Antaboga.

Chapters

He made them laugh oh yes he did.
Apples, fruits maybe.
In a garden full of angels.
Not an answer to be heard.
Against the child in your face.
Tremble with temporal hoodoo.
Collect the woolen sunlight and sing.
In the yellow haze of the sun.
Such a long, long way.
The stairs creak as you sleep.

He made them laugh oh yes he did.

Night peered into the silver ornate mirror. He turned his head right, then left. The brass scissors orbiting near his left ear, aloft by a teal magic emanating from the horn that pierced through the midnight blue coif on his forehead. With a small nod he rotated the scissors slightly, and with a snip and a snap left a small lock of hair floating into the garbage bin nearby. He grunted with approval, shaking his head briskly so his mane fell into place. It was perfect.

Just like everything else about him, his life, his family, and wife. Everything was just so perfectly adjusted. And not simply by magic, but by hard work. The Light family were a respected group, even amongst the elite of Canterlot. He gently cantered from the bathroom, holding his head high. Downstairs he could hear his son, Shining Light, practicing defensive-minded spells and abilities. That boy had always been so protective of those he loved, and soon he would apply be a royal guard for the Princess herself. He would be bestowed with his grandfather's title of "Armor" and join the ranks of other proud unicorn's who served in her majesty's service. But for now he was merely a boy, scarcely old enough to be outside past curfew, not that he ever would be. Shining was a well-mannered and well-spoken young colt who would never be caught gallivanting around town in the twilight hours like some ruffian.

Passing by the foyer, Night could hear the quiet snoring of his father, Iron, as the ancient unicorn slept on the couch, his radio program having long since ended. The polished bascinet he once wore to help protect the countryside, laying upturned on the floor. There were few as respected for having served as Iron Armor, and few with as many good war stories. The only thing that made him happier than going out in his tunic with all his badges was watching his grandchildren excel in their studies. He adored them with all his heart, often spoiling them with sweets when their parents weren't watching. Night liked to pretend not to notice.

But every family had it's imperfections, and as Night cleared the hallway into the living room to make his way to the stairs, he felt his smile falter as he stared at the very obvious imperfection that had recently arrived in his home. It was cute, surely, as it rolled around near Twilight as she tried to study. His daughter simply adored it....the thing. He couldn't be sure what gender it was. A small purple ball of rough scales and green spines, with four short blunt legs, each ending in a clawed foot. It giggled and gurgled, as infants often do, as it saw Night pass by. His daughter Twilight had hatched this tiny dragon purely by accident, when she had passed the entrance exam to be included in Princess Celestia's class for gifted unicorns. Night wasn't happy when his wife and daughter had both decided to bring the small bundle home. Twilight had loved the creature immediately, playing with it, bathing it and feeding it any food left on her dinner plate. There had already been one accident where the girl had pricked her tender hoof on one of the creature's sharp short quills, making Night and Velvet decide to file the quills along its spine down a bit so it couldn't harm the children.

The creature didn't mean to be dangerous. But that was simply the nature of hatchling dragons. They had no way to defend themselves outside of what they were born with. Sharp spiny scales, tough skin, and blood that was supposedly toxic. Night wanted greatly to dislike the new arrival in the home. But he had to admit it was...cute. Knowledge of dragons, even by educated families such as the Lights, was rare. He had never seen an infant dragon until this one had arrived, and slowly he had grown to be at peace with it. Twilight had been teaching the creature to walk as of late, and even gave the baby a name: Spike. A fitting name for a creature with so many bright green spikes going down it's backside. Her efforts to teach the baby to walk seemed to be going well. With a very wobbly gait, the dragon had pulled himself up on all 4's and was plodding his way toward Night, his large green eyes blinking with happiness as drool dribbled from it's mouth.

"Aww, he likes you, Dad!" Twilight giggled, looking up from her book as Spike toppled over near Night's hooves burbling with glee.

"Hmmph." Night tried to hide a grin. "Just make sure it doesn't chew up the tile floor again, Twilight. And please try to get to bed at a...sane hour. I know you like studying but 2 in the morning is pushing it for a filly."

Night gave his daughter a small kiss on the forehead, just below her short horn, and made his way upstairs. His wife, Twilight Velvet was sitting upright in bed, her horn glowing with a bright blue shine. A peacock feather waggled busily, as she used the quill to write on the parchment sitting on her lap. The mare hadn't even noticed her husband quietly enter the room. Night grinned as he watched his wife write, her white and lavender bangs nearly obscuring her face as she concentrated on her work. Her work came to an end as she noticed her husband staring up at the ceiling, his face etched with concern. Her story folded itself up, delicately flying into the nearby dresser with the ridiculous quill she liked to use, a small trail of magical particles left in it's wake.

"So what's wrong tonight, dear?" Velvet asked sweetly, knowing very well it probably had to do with their daughter.

"She's very nearly taught that thing to walk." Night muttered. "It can nearly cross the living room on it's own."

"Oh?" Velvet feigned surprise, having seen the dragon attempt to walk several times. "How is that such an issue?"

"It's the danger, Velvet. Have you seen the fangs it's grown over the last month?"

"You mean it's little baby teeth?" Velvet tried not to snort with laughter. "The ones that are barely a centimeter long?"

"They'll get bigger. And it will use them to eat all the stone and brick foundations of the house."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Oh, Night. You know he wont do that if Twilight tells him not to."

"And what happens when it grows tired of eating stone? What happens when it wants meat, Velvet? Are we just going to be okay with having that little monster live alongside our daughter? Our child? While it craves the flesh of equines?"

"First of all, his name is Spike." Velvet leaned over and gave her husband a kiss. "Do you really think Princess Celestia would have allowed our daughter to keep him as a pet if she had even the slightest notion he could harm her?"

Night let out a long sigh, feeling defeated. "No, I suppose not."

A small spark of white magic flew out of Velvet's horn, dancing across the room and touching the tips of all the candles. Their fires dimmed and went out, leaving the room dark save for the light of the moon. Velvet put her arms around her husband, able to sense he was still tense and distressed. She exhaled a warm breath into his neatly trimmed mane, holding him close.

"You know I think you're looking at this all wrong. I think Celestia let Twilight keep that little dragon because she knows that Spike can provide something to Twilight she needs more than anything. Something even more important than her education."

Night turned, his amber eyes gleaming in the dark as they settled upon his beloved wife. "And what would that be?"

"A friend." Velvet answered with a smile.

That seemed to do the trick, as she felt her husband relax into his pillow and her embrace. No truer statement had been spoken. Twilight lacked friends. She didn't enjoy hanging out with other fillies her age, and thirsted for knowledge more than anything. As she continued to get into more prestigious programs for bright scholars, Night and Velvet had hoped maybe she'd find another studious young colt or filly who would be her friend. But thus far it hadn't happened. And while a baby dragon who could barely function on its own and needed almost constant care was a strange creature to call a friend, Night couldn't a remember a time where Twilight had seemed so happy. Iron Armor had dismissed the dragon, thinking of it as a short term pet like a goldfish. But Shining had slowly grown curious of the creature as well, finding its natural dangerous offensive capabilities to be fascinating, as little boys often do with potentially dangerous animals. More than once when Spike had let out a fiery belch after eating, the young colt would shout about how "cool" it was to see green fire. While Spike's arrival hadn't brightened their lives entirely, it did seem to be a positive event overall for the family, and for their quiet introverted daughter. And with that thought, Night felt himself slowly drift off, his eyelids starting to droop.

It would not last long. There was a shout downstairs and the thunderous sound of hooves pounding as a pony came bounding up the stairwell and through the walls. The door was quickly pushed open, the unmistakable silhouette of Shining against the hallway light. Night and Velvet quickly sat upright as Shining stared forward, his blue eyes wide with wonder.

"What's the matter, son?" Night asked.

"Mom! Dad!" Shining began, nearly out of breath. "It....Spike....he just.....TALKED!"

_______________

Twilight braced herself against the window as she backed away from her telescope, her rump hitting the window. She felt cold and empty at what she had just witnessed. A massive black and red figure loomed in the distance. Tirek, a powerful centaur who easily stood a few hundred meters tall, with a long powerful hatred of ponies. She knew he was dangerous, she knew he was powerful, but she didn't realize just how much. Everyone who had encountered Tirek had underestimated him, even the Gods themselves. Even now she could feel the temperature rising in the atmosphere, the great charge of fire and pitch that Tirek had conjured out of his malice, hurtling towards her small home in the center of town. A chill ran down her back as she attempted to get her thoughts in order in the very brief time she had to think.

Tirek had just fired the ball of flames at her house. One second had passed since then. Tirek was standing roughly a quarter mile from the edge of Ponyville. Wind was flowing in a northeastern direction. With the speed the fire was traveling, Twilight estimated she had 5 seconds from the moment this thought entered her mind to take action. The coriolis effect, combined with the speed of the fireball which was moving at about 200 kilometers per hour at the moment, meant Twilight had maybe one extra second before the salvo hit. The thatched hay roofing of the cottages on the far end of Ponyville, nearest to Tirek were starting to burn ever so slightly from the fire. It would be here soon. Twilight took a breath. In the next six seconds she would need to teleport off the balcony. The first place she would materialize was the downstairs living room where the books were kept. From there she would try to grab her pet owl, Owlowiscious. According to her estimations this would take her exactly 2.5 seconds. From there Twilight would need to cast a far more powerful teleportation spell to take both her and the owl out of the room and into her upstairs bedroom. From there Twilight would grab Spike, the very young dragon who lived with her. Assuming Spike was sitting in the small basket bed she kept him in, Twilight could grab him and teleport out. She, Spike, and the owl would then materialize on the front lawn of the house, just in time to flee before the sphere of Tirek's fire hit the domicile. With the speed it was moving there was little doubt in Twilight's mind that it would obliterate a large portion of the tree she lived in, possibly also causing irreparable damage to nearby cottages.

If Spike was not in his basket, Twilight realized she might not have time to grab him AND Owlowiscious. For safety precautions she would need to find Spike first. From there she could grab the owl if certain conditions were met. Spike tended to wander inside the house, meaning he could be anywhere. Owlowiscious generally stayed on his perch, but finding Spike would be far more difficult with the owl tucked under her foreleg. The only option was to find Spike, cast the more powerful teleport spell, grab Owlowiscious, and materialize the 3 of them outside of the Golden Oaks Library that Twilight called home within the next 6 seconds.

All this Twilight calculated in less than a third of a second, as her violet eyes grew wide in terror, the unholy sphere of hellish fire and magic hurtling toward the town at unnatural speeds. She didn't need to think about casting the spell. It was being cast the moment she had stepped back from her telescope, aware of the danger and death Tirek was willing to try to cause. Any frightened onlookers who thought they might have seen the Princess of Magic spying out from her own balcony, who turned to confirm their thoughts, would find she'd already vanished.

For just a moment, everything went white. Color and shadow vanished, absorbed by the end that had come into town. Ears were deafened and eyes were blinded as the entire town shook. Plants caught aflame and steam rose from the ponds as, for the briefest of moments, the world became nothing but white pure fire. For the briefest of moments, everything burned. Then came the sound, a grating cacophony of crunching stone, splintering wood, and dark magic radiating outward in an explosion the likes of which none of the citizens of Ponyville had seen before. Their eyes reddened and sore, their mouths dry from the heat, stood hanging open as the ponies watched the Golden Oaks Library, a national landmark and home of Princess Twilight Sparkle, fracture and split, coming apart in thousands of ways as a bright light burst from within. It took only moments for the explosion to run its course, leaving behind a smouldering stump that was once a proud old oak tree. Books, papers, quills, parchment, and all manner of burnt lab supplies rained from the sky as the ash and smoke billowed through the streets of the town. A small scorched trail led a few yards from the front of the house where Twilight had landed, her mane and lavender fur filthy with dirt and ash. Shakily she stood and inspected her cargo.

Owlowiscious peered his face out from under her right foreleg, looking frightened and wriggling from her grip, as frightened birds often do. A few sizzled feathers dropped from his wings as he took to the air in a panic. Twilight turned to her left foreleg, and felt time stop. Spike's basket was there, his bed for all years Twilight had cared for him. His blanket was there, a special wool piece of cloth that had been knitted for Spike by Twilight Velvet when he was merely an infant.

But Spike was not there. The air was burning, the library was gone, and Tirek was approaching. But Spike was not there. Twilight felt ice in her blood as she turned towards the flaming ruin of what was once her home. Spike had been inside and she had been unable to save him. Dragons were tough, sure. But nothing could have survived dark magic of that magnitude. And much like the library itself, Spike had been incinerated in a blooming sphere of light, composed of hatred and fire. What strength Twilight had harbored to gather the magic from other princesses, what strength Twilight had held onto to continue to fight for her friends against seemingly impossible odds, all left her as she fell to the ground. Her number one assistant, her best friend, her child, was gone. A silent scream flared from the battered lavender alicorn as she curled up on the ashen cobblestone of the pathway. Hot tears flowing from her eyes as she curled into a ball, losing herself in her grief, not even noticing the pebbles on the ground quiver and quake as the centaur, Tirek, made his way towards her, eager to finish what he'd started only days prior.

And then Twilight woke up.

Apples, fruits maybe.

Spike curled his toes under the blanket, hoping a slight change in position might make him more comfy. It was beginning to dawn on him that no matter how tired he felt, after a long exhausting day of organizing books, he wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon. Excursions to the kitchen for warm milk had only succeeded in making him feel hungry or need to use the bathroom. Nearly 200 sheep had been counted, bouncing across an imaginary fence in his mind when he gave up. He kicked the blanked off in agitation and once again tried to look around the room, hoping for anything that might occupy his brain long enough for sleep to kick in.

But there was nothing to hold his attention, like the night before, and the night before that. His new room, much like the rest of the purple crystal castle he and Twilight had moved into, was dark and quiet. The seemingly endless tessellations of crystal walls, complete with all their grooves, faces, and edges had nothing really to adorn them or brighten their dreariness. Everything was grey and purple and occasionally a deep royal blue. Not that the old oak tree had been a lively home either, being the dusty old library that it was, but it was at least cramped enough to be cozy. A roaring log in the fireplace had been enough to quickly spread warmth throughout the house, the crackling of the fire audible even up on the balconies. But here in the castle, everything was quiet, and cool. It wasn't like the old castles and fortresses in Canterlot, where the halls were lined with sulfur torches that flickered in the night, making the kingdom feel so friendly and inviting. Maybe one day Twilight would find the time to install similar structures in her new home, but it wouldn't be any time soon.

In the old castles, the walls were covered in paintings and murals, illustrating amazing deeds from ponies and griffons long in the past. Some of the newer ones even depicted Twilight, Spike, and her friends. Those were always fun to look at, and a welcome distraction before the mind wandered to darker thoughts before dozing off. But the walls here were blank. Twilight had never owned any paintings, or had much interest in art or murals.

"I should hang up some of my old posters." Spike thought to himself, though unsure since most of his posters were of comic book heroes and Pony Trek, his favorite radio serial.

But for now he simply lay in bed, his large green eyes with their slitted pupils, roving lazily around the room, impatiently waiting for sleep to come. At least Spike knew one thing for certain, at this hour Twilight would be checking on him soon. Every night like clockwork, Spike would hear Twilight wake up and run through the hallway to his bedroom, peering inside. And there it was, the clicking of her delicate cloven hooves as she came galloping down the hallway, her out of breath wheezes echoing down the hall into his room. Spike instinctively turned to look at the door as his guardian poked her head through.

"Hey." Spike said meekly.

Twilight always looked so exhausted when she came to check on him. Her hair a mess, her face sweaty, her eyes looking crazed. Sometimes a small cloud of feathers from her recently acquired wings would flutter into the room in her wake. She always looked like she'd woken up from some sort of nightmare, and would stare intently at Spike. At first he had pretended to sleep when it happened but he had grown tired of acting, and would now greet Twilight when she entered, which always made her smile and seem to breathe easier.

"Sorry if I woke you." Twilight whispered, her eyes looking glossy.

"It's okay Twilight." Spike smiled wryly, rolling onto his side. "I wasn't sleeping."

"You never are." Twilight observed, raising an eyebrow. "Are you alright, Spike? Your sleep schedule has been pretty poor since we moved in. It isn't good for you."

Spike sighed and sat up. They'd only been in the castle for about a month and a half, and Spike already wanted things to change. He hated to ask for things, Twilight had given him so much. He never felt like he deserved a life as good as he had, being a dragon and all, and asking for anything from Twilight always felt like he was going a step too far.

"Twilight can I....talk to you about something...kind of sensitive?" Spike slid off the mattress cover to the hard crystal floor, standing on his hind legs and waddling a bit closer to the lavender alicorn on the opposite end of the room.

Twilight gracefully stepped closer herself, sitting near the tiny dragon and closing her wings so as not to look as large and imposing. She smiled as warmly as she could, despite the adrenaline still coursing through her.

"Of course you may, Spike." Twilight whispered. "What's wrong? Something is obviously keeping you awake."

"I....." Spike began, feeling his conscience tell him to keep his mouth shut. He struggled for a moment, fighting an invisible war against his own good manners.

Twilight seemed to have noticed her ward's nervous disposition, extending one of her lavender wings around his chubby scaly body and bringing him just a bit closer.

"I don't like having my own room." Spike blurted, his voice cracking as he said it. A heat rose in his throat, a feeling of frustration pushing on his chest. He failed to keep his emotions in, large tears forming in his green eyes. "It's cold and its too quiet. I miss my basket! And my blanket! And our old tree!"

Twilight stared down at the little dragon as he sniffled and wiped his eyes with one of his rough forearms. So that's what the issue was. Even after more than a month of having his own room just down the hall from her own, Spike wasn't used to having so much independence. He had spent his entire life at her side, and at night slept in a woven basket meant for carrying bread. Within it had been a downy pillow he used for a mattress and a small blue blanket that Twilight's mother had given to him. All these things, despite being every day objects, were precious to Spike. And all had been incinerated in the fire. Twilight shivered as she remembered why she had woken up at this time of night in the first place.

"Can I sleep in your room?" Spike asked, desperation plastered on his chubby features, his claws reaching up toward her.

With a nod and a pinch of magic, Spike was riding on Twilight's back as he had done so hundreds of times before when she was doing errands around Canterlot or Ponyville. Twilight grinned as she felt Spike bury his snout into her back as he went slack, falling asleep almost instantly. Turning the corner into her own room, she smiled at her bed, which now seemed more inviting with the knowledge Spike was safe. She tried gently to lower the slumbering bundle onto her bed, but Spike immediately snorted and woke, trying to curl himself into a more comfortable position.

"Why can't you sleep, Twilight?" Spike mumbled.

Twilight gently laid down next to Spike, using her magic to pull the blanket over him, being careful not to get the cloth caught on his green quills.

"What do you mean, Spike?" Twilight asked, fluffing her pillow up with a spell before laying her head wearily into it. "I just thought I should make sure you were comfortable."

"Every night?" Spike asked, a thick layer of disbelief in his sleepy voice.

"It's just a bad dream, Spike." Twilight answered curtly. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Spike let out a quiet grunt. "Was it about Tirek?"

There were a few moments of silence before Twilight answered with a very understated, "Something like that."

Spike furrowed his brow. Twilight was still having nightmares about that monster Tirek, again. A sour note for the happy ending the fight had ended with. Twilight had even finally managed to make a friend out of Discord, the wicked god of chaos who had been tormenting everyone for the last year. But through it all, the entire ordeal had been terrifying. Spike hadn't even gotten a chance to see it himself, having spent most of his time locked in a cage with the rest of the Elements of Harmony, with Discord happily holding the key. But he had certainly heard about what had happened when it was all finally over. So many stories about Twilight flying through the air, splitting mountains in half, ripping great fissures through the earth with the power of the Sun itself, as she fought to the last tooth to prevent Tirek from hurting more innocent ponies. She was considered a hero to the countryside, and not for the first time. And although there had been a lot of relief and happiness in the aftermath, she was still unable to sleep from the ordeal.

"Have you talked to Luna about it?" Spike asked innocently. "I bet she could help, since she controls dreams n' stuff."

"No. Maybe I'll pay her a visit." Twilight let out a sigh. "Just get some sleep, Spike. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"We do?" Spike asked. Celestia had given both of them a break ever since the move. Outside of daily chores, there hadn't been much to worry about.

"Mmm Hmm." Twilight yawned, her eyelids starting to droop. "Cadance is sending over some help tomorrow."

"Help?"

"To keep the castle clean." burbled Twilight, sleep finally overtaking her. "I'll have to show them around."

The room grew quiet and Spike, on any other night, would finally have been able to relax and turn in. He could hear Twilight snoring quietly, sounding like a very lazy bee going for a stroll, and he could feel the warmth of her wing on his side, which was still a new sensation but one he had come to enjoy. But now these things brought him little comfort as he stared wide eyed into the darkness, unable to sleep. Only now it was for another reason entirely.

Why did Twilight need help? Spike had always been there, helping as best as he could. He was her number one assistant for as long as he could remember. And he was good at it, too. Wasn't he? He always kept everything organized as best he could. Shelving books, fixing categories, repairing broken spines on their covers, fetching ink, getting the right type of quills Twilight liked the most. Why did they need help for cleaning? Spike cleaned well enough. Didn't he? Back in the Canterlot dormitories Spike had always made sure Twilight's reading area was tidy, no dust or cobwebs nearby to disturb her studies. When they had moved to Ponyville, he assumed his role would continue, sweeping all the dirt and leaves from the tree branches out the door. Keeping the windows wiped so the sunlight could filter in. Never letting the candles burn all night. Ready to make dinner for himself and Twilight on those nights where she was too busy reading to do it herself. Spike was always there and always helpful. Sure he had screwed up sometimes. He had tried helping Twilight's friend Applejack for a while and he'd been a bit too clumsy, causing the farmer to deny any further services from him. And sure, Twilight had gotten her pet owl, Owlowiscious, specifically because Spike was worn out. Twilight had assured him the owl wouldn't replace him and everything was fine.

But that was in the old house. In the old tree. This new castle was larger, that much was obvious. But surely not large enough to make Spike's contributions to Twilight's life not matter as much right? He would still be her number one assistant, even after she got hired help. Wouldn't he?

Silence answered Spike's internal questions as he stared wide eyed at the wall. He felt his stomach clench as he thought of his brief time at Cadance's home in the Crystal Empire. He had come out of that situation a hero, a crystal statue erected in his likeness. A minor celebrity even, having saved hundreds of crystal ponies. But he had walked away from that battle with a very personal scar. A scar left from an emotional wound inflicted by a cursed door, designed to show whoever walked through it their worst fear. Spike had seen his terrors spring to life that day. Visions of being alone and lost, living like the monster he was, with Twilight and her friends and family neither loving him or wanting him near. They feared him, because he was a dragon, and dragons were wicked and powerful. It had hurt. Hurt more than anything. And even after Twilight had calmed Spike down when he escaped the door, even after she had held him in her arms and told him she would always want him by her side, that feeling of rejection and fear hadn't really gone away.

It had been some months since he'd felt it again. As the anxiety built, Spike felt himself gnawing on the end of his flat spiny tail, something he had done since he was an infant. Twilight had always told him it was bad for his teeth. His eyes roved to the calendar Twilight kept on the wall next to her doorframe. And almost all at once he felt his fears ebb, and his heart grow light. He thanked the stars that Twilight was so punctual and kept this calendar right in her room. For there it was: the answer.

In a couple of weeks it would be Mother's Day. In all the bother since Tirek, Spike had almost forgotten. And he knew Twilight wouldn't forget. She would busy herself with finding the perfect gift for her mother, while letting these strangers from the Crystal Empire into their home. It would be a grand opportunity for Spike to show them up. Show them how a REAL number on assistant gets things done. Could these so-called "helper" ponies keep Twilight's things in order like Spike did? Work like Spike did? Of course not. And then, when he had shown them up to be unprepared amateurs as he knew they would be, Twilight would see just how special Spike truly was. Then it would culminate in Spike giving her the best Mother's Day present ever...which was...

....what was it?

Spike scratched his head, thinking. Usually on Mother's Day he gave Twilight and sometimes Twilight's mother an awkward hug. But this was an emergency. And the stakes were higher than ever. Twilight wasn't just some unicorn bookworm sitting in a dusty library anymore. She was a Princess, wings and crown and all. She had the whole world at her hooves now. She could have anything she wanted. If tomorrow Twilight demanded that a group of performing walruses be brought to her doorstep to put on a fancy play just for her, it would be done in a fortnight. If Twilight told the entire town to jump, most of them would hop in the air immediately, looking confused. By all accounts, Twilight had everything.

So what does one get the pony who has everything? And that was the last thing Spike thought about before sleep finally claimed him and he curled into a ball next to the alicorn in the bed, dreaming of candied gems.

__________________

"Ah dunno, Sweetie. I don't think Granny Smith would want a tuba."

Two young fillies sat amongst a field of daisies atop a hill, both staring down at a parchment and a pile of crayons. On the parchment was a list of Mother's Day gift ideas they had gone through in their collaboration. And as with many ideas these two came up with, most were implausible and occasionally nonsense.

"Well maybe Granny Smith would like some cider?" Sweetie offered as she crossed out the word "tooba" on the parchment and underlined the word "sider".

"We already make all the cider in town, Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom groaned, crossing out more suggestions on the list. "Why would I give Gran somethin' I can get for free?"

"Hmmm. Well... Granny Smith really liked that goo the Flim Flam Brothers were selling didn't she? Why not get her some other kinds of goo?"

"Cause that goo ended up being fake anyway! I don't even know where to find goo that actually works."

Applebloom sighed and turned to look at Spike who had been lying on his back nearby, his face very serious as if he were in deep concentration. Applebloom took this to mean he was trying to come up with an idea himself.

"What do ya think I oughta do, Spike?" Applebloom asked.

Spike blinked twice, coming out of his trance. "Do what? Where? Who?"

"What should I get Granny Smith for Mother's Day?"

"Uhhh....." Spike rose to a sitting position and scratched his head. It wasn't every day he was asked by little fillies for advice. "A tuba?"

"Really?" Applebloom deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "For goodness sakes!"

"My turn!" Sweetie squeaked, shoving Applebloom aside to sit in front of Spike. "Rarity's birthday is really far way, Spike, and she's been taking care of me while mom and dad are away on business! So I kinda wanna get her something for Mother's Day, too!"

"Why not just get something for your mom?" Spike asked, confused as to why these fillies were suddenly hounding him with questions.

"I already did!" Sweetie jumped up and down, her pastel pink and purple mane bouncing on her head. "I got her a Canterlot Symphony Orchestra record! But I need something for Rarity now! And you know her better than anyone!"

Spike blushed at the comment. "Well yeah, I guess I do know Rarity pretty well. Someone as beautiful and amazing and awe-inspiring as Rarity deserves something special..."

Spike crossed his arms and furrowed his scaly brow, thinking intently. Then his eyes lit up.

"Why don't you write her a song, Sweetie Belle? You seem pretty good at singing. And I'm sure she'd rather you do something you're good at then buy her more stuff for her cramped shop as it is."

Sweetie Belle stopped jumping up and down for several seconds, her face blank. Sweetie wasn't brightest of ponies. Even amongst all the other small children in town, she was generally a bit slow, but made up for it in spades with endless enthusiasm. But the simplicity of the idea, plus how good it was, slowly dawned on her as her minty green eyes dilated.

"That's a great idea Spike! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sweetie squeaked, grabbing the parchment and all the crayons in her mouth, and rushing down the hill towards Rarity's home, a small cloud of dirt in her wake.

"Why were you two asking me for advice anyway?" Spike laid back down in the daisies, giving Apple Bloom a curious glance.

The yellow filly grinned warmly at him. "Well shucks, Spike, ain't dragons supposed to be wise and such? You seemed like the best critter to ask!"

"Applebloom, you've known me long enough to know I'm not wise. Clever, maybe. Brave, yes. Handsome probably too. But not wise."

"Oh shoot!" Applebloom said under her breath looking past Spike into the distance. "I better go. I don't wanna git yelled at again!"

Applebloom turned and ran down the hill in the same direction Sweetie had gone. Spike lay confused as he saw the filly's big red hair bow disappear over the crest of the hill. What had Applebloom meant by getting yelled at? He turned to see what she'd been looking at, to be promptly greeted by another filly. A scrawny orange pegasus foal with a messy raspberry colored mane was trotting up the hill, frowning slightly, a tote bag hanging off her side.

"I thought they'd never leave." she mumbled, sitting next to Spike.

"I guess this means you're still upset with them?" Spike said quietly.

Scootaloo nodded, looking up at the clouds.

"I don't think I'll ever NOT be upset with those jerks." Scootaloo growled, pulling a grapefruit out of her backpack and munching on it. "Hey you want any?"

"Nah." Spike shook his head, making daisies fly everywhere. "I already ate some eggs and pebbles on my way over here."

"Why ARE you over here?" Scootaloo asked, her large purple eyes squinting at Spike in a very scrutinizing way. "You don't seem the type to sit on a hill and relax."

"I wasn't trying to relax, I was trying to think. Then those two showed up asking me for advice."

