Baby Spikeby BubblePuffChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 1Author's Note This story takes place after the episode Frienemies. Chapter 1 There was a knock at the door to Twilight’s castle. “I’ll get it!” Spike called out. The dragon flew down the hall and arrived at the massive front door. He opened it to find Derpy holding a package on the other side. “Hello Derpy. More packages for Twilight I assume?” Derpy nodded her head. “Yes indeed! Although this one isn’t as big as the last one.” Derpy gave Spike the small package. Spike looked over the package. “That’s odd, there’s no return address. Is this from princess Celestia?” Derpy shook her head. “To be honest, we don’t know who sent the package. It just showed up mysteriously at the post office addressed to princess Twilight.” “Well don’t worry. I’ll make sure that she gets it. Thanks again!” Spike waved Derpy goodbye as she flew off. Spike shook the box and could hear something rattling around inside. “Twilight won’t mind if I take just a little peek inside.” Spike thought to himself. He untied the string and opened up the box. As soon as Spike opened the box, he was blasted in the face with purple smoke. The smoke soon engulfed the little dragon. “Spike, who was at the front door?” Twilight called out. When she got no response, Twilight made her way down the hall towards the front door. As she got closer, Twilight could see a cloud of purple smoke by the front door. “Spike?” As Twilight got closer, the smoke began to clear. When it did, Twilight could not believe her eyes. Laying on the ground was Spike, de-aged to a hatchling and sucking on his own tail. “Spike, what happened to you?!” Twilight said in a panic. She scooped up the little drake and cradled him in her front legs. “Spike please say something!” “Abba wabba!” Spike replied. Starlight Glimmer came trotting down the hall after hearing all of the noise. “Twilight, what’s with all the commotion?” Twilight turned around to reveal Spike to Starlight. “Oh my gosh! What happened to Spike?” Starlight asked. Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea. All I know is that there was a knock at the door and Spike went to answer it. When I arrived, there was this weird purple smoke and when it cleared I found Spike on the floor like this!” Starlight walked over for a closer look. That is when she noticed the empty box on the floor. “Do you suppose this has something to do with what happened to Spike?” Twilight lit up her horn and used it to scan the box. “There are traces of magic residue on the box. I’ll have to analyse it to find out exactly what it is.” Spike then became fussy. “Yanna banna!” He yelled while clutching at Twilight’s mane. “But first I should take care of this little guy. It’s been so long since I’ve had to take of Spike. It’s good that I keep around so many foal supplies for when Flurry Heart visits.” Twilight pried Spike off of her mane. She then went to the supply closet and got out the foal supplies. Starlight helped Twilight to get Spike diapered. “There, that should prevent any accidents. Now what should we do?” Starlight asked. A loud growl could then be heard coming from Spike’s tummy. Starlight picked up Spike. “Sounds like somebody is hungry.” “There should be formula in the kitchen.” Said Twilight. “You get him fed while I analyze that box for clues.” Starlight tried to walk towards the kitchen with Spike, but the baby dragon threw a huge temper tantrum. “Want momma!” He screamed as he reached out for Twilight. “It looks like he wants his mom.” Starlight hooved Spike over to Twilight. Spike grabbed onto Twilight and held her tightly. Twilight let out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll feed Spike. Starlight, pick up that box and take it to my study. I’ll examine it later.” Twilight then went to the kitchen. She got out Flurry Heart’s high chair and placed Spike in it. After heating up a bottle of formula, Twilight gave it to Spike who chugged it right down. After feeding Spike, Twilight placed him over her shoulder and gently patted his back. Spike burped up a little flame that singed Twilight’s mane a little. Twilight then placed Spike in a playpen that Starlight had set up. While Spike was busy playing with some toys, Twilight finally was able to examine the package. “Have you found out anything?” Starlight asked. “This box seems to contain dark magic. Ancient dark magic. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before.” Twilight said. “Is there any way to return Spike to normal?” “Not that I’m aware of. I’ll have to contact princess Celestia. Maybe she knows something about this type of dark magic.” Starlight looked over at Spike, who was stacking blocks. “So, I guess you’ll have to raise Spike all over again.” Twilight walked over to the playpen and watched Spike play. “I know. The first time around I was only a filly and in way over my head. But now I’m way more mature, and I’ve had practice with Flurry Heart. This time around should be a snap.” “Famous last words.” Starlight muttered under her breath. “We’d better gather the others and inform them of what happened to Spike. We should also check to see if they received similar packages. It was addressed to me, so clearly I was the intended target. Whomever sent that package might be after them as well.” Twilight said. Spike picked up one of the blocks and started sucking on it. Twilight quickly removed it from his mouth. “No Spike, that does not go in your mouth.” Spike then began crying, letting out a deafening scream. “Still think this will be a snap?” Starlight asked as she and Twilight both covered their ears. After getting Spike to calm down by giving him a pacifier, Twilight sent Starlight to retrieve their friends and bring them back to the castle. They had all received a mysterious package, but fortunately they never opened them. After arriving at the castle Twilight examined all of the packages. They did indeed contain the ancient dark magic. “Twilight, what is this all about?” Rarity asked. “Those packages you all received contain an ancient form of dark magic. Exposure to it would have caused you to turn into foals.” Twilight explained. “Oh my. It’s a good thing we didn’t open them.” Said Fluttershy. “Wait a minute, how do you know what would have happened to us had we opened those packages?” Asked Applejack. “Well, because….” Twilight waved over to Starlight, who came walking into the room holding baby Spike. “Spike opened the package meant for me, and now he’s a hatchling.” All of Twilight’s friends gasped in shock. “My goodness! Who could have done this to my Spikey-wikey?” Rarity said. “That’s what I’m still trying to figure out. The packages have no return addresses on them, and the post office says that no pony dropped them off. It’s as if they appeared out of nowhere.” Twilight explained. “So, let me get this straight.” Rainbow Dash said. “Somepony had a plan to turn us into foals using these mysterious packages, but Spike opened yours first and now he’s a hatchling?” “That’s correct. But the dark magic used is so ancient that I can’t find a counter spell anywhere.” Starlight placed Spike down on the table. He looked over at Rarity and smiled. Spike then crawled across the table over to her. Once he reached Rarity, he held out his claws. Rarity picked up Spike and cradled him. “Don’t you worry Spikey-wikey. We’ll have you back to normal soon.” Rarity cooed. “I must admit, Spike is really cute as a hatchling!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed. Meanwhile, at a top secret location, Grogar watched the entire meeting through his crystal ball. He waved away the image in disgust, then he turned to face Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. “Tell me again how turning Twilight and her friends into foals was supposed to help us conquer Equestria?” Tirek and Chrysalis both stepped aside, leaving Cozy Glow to answer Grogar. “Well, um, you see there’s and old expression ‘Like taking candy from a foal.’ With the element wielders turned into foals, we could have easily marched right into Canterlot and taken over.” Cozy Glow then gulped and forced a smile. “And yet, all we were able to do was turn a dragon into a hatchling!” Grogar yelled. “This entire plan was a complete failure from the start! If we can’t even turn the elemental wielders into foals, then how are we supposed to take out the princesses and rule Equestria!” Chrysalis took a step forward. “Grogar, I know that the plan was to take out Twilight and her friends, but at least now we know that the foal spell works. We just need to find a new way to deliver it.” “And I suppose you three know of another way?” Grogar asked. “Well, not at the moment but we will.” Tirek said. “You’d better, or else I’ll use the spell on the three of you!” Grogar then marched out of the room. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis all stared at each other. Chapter 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3At Grogar’s secret lair Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow all discussed how Grogar’s magic should be used to take over Equestria. “I have an idea.” Chrysalis said. “We steal the Storm King’s staff, and use it to conjure up a massive storm. Then, Grogar will infuse the storm with his age regression spell. The storm will rain down across Equestria, turning everypony into foals!” Tirek and Cozy Glow both gave each other quizzical looks. “And how are we supposed to rule over a kingdom of foals?” Tirek asked. “Don’t you see? Foals give off the purest form of love there is!” Chrysalis explained. “With their love I can feed myself, and a new hive of changelings, for ages to come!” Cozy Glow let out an irritated sigh. “And how does that benefit us? We can’t survive on love like you can.” “Besides, foals can’t exactly take care of themselves.” Tirek said. “All of your changelings would be busy taking care of these foals around the clock.” Chrysalis was about to speak, but then she stopped and thought for a moment. “Huh, I guess I didn’t really think out my plan all the way through. My hunger for love must be getting the better of me.” Cozy Glow face hoofed herself. “Well, I guess we’re back to square one. At this rate we’ll all end up just like King Sombra.” Over at the Crystal Castle, Twilight was playing with Spike. The two were rolling a ball back and forth between each other. “Spike, can you say ball?” Twilight asked. Spike caught the ball and examined it. “Ba ba!” He replied. “Close enough I suppose. Let’s try something else.” Twilight looked around the room until she noticed a book. She walked over and brought it to Spike. “Can You say book?” “Boo Boo!” Spike said with a smile. Twilight patted him on the head. “Don’t worry, I’ll have you back to speaking fully in no time.” Just then there was a knock at the front door. “I wonder who that could be?” Twilight picked up Spike and placed him on her back. She then walked down the hall towards the front door. When Twilight opened it, she was surprised to see Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Flurry Heart. “Twily! So good to see you!” Said Shining Armor. “What are you guys doing here?” Twilight asked. “We heard about what happened to Spike from Celestia and Luna.” Cadence said. “So we figured that Flurry Heart might enjoy a play date with him.” “Berg bwlea!” Flurry Heart replied as she held her snail plushie Whammy. Twilight was unsure about how to feel about the visit. The last couple of times that Flurry Heart had come over she was nothing but trouble. Also, with Spike now turned into a baby, Twilight was worried that Spike might not be able to handle himself around Flurry Heart. Of course Twilight never mentioned this out loud to Shining and Cadence. She loved them too much. “A playdate? Sure! That sounds like a wonderful idea. How about we start out with some lunch first? It’s been awhile since Spike has eaten.” “Lunch sounds great.” Shining said. “It’s a good thing we always bring along a few jars of mashed peas. They’re Flurry’s favorite you know.” “Don’t remind me.” Twilight muttered under her breath. She just knew that she was going to need to clean the walls by the end of the day. Soon everyone was in the kitchen. Spike and Flurry Heart both sat in high chairs as Twilight and Cadence both prepared their meals. Twilight heated up a bottle of formula and gave it to Spike who started drinking it. Shining tried to feed Flurry Heart, but everytime he grabbed a spoonful of mashed peas Flurry would use her magic to splat it against the wall. “Sorry about that Twily.” Said Shining. “I promise to clean this mess up.” “Thanks.” Twilight burped Spike once he had finished his bottle. Cadence then came over with some daisy sandwiches. As the three of them ate, Spike and Flurry Heart stayed in their high chairs and played with toys. “So Twilight, how has it been raising Spike all over again?” Cadence asked. Twilight put down her half eaten sandwich. “Well, to be honest it has been tough. Their are so many things that Spike did as a hatchling that I had completely forgotten about.” Shining swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “Has he been any trouble?” Twilight smiled as she waved him off. “No, he hasn’t been causing any trouble. It’s just that he has been very needy. He constantly calls for me at all hours and refuses to be apart from me for very long.” “Has he been calling you Mama, like when you were a filly?” Asked Shining. “Yes he has. It’s like he was not only regressed physically, but mentally as well.” Cadence finished her sandwich and walked over to Spike. “Well I for one am kind of glad that I get to see what Spike looked like as a hatchling. And he is simply adorable!” Cadence reached over and pinched Spike’s cheeks, causing him to giggle. Flurry Heart noticed this, and she became filled with jealousy. Using her magic, she lifted up a jar of mashed