Author's Note

This is something of a chapter 3.5 and not a full chapter 4. Life has been crazy and I've been backlogged in many things, but I want to keep readers of this story engaged with a promise that it'll be completed.

Spike's Resolve

Spike woke early, as he was used to, and prepared for another day of stuffy delegates and irritating issues that generally didn’t need such official figures to take care of, yet ponies still went to him and Twilight for it. He took a brief royal shower and ensured his spines were in the right place and centered his official badge before he left his quarters and passed two royal guards who saluted him. With a brief nod, they were at ease and he continued on his way to the throne room, though even on the brief walk there, his mind was preoccupied. It had been a week since Spike agreed to let Sinuous prepare for a unique spin on their intimate nights. Said spin involved her carefully crafting a griffon or dragon form that didn’t resemble any known griffon or dragon, so as to avoid any potential headaches that could occur from encountering said other dragon or griffon. Still, he did love that changeling and wouldn’t trade her for anything.

His daydreaming obscured him from his routine of grabbing his scroll of daily appointments as he went through the main hall and to his co-throne, where upon he opened the scroll and saw the two minor events he was slated to deal with later on, before he tucked the scroll aside since the first appointment wasn’t for a few hours. He gently rested his head on his hand and returned to thinking about Sinuous, which he found often made the days melt away. He thought about how she sought him out not just for her comfort, but for his own. She wanted him to be happy, to admit his fears and weakness and then comfort him. He honestly enjoyed every aspect of her, even if they would occasionally get into an argument, but they could always overcome them. Still, the anticipation of her new forms was making him nervous somewhere in his mind.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he completely missed Princess Twilight’s dealings with dignitaries going on right next to him and didn’t reply to several questions he was asked. It wasn’t until the dignitaries had left and Twilight bumped his shoulder with a hoof that he broke from his trance and looked at her.

“Hmm? What is it, Twilight?” he asked, simply.

“You blew off several questions we asked you and you didn’t seem to even notice what was going on. Is everything alright with you?” Twilight asked, initially starting slightly annoyed, though her tone shifted to honest concern. Spike blinked before he sat up straight.

“Never better. Just thinking about how I’ll spend my time off.” he said in a somewhat cheerful tone. Twilight gave a short huffing chuckle.

“Ah, with that changeling again?” she said in a somewhat offhand manner, but to her surprise Spike instantly glowered at her.

“Her name is Sinuous, and I’d thank you to remember that.” he said with a sudden snappiness that Twilight didn’t take very kindly to as her own expression hardened.

“You don’t need to snap at me about it. It’s not like I know the name of every creature that’s ever been in Canterlot.” she said, but Spike had apparently rolled off the wrong side of the bed and chose violence today.

“Is that all she is, just a creature to you?” he said. Twilight opened her mouth but Spike cut her off. “Yeah yeah, not what you meant. I know this song and dance, you’ve done it to me my whole life, but you forget that I’ve been with you for most of your life, not that you acknowledged it.” He fully faced her and his chiseled face continued its red hot stare. “You always thought of me as a pet and nothing more. You always took me for granted, expecting me to always be there as if I was a dog or a tool to be used. I thought this was how siblings worked for years. I only realized you didn’t think that way about me until after Tirek destroyed Golden Oaks Library and until I cried over our home being destroyed did you even THINK about how I was just as displaced as you. I didn’t have six friends working feverishly to make me feel at home in my new crystal castle.”

Twilight was somewhat shocked at Spike’s outburst, but as soon as her lips moved to even suggest she was going to make a sound, he cut her off again.

“You always saw me as a pet. In fact, it’s so ingrained into you that I think you subconsciously made the mirror gate’s magic format me into a matching body.” He said, standing up off his throne and starting to walk in front of her.

“Okay you stop right there.” Twilight said before she slammed her hoof onto the floor firmly, the sound echoing through the throne room as she attempted to impose her royal authority over him, but Spike’s eye didn’t so much as twitch. “I’ve not had any malicious or condescending thoughts towards you, so how could I manipulate anything like the mirror portal in that manner?” Spike’s gaze remained steeled and he spoke firmly.

“When a unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, or even an alicorn pass through the portal, they become one of those human things, correct?” he asked, rhetorically, but he waited for Twilight to reply.

“Yes, the magic simply-” Spike raised his hand and cut her off.

“When a Diamond Dog is sent through, what do they become?” Twilight blinked but answered.

“A human.” Spike quickly asked another question.

“When a Siren is sent through, what do they become?”

“They become a human.” Spike’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“And what do I become when I pass through the portal?” Twilight was about to reply, but the words caught in her throat as a spark lit up in her eye. Spike caught it as Twilight now didn’t want to speak. “Say it, Twilight.” he said, but her expression faltered as a degree of sorrow invaded her formerly stable frame of mind. “SAY IT!” Spike bellowed with enough force to make Twilight wince.

“A dog…” she said, barely above a whisper, but she said it.

