One day, Spike wakes up as an Alicorn, and nopony seems to remember what happened last night to cause this.
On a late morning in ponyville, the inhabitants of the Castle of Friendship wake up long after the sun rises to make a startling discovery; Spike had inexplicably transformed into an Alicorn! Even stranger, nopony seems to remember anything about the previous day at all, to understand what had caused such a thing to occur.
Spike groans as he slowly drifts out of oblivion, a thick shroud of lethargy hanging around his mind. He hasn't slept quite as well ever since Twilight's and his old home had been destroyed by Tirek and they'd had to move into the castle of friendship, but even by that standard he feels unusually tired this morning. Still, he can see that morning light was streaming in through the window, and so he reluctantly resolves to get up; He can't quite seem to recall what Twilight's plans are that day, but one didn't get a title like "Number one assistant" by lazing about all morning. Even if the events of the previous day are a hazy blur.
Trying to rise up to his legs, Spike loses his balance almost immediately, falling forward onto his arms. Only, they weren't arms at all. H-huh? Spike blinks down at his hooves in consternation- Wait, hooves?
The empty halls of the castle are momentarily filled with the echoing sound of Spike's screech of dismay and confusion, quickly summoning the attention of the premier occupant of the castle. Twilight herself had also slept in- Remarkably late, for such a schedule-oriented pony- but the sounds of her young dragon's dismay rouses her to full cognizance instantly, triggering a reflexive teleportation straight into his room.
But there is no dragon waiting there for her, and instead standing in Spike's room is a pony she does not recognize- Even more startling, an Alicorn, with a purple coat and scales running down their back which makes them resemble a Kirin. Although, granted, Twilight had only ever read about such creatures in books. But the most noticeable attribute is the strange ponies mane and wings, a bright nuclear-green color and flowing like a wildfire in a windstorm.
Having had her friends stolen from her numerous times to get some leverage over her, Twilight does not hesitate or mince words, instantly sealing all the doors and window of the room, and capturing the intruder in a protective bubble. There are no other Alicorns in Equestria that she is aware of, least of all ones that had any business intruding upon her closest family's bedroom. Taking up an aggressive stance, Twilight summons a combative spell to the tip of her horn, and only with those precautions complete did she take the time to address the intruder properly.
"Who are you? What happened to Spike?" Twilight demands, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "What are you, a changeling infiltrator? You should know that there aren't any Alicorns that look anything like you in Equestria." Even as she interrogates her hapless captive, her mind buzz's with other possibilities. Maybe they came from foreign lands, or even another timeline? Starlight's investigation of time magic had revealed that was at least a possibility. Or of course, they could have been yet another ancient threat or benefactor of Equestria. Only some of her attention was on the target in front of her, the rest of her mind searching through her endless reserves of knowledge to try and make some kind of guess as to who the stranger in front of her was and what their intentions may be.
"No, Twilight! It's me! Spike!" The Alicorn protests desperately, banging on the walls of their magical prison. Twilight blinks, startled, and momentarily lets down her guard. The voice is exactly Spike's, but, there are various threats that could mimic that, as well...
But as Twilight hesitates, her focus on the protective bubble weakens, and the horn of the Alicorn inside lights up with a green faerie fire. Both Twilight's and the strange ponies eyes widen in apparent surprise. Had she accidentally allowed the threat a chance to escape? Before she can reinforce her shield bubble once more, the flame from the horn burns out of control, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the pony it originated from, and the inside of the bubble fills with a neon green inferno.
The inside of the protective magical carapace bursts with energy as it strains to contain the blast, stretching beyond its limits before shattering in an incandescent flash of purple and green light, the fireball inside unleashing in a wave like a nova. Twilight shields her face from the heat, coughing. Concern quickly fills her, overriding her defensive instincts- Whether the pony inside the bubble was Spike or not, she couldn't just let a pony burn to a crisp in front of her, even if they were intruding. Twilight quickly dashes into the fire and bats the flames away with her magic, before sucking the smoke into a small bubble and compressing it into a solid black marble.
Much to Twilight's relief, the pony still seemed intact, in fact entirely unburnt by the inferno that had just raged in the room, coughing and sitting anxiously on the ground before looking up at Twilight with unmistakably familiar green eyes. "T-Twilight! What's going on?" Spike's voice wails out.
"S-Spike? Is that really you?" Twilight asks, hesitantly, cautiously, slowly stepping closer. It was hard to believe, but somehow the mannerisms did seem familiar even if they were being projected through a totally different body shape. The green fire retreats, until it had died down to just the Alicorns mane and tail, dully glowing, now more like embers than a full-on flame.
"I-I mean, I think so!" Spike states, feeling his unfamiliar body up and down with his claws... No, hooves. Well, they were sort of like claws, still... They had sharp points, even if they were mostly hoof shaped.
Before the conversation could continue any farther, the final inhabitant of the castle strolls around the corner, roused by the commotion. A steaming mug of tea held securely in her levitation magic, Starlight yawns and blinks around the room, looking like she hadn't slept in a year from the bags under her eyes. "What's with all the commotion?" She asks, not yet having taken in the sight in front of her. But as she takes a sip from her tea, the scene finally clicks in her head, and she chokes on her tea, spitting it out. "Huh? Whuh? Huhwhuzzat?" Starlight stammers, falling onto her haunches.
"I don't know, I just woke up this way!" Spike insists, hooves grasping at his horn. Twilight frowns and walks around him, inspecting him diligently before levitating a mirror over to him. "Here, you can stop pawing at yourself, just take a look." Twilight states, a deeply concerned look on her face as she settles in by his side.
Spike stares into his new reflection, taking it all in. He didn't look quite like anypony he'd ever seen before; While he was unmistakably an Alicorn, with wings and horn both, the horn was almost buried in a blazing green mane that seemed to pulse and flicker like a flame. There were a number of traits that were still familiar despite the situation; An arrow-shaped tip to the end of his tail, wide and familiar green eyes, and even a pair of elongated canines he could observe when he opened his mouth. Spinning in a circle slowly to take a look at himself all over, he gets a good look at his flank and finds, somewhat to his surprise, a cutie mark- A bright green fireball highlighted against his purple fur. Finally, he sits down- standing felt rather clumsy, as unfamiliar as it was to him to stand on all fours like that.
"How did this happen? Whats going on, Twilight?" Spike pleads with Twilight, giving her the pleading eyes he normally reserved for when he caught sight of a particularly juicy gemstone for sale.
Twilight put a hoof to her head, trying to concentrate as she darts around him, trying to get a good look. "I-I don't know. What were you doing last night? Is there anything you can tell me?" Even as she asks that, the three of them- Starlight, Twilight, and of course the alicornified Spike- are teleported into the library as Twilight begins habitually digging through books in search of relevant reference material.
"I-I don't know, I don't remember anything from yesterday!" Spike says, after a long pause. Twilight halts in her book searching for a long moment, looking back at Spike with a confused frown.
"...That's, odd. I don't remember anything either. What about you, Starlight?" The lavender-coated mare simply shakes her head in negative.
There is a long moment of silence as the three of them ponder the implications. But as the studious and proactive pony she was, Twilight finally comes up with a plan.
"We'd better investigate if anything else is weird in the town, and see if anypony else remembers anything about last night. And Starlight, keep an eye out for anything strange with yourself, too... We don't know for sure if Spike will be the only one affected by whatever happened yesterday." Twilight states, authoritatively. She was perhaps less concerned than was warranted, if for no other reason than it seemed like a fantastic mystery to unravel, and if there was one thing that overjoys Twilight... It's discovering new things.
"Twilight! Are you sure I have to stay here?" Spike pleads, wobbling on his legs as he tries to hold himself up. He still hadn't gotten the hang of standing or walking, and flying was certainly out of the question.
Twilight bites her own lip, questioning herself. She direly wanted to be with her longtime companion and help him with this unfamiliar experience, but there had been enough magical disasters over the last decade that she was immediately concerned that something more major might have happened- After all, Starlight and her both seemed to also be affected, given that neither of them remembered the events of the previous day either.
But looking at Spike pitifully trying to walk, Twilight sighs and lowers her head, looking over at Starlight. "Starlight, do you think you can handle this one? I had probably better stay with Spike." She eventually asks, against her own better judgement.
Starlight puffs out her chest at the request and salutes. "Consider it done!" She announces, a hint of her past self's cocky tone entering her voice. Twilight frowns slightly- She still didn't entirely trust Starlight, even though she had given her a place at her castle to stay, and it would interrupt her pupil's friendship lessons... But she had promised to give the pony a second chance, and that meant doing her best to trust her. After all, she was just going to talk to some of the other ponies in the village... She would be able to do that just fine, right..? The somewhat smug look on Starlight's face gave Twilight pause, but she tries to brush it off.
For Starlight's part, she was just happy that her mentor was trusting her with the task, though the subtle frown on Twilight's face did not escape her attention. Setting her jaw, Starlight teleports out of the castle. Happy about it or not, at least she's trusting you with this task. You'd better show you have what it takes! Starlight resolves, as she blinks back into reality on the outskirts of the village.
Where should she start? Most of the village's inhabitants were still wary of her presence, given recent events, and exhaustive questioning might incite suspicion... It would likely be best if she prioritized those ponies she already knew, and besides, they would be the most likely to be able to tell her what she, Twilight, and Spike had been up to the previous day.
In her mind, she quickly cycles through the possible options. Applejack was the least likely to trust her, but would likely tell her whatever she knew anyways, being the element of honesty. Fluttershy would likely be the most likely to give her the benefit of the doubt, but since she was on the outskirts of town she would be less likely to have observed if anything was wrong.
Since the situation is magical in nature, it would make the most sense to ask a unicorn. Starlight finally reasons to herself, charging up her horn for another medium-range teleportation to Rarities boutique. She wasn't necessarily the most magic-savvy unicorn, by any means... But she was still likely the best place to start. If only Sunburst were here, I'm sure he would be able to figure it out... Starlight sighs remorsefully, thinking about her old fillyhood friend momentarily before shaking her head to clear her thoughts and focus on the mission at hoof.
"Rarity? You home?" Starlight calls out, knocking on the door with one hoof. She doesn't need to wait long before the door is opened by a sleepy-eyed Sweetie Belle, eyelids drooping. Has anypony gotten any sleep? Starlight wonders to herself.
"Oh, hi, Starburst. You want me to go get my sister?" Sweetie Belle asks, and Starlight smiles back at the filly's misremembrance of her name somehow crossing it with her old friend. Had the filly somehow heard about her friends name in a conversation involving her, she wondered, and gotten the wires crossed?
But correcting her seemed unnecessary. "Yes, thank-you. I just need to ask her about some things for Twilight." Starlight feels a little more at ease; somehow, she felt some affinity for the younger ponies around the village, maybe just because they were less likely to treat her with suspicion. Not that she didn't deserve the suspicion, after having almost destroyed the world a half dozen times over, she reminds herself. She'd been reminding herself that a lot, ever since she'd moved in with Twilight.
Starlight was pulled away from her thoughts by Rarity descending the stairs inside the boutique, yawning and rolling her shoulders. She looks slightly unnerved at the sight of Starlight, but doesn't hesitate to open the door all the way with an inviting expression. "Oh, come in, come in, darling. What are you doing standing out there for?" Rarity asks, motioning for Starlight to enter. "Would you like some tea?"
Starlight sits down on the couch, looking around curiously. She didn't think she'd been inside the boutique since her reformation; it was certainly every bit as extravagant as she had expected. "Um, that's alright, Rarity. Actually, I'm here on Twilight's behalf." She starts. "We seem to have had some kind of... magical incident last night, and worse, none of us can seem to remember what actually happened. So I was hoping you might be able to tell me if you knew anything about what we were up to the other day?" Starlight asks, hopefully.
"An incident? Why, what kind of incident?" Rarity asks, curiously. "Is everything quite alright?"
"Well..." Starlight starts, wondering how to explain. Did a spontaneous species change qualify as 'alright'..? I mean, it's not like they're any worse for wear... Starlight reasons to herself. But Rarity was waiting for an answer, so she puts that from her mind. "You see, Spike seems to have... Become an Alicorn, somehow." Starlight winces at the reaction.
"I-I beg your pardon?" Rarity blinks. "I could swear you just said that my Spikie-Wikie was an Alicorn. I must have misheard you." Rarity's tone drips with disbelief, as Starlight simply nods her head.
"Um... Yep, that's what I said. Whole nine yards, cutie mark and fire mane and all." Starlight states, bluntly.
Rarity dramatically gestures up at the sky as a couch materialized out of seemingly nowhere, just in time to catch her as she fell back on it. Starlight calmly sits and waits until Rarity regains their composure.
"But... But... Why? And how?" Rarity finally sputters out, eliciting a simple shrug from Starlight.
"Like I said, we don't know. So... Do you remember anything about yesterday?" That was the best place to start probably, so they could determine if the situation was localized to the castle or affected the entire village.
"Yesterday? Why, I was just working on my new line of formal attire. I don't remember anything particularly out of the ordinary." Rarity ponders.
Starlight breathes a bit of a sigh of relief. At least the memory problems weren't universal. "Do you remember anything about what... Well, Spike, Twilight, and I were up to that day?" Starlight follows up.
Rarity purses her lips. "Well, no, I can't say that I do. I didn't see any of you around town at all yesterday."
Starlight frowns and hops from her seat. "Hm. Well, thanks for your help, anyways. I'd better be off to continue my investigation, in that case." Without even waiting for Rarity to respond, Starlight teleports away in a flash of light for parts unknown.
