At night, Spike felt lonely.
How could he not? His bedroom, especially in comparison to his old room at the library, was massive. There was a drawer filled with his colorful outfits, his own maid attire tucked away in the center. A table with various sets of parchments and nibs was fixed to the side, the smell of freshly wrought ink on paper drifting through the air. Stacks of his own books filled the book case to the right.
It was a beautiful room, painted in various shades of violet and lilac with just the right hint of gold to offset the dark colors. In the midst of it all was Spike, sitting on his bed with his face looking straight ahead.
While it was massive and fit for a prince, Spike still felt small and claustrophobic in the room. Though bigger now than Twilight after his first growth spurt, even his size and maturity did not warrant a new room, let alone one almost twice as large as the old one he shared at the library with the Princess of Magic.
Frankly, even though Spike enjoyed the privacy and space of his new room, he missed his old room more.
“I wonder how Twilight is doing,” Spike thought, flicking his claws at the end of his long tail.
It was silly for him to think of her, after all they only lived a room apart. But for Spike it was an alien feeling, one that left him hollow on nights when he’d normally be awoken by Twilight’s snoring, or when he’d catch her trying to catch up on unfinished reports, hiding underneath the blanket to avoid the dragon’s judging stare.
He’d miss the feeling of having company; of long talks in the night when both were unable to sleep, of the comfort shared when either had nightmares, of snuggling when Spike was still small enough to do, and of the many things they’d do together as part of their routine before going to bed.
Of course, Spike didn’t really just miss having company, it was more than that.
“That does it, I’m not getting any sleep like this,” he jumped off the bed, landing gracefully on his feet.
With that the dragon made for the kitchen.
*
The boiler was the only thing making a noise in the kitchen.
Spike sat on a stool, his back to the door and a cup of tea in his claws. Of course one kettle was never enough for an adolescent dragon, so he brewed a second. Taking sips of the imported tea, he felt glad for the advancement in technology, only having to press a button to boil a water. It always used to take him copious amounts of time to either set water on the stove to boil, or risk accidentally sending a pot of water through dragon fire and, Discord forbid, pouring cold water all over Princess Celestia.
“This seems good,” he mumbled, sniffing the cup before looking ahead at the boiler. He observed its metal curves, the logo of the company that made it, and a cord attaching it to a floating yellow crystal.
“Who would have thought of suspending magic in gems for when unicorns are not around,” he asked out loud.
“We’ve had this lesson last year, Spike. It was Alessandrake Volta.”
Spike smiled. He felt a warm hoof press on his back and a snout snuggle into his nape.
“That was a rhetorical question, Twi, and you know it,” He quipped back.
“Good morning to you too.”
They both laughed before Twilight took a seat next to him in time to hear the boiler click.
“Pass me some tea?”
The drake shrugged before passing her a cup with the freshly brewed tea. She smiled and they fell into silence.
After a minute of sipping noises Twilight turned her head to look at Spike.
“So why are you up?”
Spike hesitated. “I should be asking you when you were busy doing field work today.”
Twilight blushed. “Hey, I said I’ll be back for dinner.”
The drake snorted. “Dinner does not begin at 11pm, Twi.”
She tried to come back with a reply but was stuck without one.
“If you must know, I was musing some things.” The dragon looked at her. Twilight suddenly felt small under his gaze.
The unicorn wanted to prod further but she knew it was futile to try and coerce him, knowing full well that Spike would probably tell her anyway.
Instead, she smiled at him.
“That sounds fun.”
“Well, there’s not much to do when you’re alone in your room.”
Silence again drifted back into the room, taking comfort in the lack of conversation. Of course, neither of the two enjoyed silence’s company, and eventually started looking around the room.
“Do you ever miss the past?”
Twilight had to consider the question, but she understood the undertones. She leant forward, one leg on the table in front of them, taking a sip from her cup before replying.
“I’m sorry.”
Spike waved his claws in the air. “It’s fine.”
“Spike.”
“I miss the old times, Twi.
The alicorn put her cup down.
“I missed having time just for the two of us, outside of work at least.” He sighed “Don’t get me wrong, I love the girls, but I just really wanted to spend time with you.”
Twilight felt her chest tighten, her breath hitching in her throat. She could only stare at Spike, his green eyes burning into hers. The boiler had long forgotten its ticking, its hot water a distant memory.
