A Dragon's Apple

by NotRamjet97

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Romance
Length: 9049

Applebloom has been acting strangely, and Spike wants to know why. (Sequel to A Dragon's Hearts and Hooves Day.)

(I finally did it! Finally wrote the sequel to A Dragon's Heart's and Hooves Day! Okay...Notes and Autobot Lancewing helped me, but it's here!)

Apple Bloom and Spike come to a shocking realization: she’s pregnant with his child. Now the couple must cope with the ups and downs of being parents, as well as dealing with the prejudice of society over having a hybrid foal. (Takes place four years after the prequel.)

Published 2014-06-24 02:40:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-11-03 02:02:32 UTC

Revelation

Author's Note

I just want to say, I hope that this will be as good as the first. And hopefully, this will be the first of many more chapters.

Revelation

On a sunday afternoon, at the Golden Oaks Memorial Library in Ponyville, Spike sat on his couch, reading a book. He was reaching a very intense scene where the rebels were fleeing the evil-

"Spike!" Apple Bloom called out from their room.

Spike quickly put the book down and rushed towards her their room. "Yes?" he asked with a worried look on his face.

Apple Bloom was looking in front of the mirror. She turned to look at Spike after hearing him rush in, "Sorry. I was just gonna let ya know I'll be goin’ to mah book club in a few minutes and I'll be back in a couple hours."

“Oh. Alright,” Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “For a moment, I thought something was wrong.”

"Oh, heh, sorry." Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck and blushed.

“It’s alright.” Spike smiled, "Have fun at your book club. What book are you reading?"

"Uhhh.... Love and Tolerate."

"Oh...okay. Do you want me to get that for you?"

"Uh...no thanks. I'll get it on the way out."

“Okay… I'm probably gonna take a nap so..."

"Ah'll wake ya up when ah get back. Do you know-" Apple Bloom suddenly froze.

"'Bloom?"

Apple Bloom shook it off, "Huh?"

"You kinda froze up, are you sick? Should I call a doct-"

"No!" Apple Bloom shouted.

Spike gave her a funny look. "Uh...okay..."

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.” Apple Bloom exhaled hard, “I guess I'm just a little stressed."

“Maybe you should just stay here and rest.”

"No, it's alright, I need to go."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a book club. It's not worth risking your health."

"Spike," Apple Bloom rubbed her head, "Please stop askin' so many questions, there's nothin' to worry about."

“Then why did you freeze up like that?”

"I'm just a little under the weather, no big deal, Spike."

"But I'm worried about you. Please just cancel it and stay here."

“Spike, I can’t cancel it. Everyone will already be there by now.”

"'Bloom-"

"Please... Just let me go."

Spike sighed, and nodded his head.

Apple Bloom gave Spike one last look before walking out their bedroom door.

Spike was about to go after her, but suddenly, Apple Bloom returned. "Spike?"

Spike stopped suddenly. He noticed how… nervous she looked, "Yeah?"

"Will you come with me?"

Spike rubbed his head; this was quite the mood swing. "Of course, but why?"

Apple Bloom kicked at the floor with her hoof, "There's something ya need to know..."

Spike bent down and put a hand on her shoulder, "What?"

"Ah'll wait till we get there. Just… promise you won't hate me?"

The dragon brushed some stray strands of mane away from her face and kissed her on the forehead. "I could never do that,” he replied warmly.

Apple Bloom partially smiled, "I hope you're right."

Spike kissed her cheek again. “We better get going.”

Apple Bloom nodded.

*****
Following an hour-long train ride to Canterlot, Spike and Apple Bloom reached their friend Comet Tail's old observatory. "What exactly are we doing here?" Spike asked Apple Bloom. He’d already begun to suspect that this wasn’t just for the book club.

"Just be patient," Apple Bloom replied.

She walked up to the door of the observatory and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened and revealed-

"Twilight?" Spike looked at his former roommate in shock.

“Spike?” Twilight was just as surprised as he was. "What are you doing here?" She looked over at Apple Bloom.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I tried to, but I just couldn't keep it in anymore. He deserves to know."

"Know what? What's going on?" Spike asked, starting to get impatient. He felt dumb being the only one not in the know.

Twilight looked at Spike, "I'll try to explain, but you both better come inside."

*****
Twilight led Spike and Apple Bloom downstairs and into a cozy looking room. Complete with carpeting, furniture, and even a small TV set. "Please, sit down," Twilight instructed as she sat on the leather couch.

The couple sat down on the couch, and immediately Spike asked "What is going on here?"

Twilight looked at Apple Bloom, "I'll let you tell him, if you want to."

Apple Bloom nodded and took a deep breath, "Spike... It looks like I'm... Well... Uh..." She rubbed her head, "I can't do it. I don't know I don't-

Spike took Apple Bloom's hoof and lovingly stroked it, "It's okay. You can tell me anything.”

She looked into his caring green eyes. How could she tell him? It could break his heart, she didn't even know if-

"Apple Bloom," Twilight's voice said called, softly, "I can tell him if you c-"

"No... I need to do this," Applebloom pressed her forehead to Spike's, relishing the feel of his touch, the warmth of his breath on her cheek, and finally managed to tell him, "I'm pregnant."

Spike’s jaw dropped so far that it could have hit the floor. "You're WHAT?! With whose kid?”

Applebloom backed away and frowned at Spike. "Yours! Who else could it be ya goofball?”

"How's that possible? I'm a dragon for Celestia's sake! Dragons don't get ponies pregnant!"

“Guys?" Twilight tried to interrupt.

"Well the one in the room got me pregnant. Why on earth would you think I would cheat on you?!"

"Guys?"

"You do all this sneaking around and stuff, beating around the bush to tell me you're pregnant, what am I supposed to-"

"It is possible for a dragon to get a pony pregnant!" Twilight shouted.

Spike’s jaws hung open at the news. “Are you serious?”

“Well, apparently.”

“Told ya so.”

"But… How?"

Twilight gave Spike a look, "I'm not going to-"

"Duh! But how's it even possible?!"

