs Seed added. "And I know when funny is 'haha' and 'bad!' I was a bully once!"
Sweetie Belle was the first to look at Spike and reassured the sick young dragon, "Well, y'know what, Spike?" Sweetie Belle began. "I'm your friend, and I like you! No matter what Pinkie, or any other ponies would say!"
"Me too!" Gabby squawked as she held Spike's claws tightly. "You're the first friend I've ever made who is a dragon, and I cherish every moment we've had together. For every rounds I've made in Ponyville and then some!"
"Darn tootin'!" Apple Bloom added. "Dragon or no dragon, you're a friend, and you're part of the apple bunches!"
"Plus, I think it's cool to have a dragon for a friend!" Scootaloo said.
"I may not have known you for as long as these girls do," Babs Seed began, as she walked up to the sick Spike. "But if you're there friend, then that's good enough for me! I'm always there for my friends, and I'm more than happy to stick my neck and hooves out for them!"
"Yeah!" The girls cheered together, which brought a small tearful smile to Spike's face.
All together, the CMCs held their hooves out, holding them up, on top of each other's. Then, they beckoned for Gabby and Babs Seed to join in as well, while also turning to look at Spike, inviting him to join his claws in.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom began.
"And Spike!" Gabby chirped.
"FOREVER!" The girls hollered, raising their hooves and claws up.
They were a team for Spike, indeed.
The End.
But wait! THERE'S MORE!
Down in her kitchen, Twilight was mixing together the pneumonia medicine into the soup she was making for Spike. She was on her way back to her room, when the front doors opened and Pinkie Pie appeared in the castle.
"Hi Pinkie!" Twilight greeted.
"Hey Twilight," Pinkie Pie greeted, half-heartedly, with her mane and tail, slightly deflated to match her mood. "Is Spike here?"
"He's in his room," Twilight confirmed. "But he's really sick and I was just–Huh?"
Before Twilight could finish, Pinkie Pie gave Twilight a 'Get Well' card. Still levitating the soup, Twilight opened up the card to find two simple words written: "I'm sorry."