"Spike Is Real!"

by Mockingbirb

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Diamond Tiara, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Drama, Spike, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 5210

As a little filly taking a high-stakes entrance exam at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Twilight Sparkle cracked under the pressure. Ever since that day, she's had an imaginary friend named "Spike."

As a little filly taking a high-stakes entrance exam at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Twilight Sparkle cracked under the pressure.

Ever since that day, she's had an imaginary friend named "Spike."

Published 2023-11-30 21:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-11-30 21:00:00 UTC

Little Brother

Inside Ponyville's public library, a purple unicorn's horn glowed as she levitated a book onto a desk in front of her. Behind her, three more books floated upward, each wreathed in magenta light. The volumes on three different shelves parted just enough to let the floating books slide into their proper places.

"Wow!" said an orange pegasus filly with a red mane and tail. "You're amazing, Twilight!"

Twilight chuckled. "Lots of unicorns can levitate a book."

"Yeah, but how many unicorns can levitate three books behind their back at the same time, and make them all go into the right places without even looking?"

A pale unicorn filly with a pink and lavender striped mane elbowed the little pegasus' side. She whispered, "Shh!"

"Why?" the orange filly whispered back.

A yellow earth pony filly with a red mane murmured, "Let's talk outside."

The orange pony's two friends dragged her to the door, and away from the library. They shushed the third filly whenever she tried to ask questions or say anything at all.

Finally the orange pegasus demanded, "What's the big deal? Why are you two acting so weird?"

The unicorn filly said, "I know you're kind of new in town, Scoots. I guess nopony told you."

"Nopony told me what?"

"Our town's librarian is...special," the yellow filly said.

"Apple Bloom, why won't anypony give me a straight answer?"

"Sorry. We have to be careful with Twilight Sparkle. When she was a little filly, she had a...bad experience. She was taking a test to get into a special magic school, and a spell went wrong, and she almost died."

***

An adorable little purple unicorn filly looked up at four stern-looking, formally dressed adult ponies, who made notes on clipboards.

A white-maned brown mare said, "Well, Miss Sparkle? Show us what you can do with this big egg, and not just levitation either."

Twilight laughed nervously. She inspected the wooden cart next to her, and the large purple egg nestled in straw inside. She felt more nervous than she ever had in her entire life.

How could she possibly hatch an egg? Her parents hadn't let her read the part of the biology textbook that tells how babies happen!

Twilight stepped back from the cart, and tried as hard as she could to channel magic through her horn at the egg. But channel it how? She didn't know what to do! She pointed her horn, closed her eyes...and when she opened her eyes again, she saw she'd failed.

Twilight's mother whispered to her husband, "Do you think she knows this is the cooking part of the exam?"

"Hush!" an examiner said. "No giving hints to the candidate."

Now Twilight Velvet and Night Light were as nervous as their little daughter. Night Light whispered almost soundlessly into his wife's ear, "If she doesn't understand what the question really is...what is she trying to do?"

Velvet whispered back, "I can't watch. Our poor filly."

Twilight tried several stances, and strained herself as hard as she could, but nothing seemed to happen.

"We don't have all day," an examiner scolded.

Twilight aimed her horn one more time. A loud boom sounded through the landscape. The room filled with a white and magenta magic glow, as a rainbow of colors burst through the sky above.

When the glow subsided enough to let ponies see, the cart was in pieces, bits of soft-boiled egg were scattered all over the room, the examiners were floating and tumbling in the air, and Twilight's parents had been transformed into potted plants. Also, the building's walls and roof now had several cracks wide enough for a pegasus to fly through.

Part of the roof fell in, narrowly missing Twilight and crushing what was left of the cart. Two more pieces of roof fell into the room, striking more of the furniture...and the cactus that used to be Twilight's father.

Twilight fainted.

When Twilight woke, she screamed. "Mommy! Daddy! Where are Mommy and Daddy? Are they alive? Tell me I didn't blow them up and squash the pieces! Oh my Celestia! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean it!" She wailed.

A tall, pale alicorn smiled down at Twilight. "Everything's fine," she said. "I used some healing and repair spells, and everypony's good as new...on my word as Princess Celestia."

"I didn't mean to do it!" Twilight cried. "It wasn't my fault! It wasn't me...it was a dragon!"

Celestia glanced around the room. "A dragon?"