“I miss being in the same room as you and actually talking about stuff, I miss being there for you when you have nightmares, when you just to unwind from the day.” Spike blinked “I miss the bed time stories, the ranting about your day and research, how we messed up our day.”
She closed her eyes, memories flashing in troves. She saw Spike in a baby diaper, even though baby dragons didn’t need them. She saw Spike running above her, the Crystal Heart in his hands. She saw him being taken away by changelings, only to call for her name. She saw him beyond just being there in the kitchen with her.
Warm, but scaly limbs wrapped around her. She opened her eyes to see his green ones much closer in proximity.
“I missed you, Twilight Sparkle.”
*
Twilight was once again pondering her life decisions at four in the morning. Her earlier conversation with Spike had struck a chord deep within her, leaving more questions than her usual research lead to. Had she been a bad friend? Had she overlooked Spike’s feelings because she was too busy with other, arguably less important matters? It didn’t matter, because Twilight realized something too.
She had greatly missed the dragon herself.
Sure, they’d always be around each other. That’s a given when you live in the same castle. He always knew what to cook her for breakfast, or where the book she needed to read was. She’d never forget to buy him his favorite brand of quills, or to sneak a few of those power pony comics he liked into his bed.
But other than those times where they worked together, when had they last hanged out without the company of the other girls? She remembered when they would tell stories, read books together in silence in the foyer, and even occasionally just lounge around in the couch watching late night romcoms while taking turns jabbing at the bad clichés.
Twilight felt the hole in her chest grow tighter, since when did she last gave Spike a long embrace? Not the two second hugs after getting her parchment, but that long hold, just basking in each other’s presence?
They had been friends for as long as she could remember. Even in her endless knowledge, Twilight knew she’d rather forget her childhood before Spike than ever have to give up the thought of her assistant. So why was it that she had forgotten the poor dragon?
Spike had always been more than an assistant. Sure, he’d keep the castle in order, calming her down when her eyes would twitch uncontrollably. He would clean everything twice over so she could be comfortable. He’d keep all the books in the right place, especially the ones she needed for current research. But Spike did more than that, was more than that, far far more.
Spike was her first, and still her greatest friend.
She closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in the night air. All the alicorn could do was turn to her side and look out the window. The moon was beautiful, its soft light shining on Equestria, streaming through her windows and highlighting the bangs of hair on her face.
“Luna did an even better job than usual tonight”, she yawned.
Deciding to try and sleep before trying to talk to Spike again in the morning, she turned to her other side. Spotting the purple silhouette right across her bed, his form falling up and down in simple harmonic motion, Twilight smiled. Changing her mind, she wrapped her hoof around Spike’s larger midsection, snuggling into the side of his neck.
Her sleep was the deepest, most relaxing it’s been in months.
*
Spike woke up with a startle, smelling the smoke wafting through the bedroom. Jumping off the bedsheets and racing through the door, he paid no heed to his surroundings, barely noticing he wasn’t in his own room.
Following the thickening trail of burning air, he ran straight into the kitchen where he saw great dark clouds lifting high above the cooking pan, Twilight desperately trying to put out the intensifying fire.
“Twilight, what are you doing,” Spike hissed before turning off the stove which Twilight had turned on too high a setting.
“I was just trying to cook you pancakes,” she screamed, taking a step back as her assistant took over.
*
The princess just sat there, a sulky look painted on her face. Spike was whistling as he effortless flipped pancakes on the now clean stove, making them dance through the air in perfect arcs with every flick of the pan.
“Well, now I know why I let you cook breakfast.”
Spike just laughed.
“I was just trying to do something for you for a change,” she brushed her hair to the side, “after last night. Is that too much to ask?”
“It’s fine, I’m just glad we can spend some time together.”
Twilight smiled before speaking up.
“Spike, do me a favor?”
“Hmm?”
“Cancel all my appointments for the day.”
At this, the dragon raised his right eyebrow. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, I’ve decided to spend the day hanging out with my favorite assistant.”
“I’m your only assistant,” Spike quipped, unable to contain the grin on his face. He flung a plate of a dozen pancakes down in front of Twilight before pouring loads of maple syrup on top.
