Spikes & Apples

“Thanks for coming along, girls,” Twilight Sparkle said as she trotted towards the train station at a leisurely pace, flanked by her friends Rarity and Pinkie Pie. “I'm sure Spike will be happy to get a proper welcome home.”

“Proper?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow. “Have you ever given him an improper welcome?”

The Princess of Friendship blushed. “Well, there was that one time I was engrossed in a book and forgot to pick him up,” she admitted. “Plus, last year we all went to Canter Creek while he was at his Pony Trek convention. Nopony at all was here when he came home, even though it was an emergency, and he understood that.”

“Good thing I brought extra frosting then,” Pinkie exclaimed happily. As always, she wasn't really walking, bouncing was more like it. Yet the added skips and jumps didn't seem to deter her from pulling her trusty party cannon along behind her. “This'll make up for two botched welcomes for sure.”

As the trio walked onto the platform, Twilight pointed with her hoof. “Looks like we're not the only ones to come up with this idea.”

“Hey, Twilight! Rarity! Pinkie Pie!” an excited filly with a red mane and pink bow in her hair yelled while waving her hoof.

They walked over to stand beside the filly and the rest of her family. “Hi, Apple Bloom. You here to see Applejack?”

“Eyup,” Big Mac answered.

Granny Smith, on the other hoof, didn't say a word. “What's wrong with her?” Rarity asked.

“She's been in a bad mood,” Apple Bloom answered her in a whisper, “ever since the doctor told her that she couldn't travel to Las Pegasus for Apple Con on account of her bad hip this year. She's been like that all week.”

“Don't worry, I'm sure Applejack had fun for all four of you,” Pinkie yelled. “So lighten up, Granny Smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiith!”

Everypony present turned to look at the pink earth pony who seemed to be shivering at an uncontrollable rate, to the point where the vibrations impacted her speech.

“Pinkie,” Twilight said slowly. “Don't tell me that was … your Pinkie Sense going off?”

Big Mac suddenly stood straight upright, eyes wide like saucers. “Nope!” He made a mad dash underneath a nearby bench, gaze furtively cast skyward.

“Well, if it was my Pinkie Sense, then it sure was a doozie,” Pinkie mused. “Even more than with that hyyyyyyydrrrrrraaaaa, theeeeeerrreeeee iiiiiiiitttt gooooesssss agaaaaaaiiiiinnnnnnn!!!!”

Rarity turned toward Twilight with a worried look. “You don't think it has anything to do with AJ and Spikey-Wikey, do you? I hope they're not in danger.”

Twilight tapped her hoof against her chin. “I don't think so. Remember that the hydra wasn't actually the doozie last time. It was me believing in Pinkie Sense. So, judging from past experience, it could be anything, but whatever it is, I bet it's something neither of us expected when we got out of bed this morning.”

“There's the train!” an excited Apple Bloom yelled.

Whatever the doozie was, it would have to wait. For now the six ponies lined up to welcome their two friends.

The train hissed and screeched as it came to a halt. The steam hadn't yet entirely cleared when the doors opened, and they could already make out the shape of a dragon and a pony.

“Hey, everypony!” Spike greeted them cheerfully while carrying his own bags as well as AJ's.

“Welcome back!” the six said in unison.

“How was Las Pegaus?” Twilight asked.

“Did you bring souvenirs?” Apple Bloom added.

Spike chuckled. “One at a time,” he said. Since his growth spurt over the last winter, he was now a head taller than most ponies, about on eye level with Big Mac. And he seemed more mature. The growth of a dragon was a curious thing. It took immensely long to get to the next stage, but when it finally happened, it happened practically overnight. “Well, Las Pegasus was...”

“WE GOT MARRIED!”

All eyes turned on Applejack after her sudden outburst, and it was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

“Smooth,” Spike commented dryly towards his partner. “I thought we decided to tell them that we were dating for now. You know, slowly get them used to the idea of us being a couple? Or did I dream that conversation?”

“Sorry,” Applejack told him with an apologetic look. “Ah panicked. You know ah can't lie to my folks.”

Boom!

“Holy schmoozie! Now that's a doozie!” Pinkie yelled among the explosion of confetti, streamers and other party supplies. “Congratulations, you two!”

“Er, thanks,” Spike replied, using his claw to dig some frosting out of his ear.