Twilight cleared her throat, "Both ponies and dragons reproduce the same way. All animals do. Ponies are unique in the fact that, under rare circumstances, can crossbreed with another creature, like a dragon. But the mother HAS to be a pony, or else it can't happen. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the offspring because they’re born sterile due to the crossbreed.”

“So, basically, they… won’t be able to have kids?”

"Not naturally, no. In fact, there's only been one case in recorded equestrian history of a successful crossbreed. About seventy years ago a Pegasus mare was assaulted by a dragon, and became pregnant."

"So what happened?" Spike asked.

"After about five months, the foal had developed its dragon side, and it's young mind decided it was time to hatch out of it's 'egg.’ However the 'egg' in this case was actually the mother's womb and..." Twilight took a breath, "The mother died, and the pony side hadn't fully developed...so it died, as well."

"So...'Bloom could DIE from it-" Spike shivered at the thought.

"Not necessarily." Twilight grinned, "Have you ever wondered why Mrs. Cake wasn't mauled by Pumpkin's horn?"

"Not really… does seem kinda weird, though."

"Well, there're some pills that can help with it. Unicorn mares are naturally born with a stronger womb, to accommodate the poking horns. About sixty years ago, they developed these pills to strengthen earth pony and Pegasi wombs to accommodate horns. In theory, these should keep Apple Bloom and the foal safe."

“...I guess,” Spike agreed after a moment. He looked at Apple Bloom, who had stayed quiet almost the entire time. "Are you sure you want to do this? It seems pretty rough."

“If we don’t then what will happen to the baby?” Apple Bloom responded, determination in her voice. “Ah need to do this for me, for the baby, and for you.”

"But it isn't worth it if you AND the foal die."

"Spike," Twilight said softly, coming over to the couple, "Except for taking some medicine, this will be a perfectly natural pregnancy.”

“I know, but…” He stared at Apple Bloom incredulously. “I don’t think I’m ready to be a father yet.”

“I know this will be hard for both of you to adapt to,” Twilight told the two, understanding in her tone. “You guys still have more than nine months to get used to the idea. But, if you will stick together, everything will be okay.”

“Of course I’m sticking with Apple Bloom,” Spike said firmly, putting his arm around the yellow mare’s back.

“Thanks, Spike,” Apple Bloom responded warmly before kissing his cheek.

"So… nine months, huh?"

"That's my best guess. I want to talk to Nurse Redheart in Ponyville to see if she'd see you... I'm a little unsure how anyone would take to the news of a half dragon/half pony foal."

"You're sayin’ ponies might not like our foal?" Applebloom asked, her voice cracking.

"It's sad... I know parts of your family made a big deal about-"

"Don't call 'em that," Apple Bloom snapped, "They might be related to me by blood, but they don't care about me. Ah know who my family is."

"Still, you'll want to be careful. There are some ponies who are a little… extreme with their opinions.”

"Like that Unicorn what's-it group?" Spike asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. The USG, or Unicorn Supremacy Group, had given her family a hard time during her lifetime. "Perhaps. Just be careful with who your child’s around.”

"We will. Thanks for helping Apple Bloom with all this... And I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide this from me." Spike apologized.

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn’t want to disappoint you again.”

Spike frowned, "Again?"

“Two false positives and that miscarriage.”

"Oh... Yeah… back when we were trying so hard..." Spike sighed, "Guess after that, I told myself we could never have kids."

"Yeah... That's why..."

"Yeah..." Spike shook his head, "But let's not think about that. We should be happy that we're finally having a foal."

"Sure should be." Twilight smiled, "You know that, if you ever have problems, you can come to me or Comet, right?”

Both of the newfound parents nodded. “Right,” they said in unison.

Twilight giggled, "I'm very happy for you two. And I can't wait to see your foal."

"Neither can we," Spike smiled, staring into Apple Bloom’s eyes. Tears of joy flecked both the dragon and the pony’s eyes. “Neither can we…”

Sp(l)at

Apple Bloom's amber eyes fluttered open, albeit very reluctantly. A feeling of nausea overtook her, but at the same time she was somewhat used to the feeling; morning sickness was present more often than not since she started carrying Spike’s child. But luckily, she’d already been taking some herbs from Zecora, her old mentor, to alleviate the symptoms somewhat.

She looked over at the purple dragon on the bed. He was all spread out, his shiny green stomach scales rising and falling with each of his drawn-out, sleepy breaths. His fanged jaws were wide open, and a dribble of saliva oozed out of his mouth. Minus the last detail though, despite his humongous size, Spike was pretty adorable when he slept.

Apple Bloom clutched her stomach as a vile sensation roared up inside. Her throat suddenly felt somewhat clogged, as if she was going to vomit at any second. Alright, time to find that tea she gave me…

The yellow mare didn’t even stretch out before she hurried downstairs and immediately got started on her tea, a combination between balm leaves, strawberries, and another rare Everfree herb, the relief root. Plus an accent of Quick Kale, which would increase the speed at which the remedy worked, in the form of a slightly bitter seasoning. Putting a pot of water on the stove, Apple Bloom grabbed an pale blue pail and sat at the kitchen table clutching her aching stomach, waiting for the liquid to get boiling.

Knowing that within the next half-hour her symptoms would be tolerable again, Apple Bloom could focus on other matters, like the matter of Spike’s reaction to their baby. He’d been just as supportive as ever; she’d practically known it all along. It wasn’t like her mate to abandon anyone in their time of need. He even seemed excited, and eager to be a father, despite at first feeling somewhat uneasy.

Apple Bloom was an optimist by nature, and unsurprisingly was excited to see the baby. How big would it be? Which attributes would be draconic, and which would be equine? What colors would it end up having? Would it have magic? Heck, would it be a boy or a girl?

The yellow mare was totally tough enough to carry the baby, thanks to her Apple family heritage and the aid of Twilight and Zecora’s magic. The neighsayers would be few and far-between, and they would have a tough family who didn’t care about what others thought.

The sound of the burbling water made her feel more nauseated than when it was absent, so she waited just a moment before she added the ingredients to the boiling water (in the proper order of course) and stirred it with her wooden potion spoon.

After only a few moments, she exhaled hard and was beginning to feel queasy again. 'Already?' Apple Bloom thought, annoyed. She started to stir the tea again.

