To be Human: An Equestria Girls reimagining

[Twilight's Perspective]

The sun was nowhere to be seen, blocked by clouds that suffocated the colors of this usually vibrant town. On the ground, the roads were empty as rain battered the roofs and pavements of the town without any signs of relent. The sounds of it all echoed everywhere, even inside the boutique as I sat by a window, watching the scene that served to only worsen my already lethargic mood.

It has been raining for the last two days now and today seems to be the heaviest it’s fallen. It's been making my job harder every night I go out to do my reconnaissance. No matter what though, I know I need to find the unicorn named Sunset Shimmer.

The night my crown was stolen was the first time I've ever seen her. And sadly, it's also the last. It's not like we haven't been trying. Every night, we go on excursions to look for anything that can point us to her. Sadly and quite annoyingly, we hardly have anything to go by. We don't know what she looked like as a human much less any other information that she uses. The only thing we can really do is to wait for her to make the first move. Add that a few weeks a go, a new, lead-less  vector in the form of identifying documents literally showed up at our front doors... I’ll be honest; it infuriates me to no end.

A soft hand landed on my shoulder and I was instantly drawn back into reality.

“Are you alright, dear?” said the woman with eyes of concern, specifically aimed at my hands.

I looked down and saw them turned white from being clenched too tightly. “Yes… yes. I was just… doing some thinking.”

The woman's expression softened and she handed me a hot cup of tea from a tray I hadn't noticed she brought in with her.

“Thank you Miss Phoebe.”

She simply nodded before taking her tray and leaving without a word.

I let out a sigh as I looked down on the tea cup, its heat radiating into my palms. “What is wrong with me? Sigh… I need to be more attentive.”

Life in the human world has been relatively okay. It surprised me just how comparable it was to Equestria, with a few gives and takes one would hardly know the difference. It's been more than a month since we entered earth. I’ve been working as one of the librarian for the town for a few weeks now and only recently was I officially hired into the position. I’m here in Miss Phoebe’s boutique for the uniform. We finished all the work necessary and I was technically free to go. But with the rain as heavy as it was, leaving was not an option.

It wasn’t all bad, though. I wasn’t outside for one. As a matter of fact, I’m glad to be inside the Miss Phoebe's boutique. The place was a sight to behold. With its colors, furnishings and knickknacks, the building gave off the feel of nobility, something that I’ve rarely seen in the human world. That being said, the place also had an air of neglect to it, with dust and a few cobwebs scattered in different niches. There was also a bookshelf with a small collection of books consisting mostly of romance novels, tailoring manuals, science books and oddly enough, a few books about theories of the arcane. If I was in more decent mood, I would've spent some considerable time with those. The hospitality of my hostess has also help in making me feel comfortable.

Her name is Phoebe Anaheim - Wilson. From what I can tell from our multiple meetings, she's not a very talkative person. She’s a caring and kind person from what her actions show, very meticulous too. But for some reason, she hardly ever smiles. And whenever she does, almost all of them would feel… hollow... meaningless. A shame considering her beauty would benefit if she smiled more, not that she needed it.

She’s the first human to make me feel envious of their looks. When I first met her, I thought that maybe I found Rarity’s counterpart. She a lady of grace. Her physique and posture undoubtedly proved the part. And what her figure says, her face further accentuates; her long black hair that naturally curled and gracefully covered the right half of her face. Her blue eyes had the shine of sapphires whenever they would grace the world with their presence. Her nose was so neat on her face that most people would have thought it was fashioned by deities. Her lips were perfect, plump and red, like a ripe fruit that suitors would fight to pick.

But as much as she is beautiful, I don't believe that I've ever really seen her happy. For as long as I've known her, I’ve never seen her lips form a genuine heartfelt smile. To say that I’ve never seen her flash one would be a fallacy, of course. But of all of those that I've been lucky enough to set eyes upon, all have been hollow; an empty solace if nothing else. While her eyes (or eye, given I've only ever seen one side of her face) were almost always half-lidded, windows that showed indifference, and disconnection from the world that wished for it all to end.

Whatever reason or event that drove her into this state I could only guess at. I wouldn't want to dig up her past and accidentally open closed wounds. I could only hope for her to get out of such a state, for no matter how naturally beautiful she may be, it is all for nothing if the bearer is broken.

