The Puppetmaster

The Show Begins

A few days of anxious waiting followed as Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all tried their best to handle Spike’s new form. Due to his current state's destructiveness, he was not allowed to do very much. It felt strange for him to sit on his claws and do nothing for himself or anypony else.  However, he did find some serendipity in his new situation.

Spike was often told by Twilight that he was much too young to have a chance with Rarity. Now he found himself in an interesting situation. He had somehow grown older overnight quite literally. Though he missed his old smaller form, he began thinking that this sudden transformation was a blessing in disguise, a chance to finally be with Rarity.

“Rarity?” Spike called her as she paced the floor of the library.

Rarity had volunteered to be the one to stay with him in the library until their newly declared princess could return. Her worry had settled down from the initial shock of seeing her cute, little “Spikey-Wikey” as larger, more menacing dragon. However, it seemed that something else was bothering her. This was the second time she had nearly lost Spike and it had terrified her just as much as the first had. But she just could not quite put her hoof on the reason. Losing him would of course mean he would no longer help her around her shop, but she knew that something more that would be missing in her life had he not returned. She quickly shook the thought when she heard her name being called.

“Oh… I’m sorry, Spike. I just have a lot on my mind,” a distracted Rarity told him. “Yes?”

“Uh… Nothing…” he replied, too embarrassed to tell her what was on his mind.

“Spike, what…” Rarity began but paused to take in a deep breath. “What would you do if Twilight couldn’t find a way to get you back to normal? You wouldn’t leave… would you?”

Before he could respond, a certain pink pony busted through the library’s door.

“SHE’S HERE!!! SHE’S HERE!!!” Pinkie Pie announced, nearly bouncing off the walls. “TWILIGHT’S BACK!!!”

“She is?” Rarity asked, in more relief than disbelief.

“Took her long enough!” Spike laughed, allowing a fiery flare to escape from his mouth.

“I have to get my flugelhorn!” the party pony gasped before running off, only to poke her head through the doorway. “I’ll meet you there!”

“Wait! Pinkie!” the white unicorn called out but to no avail. “Meet her where?”

Before she could look back to the semi-grown dragon, he had already found his way out of the library and headed through the lively town. Most ponies were startled, to say the least, after first seeing Spike return from the Everfree Forest. However, after a little reassurance from Rarity and the other mares, their fears had quelled, but it was still a very scary experience for the ponies to have such a large dragon run through their town, clearing the way as they saw him coming. He soon reached the center of town, where he saw a very large and highly decorated chariot approaching.

“Spike! Spike!” Rarity yelled, finally catching up with him. “Oh!”

“Alright! It’s about time!” Rainbow Dash said, hovering overhead.

“It has been mighty long time,” Applejack said, also just arriving.

“We haven’t seen her since the coronation!” Fluttershy said in a “loud” voice.

Soon the whole town fell silent as the chariot touched down. In the regal transport sat the newly crowned princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. She seemed to be a little nervous as she gave the crowd an awkward smile and a wave of her hoof as they cheered and welcomed their new princess back to her home. For the most part, she looked to be the same Twilight her friends remembered, except for a new jeweled tiara and a golden, ornate necklace.

“Hi, girls! And… Spike?!” Twilight pulled back in surprise. “You’ve… gotten pretty big...”

Though they had sent her a letter through the magical link between Celestia and Spike, she was still surprised to find the “baby” dragon she had left was now almost twice her size.

“AWW!!!! I MISSED IT!!!” the pink party pony whined loudly as she rushed to the scene.

“Missed what, Pinkie?” Twilight asked.

“I wanted to blow my flugelhorn and say: ‘Welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle!’” Pinkie answered, frowning. “Like the guards do with their horns in Canterlot but…”

“Oh… alright Pinkie, you can still do it,” the newest of the princesses said.

“YAY! Ok, you have to get back in the chariot,” the pink pony told her as she practically pushed Twilight into position. “Stay there until I blow my horn, okay?”

“Ok Pinkie,” Twilight giggled, climbing back onto her chariot.

“Ok… now you guys stand right… there…” Pinkie said, pushing the crowd of her friends some distance in front of the chariot. “Now… wait for it…”

“Uh… Pinkie…?” Applejack asked after a while of silence.