"Good morning, Bloom."

Apple Bloom turned around to see Spike standing in front of the stairway.

“Good mornin’ Spikey wikey,” Apple Bloom greeted with what she wanted to seem like a teasing grin but turned out a lot more like a pained smile.

"Are you feeling okay?"

“Morning sickness,” Apple Bloom responded with a soft groan. “Ah still haven’t finished preparing the remedy for mah symptoms.

“Oh… Need any help?”

“Ah think ah can get it, thanks though,” she smiled.

“I don’t mind, ‘Bloom, if you’re not up to it-”

“Ah can do it.” She told him, flatly.

And, even through her optimism…

...She could see Spike being overprotective coming from a mile away. To show the purple dragon she could do things, she trotted up to the stove and gave the unfinished potion an extra stir before hobbling back. “See, told ya ah could do it.”

“Okay…” Spike still sounded unconvinced, but pulled out the seat across from Apple Bloom and sat down anyway. “Did you sleep well?”

Apple Bloom nodded, fondly remembering last night, “Did you?”

“Actually, not really. I couldn’t stop thinking about our...foal…”

“Anxious about it?”

“Yeah… I mean… We’re having a foal… We’ll have to deal with it for the rest of our lives.”

Apple Bloom cringed as her stomach gave another turn, but then replied, “Don’t look at it that way. It’ll be a joy for the rest of our lives.”

“No, I know that, I’m really looking forward to it. This is, like, the second best thing to ever happen to me… I guess I’m just worried I’ll mess up.”

“You won’t. Even if you did, then me an’ everyone else would be there to pick up the slack.”

“I know… but…”

“A little mistake now and again won’t even hurt. It just shows that you’re a pony… even though you’re a dragon...”

Spike chuckled. He’d always been “her stallion”, despite him being a dragon. Though, in fairness, he was raised by ponies, and got along with them a lot better than he did with the greedier, more temperamental other members of the dragon species. “I guess so.”

“I know so.” Apple Bloom smiled.

Spike smiled, and gently held her hoof. "So, do you think you'll be up for the day?"

“Spike, I’ve been pregnant for almost two months before I told you. I think I’m fine.” Though her tone was affectionate, there was a slight edge to her words.

"But doesn't it get harder?"

“So what if it does? I’m tough, I can handle it. And besides… the tea gives me relief from the symptoms most mares deal with all the way through. Speakin’ of...” Apple Bloom got up and sniffed the pot. “Mah tea is ready.”

“Okay, if you say so, Bloom…”

She took the tea off the stove. Turning the appliance off, she set the pot on the counter and pulled out the closest thing to a teacup that was clean, a cider mug, and emptied some of its contents into the wooden cup.

She took a swig out of it before seating herself across from Spike once again. “Today might be kinda busy, if you-”

“I can do it, Spike. Trust me.”

“I’m just worried about you…”

“Ah know, but ya don’t have to be.”

“Yes I do; I’m your husband…”

“Alright, fine. You don’t have to baby me. Just don’t be too worried.”
“...I’ll try… But it’s hard…”

Apple Bloom sighed, “So… What makes you think that today will be any busier than any other day?”

“It’s Saturday, for one. But it’s also the end of the summer. Teachers will be coming in to sharpen their game, and students will be rushing to finish their projects last minute.”

“Oh yeah…”

“Yeah, so if you need to sit it out…”

Apple Bloom shot him a glare. “Ah told you, I can take care of myself. Are you gonna do this for the entire pregnancy?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Spike exclaimed, throwing his claws out defensively. “I said I’d work on it!”

“Alright…” Apple Bloom stared at Spike with her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she emptied her mug into her mouth.

“I’m… gonna take a shower… I’ll see you later.”

“Okay. See ya in a bit.”

*****
Spike was in the shower. But instead of whistling the musical number of the week, he was silent as he scrubbed his arms. He was frowning, stress streaking his face in the form of wrinkles that weren’t usually there.

He tried not to worry, but failed miserably. His beloved was going through those icky pregnancy things he’d been embarrassed to even learn about in his youth. Things that made his stomach churn to just think about happening to anypony. And now they were happening to the mare he loved.

There was no way she could be okay with this, she needed him now more than ever! And he needed to help her. Whether she thought she needed it or not. Because that was a true sign that he was always going to be there for her. “Be with her in sickness and in health”, that’s what he’d promise to do, and by golly, he was gonna do it!

*****

Apple Bloom was standing precariously on a ladder, trying to repaint the educational hoofbook shelf. It’d been a project that had needed doing for ages. Spike kept on finding more important things to do than doing the small, visited-by-few shelf in the back of the library. Perhaps other ponies would come by if they saw it looking nicer. Or perhaps not, because there wasn’t much use for education handbooks for the common pony, just for teachers and teaching students. But it’d still look nicer.

About halfway through, Apple Bloom heard the grandfather clock chime 9:00. "Shoot! It's opening time already?" She climbed down the ladder and set her paintbrush down on the can.

Her stomach was already starting to calm down, the tea really had helped. Though doing a little work might've also helped.

She trotted over to the front door and flipped the "closed" sign to "open". She smiled and trotted back to the education workbooks. But on the way, she found herself going by the "R" books. She walked down the hall, in hopes she might find a particular book.

She remembered a young mare that had come in a number of months ago, and she checked out a book on parenting, and Apple Bloom figured that she should see if they still had it. She’d gone on and on about how helpful The Rattles and Diapers Guide to Parenting had been, and thought she should check it out, herself.

She continued to study the shelves, studying the alphabetically arranged books. She knew that Spike insisted upon putting books on the shelves according to the second word, where “the” was involved, so she jumped right to the “R” section, which was denoted by an “R” carved in calligraphy carved on a wooden slate attached to the shelf.

Rally-Up Rodeo, no… Raring to Go Racing, no… Realtime Wrestling?!

Apple Bloom pulled the wrestling book off of the shelf, and was shocked to find somepony had already checked it out. She glanced all around the shelf, hoping against hope that there’d been a mistake in the shelving but… nope.

The yellow mare sighed and put the book back where it’d been. “Well, shoot.”