Finally the rain started to waver and I thought this was the best time to travel. But before I could even stand up, I interrupted by music that emanated from my purse. Immediately, I opened the satchel and pulled out the device these humans called a cell phone.

It was a wondrous invention of theirs that allowed for instant communication regardless of distance. And even if we have yet to find Sunset; it has more than proven to be very useful to us. So useful in fact that Spike felt threatened by it. Ironic, given it was him that convinced me to get one. He even went as far as to make me promise – or rather, begged me and had me commit a pinkie swear – not to make anything like it when we return to Equestria. I said yes, but not before I got a few high pitched 'noes' from him.

I unlocked the phone's interface and found a text from Spike. It read as follows:

Twilight, I'm back in Pinnsmith. Just arrived an hour ago And I’m still in the bus station. You can very much guess why I haven't gone home yet, so... could you come here and bring an umbrella, pretty please? Sorry for the bother. Thanks!

P.S. STUPID RAIN!

“Oh Spike,” I said to no one in particular. And though I find his misfortune funny, I’m very glad that he’s home.

A week ago, Spike was invited by Diana and her father for an out-of-town trip that would take a few days to a week. He was to help them – or more accurately, observe them – discuss an official match with another gym and their champion. At first he was very excited about the whole trip; to be able to see more of what earth and humans had to offer, understand the inner workings of Diana's profession. But to my shock, he declined the offer, saying outright that he had a 'more important job to do'.

I was really happy to hear him say those words, but I also didn't want to see him glum. After all, he's proven himself mature enough to make his own decisions. So I told him that I would take care of things. Unsurprisingly, he questioned my ability to do so on multiple occasions. And every time he did, I'd try my best to reason with him and convince him to go. Thankfully in the end I got him to agree. But as a condition, he had me use a bicycle and electric self-defense weapon – called a Taser I believe – that he borrowed from Alex, just in case things go south. Thankfully, not once did I find myself in any situation to use it since the town was quiet, not that it was overly active to begin with.

Just as I promised, I went on my nightly rounds around town looking for anything that could point us to Sunset Shimmer even without Spike. Suffice to say, I hardly found out anything of value. Something that continues to irks the more the failures pile on.

I went to inform my hostess about the situation and I asked if I could borrow and extra umbrella. She obliged and handed me one of intricately design. But as she handed it to me, she gave me a warning to avoid any routes going through new church green as much as I could, reasoning that the drainage system there was broken and would probably be flooded.

The weather remained ‘relatively’ kind all throughout my walk towards the station. I found Spike among the other patrons of the station sat within the waiting area. It wasn't hard to find him among the others since he stuck out like a sore thumb with his green hair – the minuscule number of people in the station didn't hurt either. But even then I approached him slowly just to be sure. And when all doubts had been culled, I eased my step and tapped on the young man's shoulder.

“Spike,” I called with a soft voice, a smile readily plastered on my face as my welcome.

When he turned, he immediately smiled back and lunged at me, his arms tightly wrapping around my form. “Twilight!”

My pupils shrunk and my cheeks burned vibrantly while my mind froze as I felt the stare of an unknown number of eyes that turned to look at both of us.

“Well... I'm home.” He said with a wide grin when he released me. His face started to contort in worry when I didn’t respond, much less welcome her back. “Are you OK Twi?”

“Huh? What? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine.” I muttered, furiously shaking my head.

He still looked at me with squinting, calculating eyes that made me stiffen. He then placed his hand on my forehead without warning. “Well, you don't seem like you have a fever. Are you sure you're alright, Twi?” asked Spike as he retreated his palm from my head.

“Y-yes.”

Again he looked at me with the same suspicious look but then shrugged.

“Well... if you say so. Anyway, thanks for coming Twi. Sorry for the bother. I would’ve brought an umbrella had I knew it was raining in Pinnsmith,” he said, scratching the back of his head during his last sentence.

I smiled clumsily as I offered him the extra umbrella – not the frilly one. “It’s no problem Spike. I’m actually surprised. I thought your trip would take more than a week.”

“Yeah. We finished most of the work earlier than expected. I really didn’t have much to do there so I went on ahead. Alex and the Lynges stayed behind; said they still had business there.”

“I see. Well in that case, welcome back Spike,” I said with a cheerful smile.

“It’s good to be home.”