"Cant I go? I can... uff," Spike was interrupted as his attempts to walk were once again interrupted by faceplanting into the ground. Twilight suppresses a giggle as she helps steady him, giving him a look of both concern and amusement.
"I don't think you're in any kind of fit state to be walking around." Twilight states, a little wryly. "Plus, I want to keep a close eye on you to make sure you're ok. You did just destroy your bedroom not that long ago, what if you blew up like that again in the middle of town? Somepony could get seriously hurt." Twilight justifies. It somewhat reminds her of when she had to absorb all the Alicorn magic in Equestria; Suddenly having to control far more power than she was used to. Her young charge would certainly need some tutoring in how to control his magic before he could do anything.
Of course, that wasn't the only reasons she doesn't want him to be walking around town... Twilight would not put it past him to try and use his newfound Alicorn status to sweep Rarity off her feet.
Spike reluctantly looks down at the ground. "Yeah... I guess you're right." he mutters after a moment.
Twilight puts a hopefully reassuring wing around his shoulders and gives him a smile. "C'mon, I can help give you some pointers so you can get along alright. We don't know how long you'll be stuck like this, but at least you should be able to be safe and comfortable before I start focusing on investigating."
Spike can't help but roll his eyes reflexively when he hears the signature tone shift that warns him whenever Twilight goes into 'lecture' mode. He can't help it, it's just a gut reaction, even when the lecture in question is actually helpful. "Now, watch what I do and try to follow along." Twilight instructs, standing in front of Spike and then slowly, meticulously taking a step forward, emphasizing good posture and balance.
"Um, I think I've seen ponies walk before, Twi." Spike retorts dryly.
Twilight looks maybe slightly offended, but takes it in stride. "Sure, but have you ever paid close attention to how they do it? You need to get comfortable on your own four legs before you can do anything else." Twilight affirms. Spike sighs, and reluctantly follows along.
Thankfully, it doesn't take too long for Spike to get the hang of it, and soon enough he was practicing some slightly more complicated maneuvers- Opening doors, holding objects, climbing ladders. It was amazing how many simple tasks you just took for granted, that became so much harder when your entire body proportions shifted overnight. But slowly, Spike was growing more comfortable with his ability to navigate the world in this new form.
For Twilight's part, she is at least relieved that Spike's horn doesn't seem to be igniting with green fire anymore. At least, until he starts getting frustrated trying to use a quill with his mouth.
"I've had it with this! How do ponies even write with these things?" Spike protests. "Now I get why you always have me write everything, this is impossible!" Spike complains.
"U-um, Spike, be careful!" Twilight protests, eyeing his horn as it lights up with green fire reflecting his growing frustration. Too late, because Spike spits out the quill in agitation, and in the process, accidentally releases a dart of green fire from his horn. His mane and tail flare up, once again appearing like a devouring flame, and a streak of fire jets from the tip of his horn. Spike yelps in surprise, in the process spitting out another burst of green flame from his mouth.
"No!" Twilight shouts in terror as her precious books are incinerated before her eyes. She reflexively casts a protective spell to block the flame from spreading farther, but some damage had already been done- An entire bookshelf was reduced to cinders.
Twilight shrieks in horror, jumping forward to try and salvage anything she can. "No! Spike, this was where I was keeping the Compendium of Breezy Anatomy! I hadn't had time to read that yet!" Twilight scrambles to look through the burnt books, desperately hoping any of them were intact, but all turn to ash as soon as she touches them.
Meanwhile, Spike stumbles backwards and stares at the ground, cheeks burning in shame and anxiety. "I-I'm sorry, Twi, I didn't mean to..." Spike mutters huskily- He knows exactly how important books are to Twilight after all.
Twilight looks back at Spike, pausing, two separate emotions at war inside of her head. One part of her wants to comfort Spike, tell him it's all ok, that he was more important than any silly books. The other part wants to scream at him for desecrating the sanctity of her library.
Gradually, a third voice starts to win out- One enraptured by Spike's apparently unique magical abilities. Fascinating! Even though he's an Alicorn now, he still seems to have retained his fire breath. The warring emotions within Twilight begin taking their toll on her, and her breathing and heart rate accelerate.
Spike looks on, distraught, recognizing the tell-tale signs of a neurotic episode from Twilight. "H-hey, Twilight, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise." Spike tries to reassure her. "I-I'll make a trip to Canterlot once this is all sorted out and buy a new copy of it with my allowance, ok?"
Twilight blinks up at her assistant, feeling herself calm down as compassion overbalances the tragedy that had just occurred. Taking a deep breathe, she clears her throat, which feels oddly dry. "It's ok, Spike." She forces herself to say, although she most certainly did not think that burnt books were ever ok. "You don't have to do that, it wasn't your fault." Twilight states with some effort, suppressing the murderous rage that destroyed books incites in her heart. "We'll just have to clean this up later. Right now, I think we should get to the lab and see if we can get that fire of yours under control."
A subtle undercurrent of excitement pulses through Twilight's heart. Not only get it under control, but learn how it worked- As far as anypony could tell, Spike was now an entirely novel organism! The study opportunity quite simply could not be passed up.
Spike nods, seeming to cheer up a little, seeing that Twilight was apparently not angry at him. "Alright! I bet I can walk there on my own, now!" Spike proclaims, before immediately feeling somewhat pathetic for saying such a thing. Imagine being proud of just being able to walk...
Twilight shrugs. She could have just teleported the both of them, but, Spike could probably use the practice; after all, who knew how long he would be stuck like this? "Alright, Spike, come along, then."
Starlight's investigation next lead her to the Apple families farm; Her cordial visit with Rarity had set her mind somewhat at ease, and between the whole apple family there was a decent chance that at least one of them had seen one of the castles inhabitants over the previous day. After all, it was one of only a handful of places to get food in the whole village, and food was something everypony needed, no exceptions.
Starlight blinks into existence a little ways up the road from the apple family house, but she doesn't make it to the door before a startled voice calls out to her.
"Starshine? What're you doin' on ma farm?" Applebloom asks. She had already been outside helping with apple harvesting, together with her two siblings which were a bit more distant. Starlight blinks- Who would have thought that her name would be misremembered twice in one day? But that didn't bug her too much.
"Hey, Applebloom! Actually, I'm here on Twilight's behalf. We need to know if you remember anything about yesterday, and especially if you have any recollection about what Twilight and Spike were up to." Starlight explains, getting straight to the point.
"Huh? I mean-" Applebloom started, before being interrupted by her older sister strutting over to the conversation, glaring at Starlight suspiciously.
"Hold on there, Starlight. Why would you need t'be knowing something like that? If Twilight sent you like you says, surely you could just go and ask her yourself." Applejack inquires skeptically.
Starlight turns to address the new arrival, quickly bobbing her head in acknowledgement of her presence. "Well, we had some kind of magic incident last evening, and nopony seems to be able to remember anything. I just came from Rarities, and was relieved to discover that it doesn't seem like the whole village has forgotten, but she didn't know anything about what we- Spike, Twilight, and I- were up to." Starlight elaborates, doing her best to ignore the distrusting glares.
"Magic incident? What kind of magic incident?" Applejack asks. "How do y'all know you didn't just bump your 'ead?"
"Well, for starters, all three of us don't remember anything about yesterday, and I haven't noticed any welts on my head." Starlight starts, raising a brow. "But more importantly, Spike seems to have undergone a bit of a 'Spontaneous species change' for no apparent reason. Or is that something that normally happens when you bump your head?" Starlight can't help but let a sarcastic tone seep into her voice.
"Well, there's no calling for bein' rude." Applejack retorts, before her gaze softens. "So just what exactly has happened with Spike?" Applejack asks. "Should ah assume that's why Twilight isn't here in the flesh?"
Starlight hesitates, before sighing. "Yes, that's pretty much it. When we woke up this morning, he seemed to have somehow become... An Alicorn." Starlight winces at the obvious unbelievability of that claim.
Applejack's jaw just drops, but before she can say anything, the little filly by her side starts prancing from leg to leg in place excitedly. "An Alicorn!? There's another Alicorn in our town!?" Applebloom shouts excitedly, attracting the attention of Big Mac, who saunters over as well to join the conversation.
Starlight sighs. This really didn't seem to be going anywhere. "Look, Twilight's looking after him, and I need to get back to her as soon as I collect any information I can around town. So can somepony please tell me if they saw any of us yesterday or had any clue what we were up to that might have caused this?"
"Nnope." Big mac simply responds, shaking his head.
"Ugh..." Starlight grumbles. Another dead end, seemingly. But just as she was preparing to teleport out, she was interrupted.
"Wait a minute! Ah saw Twilight the other day!" Applebloom announces. "When Scoots, Sweetie, and ah were goin' t'see that traveling blacksmith from Appleloosa, we passed by her going up towards Fluttershy's cottage!"
"Finally!" Starlight shouts with relief. She had been starting to wonder if anypony would have seen her at all, yesterday. "Did she say what she was doing up there?"
"Eyup!" Applebloom announces, cheerfully. "Or, um, ah think she did. Somethin' about ingredients, ah think?" Applebloom's eyes light up. "Hey, sis, can ah call in early today? Maybe ah could go an' fetch Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and we could be CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MAGICAL INVESTIGATORS!" Everypony in the vicinity covers their ears with their hooves at the loud outburst.
"No can do, sugarcube, we need 'ta finish up the chores on the farm so ah can go check in with Twilight an' see how Spike is holdin' up." Applejack announces, pulling Applebloom in close. "And ah'll be watchin' you, Starlight. You had best be telling the truth about Spike now, y'hear?" Applejack makes a motion from her glaring eyes to Starlight communicating an implicit threat.
Starlight sighs heavily and droops her muzzle. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, save the lecture for if I'm actually wrong somehow." Starlight says before teleporting out of there. Hopefully once Applejack saw she was telling the truth, she would get more trust from her... Until then, it was probably better to just leave and let the situation speak for itself.
"Aww...." Applebloom pouts, after Starlight had disappeared from the scene. "Big Mac, are you sure I can't go?" Applebloom asks with pleading eyes up to her older brother; Sure, Applejack had said no, but if Big Mac said yes she could still get away with it!
But much to her disappointment all she got was the red stallion shaking his head. "Nnope."
Before Starlight's eyes can adjust to the routine flash of light that accompanies teleportation, she is startled by a panicked squeal that makes her jump. As her eyes adjust, she finds herself looking at Fluttershy hiding behind a bush, quaking in fear. After a moment, Starlight clears her throat. "Um, hello."
Fluttershy slowly stands up. "S-sorry, you startled me." She murmurs at an almost inaudible pitch, still hiding her face. Starlight sighs, sitting down on her haunches and waiting for Fluttershy to relax somewhat. "I-Is there something you need?" Fluttershy eventually asks, her voice still quaking a bit. Seemingly, Starlight had interrupted her on the path home, and as she looks around she can see that what Fluttershy had been carrying- A box of kibble, seemingly- was laying on the path.
"Um, there is.." Starlight starts. "But why don't we head inside first? Er... Assuming that's ok, that is." Starlight hastily tacks on the last bit as she remembers that Fluttershy hadn't invited her in. Not that it wasn't a fair assumption that she would be, but it did seem a bit rude to just assume.
Fluttershy nods and seems to come out of her shell a bit. "Oh, of course! You're welcome anytime. Just, maybe teleport a little further away next time..." Fluttershy adds on meekly.
Starlight looks self conscious and rubs the back of her neck. "Eheh... Sorry. I didn't know you would be right here. I'll try to remember that for later." She quickly lifts up the kibble Fluttershy was carrying in her magic- It seemed actually rather heavy, Fluttershy must have been struggling to carry it back- and lets Fluttershy lead the way inside, sitting down on the chair across from her and setting the kibble down on the table.
Starlight looks around inside; It was quite the cozy little abode, the perfect fit for the resident pegasus. Even though she knows she should get straight to business, it just felt... Wrong to jump straight into questions with Fluttershy, somehow. So instead she just casually asks "Whose the kibble for?"
Fluttershy's face lights up instantly, as soon as she is given an excuse to talk about her animals, clapping her hooves together in excitement. "Oh, there's this adorable group of wolf pups who got separated from their mother!" Even though that seemed like an exclamation coming from Fluttershy, it was barely above speaking volume. "They're still young and have limited diets, right now. But of course I can't let them eat any of my other animal friends..." Fluttershy seems to shudder a little at the idea before continuing. "So, I have a kibble specially made, just like for every carnivore who needs help. It has all the nutrition a growing pup needs to be healthy, and grow up big and strong!"
Starlight looks around the room, wondering where the wolf pups in question were. Fluttershy seems to follow her curious gaze, and smiles lightly. "Come on out, you two. It's ok, Starlight won't hurt you." Fluttershy suddenly shoots Starlight an uncertain glance, as if doubting the statement she had just said, and Starlight just does her best to put on the most innocent face she can.
Slowly, a pair of small, wobbly-legged canines emerge from their hiding place underneath some of Fluttershy's furniture, and Starlight does her best to suppress a squeal of excitement- Fluttershy had not been kidding about them being adorable, and she can't help but be distracted for several minutes playing with them.
Eventually, however, Fluttershy returns- Starlight hadn't actually noticed her leaving, she was so quiet- with two cups of tea, which she sets on the table. "So, um, what brings you around? I'm sure you're not here just to say hi?" Fluttershy asks, cautiously. Starlight blinks- the task at hand had completely slipped her mind. Pulling herself away from her two playmates with some difficulty, she laughs a little awkwardly while she sits down in the chair opposite from Fluttershy.