She sat down on the floor and propped her back against the book case. “We’ve gotta organize these books by subject and not title… that way ah could at least read just one parenting book…”

She sighed, not sure what to do, now. She was soon interrupted by the bell over the door jingled, “Hello? Mrs. Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom turned around, a slightly concerned look on her face while her brain worked… but then she remembered who that mare was and smiled. “Howdy Lyra.”

“Hey, ‘Bloom. Wow… You don’t look too good... And...are you bleeding?"

Apple Bloom looked at her flatly, “Thanks, I- What?" She looked down at herself and noticed all the red spots on her, then laughed, "Oh, that's just some paint. I was painting a section of the library."

“Oh, okay.” The mint unicorn replied, stepping in and allowing the door to slam.

“Yeah...and I'm feeling a little sick today.” Apple Bloom waved her hoof dismissively.

“Oh… Hope you get better soon.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah. What do ya need?”

Lyra suddenly grinned widely, as if totally forgetting Apple Bloom was ‘sick.’ “I wanted to know whether that book on human anatomy got in yet. Did it?”

“Uh… Not yet, should come in tomorrow.”

Lyra nodded, though she looked slightly disappointed. “Oh… okay.”

“Sorry. Ah know you’ve been waiting for a long time.”

“It’s fine. Is anyone else interested in it, though? Will I be the first one to read it?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Of course you will be. I doubt most ponies even know about humans like you and I do.”

Lyra made a short gasping sound and threw her hand out. “I know, right?”

Apple Bloom giggled. “Not like we do.”

“Yeah. Even my friends think I’m nuts for it. THEY believe in the sea ponies, but I don’t think any less of them for it! And they even SAVED a human once!”

"Yup. And… I happen to know that Princess Twilight believes you."

Lyra’s ears shot up. “Really?!”

"Yeah. She says she even met some."

"REALLY?!"

"Uh...yeah. She says they were like ponies, too. Ponies with hands.”

"Really? They had horns and wings, too?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, but they were like they are pictured in anthropology books, as far as ah understand. Except their skin could be any color.”

"That's weird… I read humans were only black, white, and kinda in between."

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Maybe they’re mutants. Teenage mutants.”

Lyra chuckled, "Still, I'll have to talk to her about this!"

"Ah'll see if I can arrange that for ya."

"Thanks," Lyra smiled widely.

"Sure, we'll see if I can actually get her to agree with it."

"Okay. Well, I better get going, the roomie will be wonderin' about me."

“Alright. See ya, Lyra."

With that, Lyra left.

Apple Bloom sighed, 'Back to book hunting.'

She ran her hoof along the spines in search for a book once again.

Before she looked very much, she heard Spike come from downstairs. "Spike!" She called out.

"Yeah?" He called back.

"Could you help me find some parenting books?"

"Uh… sure."

"Thank you."

Only after a few moments, Spike came, holding a large pile of books. "So...uh... Are you-"

Apple Bloom turned around and Spike froze. "Am I what?"

"Okay… d-don't panic, uh, I gotta call the doctor."

"What? What's wrong?"

"You're covered in blood! Doesn't it hurt?"

Apple Bloom frowned, "I'm not bleeding, I guess I got some paint on me."

Spike dropped the several red boxes of bandaids he had retrieved, "It's just paint?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Apple Bloom sighed exasperatedly. “Of course I’m sure.”

"Really? It'd be no trouble to take you to the doctor." Spike gasped, "What if they're doing what Twilight said? Like about that one mare who died from the dragon-foal clawing her stomach-”

"Spike. Our baby hasn't developed claws yet."

“What do you know about baby dragon fetuses?” Spike exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “It might have!”

"No it hasn't!"

"How do you-"

"Cuz Twilight told me that they don't develop that quickly. At this stage, it is still developing its limbs. Heck, ah don’t even think it has muscles yet.”

"How do-"

"Cuz have been researchin', Spike! And so help me if you ask 'how do you know' one more time I'll buck ya to next week. Do ya want that?!"

"No, but-"

“Spike, shut your mouth. Ah’m okay.”

"Fine! Excuse me for caring about my family." He stormed off and yanked open the entryway door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to, um… go someplace that’s not here!”

With that, the purple dragon slammed the door.

Apple Bloom stomped her hoof against the floor, 'Why did ah marry that doggone lizard?'

Talk(s)

Author's Note

I'm so sorry I keep coming with late responses... I really wish I can do a better job... I really want to do these in less time.

Talk(s)

Spike’s long, scaly wings cut through the air as he flew just in Ponyville’s cloud layer, glaring determinedly in front of himself. Sometimes flying over Ponyville relieved his feelings somewhat. Knowing that no matter HOW different things got, Ponyville would still be the same Ponyville it’d always been… he got comfort from that. Some ponies may have left, but it was still the same town he’d moved to back Celestia knows how long ago.

He never could’ve imagined he’d make so many friends here, and he never imagined he could learn so much from his time in a tiny town. Not to mention meeting his future wife. Now that’d been a silly day…

The first time he’d talked to her had actually been a slight argument.

*****
Spike had an ice cream cone, mint-flavored, clutched in his paw as he walked along in Sweet Apple Acres, smiling and blissfully unaware of the area around him. He noted that the ice cream could use a few gemstones, but it was good all the same. He loved the overwhelming mint flavor. As he happily licked the ice cream, he was completely unaware of the speeding soapbox car coming down the hill before him.

The driver, however, could clearly see the baby dragon at the end of the road. She gasped, her orangey-red eyes widening with horror. It wasn’t until the last second that she stopped her freezing up and swung the steering wheel on its rest, causing the car to fly out of control. “Wah!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, jamming the break in addition.

Spike finally noticed the danger and leaped out of the way, exclaiming, “Whoa!”

The car finally came to a halt, falling on its side to the ground. Apple Bloom’s eyes flew around in her sockets as she just sat there for a moment, trying to dispel the dizziness that came of the accident.

After taking a moment to get over her dizziness, she got out of the car and exclaimed to Spike, “Are you okay?!”

The purple and green reptile fixed her with a slightly stern look. “Yeah, fine. What’s the big idea driving so fast? WITHOUT warning anyone.”