peas and was about to pour it on Spike’s head. At the last second Cadence removed Spike from the high chair and Flurry Heart missed. “How about we let these two have play time together.” Twilight said. “You four go on ahead. I need to clean up this kitchen.” Shining then grabbed a mop and bucket and began to clean. Twilight and Cadence took Spike and Flurry Heart to the main hall where a playpen had been set up. After setting Spike and Flurry Heart down in the playpen, Twilight reached over and gave them each a teddy bear. “Here Spike, you and Flurry Heart can play with these teddy bears I got for her. Can you say bear?” Twilight asked. Spike grabbed one of the teddy bears. He looked at it for a bit, then he looked up at Twilight. “Baw!” Twilight could not help but giggle. “Close enough.” She said as she patted him on the head. Twilight and Cadence then got into a discussion. Flurry Heart crawled over to Spike and gave him a mean look. “I no wike U!” Flurry Heart said. “U take away attention fwom mommy and aunt Twiwight!” Spike didn’t know what to do. “ I sowwy.” Flurry Heart then grabbed Spike’s teddy bear. “This my toy! Onwy me and aunt Twiwight awe awwowd to pway with them!” Flurry Heart tried to take the teddy bear away, but Spike would not let go. “Mama wants us to shawe.” Spike said. “Gimme!” Flurry Heart demanded. Spike eventually let go of the teddy bear. The bear flew right out of Flurry Heart’s hooves and flew across the room. Shining Armor had just emerged from the kitchen when the bear came flying right at him. “I’m all done cleaning the kit-” Just then Shining was hit right in the face with the teddy bear. The force of the impact knocked him off of his hooves. Both Twilight and Cadence ran to his side. “Honey, are you alright?” Cadence asked. Shining Armor sat up, his head a bit loopy. “What happened?” “I don’t know. Cadence and I turned our heads for a minute after giving Spike and Flurry Heart some teddy bears to play with. The next thing we know one of the bears is flying across the room.” Twilight said. Flurry Heart immediately grabbed her Whammy and pretended to be innocent. Spike just sat there, unsure of what to do. Shining walked over to the playpen and knelt down to Spike’s level. “Spike, you just can’t throw toys around like that. Somepony could get hurt. Try and be more like Flurry Heart, okay?” Shining then went back to the kitchen to get some ice. Spike was very upset with Flurry Heart. “U got me into twouble! U a bad foaw!” Flurry Heart just stuck her tongue out at Spike. “I a pwincess! I can do whatevew I want!” Flurry Heart then used her magic to gather up all of the toys and place them around her. “Hey, tose mine!” Spike complained. “Tey mine now. And thewe’s nothing you can do about it.” Flurry Heart said with a smirk. Twilight and Cadence both walked over to the playpen to check up on Spike and Flurry Heart. “Flurry, are you playing nice?” Cadence asked. Flurry Heart did her little cutesy routine and continued to act innocent. In the midst of gathering up all of the toys, Flurry Heart kicked up some dust. The dust drifted in the air until it was suck up into Spike’s nostrils. Spike sneezed out a fireball that hit Whammy, burning the snail plushie into ashes. Flurry Heart’s face turned bright red with anger. “U killed Whammy!” Flurry Heart then rushed over to Spike and began hitting him. Spike fell over and cried. Both Twilight and Cadence were shocked at what was happening. “Flurry, no!” Cadence reached down and pulled Flurry Heart off of Spike. Twilight picked up and cradled him, trying to get him to stop crying. “Flurry Heart! You know better than hit others! Bad foal!” Cadence said sternly. Flurry Heart then let out an ear piercing scream and started flailing around. Cadence tried to hold on to her, but Flurry Heart ended up hitting Cadence in the face. Flurry Heart then teleported back to the pile of toys. Shining came running back into the room when he heard all of the commotion. “What’s going on in here?!” “Spike accidentally destroyed Flurry Heart’s Whammy, and now she’s out of control!” Twilight said. “She attacked Spike and now Cadence can’t control her!” Shining marched over to Flurry Heart. “Flurry no! You are a bad, bad foal!” Flurry Heart kept screaming and started shooting bursts of magic everywhere from her horn. Twilight and Cadence both ducked for cover as the main hall was blasted full of holes. “That’s it!” Shining reached over and picked up Flurry Heart. He then sat down and pulled down her diaper. Shining Armor then began spanking Flurry Heart’s bottom until it was bright red. Flurry Heart stopped her temper tantrum, tears flowing down her cheeks and her lip quivering. Shining set down Flurry Heart and turned to Twilight. “I’m sorry that you had to see that Twily. Is Spike okay?” Twilight looked Spike over. “He has a slight bruise, but other than that he should be fine. How are you two doing?” Cadence got up from her hiding spot. “I’m alright. Twilight, we are so sorry for what Flurry Heart has done. We promise to fix up all the damage that Flurry Heart has done to your castle.” “Aside from the crystal heart incident, I’ve never seen Flurry Heart act up this way before.” Shining said. “Actually, Flurry Heart has been some trouble for a while.” Said Twilight. “When you left her with me a few months ago, she broke the Cake twins toys and caused major damage at the hospital when I tried to read to all the sick foals. Flurry was also responsible for causing the pudding to grow out of control during Hearths Warming.” Both Shining Armor and Cadence were shocked to hear this. “Twilight, why didn’t you tell us this sooner?” Cadence asked. “Because I didn’t think that you would believe me. You both see Flurry Heart as this perfect angel, but the truth is she can be a huge terror.” Cadence picked up Flurry Heart. “Well from now on we’ll keep a closer eye on her. And if she causes any more trouble, then it’s straight to the time out corner.” “And no more special treatment.” Shining said. “Just because Flurry Heart is a princess does not make her above punishment. Hopefully I won’t need to give her another spanking ever again.” Twilight smiled at Shining and Cadence. “I know that you’ll both do fine. You’re great parents who just spoiled Flurry Heart a bit. Going forward I know that you will raise Flurry Heart just right.” At that moment Starlight Glimmer came back from the school of friendship. “Hey guys! How was the play-” She stopped when she saw the destruction that Flurry Heart had caused. “Wow. That must have been some playdate.” Twilight, Shining, and Cadence all let out a collective sigh. “You have no idea.” Twilight said. Chapter 4Twilight carried Spike on her back as she trotted around the nursery. Spike giggled and clapped his claws as he bounced up and down. Twilight then stopped and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Okay, that’s enough giddy up for today.” She set Spike down on the floor. Spike got misty eyed and his lower lip began to quiver. “Oh no, don’t cry! Don’t cry!” Twilight panicked. She knew that she only had one shot to avoid a full on toddler meltdown. That’s when Twilight had a brilliant idea. “Hey Spike, watch this! Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs wake. Clap your hooves, and do a little shake!” Twilight’s plan work. Her little song and dance had Spike smiling and bouncing up and down on his diaper. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia that worked. No wonder Cadence did it with me when I was little.” Starlight Glimmer then entered the nursery holding a letter. “Hey Twilight, this just arrived for you from Celestia and Luna.” Twilight took the letter and read it. “Huh, it says that they want to have a private meeting me regarding a cure for Spike.” “So will you be taking Spike with you, or do you want one of your friends to foalsit?” Starlight asked. Twilight rubbed Spike’s head. “No, I’ll be taking Spike with me. He is my responsibility. Besides, It’ll be good for the two of us to get out and spend the day in Canterlot.” Twilight knelt down to Spike’s level. “Are you ready for a day out with mommy?” She asked. Spike playfully booped Twilight on the nose. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Twilight said with a smile. As Twilight and Spike rode the train towards Canterlot, Twilight could not help but notice that some ponies were staring at them. Twilight paid them no mind, checking in on Spike who was busy playing with his Rarity plushie. Twilight was soon approached by an elderly unicorn mare. “Excuse me, but is this young dragon yours?” The mare asked. Twilight did not know how to answer. “Yes, I mean no. Well he’s not mine biologically but I am his mother.” The old mare smiled. “I just simply adore dragons. Such magnificent creatures. Would you mind if I held him?” “Not at all.” Twilight replied. The old mare picked up Spike and held him gently. “Who’s a big cutie?” The old mare cooed. She tickled Spike’s chin, causing him to laugh and squirm. Twilight was amazed. “Wow, you sure know how to handle babies.” “Oh I’ve had plenty of experience with foals and grand foals of my own. You just have to know how to treat them.” “I’m still learning a bit as I go along.” Twilight said as she rubbed the back of her head. “Being a good mother doesn’t happen overnight my dear. It takes trial and error. In the end I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” A hissing sound could then be heard. Twilight and the old mare both turned to see a yellow spot growing on Spike’s diaper. “ I think this is the part where you are needed.” The old mare said as she gave Spike back to Twilight. Twilight laid out a changing mat and began to change Spike. She removed the wet diaper, wiped down Spike’s bottom, applied foal powder, and strapped him into a clean diaper in under a minute. The old mare could not help but smile. “Well, it seems you have the messy part down pat.” “Thank you.” Twilight said. “I’ve had a lot of practice with my niece, though Spike is much easier to change.” The train soon arrived in Canterlot. Twilight and the old mare both got off. “Well I guess this is where we part ways.” The old mare said. “It was nice talking with you. By the way, what’s your name?” Twilight asked. “My name is Blue Orchid. And it was very nice to meet you and your dragon. Perhaps we will meet up again sometime.” Blue Orchid and Twilight then waved goodbye to each other, and Twilight pushed Spike’s stroller towards the royal castle. Twilight arrived at the castle and was escorted by the guards straight to Celestia and Luna’s throne room. “Welcome Twilight.” Celestia said as she made her way over to Twilight and Spike. She leaned down to rub Spike on the head. “Oh how this brings back memories. Spike looks just like he did the day you hatched him and got your cutie mark.” Spike reached up and grabbed Celestia’s flowing mane, causing the princess to chuckle. “You said in your letter that you have news regarding a possible cure for Spike. Is this true?” Twilight asked. “Indeed it is.” Said Luna. “We studied the boxes that contained the magical smoke which transformed Spike. The magic smoke was made of an ancient magic that predates Equestria. In order to counter the magic smoke’s effects, you will need pre-Equestrian magic.” Twilight was perplexed. “Is there any pre-Equestrian magic that exists?” “There is.” Celestia said. “However, acquiring it may be a bit of a problem.” “How so?” Asked Twilight. Celestia and Luna both looked at each other, then back at Twilight. “The one source of pre-Equestrian magic that we know of is the magic pearl of the hippogryphs.” Luna said. Luna’s words filled Twilight with sorrow. She still remembered lying to her friends and trying to steal the pearl away from queen Novo during the invasion of the Storm King. “Does queen Novo know that we need to use the pearl?” Twilight asked. Celestia shook her head. “We have not yet informed her yet. And before you ask, yes queen Novo did inform us of what you tried to do. Though we are disappointed with your actions, you have shown since then what it takes to be a great leader. We have no doubt that queen Novo will forgive you, and allow you to use the pearl given the current circumstances.” Twilight lowered her head. Looking at Spike, she knew that she had to set a good example for the little drake. For even though Spike and Twilight were raised as brother and sister, Twilight also viewed Spike as the foal she never had. Twilight looked up at Celestia and Luna. “I’ll leave for Mount Aris right away.” Meanwhile, Grogar watched the whole thing from his seeing stone. He summoned Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow who all made their way to the main room in an instant. “You summoned us Grogar?” Cozy Glow asked. “Yes. I have been watching the princesses while you all have been trying to figure out what to do next, and I have discovered a unique opportunity.” “And what might that be?” Asked Chrysalis. “Twilight Sparkle is heading towards Mount Aris in order to use the pearl of the Hippogryphs. You three are going to head there and retrieve it for me.” “Your sending us out to get a pearl?” Tirek said. Grogar stomped his hoof in frustration. “It is not just some ordinary pearl! It is one of the few remaining relics that contains pre-Equestrian magic. With it, I shall be able to restore my full power.” “And then we can finally conquer Equestria!” Said Cozy Glow. Grogar rolled his eyes. “The three of you still need to learn how to work together. You failed in your attempt to retrieve my bell, and I will not accept failure a second time. I will be watching you this time through my seeing stone. Do not dare fail me.” Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow immediately turned and began their trek towards Mount Aris. “Do you think Grogar knows about the bell?” Cozy Glow asked. “I doubt it.” Chrysalis said. “If he knew that we were hiding the bell, he would have done something about it by now.” “Still, with Grogar watching us this time we should be careful.” Said Tirek. “It would be best to let Grogar have the pearl, lest he become suspicious.” Twilight rode in a hot air balloon with Spike towards Mount Aris. The two played a game of peek a boo in order to pass the time. Spike would laugh every time Twilight reveal her face from behind her hooves. “Oh Spike, while it will be great to have you back to normal, I must admit that I am going to miss these little play time sessions we have.” Twilight said as she held the baby dragon. Soon Mount Aris came into view. Twilight gently guided the hot air balloon towards the ground. Once the balloon had landed, Twilight found herself surrounded by a hippogryph welcoming party. Princess Skystar greeted her personally. “Twilight! It is so good to have you back!” Skystar said as she embraced Twilight in a hug. Skystar then noticed Spike. “Oh my, what happened to Spike?” Spike, feeling scared because of all the large crowd, hid his face in Twilight’s chest. “He’s actually why I’m here. Is your mother available to be seen?” Twilight asked. “Of course she is! Just follow me.” Skystar led Twilight towards the royal throne room in the rebuilt hippogryph castle. Queen Novo sat on her throne, surprised to see Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight Sparkle, it has been a while since we’ve met. Are you here about Silverstream?” Queen Novo asked. “No, Silverstream is doing very well at friendship school. That actual reason I’m here is because of Spike.” Twilight then held up Spike for queen Novo to see. Queen Novo was surprised. “My word! What happened to him?” Twilight explained what happened with the magic smoke. “And that is why I am here. Only the magic from your pearl can restore Spike to normal. I know that deceived you last time, and for that I am truly sorry. I should never have tried to steal the pearl. If you don’t want to forgive me I understand, but please don’t punish Spike for my actions.” Queen Novo was silent for a moment. “Your words are heavy with regret Twilight. I sense that you are truly sorry for your actions. I forgive you for what happened, and will allow you to use the pearl to return Spike to normal.” Queen Novo then dove into the water and transformed into a sea pony. She dove under and swam to the hiding spot of the pearl. Soon she returned to the surface, holding the magic pearl. Just as queen Novo was about to hand over the pearl to Twilight, it was snatched away by another hippogryph. “What is the meaning of this?!” Queen Novo yelled. The hippogryph smiled as she was surrounded by green flames, revealing herself to be Chrysalis. “Mwuh ha ha! I think I’ll be taking this!” “Not if we stop you first!” Twilight shouted. She charged up her horn, but then felt a tapping on her right side. As Twilight turned to look Cozy Glow ran up from Twilight’s left and snatched Spike from her. Tirek then appeared from a flash of flame. He snapped his fingers and a ring of fire separated Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis from Twilight and the hippogryphs. Cozy Glow then gave Spike to Tirek, who held him upside down by his tail. Spike screamed and cried as Tirek held him. “Spike!” Twilight called out. She reached out for him but the flames grew higher. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis all laughed. “Poor Twilight, do you want your little Spikey wikey back?” Chrysalis said mockingly. Twilight gritted her teeth in anger. “I swear if hurt a single scale on his head I’ll…” Tirek held Spike even higher. “You’ll do what? We are the ones in a position to make demands, not you” Cozy Glow stepped forward. “How about we make a deal? You let us leave with the pearl, and in return we’ll give back your little brat.” It did not take long for Twilight to make up her mind. “You have a deal. Just please, don’t harm Spike!” Twilight powered down her horn. Tirek lowered the flames and tossed Spike towards Twilight. Twilight jumped up in the air and caught Spike, clutching him tightly to her chest. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis all laughed wickedly as they teleported away. Queen Novo walked over to Twilight and placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight looked up at queen Novo with tears in her eyes. “Queen Novo, I am so sorry for letting the pearl be stolen. Please forgive me.” Queen Novo gently hushed Twilight. “I am not angry with you Twilight Sparkle. What you did is what any loving mother would have done. I am proud of you. And do not worry, we will get the pearl back.” Twilight Smiled. She then looked down at Spike and rubbed his back to calm him down. “It’s okay Spike. Momma is here.” Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all returned to Grogar’s lair. Chrysalis gave the pearl to Grogar who held it high in his hoof. “Finally! After all these millennia the power is once again mine!” Grogar then let out a roaring laugh. Chapter 5Twilight raced back to Canterlot as fast as she could. She rushed into the castle and burst into the throne room. “Celestia, Luna, I have terrible news!” Celestia and Luna both got up from their thrones. “What is wrong Twilight? Why is Spike still a hatchling?” Celestia asked. Twilight explained everything. “I had just gotten permission to use the pearl, and queen Novo was about to give it to me, when all of a sudden the pearl was taken by Chrysalis! To make matters worse, she was aided by Tirek and Cozy Glow! They took Spike and threatened to harm him unless I let them go with the pearl. I couldn’t bare to see Spike be hurt, so I let them leave with the pearl.” Both Celestia and Luna were in shock. “Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow all working together? This is bad news indeed.” Celestia said. “Just how in Equestria did Tirek and Cozy Glow even manage to escape from tartarus?” Luna asked. “Not even Chrysalis alone would be powerful enough to break them out.” Celestia turned to Luna. “We can worry about that later. For now we must warn the royal guards to ready the defensives. Now that those three are working together who knows when they might strike.” “What do you want me to do?” Twilight asked. Celestia looked over at Twilight. “I need you to gather your friends. We are definitely going to need the elements of harmony to combat this threat.” As Twilight hurried out of the throne room, she looked down at Spike who was now asleep. Twilight could not help but think that maybe this whole thing was her fault. “No.” Twilight thought to herself. “I did what any mother would have done. There is no way that I’m losing Spike, ever.” Using all of her might Twilight teleported back to Ponyville, though she was drained of most of her magic. Twilight quickly gathered up all of her friends and informed them of what was going on at her castle. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Said Rainbow Dash. “You’re saying that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are working together? How is that possible!?” “I don’t know, but it just is.” Twilight replied. “And right now we all need to work together to stop them.” “Yeah, but how are we supposed to know where they’re going to strike first?” Asked Applejack. “We don’t. That is why Celestia is sending royal guards to all of the major cities and towns to help build their defenses. However, knowing our past with these three it would be best to assume that they would come after us first.” Twilight said. “So what are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked. “First, we must evacuate Ponyville. Now that Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow have the power of the pearl the amount of damage they can cause is unimaginable. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, you’ll both assist with the evacuation of the adults. Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you’ll help with the fillies and colts. Fluttershy, I’ll need you to help evacuate the animals.” Starlight stepped forward. “What do you want me to do Twilight?” Twilight placed her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder and gave her a serious look. “Starlight, I have the most important mission for you. I need you to guard Spike with your life. I’ll be too busy directing the evacuation to watch him, so I need you to guard him for me.” “Do not worry Twilight. You can count on me.” Starlight said. Twilight felt a tugging on her tail. She looked down to see Spike trying to get her attention. Twilight leaned down and picked him up. “Oh Spike, I’m sorry to say that I won’t be around for a little while. Your aunt Starlight is going to be taking care of you, so I need you to be a good boy for her understand?” Spike looked at Twilight with a sad look on his face. Even though he couldn’t speak many words, Spike still understood enough to know what was going on. He wrapped his arms tightly around Twilight, refusing to let go. Twilight hugged him in return. A part of her did not want to let go of Spike, but she knew that he would not be safe around her. Especially now that he was a hatchling and that she would be heading into battle. With all of her might Twilight pried Spike off of herself and gave him to Starlight. Spike reached out for Twilight and began to cry. “Mama!” Twilight gently brushed Spike’s cheek with her hoof. “Everything will be alright Spike. I will come back, I promise” Twilight then kissed Spike on the forehead then turned to face the others. “Alright girls, let’s get moving. We may not have much time.” At Grogar’s lair, Grogar stood before Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. He held the pearl in his hoof. “Now all of Equestria shall witness the true might of my power!” Grogar attached the pearl to his collar. Soon he began to glow. Grogar’s horns grew large and turned pitch black. His eyes turned flame red. Grogar grew in size, becoming 20 feet tall. Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek all looked up in amazement. “Now, behold my power!” Grogar charged up his horns with magical energy. He then shot out a beam of energy that blasted through the walls of the lair and leveled the top of a far off mountain. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis were all shocked and amazed by the pure display of power. Grogar turned to face them. “And now we must head off to destroy the only thing that can possibly stop us. The elements of harmony.” As grogar lead the way out of the lair, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow whispered amongst themselves. “Did you see that display of power? It was incredible!” Cozy Glow said. “Perhaps a little too incredible.” Tirek replied. “It may make Grogar uncontrollable. What’s to stop him from turning that power on us?” “We still have the bell.” Chrysalis said. “If Grogar gets out of control, perhaps we can use it against him.” Tirek and Cozy Glow nodded in agreement. Cozy Glow grabbed the bell and gave it to Tirek, who hid it behind his back. The three continued to follow Grogar on their march towards Ponyville. With the help of the royal guard, Twilight and her friends began the evacuation of Ponyville. Ponies were evacuated by train, cart, and even airship. Fluttershy evacuated the animals by giving them their own train cars and carts. The last train was being boarded as Twilight said her goodbyes to Spike. “Now Spike, I want you to be a good boy for Starlight while I’m away. Can you do that?” Spike booped Twilight on the nose. Starlight and Twilight could not help but laugh. “Don’t worry Twilight, I promise to keep him safe.” Starlight said. “I know you will.” Twilight gave Spike a kiss on the cheek. Starlight then boarded the train with Spike. The two waved goodbye to Twilight as the train left the station. Twilight waved back, trying hard to hold back her tears. The mane six patrolled the abandoned streets of Ponyville. The entire town was eerily quiet. A cold wind blew in, shaking the six friends to their cores. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Brace yourselves everypony. We’re in for the fight of our lives.” As the train that carried Spike and Starlight sped towards Canterlot, Starlight held Spike close to her chest. Spike would occasionally glance up at her with a worried look on his face. Starlight tried to ease Spike by gently rocking him back and forth. “Don’t worry Spike.” Starlight said in a soothing tone. “You will see Twilight again soon enough.” Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt. Starlight stuck her head out of the window to see what all of the commotion was. She was shocked when she saw Tirek, Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and a fierce looking monster that she had never seen before blocking the way. The four fiends marched towards the train car that held Spike and Starlight. Grogar used his power to tear off the side of the car. “Where is the young dragon known as Spike?” Grogar boomed with his mighty voice. All of the commotion caused Spike to cry. Starlight did everything she could to quiet him down and not be noticed. Chrysalis immediately noticed Starlight and marched over to her. “Well well, what have we here?” Chrysalis asked with a sadistic smile. Starlight held Spike close to her chest. “What do you want?” “We need that baby dragon.” Cozy Glow said. “Hand him over!” “Never!” Starlight shouted. She tried to blast the foursome with her magic, but Grogar put up a shield that stopped the blast. Tirek then opened his mouth and drained Starlight of her magic. Weakend, Starlight fell to the ground and dropped Spike. The little drake was grabbed by Chrysalis before he could hit the ground. “You’ll do perfectly for our big plan.” Chrysalis said. Spike tried to free himself from her grasp, but he was simply too small and weak. The four villains then marched off towards Ponyville. Starlight reached out to Spike, but there was nothing she could do. She passed out thinking that she had failed Twilight. Chapter 6The mane six waited for the battle that they were sure was heading their way. Rainbow Dash kicked around a rock as she grew impatient. “Ugh! When are they going to get here? I’m in the mood to kick some flank right now!” “Now hold your hooves there Rainbow.” Applejack said. “We’re all anxious about what’s to come, but we need to stay focused. Who knows what those fiends are planning.” “I just hope that everypony made it out of town safely.” Said Fluttershy. “Especially all of my animal friends.” Pinkie Pie hopped over to Fluttershy and put her leg around her. “Don’t you worry! We all made sure that the evacuation went smoothly. I’m sure that everypony is safe and sound.” Meanwhile, Twilight scanned the horizon for any signs of oncoming danger. She stopped when she spotted four figures in the distance. Just as she adjusted her binoculars to get a better look, a huge fireball was launched right at her. “Incoming!” Twilight shouted. They all scattered as the fireball came crashing down onto the town hall, completely obliterating it. As the dust settled, Twilight and the others got back up on their hooves. “Is anypony hurt?” Twilight called out. All of her friends indicated that they were fine. Twilight looked up and saw another fireball heading their way. They all scattered again, this time with the fireball striking Sugarcube Corner. “No! Not the cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie screamed out. More and more fireballs were hurled towards Ponyville, and with each one another building was destroyed. Twilight and her friends ducked for cover underneath the town bridge. The onslaught continued until Ponyville was a sea of fire. The group emerged from under the bridge and were taken aback by the wall of flames that surrounded them. “Rainbow Dash, round up some storm clouds to put out these fires.” Twilight ordered. Rainbow Dash saluted and took off into the sky. She zoomed around pushing together as many clouds as she could until she had enough to cause a rainstorm. The rain put out the fires, leaving behind smoldering craters and the burned remains of buildings. “What could have caused this much damage?” Rarity asked. Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow then appeared through the smoke. “We did.” Cozy Glow said with a sinister smile “With some help from our new friend.” Grogar then appeared, towering over the others. Twilight and her friends quickly banded together. It was then that Twilight saw the pearl hanging from Grogar’s neck. “Who are you?” Asked Twilight. “I am Grogar! For millennia I have waited for the right time to emerge and conquer this world. And now with the combined might of Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, we shall be unstoppable!” Twilight and her friends stood their ground. “Not if we have anything to say about it! You’re dealing with the elements of harmony!” Grogar threw his head back and let out a deafening laugh. “You honestly think that your friendship is enough to stop me? With this pearl, I am the most powerful being in all of Equestria!” “We’ll see about that!” Twilight said. The mane six then bounded together and charged up their elemental magic. Before they could fire, Chrysalis lifted Spike in the air with her magic. The little drake struggled to break free, desperately reaching out for Twilight. Twilight became frozen with shock. “Spike!” She reached out to him, but Chrysalis pulled Spike away at the last moment. Tirek chuckled. “The mighty Twilight Sparkle, brought to her knees by a mere baby dragon. Pathetic.” “We had a deal! I gave you the pearl and in return you promised not to harm Spike.” Said Twilight. Grogar snorted. “You may have made a deal with these three, but not with me! Now stand down or I shall squash this dragon like a bug.” Twilight lowered her head. She then turned to look at her friends. “Girls, stand down.” Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all gasped. “Twilight, you can’t be serious!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “Do it!” Twilight shouted. “I swore that I would never let any harm befall Spike, and I’m not about to let that happen now. So we’ll do as Grogar says.” Everypony stood down. Grogar grinned. “Very good. Now, lead the way to Canterlot. I need to take care of Celestia and Luna.” Twilight and the others lowered their heads as they led the way towards Canterlot. As they marched, Twilight would look back at Spike. He was still caught in Chrysalis’s magic and struggling to break free. “I swear Spike, I will save you and Equestria.” Twilight thought to herself. Once they arrived at the gates to Canterlot, the royal guard raised the magical barrier. Shining Armor appeared atop the wall and was shocked to see Twilight. “Twily? What is going on here?” Twilight looked up at her brother. “Please Shining, you have to let us in! They have Spike and if we don’t do as they say they’ll harm him!” Shining was torn. He swore to protect Canterlot no matter what. However Spike was like a little brother to him, and he couldn’t stand to see him get hurt. Chrysalis grew impatient. She walked over to Twilight. “Perhaps you need a little demonstration of what will happen if your brother does not open that gate.” Chrysalis then used her magic to squeeze Spike, causing him to scream out loud. “Stop!” Shining yelled. “I shall let you pass.” Shining had the other guards lower the magic barrier and open the gates. Grogar, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all marched into Canterlot with the elements of harmony walking right beside them. As they marched towards the castle, everypony watching could not believe their eyes. Grogar was the most imposing figure that they had ever seen, more so than Tirek or Chrysalis. When the group reached the castle, Celestia and Luna were already outside waiting. “Who are you?” Celestia asked. “I am Grogar! The most powerful being in all of Equestria!” “What is it that you want?” Asked Luna. “You will surrender unto me and declare me the ruler of Equestria! Failure to do so will result in your complete annihilation!” “Hey! What about us?” Asked Cozy Glow. Grogar turned to face Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis. “What about you?” “How will Equestria be divided up?” Tirek asked. Grogar raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean divided up?” “Surely you would not get all of Equestria to yourself.” Chrysalis said. “Since we’ve all been working together, it’s only fair that Equestria be divided up between the four of us.” “And why should I give you any land?” Said Grogar. “The three of you have barely accomplished anything since I recruited you. The only thing that you have gotten right is getting me the pearl.” “That isn’t the only thing we’ve gotten.” Tirek then reached behind himself and revealed Grogar’s bell. Grogar was shocked. “My bell! You’ve been keeping it from me this whole time?!” Cozy Glow told hold of the bell. “That’s right! And we think that splitting up Equestria three ways is better than four, don’t you agree?” “You dare betray me?! I’ll make you pay for this!” Grogar fired a magical blast at Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis. Cozy Glow used the bell to put up a magic shield that blocked the blast. She then fired a magic blast of her own, but Grogar was also able to put up a shield. In the midst of the firefight, Celestia and Luna began evacuating Canterlot. Everypony ran for the nearest exit out of the city, except for Twilight. She ran headlong into the battle. “Twilight, what are you doing?!” Celestia asked. “Spike is still being held captive. I have to rescue him before he gets hurt!” “Well you are not going headlong into danger without us darling.” Rarity said. Twilight nodded in agreement, and the six friends charged into the fight. Meanwhile, Grogar continued firing magic shots at Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow. The three villains did the same, with neither side gaining an inch of ground. Spike still struggled to free himself from Chrysalis’s magic. He then reached out and scratched Chrysalis across the face with his claws. “Ow! You little pest!” Chrysalis then threw Spike directly at a wall. For Twilight, time suddenly stood still. She could see the fear on Spike’s face as he headed towards the wall. Twilight then leapt into the air with all of her might and caught Spike in her hooves. She held him close as she tucked and rolled along the ground. Twilight kissed Spike gently on the forehead after they came to a stop. Spike nuzzled her back. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity were soon by Twilight’s side. “Is Spike alright?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded her head. She then hooved Spike over to Fluttershy. With a stern look on her face, Twilight began marching towards Grogar, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. “It’s time to finish this.” She said. Twilight marched right up to the four battling fiends and shouted “ENOUGH!” Grogar, Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and Tirek stopped fighting and they all turned their heads to look at Twilight. “The four of you have crossed the line!” Twilight shouted in anger. “You have kidnapped Spike and threatened him with harm. As his mother, I will not let this stand!” “Oh? And what are you going to do?” Cozy Glow said mockinly. Fire burned in Twilight’s eyes. Her horn glew brightly as Twilight charged it with all of the magical energy that she had. Twilight then fired a massive beam of energy. Grogar dodged out of the way while Cozy Glow tried to put up a magical shield. The shield was instantly destroyed and Twilight’s energy beam struck the magic bell, causing it to shatter into dust. “Our bell!” Chrysalis yelled. She, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all turned to run away but Twilight and her friends used their combined magic to blast them and trap them in stone. “That should hold them for now.” Twilight said. She then turned to confront Grogar. “Now to take care of you.” Grogar let out a laugh. “You fools! That bell was the only thing in all of Equestria that could match my power! Now how do you propose to defeat me?” “With the power of friendship!” Twilight and her friends then combined their magic and fired a massive beam at Grogar. Grogar countered with a beam of his own. The two beams collided, with both sides giving every ounce of energy they had to try and overpower the other. Both sides pushed back and forth with their energy beams, each trying to overpower the other. Twilight and her friends put every ounce of strength they had into the beam, but Grogar’s beam was just too strong. Twilight was about to give up when she noticed Spike on the ground. He was clapping and cheering them on. Seeing Spike filled Twilight with a newfound strength, and she charged up the beam with everything she had. The main six’s beam pushed back Grogar’s beam and he was struck. The force from the blast destroyed his horns and Grogar returned to normal size. The pearl was broken free from Grogar’s collar and rolled towards Twilight. Celestia, Luna, and the other citizens of Canterlot came rushing back into the city to congratulate Twilight and her friends. Grogar fell to the ground in exhaustion, and soon found himself surrounded by royal guards. As he was being taken away, Grogar called out to Twilight. “You think that this is over? There are numerous villains just like me who are waiting to attack Equestria! You ponies will never know peace!” “Then we’ll be ready for whatever threatens Equestria. No matter what!” Twilight called back. “I knew that Luna and I made the right choice in choosing you to be our successor” Celestia said. Twilight picked up the pearl. “Thank you, Celestia. Now there is just one more thing to take care of.” Twilight walked over to Spike. She gave him the pearl and soon Spike began to glow. Within seconds the black smoke was lifted from Spike, and he returned to normal. Spike looked around in confusion. “Huh, what’s going on? Why are we in Canterlot? Also, why am I wearing a diaper?” Twilight smiled and hugged Spike. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything.” In the weeks that followed, ponies from all over Equestria gathered to help rebuild Ponyville brick by brick. Grogar, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were all imprisoned in tartarus. Twilight ascended to ruler of Equestria once Celestia and Luna stepped down. Starlight took over as headmare of the school of friendship. One day while Twilight was sitting on her throne and going over royal documents, she suddenly remembered the words of Blue Orchid. “Being a good mother doesn’t happen overnight. It takes trial and error.” Twilight felt that the same could easily be said about leading all of Equestria. Spike was getting a little older, but he still served as Twilight’s #1 assistant. And Twilight still viewed him as her younger brother. Spike entered the throne room carrying more documents. “Some more documents for you to go through.” Spike said. Twilight then had an idea. “You know what Spike? The documents can wait. What do you say we take a break and head back to Ponyville for the day? It will be great to catch up with all of our friends.” Spike’s face lit up. “Really? Because It’s been a while since I’ve seen Rarity.” Twilight gave Spike a smirk. “Don’t be coy with me Spike. I know that you and Rarity have been dating recently.” Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, we have been on a few dates.” Twilight and Spike then headed out of the castle and towards the royal chariot. Spike turned to Twilight and asked “Hey Twilight, what do think the future holds for us?” Twilight smiled and patted Spike on the head as they sat in the chariot. “You know Spike, let’s just focus on the present for now.”