"Ooh! That reminds me!" Scootaloo stuffed the rest of the grapefruit in her mouth and pulled out a few pieces of paper, which had been scribbled on with some of the worst art Spike had ever seen. "Which of these do you think is better?"

"I can't really say. I'm not even sure what I'm looking at."

"Well one of these is gonna be a painting I make for Rainbow Dash! This one over here is Rainbow Dash as a superhero. See? She's punching a big robot spider and breaking all its legs and it's crying money all over the happy townsponies. And this one in the middle is Rainbow Dash as a Wonderbolt, leading a squad in a cool flight pattern. And Celestia and Luna are watching her and really jealous cause they aren't as cool. And then this last one... well this is just me hugging Rainbow Dash and her pet tortoise is there and this stuff is her cloud house. See?"

"I vote the last one." Spike nodded. "Also uhhh, why are you asking me for my advice on art?"

"Aren't dragons supposed to be wise?" Scootaloo asked as she shoved the mess of paper and charcoal pencils back into her backpack.

"Second time today I've had someone ask me that." Spike sat back down in the daisies, as Scootaloo pulled a graham cracker out of her bag and began to slowly eat it, staring into the sky.

It was an awkward feeling, having this noisy kid sitting near him silently eating. At first he had been somewhat bothered by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pestering him, but this was the complete opposite. It seemed rude to just lay here and not strike up some sort of conversation with Scootaloo.

"So..." Spike began. "How are things at Rainbow's place?"

"Pretty great." Scootaloo responded cheerfully as she began gnawing on another cracker.

Spike nodded at the short answer. "How long has it been since you started living with her? Seems like it's been a while already."

"Three months I think." Scootaloo's eyes searched the sky. "Why are you out here anyway, Spike? Is it your day off or somethin'?"

"Day off?" Spike snorted. "Nah Twilight's just preparing for some... guests. And I wanted to be out of the castle for a bit."

"Is living in the castle cool?" Scootaloo asked, her ears pricking up. "Are there like, secret hallways and stuff?"

"So far, no. Nothing really special about it, despite being made of crystals." Spike sighed. "I don't really like it very much."

"Why not?"

"It's too quiet. And feels too big for just me and Twi. Plus we don't have any of our stuff around. Pretty much all our belongings got blown up."

"Oh! Sorry for bringing that up." Scootaloo said quietly, shifting her eyes away.

Suddenly Spike sat up. An idea had entered his brain, crackling like a firework on a holiday. Since the day Tirek had destroyed the Golden Oak Library, the decimated tree and surrounding area had been mostly marked off as a dangerous area. The tree was burnt, ash was still everywhere inside, and sharp splinters of wood were numerous. Twilight and Mayor Mare had agreed it would be best to sweep it all away before the remains could harm someone. But nobody dared go near the old oak tree. Ponies claimed at night they could hear a hum come from it, even seeing sparks of fire come from the blackened wood, as if somehow Tirek's magic and rage somehow still lived on in the stump. These claims were passed off as rumors and imagination but it was enough to keep even the ponies who were skilled at demolition away from the area, superstition keeping them afraid. But despite that, Spike had made up his mind to go. Yes it was dangerous to go back, and technically it might have counted as breaking a local law to go past the guard rails, but inside that house might be some precious memories of a happier time. Old books, or some of Twilight's belongings from Canterlot. Maybe even her Friendship Diary, a tome that Twilight and her friends had all written entries in, could still be somewhere in the rubble.

He knew it was foolish to get his hopes up, but it was better than nothing. And he knew nothing would mean more to Twilight than something she loved from the past. Something she might have thought lost in the battle. It would be the perfect gift. Spike rolled forward onto his hind legs and quickly began jogging down the hill, though it was more of a waddle since his legs were so short. Scootaloo watched him go for a moment before deciding to give chase, quickly catching up to the baby dragon as he ran.

"Where the heck are you running off to suddenly?" Scootaloo shouted as she ran alongside Spike. "Is this a race? I like races!"

"You bringing up the castle gave me an idea! I'm gonna search through whats left of the library and see if I can't find something to recover and give to Twilight for Mother's Day!"

"You're going into that deathtrap?" Scootaloo balked before grinning mischievously. "RADICAL! Hey I'll help lemme grab some tools for excavation!"

Spike was about to protest but Scootaloo had already split off, becoming an orange blur as she scampered through the town and vanished between two shops. Something he'd have to deal with later, probably. With the kind of speed usually reserved for an angry turtle, Spike ran through the town, noting how much quieter it was getting as he grew closer to his destination, the sandy cobblestone pathways growing noticeably darker due to the ash that had been rubbed into them over the months. Even the sound of the birds seemed to grow quieter, as if the birds themselves were scared of the tree as well. And they had every right to be, really. Scootaloo was right, it WAS a deathtrap. But dragons were tough! Or at least that was Spike's logic. He'd be ok. And it wasn't like he was planning to spend a long time inside, just long enough to find some buried treasures and get out.

But this string of enthusiasm came to a quiet end as Spike skidded to a stop, arriving at the cordoned area. A wooden fence, held together with some yarns of kernmantle rope loosely draped over the fence-posts. The posts had been painted with alternating washes of dark brown and yellow paint to simulate the caution tape police ponies in Manehattan would sometimes use, though baking in the hot sun day after day had lightened these colors considerably.

Beyond that was a few meters of soil and shattered cobblestone around the roots of the tree. And past the roots was the tree itself. A splintered crypt of burnt wood, branches, shattered glass, parchment, furniture and a few support beams sticking out amongst the rubble. Past some of the initial burnt boughs of the tree on the ground, lay the remains of the old sign that had once stood out front, bright apricot pink with an illustration of a book on it. Now snapped in half and covered in brown charred splotches. And further even past that was the door to the place that Spike and Twilight had called home for more than a year. At one time it had been bright red, a painted latch that looked like a candle with a quill lying alongside it on it's front, with two smaller doors on it's lower half that opened separately on their own hinges for foals to use. The resin had melted instantly in the fiery blast, mixing with the ash and turning the door pure black, nearly invisible against the scorched bark of the tree.

The large green eyes of Spike widened in fear as he really took in all the destruction that had occurred here. The library hadn't been some little wimpy tree. It had been a proud strong old oak tree, easily viewable from a mile away, standing much taller than most of the buildings in town. Anything that had managed to destroy it like this had to have been powerful. Frighteningly powerful, like Tirek had been. And Twilight had managed to beat him. It was no wonder this place hadn't been cleared away yet. It was like a monument to Twilight's struggle to save the ponies. A monument to her love for those around her, and the sacrifices she had made that day to keep them protected. But also a frightening reminder of the real power of magic. The magic that had created monsters like Sombra, Nightmare, and Tirek. The magic that could turn even harmless street magicians into insane warlocks of unfathomable power. The kind of magic that could bring books to life, their characters and contents walking amongst the citizens like living things. The magic that made and unmade the gods themselves. The kind of magic most unicorns used like playthings, for their everyday lives and chores. A cautious reminder of what happened when magic was practiced with little concern for others.

In front of the brown and yellow striped fence was a wooden rod, buried and sticking out of the ground, a square plank of wood nailed to its front with red twill cloth wrapped around it. Laminated paper had been nailed to this sign, giving out a warning to any who approached the site of the Tirek incident:

THERE IS DANGER HERE
THE DANGER IS STILL PRESENT
DO NOT CROSS THE FENCE
~ mayor mare

In a garden full of angels.

"And then miss Twilight and Spike both got blown into little bits like confetti!"

"Wow, really?"

"Yep! They say sometimes at night you can see the ghost of miss Twilight floating through the library, haunting this very spot for eternity because she wasn't buried properly or something, and if you offer her a book the ghost of Spike the dragon appears in a big ball of green fire!"

Pipsqueak's jaw dropped in wonder at the tale he had just heard from his buddy, Rumble. There were so many spooky stories surrounding the destruction of the old Golden Oaks Library. Stories that, for most adults would have seemed ridiculous, but for the small colts standing outside the fence surrounding the old library, were more like the stuff of legend.

"That story is so mad, Rumble. Spooked me proper, it did! Bloody heck, I won't sleep a wink tonight!" Pipsqueak turned to the even tinier pale colt that stood next to him, who was busy staring through a gap in the fence. "Oy, Feathers, you ought to be writing all this rubbish down. Take some pics, too. Should make a good beat for the school paper, I bet!"

Featherweight drew back from the fence on his skinny legs, nearly tumbling over the analogue camera he often brought with him, which was nearly larger than he was. He scrunched up his snout, examining the device to make sure he hadn't harmed it somehow, before turning to the small grounded pinto and pegasus standing nearby. He crouched and fanned out his own small wings, ready to take to the air.

"If you want, Rumble, I can hop this fence, fly up a bit and take a few aerial photos. I'd be back in a jiff."

"Don't do that!" Rumble shouted in terror, quickly putting his hooves on Featherweight's back to stop his friend from flying off. "You'll anger the ghosts of Twilight and Spike!"

All three of their heads turned as they heard an annoyed shout come from a few meters away.

"You guys know that story is a bunch of baloney right?" Spike stood with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.

"How would you know, eh mate?" Pip shot back.

"Uh, because I'm standing right here." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you're a ghost and don't realize it yet?" Rumble offered, shivering in fear at the dragon who was smaller than he was.

"Oh for the love of..." Spike put his face in his hands, shaking his head in disbelief at the superstitious colts. "First off, I'm not dead and if I was I would not have eaten an egg breakfast a couple hours ago. Second ghosts only happen if a pony's soul is ripped from their body with unnatural means, which would never happen in Ponyville and hasn't happened in like...a bajillion years."

"Well there goes our bleedin' story, chaps." Pip kicked a rock angrily as he began to storm off, followed by the other two.

Spike shook his head again at them as they toddled off, turning his attention back to the library. With the flat end of his tail and his small claws, Spike managed to quickly dig a small hole under the fence, just big enough for his small round body to squeeze through. As he dusted himself off on the other side of the fence he heard a rustling behind him, noticing Scootaloo was back, and squeezing through the hole as well, having a much easier time of it then Spike. Behind her she dragged a burlap sack that clattered as it heaved through the hole.

"What's in that?" Spike asked.

"Excavation equipment! If you're plannin' on going into dangerous territory requiring lots of cutting and digging you gotta be prepared, Spike. Rainbow taught me that!" Scootaloo proudly puffed out her scruffy chest as she gave the bag a kick. "I'm always prepared!"

The bag opened and a bunch of beach toys tumbled out. Small brightly colored plastic buckets, a plastic shovel that was shorter and blunter than most spades, a sieve, a tiny rake, a plastic axe that would scarcely be able to cut butter, and a rubbery toy octopus wearing a top hat. Spike sighed, looking at the toys, and was about to tell Scootaloo that it was far too dangerous for her to join him on his adventure, but the filly looked so excited with the shovel in her mouth Spike couldn't find the heart to say no.

"Alright." the purple dragon mumbled dejectedly, with the filly in tow. "You're in charge of digging up stuff outside. Dig up any lumps in the dirt or things under rocks. We're looking for stuff that's still like...whole. No pieces of stuff. Give me a shout if you see anything you think Twilight might like."

Scootaloo saluted and started to race off before turning to Spike. "Wait if I'm doing stuff outside...are you going inside?"

"Yep." Spike took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I gotta know."

A feeling of sickness grew as Spike approached what had once been the door to the house. Being a creature born with an innate bit of magical power, it was easy to sense something was wrong with the place. Something deadly hung in the air, almost visible to the eye, like an intense mist of black on the outskirts of wherever one focused their vision. It was silent, Spike noticed. Being this close to the house and all the noise from around had seemingly been muted. He could see Scootaloo digging in the dirt only a few yards away, and could not hear a thing. Only the sound of his own breathing. If Scootaloo yelled to Spike that she had found something, would he even hear it? He thought about turning back, and was in the process of doing so when there was a loud crash. The door, buckling seemingly under its own rot and decay, collapsed at Spike's feet. A cloud of ash quickly rising into the air and consuming the dragon. He coughed and wheezed and covered his snout with his hands, stumbling through the open doorway into foyer. He felt dirty, the ground up blackened particles of what had been his home getting trapped beneath his scales, hurting him, filling him with the urge to scratch. Scratch til he bled and the feeling went away. He coughed again, noting the spit in his mouth was now grey. He stood hunched, one of his hands on his scaly knees, and the other over his mouth as he tried to catch his breath, turning his head up to look around.

The silence never really came back. It had been replaced by a hum, a vibration that made its way across the floor and up Spike's body. The entire room seemed to vibrate, everything quietly dancing to some infernal rhythm. Every time Spike took a step, the ash in the air grew thicker, blocking the bright sunlight that was being cast through the massive gap that once had been the canopy of the tree, bathing every flat surface in white blinding light. Spike took a step forward and the ash rose to meet him again, this time taking precaution to guard his nostrils with his arm, and squint his eyes. Sound began to slowly make its way in. And as Spike cautiously tiptoed his way deeper into the room, the sound became clearer and clearer, and he felt the quills on the back of his neck stand up in fright.

The sounds were voices. But not just any voices. They were his own. And Twilight's, and her friends. Celestia, Luna, Applejack, he could hear them all. Echoing, reverberating, as if from far away. He could hear their calls, talking all at once. It was gibberish almost, the voices slowly growing louder as the ash began to swirl in the wind making visions of things that seemed almost familiar. Memories from the tree, it's dying breath becoming a rancid play with actors made of soot. Some Spike had been present for, and others he had not been. And within the blackened stump, Spike was truly afraid. Was this black magic at work? Some remnant of Tirek's power? The ash began to form recognizable shapes as the voices spoke, with some bits he was able to decipher.

"Oh yeah? Well I dare Rarity to lighten up!"

"I want to learn how to become a Cutie Mark Crusader!"

"I prefer to read my own poetry."

"For the last time, Spike! You were given to me as an egg!"

"Dear Princess Celestia, friendship is a wondrous and powerful thing..."

"I knew the book was good but...I didn't know it could drive a pony to petty theft!"

"Now I realize that who I am is not the same as what I am."

"Hey Twilight! What's soaking wet and clueless?"

"A really big, juicy, perfect for a cake topper, jewel!"

"A fresh pressed hankie if I sneeze!"

Spike cowered on the floor as images and sounds swirled around him, growing in frequency as they collided into each other, the ash becoming thicker and thicker. He briefly opened an eye to stare up at the sky, wondering if he could maybe jump out of the tree and flee the enchantments within. The ash had swirled into a hurricane of black soot, filling the tree and blocking out the sun. There was a cry of dismay as Spike opened his mouth to scream for help, his mouth immediately becoming full of filth. The wind inside the tree picked up, growing hotter as the temperature climbed. It burned like fire and Spike could swear he heard the crackling of embers and the roar of thunder. Being a dragon, Spike was immune to fire, but the black lightning that was now darting through the room was much more dangerous. He attempted to curl up near a piece of furniture, only to feel the scalding heat as it suddenly burst into flames. The room was a smattering moving vortex of black ash and yellow fire, materializing into a vague shape that Spike recognized, shaking in terror from his spot on the floor.

The licks of flame formed a body, the ash becoming the coat of long hair on it's glowing flesh. Brawny shoulders, and a torso like that of an ogre or an elf. A gaunt face of an old bull with a long jowl, a permanent frown and coal black eyes to match its beard. An ashen body with the hindquarters of an immense horse, holding the torso high in the air as it gazed down at Spike. Though he had only met this creature briefly, Spike knew it by name. It was this creature that had taken his home away from him. It was this creature that absorbed all the magic in Equestria. It was this creature that had defeated the royal family and nearly killed Twilight. Tirek the Centaur, exile from the lands far beyond memory. Spike closed his eyes shut, dearly wishing he'd never set foot in the remains of the Golden Oaks Library.

"ENOUGH."

A deep elderly voice boomed through the cacophony of fire and sound, feeling cool on Spike's back as it pierced the heat. There was a loud crack that shook the floor, as if two enormous fingers had snapped, and it was over. Instantly the sound and fury stopped and the peaceful sound of nature was in the air. Tentatively, Spike opened his bleary eyes, to see the ash had stopped swirling as the wind had vanished. It settled to the ground in little piles, like black sand. The heat was gone, but the fire had been evident. The furniture piece Spike had hid near was the old round table that had once held Twilight's globe of the world. It was still crackling and glowing from the fire, but it produced no smoke nor heat, causing Spike to feel frightened yet again as he backed away.

"It's magical flame, Spike. Much like your own. But I've stopped it I believe. You may thank me another time."

The frightened baby dragon glanced up to see a familiar, though not entirely friendly face peering down at him. Along the wall lay a long serpent, its body covered in thick brown feathers like a turkey. Its tail end, bare of feathers, and covered in red glimmering scales like a dragon or a fish. Paws like a lion and claws like an eagle. And atop all this a long and crooked neck like a spotless giraffe ending in a face that was much like a very old pony or goat, with great bushy white eyebrows above clever beady yellow eyes, complete with stag antlers sticking out the top of it's head. Discord the Lord of Chaos himself had blessed Spike with his presence, but he wore a warm inviting expression as opposed to the usual mischievous grin that usually adorned his malevolent features. Yet despite being in the presence of a god, Spike felt relaxed.

"Oh.... h-hi Discord." Spike mumbled, trying to brush some of the ash out of his dirty scales. "What are you doing here?"

"I was watching you and your little friend from afar. I had a good feeling some of Tirek's magic was still left in this old hunk of toothpicks that was once your library. Just needed someone to enter and 'flip the switch' I suppose. How are you feeling?"

"Itchy I guess." Spike scratched his scales, ash still covering them. "But I'm not hurt."

"Of course you aren't, you are a dragon after all. SO, let's cut to the chase, boy. Why.... oh why oh why would a smart lad such as yourself come wandering into as horrible of a spot as this, hmmm?" Discords eyes glinted with glee, his bushy eyebrows wiggling as if he had caught someone doing something bad.

"I wanted to see if I could find some of Twilight's stuff in all the rubble."

"And instead you found Tirek's curse. What a fantastic gift that would be for Mother's Day! Here mother, I have brought you the memories of an old dying tree mixed with the fragments of hate from an old centaur! I even put a pink bow on it!"

"Heh, yeah." Spike squinted at Discord with suspicion. "How did you know I was looking for a Mother's Day present?"

Discord laughed merrily and peeled himself off the wall, coiling up and landing in a pile at the center of the room, using the white fins on the end of his tail to sweep some of the ash away as he used one of his lion paws to pick his nose.

"I know everything, my dear boy! Well, bits. I even knew that today someone, most likely you, would come strolling in here. That is the power of my chaotic omniscience. I know little bits of everything! And I already found what you want, too!"

With a snap of his eagle claws, Discord had conjured a small merchants cart in front of himself, a green apron and beret suddenly materializing on his body in a small cloud of sparkles. A white name tag dangled on the apron with the slogan 'Welcome to Discords' proudly gleaming across the plastic. A cash register appeared out of thin air as well, landing with a loud KA-CHING on the shelf of the cart. Discord began to happily press buttons on the register as it emitted various animal noises.

"Now let's see here. Hmm yes. Saving your life.... and.... removing Tirek's curse... oh and putting this tree out of its misery finally... and lets see here... OH.... finding some precious memories and belongings." Discord mumbled to himself, adjusting his glasses as the receipt paper from the register grew longer and longer, snaking onto the floor, before he tore it out and gave it one last crucial look, then turned to Spike. "That will be 150 bits, mister dragon. We also accept Mareican Express."

"I uhhh, I don't have any money." Spike stated, being slightly stunned at everything taking place in front of him.

"SOLD!" Discord snapped his fingers again and all his props vanished, the receipt in his open hand instead being replaced with a very old book, a cloud of dust appearing in the air around it, filtering the beams of sunlight now filtering into the tree stump.

For the first time in hours, a smile grew on Spike's face. This was exactly what he needed, for the book in Discord's open claw was the Journal of the Two Sisters. An ancient grimoire that served as a personal diary for Celestia and Luna, goddesses of the sun and moon. It was full of strange tales, secrets, and even served has a handy guide to some of the weirder beasts that roamed the land of Equestria. But beyond that, upon its discovery when trying to clean the sister's ancient castle, Twilight and her friends had decided to adopt the book for their own needs, filling it with new entries based on personal experiences and lessons learned about friendship and social etiquette. Even Spike himself had been honored to write a couple of entries into its old pages. He had thought it lost in the destruction of Tirek, but now here it was, floating in Discord's hand, burnt but still looking relatively whole.

"It used to look quite a bit worse than this." Discord mumbled, seeming to read Spike's mind. "I thought, perhaps if I could save it, maybe some of my guilt would flit away, like a seagull chasing a hoagie."

"Guilt?" Spike asked, reaching his short arms into the air to try and make a grab for the book.

With a quick motion Discord pulled it out of his reach. "Yes, my dear boy, GUILT. Perhaps the most unpleasant emotion I've gotten to experience these last two years of knowing you ponies. Fluttershy claims she has forgiven me. Twilight and Celestia as well. But I can sense that they are lying. They don't want to tell me that they no longer trust me, and that hurts most of all."

Discord snapped his fingers, causing the book to vanish.

"But...but wait!!!" Spike screeched in agony. "I need that book!"

"And you have it." Discord nodded with a smile. "It's back at your crystal fortress of friendship or whatever Twilight is calling it. I have stowed it in your room, underneath the mattress where nobody but you can find it."

"But why can't I just have it now?" Spike asked, frustration bubbling up inside him as he stared down the old serpent.

"Because you're about to pass out from inhaling all this ash, oh and Twilight is here."

Little bits of everything, that is what Discord claimed he knew, and as events unfolded who could really deny it. With a snap of his fingers and a cloud of grey sparkles he was gone. Spike fell to his knees, suddenly feeling very weak, wheezing and coughing as he held his chest which burned from fires that were not of his own lungs. As his vision blurred he heard a blast behind him, and saw the shapes of splinters of wood hurling through the air.

"Spike? Spike!?" that was Twilight's voice.

"He's over here near the table!" and that was Scootaloo's voice.

And then everything went dark.

_____________________

"That came out of YOU, Spike! All of that!" Twilight shouted, pointing a trembling hoof at a rather impressive pile of ash and mucus she had pulled from the dragon's lungs with a medical spell. "You could have suffocated, Spike! You could have died! You could have gotten Scootaloo hurt! And you broke the law, Spike! Me and the Mayor put that sign there for a reason and you chose to ignore it! And why? Just so you could explore our old house? It's gone, Spike! There's nothing left for us there! You're lucky Scootaloo let me know... that.... WOULD YOU STOP SCRATCHING YOURSELF?!? IN FRONT OF OUR GUESTS!?!"

Spike pulled his paw off his tummy for a second, lifting his watery eyes to glance into Twilight's angry face. She looked so angry and frightened, her dark purple mane sticking out in every direction like a mad mare.

"But my skin itches." he mumbled.

"Then go and take a bath. And after that go STRAIGHT to your room!"

"But I don't like my room!"

"That's an ORDER, Spike!" Twilight shouted, a bit louder than she had meant to, her voice cracking audibly.

Spike got down on all fours, slinking off in a way he rarely felt bad enough to do, making his way across the crystal floor to the den that led to the hallway.

"This is so embarrassing. I'm so sorry you had to see all this." Twilight spluttered as she turned to address the two crystal ponies who had been standing a few feet away, awkwardly trying to ignore the conflict. "He's normally so very well behaved I don't know what's gotten into him, lately."

"It's alright, Princess, Spike helped save our city, we don't mind that he flubbed the Cloudsdale Anthem so hard. Even if it was in front of thousands. We all had a chuckle at it later. He's still a hero in my eyes." one of the crystal ponies said, nodding his head cheerfully.

"Should uh... should we clean that too, Princess?" the other crystal pony asked, pointing her hoof at the filth from Spike's lungs that sat on a towel near a first aid kit.

"No I'll do it. And please just call me Twilight." Twilight said with a smile, though her voice sounded exasperated. "Please just try to treat my home as your home, at least for a while until I sort some things out. I know you both probably don't want to be in Ponyville any longer than you need to be, so try and take it easy. Enjoy yourselves."

"About the dragon... Pri... uh... missus Twilight. The little one. Spike." the mare began, turning her head to look at the reptile who was slinking away. "Does he outrank us? What's the nature of his stay with you? Is he... your uh.... ?"

Spike slowed his walk from the room as he heard the question asked. He turned his head slightly to look at Twilight. She looked flustered, her eyes wide. Spike felt his heart beating hard in his chest. Never had anyone so openly asked what Spike meant to Twilight. And Spike had never been brave enough to ask himself, afraid of the answer he might hear.

"Say that I'm yours, Twi. That I belong to you." he thought to himself urgently, silently begging Twilight to say the one thing he wanted to hear right now, the hurt in his heart growing as Twilight stood silently. "Say I'm your son. Your kid. Your little brother. Your friend. Your pet. Anything, Twi."

Twilight took a deep breath, taking a moment to straighten her hair with one of her cloven hooves, swishing her tail awkwardly on the crystal floor. Her jaw worked, no words emitted as she struggled to find the answer that she sought. Then after a few agonizing seconds, looked up at the two crystal ponies, and gave them a professional nod and wave of the hoof.

"He's my assistant."

A hollow feeling pervaded Spike. Emptiness mixed with anger, drenching his thoughts until he ceased to think. He didn't even realize he had wandered into his room until he bumped his snout into the bedpost. He collapsed onto the ground. He knew somewhere in his bed was that book. The book he had spent all day, and nearly given his life for, just so he could give it to Twilight as a gift. And as Spike lay there on the cold floor, lacking the energy to climb into bed, he realized he no longer even wanted the book. All he really wanted was to feel clean again. Clean and less empty.

Not an answer to be heard.

The streetlamps in Ponyville had been doused by the storm, making the town darker than it usually appeared at this time of night. The charming comfort of the cottages shifting into imposing cubes of slick cob and soaked hay. Thunder boomed in the distance, yet the lightning was too far to illuminate the path Spike ran upon. But he wouldn't need it this night. He only needed to move in one direction, away from the shouts of anger, the screams of terror, and the multitude of tiny lights behind him. Torches, lanterns, shovels, pitchforks, and even a few swords, all shone in the darkness. Spike couldn't see the ponies holding them, but he could hear them. Their voices, filtering through the rain, vibrating like they had inside the dead tree. Voices of friends and neighbors, ponies Spike thought had enjoyed his company. Ponies he thought had loved him. He could even hear the children shrieking as they chased him, lights in the darkness as he ran. The thunder grew louder as the sound of the stampede swelled, hooves clattering on stone and brick and soil, all galloping to slow the dragon down.

Spike looked ahead and saw his new home, Twilight's castle, stretching up into the black sky, nearly invisible with its crystal exterior having nothing but darkness to reflect and refract. He slipped and fell, sliding down the muddy pathway and smacking into the two golden doors that marked the front of the structure. The mud was in his scales, itching madly, but he didn't have the time to deal with that now. His small nimble hands pounded on the door in desperation, the coursing rain nearly drowning out the sound.

The doors swung open of their own power, revealing a warm and inviting interior, similar to that of the Golden Oak Library. Wood floors, uneven walls filled with old books, a crackling fireplace with marshmallows studded with emeralds warming up on a tray over the cozy flame. Twilight floated down from some unseen place, her wings unmoving, landing with a muted thud in front of Spike. Her features scowled in an expression of pure disgust. She backed away from Spike, sneering.

"I told you not to come back."

And the vision of warmth and comfort was gone, the doors slamming and a cold wind erupting in Spike's face. He could tell the crowd was almost upon him, their lights reflecting against the golden doors, fireflies in the metal signaling the incoming inevitable end. But this is what Spike deserved, wasn't it? He was a dragon. A beast from a strange and violent species. Ponies could never be his real family, no matter how much he desired it. Twilight had been his savior the day he was born, and that had crumbled to ash. The tiny dragon fell to his knees and closed his eyes, awaiting the angry citizens as their voices reached a crescendo of volume. They were here.

And then Spike woke up.

___________________

Spike sat up in bed gasping for air, his scales itching as he kicked off the wool covers. It had been hours since his bath and he still didn't feel comfortable. Worse still now that the cold sweat from his nightmare had drenched his body, dripping to the bed and leaving a few dark spots against the silk. Spike fearfully looked around to be sure he was home. That nightmare, that vision, had been almost the same as the one he had seen on his first trip to the Crystal Empire. The vision beyond the crude door that Sombra, King of Mists, had created to prey on a pony's worst fears. His green fin-like ears pricked up as he heard Twilight running down the hall, apparently awake again from her own bad dream. Their night terrors seemed to occur in tandem. Spike wasn't in the mood to see her, flopping onto his bed with a growl and turning away from the door.

"Spike?" Twilight whispered from the glimmering door frame, sounding more tired than usual. "I know you're awake, Spike."

Stillness was the only answer to come from the baby dragon.

"You're mad at me. And you should be. I'm really sorry, Spike." continued Twilight. "About earlier. I shouldn't have yelled like that. I was just... scared. I know this is hard and you miss our old home. I miss it too, Spike. The smell of wood and old books, dust and ink. You miss all those happy memories from the library. And here I am making a bunch of bad ones in our new home. I think tomorrow, I'm going to put a hammock near the fireplace for you to sleep in. I hope it'll be more comfortable than this room. Maybe it will feel like your old bed? I hope so."