“Ah was tryin’ to get mah cutie mark in drivin’, and- why are you lookin’ at me that way, shorty?”

Spike crossed his arms, but lifted the ice cream cone over his head so that a large glop that melted off could land in his mouth. Then he spoke. “Yeah, well that doesn’t exactly justify almost running me over. And I am not short!”

“You shoulda been payin’ more attention to where you were walking!”

“And maybe you should’ve called out that you were coming at over a zillion miles an hour.”

“Ah didn’t know what to do. Ah’m sorry, but you’ve never careened down a hill at fifty gazillion miles an hour and don’t know what it feels like.”

“Still! That mistake could have landed me in the hospital. Just try to be more careful next time, okay?”

“Says the guy who walks around paying no heed to where he’s goin’! Speaking of which, I’ve never heard of a purple boy before.” Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at the last comment.

Spike gave the biggest roar he could, which was… admittedly very unimpressive. “I’m not just a boy, I’m a real bonafide dragon!” He breathed fire to prove his point… and the heat was so intense it melted his ice cream cone. “NO!”

Applebloom burst out laughing, “Yeah, a real, bonafide, small, dragon.”

“I’m not small!”

“Yes ya are. Ah’m not even the tallest pony in mah class but I’m bigger than you,” Apple Bloom replied, smugly.

“You are not!”

Apple Bloom stood up in a rearing position, standing much taller than the young dragon. She quickly got back to four hooves and continued a smug grin, which Spike groaned about. “That doesn’t count! That’d be like saying that I could add tail length to my height, which I’m sure I could do if I wanted to.” He licked his ice cream off the ground in a single swipe of his tongue.

“Eww! That’s so gross! Do ya know what ponies and doggies have DONE there?!”

“Ten second rule.” Spike slyly grinned.

“So?! That’s just- Boys are so gross!”
Spike shrugged, and started off on his merry way. Apple Bloom huffed before turning to her cart.

*****

Spike landed over by the Taedet cafe. The place was… Okay, a little boring, kinda closer to Canterlot than Ponyville, and Spike was sure he mispronounced the name because everyone else pronounced it ‘tiedet’ instead of ‘taedet,’ but he was starving.

He walked in, very nearly causing several of the customers to scream with one of them fainting, and a waitress pulled out an umbrella and waved it at Spike, announcing with a shivery voice, “S-Stay away from me, I have martial arts training!”

Spike rolled his eyes, ‘I knew it had been a while, but gee- and fought the urge to just snap the umbrella in half. “Hey, I’m not-”

“It’s alright, folks.” A stallion’s voice said, “He’s with me.”

Spike looked over to see a very familiar pony suddenly standing next to him. He wore a dark brown Stetson over his messy two-toned mane, and had a dusty vest that was left partially open.

Everypony seemed to calm down a bit (some of the ponies were even starting to turn red with embarrassment) at the ginger-gold stallion’s intervention. The sole pony that had fainted was giving them an odd look.

Both Spike and the pony went over to one of the unoccupied tables and took seats, “Good ta see you again, Braeburn.” Spike smiled.

“Likewise, Spike,” Braeburn said, as he set his hat on the table and wore his own grin.

“So what brings you all the way out here?”

“The Apple reunion, that’s in a couple weeks. I like bein’ early for this type a’ thing.”

“Oh, okay. What about Rainbow and Phoenix?”

"They're back at Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow might be payin' y'all a visit later."

"Well...today might not be the best day."

"How come?"

"Well... Bloom and I had a little argument."

"Uh-oh..."

"Yeah... I kinda thought she was bleeding and wanted to take her to the hospital… but it was just paint."

“Ah, so ya overreacted big time?”

Spike sighed and grinned just slightly. “Pretty much.”

“Yeah. Funny thing, I had a cousin whose best friend’s sister’s boyfriend who dealt with the exact same thing.”

Spike blinked and gave the yellow stallion an odd look. “Huh? What?”

“That means that statistically, others have felt your pain before!” Braeburn chuckled at his own joke. Spike stared back at him, agape. ‘Is he even taking this seriously…?’ “But yeah, I know plenty of ponies who went through the same thing. There’s this one CEO at Clothes Clothes Clothes who went through it. Sheriff Silverstar’s best friend dealt with it. Caramel did.”

“So basically what you’re saying is, ‘everyone goes through it’.”

Braeburn shook his head. “Naw, I don’t. But I understand the pain of all of those many stallions and mares who have.”

“And furthermore you’re trying to say that you have lots of connections all around Equestria?”

Braeburn chuckled, “I guess. But why are ya so jumpy? The only other one who was jumpy when they talked about their argument was worried because her boyfriend, eh… took it too far. But come to think of it, there was this other time… this stallion was worried about his pregnant girlfriend...”

“Funny you should mention that…”

Braeburn frowned, then his face lit up, “Spike? Is Apple Bloom-”

“Yes. I just found out the other day… Hard to believe, I know, but we may be having Equestria’s first dragon/pony hybrid.”

“Wow… Never heard of that one before…”

“Yeah… I’m just… Kinda worried about him… her… whatever it’ll be.”

“Oh… Is it if you’ll be a bad father? Or if the baby will be healthy? Or...what?”
“Well, both of those, kinda. But one other thing is that...well, how will ponies take it?”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, I mean, you saw how everypony reacted to the announcement that we were going to get married. Imagine how they’ll react if they see our foal…”

“Oh… That does sound like it could be difficult.” Braeburn nodded his understanding.

“And… the other dragon and pony hybrid killed itself and its mother…”

“Well, shoot, I do see where you’d be worried, big-time at that.”

“Yeah… But… Bloom’s only been pregnant a month, so it hasn’t developed claws yet, and even if it had, Twilight told her to take these pills that should keep that from happening.”

“Hmm… it sounds like things will be fine, then.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Braeburn smiled just slightly. “I mean, she won’t get hurt if Twi has anything to say about it. And you can’t judge the town’s reaction quite yet, even if a few ponies did react poorly to your marriage. Furthermore, most babies are born healthy and all the best fathers want to be the best.”

