Author's Note

Another Chapter! Yay! I've had this little number planned since the beginning, and it warms my heart to know it's finally here! It was pretty tough to write, but it was so worth it!

Thank you Josh for guessing this would happen from the beginning. No one gets my crazy MLP brain like you do! Thank you you fabulous person for your awesomeness!

And, without further adieu, this is for you, Raevyn. My princess, my domniţă, I love you so much. You mean absolutely everything to me, and I am so proud of you. I am so happy to have you in my life. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and someday I hope to do for you what Twilight does for Spike in this chapter. I love you, darling!

Enjoy the penultimate chapter!

Journey

When Twilight came home, she was surprised to see Discord there. But what surprised her more was the way Discord was playing with Spike and the way Spike responded to him. It was almost like they were becoming friends. This puzzled her, but if Spike was having a good time and Discord wasn’t wrecking the place, she wasn’t complaining. After she greeted Spike, she allowed him and Discord to play for as long as they liked, and only yelled at Discord once for making her books fly around the library to entertain Spike. But she only yelled halfheartedly because despite the annoyance it gave her, Spike had loved it, and she couldn’t deny what made him happy.

It was later that night, when Spike was asleep and the library was quiet, that her musings on the previous night’s dream came back to her. She had indeed remembered what the Princess had meant. And now, she wondered if she could do it.

Did she love Spike? Of course. There was no question about that. She loved him more than anything. But could she go the distance? She thought that maybe she could. She felt ready to take this next step.

Adoption.

She decided that tomorrow she would go to Canterlot and speak to the Princess. But for now, she would get some well deserved rest.

The next morning, she caught the early train to Canterlot. Spike had been asked to spend the day with Pinkie Pie, taking care of the Cake Twins.

The Ponyville Express pulled up and Twilight boarded. As she watched the scenery pass her by, she reflected on the time she had had with Spike. From the second she hatched him, She knew he was special. She had loved him from that very first moment. Those first few weeks when she had to be away from him were tough, but when they were reunited, she was overjoyed. She got to watch him learn and grow, and saw him mature. Every moment was perfection. Together they had everything they ever needed.

All too soon, the train stopped, as did her reminiscing. She exited the train, lost in her thoughts, and quickly found herself at the castle. She bowed to the guards who graciously allowed her inside. She was walking down the hall when she saw Princess Luna coming down the opposite side. The princess of the night smiled at her sister’s prized pupil.

“Twilight Sparkle. How lovely to see you.” She said.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight exclaimed, bowing to her. “How are you?” She asked.

“Quite well. I have just returned from the dream realm. I am on my way to the dining hall to eat dinner. I assume that you’re here because of your dream?”

“How did you-“ She cut herself off. Of course Luna would know. “Did you give me that dream?”

“I’m afraid not. Dreams come from the subconscious, from what you desire most. I’m afraid that I do not have the power to give anypony dreams. I can create shared dreams, and I can insert certain elements into dreams, but I cannot give what was not already there.” She explained.

“So… You’re saying this was all me?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“So the idea… It wasn’t-“

“The idea was already in your head and your heart.” Luna confirmed.

Twilight smiled. “So you were there? You saw what I was thinking?”

“Yes. And I have to say I was quite pleased with what I saw.”

“You were?” Luna nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Luna paused. “You know, While I hated my banishment to the moon, I do think some good came out of it.”

“Huh? But we were just talking about Spike?”

“We were, and if you’d follow me, you’d see we still are.”

“Alright.” Twilight said.

“When I was banished, my sister seriously rethought some of her life choices. I think she realized that she didn’t want to be alone, and she didn’t want anypony else to be either. She told me quite a bit about the feelings she had when she first met you. She saw you hatch Spike, and noticed your immense power. As my sister observed you in the classroom she noticed that you were very isolated. She often pondered what she could do to help you get out of your shell. Then, she remembered Spike, and thought that perhaps he would be the key to getting you to open up. So she gave him to you. You know, He used to reach for you when he saw you in windows.”

“I remember your sister telling me about that.” She said.

“She knew that you both needed each other. I’d like to think that there was some sort of divine magic looking over you two. It was just meant to be.” She smiled.

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Princess.”

“You’re most welcome.” Said the princess of the night. With those words of encouragement, Princess Luna went off to the dining hall, Leaving Twilight on her own. She made her way down the rest of the hall while meditating on what Luna had said. Then, she finally reached the doors. Taking in a breath, she opened up the doors to the throne room, and smiled when she saw her mentor.

“Princess Celestia!” She said, and hugged her.

“Twilight Sparkle! How are you, my student?” Celestia asked, hugging her back.

“I’m great.” She said.

“What brings you to Canterlot?” Asked the Princess.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something important.”

“Of course, Twilight.” She said. “What can I do for you?”

“Would you help me to adopt Spike?” She asked. The Princess smiled at her student.

“Of course, Twilight.” Twilight’s eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. I will take care of all of the paperwork personally. I should have it ready for you to sign by next week. Would you be able to come back to Canterlot to sign?”

“Of course, princess.”

“Thank you, Twilight. I am so proud of you.” She said. Twilight blushed.

“Really?”

“I always have been, and always am.” She replied. “I’m only surprised that this didn’t happen sooner.”

Twilight smiled. “Just had a few hurdles along the way.”

“I’ll see you next week, then?”

“You can count on me.”

Twilight hugged her mentor one last time before heading back to Ponyville.