“What a good way to start the day,” the princess licked her lips, ignoring Spike’s quip.
They dug into breakfast, excited for the day to come.
*
After making a list and checking it twice, though Twilight checked it more times than she’d admit, the dragon just decided to forget about the list.
“But Spike, organization,” she whined.
“Twilight, the best plans are the unplanned ones.”
The alicorn pouted before Spike reached up to sling his arms around her shoulders.
“Oh come on, Twi. It’s a beautiful day, let’s just go on a picnic. Just the two of us, I’ll make you food.”
“Including those extra crispy hay sandwiches?”
“Including those extra crispy hay sandwiches, extra ketchup.”
With that, Twilight rushed up the stairs to get ready for a picnic.
“I swear, if that mare brings her research kit,” Spike sighed before returning to the kitchen.
*
Twilight had always found this place beautiful. Located on the edge of the forest, overlooking the various Ponyville farms, the rich green fields in front of her shone with a luscious green under the light of the sun. The trees around them were old and large, trunks thick enough to be made into houses, but the canopy tops providing more than enough shade.
She had always loved this place, being a staple part of their weekly routine in the past, always having a picnic, field research, or even the occasional hangout with Spike and the girls. Yet, for the life of her, Twilight can’t remember the last time she was here alone with Spike.
“It was the night before your birthday last year.”
Turning back to look at him, Twilight swallowed the tightness in her throat. Lying on the picnic blanket, he had a hay sandwich in one hand and was looking straight at her, almost as if he was reading her mind. For all intents and purposes, he might as well have been doing so.
“I wanted to surprise you like the old days. I was being selfish then, I wanted to be alone in surprising you.”
Her chest tightened while Spike took a bite out of the sandwich.
“You have always been my closest friend, bar none, Twilight. Yet, sometimes I wonder if the feeling was mutual,” Spike looked away, “I thought that maybe, if I brought you here alone, then we could start hanging out again like the old days.”
For the first time since their conversation earlier that morning, she felt little pins prick at her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. She had always tried to look for an answer, but right now she had far too many questions to make sense of. Breathing in, she decided to just listen.
“But, sure it was fun. You laughed and had a lot of fun. So did I. But you left after an hour, after all, you already had an appointment set up with the girls.” He chuckled, “I realized it then.”
She couldn’t find her voice, it was lost in her throat, dying along with her ability to laugh. But still, she had to make a reply.
“Realize what?”
Spike hummed, closing his eyes for a minute and then opening them again. His green eyes made her heart jump.
“Realize that, for the first time in your life, you had more than just one friend that wasn’t family.”
She blinked at that.
“For most of your childhood, you had me, Shining Armor, Cadence, and the princesses for company. But other than us, you kept to your books. For the first time in your life, you were part of a clique, a group of friends. I haven’t seen you smile the way you smiled around them in years. How could I keep you from that?”
They both breathed in deeply, Twilight trying particularly hard to stem her tears, but it was proving near impossible. The quaint homeliness of the forest only served to remind her of their childhood, and her oldest best friend. She felt the leaves rustle underneath her as Spike seated himself next to her.
“You will always be my best friend, Twi. I will always be there for you, whether from the distance or right next to you. It would be impossible to tear us apart, “ She heard his voice crack before he laughed “Besides, I have these to beat up anyone who tries.”
The dragon flexed his biceps, taking turns to kiss each, before turning to her one more time and smiling, his eyes moist with unshed turns. She tried laughing herself but she only ended up half-choking, half-groaning before bursting into tears.
They met at the center, Twilight sobbing into Spike’s chest, not minding how fragile she had become, Spike wrapping his long arms around her. They stayed like that, the only sound being the rustling of the woods and the occasional bird chirping.
Twilight felt water droplets fall on her forehead. At first she thought it was rain, but then she realized that it was Spike.
They stayed like that for a while.
“I love you.”
Neither knew who said it first, but what mattered was that they said it.
*
Twilight didn’t remember the last time she had an off day from her research on friendship, at least an off day spent with Spike.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably didn’t matter, but she knew better. What kind of princess would she be if she had forgotten her oldest, and most loyal friend? Especially one as cute as Spike.
Also, in the grand scheme of things, Spike shouldn’t have brought apple cider.
“I’m glad I could finally get this off of my chest,” Spike hiccupped before taking another swig out of the bottle.
