After the meeting with the mayor, Spike and his group opened the town hall's front doors and began to make their way back to the castle in silence until Twilight spoke up.

“So Spike, what exactly are you planning to do now that your paperwork is being processed?” Twilight asked.

“Not much for the rest of today," Spike responded, "All I had planned was training in the Everfree for the rest of the day and maybe camping out there too. Why do you ask?”

“No reason just wanted to know," Twilight replied as she used her magic to place a tracking spell on Spike without him noticing, just so she would know exactly where he would be.

As the group was walking back to the castle, Spike felt a tingle on the scales on the back of his neck indicating something was coming straight for him. Stopping in an instant, the others who were unaware of something also stopped to check on Spike.

“Spike, is there something wrong?” Starlight asked.

Spike, using his hunter instinct, was getting ready to confront the unknown entity that was approaching at unrealistic speeds, all while staying silent, which caused the rest of the group's concern to grow.

“Spike? What’s wrong are you ok?” Princess Celestia asked.

Spike began to move into a defensive stance, ready to defend himself and his family. The entity was closing in and was about to arrive.

“Mom, girls,” Spike said to the others., "When I say so, drop to the ground.”

“Why?” Twilight asked

“Just trust me," Spike simply responded.

Seeing the serious look on his face, the girls were able to put together that something was coming.

“Five. Four. Three. Two. One," Spike muttered to himself before suddenly exclaiming, "Now!"

In an instant, all three girls dropped to the ground as Spike used his claws to grab the incoming entity and quickly readied his crossbow and pointed it straight at the head of whatever was in his claws.

But to his own surprise, all he found was a large mass of pink hair in his claw. Looking down Spike was met with the sight of an upside-down Pinkie whose tail was in his grasp.

"Mom, Twi, Star you can get up now, it was only Pinkie,” Spike said as he turned to the pink missile.

Spike looked at her and just sighed, accepting the fact that he still needs to get accustomed to Pinkie's anti-logic abilities.

“Sorry for grabbing your tail Pinkie," Spike apologized, "I've got to get used to having you around again.”

All three girls got up from the ground and looked for whatever got Spike so agitated, and the sight that greeted them was one of confusion.

“Spike, why are you holding Pinkie upside down by her tail?” Twilight asked.

“Sorry about the whole duck and cover routine guys," Spike said, "Spending the last decade constantly looking over your shoulder tends to make one a little 'shoot first and ask questions later.'"

“It’s ok sweetie," Princess Celestia said, "I know it will take some time for you to get accustomed to having everypony around you again, but would you be so kind as to place Ms. Pinkie Pie back on the ground so we can inquire on why she sought you out.”

Spike, seeing that Pinkie's tail was still in his grasp, used all of his strength to fling her into the air. And after Pinkie had left his grasp, Spike extended both of his arms out and just stood there, waiting.

“Spike, why in Celestia's name did you do that?!" Twilight demanded.

Spike turned his head and replied, “Wait for it.”

A quick pan up later.

“Weeeeeeeee!” Pinkie cheered as she was gaining altitude, “Ooo, I can see my house from here! Limestone is in the fields with Marble and dad. Mom is in the kitchen making them rock stew for dinner... I really need to visit more.”

Pinkie then looked down and saw she was floating midair, gravity is damaged, only for her to suddenly begin falling to the ground.

”Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Pinkie cheered as she fell.

Until Pinkie was only about ten feet off the ground, then by some logic-defying middle finger to the universe, she slowed her descent to almost nothing as she safely landed in Spike's waiting arms.

“Spike, how are you this morning?” Pinkie asked as if she wasn’t just flung into the air and fell all the way back down.

“Good, we just got done with the paperwork to resurrect me from the dead," Spike responded, "We were on our way back to the castle so I could grab the rest of my gear. Now might I ask, why do you need to see me?”

“I came by to ask about your ‘Yay your not dead/ Welcome home party’, but why do you need your gear? Gasp you're not planning on leaving already are you?” Pinkie questioned, her hair deflating slightly.

