Spike let out a sigh of relief as he raised his quill and sketched down the final check mark on the shopping list for the castle's larders. "All right, that's one big bag of hayfries for the sleepover later this week. That should be everything!"
Twilight smiled, tucking the bag of uncooked hayfries into their shopping cart. "Excellent. That's all the essentials, plus some goodies. Do you need anything, Spike? Or should we just head by the jewelry store after this and pick up a few nice gems?"
"I'm good on regular groceries. I'd definitely like to pick up a few choice cuts from Odds And Gems, though," Spike said, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth as he contemplated the gems that awaited him at his favorite store.
Twilight giggled. "All right, then. Let's get these things home, and then we'll run out and get some tasty gems for you."
Spike grinned and nodded to Twilight, hopping up onto her back for a ride to the checkout as they made their purchases and left the store. It was always a bit odd doing mundane things with Twilight. So many ponies didn't know how to act, and they tended to stumble over themselves to try to be polite and respectful. Twilight always took it in stride, though, smiling and keeping patient. Even though she'd been going to this grocery for several years, now, the cashiers still got a bit nervous. Twilight hefted their bagged groceries in her telekinetic field and stepped out into the brisk morning air. The trees hung heavy with snow, and the streets were slick and cold. Spike was happy for his spot atop Twilight. Twilight pulled a scarf from her saddlebag and wrapped it around her neck as she trotted out into the street, letting out a content sigh as she took in the sights of Ponyville in winter. "Snow never loses its magic, Spike. It's just as wondrous and beautiful as the first time I ever saw it as a filly."
"I think it's great," Spike said, smiling at Twilight. "Maybe after we go gem shopping, we can get out and build a snowdragon!"
"That sounds like fun! Maybe Starlight will want to come along, too. What do you think?"
"Yeah, we should totally drag her outside," Spike said, laughing. "She's been stuck in the library all morning, I'm sure she'd enjoy a break."
"Stuck?" Twilight said, glancing over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes slightly. "She volunteered to help re-shelve the books."
Spike smirked. "Yeah, after you made a fuss about how she forgot to put away a bunch of books after a late-night reading session."
Twilight rolled her eyes in mock-irritation, but the slight redness in her cheeks gave away her embarassment. "Well, okay, maybe I insinuated that she should straighten up the library after using it... but I'm not wrong! It's important to keep things neat and tidy. What if you needed to reference a book and it wasn't on the shelf where it should be?"
Spike snorted. "Sounds like a real nightmare."
"Precisely! So, I—" Twilight paused, catching on to Spike's sarcasm. "Hey!"
Spike laughed. "Sorry, Twilight."
Twilight shook her head and forged through the cold streets, heading for the castle once more. The walk was in amicable silence, the happy sounds of Ponyville filling the air. Fillies and colts played together in the snow, laughing and squealing as they endured snowball fights and built snowponies. The adults were more mellow, some shoveling walkways or sitting out on porches sipping hot drinks. The rush of a brisk winter wind blew past Spike's face, and he shivered happily. Even though it was cold, he was always warm thanks to his hot-blooded nature. The winter wind grew far stronger, however, and a shadow rushed along the ground. Spike squinted, wondering if the weather ponies were rolling in clouds for another snow flurry. The sound of happy laughter turning to shrill shrieks of surprise made him look up into the sky in bewilderment.
Above Ponyville, flying in looping circles, was a positively massive dragon. Spike's eyes widened, and he pointed up at it. "Twilight, look! There's a dragon!"
Twilight, lost in thought as she examined a list of objectives for the day, hummed dismissively. "One moment, Spike, I need to make sure—"
Spike wasn't waiting for whatever excuse she had to ignore him, and he physically grabbed her mane and tugged on it, making her yelp in surprise as her head was angled up. Her protest died on her lips, though, and she gasped. "There's a dragon!"
"That's what I said!" Spike said, jumping off of her back as she stopped in her tracks.