Granny Smith was also ostensibly cleaning her ear. “Excuse me, my hearing must be going bad. What did ya say, youngin?”

“We're married, Granny,” AJ repeated with a forced smile, not sure how her family would take the sudden news, but unable to deceive them either.

“One more time?” Granny Smith demanded, getting her trusty ear trumpet out.

“She said...” Big Mac started.

“I heard 'em!” the Apple Family matron snapped at her grandson.

“Come on, sis. You're pulling our leg, right?” Apple Bloom chimed in.

“Nope,” the farmpony replied with a shake of her head before digging out a parchment from her saddlebag. “Got it black on white.”

“Let me see that,” Twilight said, not waiting for a response before seizing the document with her magic and beginning to read. Noticing that everypony else was looking at her, she cleared her throat. “It's genuine, alright. A marriage license for Apple Sauce Jack and Spike the Dragon, issued by the city of Las Pegasus.”

“Your middle name is Sauce?” Pinkie yelled in surprise.

AJ averted her eyes. “Yeah, what of it? Ah was named after Auntie Applesauce.”

“Can I call you Saucy?”

“No, Diane. Ya can't.”

Rarity had been leaning over Twilight's shoulder to get a closer look at the parchment. “You're a princess, Twilight. You can annul this marriage, right?”

Twilight gave her a look. “I don't see why I would. They're both of marrying age according to Equestrian law, and they both gave their consent. So unless they both asked me to...”

Rarity gave them a meaningful look.

“What? We don't want an annulment!” Spike said.

“Yeah, why would ya even ask that?” Applejack confirmed.

“How long have ya two been datin'?” Apple Bloom asked, apparently far more quick to accept their decision than the adults around her.

“Well, we haven't, really,” AJ replied a little sheepishly. “It just sorta happened.”

“Aw, come on! Spill! You didn't just get off the train in Las Pegasus and decided to get married, did ya?”

“According to the date on the marriage license, they did,” Twilight pointed out. “How did this come about?”

The newlyweds looked at each other, Spike scratching his cheek. “Well, I don't know, to be honest. We got on the train, settled in for the long ride, then started talking about this and that. I don't even remember what exactly we were talking about.”

“Me neither,” Applejack added. “But ah do know that the conversation ended with one of us sayin': 'How 'bout we get married?' And the other said: 'Cool.' So we made our way straight to city hall from the station.”

“And it was a good thing, too,” Spike said with a grin and a sideways glance at his wife. “That way we had the entire week for our honeymoon.”

“There was honey?” Pinkie chimed in.

“Oh, there was honey involved, alright,” Applejack said with a blush and an embarrassed smile. “And ah don't reckon the hotel staff is ever gonna get that washed outta the bed sheets.”

Then there was an awkward silence. “Doesn't anypony wanna say anything?” Spike asked nervously. He looked at Rarity.

Rarity glared back at him. “Hmph!” She turned on the spot and set off in the direction of her boutique.

“Rarity!?” The young dragon then turned towards his oldest friend. “Twilight?”

The alicorn princess had a complicated expression on her face. “Well, Spike. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about this. It seems a bit rash, to put it mildly. But, congratulations, I guess.”

“Well, ah'm happy for ya!” Apple Bloom shouted, squeezing in between the couple of the hour. “And now ah got two big brothers! Right, Big Macintosh?”

The large stallion narrowed his eyes at Spike. “Nope.” Only Big Mac could make that singular word sound irritated and menacing at the same time.

Applejack walked closer to her family. “Ain't ya the least bit happy for me, Granny?” She stared into her grandmother's eyes that seemed to be glazed over and looking far away. “Granny?” She waved her hoof in front the the elder pony's face. No response.

Twilight also came closer, cocking her head to get a better look. “I think she passed out from the shock.”

Applejack sighed. “Better bring the cart around, Big Mac.”

“Don't worry, I got this,” Spike said, squatting down and placing the unconscious pony squarely on his back, ready to carry her home safe and sound. Then he gave Applejack a smile. “Ready to go?”

She returned her husband's smile. “Yeah.”

As they set off for the Apple farm, only Pinkie remained at the train station. “Does anypony else get the feeling that from now on those two are gonna have some kind of funny little adventure that could be neatly packaged into half an hour of visual storytelling every week?” she asked nopony in particular. “No? Just me then? Okie-dokie-lokie! Lalalalala!” With that, she skipped off into the sunset.