The rain had subsided and we decided to take our chances. Spike took his baggage – a bag pack and a small training bag, and opened his umbrella. I offered to take some of his luggage, but he respectfully declined saying he's already enough of a bother.

It's only been five days since I've last seen Spike. Even with that short of a time, he seemed changed for some reason. Physically, he looked the same except for relatively longer hair, but I could still sense there was definitely something different.

The pattering of rain was the only thing to be heard as Spike and I walked home. Silence stretched between us as we continued on. I in particular didn't feel like starting a conversation. Sadly, Spike was also not in a chatty mood – something that was odd given his usual talkativeness. I felt the awkwardness continue to mount and it began to feel unbearable. Though thankfully, it seemed that I wasn’t the only one feeling the heavy atmosphere.

“So... How was the town while I was gone?”

“It was…Ok, I guess. Nothing really happened. Nothing was the only thing I could find.” I answered without much enthusiasm in my voice, my tone more dead at the last sentence.

“Don't worry too much about it Twi, she can’t hide forever.”

I didn’t answer.

“Hey! What's with the gloomy face? Isn't that a good thing? That means Sunset hasn't used the crown yet!”

“It also means we still couldn't track her.” I finally answered, with a low tone of annoyance and irritability coloring my statement.

Spike's smile visibly lost some of its vibrance when I finished. “Just because we haven't found her yet, doesn't mean we won't find her eventually, right?”

“Eventually? Eventually isn't good enough!” I snapped, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “We've been here for more than a month, Spike. Yet we still don't have a single clue where Sunset is! Day after day we try to find her. Night after night we search every nook and cranny for anything that could point us to her. Yet here we are; nothing to show for our work! We're not even sure if she's still in Pinnsmith!”

My breath ragged with leaked emotions while my eyes looked at him with burning annoyance, until slowly I began to understand my actions. My eyes closed and I looked away, wholly expecting him to lash-out, to shout back. But in the darkness that I hid in, nothing I was prepared for happened. And instead was drawn out not by a shout but by a comforting hand gently landing itself on the top of my head.

“You miss them, don't you Twilight?”

I instantly opened my eyes and turned to look at him in the face, waiting for him to continue.

“I miss them too. I miss them a lot.” He frowned slightly as he looked away. “I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated too,” he paused then turned to face me and moved his hand from my head to my shoulder. His expression was stern and serious, yet at the same time managed to stay welcoming. “I need you to stay focused Twilight. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I know how you feel. I might not show it, but I do. I know how disheartening it feels whenever a day passes without any progress, to imagine going back home to equestrian empty handed. I know because I'm here with you."

"When I was on my trip, I continued looked for Sunset in the city whenever I can. It’s painful to tell you now that that didn't go anywhere. I’m not asking you to stop looking for her. But I also know that I can't make the promise that we'd find her if we looked harder. What I want you to understand is that this has always been a waiting game. This is the card we've been dealt, and the only thing we can do is play it. We’re only two people. We can’t comb the country much less the whole of earth just by ourselves. But know this Twilight, with the kind of power she has now, it's impossible for her not make a mistake. And when she does, you can bet that I’m gonna do everything to get back what's rightfully yours.”

Despite the heavy rain, his words came to me as clearly as if it was the only thing to be heard. He was right on every account; One month here on earth also meant one month away from Equestria, one month away from friends and family. With the gate closed for another two months, I have no capacity to get in contact with any of them. No way to know what they're doing, if they're in good health or not, if they're safe or in trouble. The only thing I could really do is hope that nothing terrible happens while we're away. I really want to see them, but I also didn’t want to fail them.

“Y-you’re right. Sorry Spike. I guess… I…  I allowed myself to be too caught up with trying to find her and I –”

Before I could finish my sentence, Spike placed a finger on my lips. “Don’t be sorry Twi. Like I’ve said, I know how you feel. I know how annoying our whole situation is. All I can say is that we need to always keep our cool. Being driven is good, but being too driven can be a problem. Quite frankly, you really have a problem when it comes to that.” He then flashed a wide, goofy grin. “Besides, people can't see the fun in things if they’re too serious. Now come on, let’s get home before this rain gets any heavier.”

My body relaxed and my lips curled upwards into a smile. “Ok.”

Once again I find myself thankful for his company, always keeping me grounded. And whatever this whole ends up becoming, one thing would always be true. Spike was the best person to help me in all of this, stowaway or not.