"Dragon Lord Ember didn't say she was going to send any envoys, did she?" Twilight asked, her eyes watching as the massive dragon circled lower, angling towards the central square of Ponyville.
"Not for another two months!" Spike said, gritting his teeth with worry.
"Then this dragon is extremely early... or not an envoy," Twilight said, grimacing as the dragon touched down in the town square and disappeared behind some houses. The dragon was not gone from their sight for long, however, as it raised up and towered over the rooftops of Ponyville, it's wings stretching open menacingly.
"WHERE IS MY EGGY?!" The dragon roared, it's voice carrying easily across the town and causing the nearest snow-laden rooftops to quake, creating miniature avalanches as the soft snow on the roofs fell to the streets.
"Definitely not an envoy," Spike said, his ears drooping slightly.
Twilight frowned, and looked down at Spike. "Well, let's go and confront this dragon. Maybe we can find out what it wants and resolve things peacefully." A jet of green flame issued from the dragon in question, accompanied by an angry roar, and Twilight's ears drooped. "I really hope it's just having a bad day."
"A bad day for a dragon tends to be a bad day for everybody around the dragon. I'd know," Spike said, grimacing as he hopped back onto Twilight's back, and the two of them took off towards the center of town. They passed through the market on their way to the town square, and were met by Applejack and Fluttershy. Their friends galloped over, glancing between Twilight, Spike, and the dragon.
"Friend of yours?" Applejack asked Spike with a wry grin.
"Not even," Spike replied, blushing in embarassment. "Sorry, I wish it were, then maybe I'd know what to do!"
"She seems really cranky," Fluttershy said, her legs trembling slightly as she watched the dragon with wide, frightened eyes.
"She?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, yes. Female dragons often have a distinct skeletal structure that makes them easy to pick out. It's the hips, really," Fluttershy explained.
"Oh. Well, I guess we should go see what she wants," Twlight said.
"Lead on, sugarcube. We've got your back," Applejack said solemnly. Twilight gave her a nod, and the four friends trotted cautiously through the market and into the town square. When they arrived at the town square, the scene before them was one of chaos. Mayor Mare was evacuating the town hall out the rear entrance, and ponies were spilling from the building at a blistering pace. The massive dragoness was watching them with irritation, growling. As they moved into the open, they were joined by Rainbow Dash, who flew in from above and landed behind the group.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said hurriedly, looking at the dragoness with a worried grimace. "Did you piss off the Dragon Lord or something?"
"I promise, this isn't my fault this time. This dragoness just landed out of nowhere," Twilight said.
"Twilight!" Shouted a familiar, posh voice. Spike grinned as Rarity arrived from a side street, approaching the rest of the group at a fast trot. "I heard the commotion and figured that we'd be needed," Rarity said, slowing down long enough to run a brush quickly through her mane. "Is it the dragon envoy, or something else?"
"Not an envoy. I'm going to go talk to her, you should all stay here. If I need you, I'll let you know, but we don't want to provoke her by all approaching at once," Twilight said.
"Twilight, I'll come with you," Spike said. "We obviously need a draconic touch, here."
"Actually, if she's having a territory issue, she might get more upset when she sees another dragon," Fluttershy said quickly, giving Spike a gentle pat on the head. "We should let Twilight handle it at first, and then if she's safe for you to speak with, you can help, okay?"
Spike frowned, but realized that Fluttershy had a point. "Yeah, okay. Just, be careful, Twilight."
Twilight smiled at him over her shoulder and leaned in to give him a gentle nuzzle on the nose. "Thank you, Spike. If she isn't going to be a danger, I'd definitely like you to talk with her."
"Of course! I'll be the dragon ambassador," Spike said, smiling and hopping off of Twilight's back. Twilight cast her friends a slightly nervous smile before looking back towards the angry dragoness. Twilight took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and flared her wings out, and then held her head high and she marched out to confront the dragon. Spike watched with apprehension, chewing on his claws, and Rarity took a step closer to him and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
"Never fear, Spike. Twilight is more than capable of handling an angry dragoness," Rarity said gently.