"The dragon in the egg! The egg they told me to hatch. When the dragon hatched, he grew too big, and he rampaged around breaking things. He was too big! I must have given the hatching spell too much power, and turned him giant size instead of just leaving him as a baby. I didn't mean to do it! I'm sure it wasn't his fault either. Would you punish a little foal or a baby dragon, just because he didn't know his own strength?" She sobbed. "I didn't mean to! WAAAAAAH!"

Celestia patted the filly gently with one foreleg. "It's ok, little filly. I know you didn't mean any harm. And if you need to learn to control your own magical strength and power, I can help you. I want you to attend the School for Gifted Unicorns as my personal protege."

The filly's eyes watered. "So I'm not in terrible trouble? I'm not grounded to a special dungeon forever?"

"Of course you're not grounded to a dungeon!" Celestia said. "Everypony is fine, and you passed your entrance exam with flying colors."

Twilight saw her parents off to one side, alive and healthy. She leaped up into the air, grabbing both of them into a magenta-glowing hug. "Yay!" She bounded around the room, but screeched to a halt.

"There's one other thing," the little foal said with a big-eyed, serious little unicorn face.

"Oh?" Celestia asked. "What's the other thing?"

Twilight gestured at an empty space next to the demolished cart. "The dragon I hatched...the one who broke things, even though it wasn't really his fault, because he had just been born so he didn't know any better...who's going to take care of him? I guess because I hatched him out, he's really my responsibility. I need to watch over him and teach him how to behave properly, so he won't ever hurt anypony else. Can I keep him? Or does having a baby dragon mean I can't attend the School For Gifted Unicorns?"

Celestia exchanged glances with Twilight's parents. For a moment, none of the three seemed sure what to make of this request.

Celestia smiled somewhat uncertainly. "Sure," she said. "You can keep your imaginary...I mean, very special little friend if you want to. I'm all in favor of friendship."

"Yay!" Twilight cheered. "The baby dragon doesn't have to be all alone in a dungeon forever either!"

***

"She never really got over it," Sweetie Belle said. "She felt she'd almost killed both her own parents, and the only way she could handle the guilt and the fear was to blame it on a made-up dragon who didn't mean to do it either."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Losing your own parents when you're just a little foal can really hurt you bad. Even though Twilight was lucky enough to get them back, I really feel for her. Imagine something like that happening because of a mistake you made your own self. Even though it wasn't really her fault, still..."

"She still believes in her dragon friend to this day," Sweetie explained. "She calls her imaginary dragon her 'little brother.' And Twilight's magic is so powerful...in her own mind, part of her magic is the dragon, and when her magic does something super powerful, she thinks the dragon is doing it. So when she was straightening up the library a few minutes ago--"

"Oh!" Scootaloo said. "You mean all that stuff she was doing behind her own back, without even looking, she thought that was the dragon, not herself."

The other two fillies nodded.

"So that's why I should be careful of complimenting her about being able to do magic without looking. Because she believes she isn't doing that stuff at all."

"You got it," Bloom agreed. "And if you make her think that maybe she IS the pony who's doing it, and who's been doing it all along, she'll feel like she almost killed her own parents herself. So everypony in town has to be very careful to respect her...beliefs."

"Her little dragon brother," Scootaloo nodded. "I'll be careful to remember. I don't want to make the town librarian cry."

***

The next day, Scootaloo knocked on the door of the Carousel Boutique, where Sweetie Belle's sister Rarity lived. When the door opened, Rarity invited her in.

"Any true friend of Sweetie's is a friend of mine." Rarity's head tilted slightly. "Did you come here looking for Sweetie? She isn't here right now, but she'll be back later."

"I didn't come here to see her. I came here to see you." Scootaloo grimaced sheepishly. "I know this might sound silly, but I've got to make sure I'm not being pranked. It's important. I mean, I know it might sound like..."

Rarity nodded. "Is this about Twilight Sparkle, the town librarian? Sweetie told me that you only found out about 'Spike' yesterday. I suppose it was probably quite a shock for you."

Scootaloo asked questions, and Rarity retold the story of Twilight's past. "Twilight has a rare gift. Very few ponies of any kind have her magical power and versatility. I don't know any other unicorn who can know so well what's going on behind her own back without even paying conscious attention to it. Not to mention doing so many different magical things all at once outside of her own line of sight. And Twilight doesn't seem to even know she's doing it. She truly is a wonder."

"I'm sure she is." Scootaloo scratched her mane. "Is it true that Twilight saved the world from Nightmare Moon? Nopony in town wants to answer my questions!"

Rarity smiled slightly. "That's because everypony in town agrees to say 'Spike' did it."

"How can an imaginary...oh. I shouldn't call him that."

"Indeed. It's a good habit to speak about 'Spike' as a real dragon. That way, when we're speaking in front of Twilight, it will be second nature to be considerate of her feelings without even having to think about it."

"I understand." Scootaloo scratched her mane again. "But 'Spike' is a hero, right?"

Rarity nodded, smiling. "'Spike' is truly a hero. When Nightmare Moon caught Twilight, and was playing with her like a cat with a mouse--oh, sorry, Opal, I didn't mean you--"

Rarity's fluffy white Purrsian cat gave Rarity an almost forgiving look.

Rarity continued, "When Twilight and Nightmare Moon seemed to be taking up all of each other's attention, 'Spike' came to the rescue. Twilight had never even seen the Elements with her own eyes, but 'Spike' searched the castle, found and grabbed the Elements, and brought us those precious magical artifacts in time to rescue Twilight and the rest of Equestria."

Rarity took a deep breath. "We all owe 'Spike' a great debt. So if 'Spike' and his sister Twilight need us to agree that he's a real dragon...well, that's the least we can do for the hero who saved our lives, isn't it?"

Rarity wiped a bit of runny mascara from her cheek. "That's how everypony in Ponyville feels, at least."

"Me too. Thank you for letting me ask you about this."

Sweetie's big sister smiled. "Anytime. Thank you for helping to protect Twilight's feelings. And if you need me to talk to your parents about this--"

"Don't worry!" Scootaloo said. "They're still out of town, on an expedition in Shire Lanka. I'll send them a letter, and tell them to make absolutely sure to learn all about about 'Spike' for themselves, before they ever meet Twilight."

***

A few days later, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were back in the library again, working on a project for school.

"The book we need is pretty high up," Scootaloo complained. "I can't quite reach it."

Looking half-distracted while she read a scientific journal, Twilight said, "Why don't you ask Spike to help you get it?"

While Twilight seemed to ignore everything going on around her, a ladder surrounded by the magenta glow of Twilight's magic floated out from the library's back room, and leaned itself against the bookcase in front of Scootaloo. A moment later, a book pulled free of an upper shelf, and floated down to Scootaloo.

"Thank you, Spike," Scootaloo said.

A moment later, the ladder floated away again.

Scootaloo whispered, "I'm still not sure whether this is weird, or cool."

Twilight looked up. "Don't be rude just because Spike is a dragon. Treat him like anycreature else."

"Sorry," Scootaloo replied. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, 'Spike.' It's just...I'd never met a dragon before I came to Ponyville. And you're a dragon who works in a library with ponies. Isn't that amazing?"

Sweetie Belle agreed, "It is pretty neat."

The library's front door opened, and a pink filly with a lavender and white striped mane strutted in like she owned the place. "Hello, losers," she said.

Absorbed in her reading, Twilight ignored the new arrival.

The pink filly walked over to Twilight. "Hello, Twilight. I wonder if you could help me find some books for a school project."

Twilight looked up. "What's your project about?"

Diamond smiled a nasty little smile, her eyes narrowing maliciously. "Mental health. I want to learn all about what makes ponies go crazy, and how they can be cured. IF they can be cured."

"General psychology is Dew Wee Decimal 150 through 157, and applied is 158, both over on the right. Look there first." Her eyes returned to her book.

Scootaloo whispered to her friends, "That filly seems mean."

"You mean Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom answered. "That's because she IS mean."

Sweetie Belle nodded her agreement.

Diamond Tiara pulled some books off the shelves and haphazardly piled them on the floor. "Back in a minute!" she said. "Nopony better disturb my work while I'm gone. I'm doing important research, you know."

Diamond left the library. She returned a few minutes later, dragging a cloth bag nearly as large as she was. She dragged her sack past the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, and behind some bookcases, out of the other ponies' view. Rustling noises came from her hiding place.

"What do you reckon she's up to?" Bloom asked.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," Sweetie replied.

Scootaloo sneaked around behind tables and bookcases to take a peek at Tiara. The pink earth pony had unpacked a very realistic-looking dragon doll the size of a filly.