"Oh, eheh. Right." Starlight starts, rubbing the back of her head self consciously. "So, there seems to have been a bit of a problem yesterday, and neither Twilight, Spike, nor I can remember anything that happened. And then, on top of that... Spike seems to have undergone a spontaneous species shift to an Alicorn this morning." Starlight says in the most casual tone she can muster, in the hopes that she can avoid the whole shocked reaction routine.
At least, Fluttershy's reaction was more muted than most of the others. Both of her hooves reached up to her mouth as she blinks in surprise, taking a long moment to process, before finally breathing out a quiet "Oh, my."
Starlight breathes a sigh of relief- it seemed she would be able to continue without too much interruption. "Anyways, Twilight asked me to investigate with everypony if anypony else had noticed anything off. Rarity and Applejack have confirmed that their memories of yesterday were fine, already, so it does seem like the incident was probably localized to just the castle of friendship... While I was at Applejack's, though, Applebloom mentioned that she had seen Twilight yesterday, coming out to your cottage." Starlight explains. "I was hoping you could provide some insight into what we were up to yesterday, to see if maybe we could determine why this whole thing happened."
Fluttershy blinks at Starlight again, her mind seemingly trying to catch up with all that had just been explained. "O-oh, um." She stammers. "W-well, I did see Twilight yesterday. She seemed like she was in really good spirits. She said she needed some ingredients for a spell she was going to cast, and some of them came from animals I have around. Um, if I remember right, she needed a phoenix feather, and I just so happened to be looking after Philomena the other day, so I was able to help." Fluttershy offers.
Now it was Starlight's turn to be surprised. Fluttershy just happened to have a phoenix around..? Never-mind that, this was a fantastic lead! This would certainly seem to suggest that whatever had happened was probably related to that spell Twilight had cast, or been preparing to cast! And here I was thinking this whole investigation was going to be pointless! Starlight thinks to herself with a sigh of relief.
"That's a great help, Fluttershy!" Starlight announces- maybe a tad too loud, as Fluttershy sinks down in response to the noise. "Do you know anything else? Did she say what the spell was for? Mention any more ingredients?"
"O-oh, um, I don't know..." Fluttershy paws the ground nervously. "I-I don't really remember anything else, I didn't think much of it... She comes by with some kind of research project pretty often whenever I have more exotic animals around... I always do my best to help, but I don't necessarily understand what she's actually trying to do..."
Starlight shrugs. That was a little annoying maybe, but she was still riding the high from actually making some headway in the investigation in the first place, and was perfectly motivated to continue now. "Well, that's just fine, Fluttershy. Thankyou for the help." Starlight announces. "It sounds like you're a great friend to Twilight. I, um..." She pauses, unsure of how to continue, before taking a deep breathe. "I hope I can become your friend, too. And this tea is perfect." She announces, taking a final sip from the tea in front of her. "But I'd best be off to continue my investigation. Thank you for the help."
"O-oh, its no trouble at all!" Before Fluttershy had even finished that sentence, Starlight had teleported away to parts unknown once again.
"Spike, this is amazing!" Twilight announces, frantically looking through the produced body of research material that her laboratory provided her with. She'd set up a new laboratory in the castle of friendship in one of the many empty rooms, far from the library; The lab was one of the most accident prone rooms in the entire building and if there was an explosion, she would prefer if it didn't destroy all of her books.
Spike shivers a little, looking around the once familiar laboratory. he was currently hooked up to a variety of high-tech looking doodads with Celestia-knows what purpose. Somehow, the laboratory felt very different when he was the current object of Twilight's fascination. It felt almost, deponyizing somehow. "Uh, what's amazing?" Spike asks unsurely.
Twilight of course was entirely oblivious as she looks up at Spike excitedly. "Your anatomy seems completely novel! I've never seen anything like it. You seem like an Alicorn but, you have a higher body temperature than any pony I've ever seen, even with a fever. And these scans would seem to show some organs I've never seen before attached to your digestive tract!" Twilight exclaims, poring over a magical device that appeared somewhat similar to a camera, but with three symmetrical crystals in place of a lens.
Spike rubs his forelegs uncomfortably. "Twilight, is this really necessary..?" Spike asks.
Twilight blinks at him as though startled. "Huh? Is what necessary?"
"All... This." Spike motions at all the gear hooked up to them. "I thought you were going to teach me how to keep my magic under control."
Twilight nods. "Well, of course I am. But first I need to figure out what kind of magic you're even producing and how much there is, and..." Twilight trails off, as Spike crosses his forelegs, raising his brow.
"Are you sure about that? Because it seems to me like you're just going off on one of your crazy research projects, with me as your guinea pig." Spike retorts, giving Twilight pause.
Twilight blinks at him, looking lost for a long moment. "I... That's not true, I just..." She starts, crestfallen. There is a long pause, before she sighs unhappily. "I... Your right, Spike, I'm sorry. Let me run one more battery of tests and we'll get to practicing, alright? I promise, just whats absolutely necessary. I just want to make sure that you're healthy and that I establish a baseline for you, so I know what to look for if anything goes wrong. Ok?" Twilight asks, pleadingly.
Spike looks hesitant, but relents. "Ok. One more set of tests. Then you're going to show me how to get this thing under control." Spike motions at his horn. Although it was a very precarious, confusing situation, it also feels a little exciting; He'd spent his entire life around unicorns but, he'd never had a chance to actually experience what it was like to be one. And now not only would he get to do that, but discover what being a pegasus was like, too. It really was something new; in that way, he could somewhat understand why Twilight was so excitable about the situation.
"Alright, let me just get a blood sample and take some magical readings and that will suffice for now." Twilight promises.
As soon as Twilight gets the data logged and properly recorded- Without her assistant's help for once, given that he was busy being the subject- she helps Spike out of all the equipment and back onto his feet. It takes him a second to get a feel for it once again, but after stumbling in place he is able to stand upright, like a normal pony who wasn't inexplicably transformed overnight. Twilight's heart glows a little with pride seeing how quickly he'd gotten used to his temporary form.
"Alright Spike, I hope you're ready for magic kindergarten, courtesy of Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight announces. Spike looks down, a little ashamed- Even though he was brand new to this whole magic thing, it still felt a little humiliating to be referred to as a kindergartner, especially with how much Twilight herself seemed to dread the thought of being sent back to magic kindergarten.
Of course, the title wasn't entirely accurate; spending as much time as he had around Twilight without picking up at least the basics of magical theory by osmosis was quite simply impossible, so he was well ahead of a magic kindergartner. Which was convenient; It meant that Twilight could jump straight to the point. "So, Spike. Do you remember at all what it felt like when you started using magic?" She starts. Spike nods hesitantly.
"Um, I guess so." Spike rubs the back of his head unsurely. He sort of could, but it was wrapped up in other thoughts and feelings from when it had happened- panic, mostly. "Well... The first time, I just felt trapped and wanted out, and... Then I felt something growling inside me, like I had just eaten too many rubies and was belching fire. Only, it wasn't in my stomach, or anywhere, really. I just felt that the fire wanted out, then... It just kind of happened. Spike struggles to explain the feelings, which defied any attempt to summarize them in words. It was like straining a muscle, only the muscle didn't have any physical location and wasn't part of his body.
Twilight nods. "That's the most basic form of unicorn magic, will to power. When you get into more complicated spells, alot more work, focus, and understanding goes into it, but for most reflexive spells its just a matter of wanting something to happen and pouring magic into that want. But it might be a bit tricky to get a feeling for when you're pouring magic into something or not- Even I can make that mistake sometimes, remember that one time I cast Starswirl's spell by reading it aloud without understanding it first?" Spike nods- That had been quite the day, he didn't think he'd be forgetting it anytime soon.
"Well, that should help show how its important to keep a handle on your magic. Once you've had some practice it'll become second nature, but for now you will probably need to focus. Try closing your eyes and feeling every part of yourself." Twilight continues, instructing Spike. "Maybe try clenching your muscles one at a time to focus on each part of yourself.
Spike squeezes his eyelids tightly shut and does as Twilight requested- It wasn't hard to feel how different everything was now that he was focusing on it, pretty much every part of his body was different and some were even entirely new. He could feel his wings- somehow despite being new, they feel more natural than alot of the rest of his body, since at least they were scaly still. The fuzzy mane that felt like Twilight's, that was the really unusual part. But steadily, as he progresses through each part like Twilight had instructed, he finds a few things that were unusual.
Firstly, a couple things he had expected to find were conspicuously missing. But more to the point at the moment, there was one... thing he could feel, could tense up sort of, yet couldn't actually feel where on his body it was or what it was at all. Spike blinks his eyes open, confused, and notices with some shock that sparks were pulsing through his horn.
"Huh!?" He yelps, alarmed. Twilight placed a small shield over the surface of his horn to make sure there wasn't another eruption of green fire, and soothingly laid one wing over him.
"Careful, now. You feel that, right? That's your magic." Twilight explains to him. "Its not a part of your body, but its still a part of you. Try to focus on that and get used to how it feels. That will help you understand how to control it." Twilight gently guides, wishing she could do more than give instructions.
Spike looks overwhelmed and grasps at his horn as if trying to keep it under control with his hooves. "Why does it keep sparking on its own?" He wails. "I don't remember it ever doing that for you!"
Twilight holds him a little tighter with her wing, and responds patiently. "You have alot more magic than I did when I was a filly, and haven't had any time to get used to it. So its pretty hard to control right now. Just try to focus. Do you feel it?" Twilight asks in a gentle tone. Slowly, Spike closes his eyes and focuses, and the sparks from his horn stop.
"Ok, I... I think I got it." Spike replies unsurely.
Twilight claps her hooves together excitedly. "Good! You're getting the hang of this quickly! Now, try and focus on it and just let it all out!" Twilight instructs
Spike looks at Twilight skeptically. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if I burn something down again?" Spike asks, worriedly.
Twilight pulls him in a bit closer and offers him a brief, reassuring nuzzle. "Don't worry about that. I'll be right here, and I'll keep everything contained if something goes wrong." Silently, she wishes Shining Armor were there... His shield spells were still a higher class than her own, and would be a more reliable containment measure. But Shining Armor was, as usual, half of Equus away, so she would have to suffice.
Spike nods after a moment, and settles into a fierce stance, taking a deep breathe before closing his eyes. A moment later, a jet of green flame shoots from his horn, almost striking the wall before Twilight hastily conjures up a cooling barrier to absorb the heat. It's so powerful! I'm actually having to exert myself quite a bit to keep it under control! Twilight thinks, as she cools and dissipates the green fire so it cant do any damage. Then, she erupts in a cheer.
"That's amazing, Spike! You've got a handle on it so quickly!" She announces, elated.
Spike blushes a little at the praise, self consciously. "Well, you did raise me... It'd be hard to be around the most magically gifted unicorn Equestria has ever seen this long without picking up something."
Now it was Twilight's turn to blush at the praise. "I don't know if I'm all that amazing..."
"Not that amazing? Twi, you're so good at magic that you turned yourself into an Alicorn, defeated several existential threats to Equestria, and hatched me. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is." Spike announces in a deadpan tone- Less an exclamation, more a snarky rebuttal to the outlandish claim that Twilight "Wasn't all that amazing."
Twilight can't help but giggle, blushing even more. Knowing Spike believed in her so much always made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. But she snaps back to attention, excitedly- Really, there was something truly amazing about this scenario, that she was only just now fully wrapping her head around. She could share one of her great passions in life- magic- with her lifelong companion, when she never could before! "Enough about me, Spike. I want to see what you can do." She announces, manifesting a quill and paper and handwriting a letter- much messier than Spike's flawless claw-writing, but Spike was otherwise indisposed right now.
"See if you can send this to Princess Celestia." Twilight requests, levitating the message over to him. Spike blinks.
"Huh? But how?" Spike asks. "I'm not a dragon anymore, at least not right now."
Twilight shakes her head. "But you are still producing dragonfire, and you can see it on your cutie mark! I'm sure you can do it!" She affirms, filled with faith in her longtime companion.
Spike hesitates, unsurely, then takes a deep breathe. "Alright, I can try..." He closes his eyes and steadies himself, focusing on his magic, while also trying to visualize the letters destination just like he usually did, and then... Let it loose. A small spurt of green fire quickly devours the message, and Twilight claps her hooves together in delight.
"That's amazing, Spike!" Twilight announces, ecstatically. "Not only did you get a grasp on Alicorn magic, but you've managed to integrate your dragon magic into it, too! I've never heard of anything like this before!" Twilight sounds positively enchanted, enraptured by the possibilities.
"Twi, you're doing the thing again." Spike points out in a deadpan tone.
Twilight blinks, and rubs the back of her head with her hoof. "Eheh... Sorry." Twilight smiles at him sheepishly. He was right; it was more important to focus on practice and control right now, than getting lost in the research possibilities. "Well, let's do some more practice to make sure you've got it under control. Then maybe we can have something to eat- You'll have to tell me if things taste differently with Alicorn taste buds." Twilight nudges Spike. "Alright, next let's try..."
Starlight frowns as she stares up at her next destination. She hadn't had to levitate since her, shall we say, unfortunate altercation with Twilight a couple weeks prior, and she would rather not have to just float awkwardly in the air the whole time she was talking to Rainbow Dash. Oh well, guess it can't be helped. Starlight sighs and casts the spell, feeling a mite tired- She sure had been casting alot of teleportation spells that day, and adding a levitation spell to the mix made it quite the magical workout.