"Y-yeah, I know. Still, it's scary," Spike said, his eyes locked on his big sister figure. As Twilight drew nearer to the dragoness, the massive beast took notice of her approach and turned to face her, dropping down onto all fours and lowering her head down to peer at Twilight with an irritated curiosity glittering in her purple slitted eyes.
Twilight cleared her throat and spoke with a calm authority. "Welcome to Ponyville. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, and if there's anything I can do for you, I'm here to help."
"I AM LOOKING FOR MY EGGY. IT IS HERE, SOMEWHERE," The dragoness bellowed. Now that they had a moment to really look at her, the dragoness was a massive beast with peridot scales and bright amber crests running along her back and head. From tip to tail, she stood taller than the town hall by about a full ten feet.
"An... eggy? Do you mean an egg?" Twilight asked, slightly confused.
"YES, PRINCESS. MY EGG. IT WAS LOST TO ME, BUT NOW IT IS FOUND, AND IT IS HERE. I CAN SMELL IT," The dragon peered around, her tail lashing in agitation. "HAVE YOU SEEN MY SWEET EGGY?"
"W-well, no, I haven't seen any dragon eggs around!" Twilight said, casting a nervous glance towards her friends.
"LIES!" The dragon leaned forward, inhaling deeply as it towered over Twilight. "NOT ONLY CAN I SMELL IT, BUT YOU CARRY THE SCENT! YOU HAVE MY EGGY!"
"I swear, I don't!" Twilight protested, backing up several steps at the dragon began to growl. "Girls!"
Spike was biting his claws as he watched the rest of his friends rush out to Twilight's side—save Fluttershy, who seemed paralyzed—but he was frozen in place. His stomach rumbled ominously, and he felt like he was going to be sick. The dragon let out an angry roar, and Twilight cast a shield spell over herself as a wash of green fire spilled from the angry dragon's mouth and briefly engulfed her. Applejack went to the side, drawing a lasso out of her saddlebag, and tossed it over the dragon's mouth, closing the angry jaws with a snap. The dragon snorted in surprise. Rainbow Dash began flying circles around the dragon's head, keeping her focus elsewhere while Pinkie Pie and Rarity went to check on Twilight. "Oh, gosh, I should do something! Come on, feet!" Spike said, growling at his inability to act. He felt really sick now, like he was going to...
With a rumbling belch, Spike spewed green flame from his mouth, and reached forward on instinct to catch the scroll that materialized out of it. It was sealed with Princess Celestia's emblem, and was marked 'URGENT - OPEN IMMEDIATELY'. Spike didn't hesitate, pulling open the scroll and reading frantically. "Twilight, I have met with a dragon that seems to be..." Spike's voice trailed off as he read, his mouth going dry. He looked up slowly.
Twilight kept her shield up, the violet surface of the arcane ward shimmering in the residual heat of the dragon's breath. "Please, I don't want to fight you! I want to help, but I can't if you're going to be unreasonable!"
"Woah, Nelly!" Applejack cried as the dragon shifted up onto her back legs, lifting the sturdy earth pony off the ground and leaving her dangling in the air by the lasso gripped in her teeth.
"Hang on, AJ!" Rainbow Dash said, darting in for a fast kick of the dragon's nose, making it snort in irritation and turn its attention to her. "Come on, ya scaly jerk! Pick on somepony your own size!"
"Rainbow Dash, you're smaller than AJ!" Pinkie Pie pointed out, pronking precariously past the dragon's swiping tail.
"Fine," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes, "Pick on somepony at your eye-level!"
The dragon reached up with preternatural speed and grabbed Rainbow Dash in one massive, clawed hand. "VERY WELL."
"Oh crud, not again! Help!" Rainbow Dash squeaked inside the tight grip, struggling to escape.
"HOLD IT!" Came a roar from below, and a brilliant plume of emerald flame shot up past the dragon's face. The dragon froze, her eyes wide, and looked down slowly. There before her stood Spike, panting with the exertion of spewing such a large burst of fire, but he straightened up immediately and pointed up at the claw holding his friend. "Put her down. You don't want her."