Chapter 1Author's Note This story takes place after the episode Frienemies. Chapter 1 There was a knock at the door to Twilight’s castle. “I’ll get it!” Spike called out. The dragon flew down the hall and arrived at the massive front door. He opened it to find Derpy holding a package on the other side. “Hello Derpy. More packages for Twilight I assume?” Derpy nodded her head. “Yes indeed! Although this one isn’t as big as the last one.” Derpy gave Spike the small package. Spike looked over the package. “That’s odd, there’s no return address. Is this from princess Celestia?” Derpy shook her head. “To be honest, we don’t know who sent the package. It just showed up mysteriously at the post office addressed to princess Twilight.” “Well don’t worry. I’ll make sure that she gets it. Thanks again!” Spike waved Derpy goodbye as she flew off. Spike shook the box and could hear something rattling around inside. “Twilight won’t mind if I take just a little peek inside.” Spike thought to himself. He untied the string and opened up the box. As soon as Spike opened the box, he was blasted in the face with purple smoke. The smoke soon engulfed the little dragon. “Spike, who was at the front door?” Twilight called out. When she got no response, Twilight made her way down the hall towards the front door. As she got closer, Twilight could see a cloud of purple smoke by the front door. “Spike?” As Twilight got closer, the smoke began to clear. When it did, Twilight could not believe her eyes. Laying on the ground was Spike, de-aged to a hatchling and sucking on his own tail. “Spike, what happened to you?!” Twilight said in a panic. She scooped up the little drake and cradled him in her front legs. “Spike please say something!” “Abba wabba!” Spike replied. Starlight Glimmer came trotting down the hall after hearing all of the noise. “Twilight, what’s with all the commotion?” Twilight turned around to reveal Spike to Starlight. “Oh my gosh! What happened to Spike?” Starlight asked. Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea. All I know is that there was a knock at the door and Spike went to answer it. When I arrived, there was this weird purple smoke and when it cleared I found Spike on the floor like this!” Starlight walked over for a closer look. That is when she noticed the empty box on the floor. “Do you suppose this has something to do with what happened to Spike?” Twilight lit up her horn and used it to scan the box. “There are traces of magic residue on the box. I’ll have to analyse it to find out exactly what it is.” Spike then became fussy. “Yanna banna!” He yelled while clutching at Twilight’s mane. “But first I should take care of this little guy. It’s been so long since I’ve had to take of Spike. It’s good that I keep around so many foal supplies for when Flurry Heart visits.” Twilight pried Spike off of her mane. She then went to the supply closet and got out the foal supplies. Starlight helped Twilight to get Spike diapered. “There, that should prevent any accidents. Now what should we do?” Starlight asked. A loud growl could then be heard coming from Spike’s tummy. Starlight picked up Spike. “Sounds like somebody is hungry.” “There should be formula in the kitchen.” Said Twilight. “You get him fed while I analyze that box for clues.” Starlight tried to walk towards the kitchen with Spike, but the baby dragon threw a huge temper tantrum. “Want momma!” He screamed as he reached out for Twilight. “It looks like he wants his mom.” Starlight hooved Spike over to Twilight. Spike grabbed onto Twilight and held her tightly. Twilight let out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll feed Spike. Starlight, pick up that box and take it to my study. I’ll examine it later.” Twilight then went to the kitchen. She got out Flurry Heart’s high chair and placed Spike in it. After heating up a bottle of formula, Twilight gave it to Spike who chugged it right down. After feeding Spike, Twilight placed him over her shoulder and gently patted his back. Spike burped up a little flame that singed Twilight’s mane a little. Twilight then placed Spike in a playpen that Starlight had set up. While Spike was busy playing with some toys, Twilight finally was able to examine the package. “Have you found out anything?” Starlight asked. “This box seems to contain dark magic. Ancient dark magic. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before.” Twilight said. “Is there any way to return Spike to normal?” “Not that I’m aware of. I’ll have to contact princess Celestia. Maybe she knows something about this type of dark magic.” Starlight looked over at Spike, who was stacking blocks. “So, I guess you’ll have to raise Spike all over again.” Twilight walked over to the playpen and watched Spike play. “I know. The first time around I was only a filly and in way over my head. But now I’m way more mature, and I’ve had practice with Flurry Heart. This time around should be a snap.” “Famous last words.” Starlight muttered under her breath. “We’d better gather the others and inform them of what happened to Spike. We should also check to see if they received similar packages. It was addressed to me, so clearly I was the intended target. Whomever sent that package might be after them as well.” Twilight said. Spike picked up one of the blocks and started sucking on it. Twilight quickly removed it from his mouth. “No Spike, that does not go in your mouth.” Spike then began crying, letting out a deafening scream. “Still think this will be a snap?” Starlight asked as she and Twilight both covered their ears. After getting Spike to calm down by giving him a pacifier, Twilight sent Starlight to retrieve their friends and bring them back to the castle. They had all received a mysterious package, but fortunately they never opened them. After arriving at the castle Twilight examined all of the packages. They did indeed contain the ancient dark magic. “Twilight, what is this all about?” Rarity asked. “Those packages you all received contain an ancient form of dark magic. Exposure to it would have caused you to turn into foals.” Twilight explained. “Oh my. It’s a good thing we didn’t open them.” Said Fluttershy. “Wait a minute, how do you know what would have happened to us had we opened those packages?” Asked Applejack. “Well, because….” Twilight waved over to Starlight, who came walking into the room holding baby Spike. “Spike opened the package meant for me, and now he’s a hatchling.” All of Twilight’s friends gasped in shock. “My goodness! Who could have done this to my Spikey-wikey?” Rarity said. “That’s what I’m still trying to figure out. The packages have no return addresses on them, and the post office says that no pony dropped them off. It’s as if they appeared out of nowhere.” Twilight explained. “So, let me get this straight.” Rainbow Dash said. “Somepony had a plan to turn us into foals using these mysterious packages, but Spike opened yours first and now he’s a hatchling?” “That’s correct. But the dark magic used is so ancient that I can’t find a counter spell anywhere.” Starlight placed Spike down on the table. He looked over at Rarity and smiled. Spike then crawled across the table over to her. Once he reached Rarity, he held out his claws. Rarity picked up Spike and cradled him. “Don’t you worry Spikey-wikey. We’ll have you back to normal soon.” Rarity cooed. “I must admit, Spike is really cute as a hatchling!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed. Meanwhile, at a top secret location, Grogar watched the entire meeting through his crystal ball. He waved away the image in disgust, then he turned to face Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. “Tell me again how turning Twilight and her friends into foals was supposed to help us conquer Equestria?” Tirek and Chrysalis both stepped aside, leaving Cozy Glow to answer Grogar. “Well, um, you see there’s and old expression ‘Like taking candy from a foal.’ With the element wielders turned into foals, we could have easily marched right into Canterlot and taken over.” Cozy Glow then gulped and forced a smile. “And yet, all we were able to do was turn a dragon into a hatchling!” Grogar yelled. “This entire plan was a complete failure from the start! If we can’t even turn the elemental wielders into foals, then how are we supposed to take out the princesses and rule Equestria!” Chrysalis took a step forward. “Grogar, I know that the plan was to take out Twilight and her friends, but at least now we know that the foal spell works. We just need to find a new way to deliver it.” “And I suppose you three know of another way?” Grogar asked. “Well, not at the moment but we will.” Tirek said. “You’d better, or else I’ll use the spell on the three of you!” Grogar then marched out of the room. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis all stared at each other.
Chapter 3At Grogar’s secret lair Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow all discussed how Grogar’s magic should be used to take over Equestria. “I have an idea.” Chrysalis said. “We steal the Storm King’s staff, and use it to conjure up a massive storm. Then, Grogar will infuse the storm with his age regression spell. The storm will rain down across Equestria, turning everypony into foals!” Tirek and Cozy Glow both gave each other quizzical looks. “And how are we supposed to rule over a kingdom of foals?” Tirek asked. “Don’t you see? Foals give off the purest form of love there is!” Chrysalis explained. “With their love I can feed myself, and a new hive of changelings, for ages to come!” Cozy Glow let out an irritated sigh. “And how does that benefit us? We can’t survive on love like you can.” “Besides, foals can’t exactly take care of themselves.” Tirek said. “All of your changelings would be busy taking care of these foals around the clock.” Chrysalis was about to speak, but then she stopped and thought for a moment. “Huh, I guess I didn’t really think out my plan all the way through. My hunger for love must be getting the better of me.” Cozy Glow face hoofed herself. “Well, I guess we’re back to square one. At this rate we’ll all end up just like King Sombra.” Over at the Crystal Castle, Twilight was playing with Spike. The two were rolling a ball back and forth between each other. “Spike, can you say ball?” Twilight asked. Spike caught the ball and examined it. “Ba ba!” He replied. “Close enough I suppose. Let’s try something else.” Twilight looked around the room until she noticed a book. She walked over and brought it to Spike. “Can You say book?” “Boo Boo!” Spike said with a smile. Twilight patted him on the head. “Don’t worry, I’ll have you back to speaking fully in no time.” Just then there was a knock at the front door. “I wonder who that could be?” Twilight picked up Spike and placed him on her back. She then walked down the hall towards the front door. When Twilight opened it, she was surprised to see Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Flurry Heart. “Twily! So good to see you!” Said Shining Armor. “What are you guys doing here?” Twilight asked. “We heard about what happened to Spike from Celestia and Luna.” Cadence said. “So we figured that Flurry Heart might enjoy a play date with him.” “Berg bwlea!” Flurry Heart replied as she held her snail plushie Whammy. Twilight was unsure about how to feel about the visit. The last couple of times that Flurry Heart had come over she was nothing but trouble. Also, with Spike now turned into a baby, Twilight was worried that Spike might not be able to handle himself around Flurry Heart. Of course Twilight never mentioned this out loud to Shining and Cadence. She loved them too much. “A playdate? Sure! That sounds like a wonderful idea. How about we start out with some lunch first? It’s been awhile since Spike has eaten.” “Lunch sounds great.” Shining said. “It’s a good thing we always bring along a few jars of mashed peas. They’re Flurry’s favorite you know.” “Don’t remind me.” Twilight muttered under her breath. She just knew that she was going to need to clean the walls by the end of the day. Soon everyone was in the kitchen. Spike and Flurry Heart both sat in high chairs as Twilight and Cadence both prepared their meals. Twilight heated up a bottle of formula and gave it to Spike who started drinking it. Shining tried to feed Flurry Heart, but everytime he grabbed a spoonful of mashed peas Flurry would use her magic to splat it against the wall. “Sorry about that Twily.” Said Shining. “I promise to clean this mess up.” “Thanks.” Twilight burped Spike once he had finished his bottle. Cadence then came over with some daisy sandwiches. As the three of them ate, Spike and Flurry Heart stayed in their high chairs and played with toys. “So Twilight, how has it been raising Spike all over again?” Cadence asked. Twilight put down her half eaten sandwich. “Well, to be honest it has been tough. Their are so many things that Spike did as a hatchling that I had completely forgotten about.” Shining swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “Has he been any trouble?” Twilight smiled as she waved him off. “No, he hasn’t been causing any trouble. It’s just that he has been very needy. He constantly calls for me at all hours and refuses to be apart from me for very long.” “Has he been calling you Mama, like when you were a filly?” Asked Shining. “Yes he has. It’s like he was not only regressed physically, but mentally as well.” Cadence finished her sandwich and walked over to Spike. “Well I for one am kind of glad that I get to see what Spike looked like as a hatchling. And he is simply adorable!” Cadence reached over and pinched Spike’s cheeks, causing him to giggle. Flurry Heart noticed this, and she became filled with jealousy. Using her magic, she lifted up a jar of mashed peas and was about to pour it on Spike’s