It’s a beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun is out and the birds are chirping away. We come to the Castle of Friendship, where we join Spike and Twilight in the throne room. “Hey Twilight, I know I said I wanted to learn more about dragons, but did Ember really have to send all these boxes?” Spike asks as he opens a box and pulls out a few stone tablets.
Twilight laughs as she opens another box and stacks a few stone tablets on top of another pile before looking at Spike and saying, “Oh, come on Spike. This is great. We ponies still know next to nothing about dragon culture. So, for Ember to send us all this information about dragons is wonderful. Just think of the things we could learn.”
Spike snickers as Twilight said that and says, “And there it is; bookworm Twilight. I bet if these tablets where paper and books, you’d be rolling around in them like a dragon on a pile of bits and gems.”
Twilight glares at Spike and says, “That’s not true. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn all you can. If it wasn’t for Ember sending us these tablets over time, we may never have discovered that you are actually a rare breed of dragon that is capable of using magic. What did the tablets call you again?” As Twilight scratches her chin and thinks for a moment, she suddenly slaps her hoofs together as she says, “An Enchanted Dragon. That’s it.”
As Spike laughs, he says, “Well, I am pretty amazing. It only seems right that I can use magic. I mean, I am the little brother and the number one assistant to the Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship, after all.”
Twilight lets out a little giggle as she says, “That you are, Spike. That you are.” Before giving him a smile and saying, “I guess that explains why you are able to send letters by fire breath. I know it’s only been a few months since you’ve started to tap into your magic abilities, but I’m really proud of how far you’ve come and how fast you’ve picked it all up. I’d expect nothing less from my number one assistant.”
Spike chuckled as he said, “Yeah, I’m sure the fact that I live with a study obsessed mare had nothing to do with it,” earning a raised eye from Twilight as he opened another box and took out a few more stone tablets to add to the pile.
He was about to throw the box into the pile of empty boxes, when he noticed one last tablet. As he picked it up, he could tell it was old. Older than all the other tables given the amount of dust on it. He gave it a gentle blow, removing some of the dust and the title read: Finding The Treasure You Lost. He blew some more dust off and tried to read some of the text, but couldn’t make sense of it as some of the text was missing due to corrosion. “Hey, Twi, I think I found something, but I can’t make out what it is.”
“Hmm, let me take a look, Spike.” Twilight said as she used her magic to float the tablet out of Spike’s claws and in front of her. She squinted her eyes at it for a few minutes to see if she could make out what it said. After having no luck, she looked over at Spike and said, “From what I can tell, it's some sort of spell, but most of it is missing and I can’t seem to work out what it says.” Just then, she got a grin on her face as an idea popped into her head. “But, maybe I can use that spell me and Starlight came up with when we made copies of the Friendship journal.”
She started to concentrate and the tablet started to spin around. As it did, a piece of parchment appeared next to it and text started to come on to it. As Twilight finished the spell, the stone tablet turned to dust and fell to the floor. “AHHH! Twilight, what have you done? Ember is going to kill me!” Spike shouted as he ran over to the now pile of dust freaking out.
“Relax, Spike. The spell worked. See? It's right here.” Twilight said with a smile on her face as she now held the parchment in her hoof.
Spike breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the completed parchment and asked, “So, what is it?”
Twilight looked over the parchment and gave it a quick read. “Hmmm. It looks like some sort of finding spell for dragons. Guess that’s why Ember sent it over to you since you are an Enchanted Dragon. I guess she thought you could use it. Here. Take a look.”
As Spike takes the parchment off of Twilight, he started reading it, while asking, “What does it mean, 'finding the lost treasure your heart most desires?'”
“I don’t know, Spike. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a spell to help find something your heart truly wanted.” Twilight said as she thought about it some more.
Spike’s face lit up as the biggest of smiles appeared on his face. "Do you think this could lead me to Rarity?" He asks.
“Spike, what’s the first rule of magic?” Twilight said as she took the scroll off of him, and held it in her hoof as she glared at him.
Spike laughed as he looked at Twilight before saying, “Jeez, Twilight, lighten up. I was only playing. I know the rules. No using spells that you don’t understand, and never to use magic on someone without their permission unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Twilight smiled at hearing that and as she used her magic to make a chest appear on the table. She placed the scroll inside as she said, “Well said, Spike. I’m glad you understand the rules. They are there to protect us and others.”
Spike started to chuckle before saying, “Yeah, unlike you, I remember the rules,” getting a funny look from Twilight. He continued to laugh as he said, “Or did you forget the time you used your magic on Smarty Pants and made the whole town go crazy over him just so you had something to write to Celestia about.”
Hearing that made Twilight go red in the face as she said, “I was under a lot of stress when I did that, Spike.” Lowering her head, she looked at the floor and sighed before she said, “Though, that’s no excuse for what I did. Looking back, I was being silly.”
Spike stopped laughing and ran over and started to stroke Twilight’s mane before saying, “Look, Twi, nopony is perfect. Not even you. You made a mistake but you’ve learnt from it. Isn’t that the most important thing?”
Twilight lifted her head up and gave Spike a warm smile before pulling him into a hug and saying, “Yes, Spike. It was an important lesson. You can also use that as an example of why you shouldn’t use magic recklessly. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and help others to not make the same mistakes.”
As Spike broke their hug, he smiles at Twilight and says, “Now that sounds like something the Princess of Friendship would say.”
Twilight giggles and says, “Thanks, Spike. Now it’s time to put all these stone tablets in the library. So, if you wouldn’t mind, my number one assistant, I think it’s time for a little test.”
Spike sighs and says, “And that sounds like something the head mare of the School of Friendship would say.” Before giving her a little grin and closing his eyes.
With his eyes still closed, Spike takes a calming slow breath, as Twilight says, “Now concentrate on what you want to teleport and where you want it to go. Picture it in your head and when you have that image go for it.”
After a few moments, Spike opens his eyes and looks at the pile of stone tablets. As he does, the tablets start to get a green glow around them. His eyes shimmer green, and in a flash of green light the tablets, Twilight, and himself, find themselves standing in the library section of the castle.