"Spike! Don't, she's—" Twilight started, but was quickly stopped by Spike.
"It's okay, Twilight. She's here for me," he said, and looked up at the dragon and swallowing hard. "Right?"
The dragon slowly loosened her grip on Rainbow Dash, allowing the pegasus to fly free from her grasp. Rainbow Dash shot back into the air, achieving a safe distance before turning around and growling aggressively. Spike ignored the angry pegasus and approached the dragon, stopping a dozen feet or so away. The dragon's head lowered down, peering at Spike down her long muzzle. Spike walked closer, ignoring the concerned murmurs of his friends, and reached a hand out slowly, his claws trembling as the female dragon pushed her nose into the palm of his hand. She inhaled slowly, and her eyes closed for a moment, taking in a sense-memory, and the next rumbling words from her mouth were quieter than she'd spoken thus far.
"Child, you were lost."
"I didn't know I was lost until you found me," Spike said, his voice cracking as he ran his hand along her head.
"I thought you lost for good, but the Dragonlord told a tale of a dragon raised by ponies. My clutch had been lost in pony lands. I had hope, for once... that I might find you. I went to Princess Celestia, and she told me where to look, and I came here immediately..." she spoke, her voice rumbling and powerful, but Spike could feel the emotion beneath the words.
"Spike?" called a familiar voice, one filled with concern and confusion. Spike turned away, keeping one hand on the dragoness' scales, and faced Twilight.
"Twilight, Princess Celestia sent a scroll. I dropped it, but..." Spike turned to look at the dragon beside him. How to say the words?
Fluttershy approached timidly, the scroll clutched in her mouth, and she offered it to Twilight. "You left it next to me, back where we were hiding," she explained.
Twilight took the scroll and opened it with her magic, and read aloud. "Twilight, I have a met with a dragon that seems certain that the egg we retrieved from the Canterlot black market some fifteen years ago was one of hers, from a clutch that had been stolen from her nest. That egg was once in your possession, but you hatched him a long time ago and..." Twilight's telekinesis failed as she sat down heavily on her haunches, and she looked up at Spike, her eyes wide.
Spike glanced up at the dragon, taking in the swept-back crests that looked so much like his own, the peridot scales that matched his own light-green colored belly, and the green flame that she had breathed earlier. He'd never met another dragon that could breathe green fire, not in all of his travels through the dragonlands. "Twilight," he said, swallowing hard, "I think she's my mom."
"I know you, child. Do not think. Come close, and know," She said, and she nudged him closer to her with her head, curling around him, one massive hand reaching out to rest on his back gently. Spike closed his eyes and he was pressed against the warm scales of the dragon. He could hear her breathing, feel her scales, smell her... that smell stirred something inside him, made his eyes well up with tears.
"I don't even know your name," Spike said gently, afraid to hurt her feelings.
"I am Amethyst," she said.
"Amethyst..." Spike said slowly, tasting the name on his tongue, savoring it. He stepped away, and Amethyst allowed him to leave the close embrace and lifted back up into a seated position once more, peering down at Spike. Spike smiled and turned to Twilight, and froze on the spot as he saw his big sister—the pony who had been raised alongside him—looking stricken and upset. Spike ran to her and stopped short, reaching out for her. "Twilight, are you okay?"
"I—" Twilight's voice caught as she held back a sob, but tears began to fall down her cheeks, and she blushed in embarrassment. "I never thought about... how you might have a mother. I never thought to look, or ask Ember, or even talk to Princess Celestia about it."
Spike was taken aback. Was she upset with herself? He almost laughed, because it was very much like her to suddenly think of things like this. He reached up and grabbed her around the chest in a hug. "It's okay, Twilight. I didn't either. You, Shining Armor, Velvet, and Night Light were all the family that I ever knew or needed."
Twilight smiled, wiping away her tears, and she reached over and returned the hug. "You're right, I'm sorry."