“I guess… I just… I want them both to be okay… physically AND mentally…”

“Like any good father.”

“I guess… And then there’s all this stuff she’s going through. I remember when Twilight was going to have Stargazer… It looked awful! She kept throwing up, those mood swings, eating weird stuff. She even had magic discharges! It was hard enough with Twi, but...I don’t know if I can bear it with Apple Bloom…”

“Well,” Braeburn grinned, “It might not sound like it now. But it’ll all be worth it, and it’ll be fine too.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s my job to worry. She’s important to me.”

“I know… Just tryin’ to help, I guess. Keep in mind though, ya don’t wanna be too protective”

Spike scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Believe me, I did that today.”

“Eh, we all have our off days. Just don’t treat her too different.”

“I guess… Wait, I never see you having off-days.” Spike narrowed his eyes at the cowpony. “Are you sure you aren’t just lying to make me feel better?”

“Believe me, Dash and I have fights and misunderstandings, just like all the rest of the population. The difference is that we’re pretty agreeable most the time. I mean, come on, could you imagine me picking a fight with anyone over anything?”

“Wait… are you just trying to seem like all of that for not fighting with your wife?“

Braeburn sighed and frowned. “No, but Spike, my point is that I don’t pick a fight with anybody. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t part of a healthy relationship.”

“Yeah… And I guess I was being kinda dumb.”

“Nah, I’m sure Bloom appreciates it.”

“Yeah… I hope so…”

“Hey, deep down we all want to be cared about. I just suggest dropping stuff like that hospital thing when it’s over. She didn’t have to go to the hospital, so you shouldn’t have continued arguing.”

“Yeah… I know…”

“So… Do you know what kind of foal you’re having?”

“Not yet, it’s not old enough. I don’t know if I want to know, though. I kinda want a surprise.”

“That’s what I wanted...at first. But when Dash had a viewing… It was kinda hard not to look.”

“Well… I’ll see.”

“Yeah.”

******
“Are you ready?”

Apple Bloom’s amber eyes inspected the area around them one more time. The cottage was dark, only lit by the warm glow of the half-melted candles in front of them. Fluttershy was only visible by that bit of light, her normal soft smile gracing her face. Some steam rose from the two plain white teacups that sat in front of them.

The yellow mare nodded her response, met eyes meeting the teal ones of Fluttershy. “Yep, I’m ready.”

Fluttershy fumbled clumsily with the teacup in her hooves for a moment, then just settled for picking it up between her teeth on the soft rubber part made for such a purpose and let some of the beverage slip into her mouth. She set it down and replied, “Alright. So what happened with you and Spike to make you so upset?”

“Well… Ah was painting one of the sections in the library, and got some red paint on myself. And when Spike saw me, he thought I was bleeding and he completely flipped his lid! He seriously overreacted!”

“Oh, I see. What did he do?” Fluttershy asked, genuine concern in her quiet voice.

“Well… he was trying to get me to go the hospital.”

"Oh... He's just worried about you... He wants to be there for you..."

'There for me?'

*****

“Hey, Applebloom?” Applejack called out, “When’s Spike comin’ for ya?”

“At seven!” Apple Bloom called back, irritation giving her voice an edge Applejack was getting on her nerves ever since she found out that she and Spike were having a date. She kept on questioning whether it was really a date, and… it simply was. Her own first, even if Spike had gone on dates before.

“Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom groaned, “What?!”

“What restaurant are ya goin’ to?!” AJ demanded.

“Just the diner! Ya know, the one you like goin’ to with Caramel.”

“Okay!”
Apple Bloom looked herself over in the mirror. She hadn’t done too much, it was just their first date, after all. She traded her bow for a slightly different mane style, and had on (a tiny, tiny bit of) eyeshadow, but other than that, she didn’t look any different.

“Apple Bloom!”

“Ugh! What?!”

“You gotta be back by ten!”

“Fine!”

‘Did Big Mac bug AJ this bad?’ Apple Bloom thought irately. At that moment, she just wanted to run right downstairs to insist that she was fine and to share the annoyance. ‘As a matter of fact, tha

“Apple Bloom!”

“Oh c’mon!” Apple Bloom stormed downstairs and was gonna give AJ a piece of her mind. “Look, AJ, Ah’m tired of-” She froze upon seeing Applejack with… Spike. “Oh… Uh… Hey, Spike…”

“Hey there, Bloom. Wow… You look real pretty.” Spike’s purple cheeks flushed red. The baby dragon was clad in a dark purple tuxedo with a bright green tie.

Apple Bloom felt her cheeks turn red, “Th-thanks, Spike.”

Applejack loudly cleared her throat. She gave the two youngsters a look between smugness and knowingness as to what was doing on.

Spike bit down on his lip, “Well...Uh… Sorry.”

Apple Bloom rubbed her face. “Let’s go before AJ REALLY gets annoying.”

Spike and Apple Bloom got going, slowly and awkwardly walking by each other’s sides. AJ rolled her eyes playfully and called after them as they stepped on the grass. “Have fun, you two!”

Neither of the youngsters responded as they disappeared into the night.

*****
While they ate at Tex’s Restaurant, Spike continued to entertain Apple Bloom, “And that’s why I make sure to always knock.”

Apple Bloom burst into laughter, forgetting Sweetie Belle’s tips on being “ladylike”, she had given up long ago. But fortunately, Spike didn’t seem to mind, because he was on the verge of tears in his own laughter.

“Wow,” Apple Bloom managed through laughter, “I might throw up if I caught Applejack doing that.”

“Well, the best part was Twilight trying to explain. I think one of her excuses was ‘It was an experiment!’”

Apple Bloom cackled loudly again, tears coming out of her clenched-shut eyes. “What kinda experiment requires kissin’?!”

“See what the inside of Comet’s mouth is like? I dunno. Twi clearly didn’t know either!”

Apple Bloom wiped the tears from her eyes, still laughing. “Wow…”

“Yeah…” Spike took a bite of his well-done hayburger. The grassy substance crunched up in between his teeth as he chewed, his mouth wide open.

“So, do you ‘n’ Twilight still hang out together?” Apple Bloom asked after composing herself. The mundaneness of Spike’s eating was all that it took for her to snap out of her uncontrollable laughter.