Gingerly the lavender alicorn approached, afraid she might startle the child in the bed. She gently crept alongside him, laying down next to Spike and extending her wing over him, an affectionate motion generally reserved for pegasi and their chicks, unsurprised when she felt him wriggle out from under it. Her throat bobbed for a few moments as she tried to think of something she could say. Something to make her little dragon smile again. But it was late, and she knew nothing she said now would make it up to him, and the shame he probably had felt from being humiliated in front of crystal ponies who thought he was a hero back in their homeland.

"Goodnight, Spike. Sorry." Twilight muttered with a heavy tone of regret, extending her wing yet again over the dragon as she lay her head down to sleep at his side.

_________________________

A loud clinking of metal rungs signaled the morning, well technically noon, awakening period for Spike. He felt exhausted, turning his head up to see that the curtains that covered the ornate windows into his room were being pushed aside, bright white sunlight forcing its way in. Celestia's love, beaming into the bedchamber and making the crystal tile glow with a magenta warmth. Spike's vision was quickly filled with the equine responsible for waking him, a dully colored blue stallion, made entirely of crystal, with long bangs made of red crystal sediment. The same one Spike had seen briefly the day prior, with a similar rose counterpart.

"Good morning, Master Spike!" he chirped happily, almost singing. "It's well past morning and time for a nice brunch, don't you think? No better way to start the day I always say, like a feast. I hope this is up to par with what you usually make, I've heard you are quite the chef for being so young."

Spike sat up in bed, ready to protest, only to have a tray shoved in front of him, causing his mouth to water. Hard boiled eggs that had been rolled in rock salt crystals, a waffle with chocolate chips and drizzled very lightly with butter and caramel, a bowl of fruit salad with chunks of granite mixed in with the vinegar dressing, and a cup of yogurt with a spoon made of shale dunked into the soft coils of cream.

"This... this is all for me?" Spike asked, his eyes still bleary as he gazed at the culinary spread.

"Indeedly! Nothing but the best for the dragon who saved my life twice. By the way you may call me Eric Silicate, I am happy to serve, though me and my sister's time at your home will probably be pretty brief."

"Saved your life twice?" Spike asked scratching his head.

"Why yes!" Eric continued, not missing a beat as he fastened a crystal bib around Spike's neck so the tyke could eat without making a mess. "First you helped decimate that nefarious blankety-blank, King Sombra. Freeing us from years of slavery and bringing us a new Queen! I've never felt so satisfied watching a horse explode into tiny bits. Then you saved my life again at the Equestria Games when you prevented that frozen cloud from falling out of the sky and squashing the audience. I owe you my life, young sir!"

"Oh! Well... uh... you're very welcome! Also thanks for the grub!" Spike dug into his breakfast, noticing that Eric was giving him an odd look.

"Are you feeling alright by the way, Master Spike?"

Spike swallowed a particular large clump of egg before speaking. "I'm tired. And itchy. That's about it. Why?"

"You seem very pale. I know we haven't really met before until just now but I seem to recall you being a bit more... purpley? Are you ill?"

Spike glanced down at his body, furrowing his brow. It was true, his normally vibrant purple scales seemed duller than usual. It reminded him of how Twilight had looked when Discord had finally broken her spirit, in what seemed like an event from ages ago. His scales still tingled as well, being itchy in a few places despite a rather rigorous bath to cleanse them. He dearly hoped all the ash from the day prior hadn't caused some permanent injury to his skin. But for the time being, outside of being weary, he felt fine. Whatever was wrong with his body could wait for another time. Now was a time for eating!

"Yeah I dunno." answered Spike, turning his attention back to the food. "I'll figure it out later."

As Spike ate he noticed Eric standing a few feet away, smiling expectantly. It dawned on Spike that Eric was functioning as a butler at the moment, and couldn't simply leave the room. That would be disrespectful to the master of the house, who was apparently Spike at the moment. He had to be formally excused.

"Oh! Uh... you can go, Eric. Thanks again for the breakfast. It's really really tasty!"

"My pleasure, oh Great and Honorable Spike, the Brave and Glorious." Eric bowed deeply and pranced out of the room, humming happily to himself.

It dawned on Spike as he watched the crystal pony leave, that his previous plan wasn't going to work. Originally he had hoped he could show up these visitors, make them look foolish. Show Twilight that he, Spike, was the best help a Princess could ask for. Maybe even try to sabotage their efforts if things got desperate. But being served breakfast in bed had quickly changed his mind. The compliments didn't hurt either, building his generally weak self-esteem and making him feel better than he had in some time. He decided that Eric and his sister were OK by him, and hopefully stuck around as long as possible.

But this meant Spike would have to find a new way to prove to Twilight he was still important. But unless she started sending letters about friendship to Celestia again, he was quickly running out of options. And that thought hurt his appetite as he chewed slowly on the waffle, not even noticing as his scales seemed to grow ever so slightly greyer.

__________________________

"You look stressed, darling." Rarity cooed as she quickly applied a powder puff to Twilight's face, causing the alicorn to sneeze. "You're going to look like an old nag before you're even 30 at this rate. Are you not sleeping well?"

"Still havin' bad dreams, sugar?" Applejack chimed in, carrying a tray of lemonade on her head.

A get-together was being had at Sweet Apple Acres, the home and workplace of the Apple family. Esteemed farmers and bakers in the town of Ponyville, which they had helped found decades prior. The Elements of Harmony had all gathered with their families, hoping to spend a nice warm spring day together with much-needed social relaxation. Rarity shifted uncomfortably on the hay bale she was sitting on, using her periwinkle unicorn magic to grab the tray from atop Applejack's head, passing the drinks around to the other adults nearby as they waited for Twilight's answer.

"The dreams haven't gone entirely away yet." Twilight admitted. "But they are appearing with less frequency. I'm not sure why I'm having post-traumatic stress with this Tirek event. We've faced similar terrible monsters before. I can't understand why this one has affected me so much."

"Well you did lose your home, Twilight." Fluttershy whispered from behind the curtain of long pink wispy hair she used to hide her face. "And you thought you had lost Spike as well. Not to mention that Tirek came very close to well... hurting you very badly."

"Yeah, if I had come as close to getting blown to smithereens as you did, I'd be having bad dreams, too." Dash grinned, ruffling Twilight's mane, as the others frowned. "What?"

"Maybe you should see Princess Luna, Twilight. She worked wonders for Sweetie when she was having poor dreams."

"Yep, she helped Scoots out a bunch, too." Rainbow seconded.

Twilight sighed. "Spike suggested the same thing to me a few days ago. Maybe I should. I thought some light sedatives and calm music with tea before bed would help, but maybe the problem is something... deeper."

Rarity's eyes lit up when Twilight mentioned Spike. The young dragon had quite a crush on Rarity, and was always such a little gentledrake when she needed help around the shop.

"How is Spike as of late, Twilight? I haven't seen him around the Carousel Boutique for a while now."

Twilight flicked her head, motioning to where Spike was sitting in the tall grass of one of the nearby ponds, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle chatting amiably with him. "He's been mopey. Especially since the library accident."

Twilight turned to Rainbow, looking sad.

"I'm sorry again that Spike got Scootaloo involved with his little adventure, Rainbow. I can't imagine how terrified you must have been."

Dash shrugged. "Ech, no harm no foul. Besides the way Scootaloo tells it, Spike didn't even want her to come along since he knew it'd be dangerous. But Scoots has a thirst for danger, like me!"

"Spike does look so mopey and pale." Fluttershy mumbled from her spot behind one of the hay bales, taking a dainty sip of her drink. "I wish there was a way we could cheer him up."

"Parties always cheer me up!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, giving Fluttershy a hug and making her lemonade fly out of her hoof. "Although I'm not sure what kind of party we could throw for Spike. I'm sure I could think of something!"

"I was hoping just being here with some friends would raise his spirits." Twilight shook her head sadly.

"Uh-huh, good luck with that." Dash rolled her eyes, pointing at the youngsters near the pond.

Squatting in the tall grass, low to the ground, was Scootaloo, a few yards away from the rest of the children. She was grimacing at the other two foals, glaring daggers in their direction, looking ready to pounce and steal Spike away from them so she could have someone to talk to. If Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had noticed Scootaloo nearby, they made no motion or act toward her, seemingly ignoring the orange pegasus.

"Rainbow, could you please explain to me why your dau... sis... Scootaloo is having some sort of feud with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom?" Rarity asked, giving Dash a shrewd look. "It's been going on for quite some time and I'm quite sick of it. What exactly happened?"

"Bloom's been all broken up about it. Scootaloo was one o' her only friends, Dash." Applejack frowned.

"I tried talking to her about it, guys. I did, really." Dash sighed and landed next to Rarity and Twilight with a thump. "She still hasn't forgiven them for the whole tattling thing with Filthy's spoiled little brat."

"What tattling thing?" a commanding tone coming from Rarity, wanting eagerly to know more. "Sweetie has given me such a bare bones version of this story, and I'm sure if she did something wrong she would have left it out."

"I shouldn't even be talking about this." Dash muttered. "I promised Scoot and Cheerilee and Filthy Rich I wouldn't. But you guys are their older sisters so you have a right to know everything that went down."

The rest of the adults shuffled forward, waiting for Dash to spill the beans.

"Yeah don't crowd me." Dash snorted, before taking a deep breath. "You guys know how those three got singled out due to not having cutie-marks. Well Scootaloo got the bullying the worst due to her disability. I guess it got worse and the kids in class were causing mishaps with school property and getting Scoots blamed for it. Cheerilee of course believed them, because the teachers in this town suck."

"Dash..." Twilight gave Rainbow an unflattering look.

"I don't mean you." Dash corrected, continuing. "Anyway. I guess one really bad day Scootaloo said something rude back to Diamond Tiara and her little minion. That rich little grey filly with the white mane. Silver something or other. So those two held Scootaloo down and started pulling some of her baby feathers out."

Fluttershy cringed as she saw the anger flash in Dash, Applejack, and Rarity's eyes. Bullying was one thing, but outright cruelty was a line no pony should ever step. Especially in regard to children.

"Anyway. Scoots got loose and did something I'm sure she'd wanted to do for years. She kicked Silver and Diamond Tiara, bucked them in the face. Diamond got like 5 teeth knocked out of her mouth and Silver lost like 2 and got a black eye. After that I guess Applebloom and Sweetie told Cheerilee what Scootaloo had done and the teach came out to yell at Scoot."

Dash leaned back against a bale of hay and shrugged.

"And you gals know the rest of the story. Scoot grabbed Diamond's tiara and smashed it on the roof, hurt herself on the way down, ran through Ponyville in hysterics and then I came in to save the day. Then a mess of paperwork later and I was Scoot's legal mo... uh, guardian."

Applejack tilted her head, looking confused. "What did ol' Filthy Rich have to say about that? I ain't seen him since he went on vacation with his kin right afterwards."

"Oh, he was mad at first. Didn't think his precious little spawn could be so rotten. He changed his tune once she started talkin', though. I think seeing all that violence, and how messed up Scoot was, must've really scared the kids cause they all started admitting all the stuff they'd been up to. Even Diamond fessed up and told Cheerilee about all the bullying and getting Scoot and Bloom and Sweetie blamed for stuff they didn't do. I'd never seen Cheerilee cry before, and I suppose I should have felt bad, but if she'd been doing her job properly in the first place none of this would have happened."

"She does try so hard." Rarity shook her head sadly.

"Not hard enough." Applejack growled, knowing fully well how often Applebloom had come home in tears from all the bullying at the school. "Well at least now I know why yer lil'un don't wanna talk to Bloom or Sweetie. Probably feels they betrayed her that day, tellin' miss Cheerilee."

"They were only trying to do the right thing at the time." Rarity suggested, looking towards Dash.

"You don't gotta convince me." Dash sipped her drink and looked over at Scootaloo who was still pouting in the grass. "You gotta convince that 6 year old filly over there who's had her faith in others stomped all over."

Dash sat up, looking at Twilight with a cheeky smile.

"Actually that brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about, Egghead. Okay so, I gotta report in for a little bit of basic training at the Wonderbolt's main facility over the weekend. Spitfire needs some r&r and needs me to take over and pretend I'm still a rookie for a bit. I can't bring Scoots. I know she'll want to come but I'm gonna be busy for 3 days and I have nowhere to put her, and the thought of her falling off Cloudsdale is just... I cant. I just cant. Fluttershy will be busy taking care of Tank for me."

"And you realized it'd be bad to have her stay with Rarity and Applejack due to the situation with their little sisters." Twilight raised an eyebrow, finishing Rainbow's statement.

"Exactly. Scoots seems to have taken a liking to Spike so I figured I'd ask my buddy, Twilight. She already loves hanging out with you since you teach her so much stuff." Dash smiled her broadest smile, hoping to appease Twilight with her sudden request.

"Why can't I do it?" Pinkie asked, sounding slightly offended, her large blue eyes looking on the verge of tears.

"Uh because you already take care of, and have spoiled, the Cake twins." Dash deadpanned. "Scoots is on a special diet to fix her wings right now anyway."

"Spoil them? I don't spoil them!"

"Pinkie I've never seen babies as fat as the Cake twins in my life. There's nothing wrong with sneaking candy to children but you sneak them like... entire friggin' pies."

"How the HAY would YOU know how fat a baby is supposed to be? Huh? HUH!?" Pinkie shot back, looking ready to start swinging.

"Girls please, please." Twilight tried to look serious, holding back her laughter at the argument. "It's alright. Dash I'd be more than happy to look after Scootaloo over the weekend. If we're lucky I can sneak in some tutoring as well. With her and the two maids Cadence sent over, maybe Spike will finally cheer up. And hopefully with the castle being a bit less empty I can get a good night's sleep."

Rarity's ears pricked up at the mention of the maids.

"Oh yes! Your maids arrived yesterday did they not? Are they good? Are they crystal ponies? Do they look lovely amongst all the crystal walls and floors? Are any of them rich stallions? Do tell!"

As the adults gossiped amongst themselves about life and recent events in town, a very different conversation was taking place not far away in the meadow. Spike still felt glum and tired and most of all itchy. He sort of wanted to join the grown-ups and listen in on their conversation, but wasn't in the mood to speak with Twilight, or hear her talk as if nothing was wrong. In an effort to distract his mind he had grabbed a small twig and was using it to poke at an ant hill near the pond. The cabal of insects had quickly become infuriated at the wooden monstrosity jabbing into their network of tunnels. Once realizing they were no match for the powers of the implement, a hasty retreat was ordered and Spike watched as the ants tried to barricade up their damaged exterior. But then Applebloom and Sweetie had shown up to discuss slightly more important matters.

"I made my song!" Sweetie squealed, dancing happily into Spike's vision wearing a flowery hat her sister had clearly crafted for her, and squishing several ants on her tiny white hooves. "Would you wanna to hear it, Spike?"

"Why not." Spike answered with little enthusiasm.

Sweetie rocked back and forth on her hooves, humming a catchy little melody. This went on for a couple of minutes before Spike grew confused.

"Hey Sweetie uhh.... where are the lyrics?"

"Oh!" Sweetie's face broke into a wide grin. "I haven't written any yet!"

"Land sakes, Sweetie!" Applebloom interrupted, trying to gently shove Sweetie aside. "Y'all are gonna bore Spike to sleep. Look how tuckered out he looks already."

Spike scratched the end of his snout, before yawning. "Hi Applebloom."

"Today in school I found a book on goo and slime and goops, Spike!" the cream colored earth pony announced, her strawberry red tail wagging happily. "It had all sortsa stuff about bad slimes, like the ones that knight ponies used to fight for stuff called 'loot', and even good kinds of slimes. I think I know the one I wanna get for Granny. It sings and dances they call it 'smooze'. Know where I can get any?"

"No. Also that stuff would eat Granny Smith. It sings and dances to make ponies get closer and then gobbles 'em up."

Spike let out a long exasperated sigh and squirmed away from the anthill, falling backwards into the tall grass. The soft yellow grass and strands of baby wheat were pretty comfy, he had to admit. He could probably take a nice nap right here. But then he'd probably wake up covered in bugs. Plus the adults would wonder if he'd wandered off and then Twilight would shout at him again. A snort of smoke escaped his nostrils as Spike lay in the grass. Sweetie and Applebloom exchanged a look of concern. Normally Spike was such an excited and happy little dragon, but that wasn't who was laying in the grass.

"Are y'all sick, Spike?" Applebloom asked, her small amber eyes full of sympathy. "Ya look mighty flushed. I reckon Gran could fill up one of our growlers with some corn broth or chicken noodle soup. Then ya can sip while you recover!"

"I'm not sick." Spike grunted as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle lay down in the grass nearby, staring at him with matching looks of curiosity and worry. "I'm just tired. And sad, I guess."

"Why are you sad?" Sweetie asked quietly, looking even more worried.

"I guess... I dunno... I guess I'm realizing that Mother's Day is going to be really bad. For me, anyway." Spike mumbled. "I tried looking for other dragons not long ago, hoping I could find my mom or dad. Or any family."

"Well what's wrong with yer pony family?" the other filly asked, looking perplexed. Family was the most important thing to the Apples. More important than cider. More important than the entire farm.

"Nothings wrong with them." Spike felt his eyes grow moist. "They're perfect. They're special. But I'm not. I'm just an egg that got lucky. My family is perfect. I'm not."

"Well.... " Sweetie began, her happy mood now gone from seeing Spike look so distressed. "Maybe you aren't perfect. But neither are me or Applebloom. Or even Scootaloo."

"We're like kindred spirits, ain't we Spike?" Applebloom chimed in.

"How so?"

"Well neither you or me ever got to meet our real parents. We got raised proper by other folks. And I'd say we turned out just fine! Better than fine, even!" Applebloom nodded with a matter-of-fact expression, knowing she was preaching gospel.

For the first time in what seemed like ages, Spike smiled. He wanted to agree with the small cream-colored filly. And he nodded like he did. And perhaps for a while, her words lifted his spirits. He felt whole again, and happy, and loved. It would be only temporary, as he lay here in the meadow with the other children, but at least for now everything seemed right again and his heart felt lighter. His skin still itched, and he still felt very grey, but for now that was of no concern to the dragon. There were ponies who cared for him, and his nightmare, no matter how real it might have felt at the time, was a falsehood.

Against the child in your face.

If one were to turn south from the center of Ponyville and begin to walk, one would eventually come across a very calm and lazy stream which flowed out to the ocean in the west. A few pink wooden bridges were in place to allow ponies to cross the stream, but few took advantage of them. There were ferries and a train to get ponies where they needed to be for travel, and very few ponies lived south of the river. Fluttershy's cottage sat right on the riverbank, her backyard vegetable garden emptying out into the imposing Everfree Forest. Outside of the occasional brave explorer or nature photographer, most of the townsfolk didn't go into the woods.

There were many superstitious tales about the forest, many of which the locals believed to be true which kept them well away. The smarter ones didn't enter because, beyond the folk tales, the Forest of Everfree was simply a dangerous place for a pony to be. Clouds and storms could not be controlled there, having lives of their own seemingly, striking the trees with harsh lightning. Quicksand was common, and a few unfortunate ponies in the past had met their end around the bogs and marshes. Timberwolves, great canine predators made of dried foliage and long dead trees, prowled the forest in packs, eager to hunt down tasty ponies for a meal. And they weren't alone. Giant serpents, basilisks, cockatrices, manticores, wisps, and giant bees that migrated from Flutter Valley, all lived in the wood, having their own strange little ecosystem. But beyond these beasts, the Everfree also had a strange sort of beauty to it, with it's very alien plants sending spores into the atmosphere and swampy foggy nature. Herbs and fungi grew here that lived nowhere else in all of Equestria, and a pony intelligent enough to stave off the dangers of the wood, could find themselves making a good living as a potionmaker or alchemist.

One such equine was Zecora, a middle aged zebra from a far off land, who had settled in the forest near Ponyville. She loved the little town, and all its pleasures, even if the townsfolk found her striped and gaunt appearance frightening. But fear or not, Zecora was known amongst the ponies as a great healer and shaman, being able to perform strange thaumaturgical magics that not even the unicorns or alicorns of Equestria quite understood. Ponies brave enough to get to know the zebra, quickly learned she was a generous fun-loving soul with a great appreciation for nature and the strange often deadly magic it possessed. But she lived far from the town, experimenting in her home, away from where the fruit of her efforts might cause harm to any visitors. Only a few ponies in the village knew the way directly to her hut, one of whom was the tiny filly Applebloom who was currently leading the way for Spike and two others through dense shrubbery on the outskirts of the woods.

"So why are we goin' to Zecora's again, Spike?" Applebloom inquired, merrily skipping over a cobra that was slithering in the path through the jungle. "Seems like it's usually Twilight who visits her."

"Cause I think, OUCH!" Spike swatted a hungry bat out of his face, only to find a super-sized mosquito replacing it. "Cause I think Zecora might have a potion or spell I could use."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo toddled in the back of the group, the latter of whom was glaring at the tiny white unicorn with the sort of hatred one might see with a puppy near a vacuum cleaner. Upon hearing Spike talk about needing a spell, Scootaloo's ears pricked up as she looked at the waddling pale dragon ahead, who was slowly loping along on all fours due to feeling tired.

"Spike... you aren't thinking of asking Zecora to turn you into a pony are you?"

"Wait what? WHAT!?" Sweetie squeaked, tripping over a twig and landing on her small blunt horn.

"What's all this now?" Applebloom turned to look at Spike as well.

"Ugh. Yes I am." Spike groaned, rolling his eyes. "You didn't have to blurt it out, Scootaloo!"

"But why?" Sweetie's pupils dilated as she looked at Spike with a forlorn expression. "I like you as a dragon! And Rarity likes you as a dragon! And I'm sure everyone else does, too!"

"Well I don't." Spike grumbled, turning back to Applebloom. "Please can we just go?"

"I... um... I dunno... " Applebloom looked hesitant. "I like yah as a dragon too, Spike. And plus I mean... I ain't sure how reliable Zecora's spells are. Last time I took one of her potions I was tap-dancin' for hours. I had to walk with a limp for a month. Yah remember that!"

"Yeah and you spoke the language of ponies from Prance for a bit, too. Tap-dancing and xenoglossy fancy talk is a risk I'm willing to take. Lead on, please." Spike came to a stop as the three little ponies slowed to a halt.

For an awkward minute the three fillies exchanged looks of worry as they weighed their options with the crumpled pale ghostly dragon that sat between them.

"Don't do it, Applebloom!" Scootaloo shouted, stepping forward. "This is a mistake! I know it is!"

"Oh and now yer talkin' to me again?" Applebloom frowned. "I thought we weren't friends yer friends no more."

"We aren't friends because you both have big dumb butts for faces!" Scootaloo shot back, with what she believed to be a scathing insult. "But this is a bad idea taking Spike to Zecora! He's sad and not thinking straight!"

"It was a bad idea to take Spike to the old library and you both went there!" Sweetie retorted, sticking her snout in the air the way her sister often did when proving a point.

"How do you know about that?"

"Everypony knows about that you big grump!"

"I didn't take Spike there! He went there on his own and I wanted to help cause I was bored!"

"Y'all wouldn't be bored if ya hadn't dropped me n' Sweetie like sacks of old potatoes." Applebloom shouted.

"I wouldn't have dropped you like vegetable whatevers if you two weren't the biggest traitors in Ponyville! Not even Discord is as big of a traitor as you two!"

"We ain't traitors!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!" Spike bellowed, rising up onto his hind legs, a cloud of smoke erupting from his nostrils as he pulled on his finny ears in frustration.

The three fillies cowered as the smoke dissipated. Spike may have been tiny and harmless, but he could look pretty intimidating when he was upset.

"You three bicker more than Rarity and Applejack." Spike huffed and rested his face on one hand, deep in thought. "Look I wasn't there during this incident that broke up your club, and all I know is what Scootaloo and rumors have told me but the way I see it..."

Spike turned to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

"You two told on Scootaloo to the teacher. You did the right thing. You should always tell a grown-up if someone is hurt. But at no point in the story I've heard from Scootaloo or anyone else, did she mention either of you trying to help her when she needed you most. Were either of you brave enough to help your friend when she was being bullied? Or fell off the school? Part of being a good friend is defending and protecting your friends when they need you the most. Being Humdrum taught me that."

The two fillies looked down in shame, as Spike turned to the orange pegasus.

"And you.... you told me last night that Fluttershy says that it's bad for a pony to keep their bad feelings inside. And she's right! If you really believe that Scootaloo, then do you really want to hold onto this grudge?" Scootaloo's look of sadness was all the answer he needed. "Do you really want to stay angry at two of your only friends for the rest of your life? Do you think Rainbow likes seeing you like this?"

"No..."

"Alright then." Spike crossed his arms. "So what are you three gonna do about it?"

Despite feeling frustrated and weary at all that had happened this morning so far, Spike couldn't help but smile at what he saw before him. Awkwardly the three little fillies huddled together, and mumbled some apologies. Applebloom gave Scootaloo a hug, while Sweetie gave the pegasus an affectionate nuzzle. On most days Scootaloo would probably have recoiled from such gestures, but today she hugged back, sniffling quietly as her best friends held her tightly. Eventually the fledgeling pegasus ran out of tears to shed and the three children slowly separated, looking at Spike who was giving them an approving impatient nod.

"Good. Does this mean the Cutie Mark Crusaders are back together?" Spike asked, warily.

"I guess it does." Scootaloo mumbled sheepishly, wiping her cheek with a foreleg.

"O'course it does." Applebloom said with an affirmative whinny and another hug for her pegasus pal. "We just ain't the Crusaders without you, Scootaloo. We're more like the uh... twosaders."

"That's less than three." Sweetie informed everyone. "Also what's a Humdrum, Spike?"

"Spike fixed our friendship in moments." Scootaloo observed, the other two fillies nodding happily in response.

"I told y'all he was wise!" Applebloom seconded. "I bet he's wiser than Gran!"

"See this is why you should stay a dragon!" Sweetie added. "If you get turned into a pony some of your brains might fall out and then you won't be as smart!"

Spike shook his head. "Being smart hasn't gotten me what I wanted. Please just... show me where Zecora lives. Please."

The three fillies glanced at each other as Spike fell to his knees.

"I need this!"

"Well.... " Applebloom began, glancing at Scootaloo who simply nodded. "Alright then, Spike."

"Cutie Mark Crusader pathfinders yay!" Sweetie squealed clapping her tiny hooves together.

Applebloom marched ahead kicking up a small trail of dirt and spores, following the path she knew to get to Zecora's hut. Sweetie followed next, her large green eyes searching the trees in wonder and fright, followed by Scootaloo who looked happier than she'd been since Dash had left, and finally by Spike who was still out of breath from his rant and scuttling on all 4 legs yet again. He looked even paler than before, almost glossy white at this point, and the fillies grew agitated that he looked so sick. But he had asked so politely to continue on this quest, it would feel wrong not to oblige, even with the quiet wheezing. And so the four made their way deeper into the Forest of Everfree.

_________________

Zecora lit a few of the ceremonial candles she kept in her hut, which was really just a hollowed out cypress tree. For Zebras, every day was considered sacred, and every day different candles should be lit, to honor the sky, the sun, the moon, and earth itself. Today was the earth's turn, so all the green and brown pots and urns that sat on the myriad of shelves in her hut needed to be lit. Many Zebras in her homeland of Zebrica had enchanted candles that would simply light themselves on the appropriate days. But Zecora had always felt it cheapened the sacred nature of the celebration. So from candle to candle she went with a thin reed dipped in oil, lighting the wicks and keeping her eyes firmly locked on the cauldron in the middle of her hut. Though it was early, she knew the potion she was making could only brew properly if made before the sun reached its zenith. It was important to douse the fire once the frothing bubbles turned green, lest the brew overcook and the potion be spoiled. A group of oddly shaped decanters sat on a chair, flickering in the glow from the candles, each with a small amount of bark from a buffalo thorn tree resting at the bottom, ready to be filled with the broiling entheogen.

The various poppets and witch's ladders that were tied to the ceiling beams began to sway to the east. This meant friendly company was coming. Zecora loved company, as it distracted her from her work and gave her someone to talk to. She quickly lit the rest of her candles and tossed some wood into her clay oven. Two stomps of a powerful black hoof and the wood was lit. A crude ancient teapot was placed on the grate, and filled with river water on its own at a wave of her hoof. A few cloves, a few leaves from a bergamot fruit tree, and a single tiny leaf of henbane, and she soon had a nice pot of tea steaming. A perfect way to welcome a guest she thought, as she brought out several clay cups and quickly checked her mirror to be sure her usual jewelry was on properly. A glance at the cauldron showed the formation of small green and purple bubbles. Just in time, too. The fire was doused with a click of her tongue, and she sat happily on her favorite chair, ready to answer the door.