“Don’t worry pinky, I’m planning to spend the rest of the day training in Everfree Forest," Spike said assumingly, "I’m probably going to camp out there tonight.”

Pinkie then gasped as she had a great idea.

She then turned to Spike and gave him a blinding smile and asked, “Spike, how about instead of a party, I get the girls and we have a camp out with you?”

Spike looked at the party pony and was questioning her sanity as she just asked if she and the rest of the girls could join him in camping out in the most dangerous forest in history.

"Pinkie are you serious?" Spike asked, "It’s dangerous out there. It’s not safe!”

“It’ll be fine Spike,” Pinkie said before grabbing Spike's head and twisted it so he was looking towards Twilight and the others, “Think about it. We will have not one, but two princesses, two super-powerful unicorns, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, a pony who can buck a tree in half, a mare who can communicate with animals, and lastly a pony who can sense when something is going to happen.”

Just then, Pinkie's tail started twitching. She then jumped down from Spike's arms and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. She then rotated herself and Spike around and carefully placed him back on the ground.

Just a few moments later, a potted plant landed right on the spot Spike was. Seconds later, a fifteen-pound bowling ball landed on the pot, followed by a hammer used in a forge, and then an anvil that the hammer was used with.

“Awwww come on!” Twilight exclaimed angrily as Princess Celestia giggled.

She remembered the old friendship letter Twilight wrote when she first moved to Ponyville that revolves around accepting that not everything can be understood, plus that was the first time She was also able to visit with Spike after they moved to Ponyville.

“Well I think it's a wonderful idea," Princess Celestia spoke up, "I can’t remember the last time I spent a night surrounded by nature under a blanket of stars. Plus, I can probably get Luna to join us so there will be even more security.”

“Plus, we can get Zecora to make some potions that ward off predators," Starlight added.

Spike, seeing that everything they pointed out was true, relented his objection and nodded, signaling that he was all for a camp out in the forest.

“Ok Pinkie, tell the girls about tonight’s plans and have everyone meet me near the edge of the forest near Fluttershy's cottage around sundown," Twilight said, "I know the perfect spot for the campout.”

Pinky nodded before asking Spike, “What are you going to do until then?”

“I still need to get my gear and go train, but while I’m there, I’ll go visit Zecora and get the potions,” Spike said.

“Understood,” Pinkie said before she gave Spike a salute and ran off to inform the rest of the girls.

Spike then turned to the others before saying, “Well, we can’t just stand here. We better prepare for tonight so let’s head back to the castle and-"

Just then Spike's stomach started to growl, causing spike to blush.

“But first, how about we grab some lunch first?” Spike asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

All the girls giggled and nodded before the group began to make their way to Sugarcube Corner.

Spike pushed open the door to Sugarcube Corner as the sound of a bell could be heard above him. Spike and the others walked into the establishment and as if on cue, a short and plump mare walked out of the kitchen carrying a large cake meant for the display case.

“Give me a moment dearie, I will be able to serve you in a moment," the mare said.

“Don’t worry Mrs. Cake, here let me help you," Twilight said as she used her magic to effortlessly place the cake into the display case.

Using her hand, Mrs. Cake wiped the sweat off her brow.

“Thank you Twilight dear, now how may I help you.....” Mrs. Cake said as she turned to greet her patrons, but she was at a loss of words as she noticed Princess Celestia and a tall dragon next to her. She gasped and said, “Princess Celestia it's an honor to see you again," as she bowed to the princess.

“Please raise your head Mrs. Cake, and there is no need to be so formal, I am here as a mother not as a princess," Princess Celestia said.

“Aw, yes it’s almost that time of the year, isn’t it? I really do miss Spike, it’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly two years since he disappeared, he was always so kind, helpful, and funny, not to mention a great chef," Mrs. Cake said as she wiped away some tears that had formed in her eyes, “I would never want to go through what you had to, but seeing you now makes me glad to know that even without Spike being here, his happiness is still playing a large part in this town's livelihood.”