“Uh, well, we’re not as close as we used to be, I guess, she hangs out with Comet more.”

“Oh… Does that bug you?”

Spike swallowed and shrugged noncommittally, “Not really, I was kinda growing distant from her before she met Comet, so… eh.”

“Oh…”

“No big deal, though. It’s like what happened with her and Shining Armor. We’re still like family, but we just don’t hang out like we used to, you know?” He flexed his still-growing wings and then shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“Well… I’m kinda feelin’ distant from Applejack, I guess. She’s been spending so much time with Caramel and… Guess I’m just feelin’ lonely.”

“What about Big Macintosh?”

“He says exactly two words and is interrupted half of the rest of the time. Do you think it’s quite like with that stubborn, talkative sister ah’m saddled with?” Apple Bloom’s voice had no malice in it; it had an almost wistful air at the end. “Not that I don’t love him, but he’s a busy guy and he’s no Applejack.”

“But you feel closer to Applejack?”

“Yeah… She practically raised me, I just…” Apple Bloom sighed.

“I get it, I feel closer to Twilight than Shining Armor, I still care for both of them, but it really isn’t the same.”

“Yeah, she’s like a friend, huh?”

“Exactly! I just… I dunno, I don’t feel that way around Big Macintosh…”

“Yeah…”

Apple Bloom smiled at him, “Glad to know I’m not the only one…”

“Ditto. To be perfectly honest… I’ve never really told anyone. Never really had someone to talk to.” He grinned a bit more widely when his eyes met Apple Bloom’s.

Apple Bloom wanted to avert her gaze from the dragon’s sharp green eyes, but she couldn’t. “Really? Cuz I haven’t really told anyone, either.”

Spike’s eyes shot wide, and he raised an eyebrow. “Wow, are you sure? Not even the crusaders?”

“Not even the crusaders,” Apple Bloom affirmed.

“Wow…” Spike’s cheeks started to turn red, “I, uh, wow…”

“So… Uh…” Apple Bloom cleared her throat, “Have you told anyone about your situation?”

“Already told you, no. Don’t really have anyone my age I can share it with, you know?”

“Oh…” Apple Bloom mentally slapped herself for forgetting, “You don’t?”

“No, you’re the first, really. Cheerilee suspected something was wrong and told me to tell someone I trusted really deeply.” Spike grinned the implications of his statement got through.

“Oh… guess I did the same thing too, huh?”

“Oh, yeah, guess so.” Spike nodded and smiled, showing his fangs.

She found the fangs a bit distracting, but Spike’s genuine smile shone right through… and something about it just made Apple Bloom’s heart melt. “I’m glad…”

“Me too… Heck of a date, huh?”

Apple Bloom giggled, “Yeah…”

Spike’s grin started to look nervous, “Think you’d uh, like another one?”

“I think I would…” Apple Bloom smiled.

Spike’s nervous smile turned confident once again. “Great. Is there somewhere you’d like to go?”

“Maybe just the park, we didn’t really eat much.”

Spike looked down at his half-eaten burger and full plate of fries, “Oh, heh, guess not.”

“Yeah… Might be better to go to the park.”

“Yeah, or the movie theater…”

“That, too…”

“Should we sleep on it?”

“Yeah. That might be best.”

“Okay. Are you done here?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, I’ll get our food wrapped up and we can go.”

“Okay,” Apple Bloom smiled.

*****
“Apple Bloom?”

Fluttershy’s voice brought the younger mare back to the present, “Huh? Oh, sorry…”

“Are you okay?”

“Um… I was just thinking, sorry.”

“Were you thinking about Spike?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Well… What specifically were you thinking about?”

“Our first date.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah. He didn’t seem too protective back then.”

Fluttershy took a sip of her tea. “Well, you weren’t-”

“I know… But I don’t want him to treat me differently.”

“I understand, but it’s gonna be hard for him NOT to.”

“Well, it’s gonna be hard to carry his foal, too. He needs to suck it up.”

“But he wants to help you, make it easier.”

Apple Bloom frowned, “Ah don’t need his help, if he’s gonna jump to conclusions like that.”

Fluttershy remained calm, “Are you wanting to leave him?”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened, “No! No, no, no, no!”

“Why? He seems to annoy you so much.”

“But I don’t want him gone! Ah-”

“Still love him.”

“Y-yeah! And-”

“You need him?”

Apple Bloom exhaled hard, “I...guess. Just not super protective. That’s the LAST thing I needed.”
“Okay then. Tell him that.”

“I did! I yelled at him!”

“Do you like being yelled at?”

“No! But sometimes I haveta, to get my point across!”

“Did you ever tell him? Did you just yell at him?”

Apple Bloom rubbed her shoulder. “Ah guess ah just yelled…”

Fluttershy went over and sat next to Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, it’s good to be assertive, but...I know there’s a limit, I crossed it a while ago.”

“You’re right…” Apple Bloom sighed, “I guess I did go kinda overboard.”

Fluttershy curtly nodded her response.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, and released it in a long sigh. “Ah guess I should apologize then.”

Fluttershy again nodded.

“Well… I guess I should find him, too. Thanks for talking with me, Mrs. Fluttershy.”

“You don’t need to thank me, I enjoy seeing you.”

“Thanks, I enjoy seeing you, too.” Apple Bloom smiled, and eventually left the familiar cottage.

Mend and repair

As Apple Bloom traveled down the path leading back to Ponyville, but stopped she heard a familiar voice. "Okay, Fee. If you hit the tree right there, we should be able to kick AJ's and Diva's sorry butts."

Rainbow Dash? Apple Bloom scanned the light blue skies. On that particular day, there were clouds sporadically throughout; the weather team probably didn’t do a whole lot of work to get it set up, considering how much they normally did.

Soon she spotted Rainbow Dash on the ground next to a tree, grinning determinedly at a young yellow colt with her rainbow hair. She pointed at the mature apple tree, which was just outside of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Uh-huh!” Phoenix Dash-Apple chirped, nodding his eager approval. He gave the tree before him a good look, turned around, and bucked it as hard as he could.