Spike stands there with his chest puffed out and looking proud as he says, “How’s that? Did I nail it or what?”
Twilight lets out a little giggle as she says, “Yes, Spike. Well done. An excellent job with teleporting us and the stone tablets here, but I’m going to have to give you a 9 out of 10. Sorry.”
“What!?! Why? I teleported us and the stone tablets to the library like you asked, so what’s with the 9 out of 10, Twi?” Spike asked, unhappy with the outcome as he folds his arms and looks at Twilight.
Twilight laughs and says, “Yes, you did, Spike, but you also forgot to bring the chest on the table. So, you get 9 out of 10.”
Looking flabbergasted at what Twilight just said, Spike says, “But that’s not fair. You never said anything about bringing that as well.”
“Hmmm, I suppose it was a bit unfair. Ok then, how about we compromise and say 9 and a half out of 10, deal?” Twilight said as she smiled at Spike.
“It’s not 10 out of 10, but I can live with that, deal.” Spike says, chuckling.
As Twilight laughs along, she says, “Well, my number one assistant, for your next task I would like for you to place all these stone tablets on the empty shelves in alphabetical order, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Spike cracks his knuckles and smirks as he says, “That’s easy. Leave it to me, Twi.” Just as Spike was about to start, he stopped and looked at Twilight to ask, “Hey, why am I doing all the work? It’s your castle too.”
Twilight sniggered and said, “This is your test, not mine, Spike.”
“Hmmm, well if you ask me, it just sounds like an excuse for a certain princess to be lazy,” Spike says as he raises an eyebrow at Twilight.
“I am not being lazy. I am simply assessing my assistant to make sure he is able to perform to the highest of standards that he is capable of. It is part of my job to make sure that you are both mentally and physically healthy,” Twilight said so straightfaced that it sounded like she was reading it out of a book before smiling at Spike and saying, “Besides, what’s wrong with a big sister wanting to watch her little brother practice magic?”
Spike chuckles as he rolls his eyes and says, “Whatever you say, sis.”
Just as Spike was about to get back to it, the library door opened and Applejack walked in saying, “Hey, you two. Hope I’m not bothering ya.”
“Applejack. Of course not. Come in,” Twilight said as she smiled at her friend.
“What are y'all up to?” Applejack asked curiously.
“Hey, AJ. Not a lot. Twi here is just testing my magic abilities. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll have it done in no time.” Spike answers.
Twilight gets a grin on her face, hearing Spike say that and her horn begins to light up. Just then, all the books on the shelves fall to the floor and Twilight says, “Ok, Spike. I want you to put all these books back in alphabetical order as well.”
Seeing the mess now on the floor, Spike turns to look at Twilight and says, “Why did you do that, Twi?”
Twilight smiles at him, as she says, “I understand that just putting the stone tablets on the shelves in order is too easy for you, so, I thought I’d make it a bit more of a challenge for you. I’m sure a creature with your abilities can handle this, right, my number one assistant?”
Spike’s jaw drops open as he hears Twilight say that and can hear Applejack snickering. Getting a determined look on his face, Spike says, “Right. Leave it to me. I’ll show you what this dragon can do.”
Seeing the look in his eyes, Twilight smiles happily as she nods to him. She then looks to Applejack and says with a smile, “So, Applejack what brings you here?"
Applejack smiles back at her friend and says, “Well, I’ve come to invite you both to an apple family get together. It's tomorrow and I really hope you can make it. The other girls have already said they’ll be there.” Applejack lets out a little chuckle as she says, “Fluttershy’s gonna ask Discord if he can make it as well. Big Mac said he wants Captain Wuzz’s there. He said something about coming up with a new strategy to beat the evil Squizard.”
Spike’s face lit up at hearing that and he eagerly says, “Count me in. I’m there.”
Twilight giggles and says, “Well, you heard him. We’d love to come. Thank you, Applejack. Would you like us to bring anything?”
Applejack shakes her head and says, “Na. You just have to bring yourselves. That’s all.”
“So, is this some sort of apple family party thing then?” Spike asks curiously with a smile on his face.
“Na. Nothing so fancy. What did Rarity call it again?” Applejack thought for a moment before saying, “It’s an intimate gathering,” before giving them a sad smile and continuing to say, “It’s something we always do. Normally it’s just Granny, myself, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac, but since this year with Grand Pear coming, we thought it would be a nice change to have our friends with us.”
“Hmmm. How come this is the first time you’re asking us to come if this is something you always do?” Spike asked, inquisitively.
“Spike! It’s rude to ask a question like that,” Twilight said sternly.
“It’s ok, Twilight. I don’t mind,” Applejack says before she sighs. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of our parents' death.”
“What!?! AJ, I had no idea. I’m sorry.” Spike said as he began to panic.
Seeing his worried expression, Applejack chuckled before saying, “It’s ok, partner. No harm done. You weren’t to know.”
“Oh, Applejack. I’m sorry.” Twilight said with a sympathetic smile, before saying, “Are you sure it’s really ok for us to come?”
“Are you kidding? You guys are my best friends. Ya practically family. Besides, I want to introduce you to my ma and pa, so, you got to come,” Applejack said with a smile.
Twilight smiles warmly at Applejack and says, “Well, when you put it like that, how can we say no? We’ll be there. If you have time, why don’t you stay for a cup of tea?”
Applejack shakes her head and says, “No can do, sugarcube. I got work that needs to be done. I only popped in to see if you could make it tomorrow, but thank ya kindly for the offer,” as she starts to make her way towards the door.
“Ok then, Applejack. Thanks for stopping by. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Twilight says as she and Spike wave goodbye to their friend, before Twilight turns back around and says, “Ok, Spike. Time for you to show me what you can do.”
Spike grins and says, “Ok, Twi. Get ready.”
************
Later that day, after Spike had finished putting all those books and tablets on the shelves, he was out taking a fly over Ponyville to stretch his wings after all that work. As he was making his way back to the castle, he spotted Apple Bloom sitting on a box and leaning against a wall while she was looking at a book. He decided to fly down over to her and said, "Hey, Apple Bloom. What are you doing?"