Floating up to the lip of the cloud house that was her destination, Starlight ponders how to knock- She couldn't actually touch the cloud door, and just barging in seemed like a bad idea, especially since Rainbow Dash was one of the ponies who was most suspicious of her. So instead, she simply uses her horn to create a burst of noises that at least tangentially resembled knocking, and waited patiently. There is an odd ruckus from inside, and some childish squeals that gives her pause. Just what is going on in there..? Starlight wonders.
After a long delay, the door finally opens, revealing a very sheepish looking Rainbow Dash and, in the background, an ecstatic- almost smug- orange filly with a purple mane. Rainbow Dash does a double take. "Huh? Star-"
"Hey, Sunlight!" Scootaloo announces eagerly. "Wait, how are you-"
Starlight groans internally. Was she going for a world record of different ways to have her name misremembered today? What were the odds that her name would get mixed up with sunburst in two ways in one day?
"Oh. Right. Levitation." Rainbow Dash finishes the thought both Scootaloo and her were having, looking up at Starlight's horn flippantly and with a hint of unease, taking a protective stance in front of Scootaloo as if worried that Starlight would hurt the filly in some way. Though it's subtle, Starlight still notices the maneuver with a pang. It hurt to be mistrusted like that. "So, Starlight. What's up? I haven't seen you around since... You know." Rainbow Dash awkwardly skirts around the issue. Rainbow spending most of her time up in the clouds meant that, unlike Twilight's other friends, their paths had not crossed since the whole timeline fiasco.
Starlight takes a deep breathe and clears her throat. "Well, actually, I'm here on Twilight's behalf. We had some problems yesterday, and now it seems like Spike has become an Alicorn somehow and none of us can remember how it happened." Starlight announces in a by now well rehearsed speech. "I'm here to ask if you know anything about what we were up to yesterday, so we can try to figure out what happened."
Rainbow Dash does a double take, as Starlight had grown used to by this point. She settles in to wait for her prismatic friend to finish processing what she had just said.
"I- But, what? But, Spike's a dragon, what-" Rainbow Dash stammers, blinking several times in rapid succession. "I... Uh, ok, wow. That's alot. Uh..." Rainbow narrows her eyes, suddenly suspiciously. "Hey, that's awfully convenient, isn't it? Why would Twilight send you?" Rainbow asks in an accusatory tone.
Nothing Starlight wasn't prepared for. "She needs to look after Spike. Having a rogue Alicorn on the loose is kind of a big deal." Starlight explains, wondering while she did if she should have just gathered all of Twilight's friends to ask them at once... It would have cut the explanations down a lot, if nothing else.
Scootaloo, meanwhile, was prancing from hoof to hoof excitedly in the back, wings buzzing in excitement. "Tell her, Rainbow! Tell her what you did yesterday!" Scootaloo seems enraptured, whatever it was had certainly caught the fillies attention. Starlight's brow took an unscheduled trip up north as she looks at Rainbow Dash in confusion.
"What... Did you do yesterday?" Starlight asks, skeptically. Rainbow Dash sighs in resignment.
"Alright, Alright. So there I was practicing for the Wonderbolts, right? But Twilight comes over and says she needs my help with something. Now being the awesome pony I am, of course I was ready to help out at a moments notice. She tells me about how she found some dusty old scroll, but she seemed pretty excited about it, and said she needed some water or something to make it work." Rainbow Dash starts, in the voice she reserves for when she was bragging about the awesome things she had done.
Starlight looks even more skeptical. "Uh, water..? Why would she need you for that?"
"You didn't let me finish!" Rainbow Dash protests. "Like I was saying, it wasn't just any water, it was water from a river in Tartarus. Twilight needed a brave, agile, and lightning-fast pony like me to get to it safely!"
Starlight looks confused. Wouldn't it have been easier to just teleport..? Maybe there was more to it that Rainbow wasn't understanding correctly. At any rate, why would she need water from Tartarus of all places? "...Just like that? You just flew to Tartarus to get... water? Was there anything else to it..? Did she say what it was for?" Starlight asks, intently.
Rainbow Dash flings her mane back, rolling her eyes. "How would I know? I'm an athlete, not an egghead. My friend says she needs my help, and I'm there to help, that's all there is to it." Rainbow Dash states. "She did seem pretty concerned about it though. She was very intent that I didn't touch the water at all while getting it. Not a problem for a pony whose as great of a flier as me, though, it was fillies play to fill a bucket without ever touching the surface." Rainbow elaborates.
Starlight looks thoughtful. "Alright... Well, that's something, at least. You sure you don't know anything else?" She presses; This was the most anypony had told her so far.
Rainbow shakes her head. "Nope. Like I said, not an egghead."
Starlight might have continued questioning for more details, but she was getting cold- hovering up in the air like that had that effect. "Alright. I guess I'll continue my investigation elsewhere, then. Thanks for the intel." She thanks, before teleporting off somewhere warmer.
Starlight had considered skipping over the last of Twilight's friends, given that she already had a decent amount of information for her mentor, but she had already come this far; at this point, she might as well finish what she had started. With that in mind, she struts into Sugarcube Corner at a brisk pace, eager to finish up and get back to the castle.
"Why, hello there, Moonswirl!" Mrs. Cake calls out to Starlight, who just looks at the earth pony incredulously. Starlights eyelid twitches in irritation; Having her name mixed up by fillies was understandable, but this was an adult! Not to mention, that wasn't even close to her actual name. What was it with all the ponies in this town..?
Starlight makes a mental note to make sure everypony knew her proper name later, but right now she was more concerned with finishing her mission, so she just leads with a simple "Its Starlight Glimmer. Anyways, have you seen Pinkie-" Before she can even finish, the pink party pony in question appeared from up the stairs, bouncing excitedly.
"Ooh! Ooh! Hey Starlight, what are you doing here? Wait, no, let me guess! Did Spike spontaneously turn into an Alicorn because Twilight tried casting one of Starswirl's old spells again even though that literally always causes problems, and in the process had a laboratory accident with some of the water from the river Lethe causing you to all lose memory of what you did and resulting in her needing to send you out to try and piece together what happened while she looks after him?" Pinkie asks, all in one single run-on sentence and with no pauses for breathing whatsoever.
Starlight just blinks- Now, it was her chance to be overwhelmed. Pinkie's other friends might have gotten used to the chaotic mare's shenanigans, but Starlight certainly hadn't yet. "Wh-What? How did... But I... Huh?" Starlight's brain struggles to keep up. "Wait, how did you know any of that? And, is that what happened?"
Pinkie Pie just shrugs. "Beats me, I have no clue. I wasn't there." Pinkie Pie doesn't seem even slightly concerned about her apparent omniscience, while Starlight just falls back on her haunches, eyes wide.
"I... But, what... Did... Did you see Twilight at all yesterday?" Starlight finally asks, lamely, her brain so confused it just defaulted to what she had asked the others.
"Nope!" Pinkie Pie announces, before bouncing off again, leaving a very befuddled Starlight to collect her thoughts and finally teleport back to the castle of friendship.
"You're doing really well, Spike!" Twilight was encouraging Spike, who was currently trying out his new legs jogging up and down the hallways. Twilight has a clipboard out, studying his movements to give him tips on improving his bio-mechanical efficiency.
On some level, Twilight feels that Spike has a particular advantage over most ponies; He was learning how to run and walk when he was already well learned enough to understand her instructions, and so she could help make sure he learned good habits rather than getting into habitual muscle-memory of inefficient walking and running patterns! Of course, that only applied because Twilight had read several dozen books on the subject of biomechanics. It was amazing how many habits the average pony developed that were detrimental to their idealized walking efficiency.
"Try increasing your stride length by about two centimeters, that should improve the resonance of your jogging cycle to improve energy efficiency by about 3%, and reduce the odds of shin splints by approximately 11.4%!" Twilight calls out after making some quick mental calculations regarding Spike's new body weight (which she had of course measured), leg length, hip width, and more.
"You got it!" Spike calls out, eager to impress, grinning widely as he speeds up, racing down the hall. "Watch this!" Spike shouts out, as he runs up the stairs towards the dining hall.
Twilights eyes widen in concern. "Wait! Your legs are out of sync, you're going to-" Before Twilight could finish their warning, there was a loud crash sound as Spike trips over one of the stairs and comes tumbling down to the ground, earning a wince of empathy from Twilight as he lands on his back at the base of the stairs.
Twilight hurries over and, standing over him- Such that to Spike, she appeared upside down- Twilight offers a helping hoof. "Are you ok!?" She asks. "Do I need to get any of our medical supplies? Tripping over stairs can cause-"
Before she can start prattling on about contusions and sprained ankles, Spike rolls over, shakes himself off, and wobbles up to his feet. "I'm fine, Twi. Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away." He laughs a little, earning him a surprising hug from Twilight.
"That's a relief... I don't like seeing you get hurt..." Twilight announces, and Spike breathes out slowly. It feels surprisingly nice- Hugs felt very different now, there is a much more tactile feel to them against his much more sensitive pony skin, compared to his scales from before. "Maybe that's enough practice and exercise for today. We're in dire need of some food, I think." Twilight affirms, and Spike's belly rumbles in agreement. "You think you can go up the stairs alright?" Twilight asks.
Spike grumbles- One trip, and he was back to feeling like a helpless burden again. "I'm sure I can manage it." Spike states, maybe a little harsher than he had meant to, and pulls himself out of Twilight's embrace to bound up the stairs again.
Twilight looks after him concerned, ready to pick him up in her magic if he trips again, but when nothing of the sort happens, Twilight just shrugs and trudges along after him. "Go ahead and sit down, I'll go whip something up for us."
Not that it was that easily said and done. She really wasn't sure what she should make; Pony food? Dragon food? Spike's digestive system had seemed utterly foreign to her, she didn't have any real idea how this transformation would affect his taste preferences, or even what he would be able to digest. In the end, she decides that she needs to just make both to evaluate how they both affect him. In that interest, she doesn't make anything overly complex- just a pair of hayburgers and a gemstone salad.
"Alright now, so, don't eat too quickly! We don't know how either of these will be digested by your biology, so I'll have to keep careful tabs on it..." Twilight elaborates, as she delivers the two plates to her hungry companion. "Try and just take a bite, if it doesn't feel like you're supposed to be eating it, just spit it out." She cautions.
"Uh-huh, yeah, sure." Spike utters, clearly not listening to a word she was saying, licking his chops. Twilight winces as he chomps down into the gemstone salad without a care in the world, fearing the worst- Chomping down like that on gemstones might be fine for a dragon, but any pony who did so could expect sore gums at best and a cracked jawline at worst. But just as Twilight was mentally going over the list of damage control spells which might help alleviate the pain and damage of dentin fractures, she finds with relief that Spike seemed fine, crunching the gems with typical casual ease.
Twilight breathes a sigh of relief, but then stands up straight and marches over to Spike, sternly. "Spike! Be careful! We don't know if you can even digest those, and we didn't know for sure if that would crack your teeth or not! We have to be cautious!" Twilight scolds.
Spike rolls his eyes. "I still know how to eat, Twi, you don't gotta baby me." Spike says sarcastically.
Twilight's concerned look fades to a forlorn one, hurt by Spike's words. "I-I know that!" She hastily snaps. "I'm just trying to make sure that you're ok, we don't know exactly how this transformation has affected you! It'd tear me up inside if you got hurt!"
"Twi, relax. It's fine, don't even worry about it. See?" Spike tosses a gem in the air and snatches it with his teeth, crunching it before swallowing. "I still have my dragon teeth, so I'm sure I can handle it."
Twilight frowns. "But how can you be so sure? You're not the same anymore, and ponies usually can't digest inorganic material."
Spike gives her a pointed look. "And what would happen if a pony did swallow a gemstone?"
Twilight pauses, frowning. "I guess it'd probably just pass through their digestive tract unaffected." Not that it would be pleasant... She didn't want to think about trying to pass something like that.
"Exactly! So if it comes out the other side unaffected then we'll know I can't digest it, and if it doesn't, then it'll be fine. See?" Spike proclaims. Twilight looks highly uncertain- Sure, that might work for a gemstone or two, but if he ate the whole salad that would be... Probably a bit much.
"Why don't you at least try the hayburger?" Twilight asks weakly. If nothing else, she was confident that wouldn't do any damage; Dragon's might not favor that kind of food, but at the least it wouldn't do any harm to them. So no matter where in between dragons and ponies Spike's digestive tract might be at the moment, it should be safe... Provided there wasn't anything much more seriously wrong.
No! Stop, there's no reason to think anything of that kind. Spike seems fine, what would be the odds the digestive tract specifically would have some crippling problem with it? Twilight bangs her own head with her hoof and hisses as she struggles to stop speculating wildly about the million possible problems that could potentially arise.
When she opens her eyes again, she sees Spike peering over at her, brow furrowed in concern. "Um, Twi? Are you ok?" Spike asks, hesitantly. "If its that important to you, I'll be more careful... I don't want to worry you. I'm sorry." Spike is seemingly slowly getting a feel for pony mannerisms, as he had scooted his forelegs together and was peering over them cautiously at Twilight.
"S-sorry, its fine." Twilight shakes her head, trying to dispel her concern. Now she'd gone and made Spike worried about her! Still, it was sweet of him. "I just want to make sure you're ok, that's all." Twilight replies. "Just try the hayburger and tell me how it finds you. We just need to get this figured out, it'll be less for everypony to worry about once we know what we're working with." Twilight hopes that was true, and she wasn't just saying it to justify her own concerns.