We continued on our way home with the heavy atmosphere completely gone. The rain also seemed to have subsided, helping the process. I looked around trying to find non-stressful topics to further aid that process. I looked at Spike and smiled when I saw something I didn’t notice before.

“Nice coat. How much did it cost?” I said with a sly tone.

He visibly tensed up as he turned to look at me. “You finally noticed huh?”

“Mm Hmm. So is this why you couldn’t just take a cab home?”

He sighed and held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright, you caught me. I kinda spent more than I should have on this thing. Luckily, I still had enough for the bus ride home. But you have to admit,” He paused and then posed with his lips in a small pout. “I make this look good.”

“Yes. I guess you do.” I said with a chuckle and a hint of sarcasm.

It has been too long since I've last seen this side of him. Ever since we've entered earth, he's been nothing but serious and calm, enough that I thought he was a different person. Seeing this playful side of him again makes me happy. But aside from his antics, I couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in his quip. He did look quite handsome in his black coat.

“Hey Twi, do you hear that?” He said, snapping me back into attention.

I listened closely and heard that there was indeed another sound in the background other than the pattering of rain; a sort of wailing sound that grew strong and strong at a rate quite terrifying. In a matter of seconds, the source of the siren came into view, three ambulances roaring down the road. Sirens blaring hard and loud, they passed us, whipping around wind and rain in their wake. The both of us could only stare at the red light streaks that continued to fade into the blur of rain.

“You'd think they'd be more careful under a downpour like this,” Spike managed. “I wonder what kind of emergency would force them to drive like that.”

“Y-yeah. Let's just hope it’s nothing too serious.”

The rain poured harder without warning, it's winds hitting hard to the point that staying outside was no longer an option. Thankfully, we weren't all that far from home. We both ran all the way, caution disregarded, our clothes soaked and freezing

“Well, so much for looking good. This thing was dry clean only too,” Spike said with a sigh. “I guess there's no point in going out to do reconnaissance tonight. What do you think?”

I looked out of the still open door and saw the downpour get stronger. "Even if I wanted to, it's not like we could,"

He only snorted at that. "Don't think about it too much Twi. Besides, I think this would do you some good." He then made his way into the bathroom - which also served as the laundry room, his luggage still in tow.

Since my own coat was the only thing that suffered from the downpour, I took it off and started searching for May. After hearing no reply and finding each room empty, I could only wonder where she would've gone. I took a seat on the living room sofa after a fruitless second try and spotted a note set on the coffee table.

    Had to go out because of an emergency

    I'll be home before 8pm

    -May

I turned toward the living room clock and found the time to be 5:21pm. Even though May's note gave me a bit of reassurance, it wasn't enough to stop me from worrying given what I saw and experienced outside. But before making any moves, I still it best to get for Spike's opinion. Walking back towards the bathroom I heard the whirl of water and machine echo from the inside while millions of droplets tap in the background.

Knocking on the bathroom door, I called on him. “Spike, May's not here but she left a note. She said she'd be home before eight. Do you think she'll be OK?”

“Hold on Twi. I can't quite hear you clearly. Give me a few seconds, I’m almost finished.” Then I heard the shower tap twist close and after a few seconds, he came out of the bathroom wearing only a long bath towel on his hips and a short one on his shoulders. My jaw dropped despite myself.

It’s already been more than a month since I’ve learned of Spike's true maturity and I can safely say that I’ve loosened up to the idea. Yet somehow I still find myself at awe whenever these kinds of situations arise. The only explanation I've been able to worm out of him for his body was that it might have something to do with his dragon heritage.

“What were you saying Twi?” He said as furiously rubbing a towel on his head.

“Huh... W-well, May isn’t here. She left us a note but it didn’t say where she went. She also said it was an emergency. Spike, I’m kind of worried.”

His face received a bit of a grimace after turning to look at the living room window. “In this kind of weather, I can’t blame you.” He then turned back to me, his face back to normal though not completely losing its seriousness. “Did she say what time she left?”

“No, only that she’d probably be back by 8.”

Spike took off the towel on his head and proceeded in opening the bedroom door. “I see. Well at least she gave us a time. We’ll just call her later after you finish taking a shower.”

“Shower?” I asked, doing a double take.