head. At the last second Cadence removed Spike from the high chair and Flurry Heart missed. “How about we let these two have play time together.” Twilight said. “You four go on ahead. I need to clean up this kitchen.” Shining then grabbed a mop and bucket and began to clean. Twilight and Cadence took Spike and Flurry Heart to the main hall where a playpen had been set up. After setting Spike and Flurry Heart down in the playpen, Twilight reached over and gave them each a teddy bear. “Here Spike, you and Flurry Heart can play with these teddy bears I got for her. Can you say bear?” Twilight asked. Spike grabbed one of the teddy bears. He looked at it for a bit, then he looked up at Twilight. “Baw!” Twilight could not help but giggle. “Close enough.” She said as she patted him on the head. Twilight and Cadence then got into a discussion. Flurry Heart crawled over to Spike and gave him a mean look. “I no wike U!” Flurry Heart said. “U take away attention fwom mommy and aunt Twiwight!” Spike didn’t know what to do. “ I sowwy.” Flurry Heart then grabbed Spike’s teddy bear. “This my toy! Onwy me and aunt Twiwight awe awwowd to pway with them!” Flurry Heart tried to take the teddy bear away, but Spike would not let go. “Mama wants us to shawe.” Spike said. “Gimme!” Flurry Heart demanded. Spike eventually let go of the teddy bear. The bear flew right out of Flurry Heart’s hooves and flew across the room. Shining Armor had just emerged from the kitchen when the bear came flying right at him. “I’m all done cleaning the kit-” Just then Shining was hit right in the face with the teddy bear. The force of the impact knocked him off of his hooves. Both Twilight and Cadence ran to his side. “Honey, are you alright?” Cadence asked. Shining Armor sat up, his head a bit loopy. “What happened?” “I don’t know. Cadence and I turned our heads for a minute after giving Spike and Flurry Heart some teddy bears to play with. The next thing we know one of the bears is flying across the room.” Twilight said. Flurry Heart immediately grabbed her Whammy and pretended to be innocent. Spike just sat there, unsure of what to do. Shining walked over to the playpen and knelt down to Spike’s level. “Spike, you just can’t throw toys around like that. Somepony could get hurt. Try and be more like Flurry Heart, okay?” Shining then went back to the kitchen to get some ice. Spike was very upset with Flurry Heart. “U got me into twouble! U a bad foaw!” Flurry Heart just stuck her tongue out at Spike. “I a pwincess! I can do whatevew I want!” Flurry Heart then used her magic to gather up all of the toys and place them around her. “Hey, tose mine!” Spike complained. “Tey mine now. And thewe’s nothing you can do about it.” Flurry Heart said with a smirk. Twilight and Cadence both walked over to the playpen to check up on Spike and Flurry Heart. “Flurry, are you playing nice?” Cadence asked. Flurry Heart did her little cutesy routine and continued to act innocent. In the midst of gathering up all of the toys, Flurry Heart kicked up some dust. The dust drifted in the air until it was suck up into Spike’s nostrils. Spike sneezed out a fireball that hit Whammy, burning the snail plushie into ashes. Flurry Heart’s face turned bright red with anger. “U killed Whammy!” Flurry Heart then rushed over to Spike and began hitting him. Spike fell over and cried. Both Twilight and Cadence were shocked at what was happening. “Flurry, no!” Cadence reached down and pulled Flurry Heart off of Spike. Twilight picked up and cradled him, trying to get him to stop crying. “Flurry Heart! You know better than hit others! Bad foal!” Cadence said sternly. Flurry Heart then let out an ear piercing scream and started flailing around. Cadence tried to hold on to her, but Flurry Heart ended up hitting Cadence in the face. Flurry Heart then teleported back to the pile of toys. Shining came running back into the room when he heard all of the commotion. “What’s going on in here?!” “Spike accidentally destroyed Flurry Heart’s Whammy, and now she’s out of control!” Twilight said. “She attacked Spike and now Cadence can’t control her!” Shining marched over to Flurry Heart. “Flurry no! You are a bad, bad foal!” Flurry Heart kept screaming and started shooting bursts of magic everywhere from her horn. Twilight and Cadence both ducked for cover as the main hall was blasted full of holes. “That’s it!” Shining reached over and picked up Flurry Heart. He then sat down and pulled down her diaper. Shining Armor then began spanking Flurry Heart’s bottom until it was bright red. Flurry Heart stopped her temper tantrum, tears flowing down her cheeks and her lip quivering. Shining set down Flurry Heart and turned to Twilight. “I’m sorry that you had to see that Twily. Is Spike okay?” Twilight looked Spike over. “He has a slight bruise, but other than that he should be fine. How are you two doing?” Cadence got up from her hiding spot. “I’m alright. Twilight, we are so sorry for what Flurry Heart has done. We promise to fix up all the damage that Flurry Heart has done to your castle.” “Aside from the crystal heart incident, I’ve never seen Flurry Heart act up this way before.” Shining said. “Actually, Flurry Heart has been some trouble for a while.” Said Twilight. “When you left her with me a few months ago, she broke the Cake twins toys and caused major damage at the hospital when I tried to read to all the sick foals. Flurry was also responsible for causing the pudding to grow out of control during Hearths Warming.” Both Shining Armor and Cadence were shocked to hear this. “Twilight, why didn’t you tell us this sooner?” Cadence asked. “Because I didn’t think that you would believe me. You both see Flurry Heart as this perfect angel, but the truth is she can be a huge terror.” Cadence picked up Flurry Heart. “Well from now on we’ll keep a closer eye on her. And if she causes any more trouble, then it’s straight to the time out corner.” “And no more special treatment.” Shining said. “Just because Flurry Heart is a princess does not make her above punishment. Hopefully I won’t need to give her another spanking ever again.” Twilight smiled at Shining and Cadence. “I know that you’ll both do fine. You’re great parents who just spoiled Flurry Heart a bit. Going forward I know that you will raise Flurry Heart just right.” At that moment Starlight Glimmer came back from the school of friendship. “Hey guys! How was the play-” She stopped when she saw the destruction that Flurry Heart had caused. “Wow. That must have been some playdate.” Twilight, Shining, and Cadence all let out a collective sigh. “You have no idea.” Twilight said.
Chapter 4Twilight carried Spike on her back as she trotted around the nursery. Spike giggled and clapped his claws as he bounced up and down. Twilight then stopped and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Okay, that’s enough giddy up for today.” She set Spike down on the floor. Spike got misty eyed and his lower lip began to quiver. “Oh no, don’t cry! Don’t cry!” Twilight panicked. She knew that she only had one shot to avoid a full on toddler meltdown. That’s when Twilight had a brilliant idea. “Hey Spike, watch this! Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs wake. Clap your hooves, and do a little shake!” Twilight’s plan work. Her little song and dance had Spike smiling and bouncing up and down on his diaper. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia that worked. No wonder Cadence did it with me when I was little.” Starlight Glimmer then entered the nursery holding a letter. “Hey Twilight, this just arrived for you from Celestia and Luna.” Twilight took the letter and read it. “Huh, it says that they want to have a private meeting me regarding a cure for Spike.” “So will you be taking Spike with you, or do you want one of your friends to foalsit?” Starlight asked. Twilight rubbed Spike’s head. “No, I’ll be taking Spike with me. He is my responsibility. Besides, It’ll be good for the two of us to get out and spend the day in Canterlot.” Twilight knelt down to Spike’s level. “Are you ready for a day out with mommy?” She asked. Spike playfully booped Twilight on the nose. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Twilight said with a smile. As Twilight and Spike rode the train towards Canterlot, Twilight could not help but notice that some ponies were staring at them. Twilight paid them no mind, checking in on Spike who was busy playing with his Rarity plushie. Twilight was soon approached by an elderly unicorn mare. “Excuse me, but is this young dragon yours?” The mare asked. Twilight did not know how to answer. “Yes, I mean no. Well he’s not mine biologically but I am his mother.” The old mare smiled. “I just simply adore dragons. Such magnificent creatures. Would you mind if I held him?” “Not at all.” Twilight replied. The old mare picked up Spike and held him gently. “Who’s a big cutie?” The old mare cooed. She tickled Spike’s chin, causing him to laugh and squirm. Twilight was amazed. “Wow, you sure know how to handle babies.” “Oh I’ve had plenty of experience with foals and grand foals of my own. You just have to know how to treat them.” “I’m still learning a bit as I go along.” Twilight said as she rubbed the back of her head. “Being a good mother doesn’t happen overnight my dear. It takes trial and error. In the end I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” A hissing sound could then be heard. Twilight and the old mare both turned to see a yellow spot growing on Spike’s diaper. “ I think this is the part where you are needed.” The old mare said as she gave Spike back to Twilight. Twilight laid out a changing mat and began to change Spike. She removed the wet diaper, wiped down Spike’s bottom, applied foal powder, and strapped him into a clean diaper in under a minute. The old mare could not help but smile. “Well, it seems you have the messy part down pat.” “Thank you.” Twilight said. “I’ve had a lot of practice with my niece, though Spike is much easier to change.” The train soon arrived in Canterlot. Twilight and the old mare both got off. “Well I guess this is where we part ways.” The old mare said. “It was nice talking with you. By the way, what’s your name?” Twilight asked. “My name is Blue Orchid. And it was very nice to meet you and your dragon. Perhaps we will meet up again sometime.” Blue Orchid and Twilight then waved goodbye to each other, and Twilight pushed Spike’s stroller towards the royal castle. Twilight arrived at the castle and was escorted by the guards straight to Celestia and Luna’s throne room. “Welcome Twilight.” Celestia said as she made her way over to Twilight and Spike. She leaned down to rub Spike on the head. “Oh how this brings back memories. Spike looks just like he did the day you hatched him and got your cutie mark.” Spike reached up and grabbed Celestia’s flowing mane, causing the princess to chuckle. “You said in your letter that you have news regarding a possible cure for Spike. Is this true?” Twilight asked. “Indeed it is.” Said Luna. “We studied the boxes that contained the magical smoke which transformed Spike. The magic smoke was made of an ancient magic that predates Equestria. In order to counter the magic smoke’s effects, you will need pre-Equestrian magic.” Twilight was perplexed. “Is there any pre-Equestrian magic that exists?” “There is.” Celestia said. “However, acquiring it may be a bit of a problem.” “How so?” Asked Twilight. Celestia and Luna both looked at each other, then back at Twilight. “The one source of pre-Equestrian magic that we know of is the magic pearl of the hippogryphs.” Luna said. Luna’s words filled Twilight with sorrow. She still remembered lying to her friends and trying to steal the pearl away from queen Novo during the invasion of the Storm King. “Does queen Novo know that we need to use the pearl?” Twilight asked. Celestia shook her head. “We have not yet informed her yet. And before you ask, yes queen Novo did inform us of what you tried to do. Though we are disappointed with your actions, you have shown since then what it takes to be a great leader. We have no doubt that queen Novo will forgive you, and allow you to use the pearl given the current circumstances.” Twilight lowered her head. Looking at Spike, she knew that she had to set a good example for the little drake. For even though Spike and Twilight were raised as brother and sister, Twilight also viewed Spike as the foal she never had. Twilight looked up at Celestia and Luna. “I’ll leave for Mount Aris right away.” Meanwhile, Grogar watched the whole thing from his seeing stone. He summoned Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow who all made their way to the main room in an instant. “You summoned us Grogar?” Cozy Glow asked. “Yes. I have been watching the princesses while you all have been trying to figure out what to do next, and I have discovered a unique opportunity.” “And what might that be?” Asked Chrysalis. “Twilight Sparkle is heading towards Mount Aris in order to use the pearl of the Hippogryphs. You three are going to head there and retrieve it for me.” “Your sending us out to get a pearl?” Tirek said. Grogar stomped his hoof in frustration. “It is not just some ordinary pearl! It is one of the few remaining relics that contains pre-Equestrian magic. With it, I shall be able to restore my full power.” “And then we can finally conquer Equestria!” Said Cozy Glow. Grogar rolled his eyes. “The three of you still need to learn how to work together. You failed in your attempt to retrieve my bell, and I will not accept failure a second time. I will be watching you this time through my seeing stone. Do not dare fail me.” Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow immediately turned and began their trek towards Mount Aris. “Do you think Grogar knows about the bell?” Cozy Glow asked. “I doubt it.” Chrysalis said. “If he knew that we were hiding the bell, he would have done something about it by now.” “Still, with Grogar watching us this time we should be careful.” Said Tirek. “It would be best to let Grogar have the pearl, lest he become suspicious.” Twilight rode in a hot air balloon with Spike towards Mount Aris. The two played a game of peek a boo in order to pass the time. Spike would laugh every time Twilight reveal her face from behind her hooves. “Oh Spike, while it will be great to have you back to normal, I must admit that I am going to miss these little play time sessions we have.” Twilight said as she held the baby dragon. Soon Mount Aris came into view. Twilight gently guided the hot air balloon towards the ground. Once the balloon had landed, Twilight found herself surrounded by a hippogryph welcoming party. Princess Skystar greeted her personally. “Twilight! It is so good to have you back!” Skystar said as she embraced Twilight in a hug. Skystar then noticed Spike. “Oh my, what happened to Spike?” Spike, feeling scared because of all the large crowd, hid his face in Twilight’s chest. “He’s actually why I’m here. Is your mother available to be seen?” Twilight asked. “Of course she is! Just follow me.” Skystar led Twilight towards the royal throne room in the rebuilt hippogryph castle. Queen Novo sat on her throne, surprised to see Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight Sparkle, it has been a while since we’ve met. Are you here about Silverstream?” Queen Novo asked. “No, Silverstream is doing very well at friendship school. That actual reason I’m here is because of Spike.” Twilight then held up Spike for queen Novo to see. Queen Novo was surprised. “My word! What happened to him?” Twilight explained what happened with the magic smoke. “And that is why I am here. Only the magic from your pearl can restore Spike to normal. I know that deceived you last time, and for that I am truly sorry. I should never have tried to steal the pearl. If you don’t want to forgive me I understand, but please don’t punish Spike for my actions.” Queen Novo was silent for a moment. “Your words are heavy with regret Twilight. I sense that you are truly sorry for your actions. I forgive you for what happened, and will allow you to use the pearl to return Spike to normal.” Queen Novo then dove into the water and transformed into a sea pony. She dove under and swam to the hiding spot of the pearl. Soon she returned to the surface, holding the magic pearl. Just as queen Novo was about to hand over the pearl to Twilight, it was snatched away by another hippogryph. “What is the meaning of this?!” Queen Novo yelled. The hippogryph smiled as she was surrounded by green flames, revealing herself to be Chrysalis. “Mwuh ha ha! I think I’ll be taking this!” “Not if we stop you first!” Twilight shouted. She charged up her horn, but then felt a tapping on her right side. As Twilight turned to look Cozy Glow ran up from Twilight’s left and snatched Spike from her. Tirek then appeared from a flash of flame. He snapped his fingers and a ring of fire separated Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis from Twilight and the hippogryphs. Cozy Glow then gave Spike to Tirek, who held him upside down by his tail. Spike screamed and cried as Tirek held him. “Spike!” Twilight called out. She reached out for him but the flames grew higher. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis all laughed. “Poor Twilight, do you want your little Spikey wikey back?” Chrysalis said mockingly. Twilight gritted her teeth in anger. “I swear if hurt a single scale on his head I’ll…” Tirek held Spike even higher. “You’ll do what? We are the ones in a position to make demands, not you” Cozy Glow stepped forward. “How about we make a deal? You let us leave with the pearl, and in return we’ll give back your little brat.” It did not take long for Twilight to make up her mind. “You have a deal. Just please, don’t harm Spike!” Twilight powered down her horn. Tirek lowered the flames and tossed Spike towards Twilight. Twilight jumped up in the air and caught Spike, clutching him tightly to her chest. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis all laughed wickedly as they teleported away. Queen Novo walked over to Twilight and placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight looked up at queen Novo with tears in her eyes. “Queen Novo, I am so sorry for letting the pearl be stolen. Please forgive me.” Queen Novo gently hushed Twilight. “I am not angry with you Twilight Sparkle. What you did is what any loving mother would have done. I am proud of you. And do not worry, we will get the pearl back.” Twilight Smiled. She then looked down at Spike and rubbed his back to calm him down. “It’s okay Spike. Momma is here.” Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all returned to Grogar’s lair. Chrysalis gave the pearl to Grogar who held it high in his hoof. “Finally! After all these millennia the power is once again mine!” Grogar then let out a roaring laugh.
Chapter 5Twilight raced back to Canterlot as fast as she could. She rushed into the castle and burst into the throne room. “Celestia, Luna, I have terrible news!” Celestia and Luna both got up from their thrones. “What is wrong Twilight? Why is Spike still a hatchling?” Celestia asked. Twilight explained everything. “I had just gotten permission to use the pearl, and queen Novo was about to give it to me, when all of a sudden the pearl was taken by Chrysalis! To make matters worse, she was aided by Tirek and Cozy Glow! They took Spike and threatened to harm him unless I let them go with the pearl. I couldn’t bare to see Spike be hurt, so I let them leave with the pearl.” Both Celestia and Luna were in shock. “Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow all working together? This is bad news indeed.” Celestia said. “Just how in Equestria did Tirek and Cozy Glow even manage to escape from tartarus?” Luna asked. “Not even Chrysalis alone would be powerful enough to break them out.” Celestia turned to Luna. “We can worry about that later. For now we must warn the royal guards to ready the defensives. Now that those three are working together who knows when they might strike.” “What do you want me to do?” Twilight asked. Celestia looked over at Twilight. “I need you to gather your friends. We are definitely going to need the elements of harmony to combat this threat.” As Twilight hurried out of the throne room, she looked down at Spike who was now asleep. Twilight could not help but think that maybe this whole thing was her fault. “No.” Twilight thought to herself. “I did what any mother would have done. There is no way that I’m losing Spike, ever.” Using all of her might Twilight teleported back to Ponyville, though she was drained of most of her magic. Twilight quickly gathered up all of her friends and informed them of what was going on at her castle. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Said Rainbow Dash. “You’re saying that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are working together? How is that possible!?” “I don’t know, but it just is.” Twilight replied. “And right now we all need to work together to stop them.” “Yeah, but how are we supposed to know where they’re going to strike first?” Asked Applejack. “We don’t. That is why Celestia is sending royal guards to all of the major cities and towns to help build their defenses. However, knowing our past with these three it would be best to assume that they would come after us first.” Twilight said. “So what are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked. “First, we must evacuate Ponyville. Now that Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow have the power of the pearl the amount of damage they can cause is unimaginable. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, you’ll both assist with the evacuation of the adults. Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you’ll help with the fillies and colts. Fluttershy, I’ll need you to help evacuate the animals.” Starlight stepped forward. “What do you want me to do Twilight?” Twilight placed her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder and gave her a serious look. “Starlight, I have the most important mission for you. I need you to guard Spike with your life. I’ll be too busy directing the evacuation to watch him, so I need you to guard him for me.” “Do not worry Twilight. You can count on me.” Starlight said. Twilight felt a tugging on her tail. She looked down to see Spike trying to get her attention. Twilight leaned down and picked him up. “Oh Spike, I’m sorry to say that I won’t be around for a little while. Your aunt Starlight is going to be taking care of you, so I need you to be a good boy for her understand?” Spike looked at Twilight with a sad look on his face. Even though he couldn’t speak many words, Spike still understood enough to know what was going on. He wrapped his arms tightly around Twilight, refusing to let go. Twilight hugged him in return. A part of her did not want to let go of Spike, but she knew that he would not be safe around her. Especially now that he was a hatchling and that she would be heading into battle. With all of her might Twilight pried Spike off of herself and gave him to Starlight. Spike reached out for Twilight and began to cry. “Mama!” Twilight gently brushed Spike’s cheek with her hoof. “Everything will be alright Spike. I will come back, I promise” Twilight then kissed Spike on the forehead then turned to face the others. “Alright girls, let’s get moving. We may not have much time.” At Grogar’s lair, Grogar stood before Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. He held the pearl in his hoof. “Now all of Equestria shall witness the true might of my power!” Grogar attached the pearl to his collar. Soon he began to glow. Grogar’s horns grew large and turned pitch black. His eyes turned flame red. Grogar grew in size, becoming 20 feet tall. Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek all looked up in amazement. “Now, behold my power!” Grogar charged up his horns with magical energy. He then shot out a beam of energy that blasted through the walls of the lair and leveled the top of a far off mountain. Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis were all shocked and amazed by the pure display of power. Grogar turned to face them. “And now we must head off to destroy the only thing that can possibly stop us. The elements of harmony.” As grogar lead the way out of the lair, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow whispered amongst themselves. “Did you see that display of power? It was incredible!” Cozy Glow said. “Perhaps a little too incredible.” Tirek replied. “It may make Grogar uncontrollable. What’s to stop him from turning that power on us?” “We still have the bell.” Chrysalis said. “If Grogar gets out of control, perhaps we can use it against him.” Tirek and Cozy Glow nodded in agreement. Cozy Glow grabbed the bell and gave it to Tirek, who hid it behind his back. The three continued to follow Grogar on their march towards Ponyville. With the help of the royal guard, Twilight and her friends began the evacuation of Ponyville. Ponies were evacuated by train, cart, and even airship. Fluttershy evacuated the animals by giving them their own train cars and carts. The last train was being boarded as Twilight said her goodbyes to Spike. “Now Spike, I want you to be a good boy for Starlight while I’m away. Can you do that?” Spike booped Twilight on the nose. Starlight and Twilight could not help but laugh. “Don’t worry Twilight, I promise to keep him safe.” Starlight said. “I know you will.” Twilight gave Spike a kiss on the cheek. Starlight then boarded the train with Spike. The two waved goodbye to Twilight as the train left the station. Twilight waved back, trying hard to hold back her tears. The mane six patrolled the abandoned streets of Ponyville. The entire town was eerily quiet. A cold wind blew in, shaking the six friends to their cores. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Brace yourselves everypony. We’re in for the fight of our lives.” As the train that carried Spike and Starlight sped towards Canterlot, Starlight held Spike close to her chest. Spike would occasionally glance up at her with a worried look on his face. Starlight tried to ease Spike by gently rocking him back and forth. “Don’t worry Spike.” Starlight said in a soothing tone. “You will see Twilight again soon enough.” Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt. Starlight stuck her head out of the window to see what all of the commotion was. She was shocked when she saw Tirek, Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and a fierce looking monster that she had never seen before blocking the way. The four fiends marched towards the train car that held Spike and Starlight. Grogar used his power to tear off the side of the car. “Where is the young dragon known as Spike?” Grogar boomed with his mighty voice. All of the commotion caused Spike to cry. Starlight did everything she could to quiet him down and not be noticed. Chrysalis immediately noticed Starlight and marched over to her. “Well well, what have we here?” Chrysalis asked with a sadistic smile. Starlight held Spike close to her chest. “What do you want?” “We need that baby dragon.” Cozy Glow said. “Hand him over!” “Never!” Starlight shouted. She tried to blast the foursome with her magic, but Grogar put up a shield that stopped the blast. Tirek then opened his mouth and drained Starlight of her magic. Weakend, Starlight fell to the ground and dropped Spike. The little drake was grabbed by Chrysalis before he could hit the ground. “You’ll do perfectly for our big plan.” Chrysalis said. Spike tried to free himself from her grasp, but he was simply too small and weak. The four villains then marched off towards Ponyville. Starlight reached out to Spike, but there was nothing she could do. She passed out thinking that she had failed Twilight.