Spike nods, though he eyes the hayburger uncertainly. There were some pony foods that were more or less palatable to the dragon, but hayburgers were not one of them; That was, actually, one of the main reasons that Twilight had made it, since it would be rather telling if his tastes had changed at all compared to when he was a dragon. Hooves crossed, Twilight watches with perhaps uncomfortable intensity as Spike takes a bite, munching on it thoroughly and thoughtfully before swallowing. There is a long pause as he contemplates the flavor, until Twilight finally breaks the silence. "Well?"
"It's not bad." Spike admits. "I mean, it's no diamond or ruby... But I dont mind it." He offers.
Twilight sighs in relief and backs up. "Why don't you just eat that for now, then? At least we can be fairly certain it won't hurt you, and it'll give some time to see if the gems you ate will cause any problems." Twilight offers.
Spike shrugs. "If it means that much to you, Twi. Just make sure you save that gemstone salad for me... It looks positively delectable." Spike licks his chops- Twilight can't help but notice his tongue is still as forked as ever- and digs in, leaving Twilight to finally relax and enjoy her own meal as well.
Twilight and Spike's lunch is just about wrapped up when they are interrupted by the telltale thundercrack sound of a teleportation downstairs, from the Cutie Map room directly beneath their dining room.
"I guess that's Starlight back from her investigation. Shall we go see what she's found out? With any luck we can figure this out and get you back to normal." Twilight announces. Spike looks unsure, and rubs the back of his neck.
"Heh, right... Normal..." he frowns, as Twilight teleports the two of them downstairs as well. Starlight was present, as she had expected, looking a tad tired and frazzled.
"Alright, student! Report!" Twilight requests, raising one hoof. Starlight snaps to attention, but hesitates before responding, unsure where to start.
Eventually, she decides to take it in roughly chronological order of when she learned about things. "So, firstly, nopony else has been affected, everypony in town's memory is fine! Apparently you visited Fluttershy the other day to get a phoenix feather, and entreated Rainbow Dash to help you get some water from the River Lethe in Tartarus. According to Pinkie Pie, we had an accident with that water that caused our short term memory loss, and you were casting a spell from one of Starswirl's old scrolls... But she also said she wasn't there and doesn't actually know, so I don't know how to take that. Anyways, Rainbow Dash also stated that you were excited about some scrolls you found the other day, so we should start by looking for those scrolls!" Starlight rattles off.
Twilight's heart glows with a little spot of pride- Look at her student, being so organized! Hopefully everypony was nice enough, I know they're still suspicious of Starlight. Twilight contemplates. That was neither here nor there though, right now... She had priorities.
"Of course! Let me see, if I was just using them, they should be filed alphabetically in the magic spells section of the library. Come on Spike, lets go see what we can find!" Twilight announces, feeling a wave of relief. This was certainly less traumatic than last time one of her spells misfiring had caused problems, and it was good to know there wasn't any kind of nefarious force behind the situation to worry about. Instead, just a magical problem to be solved. She was feeling more at home already!
With that in mind, Twilight seems more than set at ease as she starts digging through the recent stacks of scrolls; On the contrary, she seems just about giddy. A spell which could make an Ailcorn out of her little dragon companion was certainly magic worth studying!
It only takes a cursory check to determine that the scroll was not in the magic spells section. Twilight frowns. "It's not here. Hey, Spike, could you go check the section on Starswirl from the library, while I look through the Alchemy archives?" Twilight asks, absentmindedly, already moving on to her own target. It didn't seem likely that the alchemy archive would have much- It wasn't one of Twilight's specialties, but, it would explain why she needed reagents, as that was not a typical feature of most spells.
Spike jumps to his feet, happy to finally have something to do rather than just follow along, and nods his head. "Roger!" Twilight's distracted state is interrupted shortly after by a sudden crashing sound, and she looks over to see Spike laying flat on his back, looking dazed. "How do you ponies use ladders like this?" Spike protests, before trying once again to climb the stepladder, awkwardly raising up onto his hind legs before placing his front on the steps and raising one of his hind legs.
Twilight can't help but snicker a little. She was so used to relying on her number one assistant, she didn't even consider that he was otherwise predisposed right now. "Sorry, Spike, I'll look through it." She apologizes, but Spike shakes his head, looking frustrated.
"No, I can get it!" He insists, little sparks of green fire hissing from the sides of his mouth in his irritation. Twilight's eyes grow wide in concern, but before she can do anything to stop him, Spike's horn lights up...
And the section of books is levitated off their shelves, circling Spike just like he'd seen Twilight do many times as he looks through them. Twilight sighs in both surprise and relief- She had been expecting another disaster to burn down a section of her library, but instead he was scanning them perfectly efficiently. After a moment, Spike shakes his head, looking somehow both disappointed and proud simultaneously.
"That's a negatory, Twi, these are all just biographies, history, and magical theory. Certainly no ritual magic." Spike reports.
Twilight's heart swells with a hint of pride. Her number one assistant was getting used to his new powers so rapidly, it had been less than a day! Of course that was partially because he was taking after what he was used to Twilight doing. Having said that, when Spike levitates the books back to their shelves, Twilight winces- His magic was seemingly not precise enough to sort them just then, and the shelf was now painfully disorganized. I am definitely going to have to fix that later. Twilight thinks to herself, already planning a stay-cation to reorganize the entire shelf.
That did leave her without a clear place to search, however. Thinking carefully, she raises her hoof to her chin, contemplating where else a magic scroll might have been. It wasn't like her to not have something properly sorted!
"Have you tried your magic laboratory?" Starlight suggests, hesitantly. "That is where you would have brought a new spell to try it out, right?"
Twilight frowns. "Well, yes, but I certainly would have put it back afterwards... It wouldn't make sense for it to still be in there."
"But, you got splashed with some of the water from the River Lethe, remember?" Starlight points out. "That may have caused you to forget to put it back."
Twilight blinks in surprise. Of course, that seemed so obvious now that it had been pointed out to her! "Good thinking, Starlight! I'll check over there, in the meantime, you and Spike can keep looking through the library here." Twilight exclaims, before wincing a bit. "Um, and Spike, please try not to burn the whole library down." She cautions.
Spike places his hoof to his chest, looking self-confident. "When have I ever failed you before? Number one assistant is on the job!" He salutes. Twilight rolls her eyes- she could think of several times he had caused problems. But, it was true that he was a truly faithful and diligent companion, and she was willing to place her faith in him. Nodding, she teleports away to her laboratory.
The room was decidedly cramped- Rigorously organized as it was, it still appeared a little messy on account of the sheer number of things in it. Twilight's career as Princess of Friendship had given her numerous opportunities to acquire more scientific and magical equipment- Scanning from one side of the room to the other, she notes Chaos Magic sensors, Anemometers, Magic-neutral chalk for drawing summoning circles imported all the way from Griffonstone, a unit of bioreactors, a refrigerated vat of nutrient solution, a series of scales and measuring equipment, an empty bottle with a biohazard symbol on it... I should really split this up between multiple rooms, this is too much for one place. Twilight finds herself thinking.
Resisting the urge to drop everything and begin organizing immediately, Twilight forces herself to focus on the task at hoof. In short order, she finds that one of the many display cases in the room is home to an ancient , scorched looking scroll. Her eyes light up. Eureka!
Delicately lifting the scroll with her magic, she scans its contents dutifully. Remembering what had happened last time she read from an ancient scroll without thinking, Twilight is sure to keep a damper on her magic and read in her own head as she scans the scroll. Some parts are hard to read, and she finds herself wondering just what had happened to the scroll, and where it had been found- The damage done to the old piece of parchment was quite simply a travesty.
It seemed like the first section was instructions before it launched into the actual spell itself- She recognized the first table as a reagents list. An artifact of Rebirth, an artifact of Oblivion, and an artifact of Desire. Perhaps I could find something of the kind in the everfree forest? Twilight reads the notes, a quiet excitement building in her. It seemed to be notes left behind by Starswirl! There was a long, rambling entry discussing possible reagents and why their magical attunement wouldn't work. Notably, only the artifact of Oblivion had any actual suggested components; Water from the River Lethe. The other two, seemingly, Starswirl had never figured out.
Fascinating! I must have acquired the phoenix feather to serve as the artifact of Rebirth, perhaps in Starswirl's time phoenixes were not well known. But I wonder what I used for Desire? Starlight's story had not included any items that seemed relevant to that particular need.
But much to Twilight's annoyance, try as she might, the section discussing the actual effects of the spell were totally unreadable. Even with the aid of a clarifying light spell, all she could find was a blackened smudge. Twilight hisses in irritation, but continues looking; She would have to pore over the notes in detail later. For now, her gaze lowers down to read the actual spell, which was thankfully mostly discernable.
Two brought apart by circumstance United... heart and soul With destiny contain... I think that says 'contained', rewrite our stars And bring the Fates together as... Something.
While she wasn't ready to guess what any of that actually meant, and she would have to fill in the blanks later, she was satisfied that she had found what she was looking for. She would just teleport back to the library, but with such an old artifact, who knows how it would respond to magic like that? It was safer to simply carry it. So, tucking the scroll delicately under her wing, she takes off for the library where Spike and Starlight were waiting.
Twilight rushes back into the library just as Starlight and Spike are searching through the magic section. Twilight's eye twitches a little as she observes the fairly haphazard way Starlight is putting books back- She would have to have words with her student about proper organizational methods, later on.
"What about this one? There's some spells listed in it. Though, I don't think any of them would cause this..." Starlight is asking Spike, flipping through a recent edition of "Encyclopedia of Starswirl's Magic, Volume VIII" which includes some of the most recent archaeological discoveries. But as soon as she sees Twilight striding in looking triumphant, Starlight closes the book and hops off the pile of books she was laying on. "Oh, hey, Twilight. Any luck?"
Twilight delicately unfurls the scroll and places it on the table. "I believe I have found our candidate!" Twilight announces, prompting both Spike and Starlight to come over and look at it.
"Why is it so burnt?" Spike asks, before covering his mouth in concern. "You don't think... I did that, do you?" He asks in a hushed tone, looking preemptively embarrassed. But Twilight shakes her head.
"I don't think so. This scroll is ancient and not in the best shape." Twilight states. "And the damage doesn't look recent to me."
Spike looks relieved as he looks over the scroll, trying to find parts he can read. "Two brought apart by circumstance... United... Something..." Spike starts mumbling, before Twilight hastily put a hoof over his mouth.
"Woah there, remember, you have magic now! Remember what happened last time I read a spell aloud without thinking?" Twilight cautions. Spike nods, and goes silent as he scans the rest of the document. Twilight steps back to give Spike and Starlight time to look over the scroll.
Eventually, Starlight looks back at Twilight. "So what do you make of it? The instructions seem pretty badly damaged, and whatever it said about what the magic was supposed to do is lost. But most of all, I don't see what we'd be supposed to do with the reagents to cast the spell... Could you have messed it up somehow?" Starlight asks.
Twilight looks over at Spike, doubtfully. "I dunno, it seems hard to imagine a faulty spell could have an effect like this. I feel like we must have cast it correctly... if only we could figure out how that was done." Twilight huffs. "But if I reconstruct the spell, I may be able to devise a suitable counterspell... But this is powerful magic, clearly, given both the unusual requirements and its effect. It may prove difficult."
Spike coughs. "Um... I mean, it's not urgent. Why don't we call it there for today?" Spike asks, with an oddly hopeful tinge in his voice.
But Twilight seems too caught up on the excitement of having to create a counterspell from scratch to recognize Spike's tone. "Not yet, Spike, I haven't even had a chance to reconstruct the original spell yet! The first step in dealing with any kind of magical problem is figuring out what we are dealing with. So lets see here, based on these reagents and what I can read, I think I can probably fill in some of these blanks..."
Twilight summons a quill and note-taking pad. "Spike, could you-" Twilight glances up at the alicorn and pauses. Right, of course he can't, he hasn't gotten a feel for writing like this yet. I'll have to. With that in mind, Twilight begins translating the spell to a fresh piece of parchment and filling in the blanks with her best guesses, based on the typical patterns and cadences of Starswirl's spells- Something she is quite well versed in.
"Twilight." Spike says her name louder and with more presence this time, causing Twilight's attention to be broken and look up at him with curiosity. "Is it... Really necessary to make a counterspell?" Spike asks, and Twilight furrows her brow.
"Well, I... I mean, I guess the spell might just be temporary and wear off on its own. But with such convoluted requirements, I imagine it was probably more powerful than that. I'll only know once I get a better feel for what exactly the spell is actually doing." Twilight explains.
Spike sighs in exasperation, and shakes his head. "That's not what I meant. I just... Ah, nevermind. It was a dumb thought anyways." Spike wilts, and Twilight frowns. She didn't understand what he was concerned about, but, surely the sooner she could devise a cure the sooner he would feel better.
"If you need a break, I understand." Twilight states, her face mellowing somewhat. "I understand you've had a stressful day, what with having to relearn how to walk and all. Why don't you go try and relax while I work on this?" Twilight asks.
Spike frowns, but doesn't seem to see fit to disagree, as he strolls out of the library. Starlight glances after him, a bit quizzically, as if wondering if she should follow. Twilight looks up, seeming uncertain herself. She could use her students help with this- Starlight was quite skilled with magic after all. But she could probably handle it, and if she was dismissing her number one assistant she wasn't going to rely on her new student instead. So she nods to Starlight. "Why don't you go along with him? I'll join you two when I make a breakthrough." Twilight suggests, matter of factly; There isn't a question of whether she would make a breakthrough, only how long it would take.
Starlight shrugs and trots along after Spike, glancing back at Twilight who is already focused on her research. Her mentor was usually far more sociable than she was, yet all of that seemed to go out the window the moment she started on a research project. Even Starlight could tell something was on Spike's mind, as she canters after him to catch up. He doesn't look upset, simply... pensive, maybe a tad wistful.