“I thought dragons don’t get that inebriated easily,” Twilight laughed before trying to stand up.
The princess crumpled to the ground.
Spike tried to hold it in but he couldn’t, bursting into laughter. She huffed in mock indignation before turning back to Spike and, while walking, no stumbling, towards him, smiled. Spike noticed the dimming of sunlight, and the brown hues the trees were painting against the darkening skies.
Of course he knew that they should probably be getting home soon but what picnic would be complete without stargazing? Also, Spike was just looking for another opportunity to spend time with Twilight, and he’d willingly stumble in the dark for an extra hour if it meant that they’d fall down drunk together.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a warm body press against him, only to look down and see Twilight’s eyes once again staring into his. He felt a warm blush on his own cheeks, before noticing the red splattered against her cheeks. They just sat there in silence before she spoke up.
“You know, I never got to thank you.”
“Oh please, the picnic was e-
“No, for everything.”
Spike’s smile fell a little.
“You’ve been there for me even when no one else was.” She hiccupped, “you have been my closest and greatest friend, and even when it seemed like I abandoned you,”
It was Spike’s turn to feel something catch in his own throat.
“You stayed. Thank you.”
Spike wanted to come up with something to say, something full of bravado, but the alcohol, at least all three jugs he chugged, was flowing through him and all he could do was press his head against hers.
“I love you, Twi, and I could never leave you.”
She looked at him, a familiar tingle in her eyes, but Spike couldn’t quite tell where it had come from.
“I love you too, Spike.”
Spike smiled then glanced at her again, seeing her stare at him with those violet eyes.
Then she kissed him.
*
A loud banging and screeching could be heard throughout the castle, things tumbling and crashing to the ground, breaking apart and causing a massive mess.
The room occupied by the princess and her assistant was, beyond any definition of the word, a wreck. Chairs overturned, tables smashed, books strewn all over the floor, and little broken pieces of random things everywhere.
Somewhere along the walls, one could see Twilight and Spike stumbling around, drunk beyond relief, all while giggling like Pinkie Pie at any of her parties. The alicorn kept stealing cheek kisses at the dragon, and he would retaliate with his own.
Both were plastered. Both were going to be hungover zombies in the morning. Neither cared at this moment.
“So how did this happen again,” Twilight slurred before slinging her right leg around Spike.
“I was being sad, confessed to you, one thing lead to another, we brought cider. Oh you know, the usual,” he grinned, before grabbing her and pinning her softly against the wall.
She playfully smacked him on the shoulder with her hoof. “You’re a dork.”
“I’m your dork.”
He smiled before leaning down to kiss her. There she melted into his embrace, melting into the kiss, and all of her drunken feelings.
They may have been drunk, but Spike didn’t feel lonely anymore. And he knew who or what to thank. It wasn’t the alcohol, the picnic, the kisses, and the destroyed room. It wasn’t spending breakfast together nor sleeping in the same bed after months of being unable to. Loneliness isn’t remedied by a single thing or event. Loneliness is remedied by company, by people.
Spike wasn’t lonely because finally, after all this time, he finally felt that Twilight was with him again.
He kissed her harder.
*
The moon shone brighter that night, as if it was making its own light, configuring it to shine brighter than any sun, radiating everything in its area of illumination. It was beautiful, more beautiful than it had been in recent memory.
Under the sheets were two kindred souls reunited, locked in an embrace that is more than flesh meeting flesh, but memory returning to present. One cannot forgo its conclusions, nor can one jump to sensible understandings of what is to come. After all, one does not make decisions without understanding that something may ultimately transpire that is beyond their control, beyond their views.
But whatever may happen, one just has to look at Spike on the massive bed, his frame wrapped around Twilight, his eyes shut but his heart beating in rhythm with hers. Both of them smiling in their sleep.
Because Twilight might not have consciously realized it like Spike did, but they both came to terms with their presents, and what was lacking.
Tonight, Spike did not feel lonely. More so did Twilight. Tonight, they both felt love and its pervading embrace. Tonight, the moon will learn to watch over them and eventually learn to give way to the sun, and its many unknowns for the future.
“I love you.”
Once again no one knows who whispers it in their sleep.
Author's Note
Enjoy the story!
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Love you all