“Well you got rained on, didn’t you? Don’t tell me you’re not going to take a shower,” He answered as he entered the room. But before he closed the door he looked at me for a second time but this time with a scrutinizing eye. “A second thought, take a bath instead. You look tense.”

Having nothing more to rebut or anyone to rebut to, I found myself in the bathroom, readying the tub. I wanted to object at first but after a while, I didn't even know why I wanted to do so. His points were valid and he was right when he said I was stressed. Bubbles multiplied as the tub's contents continued to gain volume. And when the desired water level was reached, I stripped down and readied myself for the dip.

A sigh escaped me as I slowly submerged myself in the warm water. My mind cleared itself, taken by the relaxing ambiance of the ironically dull tiled room. “Seriously, why did I want to argue against this again?”

I didn't know how long I've been in that state; time lost itself to me as I enjoyed the quiet isolation. It gave me space to meditate. Spike was right; I've been too driven when it came to Sunset Shimmer. I didn't control myself, fervently searching for any evidence when there obviously was none.

I drained the tub and finished off. Feeling refreshed, clean and in fresh clothes, I found all my previous moods gone, replaced by something new yet at the same time familiar. “I guess I'm officially starting.”

*************

Comfortably sitting in the living room comforter with a Greek mythology book in hand, I finally found myself caught up on something else besides Sunset. The book itself was engaging, especially for the chapters that talked about the titan called Prometheus, but I think it’s my mentality that more responsible for the reprieve I have right now.

Back in Equestria, I would spend most of my hours with my eyes glued to books, enjoying every minute of it. Although recently, due to the search for Sunset, I hardly find any time to do these things anymore. And considering the amount of human knowledge literature that I’ve yet to get my hands on, I’m feeling a bit of regret not getting to read more.

The sound of clinking porcelain stole my attention and I was drawn to see Spike set down some tea with a smile.

My own lips curled upwards as I took the hot beverage. “It’s been awhile since we’ve done this, hasn’t it Spike?”

“You can say that again. And if we’re talking about reading for leisure, even more so.” A corner of his lips bent up exposing a few teeth including a single out of place fang. “I take it you’re taking my advice then?”

I chuckled at his cheeriness and turned towards the steaming cup in my hands. “I’m thinking about it.”

"Think all you want. There should be no harm so long as we keep our guards up,” he said before sipping on his own cup. He then turned to look at the clock. “It’s already 7:09 huh. I guess it’s about time I start the burner. I’ll be in the kitchen for a while, so hows about we call May now.”

Agreeing, I took the telephone and called her cell. But after a number of tries, we both started to worry to the point of considering going out in the rain again. However as soon as we stood up from our seats, my own cell rang with May's number flashing on its display. I answered and sighed in relief as I heard her voice, meek but cheery as every though a bit ragged. May filled me in a little and told me she was helping out in the local hospital and that she’d return home later than when she initially intended due to the situation in the hospital. She had to cut the call short due to her being needed immediately. Before hanging up, she promised to fill both Spike and I in more once she got home.

As I placed my phone down, an eager, worried-faced Spike waited on me from across the living room. “She’s fine. She’s volunteering at the hospital. She said she’d probably be late but she’ll come home tonight.”

He breathed easy as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He then pumped out his chest and crossed his arms with a grin showing on his face. “See, I told you she’d be fine!”

"Yes, yes you did," I replied with a smirk.

Time ticked on as we waited for the estimated hour of May’s return. Spike was in the kitchen cooking while I stayed on the living room recliner reading my books. I would’ve been inside there helping him, but Spike kept insisting that he’d like to cook on his own, going as far as to carrying me out when I tried to force myself in.

I turned to look at the time and saw the hour to be 8:12 in the evening. ‘She’s probably on her way home.’

I turned back to my book, thinking it best to simply keep myself distracted. Sadly my eyes would always slip out of the text and into the kitchen entrance for the living room began to be covered by different stomach-rumble-inducing aromas while sound of knife and chopping board echoed from inside the kitchen walls.

"Spike, are you absolutely sure don't need me there to speed things up?"

“You can’t rush perfection Twilight.”

“Spike!” I exclaimed as I tried to

He peeked out of the kitchen threshold, frilly apron, ladle and all. “Are you really that hungry?”

I slam closed the small book in my hand and bring my forehead down onto my lap. “Maybe... Yes! But can you blame me? It’s already past eight and your cooking's the only thing I can smell in here!” I replied, this time less aggravated yet still retaining my shrill annoyance.