"She'll probably be in there for a while. Do you want to go fly kites while we wait?" Starlight suggests, falling in lockstep beside Spike.
The draconic alicorn shrugs. "Sure. Seems like a good way to pass the time."
It is a fairly windy day outside, which is rather convenient for the activity the two ponies are now engaging in, a pair of kites drifting high in the breeze. It feels relaxing, which is good, since just about everything that day so far has been rather exhausting. The two of them are sitting out behind the castle away from public view, since the sight of a new, unknown Alicorn might cause a bit of an incident.
"So... Whats going on in that brain of yours?" Starlight asks, after watching Spike gazing thoughtfully up at his kite in silence for a long moment. Spike jumps a little, as though surprised, even though Starlight had been present the entire time.
"Huh? Oh, um, nothing, its fine." Spike states, unconvincingly. Starlight's brow decides to climb up her face, as she gives Spike an unimpressed look.
"I think my, ahem, experiences have given me more than enough experience to know when a pony has something on their mind that they don't want anypony to know." Starlight retorts, dryly. "So, am I going to have to drag it out of you, or are you just going to tell me what's up?" She asks sardonically.
Spike looks at her surprised, then suddenly laughs. "Ha... I guess I have to get used to ponies being able to read my expressions better. Usually, most ponies don't understand dragon body language enough to tell what I'm thinking." Spike explains, then looks back up at the clouds. "I dunno. I'm just thinking about this whole situation. Twilight seems to have already made up her mind on 'fixing' this spell, but..." Spike pauses. "I don't know if that's really what I want. I mean, I've always identified more as a pony than dragon anyways, especially after I went to the dragon lands and saw what they were all like." Spike explains.
"So, you're wondering if you even want to go back to being a dragon?" Starlight asks, prodding.
Spike shrugs. "I mean, I'm still sort of a dragon. Kind of." He replies, pointing his head downwind from the two of them and huffing out a puff of green fire to demonstrate the point. "It just feels like maybe I could... Understand my friends better. And maybe..." he pauses, frowning for a moment. "Maybe they'd understand me better. Sometimes I feel like an outsider in my own home."
Starlight pauses, feeling a twinge of empathy. She can certainly understand that feeling. Still, was changing something so drastic about himself really warranted? "I felt like an outsider too. But it turned out that I was just scared to let anypony in. I know your friends all care deeply about you, Spike, I don't think you need to do something so drastic to make them understand you. They all accept and cherish you as you were." Starlight states, slowly, thinking out each word carefully.
Spike grunts and turns away. "Yeah, I know... But it's not like I'm trying to change something, it already happened. I'm just thinking about... Leaving it be." Spike elaborates. "I know they care about me, but I still can't help but feel like there's something between us that gets in the way. The fact is, it's hard for them to treat a dragon the same as anypony else, even though I've lived here all my life." Spike sighs.
Starlight frowns. It's clear this wasn't a new thought, something had been eating at Spike for a long time before current events, it was just brought to light now. "Why don't you talk to Twilight about it?" Starlight asks. "One way or another, I'm sure it would be better if she knew how you were feeling."
Spike tugs on the leash of his kite, dismally. "What's the point? She'd say basically the same thing you did. It's not like any of them would ever admit to treating me differently. Besides... I don't want to seem ungrateful. Twilight means the world to me, and I know she's trying hard for my sake right now, too." Spike explains.
Starlight frowns. Perhaps she shouldn't be giving advice on something like this, anyways; She was still a friend in training, after all, and she didn't think she trusted her own opinions any more than Spike's. So, she just tries to think of what Twilight would probably say in her horseshoes. Yet try as she might, she wasn't sure; It didn't seem like her place to butt in anyways.
Maybe giving advice wasn't the best idea, then. She could always just talk about things without actually advising a course of action, right? "I'm surprised you think that way." Starlight eventually says. "I mean..." She pauses, frowning and steeling herself a bit for what she would mention next. "Everypony made a pretty big deal about how differences don't get in the way of your friendships, and in fact only made them stronger, when they visited my village. Why would this be any different?"
Spike rolls his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like Twilight alright. But between you and me, I'm not so sure about that." Spike admits. "I mean sure everypony has certain differences, but they have similarities too. Don't they usually use those similarities to bond over?" Spike asks, sounding unsure himself. "I mean... Its not to say that differences are bad, but you can be different from somepony while still having other things in common, right?"
Starlight looks back over the kites, as a fresh gust of wind sent the kites, which had been dawdling lower and lower on the lines, back up into the air such that she had to reel it in a bit to keep it from blowing away. She supposes Spike has a point; Maybe everypony just focused too much on differences. Only... "I don't know if your end conclusion matches up with what you're saying there, Spike." Starlight offers. "Even as a dragon you have plenty in common with everypony, don't you?"
Spike ponders for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, Twilight raised me, it would be hard for her to not have rubbed off on me." Spike frowns and hesitates. "Maybe there's more to it than that... I've always been her 'Number One Assistant'. Maybe I just thought that, if I was a pony, she'd see me as more of an equal. See me as... Family." Spike confesses reluctantly, shivering.
Starlight gives Spike a worried, sympathetic look. "Spike, I'm sure she sees you as family. I mean, you've lived together ever since you were born, right? How couldn't she?" Starlight asks.
Spike grimaces, lowering his head towards the ground. "I don't know about that." He starts, a surprisingly hard edge to his voice. "I mean, whenever they go off to solve problems, I'm usually just left at home to take care of things. Like, I wasn't called on to go to your village like they all were." Spike states, using the one example Starlight would be familiar with. "Sometimes it feels like there's them, and then there's me. Like I'm just around because I'm convenient."
Starlight frowns. She could tell Spike how much she was sure his friends cared about him, but honestly, it wasn't her place to say. Spike needed to hear it from the ponies mouth. "One way or another, I'm sure Twilight would want to know how you feel. Even if she just ends up reassuring you, she'd still want to know. I mean, if she was willing to give even me a second chance, I'm sure she would want to make sure her lifelong companion felt appreciated." Starlight affirms. "Regardless of what happens, or what you decide on in the end, you should talk to her." For once, Starlight felt confident in her advice.
Spike gazes up at the kite for a while, before finally cracking a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Starlight. Thanks for the talk." The alicorn stands up, shivering a little, and begins reeling in his kite. "I think I'll do that."
Just as Spike awkwardly opens the back door into the castle, he just about runs head-first into Twilight as she had been leaving.
"Oh, there you are Spike! Come on!" Twilight announces, jerking backwards with her head. Spike and Starlight look at eachother, shrug, then follow.
"At first I thought the spell was using alchemy as a go-between for the effect." Twilight starts chattering excitedly, walking at a brisk pace back towards the library. "But after studying it, I think it's actually much more involved than that! Its some kind of ritual magic, more akin to what they use down in Somnambula! The reagents arent used as ingredients for a potion but rather the magic is channeled through them into its target. I might be able to reverse the effect if I draw the magic back out into empty vessels." Twilight starts hopping from hoof to hoof as she walks, growing increasingly excited.
Spike glances over at Starlight, as if to ask if she knew what twilight was rambling on about, but Starlight just looks back at him and shrugs.
Just then, Twilight reaches the doors to the library, and throws them open... Only to be met with her five friends, all sitting around the library waiting for her. Rainbow Dash is curled up in a corner with a Daring Do book, Fluttershy and Rarity are investigating the scrolls Twilight had left lying around, Applejack is sitting by the table waiting, and Pinkie Pie is... Currently firing a confetti cannon just as they entered, the loud bang just about startling Twilight out of her skin.
Spike's reaction is a bit more dramatic- Startled, he accidentally lets out a great ball of green fire. Eyes widening, he scrambles to control it before it incinerates his friends to dust, and manages to entrap the fireball within a shield by reflex, sighing with relief. He was lucky to have been taught by the most amazing spell-caster in all of Equestria!
As one, all of the ponies present turned to regard the newcomers, and a long moment of awkward silence hangs in the air before being broken by Applejack. "Well, ah'll be, Starlight was right. Ya really 'ave turned into an Alicorn!" Applejack announces, while Rainbow Dash's jaw just hangs open in shock. It was one thing to hear it, quite another to see with your own two eyes.
Spike rubs one of his forelegs with the other, uncomfortably, and looks away. He wasn't used to being the center of attention, like that.
"Come on everypony, let's be respectful." Fluttershy floats down by Spike's side and lays a reassuring wing across his back. "I'm sure our friend doesn't like being stared at." Spike gives her a grateful glance, and scurries into the room.
"What... How... You're actually an Alicorn!" Rainbow Dash announces, sounding almost offended. "How did you become an Alicorn before me!?"
Twilight shoots Rainbow Dash a quizzical glance, while Applejack looks at her primary rival nonplussed. Rainbow Dash recoils, looking defensive. "What? I'm awesome, we all know it's going to happen eventually!"
Ignoring the rowdy pegasus, Applejack removes her hat. "Ah, don't mind 'em, sugarcube. We just came by t' see how y'all are holdin' up. Ah imagine it's pretty shocking t' just up and wake as a different species."
"Well, I'll say!" Rarity announces, strutting around examining Spike, making the alicorn's cheeks turn red in self-consciousness. "My little Spikey-wikey, an Alicorn! Why, I never! And just look at that gorgeous Cutie Mark!" Rarity remarks, admiring the green fire on Spike's flank.
Spike wants to say something, somehow spin the situation with Rarity, but finds that he keeps tripping over his words and only ends up making unintelligible noises.
"This is CRAZY!" Pinkie Pie announces. "It's like your a princess! Oh! Oh! I'll have to start planning the princess spike coronation party right away!" Pinkie Pie prances in place, excitedly.
Spike's blush gets even worse, but he manages to get out a handful of words. "P-P-Princess? Why am I a princess?" He asks, bewildered.
Rarity stops circling him and approaches him from the front. "Well, have you ever heard of an Alicorn that wasn't a princess?" Rarity asks, teasingly.
"B-b-but I'm a stallion!" Spike protests, mind whirring. "Shouldn't I be a prince!?" The uneasy looks given to him by all the other ponies make his heart skip a beat.
"Um... Spike, are you sure about that?" Twilight asks, cautiously. Spike goes pale at the tone of voice and nervously glances around.
"Wh-what do you mean? Why wouldnt I be?" Spike asks.
Twilight sits down on her haunches, biting her lip. "Spike, Alicorn's don't have gender. Didn't you know? I've been one for a while now." Twilight asks, in a soft and patient tone.
Spike blinks, thinking back to when he'd examined himself in the mirror. He... Supposes that explained some things. Looking down darkly and blushing even more, he mumbles "I thought I just wasn't understanding pony biology..." sullenly. Well, there goes my chance with Rarity... Spike thinks to himself.
"It's nothing you should be ashamed of, sugarcube." Applejack states, delicately. "Ah'm sure Twilight 'ere'll git you back to normal in a jiffy."
Spike furrows his brow, and bolts up. "Wait, no, that makes no sense! What about Cadence? She had a foal!" Spike protests.
Twilight just shakes her head. "Cadence wanted to be a mother, so she used her special magic talents to make herself able to bear children." Twilight explains. "It only worked out because of her special talent being related to romantic love. That's why before Flurryheart, there had never been a natural-born alicorn." Twilight gently chides.
Spike falls back on his haunches, mind whirling. He wanted to talk to Twilight about his conversation with Starlight, but this was too much new information. He had to think, figure out what this meant for him. Thankfully, his friends could see how overwhelmed the dragon-alicorn was, and Rarity and Fluttershy both give him a reassuring hug, soothing his nerves.
"Its alright, my spikey-wikey, I still think you look positively dashing." Rarity enunciates, encouragingly. "And I'm sure once Twilight gets you back to normal, you'll have taken alot away from this experience."
Spike sets his jaw now. Why did everypony assume he wanted to turn back to normal? Maybe he was supposed to be this way, they didn't remember if the spell had been cast purposefully or not. Maybe... But Spike himself was not sure. There was so much to take in.
So he looks up at Twilight- The pony who had raised him, who took care of him, who was the closest thing to family he had in this world. Suddenly, his throat feels dry, and he swallows to wet it. Rarity and Fluttershy can feel the change in posture, and retreat back to a more casual distance.
Clearing her throat to get everypony's attention, Applejack jerks towards the exit with her head. "Ah think the two of 'em need a moment of privacy, girls." Applejack states. "Why don't we head down to the kitchen, get some dinner ready for 'em? Ah'm sure they could use the break." Twilight and Spike's friends nod in general agreement, and slowly leave the room, Rainbow Dash looking back at them before she leaves last.
Finally alone with Twilight, Spike leans against her. Twilight pauses, a little surprised at the sudden display of affection, before resting one wing over him. Spike closes his eyes and lowers his head, to savor the sensation. A long silence lasts between the two of them, Twilight waiting for Spike to speak first, before Spike finally raises his head and looks into Twilight's kind, reassuring eyes. Was it just him, or did they look more familiar than usual somehow? Like the pupils werent quite circular.
"How did you feel about it? Becoming an Alicorn, I mean." Spike asks. "I mean... I know I was there. But I feel like I never really understood it until now."
"It was pretty shocking." Twilight admits. "I mean, it's not every day your body disintegrates into a pile of ash and you have to manifest a new one through magic alone."
Spike frowns thoughtfully. "Did it... Did you feel like you lost something? I mean, your original body was just... gone, right? And..." Spike trails off, uncertainly. Twilight looks back ahead, pensively.
