The Return of Spike

"It's so good to see you again Spike," Twilight let go of the large frame of her adoptive brother. "I've been counting down the days since you sent me that letter saying you were coming home."

Thanks Twilight," he responded. "I thought about all of you guys a lot while I was gone."

"Well...we all certainly missed you." the alicorn beamed up at him.

"Speaking of everypony...I'm guessing that you've been keeping my arrival a secret?" He scanned the empty street in both directions. There appeared to be nopony around but the two of them. Well...almost.

"HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE'S FINALLY HERE!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!" Out of the corner of his eye, Spike caught a glimpse of a pink blur. The next thing he knew, the pink blur was jumping on him and hugging his large chest as tightly as she could.

"SPIKE!!!! You're finally back! I've been waiting so long to see you again!!" Pinkie Pie hopped of the dragon with a huge smile on her face.

"Hello to you as well, Pinkie," Spike chuckled at the pink pony's antics. "It's nice to see some things haven't changed much."

"And...you're so big now...and strong...and handsome...!" Pinkie was even more bubbly and excited than Spike could remember from the last time he saw her. Considering this was Pinkie Pie's normal state, he almost felt scared in the presence of the pink party pony.

"Sorry, Spike..." Twilight apologized as Pinkie began hopping around the pair in glee. "I really tried to keep it a secret from everypony, but Pinkie Pie managed to figure out when you were coming back and she insisted that she come along to see you before anypony else..."

"That's because my Pinkie sense started tingling," Pinkie added excitely. "It was going off like crazy a couple of days ago, and I just knew it was because you were coming back!"

Pinkie looked at both of them triumphantly. "And now...I can plan the super duper most fabulous 'Welcome Home Spike Party' I've ever planned!"

"Ok, Pinkie..." Twilight interjected. "But maybe try to keep the fireworks to a minimum this time. Last time Spike came back from the Dragon Migration, the party you threw him got a little out of hand. The mayor's office had noise complaints for two weeks afterwards."

"No problem Twilight," she responded enthusiastically. "I'll just invite the whole town! That way they'll be having too much fun to complain!"

"You have to admit, she's got you there Twilight," Spike smirked as Pinkie continued to bounce around them happily.

"Either way..." Twilight began in a serious voice. "I think Spike is probably tired from his journey and he probably wants to rest...right Spike?" She flashed him a look that said please...for the love of Celestia agree with me!

"Yeah...I could go for a rest I guess," Spike half yawned.

"Great!" Twilight replied almost too enthusiastically. "Ok, Pinkie. You now officially have my permission to tell everypony else that Spike's back and to plan his party."

"Okie, Dokie, Lokie...!" Pinkie exclaimed. "See you guys later!" Pinkie took off down the street in a blur leaving Twilight and Spike alone again.

"So..." Spike began as an attempt to fill the awkward silence. "How exactly did you manage to get Pinkie to stay quiet about me until now?"

"I made her Pinkie promise not to tell anypony until I told her it was alright," Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "I knew that she would be the last pony to break her own promise."

"That's really ingenious of you Twilight," Spike grinned.

"What can I say...I know how to handle my friends..." Twilight rubbed her chest with her hoof.

"Don't let it go to your head too much," Spike shot back playfully. "I see Rainbow Dash has become a bad influence on you since I've been gone."

"Careful, Spike. I might make you sleep outside tonight..." Twilight half joked as they approached the main door of the castle.

"Actually...I was kind of half expecting to be sleeping on the floor of my old room tonight," Spike cracked.

"Well, that's where you're wrong little...err...not so little brother!" Twilight exclaimed. "I have a surprise for waiting for you in your old room tonight. I'm willing to bet that you'll get the best sleep you've ever had on it!"

"You realize that I slept for three months on a pile of gems...right?"

"Just check it out for me will you? Please?" Twilight looked at Spike expectantly.

"Ok Twilight...if you say so." Spike smiled at her as they entered the castle.

The next morning Spike and Twilight sat at the table in the castle's dining hall. Twilight had a bowl of oat cereal in front of her, and was using her magic to eat while checking off a list of important decisions that needed to be made by her regarding her kingdom. Spike, on the other hoof, was savoring his own breakfast...a bowl of gems with a light dusting of sugar on top.