“AHHH!!! Spike, you scared me,” Apple Bloom said as she quickly slammed the book closed.
Spike laughs as he says, “Sorry, Apple Bloom. Didn’t mean to scare ya.”
Apple Bloom smiles as she says, “It’s fine, Spike. I just didn’t see you coming is all.” Seeing Spike looking curiously at the book she said, “This is just a family photo album. I snuck it out the house when no one was looking. You wanna look?”
Spike nodded happily as he sat beside her and she started going through the pages. Every now and then, they stop to ask who someone was or poking fun at what was happening in the photos, laughing as they went along, until they came to a page full of photos of her parents. Apple Bloom’s smile disappeared.
As she ran a hoof over one of the photos, Spike asked, “How did it happen? Nopony has ever really said.” Realizing what he just said, Spike put his claw over his mouth, before saying, “Sorry. Forget I even asked. I didn’t mea-“
“It’s ok, Spike,” Apple Bloom said cutting him off, as she carried on looking at the photos. “The truth is I don’t really know the details. All I know is that when I was still a baby, Ma, Pa, and Applejack were out doing a delivery. They were crossing a bridge when it gave out. They managed to throw Applejack across to the other side but…”
As Spike saw a tear come down Apple Bloom's face, he wiped it a way, saying, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Apple Bloom shook her head and said, “It’s ok. I’m fine. I’m not upset. They were true Apples. They put their family first.” She smiled at him before looking back at the book and saying, “We don’t talk about it at home. Applejack still gets upset about it even now. Granny said once that when it happened AJ watched them falling into the fog. There was nothing nopony could do. I think she still blames herself.”
As Apple Bloom turns the page and continues to look at some more photos of her parents, she says, “For over a year Applejack insisted that they were alive and that she saw a flash of light as they fell into the fog. Ponies from all over came and looked for them, but never could find their bodies. All they found was my pa’s hat. The one Applejack always wears.”
She tries to smile as she says, “In the end, life goes on. We grow up and live every day the best we can. I wouldn’t trade my family for nothing. They’re the best.” Just then, she came to a photo of her as a baby and being held by her mom. As tears begin to poor down her face, she moves her hoof over it, saying, “I’m scared. I’m not like Applejack or Big Mac. I was just a baby. I can’t really remember anything." As she presses her face to the book, she begins to break down as she says, “I can’t remember what she sounds or smells like. What kind of a daughter does that make me?” As she clings to the book and begins to shake and cry.
As she carries on crying, she hears, “I think it makes you lucky.” Hearing that, Apple Bloom snapped, “Lucky!?! What’s so lucky about all this?” In a moment of anger she shouts, “What would you kno-“ As she turns to look at Spike and stops herself, realizing what she just said and who she was talking to.
Spike just smiles at her and rubs his head as he says, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Horrified at what she just said, she dropped the book and clung to Spike, saying, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I don’t know what came over me, I’m sorry.”
Spike just hugs her and chuckles as he says, “It’s fine, Apple Bloom. No harm done. I promise.” As he breaks their hug and bends down to pick up the book, he smiles and says, “This is why you’re lucky,” as he passes her the book before he says, “You have siblings that can share their memories with you and photos of them. What I wouldn’t give to just have a photo, or even a name."
Apple Bloom smiles at Spike as she wipes away the tears from her eyes and says, “Yeah. I guess you’re right,” before she sighs and says, “But, it still doesn’t stop me from missing them.”
Spike smiles warmly at her and says, “No, it won’t.” As he opens the book back up to the page with the picture of her and her mom on, he says, “But, I know one thing; they loved you all very much and they live in you. You, AJ, and Big Mac. You are all proof that they existed. Their love for each other made you. You are the best of both of them. No matter where or what you do in life, they are always with you.” As Spike puts a claw on her chest, he smiles at her and says, “You may not see them, but they are always here.”
Apple Bloom pulls him into a hug and says, “Thanks, Spike. I think I just needed to hear that. You’re a true friend.”
Spike laughs happily and says, “Any time, Apple Bloom. Though, I think I should be heading back to the castle before Twilight begins to worry. You know how she gets if I’m away too long.”
Apple Bloom breaks the hug and giggles as she says, “Yeah, I should probably head back to the farm as well. Granny Smith’s probably having a meltdown by now.”
After saying their farewells to each other, Spike heads home to the castle. As he walks into the castle, he shouts, “Hey, Twi. I’m back.” As he listened, he heard a reply of, “I’m in the dining room. I’ve made some dinner. Come get it.” Hearing that, Spike made his way down the corridors, and as he walked past the throne room, he caught a glimpse of the chest still on the table. Making his way into the dining room, he hops onto a chair and says, “Thanks for the food, Twi,” and began to eat.
Twilight smiles and asks, “What you been up to, Spike? I was beginning to worry about you.”
For a few moments, Spike didn’t answer until Twilight called his name again and asked if everything was ok. “Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry, Twi. Everything’s fine. Just zoned out for a minute there. What did you say again?”
As Twilight rolls her eyes, she says, “I asked what you’ve been up to. I was starting to get worried. Is everything ok?”
Spike smiles at her and says, “Yeah, everything’s fine. Trust me. I haven’t been up to much. I was just flying about, and then I bumped into Apple Bloom and we got chatting. That’s all. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
“That’s fine, Spike. As long as you’re ok. That’s the most important thing,” Twilight replies as she smiles at him.
Spike stops eating and asks, “Hey, Twi, you don’t know why I was found in the woods, right?”
Hearing Spike ask that, Twilight immediately stopped eating and looked at Spike, concerned as she says, “No, Spike. I don’t. Some pony found your egg in the woods and brought you to Princess Celestia. She went back to try and find any clues she could to help explain why you ended up there, but she didn’t find anything. What brought this on all of a sudden? Is it because of the invitation to Applejack's meet up tomorrow?”
Spike smiles and says, “Na. It’s nothing to do with that. I just wanted to ask again. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Twilight places her hoof over Spike’s claw and says with a loving smile, “It’s not nothing, Spike. You know if I knew anything more I’d tell you. I would do anything to help you find the answers. You know that.”