The tree shook a bit, and dropped a few apples, one of which bounced off his head and fell to the ground at his hooves. The young colt rubbed the back of his head for a moment… and then gasped. “I did it!”

"Yup! That was your best yet!" Rainbow smiled proudly, "Now, think you can do better?"

"Eeyup!" He replied with the universal Apple stallion response.

Rainbow rubbed his mane. "Good. Now, try striking a little bit lower..."

Apple Bloom decided she had better get going, but before she could-

"Hey there, AB." Rainbow called out, flying over. Her five-year-old son followed in his own dash, his wings shot out to his sides.

"Howdy guys," Apple Bloom grinned. "Wow, Phoenix. You've gotten pretty fast since I last saw ya."

"Eeyup!" Phoenix beamed.

"So, how are you doing, Bloom?" Dash asked, "It's been a while."

"Yeah... I'm doing good... I was just talkin with Mrs. Fluttershy."

"Oh. What about?”

"Just catchin' up... And, well... Spike and I got into a fight."

"Uh-oh..."

"Did he hold you on the ground for ten seconds?" Phoenix asked.

Rainbow gave him a look, then put on a grin, "Why don't you fly up and keep a lookout for Daddy? I need to talk with Cousin Apple Bloom about something."

"Okay." Phoenix then bolted up to the clouds, and landed on one of them. He started scanning, with a line of exuberance in his movements.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, "Isn't he kinda high up?"

Rainbow looked up, "No. He's well within his one hundred fifty feet limit. ‘Bout fifty, actually."

"One hundred fifty? He’s five years old!”

“Ya need to give them some freedom. ‘S what I figure. And he’s actually an awesome flier for his age. Makes sense considering who his mom is. So, what was your fight about? Was it serious?"

Apple Bloom kept staring up at Phoenix, he was just a kid, yet he was about as high up as the old Town Hall building. Eventually, she looked back at Dash, "Uh, well, not particularly. We both just overreacted."

“Oh… So, are you gonna ‘kiss and make up’?”

“Well, when I find him, yeah.”

“Well… that’s good.”

“Yeah…” Apple Bloom looked back up at Phoenix. She sighed wistfully as a feeling of nausea, just slight, riled in her stomach.

“Hey, Bloom?”

Apple Bloom looked back at Rainbow, and blushed. “Sorry, I just…”

“Bloom, if he falls, he’s gonna fly back up. And even if he can’t, I’m right here to catch him.”

Apple Bloom sighed, “I guess so… It must be hard to look after a little pegasus.”

Rainbow shrugged, “It’s not too bad, he’s a good kid, he knows how high is too high. He’s enthusiastic and knows who’s boss too.”

“Oh… When did he start flying?”

“Uh… Two. Why all the questions about pegasus kids?”

“Well… ah’m pregnant for a kid.” Apple Bloom’s eyes slid up to meet Rainbow Dash’s head on.

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Awesome for you. Congrats.”

“The thing is, it’s a hybrid. The first hybrid around. An’... the argument with Spike was because he’s bein’ protective.”

The blue pony’s wings snapped to her side. “Welp, good for you. Too bad about Spike.”

“I talked with Fluttershy, she said we both kinda overreacted, and I guess she’s right. He’s just looking after me and the foal.”

“Eh, still. But Fluttershy’s pretty smart about these things.”

“Yeah… Guess I should’ve asked her about foals…”

“You’re thinking you might have a pegasus?”

“Well… I mean, if it gets Spike’s wings…”

“Yeah… Well… I don’t think I can let my foal get a hundred fifty feet high.”

“Neh. To tell you the truth, he never really gets that high. Sixty-something usually. But every foal is different, Bloom.”

“So… Mine might wanna get really, REALLY high?”

“Probably not. My foal is… well, my foal, and he doesn’t really care much. But that’s when you reign ‘em in. You’ll need to teach them that stuff.”

“I know, but… How high is too high?”

"Uh... I dunno... I just kinda went off what my mom used with how high to fly. And she kinda copied what her dad did so... Eh."

"So..."

"It's just like teaching a kid to walk, it can be dangerous, but they kinda have to do it."

"I guess you're right... Oh well, I might not even have a peg... Er, flying foal."

"Maybe not, but it is good to be prepa-"

"Mom! Dad's coming back!" Phoenix suddenly called down.

"Alright! Thanks, bud." Dash turned back to Applebloom, "Sorry, I gotta go. I can come over later, if you want some more advice."

"Thanks, I'll call you." Apple Bloom smiled.

"Okay. See ya around. Congrats again." Rainbow smiled.

"Thanks." Bloom returned the smile, and both mares trotted off in their own directions.

*****
Spike just arrived at his home, and was happy to see Apple Bloom talking animatedly with a white pony with a green and pink mane. It had flecks of white in it. He walked up to her, and greeted, “Hey.”

Apple Bloom turned to look at him, the stranger’s eyes going with hers. “Hey,” She turned to Blossomforth, “I’ll see ya, later.”

“Okay,” Blossomforth replied, “See ya later. Bye Spike.”

The male dragon waved a claw a bit shyly. “Bye.”

The elderly mare, with that, flew off with slow, rhythmic wingbeats.

The second she was out of sight, Spike looked at Bloom, apology brimming in his reptile-like green eyes. “Hey, I’m really sorry about earlier…”

“I know you were, and, I am gonna need your help later, but please don’t freak out over everything?” There was a questioning tone on the sentence, despite its status as not a question. “That’s not gonna help either of us.”

“Yeah...I know… I’m sorry…”

“This’ll be rare, but…” Apple Bloom took a deep breath. “Ah wasn’t right either. There, ah admitted it.”

“Wow. You’re right, that is rare.”

Apple Bloom sighed,, but grinned, relief pouring over her features. “Yeah… So… Can we put it behind us?”

“Please.”

“Great. So… didja wanna go with me to get some more tea? I need to get some from Zecora.”

Spike grinned and slung an amiable purple arm around the yellow mare’s back. “I’d love to.”

Author's Note

Again, really sorry for the late delay, I do really want to update quicker, but...ugh:facehoof:

Hope you enjoyed the chapter :twilightsmile: