Finding Your Family

After informing everypony that he was all patched up now and sending them home for the evening, Spike loaded up his gifts onto the cart. He would come back tomorrow for the ice cream cake remnants, but for now, just putting it back in the freezer was priority.

Before leaving, Spike looked at the changeling that had jumped on him in Rarity's skin, and sure enough, her pupils were twisted into a swirl. Pharynx was sitting next to her, and with the way he was looking at her, and the scowl he gave Spike, it was safe to say that Thorax was wrong about Pharynx's intentions. He wasn't after the one who had ruined Spike's party, but the one who had harmed a fellow member of his hive. Which would be the same pony, but he had his priorities.

It was early in the morning already, and even though it was still dark out, dawn was right around the corner. Not wanting any early-rising kids to spot him out the window, Spike threw a sheet over the cart and brought it back to the house. The streets were mostly empty, so he had an unobstructed path, and a guard following behind him to make sure he didn't drop anything.

Holiday and Lofty were still there when he arrived, sleeping on the couch together. He did his best not to wake them as he brought everything inside, storing the sex stuff in his bedroom before anything else came in, as he wanted all of that out of the way as soon as possible.

As he came out to unload the grill, he saw a carriage approaching. A big one. As it stopped in front of his house, his assumption was proven true; this was Scootaloo's carriage.

"Hey, Shpike," slurred Rainbow out the window.

"Good morning, Spikey-wikey," smiled Rarity. "How is my favourite dragon this morning?"

Spike reached up and scratched the back of his neck, grinning weakly and blushing. "I'm good, I guess..."

"Something wrong, darling?"

"Well..." He leaned up and whispered into her ear.

"Oh... dear..." She shifted uncomfortably. "Now, Spike, you know we've had this conversation before."

"I know. And I respect your decision. That's why I thought it was so... odd."

Rarity ran her hoof around his face and gave him a gentle kiss on the nose. "You're very special to me, Spikey, and a true gentlecolt. I love you dearly, and wish you a long and happy marriage. Speaking of, would you mind coming in?"

After melting a bit at her touch, Spike opened the door and climbed inside the carriage, where Rarity was still in her protective gear and Scootaloo was passed out on the seat. Without a word, he knew what he needed to do. Scooping Scootaloo up in his claws, he draped her chin over his shoulder. "Did you have any problems?"

"There was a drunk that tried to abscond with Sweetie Belle, and a stallion that tried to hit on Scootaloo until he found out that she was engaged to a dragon, but otherwise, smooth sailing," smiled Rarity. "As far as I'm aware, anyway. I bowed out pretty fast."

Spike smiled and rubbed Scootaloo's back, cradling her wings as he did so. "I don't have to worry about that stallion, do I?"

"He seemed sweet," admitted Rarity, "but I would put your faith in Scootaloo. The two of you are intended now, after all."

Spike nodded. "I trust her. I'm just being protective, I guess."

Scootaloo wrapped her tail around his waist and gripped him a bit tighter. She was still out cold, she was just reacting to his smell and touch.

"I should take her to bed," chuckled Spike. "Looks like she's had a long night."

"Oh, two quick things before you go?"

"Sure."

"Did you enjoy your party, Spike? Other than, you know, that one part... I heard Applejack gave you something big and wonderful."

"A grill," answered Spike. "Yeah, it was pretty good, overall."

"Good. One last thing:" Rarity leaned forward and kissed his snout once more. "Rest well, my Spikey-wikey. I'll have a real present for you soon, and this time, it will have all of the care and consideration you have come to expect from me."

Spike felt very weak in the knees at her second kiss. But feeling Scootaloo wrapped around him kept him strong. "I hope to see you soon, Lady Rarity."

As Spike descended from the carriage, it took off again, carrying the rest of the girls to where they would spend their morning: Fluttershy's cottage. That was where Rarity was staying, and Fluttershy had already volunteered to make sure they all recovered properly. She'd even already made tomato soup and left it in the fridge for them, just to make their hangover recovery easier.

The exception to this was Apple Bloom. Since Fluttershy had moved nearby, Apple Bloom could just go right back to Applejack's care and be just fine.

Scootaloo, however, still needed care, and even though Spike was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained, he was going to watch over her.

She stirred when they reached the top of the stairs, and groaned as he carried her into the bedroom. "My head..."

"Shhh..." calmed Spike, whispering. "I'll bring you something to drink."

"Nooo... drinksh made me like this... an stop shouting..."

Spike lowered her into bed and covered her up, rolling up the rug with his foot to move it out of the way. Knowing how wild she could be in bed, he'd opted out of carpeting for the bedrooms to make it easier to clean, and the rug provided protection from the cold of the hardwood floor. If she threw up, it would be easier to clean it up without the rug.

After closing the door as quietly as possible, Spike rushed downstairs and offloaded the grill in the backyard, covering it with a tarpaulin before going in through the back door to make waffles and coffee. But not just any coffee; this was lemon coffee.

Lofty came into the kitchen as Spike closed the waffle iron. "Oh, you're back?" she yawned. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I was quiet on purpose," said Spike. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Oh, no worries. Is Scootaloo home yet?"

"Upstairs in bed. She had a lot to drink, so... Can you take the kids for the day? I'll stay beside her and help her recover."

"Oh, sure." Lofty looked over what Spike had already done. "You know what would be better for a hangover than waffles?"

"Hm?"

"Waffles with fresh fruit. Strawberries and kiwi."

As she pulled some from the fridge, a loud pounding at the door woke everyone up. Lofty poked her head into the hall to see Holiday turn around and head for the door to find out who was being so loud. When she opened the door, her jaw dropped.

"Snap? Mane?"