Dook. Dook. Dook. Three knocks, and very light ones at that. Most likely a child, possibly lost in the woods. Or perhaps it was her little friend Applebloom, who always seemed happy to learn from the shaman. Zecora's smile brightened as she swung the door open with a wink, seeing not only Applebloom, but her two closest friends and Spike, the little dragon who accompanied Twilight Sparkle most everywhere she went.

"Welcome to my hut, my little ones. I was making sweet tea, would you like some? The day is still early, and I am quite free. For a visit I ask you, please enter my tree." Zecora bowed respectfully as the children entered.

"Thanks, miss Zecora!" Sweetie squeaked, bumping her snout into the cauldron with a loud clang.

"Hey uh... Zecora?" Spike began, looking up at the large striped mare. "I kind of wanted to ask you a favor."

"Is it magic you seek, my wee drake? A potion perhaps, that I can make? Or perhaps tea, for a thirst you must slake? Maybe something to cure your skin most pale, and bring back color to your flesh of scales?"

"No... nothing like that." Spike mumbled, ignoring the fillies who were nodding, hoping to encourage him to say yes to the offer. "It's something more complex. And maybe a bit dangerous."

"Something with danger is what you seek? An odd request for one so meek." Zecora clicked her tongue, causing the window drapes to flow down and dim the room.

"I wanted to know if you knew anything about... forced metamorphosis." Spike asked shyly, drawing circles on the dirty floor with a claw. "Or if you could maybe perform any kind of shape-shifting spells."

Zecora nodded. "Changing my form, is a trick I can do. I learned from skin-walkers when I was but two. The curse of a druid, a rare gift in truth. I enjoyed it much, when I was a youth. It is a long process, and it pains me to perform. I would much rather stay in my zebra form."

"Could you perform it on someone else?"

"And who might I ask would be the one to be changed?" Zecora leaned down, giving Spike a suspicious glance. "It is not every day I hear requests so strange."

"Spike wants to be a pony!" Applebloom shouted, indignantly.

"Is this true, my little Spike? Is a beast of the flame a form you dislike?" Zecora asked, looking worried.

"I just want to feel normal. And have Twilight want me around." Spike mumbled, scratching at his face.

"Has your young master turned you away? Do you no longer have a warm place to stay? I find it most odd, if Twilight let that slip. Considering she is the Princess of Friendship. Does her friendship have limits on what it can do? Are you certain she no longer has need of you?"

Spike nodded glumly, as Zecora looked down in a mixture of pity and horror. She could not believe what she was hearing. Twilight was one of the kindest mares Zecora had met in Ponyville. And one of the most knowledgeable. Had she really asked her scribe to leave? They seemed so close. The zebra thought for a moment, before closing the rest of the blinds, the room becoming only lit by the traditional candles. Spike was young, and such spells were difficult, so she hoped to change his mind with her offer.

"I warn you young Spike, a warning most dear. A spell like this is one most ponies fear. There's no going back, once it's finished it's done. You'll never be a dragon again, my young one. It is Alicorn magic, both sacred and pure, but I am no Alicorn, safety I can't assure. This spell brings much pain, as you'll twist and you'll choke. It comes at great price, which you cannot revoke." Zecora stomped her hoof once, causing a cloud of dust to rise into the air, enveloping her, arcane wind blowing through the hut. "Your mind may be lost, your memories could break, are you certain this path is the one you must take?"

"Y... yeah." Spike mumbled, feeling frightened.

"THINK before answering, do not be so rash! Your soul may be shattered, reborn into ash! The creature known as Spike could cease to exist! Think deep of my warnings that you have dismissed!" Zecora shouted, the smoke swirling around, making the three fillies quake in fear.

She saw uncertainty in the dragon's eyes as he slowly backed away. The uncertainty that came of a child making an important decision that would affect the rest of his long life. And there was so much doubt; she could sense the wheels turning in his head. She smiled as the dust settled. She would not be performing such a spell today. If Spike said no she would offer him tea and send the child on his way. If he said yes, after being so uncertain, she would simply brew a potion that would hopefully bring color back to his scales. Assuming that such a spell, usually reserved for chameleons that found themselves stuck, could even work on a baby dragon. She would mix the concoction with a bit of a special confidence-boosting elixir and give it to him under the lie that it would give him what he wanted, sending him home with it in a bottle. She felt good about her clever plan.

Then Spike tripped backwards over a small groove in one of the planks of wood, landing flat on his back. Zecora glanced around, making a quick note that she would have the ingredients she needed, only to be distracted by Spike letting out a horrified scream. She turned back to see the little dragon lying on his back clutching his face.

"Oh no! Spike!" Scootaloo shouted in dismay.

"What has happened to make Spike wail? When he tripped and fell, did he land on his tail?" Zecora bounded forward to inspect the shouting bundle on the floor.

"I can't see! I CAN'T SEE!" Spike screeched as he rolled around, the other three fillies trying to hold him still as he flailed and squealed in panic.

Zecora felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Spike's crying face. The large green innocent eyes that defined his reptilian visage had gone pure white, the slitted pupils and irises vanishing. What had once been the eyes of a young healthy dragon were now orbs of void, staring out in fear and terror at absolutely nothing at all.

Tremble with temporal hoodoo.

Three bells chimed, echoing throughout the striped gold and purple tower. They chimed again, producing a different set of notes, as they had been enchanted to perform. Only two living ponies knew the ancient hymn they played, one of which was annoyed she had made the tune into a doorbell. Luna sighed as she dragged herself out of her bed, the dark blue bedsheets stitched with plaid clouds flopping to the floor in piles, followed by the mare herself. She took a quick glance at her sundial. Celestia had been telling her to get a proper clock, but Luna found their incessant ticking to be excruciating. It wasn't pleasant like the chirp of crickets, or the hoot of an owl, and seemed only to remind those around them of the passing time. The sundial worked well enough and was utterly silent. Never needed to be wound up either. She stretched her wings, the indigo feathers looking almost black in the blinding rays of the sun as it streamed through her window, and sauntered to the marble device. It wasn't even noon yet.

Luna sighed with annoyance. Had she not made it known amongst the peons and bourgeoisie that if they wished to meet for business or dream-related royal matters that they were to show up no earlier than 8pm and no later than 8am? Was it not well known that the Princess of the Night needed rest during the day because she was a nocturnal creature? Was she going to have to give some pony a stern talking to? A small blip of black magic squeezed from the tip of her horn, flying down the stairs and outside of her watchtower with a whistle and smashing into those infernal ringing bells. Even from the top of the tower she could hear them clang to the ground. She felt her light blue mane start to flow and swell like the sea as her celestial powers awoke along with the rest of her weary body. Soon her mane was a blanket of midnight blue featuring the cosmos, stars, galaxies, and planets whirling through it. With a grunt she strutted wearily over to the other window and peered down at the visitor at the foot of the tower.

Ah, it was Twilight Sparkle. Despite being at the same rank as Cadence and Luna, the young alicorn was still too polite to try and communicate with either of them using her naturally gifted clairvoyance. Luna smiled as Twilight stood stiffly near the doorway, the former doorbells now lying in a small pile at the scholar's feet. Twilight was such a sheepish and stuffy young mare. Luna could probably have dropped the moon itself on her and Twilight would have politely thanked the elder alicorn while being squashed. Oh well, she'd been expecting this visit soon, anyway.

"Good morn, Princess of Magic! It's a very early morning that has brought you to my door. A very early morning, indeed." Luna bellowed from the window, her voice loud enough to shatter titanium. "Is this our fabled meeting that Lady Rarity has been trying to propose?"

"I... guess so?" Twilight meagerly offered, still feeling insignificant in Luna's esteemed and somewhat scary presence. "Celestia said you had nothing to do today so I thought it'd be better to talk with you about my problem instead of her. It seems more your forte."

"You seek my guidance? Very well!"

Nothing to do today. Of course Celestia would say that. Luna let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. She knew Twilight would come visit eventually. The young sovereign and her scribe had been having poor dreams as of late. And the world of dreams was Luna's specialty. But Celestia could easily have told the bookish girl to come back at a later, more proper hour. Luna quickly made plans to hide hot pepper sauce in Celestia's tea next time the two of them dined. Nothing to do today, indeed! The nerve of that mare. Luna spoke an incantation and fired a small black cloud of magic from her long twisted horn which formed into the shape of a gelatinous key. It flew down to the door and into the lock, admitting Twilight within.

Twilight entered the bedchamber after ascending the spiral stairs, to find Luna sitting sitting in an old chair, looking solemn and sober and she often did. Luna had always been such an imposing figure. A tall, elegant, scrawny mare with dark blue and black hair from the tip of her snout to the end of her tail. Black spots and a white crescent moon shape adorning her backside. At one time in history, Luna had been a powerful tyrant, trying to rule Equestria and plunge it into eternal night, even going so far as to nearly kill her sister in the process. She had lost the war she had started and been banished to the moon for thousands of years. When she had finally escaped, and once again tried to seize Equestria, it had been Twilight Sparkle herself who had defeated Luna and rid her of the jealousy and nightmares that had been controlling her for eons. From then on, Luna had lived in Canterlot with her sister and felt she owed Twilight a great debt.

"Your room is lovely." Twilight mumbled with a nervous smile, looking around the bedchamber.

It was pretty clear the room was very old. As old as the Canterlot Palace itself, and only been slightly updated over the last few thousand years. Ancient maps, globes, books, and tools lay around the room on old rococo furnishings. The ceiling was decorated with an oil painting of the night sky, featuring alicorns of many hues traveling across the cosmos, their wakes leaving a trail vaguely reminiscent of a rainbow. It was old as well, and peeling.

"It is adequate." Luna replied. "I really must take steps to restore and modernize it."

Twilight grinned before falling silent, Luna's bright cerulean eyes piercing into her.

"Your dreams are very dark, my little pony. As are the dreams of your young ward." Luna continued, looking Twilight over as small ghostly sheets of black magic floated from her horn, bobbing around the room like paper caught in the wind. "Dreams of memories. Dreams of Tirek. Dreams of abandonment. Dreams of death. Very unpleasant. It is little wonder you have gotten so little sleep. Lady Rarity did well to inform me."

"How... did... Rarity... " Twilight began, only to be quickly cut off.

"She and I share a correspondence, within the realm of our minds. She is the only other pony to know what it is like to be a Nightmare. It is a special connection. Additionally, she is very polite and respectful of my sleeping habits." Luna responded, giving Twilight a mincing glare.

"S-sorry... I.... I know it's early b-but.... I... " Twilight stuttered, looking ready to faint.

Luna laughed aloud at the display, making Twilight rear back in surprise at the sudden change in mood.

"Dear Twilight you are much too easy to frighten! You need not fear me. Come, sit, make merry!" Luna lit her horn as a teapot floated over and poured tea into an old glass adorned with moon shapes and levitated it to Twilight. "It is a rare thing, to see my liberator and Celestia's protege come to visit me. I only wish it were in the eve, and not only when you have issues sleeping!"

Twilight nodded, feeling slightly numb. Sometimes it felt like the only reason Luna did not smite her from the planet was because Twilight entertained her so much.

"Do you mind if I take a glimpse into your memories, Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, as she downed her own cup of tea. "I feel I may be able to help you further if I see everything that has happened to you over these last months. Then I can make a prognosis."

Twilight nodded again, unsure how to respond. Luna leaped gracefully from her chair and strutted forward. She gave Twilight a light tap on the forehead with her horn then drew back, sitting in her chair again. A nearly invisible string of silver extended between Luna's horn and where she had touched Twilight. It appeared to be made out of particles of dust, shimmering in the low light.

"Are those... memories?" Twilight asked, holding very still, afraid she might break the chain.

"They are, yes." Luna mumbled, seeming deep in concentration. "Always growing longer."

"Could I.... learn how to do that?" Twilight asked, always eager to further her education in magic.

"Even if I could teach you how, you could not perform this charm. It is an ancient talent, handed down from alicorns pure of blood in the past. My father, Hyperion, taught it to me when I was very young. And he learned it from his mother, and she from hers, and back and back. And should I ever be blessed to have a child, I shall teach it to them." Luna wrinkled her brow. "But because you were a unicorn once, the charm cannot be cast by you. But my sister believes you to be the most powerful magician we've ever had born in this land. So perhaps one day you shall make an even better charm."

Twilight nodded gently as Luna continued concentrating. Twilight could see that the particles floating through the air from her forehead all seemed to have tiny bits of color to them, and were all moving towards Luna very slowly, entering her horn. After a few minutes, Luna let out a snort and shook her head, and the silvery string vanished.

"And the Inscriptionum Hortor is complete." Luna announced with a nod, noting Twilight's odd look. "Yes, 'tis a very old spell. Celestia has been encouraging me to establish a modern equestrian terminology for it. I have been leaning towards 'The Dream Stream'."

"That seems like a good name for it, I guess. What's the next step?" Twilight asked, rubbing her forehead where the dream stream had been.

"There is no next step, Twilight Sparkle." Luna began, smiling warmly. "I have seen all I must see. Thoughts are much like constellations. They connect, they split, they make great shapes that define a pony's personality. Sometimes they go off on their own, tangents, and become new things. New ideas, new urges, new feelings, fractals that go on forever. I have seen all of yours in a mere moments."

Luna leaped from her chair again, and tentatively approached Twilight before leaning down and wrapping the young alicorn up in a warm hug.

"Uh... "

"I apologize, Twilight, for how powerless I was on the day Tirek came. Celestia, Cadence, and I, we put you through so much. You did not deserve to see the things you saw. To feel the losses you felt. To know as we know, the power hatred can build. No pony at your age should have had to endure such terrors. And you would not have, perhaps, if the rest of us had been more prepared. Tirek, and the trauma he has caused you, will be a dark constellation in your stars forever. It will always define a small part of you and your friends. And for that, again, I am very sorry."

Luna released Twilight and backed up several steps before sitting upon the floor, giving Twilight a look of utmost pity.

"But all wounds heal with time, Twilight. They never truly go away, not even for a pony as old as I, but the pain does diminish. One day you may even be able to look back upon the calamity of Tirek and smile, knowing everything you and your friends have accomplished."

"Does this mean you can't fix my dreams?" Twilight asked, disappointment entering her voice, her ears folding flat against her head. "Or Spike's dreams?"

"Normally when young ponies are afflicted by nightmares such as these, I show them what will occur when they do not face their fears. But you are a special case, as you faced and defeated your fear in battle, with the help of your friends. But still, it haunts you. It is a scar on your mind. With most ponies, I would not alter their aura for more pleasant dreams. But you are special to me, Twilight."

"I... I am?" Twilight asked, sheepishly.

"You are. It is because of you that I am free. Free to complain about ponies waking me too early. Free to live with my sister again. Free to enjoy many splendors of life, such as this tea, that I had not been able to indulge in for many many centuries. I feel altering your dreams is a small piece of repayment in the great debt I owe you."

With those words, Luna took a deep breath. The room dimmed and for a brief moment it appeared to be night outside, with the stars twinkling. A cloud of white and black ghostly wisps emerged from Luna's horn. They formed vaguely into a spherical shape in front of her muzzle. The ancient alicorn of the night mumbled a few words into it, before huffing at it as if she were blowing out a birthday candle. A light exited her lips, appearing like a shooting star, striking the sphere of colors. The wisps blew apart and disappeared and the daylight quickly returned. Luna sat back into her chair, looking satisfied.

"Is... is that it?" Twilight asked, looking around the room for the wisps.

"That is all. You and Spike should now slumber with quiet serenity. That is one problem corrected. Now for the second one." Luna began, her tone lowering. "There is a more serious reason you came to me and not my sister, is there not, Princess of Magic? I know on any other day, you would seek her guidance due to familiarity."

Twilight looked down at the carpet, feeling guilty.

"Spike represents a connection between you and Celestia, does he not? Had he not been born, you may never have been honored to become Celestia's star pupil and experience all that you have. And you would not have known the joy of having raised him. I have seen many happy memories involving the three of you. Both from your mind and from my sister's mind as well." Luna poured another cup of tea. "But now you feel ashamed. You feel you might have shattered that special connection between you and your little drake. And you did not wish Celestia to know."

Twilight teared up, choking on her words. "Celestia was always so good with Spike. She always gave us both so much love. Whenever we were sad or frustrated, she was there. I've only been on my own for a short while and I've already hurt Spike! And I don't know how to make it up to him."

"May I pose a question to you, Twilight?" Luna asked. "When you were under Celestia's tutelage, when did you feel the most happy? Or perhaps content?"

Twilight stared at the floor for a few moments. How could she generalize almost an entire lifetime? A lifetime of learning, of seeing her own family and Celestia's royal family come together. A lifetime of old books and old fun. Of ceremonies and sermons. Of cultures and cults. What moments had stood out the most? What moments had made Twilight feel the most whole? Even on days where things went wrong. It slowly dawned on the young mare, like a cloth sweeping away the dust, revealing a shining surface one could see a reflection in.

"It was the days where Celestia would send me home with my marks. I always got straight A++ scores on everything. I would go home and show them to my parents and they were always just.... so proud of me. So proud of what I could do. We would go out and celebrate. They would take me and Shining and sometimes Spike out and we would go to the park or my favorite restaurants. They would hang my scores on the fridge, and brag about my accomplishments to friends."

"When was the last time you told Spike you were proud of him? Bragged about his endeavors to your friends and family?" Luna asked gently. "Or told him that you loved him?"

Twilight spluttered a few garbled words, looking at the floor in panic as she thought hard.

"If you can't answer right away... I am sure the answer is too long." Luna continued, sniffing. "I too, used to teach and care for children, much like Celestia does now. Positive reinforcement, Twilight, is a necessity in a child's life. Even if they feel they are too old for it. Contentedness in the long term is more important that brief joy."

"I can't remember! I'm a terrible pony!" Twilight squeaked, tears dripping down to the tile floor. "And a terrible mother!"

"Say not such things..." Luna stepped from her chair and held Twilight again. "You are not terrible, Twilight. No pony is prepared for the rigors of raising a young one. You were very very young when you and your family took in Spike. You could never have known how close the two of you would become. And in my view you have done splendidly. He seems to be very well mannered and polite, particularly for a dragon."

"I broke his heart and made him feel unloved!" Twilight cried, burying her face in Luna's shoulder. "I've been doing it ever since we left Canterlot and I didn't even notice! How... how am I supposed to fix that? How do I apologize for that?"

"Shhh. Shhh now. You cannot change the past, Twilight Sparkle. Believe me, I have tried." Luna whispered, holding Twilight tightly. "When I was at last home, after centuries of destruction and hate, all it took was Celestia telling me how much she missed me and loved me, to make it feel as though I'd never left. But the guilt always remains. Celestia's pride in my efforts to change is what keeps me going on many days. Ponies can endure some of the most terrible things in life, simply from the desire to make their families proud. Has Spike made you proud of him, Twilight?"

"Every day." Twilight whimpered. "Every time I see him do his chores without me asking, or cleaning up messes I leave from studying all night. Every time I see him reading a new book, or trying to be polite to guests in the library, even when some of them are scared of him just because he's not a pony. Every time he cooks, or makes a joke, or accompanies me around town."

"Then tell him, Twilight." Luna broke the hug, staring firmly into Twilight's eyes. "You never know what the future may bring. You never know when and what new disaster could strike. Take the time NOW to tell those you love how you feel. Go to him. You cannot change the past, but you can change the present."

Luna motioned sadly towards an ancient rotting tapestry on the wall. It featured her, clearly younger but still on the cusp of adulthood. She was dressed in her viridian battle armor. The familiar crescent-shaped helm and spaulders upon her torso that had defined her appearance as the tyrant, Nightmare Moon. She looked darker in color as well, with slitted pupils like the eyes of a snake. But she was smiling in the painting, happy, surrounded by a small troop of dark grey ponies, all with wings like bats and wearing similar sapphire colored armor. Her personal guard and entourage from an age long in the past. It dawned on Twilight that these had been Luna's students, and this tapestry had been produced not long before Luna had attempted to seize Equestria for herself. The Princess of the Night had never seen these ponies, her friends, her students, ever again.

"Do you understand?"

"I do, Luna, yes." Twilight stood shakily, making her way to the door.

"Then go and be at peace, Twilight." Luna murmured. "And may your journey find... OH!"

There was a small flash of red light in the air followed with what sounded like the beating of old tribal drums. Voices chanted as the light continued to burst outward, forming strange runes in the air. Out of the flash fell a small wooden painted mask, clearly from the far lands of Zebrica. It clattered to the floor, the music and chanting fading away very quickly. Luna quickly retrieved the mask as Twilight stood in the doorway, confused about what she had just witnessed.

"What on earth is that?" Twilight asked as Luna gently pulled a piece of parchment out of one of the eye sockets of the mask.

"Yonder mage, Zecora, has sent me a message. It is not often that mages in Equestria write me letters, as they often do for Celestia." Luna giddily unrolled the parchment. "Though I do try encouraging them. I would like to help them if I can, as my sister does. Oh dear.... "

"What does it say?"

"It's actually for you." Luna nervously turned the parchment over to show it's contents to Twilight, knowing the reaction it would cause.

In very scrawled, hastily written ink, the note simply stated:

'luna - tell sparkle - spike has gone blind - at castle - getting zubairi - sala sentle, zecora '

Luna barely had time to wince, feeling the energy fill the room as Twilight spread her small wings. She could feel her mane stand up on end. The particles of dust covering all the old objects lifted, the air grew cold, and everything gleamed with bright purple magic. An explosive flare of raw magical energy rocked the tower, as Twilight shredded her way through the window in panic, taking several large bricks with her as she sped off. A few lavender feathers fluttered down onto the shocked nobles in Canterlot as they gazed into the sky. Twilight Sparkle, the nerdy assistant to Princess Celestia, who had only recently been crowned a princess herself, was hurtling through the air at speeds few had seen. She wasn't flying as fast as a professional pegasus, but it was still a rare sight to see anyone from any of the royal families move at such a clip. In seconds she had vanished, becoming a speck on the eastern horizon, a purple shimmering vapor trail, and the still smarting ears of the onlookers from her sonic boom being all that remained.

Luna peaked her head out of the new smoldering hole in her tower that had once been the window, annoyed that the ponies below began bowing in her presence instead of picking up the bricks all over the pavement. She grumbled again as she saw all the daylight now flooding her bedchamber. She wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably for some time with this mess. She dropped from the tower, plummeting several meters before opening her vast wings and soaring over the spires of the city of Canterlot. The note from Zecora sat clutched in her muzzle as she flew. Her destination was the main keep of the palace. A note this important seemed like something Celestia should know about.

Collect the woolen sunlight and sing.

Cold air burned across Twilight's eyes as she flew, the wind whistling a dangerous tune as it whipped by, tearing at her mane and fetlocks. The landscape below had become a series of blurred strips of color. The trees merely dark streaks. Her wings screamed in agony as she flew. They didn't have the experience to move like this, and at this rate she was liable to cause an injury. Nor were the elliptical wings of alicorns really designed for high-speed flight. Not like the thin lanky wings of a pegasus. Her purple eyes glanced down, doing a quick survey of her surroundings as she made her next decision to alter her approach.

From what she could observe, she was moving at roughly 30 meters per second. The wind currents were pushing against her in a south-western direction. The air was hot and muggy, due to the rain from the previous night evaporating in the hot sun. Humidity was definitely high. With adjustments for atmospheric pressure, adjustments for the water vapor collecting on her coat increasing her density, and the fact that she was absolutely plowing through the thermals rising into the sky, Twilight quickly calculated it was going to take her over 23 minutes to arrive at Ponyville. She needed to be faster than this. Spike needed her.

No matter how much her wings hurt. No matter what crazy solution popped into her mind. She would do it. She would do anything to get home. To get to Spike. To tell him how she felt. To make sure he was safe. Nothing else mattered right now.

The gears in her head spun. Hadn't she done an entire research paper in college on something like this? Yes that's right, that was the answer. Her final thesis in the Prestidigitation Purpose and Pertinence Precinct in Canterlot Castle's North Wing. The one that has been published in the Seaddle Gazette on magical studies. Magic Mass Transfer Propulsion. The theory that teleporting while in motion would preserve the motion, and the length of the displacement would also increase the momentum due to magical drag forming a positive loop of increased energy feedback every time the target vanished and relocated, forcing the magic to alter its own velocity to keep up with the user, thus increasing speed. Unicorns in Canterlot had proved some parts of the theory to be sound, using vehicles and boats and even a coconut, but none with a living pony. To test something like this without proper safety measures could be seen as dangerous, possibly even insane.

Twilight blinked and vanished.

_______________

The three tiny fillies known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders had never seen an oryx in their lives. The oryx were foreign folk who lived far across the sea, in dry grassy lands few ponies had been. Zubairi exited the portal composed of smashed fruit and squid ink that Zecora had drawn on the wall. It smelled and stained, and Zecora made a mental note to apologize to Twilight for the mess later. Long range magic portals usually required a vaguely geometric shape made of items from the region one wished to go. The three little fillies had watched in great confusion as Zecora frantically smashed fruit from her native land, and mixed it with a pouch of fresh ink milked from a squid, before hastily smearing it on the wall in the shape of a curled line. She had made a circle out of tightly curls, with 15 small marks around its outer perimeter, very nearly identical to Zecora's own cutie mark. Now they stared up at the oryx who stood before them, a pink and khaki colored sherwani about his withers, and small wooden spectacles on the end of his black and white striped snout, which at the moment wore a very droll unamused expression.

"Are y'all some sorta goat?" Applebloom's jaw hung in wonder at the strange gazelle.

"Dumela mma! Zecora these are not dragons." Zubairi noted in his gravelly old voice, with an esteemed accent very similar to Zecora's voice, tilting his head and squinting at the three fillies, his long beard and the bells tied to it swinging noisily. "Unless dragons in this land disguise themselves as wee pony fawn."

"What's a fawn?" Sweetie asked, staring up in wonder at the creature's long curved horns, and striped gaunt face.

"Are you gonna fix Spike?" Scootaloo squinted her eyes, not trusting this new visitor in the least.

"Definitely not dragons." Zubairi grinned at the cheeky youngsters, turning to Zecora. "Where is the patient?"

"Spike is laying in the next room. His caretaker should be here soon." Zecora coughed breathlessly, looking exhausted from having galloped from her hut all the way to Twilight's castle with Spike on her back. "Thank you for coming with such speed. Your expertise is what we need."

An deafening crunch from outside signaled the incoming Princess of Magic. The stained glass windows on the lower floor shattered inward covering the floors in dirt and shrapnel, as the golden front doors burst inward off their hinges with a cloud clang to reveal a smoking crater in the soil outside, with Twilight frantically crawling from it. She was covered in dirt and magical sparkling residue but seemed unharmed. She raced into the house, giving Zecora the look of a pony crazed.

"Where's Spike? WHERE'S SPIKE!?" Twilight shrieked, much louder than she would on any other occasion.

A wave towards the next room sent the Princess scurrying, nearly tripping on the slippery crystal floor as she made her way to the den, apparently not noticing the great stain on the wall, or the oryx and three fillies standing next to said stain. She skid to a stop at the dining table, Spike's shivering form laying upon it. His skin was paler than ever and he fitfully laid on a soft wooly towel. He had apparently been asleep, with the recent noise was causing him to groggily lift himself up and realize again he could not see. His head whipped this way and that, trying to identify the sounds he was hearing. A pitiful high pitched whimper escaped him as he reached forward with his claws, frightened and scared, grasping at the air.

Twilight fluttered awkwardly atop of the table, allowing Spike to cling to her leg with his tiny hands.

"It's okay Spike! I've got you! I'm right here." Twilight whispered, feeling her body tremble as she laid down next to him and wept, staring into the horrid blank orbs that had once been Spike's bright green innocent eyes. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

She pulled the little dragon up to her chest where immediately he let out a gurgle of pained relief and curled up next to her stomach, burying his face in her scraggly windswept chest fluff. Spike didn't cry often, and the sound was like needles in Twilight's heart. Complete agony, with no idea how she could help outside of comfort.

"I can't see you!" he squealed, his voice that of a child frightened beyond measure. "I can't see you, Twilight! I can't see anything!"

"I'm sorry, Spike. I'm so sorry. I'm going to fix this! I promise you, no matter what, I'm going to fix this!" Twilight's mind raced, trying to think about any healing spells she knew that pertained to eyesight.

"You don't have to fix anything." muttered a very old and regal voice. "Or at least I think not."

Twilight glanced up to see Zecora following Zubairi into the room, the latter of which was peering at Spike with great curiosity as he trotted calmly along, his beard and tail swaying. The oryx stalked forward, the bells in his beard jingling quietly. He reached up a dark brown hoof, letting it hang in the air for a moment, and brought it gently towards Spike's back. Twilight drew herself up to full height, which wasn't very high at all, and glared at the hoof making it's way towards her ward, ready to slap it away.

"No worries, much respect miss pony. I am here to help the child... " he bowed greatly, before giving Spike a poke in the shoulder, making the tiny dragon emit a squeak of fear. "...hmmmmmm. From the barbs on it's back I see... he is a little boy dragon, yes? Very small. Just hatched not too long ago, my guess. Hmm yes."

"Zecora... who... is this?" Twilight asked, feeling weirded out.