The chopping stopped and was replaced by the more subtle sound of stirring metal. “Good, at least I know you missed my cooking.”

My stomach growled loudly in reply. I know very well just how good a cook he is, and having that knowledge only adds insult to the deprivation. “I give up.” I exclaimed, smashing my head in the comforter’s armrests.

“You forfeit dinner then,” Spike said in a sly playful tone. I then heard his footsteps, ended by a gentle pop of wood on porcelain. “Pity. And here I thought we could enjoy having dinner now. All three of us, May included.”

I raise my head from my lap in curiosity to his words. When the realization hit me, I turned my gaze toward the house's front door and saw a smiling, blushing May. "He-hello."

“Oh this is so embarrassing! I'm sorry May; I should've noticed you come in. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry,” I muttered with haste making my words almost incoherent.

“Oh please don't be sorry, you shouldn't be. It's my fault for being too quiet,” Was her reply.

But before I could reply to her misplaced apology, Spike spoke first. “Yeah. And it’s also my fault for asking her to keep quiet and sneak in. To be quite frank, I didn’t expect her to be so good at sneaking. By the way, good job May.”

I could only lay my head low in defeat and embarrassment. It was one thing for me to be too distracted to notice someone come in through the front door, it’s another to have Spike orchestrate it all while goading me with his cooking.

I heard Spike chuckle and I instantly glowered at him with my lips in a pout.

“Oh come on, don’t be like that. This is a good thing. It means you’re beginning to relax! Arguably too relaxed, but I’m sure you’ll balance out. Now, if you still want dinner, help me prepare the table. May, you can go get dressed. We’ll wait for you to finish,” he said. Then he slightly opened the porcelain bowl, not enough to reveal the meal but just enough to let out the mouthwatering scent that I’ve been tortured with for so long.

“It’s been more than a week since I cooked for you guys and I’m not gonna have any of you miss this one.”

Unable to hold back our stomachs any longer, we sat down and ate to our hearts or in this case stomach’s content. We had vegan burger steaks smothered in gravy with rice on the side. I have to admit I was infuriated for being made to wait so long, but after the first bite, the torture worth it. From just smelling it to seeing it and tasting it, divine was the only word I could describe it. All of our plates were clean, though I really couldn’t quite say the same for the table.

After cleaning up, Spike continued on his laundry while May and I chatted, mostly about why she’d volunteered. She said that there had been a freak accident at the new church green; seven people were electrocuted after lightning struck the area. As far as what she was told, they were found unconscious at the far end of the park with six of them forming a circle while the last was found in the center. The whole thing was baffling in that there was no umbrella or raincoat to be found on or anywhere near them despite it was well known that the rain wasn’t anytime soon. All of them have at least second degree burns; the six that formed the circle are now stable, though are still unconscious. The one in the center on the other hand… he’s still very critical.

The rest of the night went on uneventfully; the rain continued its downpour, albeit relatively weaker. The three of us lay on our respective beds. I didn’t really feel all that sleepy. Unlike the past few days, my mind was now free and light. I have multiple theories, one rising above all of them. Whatever the reason, I’m glad. Because for some reason, I knew thing would be alright.

**************

I slowly woke to the sounds of shuffling that came from the living room. I turned to my clock and saw it to be a quarter to five. The shuffling continued on and my curiosity got the better of my sleepiness and I found myself cautiously opening my bedroom door, showing an image of Spike putting on his running shoes, already wearing a hoodie and jogging pants.

“Twilight...” He shot up. “I didn't think you'd be up. I must have been too noisy. Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I usually wake up at this time anyway.”

I hugged the doorframe with my cheek leaning on the smooth wood as I watched him check the fastening of his shoes.

“Are you going somewhere?” I blurted weakly.

“I'm going for a jog. I never really had time to do any exercise during the last week. And I'd rather not let myself go.”

For some reason I felt a pang of sadness I watched him walk away. For some reason, I felt like stopping him. I brushed it off and turned away. Before I could close my bedroom door, I heard Spike call out my name.

“Hey Twi. Since you’re up, would you like to come with me? You still have Alex’s bicycle right? Maybe we could have breakfast picnic in the park?”

My body instantly became animated and I nodded excitedly despite myself, causing Spike to chuckle and myself to feel a tad embarrassed.