"At first, all I could really think about was all the new responsibilities. I felt.. Humbled. I didn't feel worthy, didn't feel ready. It was a long while before I really reflected on what it meant to have a completely new body." Twilight confides. "I mean, the wings took some getting used to, but that wasn't the really big change, was it? The fabric of my being was different, even my magic- the very thing my identity was based on- had changed in nature. It was a big adjustment."
Spike nods. I think I can understand that, given what I've been through today.... Silently, he is thankful that he didn't need to worry about responsibilities that day... Just getting used to things. "But, what about... Don't you feel upset that you won't ever be able to have foals of your own?" Spike asks, uncertainly. He'd never really asked this kind of thing of Twilight before.
Twilight shrugs. "I don't know if I ever would have, anyways. I mean... I have my friends. And I have you, Spike. That's all I need. No... That's all that I want." She affirms, confidently.
Spike blinks up at her with wide eyes. She had specified him separately from her friends- But did that mean he was closer, or less important compared to them? He didn't know.
Twilights gaze becomes downcast, and for a moment, she seems distant, gazing off towards the wall with a sorrowful expression. "At least, as long as they don't find special someponies themselves, I mean. Like... Shiny." Twilight sighs, glumly. Spike nods empathetically; Shining Armor had become something of a sore subject for Twilight ever since he'd gotten married. But Twilight just shakes her head to dispell that thought, and looks at Spike again.
"I know its got to be strange, being changed so drastically even if its just for a short while." Twilight tries to say supportively, once again misreading Spike's thought process. "I promise I'll find a way to get you back to normal as soon as possible, so you don't have to worry about these things." Twilight vows.
Spike lowers his head again, sighing. She still wasn't understanding what he was getting at. But she was doing her best for him, and he could feel the compassion and care in her worried eyes, just like she always took care of him whenever he did something stupid. It was ok. There was time. He could always talk to her later. Right now he just needed to... Think things through, think about what the implications of such a change would even mean to him. "For now... Thankyou for being here with me." Spike says, wrapping one leg around Twilight and hugging her tightly.
Twilight smiles, not quite sure what was on Spike's mind but not needing to know either. "Of course, Spike, you know I'm always here for you. Now, why don't we go see what our friends are whipping up for dinner? And make sure its something you can actually eat..."
Spike nods eagerly, thinking about the leftovers of the gemstone salad from earlier that day, and stands up. "Count me in!" he announces, before prancing off along with Twilight towards the dining hall.
Spike scurries downstairs, increasingly drawn by the tantalizing aroma of Applejack's cooking. Dragon or pony, it didn't matter; The apple family knew their treats, and they'd be delicious one way or another. Spike flares his wings out to his sides to help balance himself as he trots down the stairs, then turns the corner at the bottom and leads the way towards the kitchen. Twilight's lessons earlier that day had helped alot, and now he feels fairly confident in his ability to move around in his new body.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Starlight were all sitting around the dining room, lazing about- with exception to Starlight, who was glancing around nervously as she tries to stay on her best behavior. Spike can hear Pinkie Pie and Applejack in the kitchen. They are still cooking, whatever it is; All Spike can tell definitively from the scent is that apples and cinnamon are involved.
Twilight trots into the dining room after Spike, looking around, shrugging. "Well, I wasn't planning on having a dinner party tonight, but I can think of worse ways to spend an evening." She announces, trotting over to her usual spot. It doesn't take long after Spike sits down by Twilight, for Applejack and Pinkie Pie to emerge from the kitchen, carrying their latest concoctions, AJ looking a mite proud.
"Ah thought since Spike usually cooks around 'ere and he's otherwise indisposed, ah'd give y'all a taste of some apple family cooking." Applejack announces, dishing out plates of apple strudel and mugs of apple cider to all present. Rainbow Dash's eyes light up as the pegasus licks her chops, barely containing herself from ripping the mug straight out of Applejack's hands and downing it immediately.
"Do you ever get tired of eating exclusively apples and apple-related dishes?" Spike asks, pointedly, and Applejack just stares at him like he'd just asked if hay belonged in a barn.
"How would ah get tired of apples? That's like getting tired of breathing." Applejack states, and Spike just snickers in response.
"Yeah! If I could drink this every day of my life, I wouldn't hesitate one second!" Rainbow Dash agrees, in between slurps of deliciously fresh apple cider.
Applejack shrugs. "Besides. It's not like ah only eat apples. Ah've had Pinkie's cooking plenty 'o times too. And everypony has had their fair share of hay."
Spike ponders that last statement. It was one of the few pony foods that were entirely inedible to dragons, so whenever his friends had eaten hayburgers or other hay dishes, he'd had to find something else. But the hayburger he'd had for lunch had been fairly appetizing. But regardless of what his digestive system might look like now, he is sure that the food in front of him looks quite delectable, and finally stuffs his face with it.
"Hey! Spike!" Pinkie waves from the other side of the table. "Show us some crazy Alicorn magic! I wanna see what you can do!"
Spike glances at Twilight uncertainly, as if looking for permission, and Twilight places her hoof on his. "Go on, show them what you can do." Twilight says, encouragingly. "You've managed to get a handle on it exceptionally quickly. Don't worry, I'll be right here ready to make sure nothing goes wrong." Twilight states, tapping on her horn.
Spike nods, and stands up, clearing his throat. "Attention everypony! Spike the brave and glorious shall now perform for your amazement!" Gulping nervously, Spike flares his wings out and settles into a ready stance, focusing. His horn ignites with green flame, climbing up to the point where it forms a small green fireball. Narrowing his eyes and focusing, Spike wills the flame to leave his horn, and it slowly drifts up through the air before stopping above the table.
"Well, ah'll be. I ain't never seen magic like that before." Applejack states, removing her hat and holding it to her chest. "Twilight, that's unusual, right?" Applejack glances at Twilight to make sure.
Twilight nods, standing up. "Yes. It seems like somehow Spike's draconic essence combined with alicorn magic has given him novel abilities never seen before, at least not that I've ever heard of. He's repeatedly demonstrated an ability to control dragonfire with magic, something conventionally considered impossible." Twilight starts prancing from hoof to hoof excitedly. "Oooh, how I long to study it!"
Rainbow dash swoops down in front of spike, appraising the draconic alicorn. "I gotta say, That is pretty cool."
Spike glows at the praise. "You really think so?" But before there is an answer, there's a loud pop sound, and the fireball behind Rainbow Dash bursts out of control, exploding in midair before Twilight quickly catches it in a shield spell.
"Whew!" Twilight wipes her forehead with her hoof, before looking over at Spike. "You have to be careful not to lose concentration while your magic is still active, Spike. If you aren't sure you can focus on a spell its best to let it stop before you focus on something else. Otherwise, it can run out of control." Twilight chides gently.
Spike looks down, embarrassed. "Ehm, sorry, Twi."
Twilight wraps a reassuring wing around him, shaking her head. "No need to be sorry, you're doing great! I'm just giving you some tips. And remember, I'm always here to make sure you're safe." Spike looks up at Twilight gratefully, and the two share a brief, affectionate nuzzle. Spike's still getting used to how that felt, Touching the soft fur of another pony felt so much different now, without his whole body covered in scales.
The moment between the two is interrupted by Rainbow Dash lifting Spike's wings and studying them. They are scaly on the underside yet feathery on the top, and Rainbow has no clue how that would affect their aerodynamics. "So, how about these bad boys? You tried them out yet?" Rainbow asks, glancing back at Spike's face quizzically. "You know I'm always happy to have another flying partner."
Spike shakes his head. "I've barely learned to walk, you really think I already know how to fly?" Spike deadpans. "No, so far these are just for show." Spike retracts the wings.
Rainbow steps back and flips their mane. "Well, if ya like, I could try and teach you how to use them. You know, show you some tricks."
"Ah think the poor fella 'as enough on his plate as it is, Dash." Applejack calls out from across the table.
Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes as she hops back into her seat and gets back to eating. "Oh, whatever, I'm just offering."
it isn't much longer before everypony present had licked their plates clean. Clapping his hooves together, Spike licks his chops. it did taste somewhat different than he was used to, but the apple strudel was still quite delicious in its own way. But he wasn't done yet. "Alright! Whose up for desert?" Spike clamors.
Applejack raises a brow. "Wut? You're still hungry? Apple family cooking not enough for you?" She asks, almost a tad suspicious.
Spike shakes his head. "It's not that- though, I haven't eaten much today. But more importantly, I've got a treat I've been holding off on eating all day cause Twi said so." Spike affirms, before looking over at Twilight. "It's been a while since I ate that gem, can I go have more now?" He pleads, with big, round eyes.
Twilight frowns, raising one hoof. If he was really still hungry for it, that did mean it was probably fine... And he hadn't shown any signs of gastric distress. "I... Guess, you can have a bit more. But be careful and don't eat your fill. I'm still worried about you." Twilight states.
Spike wilts on the spot. Knowing he was making Twilight worry makes it hard to actually enjoy the treat. "You know, it makes it hard to enjoy when you say it like that." Spike complains ruefully.
Twilight frowns. "...Sorry. I just don't want to see you get hurt. You know that, right?" Twilight offers.
Spike nods and pushes her shoulder playfully. "Of course I do, you big dork. But..." Spike jumps up to his feet and runs off, before coming back a moment later with one of the jewels. "If I'm not having any, I wanna at least know how it tastes to you. I don't think I've ever seen a pony actually taste a gemstone before." Spike suggests.
Twilight recoils. "What? Its a rock, of course we can't eat it!"
Spike arches his brow. "Have you seen the pie family?" He snarks, before continuing. "Besides, its not like I'm asking you to eat it, just... taste it. I'm curious."
Twilight pauses. Somehow... The diamond does look tasty. Hesitantly, she reaches out for it and tests it with her teeth, not biting down but just nibbling like one would if trying to ascertain the legitimacy of a golden coin. Then, she pops the faceted jewel back and contemplates the flavor. She had expected a dull earthy flavor, but instead got a completely alien assortment of flavors she could only describe as if the sensation of being electrocuted was a taste; a potent zing, almost tangy in a way. Somehow, it wasn't at all unpleasant.
Spitting out the gem once she was done, Twilight turns to appraise Spike again with newfound interest. "It's surprisingly tasty." She is forced to admit. "Its a shame ponies cant eat them. Though, I guess that means there's more for you, doesn't it?" She contemplates, scratching her chin with her hoof.
"You know it." Spike eyes the delectable assortment of gems in front of him and sighs wistfully. "Rest well, my pretties, cause I'll be back for you once Twi here stops being such a worrywort."
"WAIT!" The duo's conversation is broken off by Pinkie staring at them wide eyed. "I wanna try! I've never had that kind of rock before!" Pinkie announces, trotting over at breakneck speeds and chomping down on the jewel with enough force that Twilight winces in imagined pain, though Pinkie seems unnaffected.
Pinkie munches for a moment, contemplating the flavor before swallowing, but then just shrugs. "I don't see what the big deal is. Tastes like any rock I've ever had." She remarks, confused. "I think I'll stick to sweets." Twilight gives a confused look to Spike, who just shrugs.
Meanwhile, everypony else is finishing up, Rainbow Dash gulping down the last of the cider that AJ had brought. Applejack is the first to get up on her hooves, and nod her head at the castles occupants.
"Well, Ah'm mighty glad t'see that you're taking to your new body like a sheepdog to pasturing, Spike. Ah think for now, we should probably leave you to it, ah'm sure you need the rest and that Twilight wants to get back to studying." Applejack states, putting her habitual hat back on her head as she prepares to leave.
"But make sure to tell us if anything else CRAZY happens!" Pinkie Pie chimes in. "Like if one of you turns into a shark! Or a shark-unicorn! A sharkicorn!" Pinkie exclaims, eliciting a giggle of amusement from Twilight.
"I don't think I'm going to have to worry about that..." Twilight remarks wryly. "But thank you all for coming over. It was great to see you all."
Rainbow Dash quickly hovers up to look over her friends back at Spike while leaving to leave one last remark. "And remember, if you need help figuring out how to use those new limbs of yours, I'm always down to help a new flying buddy find their wings." Spinning in place, they dart off, leading the pack of departing guests.
Spike and Twilight wave as their visitors leave, once again leaving the dining room to just Starlight, Spike, and Twilight, the sun nearing the horizon. Starlight breathes a sigh of relief, and collapses down to the floor.
"I hope they can warn me next time... I felt like i was going to explode the whole time they were here." Starlight complains, while Twilight looks at her, confused.
"Huh? Why's that?" Twilight asks, causing Starlight to look up at her incredulously.
"Did you not see Rainbow Dash? She was shooting daggers at me the whole time." Starlight shudders. "Even though I told the truth, she still thought I was plotting something, I could just feel it. I didn't wanna say anything the whole time for fear I'd say something wrong and make things worse."
"Well, you did almost end the world like... half a dozen times over." Spike remarks, dryly.
Starlight shoots a dirty look his way and shakes her head. "Gee, thanks for reminding me." Starlight grumbles. "Well, whatever, it's been a long day. I'm heading to bed." She announces before trotting out of the dining room.
"So, what's the plan now?" Spike asks Twilight, now that it was just the two of them again.
Twilight purses her lips in thought. "Well, I should probably at least finish my reconstruction of the spell, and it would be best if I checked for any magical traces on you." Twilight ponders.
Spike frowns slightly, knowing how Twilight could be with these things. "Twi..." He starts. "Alright, I'll run through any tests you want to do, but you're going to promise me you're gonna go to bed before midnight. Deal?" Spike asks.