“WAIT FOR IT…” she replied, hushing her fellow earth pony. “Now!”

Taking in all the air her lungs allowed, she sounded her horn, making many of the residents of Ponyville flinch from the sheer volume.

“Presenting Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Pinkie boomed, a very satisfied smile coming across her face.

“Thank you… for that Pinkie…” Twilight told her, rubbing her ears.

Though she was a bit bewildered by Pinkie’s overly loud welcome, it would be a lie to say she did not miss Pinkie’s over the top antics all the while she was in Canterlot.

“No problem… we were going to throw you a party but…” she responded sadly as her ears drooped. “The meteor that took Spike into the Everfree Forest burned all the decoration we had…”

“Pinkie, we’ve been over this already…” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Spike was the one that burned the decoration…”

“But why would Spike burn all the decoration?” Pinkie asked.

“It was an accident!” Rainbow Dash said, her patience wearing thin.

“So what happened to the meteor?” she asked, tilting her head in further confusion.

“THERE WAS NO METEOR!!!” yelled all the ponies, sans Twilight, in unison at the top of their lungs.

“Well, I guess we better get started if we want to get you back to normal as soon as possible,” Twilight said to the dragon.

“Actually…” Spike said, quickly covering his mouth as a small burst of flames escaped. . “You’re probably tired from all your… uh… princess stuff at Canterlot. It can wait…”

Although he had been in this form for a few days now, he had not quite gotten used to it. However, after several visits to the spa and a countless number of broken files later, the twins Aloe and Lotus had finally dulled his claws to manageable keenness. As for his fire breath, it was still out of control and a potential threat to anyone he spoke to, so he became used to staying silent. When he did have to speak, he got into the habit of covering his mouth to stop the fire spreading into the open

“Oooook…” Twilight replied.

“Yeah, let’s go over to Sugarcube Corner and you can tell about all about Canterlot!” Pinkie boomed. “And maybe when we’re while trying to get Spike back to normal later, we’ll find out what happened to that pesky meteor…”

Most of the ponies merely shook their head with the exception of Rainbow Dash, who forcefully drove her hoof into her face.

“How come ya ain’t staying at Canterlot like Princess Luna and Princess Celestia?” Applejack asked the new princess.

“Yes, that does seem a little odd,” Rarity added. “Do tell, Twilight.”

“Well, I know this seems weird… for a princess to live in library in such a little town, but as Princess Luna pointed out while I was there, how I became a princess is anything but normal,” Twilight answered. “Princess Celestia wanted me to stay in Canterlot with her and Luna, but I told her that I wanted to come back… I mean, if it wasn’t for you girls, I wouldn’t be a princess at all!”

“Aww…” the girls snuggled for a hug, causing the lone dragon—moreover—the only boy present to gag from the overemotional moment.

“However, being a special case, Celestia also gave me a special duty,” she continued. “From now on, the Elements of Harmony are my full responsibility. Their care, their use, everything! But that’s not just it… From now on, protecting Equestria and all the ponies that live here is our responsibility…”

“What do you mean our responsibility?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well, seeing as the Elements are bound to us…” Twilight paused to retrieve a chest from two guards that had followed them to the sweets shop. “She decided to dub us the official guardians of all of Equestria and the Crystal Kingdom. As Princess Celestia said, ‘the Elements of Harmony are the most powerful and final safeguard against the evils that threaten our lands and citizens.’ Should a new threat ever were to arise, it’s our responsibility to see to it and resolve it!”

“Oh my…” Fluttershy said as she began to hyperventilate. “That’s… a lot… of pressure…”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy! As long as we all stick together, we can do anything!” Pinkie reassured her friend with a big hug.

“You seem a bit off, Twilight,” Rarity asked, noticing the purple princess’s eyes glued to the floor.

“It’s… nothing, really!” she replied, giving her friends a shallow smile.

“Now, now. There ain’t a thing ya can’t tell us, sugarcube!” the apple farmer told her as she gave her a strong pat on the back. “Ya know that!”