Spike squeezes her hoof and says, “Yeah, I know, Twi. Thanks. Now, let’s eat before this gets cold.”
Dinner went on as normal and they chatted away as they ate. After that, Spike said he was going to go take it easy and read some Power Pony comics in his room for the evening since Twilight had no work for him to do. As he was making his way down the corridors, he passed by the throne room again and saw the chest. For a moment, he stopped and looked at it through the door, but in the end, he went to his bedroom and spent the rest of the night reading comics.
************
It was noon the next day when Twilight showed up at Sweet Apple Acres, and greeted her friends. She was quite surprised to see Princess Celestia and Luna there. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked inquiringly.
“Oh my, is it not ok for us to come and spend time with our friends from time to time, Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked at her former student before giving her a smile.
“What!?! No, of course it is. What I meant was, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. That’s all,” Twilight said sheepishly.
Luna laughed quietly before saying, “It’s ok, Twilight. It seems Discord played one of his pranks on us and told us that the Apples wanted us to attend today's gathering.”
As Applejack and the others all gather around them, she laughs and says, “It don’t matter none. It’s an honor to have you here, Princesses. Thank ya for coming. Thank you for coming as well, Twilight. But where’s Spike? Big Mac and Discord are in the barn waiting for him.”
Rarity smiles at Twilight and says, “Yes, Twilight. Where is my little Spikey-wikey? I brought him some freshly dug up gems for him to snack on.”
Twilight sighs as she says, “I wish I knew. After he finished baking some muffins this morning, he said he had to take care of a few things and left the castle. He said he’d meet me here later. That was the last I saw of him. You don’t think he’s hurt somewhere, do you?”
Seeing the worried look in Twilight's eyes, Pinkie Pie pops up in front of her and put an arm around her as she giggles and says, “Oh, Twilight, you worry too much. I’m sure he’s fine. Besides, my Pinkie sense hasn’t gone off, so don’t worry.” Just then, Pinkie pulls a baked apple pie out of her hair with a smile and says, “Here. Have some pie.”
Breathing a sigh of relief at hearing Pinkie Pie, Twilight smiles and says, “No thanks, Pinkie. Not just yet, but thank you.”
“More for me,” Pinkie says as she shrugs her shoulders and slams her face into the pie, devouring it, as her friends watch on. Some laugh, while others wonder just how she’s able to do such a thing.
Just then, they hear a ringing of a triangle and Granny Smith saying, “Gather round, everypony.” Everyone makes their way over to a table full of food. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo come running out of the house. While Discord, Big Mac, and Sugar Belle come from the barn as everyone finishes gathering at the table. Granny Smith, standing next to Grand Pear, looks around at everyone and smiles warmly, as she says, “I want to thank you all for joining us today. Now as you know, or have been made aware, today is the day we Apples,” and as she looks to Grand Pear, she smiles as she continues, “And Pears, lost two of our own family members.”
As Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom gather to either side of Granny Smith and Grand Pear. Granny Smith chuckles a bit before saying, “Sugar Belle, sweetheart. Ya apart of this family now. Come stand up here next to that husband of yours, if you wouldn’t mind.”
As Sugar Belle goes a bit red in the face, she says, “Sorry, Granny,” to a few sniggers from the other guest as she went and stood by Big Mac.
Granny Smith takes one last look at either side of her and smiles at her family before she says, “I know you all want to tuck into this food here on the table, but before we eat, we have to go and pay our respects to those Apples and Pears that are no longer with us. We have to go thank them for giving us our family and for watching over us. So, if you all don’t mind following me into the orchard, we are going to where the winding tree of apples and pears now stands.”
As Granny Smith and Grand Pear turn to start walking towards the orchard, everyone follows in silence. As they all make it to the tree and come to a stop, Apple Bloom starts to shed a few tears. Granny Smith pulls her into a hug and says, “I know it’s been hard on you, youngen, but don’t cry. They wouldn’t want to see their little Bloom crying.”
As Apple Bloom, wipes a tear from Granny Smith's face, she says, “You too, Granny. They wouldn’t want to see you crying either,” as she hugged Granny Smith.
Just then, Spike comes out of some bushes as he says, “Sorry. Am I late?”
"Spike! Where have you been? Do you even realize what’s going on right now?” Twilight asked angrily.
“I’m sorry, Twi. I didn’t mean to be late or make you worry,” Spike says as he holds up his claws before looking at everypony else with a sad smile and saying, “I’m sorry, everypony.”
Granny Smith starts to laugh, as she says, “Don’t you worry, little one. You ain’t late. I’d say yer right on time in fact.”
Spike smiles sheepishly at Granny Smith before he says, “Thanks, Granny Smith.” Before saying, “I know today’s important, but I hope you don’t mind, I kind of invited somepony. Well, two in fact.”
Applejack looks at Spike a bit confused and a little hurt before saying, “Look, Spike, I don’t want to sound like an unwelcome nelly. You know me, normally it’s the more the merrier, but today’s not really a good time. This is just for family and really close friends. You understand, right?”
Spike, looking sad, looks at the floor and says, “Oh, yeah. Of course, I understand. What was I thinking? I’m sorry AJ.” Before turning around and looking at the bushes, where he came out from and saying, “Sorry guys, they said today was just a family thing.”
As the two figures emerged from the bushes, everyone stood in shock, as one of the figures said, “Well, lucky for us we’re family then.”
“M…mm…mom…D…dad. Is it really you?” Applejack said, as she looked at her mom and dad standing there smiling at her.
Bright Mac smiles at her and says, “You bet your apples it’s us, little missy.”
Hearing him say that, Applejack charges straight at them and pulls them into a tight hug as she begins to cry and sob like a little filly, “I can’t believe it’s really you. You’re here. You’re really here.”
Big Mac comes running over, like the Friendship Express and dog piles on top of them all. As he begins to cry, clinging to his parents, Pear Butter says, “Steady there, my little Mac. You're going to crush us all,” as she happily hugs them both with tears in her eyes.”
As they all come apart, Bright Mac jokingly says, “I don’t think you can call him little anymore, Buttercup,” as he ruffles Big Mac’s mane.
“I still don’t understand. How are you here?” Applejack asks with tears in her eyes.
Pear Butter cups her daughters chin and gives her a kiss on the cheek before smiling at her and saying, “We’ll tell you all soon enough. But first, where’s my baby? Where’s my little Apple Bloom?”
As Applejack stands to one side, Pear Butter looks over and sees Granny Smith standing there with a smile on her face, crying, and a little filly hiding behind her. Granny Smith steps aside and pushes Apple Bloom forward as she says, “Go on now, youngen. Yer Ma’s calling for you. Don’t keep her waiting.”
“My little Apple Bloom,” Pear Butter says as she opens her arms and tears begin to come down her face.
For a few moments Apple Bloom doesn’t move and just looks at her until Granny Smith gives her a good push and shouts, “I told you not to keep her waiting. Now get going!”
After that, Apple Bloom runs into her mother’s arms and starts to cry as she says, “Mommy!”. As Pear Butter wraps her arms around her, she says, “Look at you. My little baby, all grown up. You even have your Cutie Mark.” As she cries, Pear Butter says, “We’ve missed so much. I’m sorry my baby, I’m so sorry.”
As Apple Bloom cries, she breaths in the smell of her mother and says, “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now. We have all the time in the world to catch up, mom.”
After a few moments, Bright Mac comes over and starts to hug Apple Bloom. Then Applejack and Big Mac sit with them and Bright Mac pulls them all into a hug and holds them all. As he hugs them, he looks over at Granny Smith and says, “You did a fine job of raising our family, Ma. Thank you for taking care of them,” as more tears come down his face.
Granny Smith tries to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they just won’t stop, as she says, “Ya darn tootin, I did. Compared to you, those three where like a walk in the park.”
They all break their hold on one another, and as Pear Butter wipes the tears from her eyes, she looks over to Granny Smith and says, “Thank you, Ma, for everything.”
Granny Smith comes over and hugs both Bright Mac and Pear Butter and says, “You don’t have to thank me. We’re family. We take care of our own.” After saying that, Granny Smith cups Pear Butter’s cheek and says, “And on that note, I think there’s some pony here that has something to say to you, dear.”
Granny Smith looks over her shoulder and says, “What are you doing? Get over here, you prickly old pear.”
Hearing Granny Smith say that, Pear Butter looks over and sees Grand Pear, slowly walking over. She breaks her hug with Granny Smith and says, “D…daddy?”
Grand Pear stops dead at hearing her call him that, and as the tears stream down his face, he looks at her and says, “My little Pear, I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me, for being such a stupid old Pear?”
Just then, Pear Butter jumps at her dad and pulls him into a hug. As she cries, she says, “I don’t care about the past. I got my daddy back. That’s all that matters.”
As Grand Pear and Pear Butter cry together, the other members of the Apple family all gather round and Grand Pear holds out a hoof to Bright Mac and says, “I’m sorry, Bright Mac. It took me a long time to realize how foolish I was. You’ve taken better care of my little Pear, than I ever could. You have yourself one fine family.”
Bright Mac shakes his head as he grabs Grand Pear’s hoof and pulls him into a hug, saying, “No, we have a great family, you old Pear.”
As the family of Apples and Pears enjoy a group hug, Grand Pear chuckles and says, “Yeah, we do.”
Big Mac breaks from the hug and says, “Mom, Dad. There’s somepony I’d like you to meet.” As Big Mac gestures Sugar Belle to come over, she stands next to Big Mac as he wraps an arm around her and says, “Dad and mom. This is Sugar Belle, my wife and newest member of our family.”
As Sugar Belle stretches out her hoof to greet them with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, she says, “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Pear Butter puts her hooves over her mouth as she begins to cry again. As Bright Mac begins to laugh, he says, “That’s not how we greet family around here,” before pulling her into a hug and saying, “Welcome to the family, Sugar Belle.”
After he breaks the hug, Pear Butter pulls a now red faced Sugar Belle into an embrace and says, “Oh, Big Mac. Congratulations, to you both. She’s beautiful,” Making Sugar Belle go even redder, as Big Mac giggles along.
Bright Mac Starts rubbing Big Mac’s mane and laughs as he says, “Of course, she is. Mac here has his daddy’s eye for finding a beautiful mare.”
Pear Butter goes a bit red at hearing Bright Mac say that, and as Big Mac giggles along, he gives Sugar Belle a kiss, as he says, “Yep.”
As the family all stand around smiling at the scene, with the biggest of smiles on their faces. They hear some pony say, “I hate to ruin this family moment, but can some pony tell me what’s going on?”
As Pear Butter and Bright Mac look over to the pony who was talking, their eyes get as big as dinner plates as Bright Mac says, “An alicorn? There’s another alicorn?”
Apple Bloom giggles and says, “She’s not just any alicorn, she’s the Princess of Friendship.”
Bright Mac and Pear Butter eminently bow at hearing that and Bright Mac says, “Forgive us, for not realizing, Your Majesty. We mean you no disrespect.”
As Twilight goes to say something, Applejack sniggers and says, “Mom, Dad, Twil-“
“Applejack! Where are you manners?” Pear Butter says sternly, cutting Applejack off as she looks at Applejack and her other kids, before saying, “Please forgive our children’s rudeness, Your Majesty.”
Twilight face hoofs, and says, “Oh, boy.”
Applejack looks at her mom and dad and says, “A lot of things have changed since you’ve been gone. That there is Twilight Sparkle. One of my greatest friends. She also hates it when ponies bow to her and call her Princess. She prefers to be treated like everypony else.”
After hearing Applejack say that, Bright Mac and Pear Butter look at Twilight as she happily smiles at them and says, “Hello, Bright Mac and Pear Butter. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Before she says, “I know this must be a lot for you both to take in right now, but I’m sure Applejack and the others will fill you in on the details later.”
After taking a calming breath Twilight continues to say, “I don’t mean to be rude or ruin this moment with your family, but we were all under the impression that you had both passed on. How is it you are standing in front of us all?”
“Yes, I too would like to know this,” Luna says as she stands besides Twilight.