"Zubairi is an old schoolmate. His knowledge of dragons and wyverns is quite great." Zecora smiled warmly, backing cautiously out of the room to the doorframe, where the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched from the next room. "When Spike went blind after his fall, I knew Zubairi was the one to call."

"Pardon myself, miss pony, but may I ask where the parents of little Spike is?" Zubairi inquired, using an eyeglass to peer at the tip of Spike's tail as he studied it. "There is a mamma or poppa dragon somewhere, yes?"

"I'm his mother!" Twilight held Spike tightly as he tried to wriggle away from the stranger poking his tail.

The whimpers and shivering of the tiny dragon stopped instantly as Spike held very still, registering what Twilight had just uttered. His little arms pushed on her stomach, tilting his pale body back from her embrace so he could try to gaze up at Twilight. The mare looked down at the little dragon, smiling fondly as tears ran down to her neck. Even though Spike couldn't see, he could still express emotions, and he wore one of awe and adoration with a hint of confusion. A raspy sound of elation worked its way out of the baby dragon, as Spike collapsed in the embrace and held Twilight tightly, burying his face in her chest once again, sniffling loudly. Twilight bent low and pressed her muzzle onto the top of Spike's head, giving her little one a soft kiss.

"I'm his mother." Twilight repeated again, gently as Spike smiled and wept. "Since the day he came into this world. I'm not the best at it, or even actually very good at it, but I'm going to try harder. Because Spike deserves it. Because you deserve that. And I know that I've hurt you... my little monster... but I promise you it won't happen again. I love you, Spike."

"A brave... strange... lass adopting an antaboga at your age. Very brave. Unless you are not as young as you seem." Zubairi muttered, his horns humming and vibrating, levitating a stethoscope out of his sherwani. "This will be a bit cold, Spike, but I must to listen to your body pulse."

"Wait... what's an antaboga? Is Spike... ?" Twilight asked, noticing Spike's ears prick up as well at the odd word.

"MMmm Hmm." Zubairi nodded, seeming to not hear the inquiry, listening to Spike's heart with the instrument. "Healthy sound, healthy sound. How did you adopt Spike?"

"He was an egg at the Canterlot study hall. When he hatched my family let me bring him home. No one there is quite sure where the egg came from." Twilight was starting to feel exasperated. "Could you please just tell me what's wrong with him?"

"Egg was probably sleep for a good length of time if it was in that dusty old palace." Zubairi pursed his lips before turning to Zecora and the three fillies who were watching from the doorway. "Privacy with the family, please. This is a rather sensitive matter."

As the door shut, Zubairi smiled at Twilight, putting his stethoscope away and sitting on the floor, his face perfectly calm.

"Spike... is perfectly healthy. He is not sick. Nor blind." he began, pulling out a notepad and beginning to scribble upon it, a pencil clutched in his cloven hooves. "He is... what is the Equestrian word for it? Hmm... molting! Shedding. Special time in a young drake's life."

Twilight's jaw hung numbly for a few moments before she shook her head, giving Zubairi a look of disbelief. "Wait a minute. What the... what? You mean to tell me Spike is shedding? This entire time he's been SHEDDING? Like... a... a... snake or a lizard or something? Isn't that a reptile thing?"

"Is a dragon not a reptile?" Zubairi challenged with a wink. "They are cold blooded, yes like other reptiles. But they keep warm from the fire in their lungs. This has led to debate between myself and colleagues, if they should still be called cold blooded. But anyway... yes, the boy sheds. It is important that he shed, it means he is growing."

Twilight gazed down at Spike, who seemed almost as confused as she was. He might have been unable to see but he could certainly hear, and was currently scratching his tummy with his hand, as if trying to understand what was happening to him and his scaly skin. For the most part, knowledge of dragons in Equestria was a blank slate, and this new fact was a surprise for both of them. All the gears in Twilight's head ground quickly to a halt as she stared blank-faced. Sure, basic biological functions of reptiles and amphibians was something that was taught in most elementary schools in Equestria. But dragons? The great beasts that soared through the skies? Who breathed fire and brimstone? Who weren't even allowed in Tartarus because they were THAT dangerous? The same ones that often had huge hoards of gold and gems? The same ones who could grow so large a small sneeze from one could level a village? The ones whose migration was called a national emergency? Those dragons shed their skin? All that skin? Twilight's train of thought toppled from it's tracks, careening off a thought cliff and exploding onto the thought rocks below. The carnage was stunning.

"You two know nothing of dragons. Yes?" Zubairi stated, jotting away in his pad, noticing their cowed expressions. "Or of antabogas especially."

"Wh... what's an antaboga? Am.. am I an antaboga?" Spike asked, wiping his face with ones of his arms, sounding calmer than he had in quite some time.

"Well it's a type of dragon, little one. What is the word... ? Species! Yes that is it. Sea serpents, water dragons, ocean wyrms, all the same breeds. Same ancestors." Zubairi nodded as he spoke. "This is why you have fins on head and tail. It is for the swimming."

"I'm... a water dragon?" Spike asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his tiny hands feeling the fleshy fins behind his ears and the pointed flat nub on the end of his tail as if for the first time.

Zubairi nodded, smiling again at Spike in a mischievous sort of way.

"How old are you, wee Spike? I am guessing you are 6? Maybe... 7?"

"I'm 11. Well... 11 and a half."

Zubairi frowned. "You're very short for being 11."

He turned to Twilight, who was still reeling at all the information hitting her at once. Spike seemed miffed at being called short. Not that he could deny it, he was very very short.

"What does Spike eat? I trust he eats like a pony does. Flowers and fruits, grazing maybe?"

"Oh... well, yeah... " Twilight nodded, scratching behind her ear. "Grains, vegetables, he really likes to eat gems and other shiny stones and rocks. We just eat like everyone else. Besides the rocks, I guess. Spike likes to make nachos a lot. We go out pretty often. We both eat a lot of Applejack's fruit pies also. I mean... we don't eat too much junk food."

"Well the gems are good. Vegetables probably not seaweed. Seaweed is good for everyone. Highly recommend." Zubairi said stuffily, going back to writing in his notepad. "How long has he has been pale like this? I will guess a week or more. Maybe more than more?"

Both Twilight and Spike nodded, feeling a sense of dread from the more serious shift in the oryx's tone. Twilight could feel Spike's hands clutching harder around her barrel as his nerves fired up.

"Too long. Much too long. Needs more fish." Zubairi folded his pad up before putting it away. "Fish is important for an antaboga. Especially a youngling. Eat more fish, Spike. It has oils in it you need for the shedding."

"Is Spike's species uh... entirely aquatic?" Twilight asked. She'd never considered the idea that Spike might be living in an environment poorly suited for his needs. A dusty library didn't seem the sort of place any water dwelling animal would hang out in.

"MMmm slightly. Yes but also no. They bask themselves on the beaches, and often sleep in caves near the sea. They don't live where I am from, far too much desert, far too much hot, so I do not see them as much as I'd like. Out west is where you find them. The westward seas. Spike is small, miss pony."

"Miss pony? Oh we haven't been properly introduced! I've just been so worried about Spike I... I... completely forgot my manners." Twilight gushed awkwardly, extending a hoof. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I uh... welcome to the house... this castle thing... which is mine now I think. I mean... mine and Spike's. It's new! Uh..."

"Dumela, Twilight Sparkle. It is rare to see alicorns in this time. None have been in Saddle Arabia for a long time. Where I am from... I am called Zubairi. Many also call me OLD! HAW HAW!" Zubairi laughed crazily at his own joke, his beard bells jingling wildly as his spectacles nearly fell from his face. "A reputation I have for being a good teacher of all that is dragon."

"Are you... uh... a gazelle?" Twilight asked, feeling impolite.

"MMmmph." Zubairi nodded with uncertainty, rolling his eyes. "Mostly. Grandfather was okapi."

"How do you know what I am?" Spike blurted. "I've gone through every book in Canterlot on dragons. None of them talked about what dragons are like! I couldn't find any that looked like me!"

"These old horns of mine... " Zubairi tilted his head. "....have slain many dragons. I was once a... what is the Equestrian word for it? A knight, yes. A knight I was. Whole family was. But one day I fell and hurt myself and a dragon helped me. A dragon saved my life, even after all the wickedness I had done. Since then I have devoted my life to trying to help them and teach others of their nature. I have learned much in my travels! Much!"

"So you know stuff about... what I am? Or what I'm supposed to be?" Spike asked, shifting toward the edge of the table, turning in the direction of the voice. "What am... what are we like? What are antabogas like?"

"Fast is a good word, yes. I have seen them swim faster than dolphins. And very big. Strong. They use ends of their tails to launch fish high into the sky, then breathe green fires into the air, cooking the fish and catch them in their mouth and chew them up. Some of the smart ones even sell the cooked fish to griffon tribes." Zubairi lifted his head, his saggy yellow eyes looking across the ceiling as memories came to him one by one. "There were some that spoke in my tongue. One once told me her favorite thing to eat was whales. She was certainly big enough to eat a whale. She liked to collect pearls."

"Wait... does this mean I'm never gonna grow wings?" Spike asked, looking somewhat downcast. "Do antabogas even have wings?"

An amused raspy chuckle came from the old oryx. "Afraid not. Antabogas realm is not the sky. But if you spend time in water, you won't need wings. None can catch you."

____________________

The afternoon was spent with Spike slouched over in Twilight's arms, listening to tales from the old oryx. He had been many places in his long life. From the badlands near the sandy southern pole where changelings lived, to the cold far north shores and domains of the icy windigos. He had fought giant orthros in the magma-filled plains to the east, and danced in celebration with the kelpies of the west. Dined with harpies, and dived with mermaids. Flown with faeries and fought with sirens. He spoke of strange creatures and minerals deep below the surface, of giant statues shattered in great barren wastelands, depicting unknown alicorns from farther back than anyone could remember. He spoke of his school and his teacher, a wise old giraffe who had been turned to stone by a basilisk. Even adventures with Zecora had entered his tales, from a time when both were younger and less cautious, ready to seize all the sights the world had to offer.

But of all his knowledge and stories, it was the dragons Spike and Twilight wanted to know of most. How did they travel, how did they sleep and eat. Their habits, their cultures, all things they could learn. And Spike sat happily, curled up in Twilight's embrace, learning all he could ever have wanted to know about the kind of creature he was. The kind of creature antabogas were. They were mostly friendly dragons, who loved to play in the sea. They weren't cruel or evil, like many of the dragons Spike had encountered in his short life. Many were friends with other equines and hooved folks far across the world, even living amongst them in seaside villages.

And for the first time in his life, Spike didn't feel quite as different and separate from those around him. And most important of all, he knew now, Twilight loved him and thought of him as her own. And although he was weary, his mind was more awake and alive than ever. His heart still felt slightly uncertain about whether Twilight really wanted him around, but for now the confidence and love he felt had nearly washed away these feelings. He couldn't remember a time he had felt this comfortable, wrapped in Twilight's velvety arms and learning of the creatures he had descended from. But as the sun began to dip low, Zubairi informed them he had to leave.

Twilight gave Spike another kiss before wrapping him in the towel, sliding off the table herself in order to lead Zubairi out of the room so he could depart for home.

"I can't thank you enough, for what you've done." Twilight felt her voice shake, overwhelmed with all that had happened. "Even though I can't see Spike's eyes... I know him well enough to see that you really helped him today. You've helped us both. So again, thank you. Thank you so much."

"Take this." Zubairi's horns hummed as his notepad flew from his cloak into Twilight's hooves. "A first shed is a special time for little dragons. It is a mark of life. You and Spike may not know of antaboga culture but... it is traditional that the parent spend this special time with the young one. A good tradition. Remember! He must learn to shed the skin on his own. Try to help very little. It may be difficult for you and him. He must be strong, and will need to do it again when older."

"What about his eyes?" Twilight asked, flipping through the notebook quickly. "Does the skin... erm... peel off gently there? Will it hurt him?"

"Shouldn't hurt. He won't like it but... shouldn't hurt. Eyecaps are tricky. Be gentle." Zubairi bowed, turning to leave. "And fish, yes. He needs fish. Maybe you as well, so you can grow old and strong like me? HAW HAW!"

Twilight grinned wryly as the oryx trotted merrily away towards the smeared portal on the wall. Zecora was sleeping on a chair next to it, curled up with her striped tail swishing in her sleep. At first glance Twilight though Zubairi was staring at the zebra before she noticed his eyes were peering at a framed photo on the wall, a few feet above where Zecora was napping. He pranced forward studying it, before lifting it from it's hook and carrying it over to Twilight.

"This is a real photography, yes?" Zubairi inquired, raising a bushy eyebrow as he approached.

The photo was one of the few that hadn't been destroyed in Tirek's fire, and one of the most precious photos that Twilight owned. It was a picture taken only a few days after she'd been ascended to the form of alicorn, coming home from her coronation. The slightly dusty image featured Twilight, smiling happily after getting off the hot air balloon she often used in those days to travel to Canterlot. The famous fashion designer Photo Finish had been in town to snap the first pic of the newly crowned Princess of Magic and everyone was there. The Elements of Harmony, Twilight's best friends, and their little sisters. Spike stood happily near Twilight's hooves, a book clutched in one hand, and a quill in the other. Zecora and the Mayor were there too, smiling humbly next to the extended Cake and Pie families. All these ponies who had been strangers to Twilight only a couple of years prior, becoming a new sort of family for the bookworm. It had been a beautiful day, perfectly summed up in this still image. An image Twilight glanced at every time she went out. An image she had nearly lost. Twilight pawed at it with a hoof, remembering how carefree things had been, nodding to Zubairi as he stared at it with a renewed interest.

"Spike.... is purple?" Zubairi inquired quietly, squinting at the image.

"Yes... he's always been purple. Why?"

Zubairi sniffled a bit before readjusting his spectacles. "Antaboga are blue. Like the sea."

The old oryx drew back from the photo, furrowing his bushy eyebrows as he sat in thought, before turning to Twilight, a sparkle in his eye as he studied her.

"Tell me, Twilight Sparkle. Tell me of the day he hatch. What occurred?"

It was a story Twilight had told before, the day of her initiation into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The months spent preparing, learning all the magic tricks she could. Her confusion when her test subject had been a purple spotted egg, wheeled into the classroom from origins unknown. Tasked with doing something magical to it, anything at all to prove she had a grasp of the basics. She remembered the anxiety, with the four professors sitting before her, watching to see what she would do, their expressions solemn. She recalled the explosion that had shook the city, the massive rainbow that had torn through the sky, caused from a pegasus filly far away, who would later become one of her closest friends. And of course the chain reaction of surprise and fright that had led to Twilight releasing all her pent up magic at once, sending the room into chaos and shattering the egg. And in the pandemonium that followed, Princess Celestia herself, Goddess of the Sun, had strode into the classroom, informing Twilight that she would now be Celestia's personal apprentice.

"She told me I needed to tame my abilities through focused study." Twilight smiled fondly at the memory. "It was hard to stay focused when we took Spike home. He was so active and always wanted to play. He was my first real friend. We spent so much time together, reading fairytales and textbooks. Eventually he was old enough to understand how important my education was, an education I shared with him as much as I could. He's been at my side since then, helping me."

Zubairi had been sitting still, his eyes closed as if in deep thought through the story. He popped one eye open and smirked a bit as he glanced at Twilight who was still staring at the photo, daydreaming.

"Dragons and pheonix are similar, Twilight Sparkle. They both have a sort of... rebirth. When a dragon dies, his or her body is placed in magma. A special burial. The body separates and the clumps become new eggs. It is a ritual for them. The ones who wish to be parents take an egg and care for it. For a time I thought fire was needed to hatch a dragon egg, until I saw the shesha hydras of the Equadoe tundras hatch babies with her breaths of ice. It is then that I understood."

He placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"Only great magic can hatch a dragon's egg. And the egg will only hatch when it has taken in enough magic to make the baby inside... whole and ready, because dragons are magic themselves. It is a part of them. This means you truly are Spike's mamma. He is your blood, Twilight Sparkle. Your offspring. You are a part of him."

Twilight's jaw hung in shock as the oryx chuckled merrily and made his way over to Zecora, nudging her awake and speaking words to her in his native language.

"I must go now Twilight and Zecora. Tsamaya sentle to you both. And congratulations on hatching a baby antaboga, Twilight Sparkle. You must be powerful indeed to have done such a thing. What is it you Equestrians say when there is a new life? Mazel tov? Neigh? Haw Haw!"

The candles in the house flickered briefly as Zubairi stepped into the inky portal smeared on the wall. There was a loud sound like a pop and he was gone, returning to the mystical lands of Zebrica from whence he came. Only the echoes of the bells he wore remained, and these too, soon vanished. Zecora trotted over sheepishly, eyeballing the circles of fruit and ink on the far wall.

"I apologize for the ample mess. I hope I did not cause distress."

"Hmm?" Twilight blinked as if waking from a dream. "Oh! No! No, actually thank you Zecora. I'm in the process of enchanting this castle to clean itself, anyway. This little stain is a small price for allowing me to be sure Spike was healthy and safe. Thank you for recommending your friend. He was a real life-saver."

Zecora nickered and bowed as Twilight noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders were mysteriously gone.

"Where's Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo? Did Rainbow Dash arrive while I spoke with Zubairi?"

"Dash came and left, this is true. She wanted badly to speak with you. I told her you were busy attending to Spike. I'm afraid that answer... was one she did not like."

"Why? How did she react."

"She said vulgar words that were unpleasant. I dare not repeat with children present." Zecora coughed and blushed.

Twilight shook her head and sighed. That sounded like Rainbow Dash alright. No doubt those three impressionable fillies would be repeating whatever bad words Dash had said, leading to the rest of the adults feeling embarrassed. But that would be an issue for another day, and Twilight had more important things to worry about right now. She gave Zecora a hug and thanked her wise friend again as the zebra departed, ready to spend the rest of the day peacefully in her hut deep in the Everfree Forest.

Spike lifted his head from the towel he was resting upon as he heard the clicking sound of Twilight's hooves on the crystal floor as she rounded the corner, walking slowly towards the table. He scrunched up his face and dug into the towel with his small claws.

"Hey Twi?"

"Yes, Spike?" Twilight asked, her voice barely above a whisper, gently levitating the towel and the pale dragon on it to the floor in front of her.

"I heard all that stuff that Zubzub guy said. About... um.... how dragon eggs hatch."

"Kinda hoped you had heard all that." Twilight swallowed, trembling. "I don't think I could repeat it without going to pieces right now."

Spike swished his tail awkwardly, his blank eyes seeming to stare into space. "S... s-so does this change... stuff?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... do you... r... regret... "

A purple aura hovered around the dragon as Twilight pulled Spike in, snatching him from the towel and hugging him fiercely.

"No Spike. I could never ever regret hatching you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I know I've screwed up, especially recently, and maybe.... maybe it will take a while before I can make you really believe me when I say it but... I love you, Spike. I love you more than anything. You are the most precious thing in my life. I love you more than books!"

"That's a lot!" Spike grinned shyly as Twilight nuzzled him lovingly with the end of her snout.

"It is a lot!" Twilight echoed, cuddling Spike to her torso and lowering her voice. "Look at me, Spike."

"I can't really do that right now." Spike giggled a bit to himself. "I can't see, remember?"

"You must be feeling better."

"Yeah a little bit."

"Well since you can't see me right now, at least listen to me." Twilight began, whispering gently as Spike lay still in her arms. "Spike I don't want you to ever feel like you owe me anything. You are a blessing. I couldn't function on a level considered normal by anypony if I didn't have you by my side. I never want you to feel like... like your worth... is based on favors. You are more than that to me. More than I could ever write if I had all the time in the world to do it. You are more than just my little assistant, Spike. You are my son. You are my little boy. You are my foal, even if... that's... not scientifically or categorically correct but I don't care... that's how much you mean to me, Spike. Do you understand?"

Spike nodded, snuggling closer to his mother. "Does this mean I can call you mom?"

"Yes it does. And you should. Since that is scientifically and categorically correct!" Twilight nuzzled him again as he gurgled happily and yawned. "But hey, don't fall asleep yet, let's get all this... old weird skin off of you. You want to see again, right?"

"I'm tired. Can't we just buy me a cane?"

Twilight smiled and tried not to snort with laughter. If ever there was a sign that Spike was feeling a bit back to his old self, it was his strange sense of humor. Gently she placed him back on the towel, where he wriggled a bit to get comfortable before laying still.

"So um.... " Spike coughed politely, clearing his throat. "How do I start this? Is there a zipper?"

"I have no idea whatsoever." Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof. "I'm not even certain how lizards and snakes and turtles do this sort of thing. That's way outside my realm of knowledge. Maybe I should bother Fluttershy... or Pinkie Pie."

"I don't think I want Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie or Gummy staring at me while I do this." Spike shuddered at the thought of being ogled by Pinkie's creepy pet alligator.

"Hmmmm." Twilight thought hard, wrinkling her muzzle, her face lighting up as she got an idea. "I could make a little incision you know. Maybe use a quill or letter opener to cut some of the skin off."

"No!" Spike frowned. "That old guy said I have to figure out how to do this on my own. If other antabogas can do this, then so can I! I'd be shaming my dragon heritage."

"Zubairi could at least have given us a hint." Twilight deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "Dragon heritage, really?"

"And pony heritage!" Spike added. "You wouldn't want me to just take the easy way out."

"Sigh. I suppose that's true."

For several agonizing minutes, Twilight watched as Spike moved and contorted in strange ways, trying to determine how to start the process of his molt. Eventually he started trying to scratch it off using the small claws on his toes. Nothing seemed to be able to make a real dent in the skin, reminding both of them just how tough dragons were. Their flesh was like thick plated industrial rubber, covered in rocks. As she watched Spike struggle, an old distant memory floated up to the surface in Twilight's mind.

When she had been younger, still a filly, and Spike was still an infant, drooling and slithering around her as she studied, there had been an incident. Twilight and Shining Armor had been listening to the radio, with Twilight petting Spike the way other ponies would stroke a kitten. Shining had gotten up to get a glass of milk and had accidentally trodden on the very tip of the flat end of Spike's tail. He had immediately stepped off, but hatchling Spike had still screeched in surprise and pain, all the green quills along his spine jutting out as he curled up. One quill had stabbed deep into Twilight's hoof, causing deep red blood to flow. After that, their parents had decided it would be best to file down the sharp pointed ends of Spike's quills with a bit of sandpaper and lotion. Twilight still carried the faintest scar on her left hoof, and she stared at it as an idea came to mind.

"Spike! You know that thing that my dad said never to do?" Twilight asked suddenly, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Do it!"

In the yellow haze of the sun.

Here's a fun experiment to try at home, hopefully when it's quiet and clean. Purchase a fresh raw head of lettuce or cabbage and allow it to soak in water. Then allow it to soak in mud until it is sufficiently dirty brown. Afterwards, cover it in firecrackers and bubble wrap. Finally, grab the largest sledgehammer that is available, and bring it crashing down onto the vegetable. If properly struck, the vegetable and its contents should all burst at once, flying outwards and creating quite a impressive amount of noise. The sound should be quite grotesque, leaving any audience nearby with a queasy feeling, and it would be very similar to the sound that Spike's back made just now in the den of the castle.

"What... was that?" Spike wheezed, his body slumping itself back out after arching his back. "It sounded like a water balloon screaming really angrily."

"Oh gosh." Twilight covered her snout with a hoof. "It's alright, Spike. Your spikes just... tore open the thick old skin on your shoulders. Split it right down your back almost to your tail. It kind of smells. Actually, it really smells."

"I don't smell anything." Spike yawned, wanting badly to just go to sleep.

"Well you have old skin on your nostrils, too." Twilight winced as she started dabbing around the fissure of old flesh with the end of the towel Spike had been laying on. "Honestly, you should be happy you can't smell this. Apparently you've been sweating a lot under this old skin. It's reminds me of how Shining used to smell when he got back from paladin practice."

"That bad, huh? Like sweaty socks." Spike smiled weakly. "Well, now what?"

"I think the rest is up to you, Spike. You have a pretty big... exit wound... gap on your back now. You should be able to wriggle out."

The sun drifted lower to the horizon line, and the stars commenced their dance, decorating the evening sky. The black tapestry of the night unfurled and as the hours passed, Spike shed the remains of his old skin. It was a draining process, hampered by the fact the ash from the accident at the old library had mixed with Spike's perspiration, forming a sort of natural adhesive, making the old skin very sticky and hard to peel off. This made the delicate new skin sting when tugged on too hard. On top of that, he was still effectively blind, and needed Twilight to tell him where to move his limbs next. Progress slowed as Spike's last bits of energy fizzled out. A tiring week, culminating on an emotionally exhausting day, had siphoned out the usual energy he would have. Every few minutes he would stop to catch his breath, and Twilight would feel worried with how tired he looked, his small body heaving.

Chunk by chunk, limb by limb, the little dragon slipped off the dregs of worn hide, finally collapsing on his belly.

"Oh come on, Spike." Twilight pleaded. "You're so close! All that's left is your tail and your face. You can do it. I know you can."

With a miserable whimper of frustration, Spike lay still, too exhausted to continue. The sound was an agonizing one, of a child on the verge of defeated tears, and Twilight felt his pain and frustration become hers, breaking her resolve to not interfere as the mewls chipped away at her heart. This process was difficult. Too difficult for a baby dragon who had no knowledge of how dragons should act. Too difficult for a nestling that didn't have the sort of physical strength his kind would acquire from years of living in the wilderness and oceans. He'd done enough for tonight and Twilight decided it was now time for her to do the motherly thing, and step in.

"Don't cry, Spike. I'm right here. Please don't cry. Just relax, alright? I'll peel away the rest as carefully as I can."

A familiar warm tingle flooded Spike's weary senses. Twilight's magic had always carried with it a sort of je ne sais quoi, and now it felt gentler than ever. It was rather like being embraced by the sunshine or summer air, a pleasant heat that made its way to his tail. There were a few sharp pinches where the old skin adamantly refused to release its stranglehold on the soft new scales underneath, but Twilight kept the pain minimal. She worked the old bits of flesh off meticulously, the way one would cautiously solve a puzzle or undo a bandage. Once his tail was free, she released her hold on it, letting it droop as she turned to concentrate on Spike's head. The skin on his ear fins slipped off with ease, appearing very much like white lace, the shed very thin in this sensitive spot. She worked her way around his chubby face, peeling the lumpy chunks off bit by bit and placing them aside. Spike scrunched up his snout as he felt the skin around and inside his nostrils work its way free, clearing his nasal passages of ash and snot, allowing him to breathe easy. Twilight felt herself breathe easier as well when she noticed Spike's wheezing fade away. Her task was nearly complete. But now was the most difficult part.

Twilight took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Mmmkay... I'm going to need you to keep your eyes wide open for this next bit. I don't want any of this to tear and get stuck under your eyelid. I'm sure that won't be pleasant for either of us."

She tugged at two snags near Spike's tear ducts, a trailing end of ghostly skin connecting to the large, nearly spherical, globes of old grey flesh protecting his eyes. There was a sort of sucking sound, like the sound a pony would make when drinking a milkshake through a leaky straw. The globes shifted along his eye's surfaces, making a moist slurp as she pulled. Greyish yellow viscous fluid drizzled out, mixing with the sweat and pink stains on the towel. Spike cried out in discomfort almost immediately, his tail and stubby limbs flailing in midair, as a small spurt of green fire exited his mouth, nearly singing Twilight. She panicked and lowered him to the table. With what was left of his strength Spike clawed at his face, ripping away the old globules of flesh and rubbing his clean new eyes with his forearms, collapsing once again onto his belly.

A deep sense of relief replaced Twilight's terror as she saw something she had wanted to see since this ordeal had begun. The large green eyes of her little dragon, focusing on her for the first time all day. They were tired, and bloodshot, but still carried that same innocent optimism that always brightened her day. His tail swished happily as his vision cleared, letting him see the mare he knew as his mother for the first time in what had seemed like far too long.

"Welcome back."

_____________________________

Zubairi's notepad was full of advice and instructions. Most had been hastily written down, with other parts being crude drawings, and combined with his odd grasp of the Equestrian language, it was a bit hard to read. Quite a lot of the information was interesting stuff that Twilight did not know about dragons in general. For example the reason Spike's tongue split at the end, similar to a snake, was because antaboga used the two ends like tentacles, snaring fish out of the water as they swam. She learned that Spike's quills were rather poisonous, able to deliver a considerable toxic payload via their pointy tips if he were ever eaten by something larger than him. This would fade with age, and was harmless unless ingested. Apparently in some lands the secreted toxin was used as a recreational stimulant in tiny amounts when burned on tea leaves and inhaled. Twilight made a mental note to keep this information away from Shining Armor and Cadence, lest they get any sort of ideas.

Some of the information was practical stuff that seemed common sense. The sort of things Fluttershy or Applejack would probably write down if giving advice for childcare. For instance, letting baby dragons hoard precious jewels or gold would cause fluctuations in their growth. This was something the entire town had experienced once. Their claws had arteries past the cuticle, and losing a claw was very painful. Same thing applied to their scales and quills. Quite similar to blood feathers that pegasus ponies used for controlling their wings. It wasn't healthy for him to eat candy or gems all the time, or play in mud, drink tap water, etc.