We arrived on the park a few minutes later. The trip itself was pleasant. The road was decently dry despite the heavy rain from last night.  We didn’t talk too much one the way, only kept up with each other in terms of pace, sometimes even racing against each other. Personally, it felt good since I haven’t had too many chances to enjoy a simple bicycle ride just for leisure. Spike himself seemed to have enjoyed his run; panting with a clear smile on his face even after losing.

I handed him a bottle of water after parking my bike and laying down the picnic blanket.

“I’m impressed,” he said grinning as he handed me back the bottle. “Six days ago, you could barely keep your balance on that thing but now you’re confident enough to race.”

I tucked some loose strands of hair behind my ear absentmindedly as I felt a bit of heat rise in my checks. “Yes well, I had some practice. How about you? You seem winded.”

“Yeah, I kinda expected to be out of shape by this much. I’m gonna have to get a routine going again if I want to get back in shape.”

We both took a seat on both ends of the blanket. Spike still panted though not as heavily as before. He then handed me some hot bread that we bought on the way here. And as I took it from him I caught a glance at the features of his well-defined arm.

“You’re really enjoying your human body aren’t you?” I asked softly.

His eyes widened and his body tensed when he heard my question. After a moment he sighed and his expression relaxed with only a subtle smile left on his lips.

“To say no would be one hell of a lie.” He paused and then brought his hands to his face as he looked at them with discerning eyes. “This body’s been good. What am I saying, this body’s been GREAT! It’s old enough that I don’t get treated like a kid. It’s strong that I can get thing done. And most of all… most of all, there’s no risk of me losing my free will.” He then balled his right hand into a fist and examining its features. “Sure there are cons to it too; for one, it’ll never compare in strength to that of a full-grown dragon. Two, I’m never going to breath fire or be protected by scales again. There are also these human cravings, sure. But compared to the ones I had as a dragon, suppressing them is child’s play.”

I listened intently to his admissions, my eyes never leaving him. I’ve never thought to think of it through that angle but now that he pointed it out, it all made sense. I can’t imagine the kind of suffering he had to endure all these years. And I can’t believe how stupid I was to not see it.

“To be honest I already had a love-hate relationship with my dragon body even before all of this. After Celestia heard about the dragon migration incident, she had me enter a secret wing of the royal library devoted only to dragons.”

“Wait, the royal library has a dragon wing?” I asked, surprised by that tidbit of information.

“ Disembodied dragon wing, no; Section devoted to dragons, yes.” He joked with a straight face.

I could only look at him with an unamused glare.

He shrugged then took a bite off his bread. “Anyway, that place really did deserve to be called The Canterlot Library’s Dragon wing. It literally had everything. I wasn’t quite sure why she kept the place private, only that she did it with my interests in mind. I learned more about the dragon condition in there, about our heritage, our biology, whatever you can think to ask about dragons, the answer was here. That being said, there were things there that I would have been better off being ignorant about.”

“Like what?” I asked instinctively, not thinking before talking. “Oh how rude of me! Sorry. If you don’t want to answer you don’t have to, really!”

“No, no. It’s fine. Kinda baited you into asking, so I guess it’s my fault.” He chuckled. He then took out the thermos and poured coffee for the both of us. “Do you remember Garble and his gang?” He said before taking another bite.

“Isn’t Garble that red dragon you met during the dragon migration? Yeah. Why?”

He handed me the cup and looked at me with a playful smirk on his face. “If I tell you that I'm actually older than him… what word should I use… birth-age or in our case hatching-age wise, would you believe me?”

The question caught me off guard. Ever since that incident, I’ve never really thought about them. “I guess I would. But how would that be possible?”

“Good question. But before I answer that, here’s another one; what do you think The Dragon Migration is for?”

My mind went to work, trying to remember what it was about. And though I’ve only found very few things in my research, they were well sourced and proven. “It’s a breeding and egg laying migration, right?”

“Bingo, you will get your prize when I get my next paycheck.” He joked as he held his left hand to his mouth as if he had a mic. “Anyway here’s the real question. What were garble and his thugs doing in that sort of migration when they’re still not large enough to get mates?”

I took a bite out of my own bread bun and analyzed the ideas that Spike has been leading with, trying to find where he was getting at. After a while, confusion was the only thing readable on my face.