“We’ll stand by you no matter what!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Ok… it’s about Princess Celestia,” Twilight confessed. “She’s been acting really strangely. She told me she didn’t intend on tearing me away from you girls when she asked me to stay in Canterlot. She said that she just wanted to be sure that I was ready to lead Equestria in case the time came that I ever had to rule over it… and she wasn’t there…”

“What do you think Princess Celestia meant?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know… As far as I know, alicorns live forever…” the new princess responded. “Maybe she’s going somewhere… I don’t have a clue!”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean nothin’ by it, sugarcube,”  Applejack reassured her.

“I hope you’re right, Applejack…” Twilight replied. “I really do…”

“You don’t know how good it feels to be home, Spike!” Twilight said, stretching her newly acquired wings. “I know we were both born in Canterlot, but all the while I was over there, I couldn’t stop thinking of Ponyville or any of you!”

“Well, I think everypony missed you too, Twilight…” Spike said as he gave her a half-hearted smile.

“Something wrong?” the purple alicorn asked him. “You’ve been acting pretty weird too.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight…” the dragon apologized. “I just don’t know if I want to go back to normal…”

“Hmm?” Twilight hummed, raising an eyebrow.

“I mean, you were right… why would Rarity ever want to date a baby dragon?” he confessed.

“But Spike… this isn’t natural!” she replied. “I know that you really like Rarity, but this could be dangerous. Remember what happened last time? You almost hurt her…”

“I wouldn’t hurt Rarity!!!” Spike roared, frightening the alicorn. “I-I’m… sorry…”

“It’s ok, Spike,” Twilight tried to calm him. “I know that it’s hard…”

“No, you don’t understand… This is my one chance to be with Rarity…” he said as he rested flat on the floor. “I don’t want to lose it… maybe… maybe it happened for a reason!”

“But Spike… what about your breath… and your claws…?” she asked.

“I can learn to control my breath! And after going to the spa, my claws have been just fine!” Spike nearly yelled.

“What about your size, Spike?” Twilight inquired. “You barely fit through the doors as it is…”

“But I didn’t feel right as a baby dragon!” the dragon cried, a few tears of frustration leaving his eyes. “I felt older…”

“Do you feel ‘right’ right now?” she asked in reply.

“No…” Spike answered sadly.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Twilight told him, rubbing his head to comfort him. “I didn’t mean to ruin your dream of being with Rarity when I said you were too young.”

“I know… I know…” he repeated. “But I knew you were right… No matter how hard I tried, I don’t think Rarity can treat me like a coltfriend as long as I was a baby dragon. I was too little… Now I’m too big… I won’t be able to stay here with all the ponies soon… Equestria's no place for a full-grown dragon…”

“Don’t say that, Spike! I’ll tell you what: how about you think it over tonight? You can tell me what you want to do in the morning," she told him. “That sound ok to you?”

“Ok…” Spike replied with a smile as she walked away. “Promise not to tell anypony else?"

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye…” Twilight giggled.

“Oh… and Twilight?” Spike called to her.

“Yes?” she turned around.

“Sorry about the books…” Spike said with a small flinch. They had strategically left that out of the letter they had wrote to her and Celestia.

“What boo…” Twilight paused as soon as she saw that the blackened section of the library. After giving a heartbroken, horrified sort of sigh, the poor shocked pony fainted.

“Twilight?” a familiar voice called out to the alicorn. “Twiiiiiilight! WAKEY WAKEY!”

A sudden crash of cymbals startled the purple pony awake.

“AGH!!!” Twilight yelled, falling off her bed.  Standing over her was her crazy pink friend with a wide smile across her face.

“She’s awa-ake!” Pinkie sung as she bounced down the steps to the library’s ground floor.

“Pinkie, we told you to let Twilight rest… poor darling’s been busy ever since her coronation,” Twilight heard Rarity’s voice say. “She must be exhausted.”

“Don’t worry about me, girls!” the new princess said, soaring down to the second floor.

“Well, well, well! Looks like somepony’s getting used to her wings!” Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically.

“Sort of… But I’m a long way from racing you, Rainbow!” Twilight laughed as she landed awkwardly.

“Aww…” the blue pegasus whined.

“What are we standin’ around for?” Applejack asked. “Let’s head over to Zecora’s and get Spike here back to normal!”