"So, Spike..." Twilight began as she looked up from her documents. "Was I right, or was I right?"

"Yep...you were right, Twilight," he replied. "It was the best non-hibernation sleep I've had in three months."

"I knew it!" she announced proudly. "I knew I could build a bed made out of gold coins! The perfect sleeping arrangement for a dragon! Cadence sent me detailed instructions you know."

"Where did you get the coins from if may ask?" Spike inquired.

"That's easy," Twilight replied. "Celestia gave me permission to take what I needed from the Canterlot vault. They have plenty to spare."

Spike looked at her sideways. "I guess we'd better make sure that we lock the door around here then. We wouldn't want ponies breaking into here trying to steal a bed full of gold coins."

"Actually...now that I think about it," he continued. You might want to keep the Equestrian Revenue Service away from the castle as well. I don't want them thinking that we're hiding money to avoid paying taxes."

"Oh relax Spike!" Twilight chided him. "Nopony's going to break in here. I've had things well under control since you've been gone you know..."

Twilight had her speech suddenly interrupted by a chorus of voices.

"Whoa...is that really Spike?!"

"Oh...oh my goodness..."

"Well...ah'll be darned..."

Spike turned to look at the three ponies standing in the doorway, then back to Twilight. "You mean like forgetting to tell me that my friends were coming over this morning?" Spike started laughing inside at the expression on Twilight's face that she made when she was interrupted.

He stood up and crossed the room to where Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack stood in amazement. "Hey you guys..." he began. "Don't be afraid, it's really me...Spike..."

Slowly the three ponies began to get over their shock at seeing the former baby dragon in his new form. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were the first to approach him.

"Wow, Spike..." Dash marveled. "You look totally awesome! You're like 20 per cent cooler! No, wait...20 per cent cooler times a hundred!" The blue Pegasus flew up and gave the dragon a hug.

"Thanks Rainbow Dash," Spike replied. "That means a lot coming from you."

"Sugarcube..." Applejack approached him. "Ah never thought that you were fixin' ta get so darn huge! Why...y'all are bigger than mah brother!" The orange farm pony wrapped her forelegs around one of his legs.

"Honest as always, eh Applejack?" Spike beamed at her. It was then he noticed Fluttershy still rooted to where she was standing before.

"Hey Fluttershy..." Spike assured the yellow Pegasus. "Don't be afraid. Just because I'm big now it doesn't mean I'm all scary and stuff."

The shy pony approached him gingerly. "Oh, I knew that Spike..." she said in her usual quiet voice. "I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. You've changed so much since we last saw you...it was kind of overwhelming at first." To everypony's surprise, Fluttershy flapped her wings until she was a eye level with Spike. She then hugged him at the base of his neck.

"I'm so glad you're back though," she said with a smile. "We all missed you so much. It just wasn't the same without you around."

"I missed all of you as well," Spike gently returned her gesture.

"Ahem..." Twilight cleared her throat rather loudly. "So...no love for me on this fine morning?"

"Come on Twilight..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "We see you almost every day. Spike has been gone for months!"

"What Rainbow is tryin' ta say here, is that we're excited to see our favourite dragon again." Applejack offered. "It's nice ta see you as well Twilight..."

As the three ponies made their way around to other side of the table to greet Twilight, Spike suddenly realized there were ponies missing.

"Wait a minute," he asked. "Where's Pinkie Pie and Rarity?"

"Pinkie is busy planning your huge party tonight," Rainbow Dash responded.

"Yeah...I knew that already." Spike acknowledged. "But that still leaves Rarity." Spike found it strange that Rarity of all ponies wouldn't have been one of the first to come see him when he returned.

"I honestly have no idea where she is," Rainbow shrugged her shoulders.

" To be honest as well, ah haven't seen hide nor hair of Rarity either, Spike..." Applejack offered.

"Well...that's strange," Twilight interjected. "I would have thought she'd be first in line to see her Spikey Wikey." Twilight did her best Rarity impersonation complete with dramatic flair.