Chapter 6The mane six waited for the battle that they were sure was heading their way. Rainbow Dash kicked around a rock as she grew impatient. “Ugh! When are they going to get here? I’m in the mood to kick some flank right now!” “Now hold your hooves there Rainbow.” Applejack said. “We’re all anxious about what’s to come, but we need to stay focused. Who knows what those fiends are planning.” “I just hope that everypony made it out of town safely.” Said Fluttershy. “Especially all of my animal friends.” Pinkie Pie hopped over to Fluttershy and put her leg around her. “Don’t you worry! We all made sure that the evacuation went smoothly. I’m sure that everypony is safe and sound.” Meanwhile, Twilight scanned the horizon for any signs of oncoming danger. She stopped when she spotted four figures in the distance. Just as she adjusted her binoculars to get a better look, a huge fireball was launched right at her. “Incoming!” Twilight shouted. They all scattered as the fireball came crashing down onto the town hall, completely obliterating it. As the dust settled, Twilight and the others got back up on their hooves. “Is anypony hurt?” Twilight called out. All of her friends indicated that they were fine. Twilight looked up and saw another fireball heading their way. They all scattered again, this time with the fireball striking Sugarcube Corner. “No! Not the cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie screamed out. More and more fireballs were hurled towards Ponyville, and with each one another building was destroyed. Twilight and her friends ducked for cover underneath the town bridge. The onslaught continued until Ponyville was a sea of fire. The group emerged from under the bridge and were taken aback by the wall of flames that surrounded them. “Rainbow Dash, round up some storm clouds to put out these fires.” Twilight ordered. Rainbow Dash saluted and took off into the sky. She zoomed around pushing together as many clouds as she could until she had enough to cause a rainstorm. The rain put out the fires, leaving behind smoldering craters and the burned remains of buildings. “What could have caused this much damage?” Rarity asked. Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow then appeared through the smoke. “We did.” Cozy Glow said with a sinister smile “With some help from our new friend.” Grogar then appeared, towering over the others. Twilight and her friends quickly banded together. It was then that Twilight saw the pearl hanging from Grogar’s neck. “Who are you?” Asked Twilight. “I am Grogar! For millennia I have waited for the right time to emerge and conquer this world. And now with the combined might of Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, we shall be unstoppable!” Twilight and her friends stood their ground. “Not if we have anything to say about it! You’re dealing with the elements of harmony!” Grogar threw his head back and let out a deafening laugh. “You honestly think that your friendship is enough to stop me? With this pearl, I am the most powerful being in all of Equestria!” “We’ll see about that!” Twilight said. The mane six then bounded together and charged up their elemental magic. Before they could fire, Chrysalis lifted Spike in the air with her magic. The little drake struggled to break free, desperately reaching out for Twilight. Twilight became frozen with shock. “Spike!” She reached out to him, but Chrysalis pulled Spike away at the last moment. Tirek chuckled. “The mighty Twilight Sparkle, brought to her knees by a mere baby dragon. Pathetic.” “We had a deal! I gave you the pearl and in return you promised not to harm Spike.” Said Twilight. Grogar snorted. “You may have made a deal with these three, but not with me! Now stand down or I shall squash this dragon like a bug.” Twilight lowered her head. She then turned to look at her friends. “Girls, stand down.” Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all gasped. “Twilight, you can’t be serious!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “Do it!” Twilight shouted. “I swore that I would never let any harm befall Spike, and I’m not about to let that happen now. So we’ll do as Grogar says.” Everypony stood down. Grogar grinned. “Very good. Now, lead the way to Canterlot. I need to take care of Celestia and Luna.” Twilight and the others lowered their heads as they led the way towards Canterlot. As they marched, Twilight would look back at Spike. He was still caught in Chrysalis’s magic and struggling to break free. “I swear Spike, I will save you and Equestria.” Twilight thought to herself. Once they arrived at the gates to Canterlot, the royal guard raised the magical barrier. Shining Armor appeared atop the wall and was shocked to see Twilight. “Twily? What is going on here?” Twilight looked up at her brother. “Please Shining, you have to let us in! They have Spike and if we don’t do as they say they’ll harm him!” Shining was torn. He swore to protect Canterlot no matter what. However Spike was like a little brother to him, and he couldn’t stand to see him get hurt. Chrysalis grew impatient. She walked over to Twilight. “Perhaps you need a little demonstration of what will happen if your brother does not open that gate.” Chrysalis then used her magic to squeeze Spike, causing him to scream out loud. “Stop!” Shining yelled. “I shall let you pass.” Shining had the other guards lower the magic barrier and open the gates. Grogar, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all marched into Canterlot with the elements of harmony walking right beside them. As they marched towards the castle, everypony watching could not believe their eyes. Grogar was the most imposing figure that they had ever seen, more so than Tirek or Chrysalis. When the group reached the castle, Celestia and Luna were already outside waiting. “Who are you?” Celestia asked. “I am Grogar! The most powerful being in all of Equestria!” “What is it that you want?” Asked Luna. “You will surrender unto me and declare me the ruler of Equestria! Failure to do so will result in your complete annihilation!” “Hey! What about us?” Asked Cozy Glow. Grogar turned to face Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis. “What about you?” “How will Equestria be divided up?” Tirek asked. Grogar raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean divided up?” “Surely you would not get all of Equestria to yourself.” Chrysalis said. “Since we’ve all been working together, it’s only fair that Equestria be divided up between the four of us.” “And why should I give you any land?” Said Grogar. “The three of you have barely accomplished anything since I recruited you. The only thing that you have gotten right is getting me the pearl.” “That isn’t the only thing we’ve gotten.” Tirek then reached behind himself and revealed Grogar’s bell. Grogar was shocked. “My bell! You’ve been keeping it from me this whole time?!” Cozy Glow told hold of the bell. “That’s right! And we think that splitting up Equestria three ways is better than four, don’t you agree?” “You dare betray me?! I’ll make you pay for this!” Grogar fired a magical blast at Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis. Cozy Glow used the bell to put up a magic shield that blocked the blast. She then fired a magic blast of her own, but Grogar was also able to put up a shield. In the midst of the firefight, Celestia and Luna began evacuating Canterlot. Everypony ran for the nearest exit out of the city, except for Twilight. She ran headlong into the battle. “Twilight, what are you doing?!” Celestia asked. “Spike is still being held captive. I have to rescue him before he gets hurt!” “Well you are not going headlong into danger without us darling.” Rarity said. Twilight nodded in agreement, and the six friends charged into the fight. Meanwhile, Grogar continued firing magic shots at Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow. The three villains did the same, with neither side gaining an inch of ground. Spike still struggled to free himself from Chrysalis’s magic. He then reached out and scratched Chrysalis across the face with his claws. “Ow! You little pest!” Chrysalis then threw Spike directly at a wall. For Twilight, time suddenly stood still. She could see the fear on Spike’s face as he headed towards the wall. Twilight then leapt into the air with all of her might and caught Spike in her hooves. She held him close as she tucked and rolled along the ground. Twilight kissed Spike gently on the forehead after they came to a stop. Spike nuzzled her back. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity were soon by Twilight’s side. “Is Spike alright?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded her head. She then hooved Spike over to Fluttershy. With a stern look on her face, Twilight began marching towards Grogar, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. “It’s time to finish this.” She said. Twilight marched right up to the four battling fiends and shouted “ENOUGH!” Grogar, Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and Tirek stopped fighting and they all turned their heads to look at Twilight. “The four of you have crossed the line!” Twilight shouted in anger. “You have kidnapped Spike and threatened him with harm. As his mother, I will not let this stand!” “Oh? And what are you going to do?” Cozy Glow said mockinly. Fire burned in Twilight’s eyes. Her horn glew brightly as Twilight charged it with all of the magical energy that she had. Twilight then fired a massive beam of energy. Grogar dodged out of the way while Cozy Glow tried to put up a magical shield. The shield was instantly destroyed and Twilight’s energy beam struck the magic bell, causing it to shatter into dust. “Our bell!” Chrysalis yelled. She, Tirek, and Cozy Glow all turned to run away but Twilight and her friends used their combined magic to blast them and trap them in stone. “That should hold them for now.” Twilight said. She then turned to confront Grogar. “Now to take care of you.” Grogar let out a laugh. “You fools! That bell was the only thing in all of Equestria that could match my power! Now how do you propose to defeat me?” “With the power of friendship!” Twilight and her friends then combined their magic and fired a massive beam at Grogar. Grogar countered with a beam of his own. The two beams collided, with both sides giving every ounce of energy they had to try and overpower the other. Both sides pushed back and forth with their energy beams, each trying to overpower the other. Twilight and her friends put every ounce of strength they had into the beam, but Grogar’s beam was just too strong. Twilight was about to give up when she noticed Spike on the ground. He was clapping and cheering them on. Seeing Spike filled Twilight with a newfound strength, and she charged up the beam with everything she had. The main six’s beam pushed back Grogar’s beam and he was struck. The force from the blast destroyed his horns and Grogar returned to normal size. The pearl was broken free from Grogar’s collar and rolled towards Twilight. Celestia, Luna, and the other citizens of Canterlot came rushing back into the city to congratulate Twilight and her friends. Grogar fell to the ground in exhaustion, and soon found himself surrounded by royal guards. As he was being taken away, Grogar called out to Twilight. “You think that this is over? There are numerous villains just like me who are waiting to attack Equestria! You ponies will never know peace!” “Then we’ll be ready for whatever threatens Equestria. No matter what!” Twilight called back. “I knew that Luna and I made the right choice in choosing you to be our successor” Celestia said. Twilight picked up the pearl. “Thank you, Celestia. Now there is just one more thing to take care of.” Twilight walked over to Spike. She gave him the pearl and soon Spike began to glow. Within seconds the black smoke was lifted from Spike, and he returned to normal. Spike looked around in confusion. “Huh, what’s going on? Why are we in Canterlot? Also, why am I wearing a diaper?” Twilight smiled and hugged Spike. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything.” In the weeks that followed, ponies from all over Equestria gathered to help rebuild Ponyville brick by brick. Grogar, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were all imprisoned in tartarus. Twilight ascended to ruler of Equestria once Celestia and Luna stepped down. Starlight took over as headmare of the school of friendship. One day while Twilight was sitting on her throne and going over royal documents, she suddenly remembered the words of Blue Orchid. “Being a good mother doesn’t happen overnight. It takes trial and error.” Twilight felt that the same could easily be said about leading all of Equestria. Spike was getting a little older, but he still served as Twilight’s #1 assistant. And Twilight still viewed him as her younger brother. Spike entered the throne room carrying more documents. “Some more documents for you to go through.” Spike said. Twilight then had an idea. “You know what Spike? The documents can wait. What do you say we take a break and head back to Ponyville for the day? It will be great to catch up with all of our friends.” Spike’s face lit up. “Really? Because It’s been a while since I’ve seen Rarity.” Twilight gave Spike a smirk. “Don’t be coy with me Spike. I know that you and Rarity have been dating recently.” Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, we have been on a few dates.” Twilight and Spike then headed out of the castle and towards the royal chariot. Spike turned to Twilight and asked “Hey Twilight, what do think the future holds for us?” Twilight smiled and patted Spike on the head as they sat in the chariot. “You know Spike, let’s just focus on the present for now.”