Spike let Twilight go, and looked to Amethyst, who was watching with some surprise. Spike grabbed Twilight by the hoof, and led her closer to Amethyst. "Twilight... this is Amethyst. Amethyst, this is Twilight. She's my sister."
Twilight swallowed hard and suppressed a nervous smile, raising up one hoof to wave at the massive dragoness. "Uh... hello! That wasn't the way I'd have liked to meet you, Amethyst, but I hope we can all move past that."
Amethyst bent down to eye-level with Twilight, and a pink blush colored her scales. "I apologize, Twilight. I was upset at the idea of my sweet eggy being kept from me, and instinct overwhelmed rationale."
"Sweet eggy?" Asked Spike, blinking.
"Yes. I often called you 'eggy'. Because you were my egg," Amethyst explained, her pink blush deepening.
"Oh, that's precious!" Twilight said, giggling.
"Your friends are all unharmed?" Amethyst said, looking beyond Twilight to the rest of her friends, who were watching the scene with a mixture of emotions.
Twilight looked back to her friends, motioning them over. "I think that we're all fine." She smiled at everypony in an encouraging way.
Spike smiled, pointing to his friends. "Amethyst, these ponies are all my friends."
Amethyst smiled uncertainly at the collection of tiny equines. "Hello. I'm Amethyst. I am Spike's mother."
"Pleased to meet you," Applejack said, waving up at the dragon. "I'm Applejack," Applejack pointed to Rainbow Dash, who was keeping her distance still. "And this angry critter here is Rainbow Dash. Sorry about ropin' y'all's snout."
Amethyst frowned in concern, and gestured towards Rainbow Dash uncertainly. "I'm sorry if I harmed you, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash frowned for a moment, considering how to respond, but after a glance at Spike's excited expression, she sighed and waved a hoof nonchalantly. "It's no biggie. I've been squeezed harder by Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said, pointing towards where Pinkie Pie was standing. Pinkie Pie was making a sort of prolonged 'eeee' noise, her typical bouncing replaced with a vibration of excitement. She finally exploded into motion, shouting something unintelligible, and disappeared in a cloud of confetti. Rainbow Dash watched her leave, nonplussed, and shrugged. "Yeah. That's Pinkie Pie."
"I'm Rarity," Rarity said, approaching the large dragon with a confident air, and she made a little curtsy. "It's very excellent to meet you. To think, you've been searching for your missing child for so long!" Her voice took on a dramatic air, and she sniffled as tears welled up. "And, finally, to be reunited!" She bit her lip, sniffling again, and blew into a handkerchief. "It's all very moving!"
Twilight smiled at Rarity, and gestured back, to where Fluttershy was huddled uncertainly behind a bench. "And that's Fluttershy. You'll have to excuse her, she's afraid of dragons."
Spike giggled at that, feeling excitement bubbling inside him. "I'd love to show you where I live, and what I do. Would you want to see?"
"Yes!" Amethyst said, sitting up. "There's so much to discuss, and learn."
"Great!" Spike said, straightening up and gesturing around. "Well, this is Ponyville, where I live! Well, I live in the castle over there."
Amethyst stretched her neck up, peering over the rooftops towards the castle, and she glanced down at Spike with surprise. "You live in that?"
"Yeah! It's pretty great. Like living inside a giant gemstone! But the crystal isn't really very tasty," Spike added hurriedly as he noticed a curious look in Amethyst's eyes. "Trust me, I've checked."
Twilight smiled, "How about I leave you two to it, then? Spike, come by the castle in a bit, please. I need to tell Princess Celestia what's going on." Twilight turned to her friends, motioning them close. "Come on, everypony. Let's let them get acquainted, and let everypony in town know that there's nothing to worry about. I want to talk to you all, anyway."
Spike waved as everypony trotted off, and turned to face Amethyst. "There's so much to show you!"
"May we... speak for a bit, instead? I have so much I want to ask you, child," Amethyst said, settling down on her belly and craning her neck down so she could speak to Spike without towering over him.