But the most important thing Twilight needed to know about was how to help Spike recover after his shed. As she cuddled him and he napped, nestled under her wing and clinging to her ribs, she couldn't help but notice how unnaturally soft he felt. And not soft in a pleasant way, like the spongy comfort of a pillow, but soft in a mushy way, like lukewarm mashed potatoes. As she read she learned that after shedding, many dragons would rest in molten rock or steaming geysers and underground hot springs. The heat produced by the steam or lava caused a chemical reaction in their skin cells, making them all lie flat and undergo a sort of magical calcination, becoming tough and rigid like iron, as dragon scales were meant to be.

It had been a long time since Twilight had tried any spells that caused an inductive effect in fluid. This was usually the sort of thing reserved for labs. Even magical unicorns heated water for soup and tea with ovens and furnaces like anyone else. But getting an entire bathtub boiling was tricky. Time to put some of the old lessons to work. She mumbled some old incantations to herself and channeled her energy, taking static charge out of the air, forming it into bolts of electricity, and sending them through the particles of water, looping around the basin of the crystal tub. The water quickly rose to a light boil, and gently Twilight unfurled her wing, dipping Spike into it as he dozed. The hot water slowly woke him back up, and he began squirming around trying to figure out why he was suddenly in a tub.

"What? Where? Why is everything bubbly?" Spike yawned, sitting up in the tub.

"This is the next step to getting you back to normal, I believe." Twilight flipped a page in the book, presenting it to Spike. "Your scales need to bake in high heat to harden up. It's supposed to be with lava but we don't have lava."

It was rather a lot like a sauna for dragons, Twilight thought to herself. Ponies went to the spa to bask in the steam, letting the heat open pores and help clear their skin and reinvigorate their coats. So dragons went to boiling water or lava to fix their own skin issues as well. It was an interesting coincidence, and brought up even more questions Twilight would want to ask Zubairi about if she ever got the chance. But for now she was just happy watching Spike. He had originally seemed confused as he floated atop the frothing water, but now he was smiling happily with his eyes closed, bobbing along the surface.

Twilight carefully levitated a globe of the water and let it splash over his head so his back spikes would get the benefits of the heat as well. As she did this she noticed Spike's tones of color were slowly returning, his pale pink scales tinting back into a subdued shade of purple, with the quills along his back turning a dull green. It bolstered her confidence, letting her know she was doing this right. Her biggest worry was doing something improperly and permanently harming her little one's fragile dermis. Spike seemed to be having the time of his life, gurgling and purring happily as the boiling hot water splashed and tickled around his body.

"I bet that feels really good, huh? After being stuck in that clammy gross old skin for the last week."

A nod and a few gleeful splashes answered her back, giving Twilight an idea. She wanted to test Spike's power at water displacement, but he seemed so relaxed she didn't want to interrupt him. His face was plastered with a blissful grin, now laying at the bottom of the tub on his back, the tip of his snout poking above the surface. She waited patiently until it looked like he was nodding off again.

"Hey Spike, have you ever tried using your tail when you swim?" Twilight asked, backing away from the tub a bit.

Spike lifted his head out above the water with renewed interest. "Nope, I always paddled with my hands and feet."

"Hmm. Could you... maybe paddle with your tail and ears for a second? Just so we can see what happens."

Momentarily a few gallons of water quickly surged into the air, splashing over the edge of the crystal tub and puddling onto the floor, sending steam clouding around the room. A few droplets hit Twilight's shoulder, making her back up further as Spike peeked his head over the brim, surveying the damage with a yawn.

"Whoa... did I do all that?"

"Any doubts I had about your origins as a water dragon just evaporated." Twilight smirked at her pun, levitating Spike from the tub, placing him on a bathmat and grabbing a cold dry bath towel.

The towel hissed as it burnt against Spike's skin.

"Hey... mom?" Spike asked quietly, pushing the towel aside to get Twilight's attention as she looked down on him.

Her heart jumped, doing cartwheels in her chest. That word suddenly had all new meaning. Now Twilight understood Rainbow Dash's emotional reaction from the other day when the athlete had dropped off Scootaloo. Twilight had known Spike since the day he hatched, watching him grow and learn and idolize her. He had made every day special. And never once in the years she had cared for him, had he ever called her mom. She had never expected him it from him, but now that he'd said it, it felt as though part of her had become better, happier, more whole. As though all the years of being responsible for his well being suddenly meant something more than they had before. Meant more than anything she had ever done in her life. She had molded him, inspired him, created him. It dawned on Twilight that nothing she had ever accomplished made her feel quite as powerful and amazing as Spike uttering that single word. That word that meant so much, and the unbreakable connection they shared.

"Mom?" he asked again, snapping Twilight out of her stupor.

Twilight took a deep breath, resisting the urge to tear up. "Yes, Spike?"

"Could I have another towel?"

"What for? We've barely used this one."

Spike tilted his head, motioning at the puddle of water around the tub.

"Oh don't worry about that. It's just water. I'll clean it in the morning. Let's get you to bed, sleepyhead. We've had a long day."

Twilight yawned and cantered out of the bathroom, levitating Spike onto her back. With a groggy trot she made her way past the den, turning to wince at the pile of old dragon flesh on the table. It looked like the peelings of some sort of giant tumorous fruit. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Spike doing that thing with his hands. Whenever the little dragon was feeling nervous or guilty he would always wring his hands and scrunch up his eyebrows. It was one of the telltale signs that let Twilight know something was wrong or that he was lying. He seemed to be staring at the mess on the table from his shed, before looking behind himself at the room they had just exited where he'd gotten his bath. The fidgeting seemed to get worse as she passed the table, and Spike looked ready to hop off her back, a panicked expression marring his face.

"Hey! Remember what I said?" Twilight sat on the floor and lifted Spike from her back, cradling him in her forelegs. "You're worth more to me than favors."

Spike nodded, looking unsure as he glanced at the filthy table again.

"I'm not going to stop loving you just because you make a mess sometimes, Spike." Twilight cooed, holding him close. "Just like I know you don't stop loving me whenever I make a mess. I'm never going to stop loving you. Alright?"

She held him up to her face, looking into his reptilian eyes. He still looked uneasy and afraid, her words apparently not having the effect she had wanted. Twilight felt awful, realizing this was her fault. She had made him feel this way. Taught him to be like this. Like his purpose was to do chores. Unknowingly conditioning him to have many of the same vices and fears she herself had.

"Spike do you remember why Celestia sent me to Ponyville in the first place?"

"To make friends?"

"Well, yes. But it's more than that. It was because I spent all day indoors, Spike. All I did was work. It's a bad habit and sometimes I still do it. But I shouldn't. And I have friends now to help me realize when I'm doing it. And until this week I'd never realized I've sort of... given you my bad habits. I guess that metaphor of the apple never falling too far from the tree is pretty accurate."

Spike's eyes searched Twilight's face, looking confused.

"You spend so much of your day indoors, Spike. Cleaning and doing things for me. But I don't want that for you. I want you to be playing, and having fun, outside with others preferably. It's not good for you to be cooped up inside all day. Even on those days... where... I'm stuck inside doing paperwork. That's why I'm trying to enchant the castle to clean itself. You shouldn't have to clean it. It isn't your job. Your job is to be a happy little dragon. Think you can do that for me?"

With a nod and a sniffle, Spike hugged Twilight, clinging to her as she stood and made her way to the bedroom. She dropped him gently down on the bedspread and went around the room, blowing out the candles. Clambering onto the bed next to the little bundle, she extended her wing, cuddling Spike against her side. With a spark of purple magic the sheets enveloped them both in a cocoon of warmth.

Twilight knew Spike would probably be asleep in moments, but she had one last thing she wanted to speak about. She already had a feeling of dread she knew the answer to the question she was about to ask.

"Spike why were you at Zecora's hut today?"

There was a deafening silence but she could feel him shiver, and when he finally spoke his voice was small and frightened.

"You can tell me, Spike. I promise whatever it was... I won't be angry."

"I wanted... her to... to turn me into a pony."

"Oh, Spike." she released a long sad sigh, nuzzling him lovingly as she heard him start to sniffle again. "Spike you don't need to change yourself to get me to love you. You are perfect and wonderful just as you are. I would never want you to change. If I ever hurt you and make you feel like this... like I don't love you... I want you to tell me Spike. I don't want you feeling like you have over this last week. Alright?"

She felt him nod and bury his face into her ribs.

"What are we gonna do with my old scales?" Spike whispered.

"Oh those." Twilight frowned. "I'll figure something out later. According to Zubairi's notes, often dragons, especially baby ones, will eat their old skin because its full of protein."

"I really really don't wanna eat that stuff."

"And I really don't want you to. It looks super disgusting."

Twilight lay her head onto her pillow, watching Spike snuggle under her wing. For a few moments he seemed to be deep in thought, then as the time passed she could see his eyes blink slower and slower, growing heavy until finally they shut. She smiled as she watched his resting form, his round scaly hide gently moving up and down with every peaceful breath. Hopefully tonight the two of them would have sweeter dreams, as Luna had said. It already felt like ages had passed since she'd spoken to Luna even thought it had only been hours. Twilight uttered a silent prayer to the Goddess of the Night, hoping that her promise of a restful sleep would be true, because if anyone in Equestria had earned a good night's sleep, it was little Spike.

Numbness spread from Twilight's hooves to her chest and head, her thoughts slowing. She knew she was nodding off and would soon be asleep as well. But before she turned in entirely, and was lost to the waking world, she felt Spike rustle slightly against her side, whispering in the darkness.

"I love you, mom."

Twilight smiled, feeling stinging tears seep from her sleepy eyes and soak into the pillow.

"I love you too, Spike. My precious little monster. More than you'll ever know."

____________________________

And for the first time since the chilling day Tirek had torn their comfortable lives apart, filling their minds with nightmares of brimstone and ash, Twilight and Spike both had a pleasant restful sleep. Their dreams soaked with slow-paced merriment and their bodies feeling unclouded. The sun and the moon watched over them both with great fondness, bringing reprieve to the night terrors that had haunted them for so many weeks. Twilight woke first, just as the sun peeked it's way into the sky, bathing the castle in red light. She slid quietly from the warm sheets, making sure Spike was still comfortable before she set about cleaning the castle and doing some early morning errands. Her eyes opened in surprise as she saw how Spike looked, his new scales shimmering in the light of the sun like crystals. She made a note to inform her friends of Spike's clean bill of health and recovery while out and about.

Much later, a bit before noon, Spike awoke as well. His senses had been invaded by a tantalizing scent. The smell of melted butter and spices with a hint of something else... maybe lemons. He wiggled his toes a bit, noticing the bed in the castle felt different. It no longer felt like the silken sheets he had drifted off on, and their light scent of laundry detergent. His eyes creaked open and he saw before him some sort of purple fuzzy carpet, smelling lightly of aloe. There was a heat on his backside, as though the sun were beaming down on him. It was strange, he could sense his energy replenishing as he lay, his whole body feeling electrified as he dozed off again. He was awake again minutes later as the smell of food intensified and his stomach growled. Blinking he sat up, the purple fluff moving away from his vision as his eyes adjusted and realization set in. He had been curled up sleeping on Twilight's belly the whole time, who was currently lying on her back on a lawn chair with a sun hat on. The two of them were out in the grassy field beyond the castle, in the early noon summer heat.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Twilight smiled, petting his quills affectionately. "How do you feel today? Better I hope?"

Spike stretched himself out, testing his limbs, ears and tail. "I feel great. Better than I think I've ever felt."

And truly he did, Spike had never felt so alive. Every part of his body felt immersed with energy. Twilight drew out Zubairi's notebook from a nearby footstool in the grass, flipping a few pages.

"Basking in the sun is something antabogas are supposed to do. Sort of like how other reptiles sunbathe to replenish their energy from what I understand. But I didn't want to wake you so I just carried you out here. "

"Well well! Look who's up." crowed a familiar twangy voice. "Just in time for brunch."

Turning, Spike observed Applejack beaming at him from a few meters away. Behind her a small campfire crackled, with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy attending to some sort of food in a frying pan. Whatever the heavenly odor in the air was, it was clearly coming from that pan. Rainbow Dash and Rarity sat nearby, Dash idly flipping through a book and Rarity laying on a deck chair in the grass, a floppy flowered sun hat and purple sunglasses perched on her head.

"Told y'all, nothin' gets young'uns out of bed faster than the smell of vittles." Applejack strode forward, sitting before Spike and Twilight. "Hey there little feller! You gave us all quite a scare. Poor Applebloom was cryin' when she got home. But I'm awful glad you're better now, sugar."

"Yeah, I feel like a million bits." Spike hugged Twilight, nuzzling her happily.

"You look like a million bits as well!" Rarity cooed, coming up behind Applejack and giving Spike a peck on the cheek. "Oh Spikey-wikey you should see yourself. Your new scales gleam like little sequins. Absolutely gorgeous. You might just be the most elegant thing in town now next to moi."

Rarity upheld her personal mirror to the tiny dragon. Spike stared into the reflection, finding someone staring back, a dragon who was both familiar and new. His fresh juvenile scales were indeed like sequins, Rarity was right about that. They were still mostly purple, but there was so much variety to the purple now. Mauve, indigo, magenta, orchid, and violet all shone across the facets of his skin. Every scale dazzled like little beads in the sunlight. The spikes along his spine seemed brighter than ever, their tips ending in a much lighter tone of yellowish green, subtle stripes of minty darker hues where they protruded from his back. Spike brought his chubby hand up to his face inspecting it. It was the same hand he had seen every day of his life, the hands he used for almost everything. Now they glistened in the sun, the knobby flesh sparkling with new life. It seemed indicative of how Spike now felt inside, warm and happy and most importantly, proud to be a dragon.

"Yeah, Spike you look wicked awesome." Dash added, sauntering over with a smirk. "You look like someone polished you up with wax."

Dash lowered her head and voice, giving Spike a respectful nod and shy grin.

"By the way, thanks... for talking to Scoots. I'm not sure what you said... but she's hanging out with her friends again. She's finally moved past her anger at the other Crusaders. Isn't just grumping around on her own. I owe you big time, pal."

"Indeed." Rarity seconded. "Sweetie hasn't been so jubilant in some time. Those three seem even closer than ever."

"Yup. Them three lil' fillies need each other. And I'm glad they have someone as clever as you to give 'em advice sometimes, Spike. Goodness knows they need all the positive influences they can get. Especially Scootaloo." Applejack remarked, earning a glare from Rainbow Dash.

"Hey!" growled Dash, fanning her wings to look intimidating, which never worked since she was a small blue pony. "They were gonna learn those swear words eventually anyway."

The look Applejack and Rarity fixed on Dash could have withered a redwood tree, and Dash decided it was best to stay silent and not incur further wrath. Fluttershy was next, bringing a plate up to Spike and placing it down in front of him.

"I'm so very glad you're feeling better, Spike. I was so worried you were sick." Fluttershy embraced Spike gently, her long pink hair tickling his snout. "Twilight told me your new diet is supposed to have fish in it. So... I thought it'd be nice if... uh, well.... I fried some salmon. I prepared it the same way I always prepare it for Sir Bearington."

"Who is that?" Spike asked, looking down at the steaming pink and black filet on the plate.

"That's her bear!" Pinkie leaped into view, her pink curls thrashing crazily. "He's a very smart bear but he likes his salmon in a weird kinda way. He doesn't like butter! I know things always taste better with butter. Butter is better than no butter, that's what Mrs.Cake always says. And whenever I give fish to Gummy he always seems to like it better with butter! He won't even bother if it has no butter! So I told Shyshy we should make the salmon better and add butter. So we fried it in margarine. Margarine is kind of like butter but a lot of ponies including me think it's even better than butter so we added black pepper and red pepper and green pepper and mmph mmPH MMHPH!"

A white hoof placed gently on Pinkie's mouth ceased the torrent of babbling.

"I think the poor thing gets the idea, Pinkie." Rarity admonished, turning back to Spike who was trying not to giggle. "We hope it's to your liking, dear. None of us have ever eaten meat before, obviously, so this is... a bit... out of the ordinary."

"That's not entirely true." Dash mumbled, drawing looks from the others. "What? Hey when you live with griffons for a few years you gotta learn to eat like they eat."

Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Um... I also brought some raw fish for you to try as well, Spike. I hope you're ok with that."

"Thank you all so much! You guys are the best." Spike reached into the plate and grabbed a chunk of the peppery fish. "It definitely smells really good."

"Anything caked with that much dressing and margarine is sure to smell good." Rarity flashed Pinkie a cheeky smile before the excitable baker could protest or launch into another butter themed rant.

A minute or so later found Rainbow Dash and Pinkie laughing uncontrollably as Spike ravenously devoured the fish, tearing it up and engulfing it with a gusto rarely seen in the small dragon. Twilight pulled him out of the plate while he stuffed the last few chunks into his mouth, peppery dressing all over his hands and snout as he munched excitedly.

"Oh gosh, Spike, you practically inhaled that." Twilight wiped his greasy face with a paper towel. "I think most of it didn't even wind up in your mouth."

"Tore that sucker up." Applejack shook, stifling her chuckles. "Goodness me! Like Mac near fresh flapjacks. Must'a been pretty darn delicious."

"Yeah, don't forget to breathe." Dash coughed out, wiping away tears of merriment.

"Well this seems to be a smashing success thus far." Rarity laughed with a smirk. "I haven't seen someone enjoy their meal that much since the time I introduced Pinkie to espresso and scones."

Pinkie drooled at the memory.

"It's... so... good!" Spike chattered, licking his fingers. "It's so salty and kinda sweet and soft but chewy and delicious. It's like the best parts of cabbage and carrots and potato chips all mixed together."

"Better than emeralds?" Twilight asked, wiping Spike's hands. "I know those are your favorite."

"No, but... for somethin' that isn't crunchy, salmon tastes just as good as emeralds. But salty and sour instead of sweet."

Pinkie clapped her hooves together and bounded to a styrofoam ice cooler near the campfire. She dipped her fluffy head into it's contents before coming back out with a small fish clenched in her teeth. She dropped it onto the plate in front of Spike, spluttering a bit as she wiped fishyness from her mouth.

"Blech! Ok Spikey, this is dessert!" Pinkie announced proudly, dancing on the spot. "These are Gummy's most favorite treat! Me and Shyshy caught this whopper out in the stream near her house!"

"A whopper, huh?" Applejack laughed as she looked at the small fish on the plate. "Looks like a little'un to me. Like somethin' I'd win at the fair for knockin' down a few pins. What is it exactly, Shy?"

"Oh! Uh... well it's a copper bluegill. They're very common around Ponyville and this region of Equestria. They live in ponds and lakes and are very um... plentiful. They eat bugs, usually."

"Are these the same fish I see stealing bread from ducks all the time, Shy?" Dash asked, giving the dead fish a glare of disapproval, hoping her malice could somehow kill it further. "It sure looks like them. Me and Scoot have to always lead the ducks out of the pond to feed them cause of these jerks. Little evil gluttons."

"Scoot and I." Twilight corrected under her breath.

"Probably?" Fluttershy offered, grinning meekly. "It could be any kind of fish but... it could also be these."

Spike inspected the small flat delicacy on the plate. It was a very round fish, almost oval shaped, with greyish green scales and small fat grey fins. It had a bright orange tummy and a dorsal fin made of thin needle-like quills.

"Neat! It has spikes just like I do." Spike observed giving the fish an experimental poke.

"It's so bigger animals won't try to eat it." Fluttershy nodded. "Although I'm not sure how well it works."

"Not well enough, today!" Spike boasted, grabbing the fish and holding it in front of his face. "Hrmm. I'm not... sure how to eat this one."

"With silverware this time I hope." Rarity muttered.

Twilight flipped through Zubairi's notes again, furrowing her brow. What little info there was on the eating habits of antaboga dragons didn't quite go into detail on how they chewed up fish in the ocean. As she stared at the notes, an idea hit Twilight. It seemed with larger animals, they often stripped the fish with their mouths and left the bones. Spike had tiny sharp teeth, so perhaps the same method would work.

"Spike maybe try, like, using your fangs to sort of... I don't know... peel the chewy bits off the bones? How do the griffons do it, Dash?"

"Gilda would always cut off the soft parts for me. But that was with like... trout and crabs and stuff. But when she ate alone, she just ate the fish whole, head, bones, all of it. Kinda like how birds do. Crunched it up with her beak." Dash shrugged. "I can't say I really enjoyed the taste but hey, it's food."

"I used to have a relative, looney ol' Uncle Pearmason, bit of a wild stallion. He used to eat chickens. Used to deep fry 'em. Lived to the ripe old age of 87." Applejack tapped her hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "Never had health problems in his life. Can't imagine it tasted as good as apples, though."

"Well if I can chew up rocks and gemstones... I'm sure I could chew up this fish." Spike deduced.

With a quick motion Spike had stuffed most of the fish, excluding its tail, into his maw and bit down with his tiny sharp teeth. The tail fell back into the plate with a clink and Spike chewed slowly, concentrating on the flavor. A few muffled crunches and snaps of bone were heard, and as he came to realize he enjoyed the flavor, he chewed far more quickly, fish fluids seeping from between his lips.

"You're quite lucky you're so cute and cuddly, Spike." Rarity raised an eyebrow with a small grimace. "Or else you'd look positively threatening with all that fish blood on you."

"Hm?" Spike mumbled even though his mouth was full, touching his hand to his snout and seeing all the pink and red rivulets of blood dripping down to his stomach. "Mmph!"

"Hah! You should just do this for Nightmare Night. Just chew up some fish and go door to door covered in blood." Dash snickered.

Applejack snorted and shook her head. "Yeah Dash, I'm sure the neighbors would love havin' a youngster covered in actual blood and stankin' of fish askin' 'em for sweets n' such."

"You'd laugh and you know it."

"How does it taste, Spike?! Huh!? HUH!?" Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly. "I always imagined fishies taste like toffee."

Spike swallowed and scratched his head as Twilight wiped his face again with a towelette, amazed he could make such a mess with such a small fish.

"I'm not sure how to describe it. It kinda tastes like... when you accidentally bite your tongue, I guess. But it's way better than that. It kinda reminds me of the flavor of amethyst. I like it!"

Fluttershy bowed gracefully. "Well Spike, if you ever want to, you can get them out of the stream near my cottage. I have an old fishing pole you may use. It's very shallow there and... OH!"

Fluttershy was interrupted by Spike leaping off the chair and waddling quickly past the rest of the adults.

"Where are you going, Spike?" Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I wanna test how good I can swim!" Spike hollered as he crested the next hill.

"How WELL you can swim, Spike!" Twilight corrected, taking to the air. "C'mon girls, I want to see this too!"

So the troop of ponies ran, chasing the purple baby dragon as he scuttled down to the nearest pond in Ponyville. A few passing citizens stared in confusion as the group galloped by. Some onlookers felt a sense of panic. It wasn't every day that the Elements of Harmony all galloped through town, looking as if they were on a mission. A few of the bystanders scattered, hiding in their homes, dreading an incoming cataclysm, which happened more often then not in Ponyville. A few even locked their doors, wondering why they continued to live here.

Breathlessly the mane 6 all came to a stop at the bank of the pond where Spike was already hopping excitedly. He took a deep breath of air and leaped with all his might, which sent him roughly 4 inches off the grass, whereupon he bellyflopped into the water and sank. In the murky waves his small form nearly disappeared, and moments later there was a spurt of water and ripples racing away from the shore. The ripples sleeked quickly on the surface of the pond, tracing where Spike swam.

"Shoot! Is that lil' Spike doing that?" Applejack balked, staring wide eyed at the pond.

"And I thought Gummy swam fast!" Pinkie whispered, looking equally shocked.

"There he goes!" Dash shouted, flying into the air and trying to follow Spike above the surface. "Ah ha! Jeez he moves quick! Like a purple blur zippin' around down there! Oh... wait... hold on he stopped."

Spike rose the surface, popping out with a splash in the center of the pond and rubbing his head. "Ow! I hit a rock."

"Oh Spike! Be careful!" Twilight squeaked, pacing uncomfortably on the ponds edge. "I don't want you getting hurt down there."

"It's fine, mom. I'm just really excited! I've never been this fast at... well... anything!" Spike laughed aloud and dove back under the surface, his tail sending out several large splashes as he took off again.

"Mom?" Dash turned toward Twilight, her eyes shimmering as she smiled. "Heeyyy... does that mean you and the Spikester worked out all that emotional stuff Scoot was jabbering to me about?"

"What stuff?" Applejack asked, turning to look at Twilight with concern, the others following suit.

"I was hoping to announce this later in greater detail but I suppose there's no time like the present." Twilight cleared her throat and turned to her friends. "So I sort of learned that I am... technically Spike's biological mother."

There was a quiet thud as Fluttershy fainted.

"Shy is down. I repeat, Shy is down!" Pinkie flailed.

"What!?" Rarity cried looking disturbed. "What what what!? How? How is such a thing even remotely possible, Twilight?! Ponies do not lay eggs!"

"Dragon eggs absorb magic from their parents. The magic they absorb determines parenthood. Spike's egg absorbed all my magic when I got my cutie mark eleven years ago. So... YEP. Biologically, Spike is... well... my foal." Twilight beamed gleefully, blushing and drawing circles in the soil with her hoof. "So we talked about it and from now on I'm going to try harder to be the mother Spike deserves."

"Well ain't that just the sweetest thang I've heard!" Applejack threw her arms around Twilight in a bear hug. "Spike couldn't ask for a better ma than you, sugarcube!"

Applejack drew back and started tearing up a bit.

"First Dash n' Scoot and now Twi n' Spike, aw heck! Ain't the magic of family just beautiful, Rares?" Applejack sniffled, covering her face with her stetson hat.

"It is certainly... strange... but I'm ever so happy you learned about this, Twilight. Are you... alright knowing what you know now? It seems like quite a bit to take in all at once."

"I'm better than alright, Rarity." Twilight spoke gently, glancing out at the pond, familiar ripples drifting across. "I feel prouder than I've ever felt."

"Does this mean I can throw a baby shower?" Pinkie asked hopefully.

Rainbow tittered. "I think you might be a few years too late for that, Pinkie. Not like I turned down that offer after I adopted Scoot, though. That party was cool."

There was a splash in the lake and the five little ponies turned, as Spike leaped from the depths and landed on the bank, wobbling on all fours as water dripped off his new skin. He turned and tried to smile happily at them, which was difficult because he had caught quite a few small minnows, that dangled from his mouth, their tails flapping. With a few nods and crunches Spike had devoured them, sending out a small pink and red spray of fish blood as he happily chewed. There was another thud as Rarity fainted.

"Is it National Fainting Day?" Pinkie asked, looking around. "I didn't even buy a wreath."

"Minnows taste really good!" Spike announced as he toddled over. "Like popcorn with cheese powder sprinkled on. Uh... why are Rarity and Fluttershy asleep?"

"Fainted." muttered Dash, rolling her eyes.

"I was just telling everyone the big news." Twilight continued, lifting Spike up and seizing him in a hug, wrapping her broad alicorn wings around him. "About how you... are my son."

Spike nuzzled Twilight gleefully as he hugged back.

"You're getting fish slime all over Twilight." Dash mentioned, trying not to laugh at the red smear now on Twilight's shoulder.

"Well practice makes perfect." Twilight returned the nuzzle to her little one. "I'm sure he'll learn not to be quite so... grubby when he eats fish in the future."

"Yeah... about that." Spike began. "As nice and tasty as raw fish is, if living with you has taught me anything... it's the value of sanitation. I don't think it's very good for me to just eat fish out of the pond like this."

"Well how do ya figure?" Applejack asked, glancing at the water. "Seems clean as a whistle to me."

"It looks clean, sure. But what do the fish do in it all day? All those minnows I ate... for all I really know they might just lick frog butts all day and I just ate them."

Cheerful laughter filled the air as Applejack carried the comatose Rarity and Fluttershy back to the crystal castle on the hill. Dash hovered above, enjoying the warm breeze, with Pinkie bouncing along at her own pace, enjoying the sunshine. And in the back, Twilight had Spike clinging to her back, the baby dragon chattering amiably about all the strange things he had seen in the pond. The schools of fish, the frogs and toads, turtles and crabs. Swamp plants and caves full of coins, all sorts of odd little things he never would have thought would be just below the surface of the unassuming pond. Of the thrill of moving so fast underwater, and how his tail and ears gave him so much control when. Twilight listened with pride as Spike spoke of his feats, glad that her little assistant, her son, and her best friend, had found something new and special to be passionate about, understanding at least a little about his place in the world. Things would be different from this day forward, there would be changes to lifestyles and relationships, but Spike would always be at Twilight's side, happy to be family.

Author's Note

One last chapter after this. Epilogue.

Such a long, long way.