He chuckled a bit before finishing his bread and lying down on the blanket with his hands behind his head, his face lacking any sort of emotion. “To most species, body age is by nature, constantly tied to a person’s birth-age. As you’re well aware, this is not the case for dragons. Besides our birth age, our wealth is also a factor. Thing is, there’s a third variable that mostly gets thrown to the wayside, a dragon’s mental age. Garble and his crew aren’t teenagers; they were hatchlings, aged by being given a small portion of their parent’s hordes. They were jerks not necessarily because they were dragons; they were jerks because they didn't exactly age well."

“Right now, wherever those guys are, I can say for sure that they’re group is all but dissolved. They may be friends but there's nothing behind their friendship to hold them together. The moment one of their hordes reaches it’s critical mass, they’ll rip each other apart. It's sad really.” He trailed off.

I hugged my knees to my chest as I mulled over his words. I felt ashamed that never once did it occur to me just how nuanced his situation was. It’s especially more shameful since I've known him all my life. I was supposed to be Equestria’s most well learned scholar, yet here was something that affected me directly that I knew nothing about. I cried for hours that night he told me about his secret. I felt like I didn't deserve to be called his friend. It was shameful... unforgivable.

"I'm sorry Spi-" I started but never managed to finish.

"Stop it, Twilight,” he said with finality. “There's nothing to be sorry for when you did nothing wrong. If there's anyone to blame for my situation it's me. I kept this all a secret. It’s as simple as that. So could you please stop blaming yourself? Celestia knows you go overboard when you blame yourself.”

My mouth hung open at that. I really wanted to give a rebuttal, but my mind and lips simply couldn't form anything due to his frankness and just-the-way-it-is attitude. I looked down at my own hands as I tried to judge his words. Instantly I turned to look at him again, for out of the corner of my eye, I saw his stoic expression falter.

“It wasn't easy keeping it all quiet you know. I have regrets. It's funny really; my greatest regret is that I had to lie to all of you for so long. I could've just saved myself all the trouble if I just said something. I guess pathetic is the best word for it.” He said as he sat up and turned to me with a soft smile. “Listen Twi; don’t think about it too much. You have no fault in this. If there was, I’ve long forgiven you. I’m just sorry I had to lie for so long.”

“I forgive you.”

“Thanks.” He nodded and smiled back. “You know what, this topic’s becoming depressing. We went here for a picnic; we should be enjoying this nice weather!” He then shot up in one swift motion and walked towards one of the trees near us.

“My stamina's kinda shot. So that's a thing. Let's see if the same can be said about my reflexes.”

He then adopted a stance that I’ve seen too often with a few modifications. He took a deep breath then instantly released a barrage of blows towards an invisible, apparently taller opponent. Punches, elbows and knee strikes, even a few kicks were thrown in graceful succession; all of them whipping with a crisp whoosh.

“Alright... Still got... the speed and power… Awesome,” he said in between breaths, throwing a final punch at the end of his sentence.

He then walked back to picnic blanket, still panting a little as he drank some water and wiped the sweat beads on his forehead with his towel. He then grinned and pointed at me or more specifically, what I held in my hands. “You should really finish your food, Twi.”

I scoffed after looking down and seeing my bread and drink that have all but lost their heat. “Yes well, I guess I was just too distracted that I forgot about eating.” I joked as I returned my gaze towards him with a smile.

I then bit down and drank my food, sighing disappointedly at their heat or lack thereof.

"Anyway, what was all that Spike. I thought you were only allowed to punch in boxing?" I asked with a puzzled look.

"That? That wasn't boxing, that was Muai Thai with a bit of Kick Boxing." He said as he sat down again. "I had Alex teach it to me a while back.”

"It's impressive. But I thought you liked boxing? Why learn a different fighting style?"

He shrugged before answering. "Boxing is ok, but there are too many restrictions. Think about it like this, if things were to get dicey, you can't expect every enemy you face to stick to the same rules you do. Besides, isn't it better to have multiple options than just one?"

“I guess...”

“Now, hand me your cup and let's see if we can get you some hotter coffee.” He offered while wiggling his eyebrows with a goofy grin plastered on his face. He then laid back down on the blanket with a sigh. “We still have a good thirty minutes before we need to go back home. I say we just kick back, relax and enjoy. What do you say?”

I shook my head then sigh. “...Why not?”