"Well, sure!" Spike hopped onto a nearby bench and sat down, smiling at her. "What do you want to know?"
Amethyst stared around Ponyville for a long moment, taking in the town and environment. It was very quiet, now, between the no-doubt hiding ponies and the snow-covered landscape. She looked back down at Spike, finally, and asked, "Have they been... taking good care of you?"
"Uh," Spike said, surprised. "Yeah, they have. Twilight... she hatched me, and Princess Celestia made sure that I had a home with her family. Velvet, Twilight's mom, she treated me like one of her own children. She's..." Spike blushed a bit. "I hope you understand, but to me? She's mom."
Amethyst nodded. "So, you were not really taught much about the dragon ways, then?"
"Well, Princess Celestia helped me a lot as I grew up, teaching me things, but it wasn't until a year or so ago that I decided to really get in touch with my inner dragon. I actually joined the migration, and met a few dragons. It was exciting, but I came back here, because... well, because I didn't fit in with the dragons." Spike grimaced. "I'm not very aggressive, and all the dragons I spent time with during the migration were pretty harsh to me. But, I got to figure things out, and when the Dragonlord retired and passed on the mantle, I came and helped Ember become the next Dragonlord. That's how I became the diplomat between the Dragonlord and the ponies!" Spike smiled, puffing his chest out a bit.
"Ah, I had wondered how that had happened. I'm glad that you've done so much to distinguish yourself," Amethyst said.
"Yeah. I've grown up around the ponies, but I'm trying hard to be the best of both worlds, now. There's a lot to being a dragon that I don't really understand, but Ember has been helping me, and I'm always learning new lessons thanks to Twilight and her friends."
Amethyst smiled at him. "So I see. You hold a position of esteem with the royalty of Equestria, are envoy to Dragonlord Ember, and are the adopted sibling to one of the Princesses." She sighed a slow sigh, filled with content. "That is good. To know that you were taken care of, and allowed to explore your heritage. I was worried."
"You have nothing to worry about, I promise. The ponies all have been really good to me. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I've not only had the village, but the royalty of the country as well!" Spike glowed with pride. "I've learned so much about myself, and I've never felt unwelcome here. Sure, maybe some odd looks when I first came here, but everypony has accepted me as a part of Ponyville."
Amethyst laughed gently. "I'm happy for you."
"So, uh... do you have anything else you want to ask?" Spike said, wondering if she had any other worries that needed to be addressed.
"I would love to see where you live," Amethyst said, standing up and stretching her wings.
"Sure!" Spike said, hopping up from his seat on the bench and moving towards the road. He paused and considered the size of the dragoness and the relative size of the road, and blushed. "Uh, it might be a little cramped. So, watch your tail?"
Amethyst smiled a wide, toothy grin, and crouched down. "I have a better idea." Without warning, she picked Spike up and held him close to her chest, cradled in both arms. Spike blushed as he was held close, trying to relax as she began to beat her wings. With a few powerful strokes of her wings, she was in the air once more, and she rose up into the sky over Ponyville. She banked and turned, holding Spike tightly all the while, and he smiled as he enjoyed the sensation of flight. Amethyst wheeled over the castle's topmost points, circling down into a soft landing in front of the main entrance. She smiled down at Spike and gave him a little affectionate squeeze, before setting him down on the ground.
"That was cool," Spike said, looking up at her massive wings with some envy. "I can't wait to get mine."
"You will, Spike. It is just a matter of time and age, and you will be able to join me in the sky soon enough. Or your speedy pegasus friend," Amethyst said with a wink.
Spike smiled at the thought as he trotted up to the large double doors into the castle. "Um, I don't think you'll be able to go in very far, and you might have to back out..." Amethyst nodded in understanding, tucking in her wings tightly, and Spike opened up the double doors and walked into the great hall. "This is the castle. My room is upstairs, but I don't think you'll be able to get there."