“A dog.” Spike echoed. “A simple dog. A pet.” he said softly. “Face it, Twilight. You didn’t even think of me as more than a pet until I outwitted you, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, AJ, RD, Shining Armor, and even Celestia herself to win the Hard-Won helm of the Sibling Supreme. You know why I went to such great lengths to get it, I know you remember that day.” he said, keeping his tone low and soft. Twilight had lowered her head and didn’t say anything, though Spike was able to hear the soft wet sounds of her tears hitting the floor and her breathing getting ragged as she controlled her sobs. Spike didn’t like this, he didn’t like that he was hurting her, hurting his sister. But… “That Changeling is named Sinuous. She lives alone, she has no family, and she spent over twenty years looking for me. I’ve spent every moment I can with her for over six months and I cannot say how much she means to me.” Spike reached over to Twilight and lifted her chin, making her meet his eyes with her own cloudy orbs. “Twilight… Someday… I may marry her, and then she will be a part of our family. If you really see me as a part of your family, as a brother to you, then you need to realize that she may very well become your sister-in-law.” Spike was blushing furiously as he mentioned the concept of marriage. It was so far away, but he had to iron out the possible troubles Twilight could make happen. Twilight’s somber expression shifted to surprise.

“Marry her?” she echoed. “But why-” Spike’s quickly hardening expression cut her off.

“I fought through the Gauntlet of Fire to make friends with Ember. I risked being labeled a fugitive when I defended Thorax. I fought with every fiber of my being to befriend the two of them, and in one day of weakness and confusion on my part, you sabotaged my friendship with them when they happened to come by for a visit on the same day.” he said, starting to talk through clenched teeth. “You were jealous that the success I had in making those two friends trumped any interspecies relations you ever established and you couldn’t let it go, so when I actually needed help, you sabotaged me so that both of them would hate me by the end of the day.” Twilight’s shocked expression now took on a more aggressive shift.

“Now THAT is an outright lie! How could you say such a thing when I spent the day doing what you wanted?!” she barked, but Spike snapped right back.

“Because YOU knew better than to feed and support my fear, but you did just that! After all, I’m just the little dog who needs to be appeased now and then!” he snarled.

“I THOUGHT you would catch on yourself and make things right!”

“And I was listening to the princess of friendship for advice on what I needed to do with the situation, but all you did was feed my paranoia until it exploded, sabotaging everything and ruining any chance at a meaningful friendship with Thorax or Ember!” he said, snorting smoke out of his nose before his tone lowered. “But why should I be surprised when you’ve sabotaged and manipulated your fellow ponies? After all, I’m just the dog.” Twilight was confused for a moment before Spike continued. “You tried to sabotage Starlight’s earnest attempts at making a friend with Trixie, a friendship that happened naturally and wasn’t the result of a forced pairing set up by you. In the end you stoked a fire in Trixie to push back and make it a competition between you and her. A petty schoolyard rivalry trumped the years of lessons for the princess of friendship.” he said, his vicious words silencing Twilight again before he continued in a much softer tone. “I’m considering marriage more than ever, because I am putting my entire being into this relationship. I’m going to be faithful, understanding, and loving, and I’ll not let anything come between us.”

There was finally silence between them, other than the sound of tears hitting the floor, not just from Twilight, but from Spike, despite his steeled expression.

“Spike… Why didn’t you ever bring this up? Why didn’t you bring these fears and injustices up so they could be addressed back then?” Twilight pleaded.

“Sometimes I did and you blew it off as unimportant.” Spike said flatly, making Twilight gawk in surprise and prepare to retort before she realized that she had no excuse.

“I’m so sorry…” she said, taking a shaky breath.

“I know you are. I also know that there is no way to change the past. We have to simply take the events that have happened and learn from them.” he said before he took a deep shaky sigh. “Twilight… Something wonderful is happening for me and I’m going to see it through. That said, if you choose not to approve of it…” Spike looked away from her and clenched his eyes shut. Twilight waited for a moment before she took a shaky breath and gently touched his shoulder with a hoof.

“Spike… You’re an adult now, capable of making your own decisions in life. My approval… it’s irrelevant in the long run. I am only concerned in regard to your royal duties.” she said. Spike looked at her as she continued. “I mean, I didn’t trust anyone else for the role of Ambassador. It had to be you.” Spike’s expression slowly turned into a smirk, which brought Twilight to a full smile as she used a wave of magic to clean off her face, as well as Spike’s, making him chuckle. “Now, today was a bit much… I think you need some time off.” she said, levitating Spike’s scroll away from him and reading it over for a moment. “Yes, today isn’t very busy, I don’t think both of us need to be here.” she said, smirking while Spike blinked a few times. “Well? Don’t you keep Sinuous waiting.” she said, waving him away with a hoof, coaxing him to smile.

“Thanks, Twi.” he said, lunging in to give her a hug before he turned and jogged out the doors.

Twilight sat alone for a while and sighed, hanging her head. Had she really been so blind? Of course she had, it’s why Celestia never stepped down until after all the nations gathered to stop Tirek, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis. Up until that day, she didn’t have the approval of her mentor, meaning she made too many mistakes and didn’t know what true friendship was. No, Spike was right. He was right about all of it, and yet he was still here with her after all these years.

“I don’t deserve a brother like him…”