“Wh…what!?! There’s another alicorn Princess!” Bright Mac says surprised, as Luna just lets out a sigh.
Just then, Discord pops up in front of Bright Mac and Pear Butter in a flash of light and says, “Give me strength. Look, there’s officially a total of five princess alicorns now, ok? Can we just get on with it? This is beginning to bore me.”
“AHHH!!! Who are you?” Pear Butter asks as she looks at Discord.
A grin comes on to Discord’s face as he floats there and starts to cackle while lightning goes off behind him. He says in a menacing voice, “I am Discord, Lord of Chaos and Disharmony.”
Pear Butter instinctively wraps her arms around her children, to shield them, while Bright Mac stands in front of them, ready to protect his family, as Discord continues to laugh evilly.
“Ok, Discord, that’s enough. You’ve had your fun, it’s time to stop now. Can’t you see you’re scaring them?” Fluttershy says as she flies over to him and puts a hoof on his shoulder and smiles at him.
The lightning stops and Discord floats down to the ground, as he folds his arms and says, “You can be a real party pooper sometimes, my dear Fluttershy. You know that?”
Fluttershy giggles lightly as she smiles at Bright Mac and Pear Butter, who have now relaxed a bit, as she says, “You’ll have to forgive Discord. It’s been awhile since he met anypony that didn’t know him. He was just having a bit of fun. He’s really quite nice when you get to know him. Right Big Mac?”
Big Mac chuckles at the now sulking Discord and says, “Yep,” happily agreeing with Fluttershy.
Just then, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, go running over to Apple Bloom and dogpile on top of her. As they begin to laugh, Sweetie belle says, “This is great, Apple Bloom. I’m so happy for you,” as Scootaloo, chuckles along in agreement with Sweetie Belle.
“You have the same Cutie Marks,” Pear Butter says in surprise.
“Yeah, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We’re kind of a big deal around here.” Scootaloo says, as she looks at Pear Butter with her chest puffed out, as she smiles at her.
Clearing her throat, Princess Celestia says, “I’m sure there is much you would like to know, but like my sister and Twilight said, I would first like to know how it is you came to be here, today.”
Both Pear Butter and Bright Mac, instinctively bow at seeing Princess Celestia. She smiles at them and says, “Please, my little ponies. There is no need to bow, but it would be a great help if you could answer the question.”
As they both raise their heads, Bright Mac smiles as he says, “To think, not just one Princess visiting our home, but three. I can’t wait to hear just what’s been going on.”
Pear Butter smiles and says, “Of course, your majesty.” Before taking a moment to think and then saying, “We were crossing a bridge after making a delivery with our little Applejack. When the bridge gave out, we had enough time to throw AJ clear to the other side before we began to fall, to what was sure to be our doom.”
As Bright Mac wraps his arm around Pear Butter, he gives her a quick nuzzle and says, “We had accepted our fate. Just as long as our little apple was safe, we were happy. But just like magic, out of nowhere, came this little dragon and in a flash of light, we found ourselves back here, in Ponyville.”
As he smiles at Spike, he continues to say, “I’m ashamed to admit this, but at first, I thought he was going to hurt us, but after he assured us that we didn't need to be afraid of him, he explained that he had brought us into the future and a lot has changed since we were gone, and our family was waiting for us. So here we are, that’s all we know.”
“Spike! Tell me you didn’t use time magic? You of all creatures know the dangers of messing with time,” Twilight said furiously.
Spike, looking sad, puffed up a scroll with his fire breath and held it in his claw as he said, “I know Twilight. I know, but nothing’s changed, everything’s the same.”
“You don’t know that, Spike! Have you forgotten? Even the tiniest changes seen, can lead to a cascade of effects downstream.” Twilight says.
“No Twilight, it’s you that doesn’t understand!” Spike shouts back, surprising her and every pony else, before his eyes shimmer green and he teleports away, dropping the scroll in the process.
For a few moments, no one said anything. until Apple Bloom started to cry and said, “This is all my fault.” As everyone looked at her Pear Butter pulled her into a hug and started to rock her back and forth before saying, “No my little Bloom, this isn’t your fault, it’s no ponies, fault.”
“Yes it is. I was looking through the family album yesterday and Spike showed up. We got talking and Spike asked how we lost you. So I told him that you fell from the bridge and that Applejack watched you disappear, I even told him that she thought she saw a flash of light.” Apple Bloom said, as she continued to cry.
“Wait, what did you say?” Twilight asks as she looks at Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom looked at Twilight and wiped her tears away as she said, “Me and Spike were talking yesterday and I told Spike how we lost our parents, and that Applejack watched them disappear.”
“And Applejack saw a flash of light?” Twilight asks as she starts to make her way over to Apple Bloom and Apple Bloom nods to answer her question.
Applejack clears her throat and says, “Look, sugarcube, I don’t know what you’re getting at. But yeah, when it happened, I was sure I saw a flash of light. Heck, I was so sure, ponies searched for over a year to try and find them. But in the end, all we found was my pa’s hat,” Applejack said as she placed a hoof over her hat.
Taking a quick look at the scroll, Twilight says, “I’m such an idiot. How could I have been so blind? I have to go and find Spike,” Twilight said as she passed the scroll to Celestia and teleported away.
“Hmmm, I don’t mean to be that pony, but can somepony explain what’s going on?” Rarity asks.
Discord chuckles as he says, “It’s quite easy to understand, really. The day dear old ma and pa there took their little dive, Applejack here saw a flash of light. Now as you know, Applejack is not one for lying, being the Element of Honesty and all.”
“The Element of Honesty?” Bright Mac asked, confused.
Discord looked at Bright Mac and said, “Ask you kids, they can fill you in later,” before continuing to say, “Anyway, like I was saying, you did see a flash of light. That was Spike, from the present, saving your mom and dad: That’s why you never found them, because they were never there to begin with.”
“Wait, what? If that was the case, why not just bring them back to their own time so they could be together there? Why make Applejack and the others think they were dead and have to go through something like that?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
“Because he couldn’t, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said. “If Spike had brought them back to their own time, the future as we know it could have changed. The only way to be sure that it all stayed exactly the same was for him to bring them here to us, at this point in time.”