Amethyst, for her part, was crawling on her belly, and her wings still barely fit through the front door. She stopped and wriggled her hips a bit to get through the front door, but then she was inside. She stayed crouched down, and let out a little snort of amusement. "This is the first time I've been inside a castle."
"It's... like a weird cave, I guess? I like it, anyway." Spike said, giggling as Amethyst scrunched down low and avoided a hanging banner. "The library is right here. It's where I do most of my work." Spike opened the nearest door, and frowned as he realized Amethyst would not be able to get inside. "Well, you can stick your head in, at least."
Amethyst did manage to fit her head through the door, but her shoulders would not fit, so she lay down and peered through into the Library. Her eyes widened at the massive collection of books. "Amazing."
"Yeah, it's really something. Twilight worked overtime after the original library was destroyed, but we've probably got twice the books that the old place did!" Spike said, gesturing around. "I help Twilight study magic and things here, and I work keeping things cleaned and ordered."
"This is... your hoard, then?" Amethyst asked.
"Oh, I don't really keep a hoard... the last time I did, I got too greedy, and the greed made me crazy. I had a huge magical growth spurt because of it," Spike said, blushing.
"Ah, yes. Greed is a dangerous thing, but all dragons have hoards. It is a part of our psychology," Amethyst explained, looking around at the books with interest. "You might not realize, but some deep part of you must treasure this place, and if you work to keep it safe and well-ordered, then..." Amethyst probably shrugged, based on her head movement, but since her shoulders were in the other room, it was hard to tell.
Spike stared around the room with a new appreciation for the library, his eyes growing wide. "I... never really thought about it like that. Maybe it is sort of my hoard." He blinked. "But, I don't have any problem sharing it with Twilight, and I never feel angry when ponies borrow books."
"That means your instincts are under control. Dragons often are fine with family being near their hoard, and a well-balanced dragon often is fine with concepts like borrowing." Amethyst smiled with pride. "It means you are a good dragon, Spike."
Spike blushed, and on impulse, he walked over to Amethyst and gave her a hug on the side of her face. Amethyst leaned into the hug, humming happily. "Thanks... mom."
Amethyst's eyes widened in surprise, and she snorted in irritation suddenly. "You have to come out into the hall, Spike. I want to give you a hug, and I can't like this." Spike laughed gently, and once Amethyst had pulled her head out of the doorway, he ran out and into her open arms. She picked him up completely and practically crushed him to her chest, laughing happily. As they parted their embrace, Twilight and the rest of the girls arrived, minus Pinkie Pie. Spike smiled at them, but Twilight looked serious, and he looked at her with concern.
"What's up, Twilight?" Spike asked cautiously.
"Spike... I need to talk to Amethyst. Is that okay?"
Spike glanced up at Amethyst, and shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Is something wrong? Because, if there is, I want to know what's going on."
Twilight bit her lip. "I just..." Twilight sighed. "You have to understand, Spike, you're my little brother. It's my job to protect you, and I need to make sure that Amethyst is actually your mother."
Spike flushed, feeling upset. "Twilight, come on. She has the same color scales. Same headcrest shape. She even breathes green fire!"
"I know, Spike, but I have a spell that can tell us definitively if she is your parent or not. I just need a scale from both of you, if that is fine, and we can move on," Twilight said apologetically, her ears going flat.
Amethyst frowned, tensing up. "Very well. After the discourtesy I showed you earlier, I can understand some distrust."
"We just wanna make sure that everything is as it seems," Applejack said, pulling her hat off her head in a contrite gesture.
"Indeed. We all want for Spike to know his real parents, but the suddenness of your arrival, and with no confirmation..." Rarity added, looking down at her hooves briefly. "You do understand, don't you? We want what is best for him."
Amethyst stared at the ponies for a moment before relaxing slowly, her head lowering into a less aggressive stance, and she smiled. "You all do care about Spike deeply, I can see that." She reached back towards her shoulders and plucked a scale from there, and offered the peridot plate to Twilight with care.