The torches in the inner sanctum of the marble palace flickered in the night. The shadows illuminating the halls danced unsteadily along the tapestries. Even the strong crackling fire in the amber mantel grew low as though a cold wind were flowing across. Princess Celestia made little movement aside from her eyes flitting across the parchment in her hooves, and any onlookers would believe she had not noticed. But it was quite the opposite, she had a keen awareness of all that went on around her, and even the small flicker in the fires was not enough to distract her from her paperwork, because she knew exactly who was causing it. She shifted her pearly white body slightly, clasping her wings to her sides, as she continued to scribble on the parchment with the bushy red phoenix quill she often used for government documents. The wind picked up into a howl, the red lace curtains that hung over the open window flowing inward and fluttering noisily. A black mist slowly seeped in, carried by the air. Celestia cleared her throat as she watched the fog congeal into a dense cloud, then collapse, the various particles of pitch colliding into dark ghostly shapes and finally into the form of her sister, Luna. With a flick of her mane, Luna sauntered to where Celestia lay, joining her on the red and gold chaise longue in the center of the room, and tossing her cloak and tiara onto the nearby messy hutch.

"Well?"

"You needn't distress any longer, sister." Luna leaned over to read the document Celestia was writing upon. "Magic and her loyal dragon scribe sleep soundly this eve. And should sleep better than usual, henceforth. Your pupil is in my capable hooves."

Celestia exhaled a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Luna. You knew how much this meant to me. Anything to make her life a little easier. After the Tirek catastrophe... the entire Light family deserve a break. A distinctly long one."

"You cannot continue to dip into this bottomless well of guilt over Tirek, Tia." Luna scolded gently, nuzzling her sister. "He was prepared for this, centuries spent imprisoned and his mind ever sharper, with no limits on the savagery he was willing to enact. Your niece is no fighter, and her husband is powerless without magic. We are certainly not the warriors we once were."

"Time has made us old and fat." Celestia grinned with a snort, glancing down at Luna. "For me at least."

"Oh, surely you jest, Tia! The royal guard, stallions and mares, can scarcely stop staring when you prance by!"

A laugh was shared by the ancient goddesses, as Celestia returned to her work. She began explaining to Luna of the new bill she was signing in regards to parliament, but noticed Luna seemed to be distracted, troubled, staring into the fire. Celestia spoke slower and slower, trying to gain Luna's attention before finally folding the parchment up and putting it away.

"What troubles you, Luna?" the spirit of the sun asked, extending one of her massive pale wings over her midnight sibling. "There is something you need to say to me, clearly. Is Tiberius ill again?"

"Did you know?" Luna asked gently, staring at the floor.

"Know what?"

"That on the day Twilight became your protege, your apprentice, that she created Spike. That she is his mother. Did you know?"

"Until she told me in her letter? No. I had never seen a dragon birth before. I had suspected something was strange about it all, of course. There were many similarities between them, things I observed as they grew. I had my own theories on how dragons... worked. Dragon biology is still a very... shallow subject amongst the athenaeum. But Spike loved her the moment he hatched, and she loved him, I could not separate them."

"So you were not trying to teach Twilight the same responsibilities and lessons you learned when raising Cadance? I know you have a fondness for molding your students to aspire to be much like yourself."

Celestia cringed, her gold spectacles falling from her snout. "Gracious me, no Luna! By Somnus's beard! I would never place the burden of raising something as dangerous as a dragon on a family were I not sure they were eager and qualified for it! When I first found Cadance I knew I never wanted to let her go. I wanted her with me always, so I could care for her the way no other ponies could. To do what I could not with Sunset. The day Twilight passed her test, I sensed the same connection when she looked upon the dragon hatchling. I was overjoyed when she named him Spike! So fitting."

"So none of this was premeditated?" Luna crowed, trying not to scoff. "There is no ancient prophecy or some plan for these two that you haven't told me or anyone else about?"

"Nope! And I must say, I'm hurt you could accuse me of such things, Luna." Celestia's lip trembled in a mocking pout.

"It would not be the first time you withheld important wisdom from me." Luna muttered, thinking of all the surprises that had been in store for her on her return to Canterlot.

"I adopted Cadance long before you were free of the moon. She performed miracles unlike any I had ever seen, when she was scarcely able to walk. You know this, little sister."

"I do not reference your niece, Tia."

"As I've said many times, I knew that you would not approve of Twilight's ascension because you did not know her as I did. You know her quite well now. Do you think I have made poor choices?"

"Not in the least." Luna rolled her eyes. "She saved me and Rarity from a shadowed eternity after all. And Cadance is... friendly."

"Water under the bridge, then." Celestia smiled warmly, drawing two teacups and an old clay kettle from the fireplace. "How are Twilight and Spike adjusting to this recent surprise? I have not had the opportunity to visit them in weeks."

"Their hearts and memories are simply brimming with contentment." Luna spoke with an innocent smile, silently sliding a small vial of hot sauce out from under her black wing and waiting for Celestia to be distracted. "I think this discovery has enriched their lives."

A clever sneer passed over Luna's face as she dribbled a bit of hot sauce into Celestia's tea. Nothing to do today, indeed!

________________________

Days passed as Mother's Day had finally arrived in Equestria. A holiday for quiet reverence and celebration. Across Ponyville ponies came together, or in some cases departed the small town, seeking out their parents for gift-giving and words of appreciation. Some simply spent the day together with family, others sent cards, and a few individuals threw parties. For three little fillies, a long week of fretting had ended on a happy note, finally figuring out what to get for the elder mares in their lives who were caring for them and raising them.

Applebloom had long given up on her quest to find a beneficial 'goop' for her beloved Granny Smith. It seemed the only goop in a town filled with chefs like Ponyville was salad dressing. Instead, she cooperated with her siblings to repaint the aging barn, returning it to its original fabulous ruby glory. Afterwards, the three young Apples had done all their chores, including the ones Granny Smith usually performed, giving her old bones the day to relax. And later that evening, Bloom had helped prepare a small feast for the family to enjoy together. Turnips, gourds, onions, squash, all of Granny's favorite foods, served up piping hot with spiced pear and apple pies for dessert, aged mint leaves baked into the crust. The rest of the night was spent looking through old photo albums, shedding tears and sharing laughter over the memories, the blessings and losses they had endured. Curled up in the lap of her grandmother, the tiny buttery coated filly had fallen asleep, the two rocking gently in front of the old fireplace at Sweet Apple Acres, as they had done many times over Applebloom's short life. Applejack took a photo of the sleeping pair using the old ambrotype camera that had been in the family for generations, ready to slip another memory into the album.

Scootaloo had finished her masterpiece, a work of art composed of crayon, markers and dry pasta glued onto a large sheet of cardboard paper. Afterwards she had painted the noodles bit by bit using some watercolor dyes that were given to her from Fluttershy. It was a pretty fantastic painting by her standards, featuring Rainbow Dash in her Wonderbolts uniform and Scootaloo sitting together in a bird's nest in a tree. The rest of the Wonderbolts team and all four Princesses of Equestria sat far from the tree being so very jealous. 'Hapy Mothe r Dayy' had been scrawled lovingly in what Scootaloo was certain was fine cursive penmanship into the corner. She kept it hidden under her new bed in Rainbow's floating mansion, eagerly awaiting the day she could reveal it. In the wee hours of the morning she had presented it to Rainbow before the athletic mare was even fully awake in bed. Dash adored the painting, and even broke down in tears, crying quite a bit while snuggling the scruffy filly she had adopted only a short time ago. Then promptly made Scootaloo promise not to tell anyone that she had wept over the image. The rest of their happy day was spent romping through the park, playing in the sunshine.

Sweetie Belle had spent one early morning scurrying with her friends to Twilight's castle, just so she could be sure Spike was fine after his health scare. After the three departed, and returning home to the Carousel Boutique, she focused all of her efforts for the next few days on completing the song she had been producing for Rarity. She poured her thoughts out onto the paper, taking great effort to make lyrics that truly represented how much her older sister meant to her. But as she reached the end Sweetie came across a shocking revelation: she was not good at writing lyrics. Not even slightly. With a tearful frown, she crumbled up the horrible poetry and threw it away. Sheepishly she had scaled the stairs outside her room to Rarity's work area, pulling shyly on Rarity's curly tail to get the mare's attention. Rarity had sat stiffly, trying very hard not to chuckle as Sweetie rocked back and forth on her hooves nervously singing. Despite the song composing of Sweetie merely trilling the word 'Rarity' over and over, the melody was delightful and haunting, and Sweetie's excellent talent at singing had soon filled the atmosphere of the dress shop with a rare sort of beauty. When it had finished, the tiny unicorn foal had sat staring awkwardly at the floor, prepared for harsh criticism of her song. But nothing of the sort happened, as Rarity affectionately embraced her baby sister and thanked her for the gift, telling her she would cherish it always.

Spike however, was having far worse luck than the other three this morning. With another frustrated grunt he dove beneath the mattress in his former bed again, unable to find the Journal of the Two Sisters. Hadn't Discord said this was where the book had been placed? Had the Master of Trickery bamboozled Spike? Had he been flim-flammed? Hogwashed? Trolled? Spike groaned as he slid out of the bed, brushing feathers off his new glinting scales. His gift for Twilight was missing, and they would be leaving to visit the rest of the family within the hour. Now he was going to look like a big jerk on the first real Mother's Day he was going to spend with Twilight. He slumped against the dresser putting his face in his claws as he despaired. A loud clunk echoed from inside it, provoking Spike to turn and stare at the furniture. Why had there been a clunk inside the dresser? Spike never wore clothing and the item served little purpose to him. It was supposed to be empty. He tore the drawer open and felt at ease as the journal slid out of the shadows, two notes pinned to its worn cover.

The first note was written on a crystalline kerchief.

Master Spike, I found this relic between the mattresses of your bed while I was doing laundry. It seemed rather important and when I read the note attached, I realized why the book was hidden. I certainly hope touching something written by that fiend Discord won't give me some sort of curse. I apologize for not being able to say goodbye while you were awake. My sister and I are needed back at home. Perhaps we will meet again. I hope you feel better soon, brave and glorious one. ~ Eric Silicate

A tinge of sadness washed over Spike as he read the note. He had been so distracted by his own troubles and issues with Twilight, he had forgotten that Eric and Estee had left. The wonderful maids that Cadance had sent were gone. They had both been so kind to him during their short stay, treating him like a king, even when he had been at his mopiest.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted from somewhere downstairs. "We need to go! Everyone is waiting for us!"

"Be right there!" Spike put the note aside, unfolding the one Discord had left, which had been made to look like a paper goose with googly eyes.

There was a strange smell as the parchment opened, like mold, cheese and ice cream mixed together. The smell of chaos, Spike deduced as he scanned the message written within.

"Not everyone is lucky enough to have a family, Spike. I've never had my own, but I've been fortunate enough to watch families grow and change over the eons. I never really understood family until very recently. And even now, many of the customs Fluttershy's family follow confuse me. But there are some things about family I do understand. Not all mothers are the same. And some, like Twilight, will be busy and away a lot. But there are certain things you must remember. When she's tired you must forgive her, and when she's angry you must understand and comfort her. Trust her, as she probably knows best. She only wants the best for you. Remember to respect and honor her."
~ Discord a.k.a. The Artist Formerly Known as Discord a.k.a. Grand Master D a.k.a. Doctor Disc a.k.a. The Prince of Lies a.k.a. That Annoying Guy a.k.a. Dizzy a.k.a. Lord of Chaos a.k.a. God of Pandemonium a.k.a. Doodles the Incredibly Loud Cucumber a.k.a. He Who Brings The Terror a.k.a. Q a.k.a. The Old Fellow Who Pays Only with Coupons a.k.a. ...

With a snort of laughter, Spike shoved the note and its seemingly endless list of self-appointed nicknames, back into the dresser drawer. A few grunts of effort later and Spike had managed to wrap his small limbs around the ancient grimoire, dragging it noisily down the crystal stairs. Twilight sat in the den, looking around the room impatiently as Spike arrived, poking her gently in the arm with a claw. The lavender alicorn had turned, and upon seeing the old tome, stumbled backwards and landed on her rump, her jaw hanging as her wings opened limply.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Spike announced, laying the book in front of her.

"Spike... h-how... where... HOW did you get this?"

"That day you rescued me from the old Golden Oaks library... well I... was getting this!" Spike smiled proudly.

"But... it burned along with everything else! I saw it burn!" Twilight quickly flipped through the pages, just to be sure everything was intact the way she had left it.

"Well I had a little bit of help."

A few licks of green fire sparked out of Spike's nostrils as he felt all the oxygen quickly squeezed out of his lungs. Twilight hugged him fiercely, her eyes watering as she peppered his forehead with little kisses. It was a historical monument, this book. Not only because it was filled with the ancient recollections of Luna and Celestia when they had been much younger and less experienced, in a different era entirely. But more because almost every important event in the lives of Twilight and her closest friends had been recorded in this ancient book. Letters to Celestia, letters to themselves, drawings, diagrams, and some important self-realizations had been placed within the yellowed pages. It was a scrapbook now, dedicated to the lives of the Elements of the Harmony. Filled with their memoirs, their ideas, their discoveries and sorrows, and most importantly their joys.

So as they had, many times before, Twilight lay happily reading a book, as Spike curled up in the crook of her forelegs, snuggling against her chest as he read with her. They were late to a family get-together but, in this special moment, decided it could wait a few minutes more.

__________________

"Where are we goin'? I thought we were gonna see the rest of the family?"

Spike peered over the edge of Twilight's back where he'd been basking in the sunlight. They had been flying low over the clouds for a bit over half an hour, but as they circled down towards Canterlot, Spike realized they seemed to be well off-course. This was not the residential region, mint cobblestone streets framed with pearly white and teal cottages, their grey chimneys billowing white smoke into the sky. This was the business side of the city, grey brick streets and ornate brass storefronts, with checkered towers and striped steeples, myriads of golden flags fluttering in the wind.

"We are! We're just not meeting up with them at the old house!"

Twilight fluttered, somewhat ungracefully, to a landing in front of a very old building in Canterlot. A flock of doves spooked by her arrival took to the air, casting shadows across the little pony and dragon. Spike slid off Twilight's back and glanced around. He'd been in Canterlot many times in his life, even living there for quite some time, but never to this part of town. Everything was worn and aged, even the grey bricks that made up the street. Before them stood a great acropolis, cracked stairs and pathways leading up, with an old wooden cathedral build on top, surrounded by marble columns. Wrought-iron fences and decorations ran along the roof and down the balustrades, forming the shapes of horses, griffons, and creatures Spike could not identify. A few very old unicorns wearing habits and carrying books were jaunting up and down the stairs to the institution, clearly their place of work, their old hooves sending shrill echoes up and down the mostly silent street. Spike quietly followed Twilight up the flights, glancing at the stained glass window beside the front door. Large words molded from exotic metals had been fastened to the glass, shimmering dully.

Equestrian Registrar and Department of Archives est. 558

Spike followed Twilight into the dark doorway, and immediately felt himself hauled into the air, a pair of large forelegs hugging him.

"Hey there, Spike! Bet you weren't expecting us to be in here!"

After a series of noogies, Spike wrestled his head away, finally seeing his captor. With a powerful whinny, Spike found himself in the embrace of Prince Shining Armor, Twilight's elder brother, a tall muscular stallion with his usual windswept indigo mane hanging loosely around his neck. To his left was Princess Cadance, his wife and Queen of the Crystal Empire, a demure rosy mare with a flowing mane of pink and yellow stripes. They both smiled at Spike's shocked expression. He truly hadn't been expecting to see them here. The Crystal Empire was far far in the frigid north and these two were a long way from home. They weren't here alone, either. Quite a few familiar ponies were sitting in the Archive lobby, waiting patiently in the dim dusty room, glad to see Twilight and the surprised dragon.

"Hey mom! Dad! Grandpa!" Twilight sang, embracing her parents and elderly grandfather as they sat merrily on one of the many benches in the waiting room.

"Shining! Cadance! Celestia!? Luna!" Spike spluttered trying to free himself from Shining's grip so he could bow respectfully. "Mister and Missus Light!? Grandpa Iron? Prince Blueblood!? But... what... wait... why are you all here? In this building? What's going on?"

"Well we are here to see you, Spike." Night rose from his seat, giving Spike a gentle pat on the head. "As an inductee into our little troop, it seemed only right to have the entire family here. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Oh shush already, Night!" Twilight Velvet scolded, ruffling her husband's dark blue coif of hair. "You'll spoil everything!"

"Yeah dad! Quit it!" mocked Twilight, concealing her mirth.

Grandpa Iron Armor strode stiffly forward, the many medals on his coat jingling, peering down at Spike with a tired pair of grey eyes. "Afternoon, young critter! Haven't seen hide nor hair of you since before lil' Spark left for Ponyville. You seem quite a bit taller to me. And shinier. And pricklier. Is this that new coat of scales lil' Spark informed me of?"

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed Spike seems to have a very handsome new sheen to his skin." Cadance nodded in agreement. "He also looks... healthier. Guess that fish diet is paying off!"

"Lookin' pretty darn good there, Spike." Shining gave the tiny dragon another noogie. "Like a fresh coat of lacquer on a fancy new shield. Bet you're makin' all the ladies swoon back in Ponyville, huh?"

"Well it only makes sense to me." Velvet chipped in, giving the little dragon a nuzzle. "Twilight inherits her good looks from my side of the family. So Spike inherits it from her. Pretty lucky on that front!"

Spike blushed and stared at the floor, playing with the end of his tail awkwardly. "Th... thanks, everyone."

"Yes he could have been truly unlucky and inherited it from this side." Iron Armor guffawed, his deep raspy voice booming around the room, making all the books and scrolls shake. "Ended up a crusty old codger with a crooked head like me!"

"I dunno, Gramps." Shining gave the old grey unicorn a playful punch in the shoulder. "I clearly inherited your looks and I think I'm lookin' pretty darn studly."

"I'll say!" Cadance purred, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek. "But you still need a trim, hon."

"Are you sleeping well, Spike?" Luna leaned down, asking through the din of laughter. She smiled as a nod answered her. "Excellent! That means I have not lost my touch!'

Twilight cleared her throat gently, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Should we show it to him now, Twilight?" Celestia asked softly, a mischievous grin playing about her delicate features.

"Yes do get on with it!" Prince Blueblood scowled from his spot on the bench where he'd been sitting silently, earning several glares that caused a few beads of sweat to form on his pristine white brow. "Sorry it's just... we've been waiting rather a while."

Celestia shook her head in disappointment. "I apologize for my nephew."

"And I apologize for being late, everyone." Twilight strode forward, rescuing Spike from Shining's grip. "Spike, somehow, managed to rescue Celestia and Luna's old journal from the ruins of our library and I was so excited to see it, I sort of... ended up reading through most of it again!"

"Quite a Mother's Day gift. I'm glad my sister and I's old, slightly embarrassing, diaries can bring you such joy." Luna lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "However I'm willing to wager his gift is not as interesting as the gift you got for him."

"What?" Spike looked around frantically, trying to see if he'd somehow missed something.

"Oooh! I can't wait to see his face!" Cadance danced excitedly in place with a squeal. "It really is just... soooo perfect! I always kinda hoped something like this would happen!"

Spike hung limply from Twilight's arms, looking around, feeling confused yet also very loved. He was a dragon surrounded by ponies. Kind ponies who didn't care what he was, but who he was. Ponies he had known as far back as he could remember. Ponies who had helped him on his journey to be where he was today. Whom he owed everything to. And they were all here to see him.

"I'm still not sure what's happening." Spike said softly, gripping Twilight's arm tightly.

A pair of doors opened and a warm orange light poured forth from the many candelabras in the room over. A very old mare with a deep red coat stepped through the creaky arching doorway, wearing a long black robe with quite a few old scrolls and sticky notes jammed into the many pockets hemmed into it. She adjusted her thick monocle before glancing around the room, with a rather vacant expression.

"Is this the royal party I've been expecting?" she asked, bowing. "It must be, considering all four Princesses are present."

"Yes it is." Twilight bowed graciously. "Thank you for having us, I know it's a busy part of the day."

"Oh no trouble at all, dearie! Now where is the wee bairn? Spiney? Pokey? Spikey?"

"It's Spike, actually!" corrected Twilight.

Twilight gently placed Spike in front of the old pony, who fixed him with a curious stare.

"Well now, isn't this unusual! But to be expected considering how close you all have seemed to be. Not many royal families can say they've had a dragon living with them. Well then, come along little fellow! Got something for you to see! Mind your step there's always a bit of a kerfuffle here in the Equestrian Archives."

Spike toddled after the old mare as she swept between desks, cabinets, and spiraling staircases. All were covered in books and papers. Candelabras stood atop many pieces of furniture and hanging off the ceiling, bathing every surface in dim warm light. Ponies both young and old, though mostly old, were quietly trotting around in similar robes, organizing tomes and writing in scrolls. The rest of the adults followed after Spike, taking care not to topple over any towers of books or step on any stacks of documents. A few of the ponies set their quills down briefly to bow to the entourage of royals as they passed by, before quickly returning to their work.

"You may call me Winter, Spike. I am one of several Senior Official Registrar here at the Department of Equestrian Archives. I received a rather interesting request a few days ago from miss Princess Sparkle."

"Which, again, I am very thankful for!" Twilight called from somewhere behind the rest.

"Normally, there's an impressive waiting list for such things. But... Twilight managed to befriend my estranged sister, Summer Mane, and convinced her to stop living like a hermit over a year ago. I felt I owed her a hefty favor for that, so I took on her request personally and made sure all the legal documents were filled, signed, stamped in triplicate, postmarked, barcoded and sealed. Filed it away, made a few changes, after that it was finished. I have it around this area."

The ponies passed several gargantuan bookshelves, most several hundred meters tall. Each marked with a different letter of alphabet and a list of categorization codes. The group followed Winter silently, looking around in awe at all the material. Stacks of books, many larger than ponies, rolls of scrolls, and parchment of all shapes and sizes covered in various languages, were stuffed somewhat daintily into every shelf. A few tall white ladders leaned against the shelves, propelled by small wheels, with several old unicorns sitting on the rungs, flipping through stained pages in old grimoires, pointy wizard hats upon their heads.

"What... is this place?"

"This, wee Spike, is where every equine citizen in Equestria is registered. Or at least the ones we can get ahold of. From foals to old ponies like me. Griffons and Hippogriffs are kept in another department. This is also where we keep track of lineages. Every important deed, every historical event, marriages, divorces, deaths, births, all are recorded here in various offices of this building. But lineages are kept in these special shelves. You never know when you might need to know more about your kin, and that's where I come in. AH HAH! Here's where I put it."

Winter came to a stop at one of the towering structures, marked with a gold seal that read 'Lig - Lih 445' on its side near the checkered floor. She scrunched up her face and hopped onto a ladder with surprising agility for such an old mare, and began sorting through several dusty brown books, mumbling loudly to herself.

"Let's see here. Hmmm... Lightwaves of Whitetail Woods, Light Brigandines of Vanhoover, Lighthoofs of Seaddle, Lightleafs of Cloudsdale, Little Lights of Hoofington, Lightingales and Lamp Lights of Hollow Shades.... hmm.... ah here we go just the Lights. Light family of Maretania, Light family of Germaneigh, Light family of Hayseed, and.... yes! Here it is, brilliant! The Light family of Canterlot! Still warm, too."

With a loud thud the book hit the floor sending up a small cloud of dust. An old leathery brown tome, like many of the books, with two faded belt straps on it's spine. On the cover shone a very worn stained-on image. A round buckler, with two circular separations as one moved toward the center. On the outer circle was a series of many four pointed stars, tracing the inner circumference of the buckler, each a dull brown, most likely black in a far earlier time. The inner circle featured a repeating pattern of angular shapes, resembling a labyrinth. An emblem sat in the center, a 6 pointed star, divided vertically down it's center. Very similar to the cutie-marks of Twilight, Shining Armor, and Iron. The left half of the star was a deep blood red, and the right a cheerful sky blue, intersected along the lower 3 points by a white crescent moon, nearly identical to the one on Night Light's fur. The rarely-seen Coat of Arms of the Light family. Underneath the buckler, burned into the cover of the book were the words:

"The Family of Light. Magistrates of Knowledge and Wisdom. Official record of lineage." Spike read aloud, before turning to Twilight with a confused expression. "Uh... ?"

Twilight nuzzled the little dragon and used her lavender magic to open the heavy cover, flipping quickly to the page she felt was appropriate. This particular page exhibited a family tree from the last few generations.

"Why don't you start reading here, Spike!" Twilight cheerfully motioned to the inscriptions, backing away to give him space.

"Don't worry, I think you'll know where to stop." Velvet added.

"Well ok!" Spike leaned cautiously over the tome, his slitted pupils roving over the page as he began to read, the writing and ink becoming clearer as he approached more recent individuals along the family line. "Twinkle Light weds Fizzy Figs. Begat Twilight Teal, Twilight Thimble, and Thunder Light. Envy Armor weds Amber Lamps, sires two sons, Copper Armor and Lucky Lulamoon. Copper Armor weds Thunder Light, sires daughters Light Lilly and Twilight Tempest."

Spike scrunched up his face, and turned to the other adults.

"There's kind of a lot of names in here."

"Yeah, let's skip ahead." Night Light muttered with a grin, flipping a few pages with his own dark blue magic. "Here, start here. That should save us a few hours."

"Princess Celestia, Element of the Sun, adopts Mi Amore Cadenza, who ascends to Princess Cadance of the Crystal Heart, Element of Love. Professor Night Light and Twilight Velvet sire two children, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Light. Shining Light now Shining Armor of Guardspony rank, Element of Protection. Shining Armor weds Princess Cadance. Twilight Sparkle ascends to Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic. Sires one heir.... Spike Light."

All the gears in Spike's mind came screeching to a halt, the quills on his back standing on end. The fins on his ears spread open in surprise. He stared blankly at the page for a minute, blinking slowly. Cautiously his chubby claws roved over the words on the page, as though testing them for authenticity. He'd never seen his name written this way. He'd always been Spike, and just Spike, his entire life. Sometimes he was known as Spike the dragon, but that was mostly so ponies knew who, and what, he was when he signed things. No last names, no surnames, not even many nicknames had ever been used to address him.

"Aww! Look at him! He's totally speechless!" Cadance chirped as the family awaited a reaction from the dragon on the book.

"I... I have a... a... last name?" Spike choked out, not taking his eyes off the page. "I... I... "

"You do now, sport." Night nudged his daughter. "Twi, Velvet and I have been discussing it over the last week and a half."

Spike rotated on the spot with a stunned waddle, his body trembling. He turned to face the group of ponies looking upon him affectionately, his family. His eyes brimmed with tears, his green lower jaw bobbing as he tried to form a coherent statement.

"I... I'm... I'm a... L... Light?"

"Yes you are, Spike. You've always been a light in my life." Twilight spoke gently, leaning down to embrace him as he began to weep. "I wanted to be sure that, for the rest of time, that it is known that you are mine. The Equestrian historical records now show that you are part of this family and my son."

Shining joined in the embrace. "And if you ever become a knight like me and Gramps, you will be known as Spike Armor. Which I personally think is a much cooler name."

"It also, by rank, makes you a Prince, Spike." Cadance added, joining in the embrace as well. "When you come of age, you will be Prince Spike Light. The first dragon to ever have the title of Prince in Equestria, I think."

"He will be the first." Celestia wrapper her powerful wings around the group as the rest of the adults joined the group hug. "And for all his hard work, I think it is a title he rightly deserves."

"Hear Hear!" Luna seconded. "I'm sure the crystal ponies will be delighted to learn of this news as well. I hear they are very fond of Spike's and his displays of heroism."

Spike sobbed happily into Twilight's shoulder for several minutes before slowly extracting himself. In a rare show of generosity, Prince Blueblood himself offered Spike a gilded hanky so he could wipe his tears and blow his nose. The little dragon stared around at all the ponies holding him aloft, his eyes shimmering.

"Thank you so so so much." he said meekly, looking almost ready to cry again.

"You don't have to thank us, Spike." Velvet cooed. "You've always been family to us."

"Does this mean... I can call you grandma?" Spike asked innocently, turning towards Velvet.

"Oh my, yes! Please do! All the time!" Velvet hugged the scaly bundle. "Shining and Cadance refuse to let me be a granny. And since now we know you are Twilight's son, it means I can be yours!"

"Gee thanks, mom." Shining remarked, rolling his eyes as Cadance snorted with laughter.

"Now I feel really old!" Night Light chuckled, ruffling Spike's quills.

"Oh come off it, man!" Iron Armor muttered with a cheeky smile. "This makes me a great-grandpa! As if there isn't enough physical evidence to show how bloody old I am!"

Iron Armor turned to Celestia, wiggling his mustache.

"Celestia, how do you keep yourself looking so delicate and beautiful after thousands of years? What's your secret, madame?"

"Oh! Well I find a good diet and exercise..." Celestia began.

"It's magic." Luna deadpanned, earning a glare from Celestia. "What? I'm not going to lie on such a blessed day."

Prince Blueblood howled with laughter at Celestia's look of disapproval at her sister. "Perfect timing, Auntie Luna!"

Cadance's face lit up. "Oooh that reminds me! Spike if you want to call me Aunt, please do. I'm really tired of being referred to as Princess all the time, anyway!"

"I hear that." Twilight nodded, leaning down to give Spike a kiss on the forehead and nickering gently. "I love you, Spike."