“Yes, it’s quite ingenious if you think about it.” Discord says as he uses his magic to make a cup of tea appear before crossing his legs and floating in the air, now looking like Mary Poppins, and taking a sip from the cup. He then starts to pour the tea from the cup and as it continuously falls to the ground, says, “If Spike had saved your mom and dad, and then returned them to you at that point in time.” As Discord put a claw into the stream of tea, it creates two streams, as he goes on to say, “Then, as shown by the tea here, it wouldn’t be the same stream, but a different one, much like when Twilight and little Spike went to different timelines.”
As Discord removed his claw and watched the stream of tea go back to normal, he held a droplet on the end of his claw and continued to say, “However, Spike didn’t do that. No, instead he took a droplet from one point and placed it further downstream, not changing the flow of time at all.” As Discord placed the droplet back into the stream of tea, further down. He finished by saying, “The world went on, as it should have and our history played out like it was supposed to.”
In a flash of light, the cup of tea was gone and Discord was looking like himself again. As he giggled, he looked over at Apple Bloom and smiled at her before saying, “Times a funny thing. You telling Spike about how you all thought your parents had died, was the key for Spike going back and saving them. You did nothing wrong, little Apple Bloom. In fact, it is partly because of you, that your parents are now standing here in front of you all.”
Bright Mac pulls his family into a loving embrace and says, “I don’t really get it. All I care about is that we get to be a family again.” As the other Apples hug him back, he says, “And it’s because of that little dragon.”
Just then, Apple Bloom breaks away from her family and has an energized look on her face as she says, “Wait, I just had an idea. If Spike was able to do this for us, that means he can use the same spell and go back and meet his parents as well. He can finally find out why he was left in the woods. This is great.”
As she finishes saying that, she looks over to Princess Celestia and Luna, expecting them to have smiles on their faces. Her excitement soon died down when she saw them with somber faces.
Luna sighed and gave her a heartfelt smile as she said, “No, my little pony, he can’t. If Spike was to go back and meet his parents and find out why he was left in the woods as an egg, it could change the timeline. Just like Discord so elegantly explained earlier.” As Luna’s horn lit up a big image of Twilight’s Cutie Mark appeared. Luna continued to say, “As you know, Twilight’s Cutie Mark represents her love for magic, but it also has another meaning.”
As pictures of all the Elements of Harmony now begin to appear in each star, Luna takes a breath before saying, “These six ponies are tied together by fate. All of them got their Cutie Marks at the same time. They became Equestria’s greatest heroes. The other meaning behind her Cutie Mark represents her bond and friendship with each of them, quite fitting for the Princess of Friendship.”
“I don’t get it.” Scootaloo said, confused. “I mean, I get what you’re saying, but what does this have to do with Spike not being able to go back to see his parents?”
Luna smiled warmly at Scootaloo before asking, “Tell me little one, how many stars do you see?”
Scootaloo counts them and happily shouts out, “Six, one for each of the Elements.”
As the five remaining Elements all begin to laugh at that answer, Rainbow Dash says, “Yeah, that’s the answer most ponies would give. Don’t feel bad squirt.” Before she smiles at Scootaloo and says, “Truth is, it took me some time to work out as well. Take a closer look and tell me how many stars you see.”
Scootaloo listens to Rainbow Dash and recounts the stars. As she does, her eyes get bigger as she says, “There are seven. I see seven stars. There’s one behind the big star in the middle.”
As they all smile at her answer, Luna moves the seventh star and an image of Spike appears on it as she says, “Spike may not be an Element of Harmony, but he was hatched the day they all got their Cutie Marks, he became, not only Twilight’s number one assistant, but her most faithful and trusted first friend. They share a bond like no other. Their fates are intertwined. Now do you see why he cannot go back and meet his parents?”
Sweetie Belle looks at Luna with a big smile and says, “Sure he can. I mean I understand he can’t meet them or anything because it could change time and all, but what about if he just went back and hid in a bush or something? You know, so he could at least see them.”
As the other members of the CMC started getting excited at the idea, Apple Bloom says, “Yeah, that’s a great idea, Sweetie. I mean we could even lend him a camera so he can take a photo of them. At least that way he’ll have something to look at.”
“Time is not something to be played with, my little ponies.” Celestia said as she looked at the CMC with a sad smile, before saying, “Although it was a nice idea, that’s all it can ever be, for even if Spike wanted to go back and do that, he could not.” As Celestia said that, she unrolled the scroll and showed everypony. As the ink from the scroll started to fade away, she continued to say, “The spell he used was designed to only ever be used once before disappearing from existence.” As she said that the last bit of ink to disappear from the scroll was its title: Finding The Treasure You Lost.
Seeing that, Apple Bloom begins to cry as she shouts, “It’s not fair! He used that spell for me when he should have used it for himself! How am I meant to face him now, knowing that I took away the only chance he had at seeing his parents?”
As everyone looked at her, she looked over at Discord and ran over to him, still crying and clung to him as she said, “Discord, you’re the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony, right? You can do anything. You can fix this. You can help Spike go back and meet his parent’s, right?”
As she looked at Discord, he gave her a sad smile. Seeing that, Apple Bloom begins to laugh desperately as tears still pour down her cheeks and she says, “Wh...Why are looking like that, Discord? Come on, you’re the Lord of Chaos. Think how fun it would be to go back in time. This is right up your street.”
Discord pulled her in close and wrapped his arm around her as she buried her face into his chest. As Discord used his other claw to stroke her mane, he says, “No, little one, I may be the Lord of Chaos and able to do many things, but not even I am crazy enough to mess with time. That’s just how dangerous it is.”
Discord continues to stroke her mane. As she cries into his chest, he says, “Spike is no fool. He probably knew that spell would only work once and used it to give you a wonderful gift.” As Discord pulled Apple Bloom’s face away from his chest he lifted her chin up to look at him and wiped away her tears as he warmly smiled at her, saying, “You want to know how you face him after this?” As Apple Bloom nods her head to his question, Discord chuckles lightly and says, “With a smile. You live every day as happily as you can, with a smile. That is how you thank him for the gift he gave you. That is what he wants, to see his friends happy.”