“Thank you," Princess Celestia said.

“Now, what can I get for you today?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“I’ll have a cupcake and a coffee with cream and three sugars," Starlight said.

“I’ll have a blueberry muffin, and a cup of green tea," Twilight said.

“I would like a piece of your best cake, and a cup of coffee as well hold the constant refills," Princess Celestia said while holding back a giggle as she remembered the first time she visited the establishment.

“And for you sir?” Mrs. Cake asked Spike, who, until this moment, was wondering if she had recognized him.

“I’ll have a sapphire cupcake with extra frosting and extra sapphires, plus a tall mug of hot chocolate with extra whip cream," Spike said before adding, "I haven’t had my special order in over ten years, and I’m dying to have a Sugercube Corner special sapphire dragon cupcake again.”

“Coming right up, please take a seat and my husband will be by with your orders, I need to go check up on my kids," Mrs. Cake said.

“Before you go, how are Pound and Pumpkin doing?" Spike asked, "I haven’t seen them since I helped Twilight babysit Flurry Heart, and we stopped by here and the three babies started to fight, sorry about that by the way.”

“No problem Spike, it was a long time ago and Pinkie had the place spotless before we got back so don’t worry," Mrs. Cake assured.

“You knew who I was?” Spike asked, slightly surprised.

“Well of course dear," Mrs. Cake responded, "I live with Pinkie after all, and last night she informed me and Carrot that you retuned. We were so happy, we wanted to go over to the castle to see you but it was so late. Plus, she informed us on how you want to keep the fact you're alive a secret until the Crystal Fair, so we decided not to make a big show of it. As for the twins, they are talking and they both are starting to take after ‘Aunt Pinkie,' Celestia forbid.”

“Hey!" Pinkie suddenly said as she stuck her head through the entrance before pulling her head out.

“And they're about to start kindergarten after the summer ends," Mrs. Cake continued, "Pound is always flying and I’m worried that he won’t know how to walk, and Pumpkin has minor magic surges now and then, but they're becoming less frequent.”

“That’s good," Spike said.

“Order up!” Yelled a tall orange stallion holding a tray in his hands as he walked out of the kitchen. Turning to the group of patrons he noticed two unusual faces and promptly bowed as he saw Princess Celestia as he said, “Your highness, it’s an honor to see you again.”

“You as well Mr. Cake, but please, drop the formalities," Princess Celestia said.

"Understand princess,” Mr. Cake said before turning towards Spike and asked, “And who might you be?”

Spike then turned to Mrs. Cake and gave her a confused expression.

“Dear, you remember what Pinkie told us last night, right?” Mrs. Cake asked.

Mr. Cake nodded and then the gears in his brain snapped together and the realization drew a smile to his face.
“Spike is that you?” Mr. Cake asked.

Spike nodded. This caused Mr. Cake to pull the dragon into a hug and give him a playful noogie to Spike's head spines.

"It’s good to see you again, Spike." Mr. Cake said happily, "We were so worried about you when you first disappeared, we closed the shop for a week to help with the search but we then we decided to supply food to all the search parties.”

“Thank you for your hard work," Spike said before his stomach growled suddenly growled, making the stallion release the dragon and gave a sheepish look on his face and placed the order in front of the group.

“Eat up everyone, and if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask," Mr. Cake said.

“Thank you, it looks great," Spike said before sighing in nostalgia, "It’s nice to finally have something sweet again.”

“Trust me, it’s great to see you as well Spike," Mrs. Cake said before she and Mr. Cake left the group to enjoy their lunch.

Author's Note

Special thanks to castroedgar316 for helping me get this chapter done, As always comment on how I'm doing and what I could fix.
Sad News: Its finals week and I need to study hard so I wont have time to write so for the next two weeks I'm not going to be updating any of my stories.