As the mares hurriedly exited the library, only Spike and Twilight were left. It was obvious that the dragon had not slept the entire night. He was finding his eyelid unusually heavy and was yawning quite frequently.

“Well, Spike…” Twilight paused to turn to the dragon. “Did you decide on what you’re going to do?"

“I think I want to go back to normal…” Spike answered, wiping his eyes. “Even if I can’t be with Rarity… I can still be her friend… I can still be there for her if ever she needs me…”

After giving Twilight a reassuring smile, he quickly exited the library and followed the rest of their little group. However, Twilight lingered a bit longer, still unsure if she could go through with it. After their emotionally charged talk last night, much uncertainty developed in her heart. Her number one assistant, the dragon that had helped since her studies began in Canterlot, needed help in fulfilling his own dream and she was utterly stumped. If she found a way to return him to his original age, then she effectively put out his only hope to fulfill his dream. If she refused to return him to his young age, he would soon grow too big to comfortably live with the rest of the residence of Equestria.

“What would Celestia do…? I can ask her!” Twilight thought out loud. “But… I’m a princess now. I should be able to handle this on my own! If I can’t handle one of my friend’s problems, how am I ever going to prove to Princess Celestia that I can handle all of Equestria’s problems?”

“Come on, Twilight!” Spike said, returning to the library to see what had kept the alicorn.

“Sorry, I’m on my way!” Twilight replied, chasing after the dragon. “Oh! And don’t think you’re off the hook for all those books you burned, even if it was an accident!”

She only received a groan from Spike as they raced off to catch up with the others.

“You experience strange growth again?” Zecora spoke. “Hmm… Let us see what is at work then.”

Taking a few minutes to examine Spike, the zebra poked his stomach, pulled his tail and finally took a drop of saliva from one of his fangs in a small glass vial. Dropping it in her cauldron, it soon turned the liquid swirling inside into a purple matching Spike’s scales.

“This is very peculiar indeed,” Zecora said finally. “The cause of his growth is not greed.”

“So… what made him grow?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“It seems the root of this problem is a type of herb,” the zebra added. “The flow of time, this rare plant’s essence will disturb.”

“I’ve never heard of a plant that had time-altering qualities,” Twilight stated.

“It grows only within the forest’s center,” Zecora answered. “A dangerous place that few dare to enter.”

“How did it get all the way to Ponyville then?” Pinkie asked.

“That is one thing I do not know,” the zebra replied. “Legs, these herbs simply cannot grow.”

“Hey, Twilight. Can’t ya just cast one of them spells of yers to get Spike back to his normal self?” Applejack asked.

“Well, since it was a plant that made him grow… maybe I can,” Twilight answered. “My magic has gotten stronger since I became an alicorn… Hold still, Spike.”

“Is it gonna hurt?” Spike asked her, a bit of fear building up inside him.

“No…” the alicorn paused to think it over. “No.”

Twilight’s horn began to glow brightly as she concentrated all her power in preparation of the spell. With a hard swallow, Spike nervously stood as his sweat shot off of him, creating a puddle on the floor beneath him. After another second, Twilight seemed satisfied with the power she gathered and shot a powerful beam at the dragon. Looking up at the dragon, Twilight's eyes widened when she saw the same dragon frightfully shaking and sweating bullets. absolutely nothing happened. The alicorn did not give up right away, charging and releasing blast after blast at the dragon. However, after many exhausting attempts, the results did not change. Spike was still in his unnaturally grown state.

“What’s wrong? Why won’t my magic work?” Twilight asked. “Zecora?”

“Of these reptiles, my people know a lot,” Zecora responded. “However, a dragon expert, I am not.”

“So… I’M STUCK LIKE THIS!?” Spike panicked.

“Now, now, darling…” Rarity told him, giving him a calming rub on his back. “I’m sure there’s something that we can find in the library that can help us.”

“I’m sorry, but Spike and I already looked all over the library for anything on dragons before,” Twilight said. “We couldn’t find a single book about them. No pony has ever researched them because of how dangerous it is.”

“Wait!” Spike exclaimed, startling all those present.

“What is it, Spike?” Twilight asked. “Do you know somepony who researched dragons before!?”

“No, but I know somepony who does!” he answered, giving the confused group a wide smile.