After breaking their hug, Apple Bloom wipes the remaining tears away and nods her head as she smiles at Discord, before making her way over to her mom and dad for a hug.
************
Meanwhile, while all of that was going on. Twilight reappeared in the Castle of Friendship and ran around trying to find Spike. She soon found him in the kitchen, washing up. As she goes to approach him, she says, “Spike, I’m sorry. You were right, I didn’t understand. I should have listened.”
With his back to her, Spike shook his head as he said, “No, Twi, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you like that.” He stopped washing the dishes and said, “I figured out what that spell was last night.” As Spike’s body begins to shake and his voice begins to crack he says, “I didn’t break the rules. I...used the spell...after I understood what it was...and it was necessary...to help my friends. Did I do good, Twi?”
Twilight stood there for a moment as Spike began to cry before walking over and embracing him in a hug from behind as she said, “No, Spike. You did amazing. I’m so proud of you, little brother,” before she began to cry.
After hearing Twilight say that, Spike turned around and hugged her. After a few minutes went by, they broke their hug and Twilight wiped the tears from Spike’s face as he chuckled and asked, “They looked really happy, didn’t they, Twilight?”
Twilight smiles at him as she says, “Yeah, they did, Spike. You did a great job.” Before looking at him a bit worryingly and saying, “Are you going to be ok? I know that spell could have at least given you a chance to get to see what your parents looked like even if you couldn’t speak to them.”
Spike grind at her as he says, “It would be nice to find out why I was left in the woods as an egg, but I know my parents.” Getting a funny look from Twilight, Spike placed a claw over his chest as he continued, “They are a part of me even if I never get the answers I’m looking for. They are always with me.” As Twilight smiles at Spike, she rubs his head spikes, making him giggle as he says, “Besides, I have a mom that loves me, a dad that always watches out for me, a cool big brother with a princess for a wife. A little niece that I love,” As Spike grins at Twilight, he says, “And a big egghead of a sister that would do anything for me. How could I not be happy with that?”
Twilight laughs as she says, “That’s it, you’re gonna pay for that egghead remark, mister,” as she pulls him into another loving embrace and starts to nuzzle him, to Spike’s fake displeasure, as he laughs along.
After their embrace came to an end, Twilight asks, “You ready to go back? I’m sure everypony is worried about you.”
Spike smiles as he says, “Yeah, let me just grab these muffins I made this morning.” As Spike picks up the plate of muffins he turns to Twilight and says, "Ready when you are, Twi.”
As she smiles at him, her horn begins to light up and they teleport out of the castle.
************
Everyone is still standing in the orchard chatting away when Twilight and Spike appear. As everyone looks at them in silence, Spike smiles and says, “Sorry about earlier, everypony, but I brought muffins. Anyone want one?”
Just then Pinkie magically appears behind Spike as she says, “Muffins!” before taking one and scoffing it down her throat as she says, “These are really good. Thanks, Spike,” making everypony laugh.
After a bit the laughing died down, Pear Butter and Bright Mac approached Spike and the latter says, “I won’t pretend to understand all the things you’ve done for us, little guy, but from the bottom of my heart I thank you for reuniting us with our family. If there is anything I can ever do, I don’t care how big or small. All you ever have to do is ask."
Spike thought for a moment before saying, “There is one thing.”
Pear Butter looked at him and said, “Name it, anything.”
As Spike smiled at them both, he said, “Be happy and I’d love to try some of your apple pie, Pear Butter.”
Bright Mac burst out laughing hearing that and wiped a tear from his eye. While Pear Butter cupped Spike’s cheeks and giggled, as she said, “I’ll make you as many as you want,” As she planted a kiss on his forehead making him go red.
Just then, Apple Bloom slowly walked over and Spike smiled at her as he said, “Hey, Apple Bloom.”
“Spike, I...I...” Spike gave her a funny look as Apple Bloom struggled to find the words before pulling him into a hug and saying, “Thank you. Thank Celestia, for you,” as she began to cry.
Spike hugs her back as he chuckles and says, “It's ok. You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad I was able to help a friend,” as they break their hug and smile at each other.
The next thing Spike sees is a lasso go around him as Applejack pulls him towards her and says, “Oh no you don’t, partner. You ain’t getting away that easily.” As she pulls him into an embrace of her own and holds him there for a few minutes as she thanks him, before giving him a kiss on the cheek making him go red in the face.
As Big Mac came and sat next to them, Spike looked at him and said, “You’re not gonna kiss me, are you?”
As Big Mac laughs, he shakes his head and says, “Nope. But I am going to do this,” as he takes him from Applejack and holds him, he says, “Spike, I’m not one for talking much, but what you did for us Apples, there ain’t nothing we could ever do to repay you. You probably don’t hear this as much as you should, but you’re one of the hardest working creatures around. You never ask for anything and you always do what you can to help your friends. You Spike, are a real hero. You’re my hero. Thank you for being my friend,” as he begins to cry.
“I second that, Big Mac, but you may want to let the little guy go before you hurt him,” Applejack says as she chuckles at the sight of Spike being crushed by Big Mac’s hug.
As Big Mac lets Spike go, Spike takes in a breath of air as Big Mac goes red in the face from embarrassment and Spike looks at him with a smile and says, “Thanks, Big Mac. Thanks for being my friend as well.”
Granny Smith smiles at the sight of it all and says, “Well, this went on a bit longer than I thought. How about we head back to the house to eat?”
After Granny said that, everyone agreed and made their way back to the farm to eat. As the day turned to night, the simple gathering turned into a party. From that day on, that date became not a day of mourning or remembrance, but a day where the Apples were made whole, once again.
The End.
Author's Note
Hope you enjoyed this story 
It was never mentioned how Bright Mac and Pear Butter died(I don't think), so I thought, what if they didn't. What if everyone just thought they did. That way it doesn't mess with the timeline of the show 
Please feel free to leave a comment and I hope you liked this one-shot, if you didn't that's fine, at least you took the time to read it, so thank you
and as always thanks HAKDurbin