Spike blushed, glancing at Amethyst, and then back to Twilight. "I guess I get it. Well, let's get it over with," He said, and he plucked a scale as well, offering the much smaller purple scale to Twilight as well.
"Thank you. Both of you," Twilight said, and she took both of the scales in her telekinetic grasp. The green and purple scale floated before her, and Twilight began to murmur under her breath as she drew an arcane circle on the ground with her magic. Spike watched with a growing sense of apprehension. His gaze traveled from the magic spell being performed to Amethyst. She stared at the violet magic with a stoic resolve, but her jaw was clenched. She was nervous, too. Spike reached out slowly and grasped onto her clawed hand with both of his.
"No matter what... I'm really happy I met you," Spike said softly. Amethyst tore her gaze away from the spell and smiled at him, just as there was a flash of light. They both looked over at the spell, and watched as the scales seemed to soften and melt, before binding together, the smaller purple one inside the larger green one.
Twilight stared at the spell, and one hoof went to her mouth in shock. She looked up at Spike and Amethyst, holding the melded scales in her magic, and she started crying. "She's your mom, Spike. She really is," she murmured after a tense moment.
Spike let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding, and he clutched tighter onto Amethyst's hand, looking up at her slowly. "I knew it. I felt it."
Amethyst smiled at him, and then leaned down and reached out to Twilight. "Come, daughter. You may not be my blood, but you are my child's sister-in-life, and that is what is truly important."
Twilight blushed, smiling through her tears. "I don't know if..."
"Come, daughter," Amethyst said, a motherly yet stern tone suddenly appearing in her voice as she gestured with one claw. Twilight trotted over, only to be pulled into a hug with Spike and Amethyst. Twilight smiled at Spike, staring at him and reaching out one hoof to stroke across his head.
"Are you happy?" she asked Spike, smiling at him.
"I'm so happy," Spike replied. "How many guys are lucky enough to have a second set of parents?"
"Not very many at all," Twilight said softly, and smiled. "I'm glad."
"As am I. My search is over. No more wondering. My child is here," Amethyst said, smiling happily, a few hot tears leaking from her eyes as she stared down at Twilight and Spike.
Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and even Fluttershy approached, laughing happily, and they joined a surprised Amethyst in a group hug. Just as they broke apart, the front door of the palace exploded inward, and Pinkie Pie arrived with a veritable tsunami of confetti. "Surprise! I've been planning a "Spike-Found-His-Dragon-Mom-Welcome-To-Ponyville-We're-Super-Excited-To-Meet-You" Party! AND YOU ALL HAVE TO COME BECAUSE THE WHOLE TOWN IS HERE ALREADY AND WE'RE ONLY MISSING YOU PONIES AND DRAGONS!"
Spike peered past the wave of Confetti, only to discover that dozens of tables had been laid out in front of Friendship Castle, a band was playing a jaunty tune, and a bonfire had been lit to ward away the cold. Everypony in Ponyville was gathering, and they all let out a friendly cheer as Amethyst peered out in surprise. She blushed, looking down at Spike with a nervous smile. Spike smiled back confidently and reached a hand out, taking hers in his own. "Come on. You have to meet the whole Ponyville family. They helped raise me too, you know."
Amethyst's smile grew more comfortable, and she nodded. "Show me your family, Spike. I need to thank them for helping you grow into a good dragon."
Spike led the way out into the crowd, laughing and waving as the ponies cheered. Twilight smiled, watching them head out, and gestured to her friends. "Let's go and spend some quality time with Spike's dragon mom."
"I'm glad you had that spell lying around, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash added, grinning at Twilight. "I've never seen Spike so happy. Probably not since you got crowned a Princess!"
"I'm happy, too," Twilight murmured, smiling at Rainbow Dash. She took a final look at the scale and gave it a wistful smile, before she lit her horn. Power flowed into the joined scales, and they burned into bright ashes that floated up into the air, disintegrating into smoke. With a nod, she turned and followed her friends to join in the festivities. After all, it was not often that a reunion such as this happened.