"Maybe she's working on some big project at the Carousel Boutique," Spike mused.

"Um..." Fluttershy spoke up. "I think I know where she is. She's not at the Carousel Boutique because I picked up the mail there this morning before I came here. She's not even in Ponyville right now..."

All the ponies and one dragon looked at the yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy shrank a bit behind her mane as they stared at her.

"Well?" Rainbow Dash finally spoke. "Where the hay is she then?"

"She's in Canterlot..." Fluttershy stated .

"What's she doing there?" Twilight interrupted. "Is she checking on how the Canterlot Boutique is doing? Is she making business contacts? What about finalizing designs for a fashion show?"

"She's...um...she's there with somepony..." Fluttershy admitted. Spike suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Who...?" Applejack eyed her suspiciously.

"Her...coltfriend..." Fluttershy answered nervously.

"COLTFRIEND?!!" Fluttershy shrank even more behind her mane with her friends outburst.

Spike's stomach continued to sink although he tried really hard not to show it.

"When in the name of Luna did Rarity go and get herself a coltfriend?!!!" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. "Why the heck didn't she tell any of us either?!"

"That doesn't sound like Rarity at all..." Applejack agreed.

"To be fair...she didn't tell me about him until a couple of weeks ago," Fluttershy admitted. "I found out about it on one of our trips to the spa. She met him at the last Grand Galloping Gala, and they've been corresponding by letter ever since. Finally she got a chance to go see him about two months ago when she went to Canterlot on business. Then she saw him again on another business trip."

When nopony interjected to Fluttershy's explanation, she continued on. "Rarity told me last week when we went for lunch that she was going to Canterlot to see him again. But this time it was going to be a personal trip."

"That still doesn't explain why she didn't tell anypony but you Fluttershy..." Twilight responded. "She certainly didn't keep me in the loop, nor did she do the same for the rest of her friends."

"She was going to tell you all about him after she got back from this latest trip," Fluttershy assured the assembled group. "You all know what Rarity can be like and her experiences with Stallions. She wanted to make sure this was a potential special somepony."

"Is it serious...?" Spike spoke up

"I'm really not sure Spike..." the yellow Pegasus shook her head. "I'm like everypony else, I've never met him either. But it seemed like she wanted a serious relationship, even though it's long distance right now."

Fluttershy looked right at Spike. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way Spike, I know that you and Rarity had a special kind of relationship before..."

Spike didn't really know what to say at this point. It didn't completely surprised him that Rarity had found a stallion to be her special somepony. But a part of him still harbored feelings for her...and that part of him may have ultimately been responsible for his leaving in the first place six months ago.

Noticing that an awkward silence had fallen over the room, Fluttershy spoke up again. "Anyway...I should really be going now. I need to go back home to make sure Angel is ok. I left him alone this morning. I'll see all of you tonight at Spike's party..."

The yellow Pegasus began to leave but then stopped. "I just remembered...Rarity said she was coming home today. I know approximately when her train will be, so I'll meet her at the station and tell her about tonight. It's the least I can do considering I didn't tell any of you about where she went and who she was seeing."

Fluttershy turned and almost ran out of the room without waiting for anypony to respond.

There was more awkward silence between the ponies and dragon standing in the dining room.

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash shifted her eyes from side to side. "I should be getting going as well...I'll see all of you later on tonight..." She spread her wings and flew out of the room.

"Ah best be goin' as well then..." Applejack announced. "Ah've got some things ta take care of at Sweet Apple Acres before ah can come to the party tonight. Give mah regards ta Pinkie when y'all see her, ya hear?" The orange Earth pony trotted out of the room leaving Twilight and Spike behind.

Noticing that Spike was staring off into space, Twilight approached him from the other side of the table.

"Are you ok right now Spike?" She inquired with a hint of worry in her voice.

Spike looked at her with an expression on his face that was a mixture of confusion and surprise with maybe even a hint of sadness. To be honest with herself, Twilight couldn't really tell what he was thinking. It was if he was trying to choose his words very carefully.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he managed to find his voice.

"I guess things have changed around here since I've been gone," he said in a voice that almost rivaled Fluttershy for its quietness.