"I love you too, mom!" Spike squeaked, nuzzling into her coat, and earning several 'awwws' from the rest of the family.

"Well... " Night began, looking at his watch. "I think we need to hurry and get out of Ms.Winter's mane. Or else we're going to be late. Again. And this time without a convenient excuse!"

"Late?" Velvet asked, turning to her husband and raising an eyebrow. "Late for what?"

"Dad, Shining and I chipped in and we got the whole family reservations for lunch at your favorite restaurant, mom!" Twilight announced.

"Happy Mother's Day, ma!" Shining hollered, clapping his hooves together.

"You mean.... no... really? Reservations at Tipsy Tulip's Teriyaki Trough!? Oh my goodness!" Twilight Velvet lit her horn and plucked Spike out of Twilight Sparkle's arms, depositing the small giggling dragon on her back and galloping hastily toward the exit. "C'mon grandson! Tipsy Tuplip's! We've got a buffet to make a serious dent in!"

The quiet halls of the Archives filled with echoing laughter as the royal family departed, following the excited elder mare and the cheerful dragon. Even the usually very reserved goddesses, Celestia and Luna broke into a run, cackling loudly as they went. All the workers in the office watched in great confusion at the royal stampede. Winter Mane waved goodbye to the departing group, a satisfied smile on her face as she put the old book back on the shelf. She had witnessed an important hoofnote in history this day, and the sort of love only a family could bring. Days like this were what made her job worth it.

Pigeons, doves, and crows took to the air in panic as the ponies passed, fluffy feathers fluttering through the rays of sunshine, casting long shadows on the buildings. Through the town they ran, multiple hooves of all ages clattering noisily along the cobblestone streets of Canterlot, raising a din that sounded through the eastern block. Sidestepping bins, bakery wagons, carriages full of aristocrats, and ponies on the street. Commoners, tourists, and nobles alike gave them a wide berth, watching in utter confusion at the ruckus as it passed by. Why was the Queen of the Crystal Empire here with her husband? Why were Celestia and Luna tittering like schoolfillies? Why was Prince Blueblood in tow, running faster than anyone had seen him ever move? Why was an old mare leading the charge, a smiling baby dragon on her back? And why was Princess Twilight Sparkle chasing them both? Who were all these other ponies accompanying them? For many of the onlookers, they'd never know the answers to these questions, it was just another weird thing happening in Equestria. And certainly not the weirdest thing most ponies had experienced living in this country.

Spike turned, surveying the elegant city as it wooshed by. At one point Spike had considered Canterlot his home, and then later felt the same about his little basket in the old tree. He knew that although he still felt slightly uncomfortable in the new crystal castle, that one day it would be a home to him as well. Because as long as he had his family, he was happy. It wasn't his basket that he had missed, nor the smell of dust and old books. It was the intimacy, the communion he shared with the pony he had always considered to be his mother. And now he had that back, in spades even. He had a family now, a herd to call his own. A herd he was an important part of, even though he was born different. And perhaps, he thought, maybe he always had. Maybe he never truly realized just how blessed he was. But that no longer mattered, the past was gone and over and there was nothing he could do about it. Which was fine, because the present was a wonderful and exciting time to be alive.

Twilight caught up to her mother, diving sideways to give Spike a quick kiss on his chubby cheek, sending the little dragon into a fit of giggles as the family galloped. Things would be different now, no doubt. No more barriers, no more walls, no more miscommunication. Motherhood wasn't just a job, it was a commitment. A commitment Twilight finally felt she was truly ready and prepared for. She knew that Spike's life would always be considered an odd and challenging one. He would always stand out in a crowd, whether he wanted to or not. His confidence issues would flare up again, eventually. But she would be ready this time. Ready to be the mother he needed. Ready to support him, to tell him how wonderful he was, and remind him again that he had a family and friends that would love him always. A herd of ponies who loved a little purple dragon. And though Spike was a creature from the sea, and he would never be a pony, and he would certainly never fly, it didn't matter because... right now, in this moment...

... he felt like he was soaring.

Author's Note

And that's it.

The stairs creak as you sleep.

Days passed and the maids acquainted themselves with Twilight and her new castle. The alicorn was very talkative, they noticed, and for the most part as they worked they would nod politely and ask questions. Twilight's range of subjects would hop from philosophy to the arcane to the sciences and back again. Some days she would go out and see her friends, a group of ponies known far and wide as the Elements of Harmony. And sometimes these ponies would visit the castle instead, though usually it was only to convince Twilight or Spike to come outside. This would leave Eric and his sister, Estee, free to get the crystal palace looking in tip-top shape. It wasn't a very big palace, quite a bit smaller than the one belonging to Cadence and Shining Armor back at the crystal empire, but what it lacked in size it made up for with interior complexities. There were numerous vacant halls and rooms, stairwells leading up to the observatory spires, and on the lowest floor, a few oubliettes which after some furnishings had been made into some nice cellars. These were empty and Estee made a mental note to request Cadence to send over some wine. Eric thought this idea to be in poor taste, since the Apple family lived just nearby, and would probably be more than happy to supply barrels of cider for the cellars. Estee would argue back that Princesses should drink wine because it is a high class drink for nobles, unlike cider.

But it didn't matter who was right, really. What was important was getting the castle liveable and comfortable. Because as nice as it looked from the outside, the entire thing was a sort of deranged plant made of rock that had sprouted from the ground in a matter of minutes thanks to a magical seed. A seed which has been fertilized with the power of friendship when Twilight and her friends had finally defeated Tirek, sending him back to the underworld. Technically the castle was a tree, and trees for all their talents, weren't very good at interior design. Not even crystal trees. A few removed walls here, a fleet of extra stairs there, some buffing of rough edges, removal of dangerous stalactites, and a few nice flickering oil lamps hanging in every dark spot had soon made the castle look much more like a home than a house. And Twilight was ever grateful to the crystal ponies for their help. And they were honored to be thanked by the Princess herself, whom despite being young had made quite a name for herself as of late. But these home improvements did little to improve the mood of the real hero of the Crystal Empire, Spike the dragon.

As the days passed and the maids worked, it was obvious something was wrong with the little drake. He seemed constantly drained and seemed to avoid speaking most mornings. He was lethargic, and had mostly stopped doing his chores, letting the maids entirely take over. The only time his mood seemed to lift was when Twilight showed concern for him, but she was clearly stressed herself, due to poor dreams. Even the crystal ponies themselves were concerned and urged her to see Princess Luna, as so many others had suggested already. Twilight was stubborn but she knew at this point a good nights sleep was more important than her pride. Spike however, was taking frequent naps. It was becoming common to see the little dragon underneath a rug or curtain or curled up on a piece of furniture, snoring sweetly. It reminded Eric and Estee of their pet kitten back at home, and how often it would take naps throughout the day. Of course their kitten did not breathe fire like Spike did. Along with his energy, Spike's appetite seemed to be diminishing slightly as well, and he would apologize when he was unable to eat one of the meals Eric had made for him.

But finally Friday had arrived, and with it would be Rainbow Dash and with her the arrival of Scootaloo, who would be in Twilight's care until the following Monday. An impromptu meeting was called that morning in the castle kitchen between Twilight and the two maids, who saluted her as she entered despite begging them not to give her special treatment.

"Estee, Eric, I would like to thank both of you for your time here. You've both gone way beyond what you needed to do for me and Spike and I really can't thank you enough. I wish I could pay you to stay here longer as I've enjoyed having you here, but I also know you both would like to return home. If Cadence asks me about your work ethic I will tell her you are two of the friendliest crystal ponies I've met!"

"It was no trouble at all, Princess." Eric crowed with a deep elegant bow.

"We wanted to do it, Your Highness!" Estee continued, her deep red dreadlocks swaying as she curtsied. "After all you helped save our Queen and you are sister to our King. You and your heirs deserve nothing but the best."

Twilight smiled but cringed internally at the usage of royal titles to address her. Try as she might she couldn't get these two to drop it. It would be one of the only things she wouldn't miss about having them in the castle.

"I think I've solved the dilemma of cleaning such a large castle while also not overworking Spike!" Twilight made her way to a broom and mop that were leaning against one of the walls. She raised one hoof then brought it down with a loud clack.

A lavender aura appeared around the broom and mop for a brief moment. Then they shivered slightly, as if cold, before rising into the air and setting down on their brushes. Then they began to sweep, the broom pushing a small cloud of dirt around the room on its bristles with the mop right behind, trying to wipe the floor even though it wasn't wet.

"That's very clever." Eric stepped out of the broom's path as it brushed past him. "How did you come up with the idea of enchanting the cleaning equipment to work on its own?"

"I saw it in a cartoon at the local theater in Canterlot when I was very young." Twilight replied with a grin as the mop chased the broom slowly around the room. "With a few tweaks I should be able to get this entire castle cleaning itself every few days. You two should be able to head back to the Crystal Empire on Monday or Tuesday."

"Should we not be preparing for the arrival of Dame Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts, your ladyship?" Estee asked, sidestepping the mop.

As if on cue, there was a metallic rapping at the front doors of the castle, making the three ponies immediately turn toward it. The broom and mop paused their work as well, seeming to realize they weren't needed, and falling to the floor. Twilight scuttled out of the kitchen, making great haste on her way to answer the door. She stopped for a moment before opening to take a look at Spike who was slumped on the welcome mat.

"Spike look at me." Twilight whispered, smiling as the little dragon looked up, his green eyes focusing on her. "I know you aren't feeling well but please try to help me be a good host. I was thinking of letting Scootaloo sleep in the den with you. It'd be like a slumber party. Would you like that?"

Spike nodded groggily, something resembling a grin playing about on his snout. Twilight gave him another worried glance before finally opening the doors, revealing Rainbow Dash. Dash fluttered in, dressed in full Wonderbolt garb. As a performing military outfit, they wore a simple skintight bodysuit made of aramid fibers that could sustain quite a bit of damage. Their uniforms were bright aquamarine, very visible even against the sky, with lightning bolt shaped yellow trim around the hooves, and a broad gold stripe that began right under the jaw, went over the belly and ended at the flank of the suit where the wearer's tail was. On top of all this Dash wore a thick brown pilot's jacket that was zipped up with Scootaloo peeping out from within through the neckline. A large rucksack hung at Dash's side, filled with contents she'd need for her stay at the training camp.

"Hey Twilight! Hey Spike!" Dash called with a wave, unzipping her jacket so Scootaloo and her own small backpack could come tumbling out to the floor. "I know I'm a bit early and stuff but I wanted to get a move on. Quicker I get there the quicker I can leave and come back."

"Hi Twilight! Hi Spike!" Scootaloo echoed, clumsily dragging her backpack into the house with her teeth.

Spike waved sleepily, wobbling on his feet. Dash extended a wing around Twilight, ushering the mare away from the children for a private chat.

"Spike looks worse than before, Twi. Is he sick with something? Is he contagious? Is this a bad time?" Dash tried to keep her voice low so as to be polite.

"He's not sick. At least I don't believe he is. I think whatever is wrong might be a dragon problem." Twilight whispered back, quickly glancing past Dash to be sure Spike wasn't listening. "But I don't know what to do. None of the pediatricians in Ponyville know how to treat baby dragons. But I'm still willing to look after Scootaloo, Dash. I know this is important."

"Thank you again, by the way, for doing this for me on such short notice. I really owe you this time." Dash reached into her rucksack and pulled out a small cooler, with several child-sized plastic thermoses inside. "Scoot's diet is pretty simple. Just nutritional junk and stuff. She needs to drink at least one of these a day during a meal. It's mostly protein and hormones and pegasus magic and stuff she never got from her birth mom. Pretty important if she wants to fly properly."

Twilight flinched a bit as she used her magic to levitate the cooler into the kitchen as Dash continued pulling stuff out of the bag. "So those thermoses. That's the formula Zecora helped you with? Which means it's made of your...."

"Yes." Dash noticed the shocked look on Twilight's face. "Hey I told you and the others when I said I was gonna nurse this kid back to health, I meant it. You should be impressed Zecora even knows this stuff or else Scoot would have been in a bad spot."

"I just think it's really sweet of you." Twilight mumbled, her eyes looking glossy as she saw her friend in a new light. "You really went the extra mile for her."

"Yeah yeah, I'm a big ol' softie. I love that kid. Ah ha, here we go." Dash fished out a few small textbooks. "Okay so this is basic algebra. I don't understand math much myself, and I'm not asking AJ about math again, so I told her you'd help her out. Sorry about that."

"It's fine!" Twilight stifled a chuckle. "You know how much I enjoy helping children learn."

"Good! Oh and here's her sleeping cloud." Dash pulled a small pinkish cloud out of the bag that drifted slowly towards the floor, giving off a very subtle glow. "I made this for her and she pretty much goes out like a light on it. What else is in here, oh yeah her toothbrush, toothpaste, comb she never uses, pajamas..."

"Dash if you have all this stuff in your bag, then what is in Scootaloo's bag?"

"Power Ponies comics." Dash deadpanned, buttoning the rucksack back up and heading towards the door. "She knows, thanks to me telling her about our little comic adventure, that Spike is a big fan of the same comics she likes. I'm trying to get her into Daring Do or Harry Trotter these days. Feel free to help out with that."

Dash hovered over to where Scootaloo was sitting near Spike, unpacking her comics and toys from her bag. Sensing that the time was here for her adopted guardian to leave, the orange pegasus filly began to tear up slightly, clinging to Rainbow as the elder mare leaned down for a hug.

"Okay squirt, I'm gonna head out." Dash gently nuzzled the filly in her arms. "Be good while I'm gone."

"But I wanna go with you!" squeaked Scootaloo in a hurt tone.

"I know you do, squirt. But I can't risk you falling off Cloudsdale. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt again. I'm gonna be back in three days, okay? You're gonna have lots of fun with Twilight and Spike and I bet the time is just gonna fly by. Be on your best behavior, and make sure you do all your lessons and exercises."

"I will." came the tearful reply before the filly buried her face in Dash's chest, her voice becoming muffled. "I love you, mommy."

"Geez Louise. I'm never gonna get used to you callin' me that." Dash gasped as she caught her breath and wiped her moist eyes, leaning down to wrap up the filly with her powerful wings. "I love you too, Scoot."

And with that Dash flew out of the castle, the golden doors closing behind her with a dull thud. Leaving Twilight and Spike standing awkwardly around as a tearful filly sat on the floor, sniffling and staring at the doorway. Twilight cleared her throat, getting Spike's attention and flicking her head to motion towards the kitchen. Spike nodded and waddled slowly in that direction, as Twilight cantered over to the sombre foal, gently steering her towards the kitchen as well with one of her large alicorn wings.

"You are just in time, Scootaloo." Twilight began, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "Spike and I, and our temporary servants Eric and Estee, were just about to bake a big chocolate cake! Even with our new crystal pony friends, we need more help with making it. Would you like to provide assistance?"

That seemed to cheer the filly up. Dry her tears for a while and distract her from the short separation from her guardian. Twilight knew very well the kind of stress that came from being apart from one's family. Twilight hadn't come to Ponyville of her own volition, instead being ordered there by Celestia, goddess of the sun. It had all worked out for the best, and Twilight had fallen in love with the quaint little village, making new friends and having adventures, but those first few months had been hard without her parents or her brother there to support her. All she had was Spike in tow when she arrived. Twilight looked over at the dragon in question and couldn't help but feel her heart drop. Despite the small grin on his face, his skin still looked grey, and his eyes still looked tired. Something was definitely wrong with her little assistant, but she couldn't be sure what.

_________________

Night arrived swiftly on the final day before Dash's return, and brought with it sheets of light rain. The Ponyville weather pegasi generally preferred to schedule storms at night, so the water could soak into the ground and not be evaporated by the heat of the sun. It also made sleeping more pleasant, with the hum of droplets as they fell across the cobblestone streets and flowed down in rivulets from rooftops. Rain sparkled in the moonlight as it hit the striped spire atop Twilight's castle, the water bouncing off and smattering against the battlements before falling into the grass below. Flickering orange light from the inner bailey and keep, created by the new oil lamps, gleamed through all the small windows, giving the violet exterior an inviting mauve and orange tint. It made the whole structure glow in the night, illuminating the entire village ever so slightly.

The inhabitants within the castle itself were mostly all asleep. Twilight turned fitfully in her bed, trying to stave off nightmares. Eric and Estee rested in one of the guest rooms, having spent part of the night packing for their return trip to the Crystal Empire. Scootaloo lay curled up on a small pink cloud that had been brought for her by Dash. It hovered silently half a meter from the floor, ebbing and contorting as it kept it's occupant warm. Spike lay in his hammock, unable to sleep. It wasn't that the hammock was bad, far from it actually. It didn't have the same comfort as his old basket but it was certainly better than the bed. It was just round enough for him to curl up on, and had been filled with three downy pillows, soft enough that he could wriggle into them, but tough enough where his green back quills wouldn't damage them. He and Scootaloo's beds were near the fireplace, which still crackled with a few glowing twigs remaining, the fire lasting far longer due to magical means. As with many nights, Spike's mind was full of thoughts and questions, and the coincidence that he'd been sleeping so much lately, except now when he needed it most, was not lost on him and only served to make him more frustrated. And so his mind wandered as it often did until a particular loud pop from the fireplace embers served to wake up their new sleeping guest.

"Hmm?! What?" Scootaloo jumped up as the spark from the fireplace flew overhead, on full alert. "Who's there!? Dash? Luna?"

"It's just the fireplace. Go back to sleep." Spike mumbled, barely audible.

"Are you still awake, Spike?"

"Yup."

A gentle gust of air blew past the hammock as the foal's tiny wings flapped, pushing her cloud closer to her conversation partner.

"Why are you still up?"

"Thinking about stuff. You should go back to sleep."

The filly drifted closer to Spike, her large eyes observing him with curiosity.

"What kind of stuff do dragons think about?" Scootaloo asked innocently. "You're the only dragon I know."

Spike let out a long groan, needing great effort to turn over in the bed, his muscles still sore and weary for reasons he couldn't explain. The scruffy filly was curled up on her cloud, her lavender eyes gleaming in the embers of the fire as she stared at Spike expectantly. He knew her inquisitive nature wouldn't allow him to have peace, but maybe talking with someone would help him get the calm mind and restful sleep he so desired.

"All kinds of stuff." Spike began, scratching his head where his scales itched. "Like if I'll remember anyone."

"Remember anyone?" Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah. Dragons live a really really long time. By the time I'm grown up, everyone I know now will be gone. Sometimes I just stay awake and wonder if I'll still remember Twilight when I'm 100 years old. Or 1000 years old. Will I forget who I was? Who I used to be? Will I forget Rarity and how beautiful she is? Will I forget how Twilight raised me? Will I forget all the adventures I've had? Will Ponyville even still be around by the time I'm old?"

"That...." Scootaloo shivered. "That sounds really scary, Spike."

"It is really scary. Celestia says I shouldn't think about that kind of stuff but I can't help it." Spike whispered, panic rising in his voice. "I don't even know if dragons have souls like ponies do. Like if I'll see my friends in Valhalla after I'm gone. If I'll even have friends by then. I don't know if I'll even be able to live with ponies when I'm older and bigger."

Scootaloo was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Is that why you've been so sad?"

"No that's.... somethin' else." Spike muttered, turning over in his hammock.

"You've been sad since the day we snuck into the old library!" Scootaloo observed, scratching her chin with a hoof. "What happened in there? I ran away to get help once I saw all the smoke."

"Nothin'." Spike grumbled, growing quiet.

"Can't be nothin'!" Scootaloo chirped cheerfully. "Fluttershy says its not good to keep bad feelings inside of you. Or at least that's what she's always telling me and Rainbow."

Spike sighed and flipped back over. Maybe Fluttershy was right. Maybe it was time to open up. Scootaloo was sitting upright on her small cloud now, looking genuinely concerned.

"Can I ask you somethin' Scootaloo?" Spike whispered, his voice trembling and his throat starting to hurt.

"Yeah, anything!"

"Is... is the...." Spike began to shiver. "Is the Ponyville Almshouse nice? Are the ponies there friendly? Do you think they'd want me? Do you think they'd care that I'm a dragon?"

Scootaloo's ears folded flat against her head at the mention of her former home. "Why would you ask me that?"

"I think that I'm gonna have to go there at some point." Spike's voice became a squeal of fright as he teared up.

"It's an OK place to live I guess... but why would you wanna go there? Why not stay with Twilight?"

"Cause I'm... just her assistant. And I can't assist anymore. I can't help her. She doesn't need me to send mail. She doesn't need me to help clean, now she has magical brooms to do it for her! She doesn't need me for anything! Our books are gone and I have nothing to do! I'm useless. And I know she knows it. I know she knows it."

Scootaloo felt her hairs stand up as Spike wept. "But... what about getting her a Mother's Day present? I thought... I thought like... everything was good here."

Spike shook his head and sobbed, his small grey body trembling as he hugged his tail to his body. The hammock rocked slightly as Scootaloo pulled herself up into it from her cloud, hugging Spike in the hopes it would bring him some comfort.

"Please don't cry, Spike." Scootaloo murmured, feeling Spike's cold dry skin shift as he hyperventilated. "You're a cool dragon! You aren't supposed to be crying!"

But it did little to help, as Spike quivered. It frightened Scootaloo to feel just how cold and dry Spike felt. As with others who had seen the little dragon lately, she had noticed just how pale he had become. Normally his hide didn't feel too much different than Rainbow's pet tortoise, Tank. Or that of Pinkie Pie's pet alligator, Gummy. But now he felt like luggage, chilly and weathered, leathery even. It didn't seem natural for a dragon to feel this way. They were monsters that breathed fire after all. Scootaloo stretched her small wings out and wrapped them over Spike, trying to keep him warm. As his sobs faded a bit, Spike opened his eyes and glanced down at the sad little pony that was trying her best to comfort him.

"Your wings look longer." he croaked, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah they've been growing since Dash started taking care of me." Scootaloo spread them wide to take a look at her own limbs. "I can fly for almost 15 seconds now! Straight up! I'll get better at it."

"Is that what those exercises are for?" Spike asked, recalling how over the last few days it seemed like Scootaloo was taking every opportunity to jump from the top of stairs and flutter clumsily down to the foot, before running back up again.

"Mmm hmm!" Scootaloo nodded, smiling proudly. "Rainbow's been teaching me how to strengthen my uh... stairmina? Staminas."

"It must be great to have someone who understands you like Rainbow around." Spike mumbled, as the filly nodded in response. "A few months ago... I tried to run away... and see if I could travel with some migrating dragons and learn from them. So I could figure out what... I am. I thought they'd understand me."

"You came back I guess."

"I had to." the dragon's eyes began to tear up again. "They were horrible. They just wanted to hurt things. They tried to hurt a baby bird just cause they could. Just cause it couldn't fight back. I don't want to be like them."

"I know what that's like." Scootaloo snorted. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"Sometimes... sometimes I wish..." Spike began to shiver again as new sobs writhed from his throat. "I wish that I'd been born a pony. I wish I was just like everyone else. And then maybe... Twilight would... maybe she'd love me... and... and..."

"Be the mom you wish she was?" Scootaloo swallowed, hugging Spike tightly as he began to cry again. "I'm sorry."

Spike sniffled and wiped his face, rubbing it into the pillow.

"I know how you feel, Spike. When I'd go home after hanging out with Rainbow or those two traitors, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, I'd always feel really sad. And I didn't know why. I could have a really nice day and... I'd still feel sad at night." Scootaloo bit her lip. "And sometimes I'd cry. And I couldn't figure out why I was so sad."

"So what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I didn't understand why I was sad. I thought I deserved to be sad cause my wings didn't work and no grown-up ponies wanted me around. And then one day after school, Diamond Tiara said something that made me realize why I was sad, and it made me really angry."

"What did she say? I heard a rumor you kicked her teeth in."

"She said... Rainbow doesn't love you. Nobody does. She'd never want a grounded pegasus like me. She only hung out with me cause she felt bad for me. She'd never be my big sister, or aunt, or mom, or whatever silly things I was hoping she'd be. And I was a dumb talentless filly who would never have a family."

"Wow." Spike cringed. "What an awful little kid."

"I got so angry at her for saying that, Spike. I've never felt so upset at anything ever! Cause I thought... she was right." Scootaloo grew very quiet. "I felt so alone... and so angry that she'd make me feel guilty for wanting to hang around Rainbow. So I said some stuff..."

"Stuff?"

"Like a bunch of bad words I'm not allowed to say anymore." Scootaloo mumbled, her cheeks turning pink. "Anyway I kicked her in the mouth and stole her dumb hat and smashed it real good on the roof."

"You climbed onto the roof of Ponyville Elementary?"

"Yah! When you can't fly you get really good at climbing." Scoolatoo said in a very informative way. "But then I fell off the roof and I got a big cut on my shoulder."

Scootaloo backed away from Spike and turned to point out the small jagged scar running down her left shoulder blade.

"Ow." Spike winced.

"I don't remember much after that. I cried a lot, that's all I remember." a small smile grew on Scootaloo's face. "I just remember waking up at the Almshouse, with Rainbow and Cheerilee packing up my things. Cheerilee was apologizing about something. Rainbow was holding me and telling me... that... it was going to be ok. And after that I lived with her."

Spike wipes his eyes, grinning. The filly's infectious optimism finally making him feel less miserable.

"Well I'm glad that story has a happy ending." Spike scratched his itchy back.

"I think yours will too, Spike." Scootaloo yawned, curling up next to the dragon. "Maybe not today or tomorrow. But you're too cool to not have a happy ending."

Spike stared into the fireplace, the last of the burning twigs becoming ash, and the crackling embers having diminished almost entirely. He let out a long sigh, still not ready for sleep.

"When me and Twi went to the Crystal Empire to help Cadance and Shining Armor we weren't expecting all the stuff that happened. Sombra was really scary and even though Celestia and Luna had burned away his body centuries ago, he was still floating around. Like a big evil cloud. And he'd filled the castle with traps and weird stuff that we had to get past to stop him. Stuff not even Celestia knew about."

He turned to the filly to be sure she was listening, her eyes wide as she lay, though she looked ready to nod off.

"Twilight found these old catacombs under the main throne-room where Sombra had practiced dark magic back when he used to rule the Crystal Ponies. It was a really creepy place full of old suits of armor and statues and black crystals. There were stairs that went on forever. It was like a maze."

Scootaloo stared as Spike seemed to turn even greyer, beginning to look almost ghostly as he recalled the memory.

"I found Twilight staring into this... weird door. It looked like an ordinary wood door but it had this big black diamond on top. She was crying when I found her. There was nothing past the door just... solid crystal wall. But when I looked into it I saw... I was pulled into it... it was like a daydream but it felt real. And it made me feel so small and scared."

"What did you see?"

"I was home. Twilight was angry with me. But she wasn't scolding me. She just wanted me to leave. She told me she didn't need me anymore. She just said she'd be getting a new better assistant. And then I was outside and the library was gone. And I was big, huge like on my birthday when I stole all that stuff around town. And everyone was angry. They were screaming at me, telling me to leave town. Throwing garbage in my face. And Twilight was there with them. Ponyville isn't for monsters, they said."

Spike swallowed as he pulled one of the pillows over his cold trembling form.

"Twilight pulled me away from the door when I started to cry. She told me that it was dark magic, designed to show you your greatest fear. She said I had nothing to worry about. That she would never send me away and I shouldn't be afraid. But everything has changed so much since then. And with everything that's happened... sometimes... I wonder if any of this is real. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I never left that room. Maybe I'm still there looking into the door. And that scares me more than anything."

The quiet snores of Scootaloo and her grip on one of the pillows let Spike know that his conversation partner had checked out for the night, probably having missed the tail-end of his admissions. He wiped his eyes again and stared into the silent emptiness of the room. He still felt sad, and unwanted. But he did feel less heavy, having told someone of his troubles. And that was apparently enough to grant him the slumber he'd been craving. With a few sniffles and snorts the little dragon was asleep, his head sinking into the pillow, enjoying a rare dreamless sleep where nothing could bother him.

Twilight sat at the foot of the stairs to the den. Slowly she stood, her legs burning as her muscles, which had fallen asleep, were woken up. Quietly she crept forward, her face moist with tears. She'd come down from upstairs after yet another poor dream, hoping to check on Spike and Scootaloo. Just to be sure they were safe. They had been talking. She hadn't wanted to interrupt their conversation, not until she truly understood what was wrong with her little dragon. She stood before him, feeling her heart break as she looked down at his pale body. It all made sense now. She still couldn't identify what was wrong with his skin, but now she knew why his self-esteem had been so irregular. Her stomach clenched as she felt new hot tears form. She hadn't meant for this to happen. She'd never meant to hurt her little one. Her own little Spike. When she'd been crowned Princess, she knew many things would change, but had her devotion and love to Spike changed?

NO. It hadn't, and as Twilight leaned down, and gave the slumbering mite a gentle kiss goodnight, she knew she'd need to find some way, ANY way, to remind Spike what he meant to her. To finally make him really believe that she wanted him around as much as he wanted her. No matter what it took, she was going to fix this. She turned and quietly pranced out of the room, looking over her shoulder one last time before ascending the staircase.

"I'm going to make it up to you, Spike. I promise."