Twilight hesitates for just a moment, gaze softening as she realizes Spike was concerned for her. "Of course, Spike. I won't take it too far." She nods her head. "But having said that, I would prefer if you could stay with me tonight, so I can keep an eye on you. I wouldn't want to be too far away if anything happens overnight."
Spike feels his heart suddenly pulse with excitement. Though he would never admit it to Twilight's face, sleeping on his own felt lonely, ever since the Golden Oaks Library had been destroyed and he'd moved to his own room. Even if it was just one night, it would be nice to have Twilight nearby, again. He tries to restrain his excitement as he nods, to not give his emotions away.
The evening passes by fairly quickly, Spike going back to serving as Twilight's assistant as soon as she was done having him stand in a scanner which normally was used on magical artifacts. Having gotten somewhat used to his new form in short order, Spike is able to help Twilight to some extent- Fetching books and putting things away mostly, since he still can't write.
"I think I've done it!" Twilight announces, excitedly holding up the scroll. "There was Heart's Desire residue in the lab, so I must have gone to Zecora to get some to act as the Artifact of Desire for the spell! When the magic was channeled through the reagents, it consumed them to amplify its magical powers. It should be safe to read the spell, since it is dormant without reagents!" She clears her throat.
"Two brought apart by circumstance United in heart and soul With destiny contained, rewrite our stars And bring the Fates together as one."
Spike furrows his brow. "Doesn't that sound like it would have two targets instead of one? Why am i the only one affected?"
Twilight frowns, stroking her chin with her hoof. Her number one assistant has a point. "Well... Its possible that it just used me as a template to modify you, for whatever reason. But I don't know why I would have been so reckless as to attempt to cast this spell on you. Perhaps it was an accident?" She says unsurely, not particularly convinced by her own train of thought.
"Well, we should head to bed now. Its 11:30, you need to get some sleep, and knowing you... Starting on the next part of your research will just keep you up even longer." Spike states to Twilight in a no-nonsense, matter of fact tone.
"You go on ahead. I just need to finish a few things up in here." Twilight replies reflexively without even thinking about it, continuing to pore over the manuscript.
Spike stomps a hoof on the ground to break Twilight from her reverie. "Twilight..." His voice takes on a harder edge for a moment as he makes his point, and Twilight blinks in confusion.
"I... I'm sorry, you're right." Twilight sighs and pushes back from the desk. "That is good enough progress for one day. Excellent progress, actually. And you've been handling yourself so well since you were transformed, I'm so proud of you." Twilight exclaims, wrapping one wing around Spike while she walks. "Let's go."
Twilight flips on the light switch as she enters her bedroom, closing the door behind her and Spike with a quick spell without glancing back. "There's only one bed, so we'll probably have to share..." Twilight pauses, uncertainly. "I could go get yours from your room, though I'm not sure if its large enough for you now."
"No, it's alright, I don't mind." Spike says quickly.
Twilight pauses for a moment and then shrugs. "Alright, if you're sure."
Spike wipes off his hooves, then climbs up onto Twilight's bed. He lays down, his wings awkwardly splaying under his back and legs just kind of jutting out into the air. Hissing, Spike tries a couple other positions, but they all feel equally awkward. In one his hooves weigh down on eachother and one of his wings has its circulation cut off, in another he lays on his front but his head is off the mattress and wings keep the blankets from properly covering him.
Twilight can't help but giggle a little watching Spike trying to get comfortable as she lays down next to him. "C'mon, watch what I do." She instructs, folding her wings up and then laying down on her side, at such an angle that her wings are not placed underneath her weight.
Spike delicately attempts to take after her example. It is kind of amazing how many simple tasks require him to rethink how he normally did things, even just laying down was a very different experience from when he was a dragon. But once he lays down under the covers, his head resting on the pillow, a deep sense of... Contentment overcomes him. The lights flicker out as Twilight flicks the switch with her magic, but Spike can still see her silhouette, backlit against the dim light of a waning half-moon outside.
"Are you comfortable, Spike?" Twilight asks. Spike looks over at her blearily. He is comfortable, but... He could be more. The warm fur of the pony in front of him just looks so appealing, yet at the same time he is hesitant to get any closer. After all, he was only there because of the current events, not to spend time with Twi. "...Spike?" Twilight interrupts Spike's thought process, noticing his hesitation. "Is something the matter?"
Making up his mind, Spike pins his ears back and puts his hooves together. "Um. Would it be ok if I got a little closer?" Spike asks, hesitantly.
To his relief, Twilight just giggles and raises one hoof as well as the blanket with it. "Oh, come here, you. Of course it's ok." Gratefully, Spike scoots up into Twilight's waiting hooves, tucking his head into Twilight's fluffy neck fur. Twilight's higher wing stretches out and loosely wraps around Spike, draping him in it's warmth.
"That's better..." Spike sighs contentedly. Here, held by Twilight against him, all his previous worries about being left out, about just being her assistant, seem silly. Of course Twilight loved him, it was plain to see. But, thinking back to his conversation with Starlight... He knows he should still tell her. His insecurities would come back, and as long as Twilight really does care about him as much as it seems, she would want to know. "Twi..?" He starts, meekly, the hesitant tone in his voice immediately alerting Twilight that something was on his mind.
Shifting a little bit so that she could see Spike's face- If only just barely, given the dim light, Twilight touches her muzzle to his for just a moment. "What is it, Spike?" She asks.
Fidgeting anxiously, Spike ponders where to start. "So... I'm not really sure if I want you to find a counter-spell." He eventually confesses. "I-I mean... I've always thought of myself more as a pony than a dragon, anyways. Especially since I went to the dragon lands, and saw what dragon culture is like." He continues, his pulse accelerating though he isn't sure why.
"Spike..." Twilight starts, giving him a concerned and sympathetic look. "Are you sure?"
Spike shakes his head. "No. Like I just said. I'm not sure. It's just... Sometimes I can feel like an outsider in my own home. I'm always the odd one out when you're hanging out with the girls. I just think maybe... Maybe I'd be more like a member of the group, if I was a pony."
"I had no idea you felt like this, Spike." Twilight admits, concern plain in her voice. "You should know that we all love you just the way you are. Or, were, I guess. Nopony holds your heritage against you, you don't have to change for us." Twilight says, delicately.
Spike is silent for a long moment. It wasn't like he expected her to say anything else, but it doesn't change that he still did feel a certain distance. "It's just that, when we go out, everypony who sees us thinks 'there goes Twilight and her little dragon assistant'. But if I'm a pony... They'd think 'there goes Twilight and her..." Spike trails off, not finishing the sentence.
"Twilight and her what?" Twilight asks, but Spike averts his gaze. Twilight leans on one of her hooves and props herself up, frowning. "Spike, I'm not letting this go until you tell me. What's on your mind?"
Spike delays for a long moment, but glancing up at Twilight and seeing that she wasn't going to let it go, he lets out a shaky breathe. "Twilight and her... Little brother." Spike mutters. "I-I mean, I am now, right? I'm not just a pony now. I got traits from you." He finishes uncertainly.
Twilight blinks in surprise. "Oh, Spike..." She replies softly, wrapping the pony in front of her up in her legs and pulling him in closer. "You've always been family to me. Pony or dragon, it doesn't matter to me."
They stay there for a moment, intertwined in a mesh of soft fur and warmth, Spike burying his face down into Twilight's neck. Finally, Twilight hears Spike speak, even if muffled by her coat. "Would you... Call me your brother?" Spike pleads. "You've never called me that."
Twilight blinks back a tear that was forming on the corner of her eyes. "Of course... Little bro." She giggles a little at the sound of the word, and Spike smiles gratefully.
"Thank you..." he mutters, and a silence overtakes the two of them until they eventually drift off to sleep.
Given that they hadn't gone to bed until just a bit before midnight, it is perhaps no surprise that the two newly-christened siblings sleep in even later than the previous day. But, as Spike blearily opens his eyes, he has to imagine that it has less to do with when they went to bed, and more to do with their current situation. Fully encompassed in a blissful cocoon of blankets, fur, warmth, and feathers, Spike doesn't think he's ever been so comfortable in his life.
"You awake, Twi...?" Spike mumbles out lazily after a long moment.
His response comes in the form of a soft giggle from the pony against him. "Of course I am, Spike, when have you ever known me to sleep in this late?" Twilight asks. "I just didn't want to disturb your sleep."
Spike blinks. This certainly was a much nicer thing to wake up to than if she had gotten up before him. "Thanks." he drawls out, still only half awake, and snuggles back down into the delightfully all-encompassing embrace.
"So..." Twilight starts, and Spike can tell from the tone shift that it's something more professional in nature that she was about to talk about. "I thought about it this morning while I waited for you to wake, and I think I still should develop a counterspell." Spike opens his mouth to protest, but twilight continues before he can say anything. "Now, hear me out first. It'll be totally up to you whether we use it or not, but with magic this powerful it deserves to be studied. Just think of it as caution." Twilight elaborates.
Spike nods against Twilight's shoulder. "Ok, Twi. I trust you." He utters, even though the statement went without saying. "But... Can we... Stay here a little longer first?" Spike pleads.
Twilight sighs. She'd already been idle longer than she liked. But it is kind of difficult to say no to him when he says it like that, so... "Alright, Spike. Just for a bit, though, ok? I have some new theories I'd like to test out." Spike nods in response, and burrows his face into Twilight's shoulder, savoring the intimate closeness for as long as he is able to.
Eventually, Twilight start's shifting away from him, and he groans. "Alright, Spike, any longer and we'll have to stay up all night finishing the days to-do list." Twilight states, leaving Spike to flop over onto his back.
"Geeze, sis, you're such a workaholic..." Spike mumbles, stretching his wings out underneath him and yawning. After a long moment of preparing himself, he curls up and jumps up to his hooves, shaking the tiredness away. Hours and hours of close cuddling had left his muscles feeling stiff, albeit more relaxes and rested than he had perhaps ever felt before. He glances over at Twilight to see how she was faring, before doing a double take. "U-uh, Twi? You might want to take a look in the mirror."
Twilight cocks her head at Spike and furrows her brow. "Huh? Why?" She asks, but instead of waiting for an answer she just trots over to the mirror to see her reflection. Twilight freezes up in shock, and this time its Spike who jaunts over and lays a wing across her back.
"Well, I guess that explains a few things..." Spike remarks dryly, while looking into the reflection of Twilight's slit green eyes, flame-like mane, and sharp, dragonlike fangs.
Twilight shrieks in confusion. "Huh? What? But? How?" She wheels around in a circle getting a better look, finding a series of short frill-like spines running down her back. "I-I mean, of course, its from the same spell, but why didn't it happen yesterday?" Before Spike can even respond, Twilight had teleported away.
"O-k..." Spike mutters to himself. "Time to go track her down."
Jaunting casually through the castle, it doesn't take long to hear Twilight in a frenzy of some kind in the library. As Spike approaches the entrance, he catches sight of Starlight, coming down the hall in the other direction.
"Spike! What's going on?" Starlight calls out, frantically. Spike just saunters on up to the door.
"Let's just say the spell may have had, a teensy bit more effects than Twi had thought." Spike replies, opening the door up just in time to catch sight of Twilight burping and releasing a blaze of purple fire, incinerating the book she was currently reading.
"NO!" Twilight cries out in a tone of voice that would make you think she'd just lost a dear friend. Desperately, she starts scooping up the pile of ash as if she could put it back together, while Spike struts into the room.
"Gotta watch that fire breathe." Spike states, sympathetically, thinking of all the times similar had happened to him. "If you feel it coming on, you gotta tilt your head up to make sure it doesn't incinerate anything."
"Spike! No no no no no, this can't be happening!" Twilight screeches. "What if it messes with my magic!? What if I start wanting to burn down a village!? I have fangs, Spike! Fangs!"
Spike raises a brow. "Uh, Twi? I'm right here, you know. Been a dragon my whole life. Only burned down a village once. Just don't accept too many gifts and you'll be fine."
Twilight blinks, looking back at Spike. "R-right... Sorry, I forgot you were there." She admits sheepishly.
Spike grabs the broom and starts sweeping up the ash. "Great to know that having dragon traits is such an awful thing, Twi. Really feeling the love."
"Spike..." Twilight's voice is laced with guilt. "It's not like that. Or..." She wilts on the spot, sighing. "No, you're right. That was an awful thing to say. I could have been more sensitive."
Starlight strolls into the room as Spike was cleaning, raising her brow at the sight of Twilight but otherwise not particularly reacting as she takes a sip from her morning tea. "Well, I guess that answers a couple questions about the spell." She remarks, dryly, before looking over at Spike. Spike looks back- Based on the knowing look she was giving him, it was obvious she was trying to communicate something to him subtly, but he just isn't sure what.
After a moment she just sighs and shakes her head, strolling over to where Twilight is. "Alright, teach, you want me to help you get a handle on this?" She asks, flexing her legs. Friendship might still be something she was working on, but magic? That she can handle.
Twilight nods. "I don't think I can run all the tests myself. I'll need both of your help to take all my readings." She looks at Spike and Starlight both in turn. "I'm sorry about what I said, Spike, but I could really use the help of my number one... Little brother?" She gives him a weak smile.
Spike rolls his eyes, but a light blush gives away his emotions. "Oh shucks, Twi, you know I'm there."
Starlight just glances back and forth between the two of them. "Did I... Miss something?" She asks, the question hanging in the air.
Twilight just shakes her head. "Nevermind that. To the laboratory!" And in a flash of light, she's gone.
Spike and Starlight look at eachother, shrug, and set off to meet up with her.