"What in Celestia's giant tarts?" the pegasus wondered.

Diamond pulled a large kitchen knife out of her bag, and a bottle of red dye, which she shoved into a hole within the doll. "Here's Spikey!" she shouted.

Twilight glanced up from her reading. "Hush. The library isn't a place to be noisy."

"But you should see this, Twilight!" Diamond grinned. "It might be the most important thing you ever see in your whole life. You need to stop lying to yourself, Twilight Sparkle. You have to finally stop being weak-minded and pathetic. You need to grow up."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight got out of her chair and walked towards Diamond's hiding place.

Scootaloo winced as Diamond held up the knife. "Don't do it!" she begged. "Don't even think about it!"

Diamond shouted, "Hey Twilight! Look!"

Twilight rounded a bookcase, coming into view of the pink filly. "Diamond Tiara! Little fillies should NOT play with--"

Diamond stabbed the life-size dragonling doll, and red dye spurted from the wound. "Look, Twilight. Spike isn't real. He was NEVER real. But if he WAS real, I just killed him. Do you think a little filly could kill a dragon all by herself? She couldn't! But Spike isn't real, so I can do whatever I want to him! Look!" She stomped on the doll's head as she sawed at its neck. "Spike isn't real at all!" She ripped the doll's head off its body, and tossed the head up into the air. "Someday you'll thank me for this, you pathetic purple loser!" Diamond gripped the severed head between her teeth, and ran across the library carrying it.

"No!" Twilight moaned. "What is this? What have you done?"

"I killed your imaginary friend, Twilight." Diamond bragged. "He's dead dead dead! He's ALWAYS been dead! Just like your common sense has been dead for the longest time!" She ran in circles around the library, shaking the head back and forth. "So now you'll have to stop being crazy!!"

"Sweet Celestia," Scootaloo moaned. "How can she do that?"

Apple Bloom grimaced. "She always was a cruel little thing."

Twilight knelt over the doll's body, her forehooves gingerly touching where the head had been. "Spike! Speak to me, Spike. Tell me she didn't really do what it looks like."

"Spike's not here right now! He never has been here, and he never will be here!" Diamond insisted, as she dropped the lifelike head and stomped on it again and again.

While Scootaloo and Bloom stared in horror, Sweetie Belle slipped out of the library.

Soon, Sweetie Belle returned with Rarity. Diamond Tiara and her headlike trophy were already gone. Twilight was wrapped around the doll's body, rocking silently on her haunches.

"Oh dear," Rarity said. "Twilight? Whatever has happened here?"

Twilight's horn glowed almost as brightly as the sun, the magenta corona of her magic catching up every other pony in the room and sweeping them towards the door. "The Library is closed," she said. Twilight pushed everypony outside and locked the door behind them.

"Sweet Mother of Celestia," Rarity said.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom agreed.

Rarity banged on the door and tried to work the knob and latches, but she couldn't get it open.

The rest of that day, and the next, and the day after that, whenever anypony knocked on the Library's door, they heard only a muffled scream. "The Library is closed!"

Twilight's magic was so strong, nopony could force their way in to try to check on the unicorn or comfort her.

Nopony saw Diamond Tiara around town either. Rumors said Diamond was suspended from school and grounded at home.

***

The three Cutie Mark Crusaders went to visit Rarity at her dress shop.

"Isn't there anything you can do to help?" Apple Bloom entreated Rarity. "Twilight Sparkle is a hero. She helped save all of Equestria from Nightmare Moon. She can do things that nopony else can."

Rarity blinked tears from her eyes. "I know, darlings. How deeply I understand that."

Apple Bloom insisted, "There, you see? A hero. So everypony should try to help Twilight."

Rarity winced. "I don't know what we can do for her. I want to try to help...but what if I make things worse instead of better? I simply don't understand what's happening inside her mind right now."

"What Diamond did to her, you mean," Scootaloo said. "I don't really understand either, how Diamond could have been so mean, or what we can do to help Twilight. But I know she must be suffering terribly."

Rarity sighed. "Maybe the best thing we can do is wait. If we give Twilight enough time, maybe she'll come out of this on her own. Maybe she'll understand just how wonderful and amazing a pony she truly is, even without 'Spike.'"

"Yeah?" Bloom said. "Ah just hope she don't starve to death in there. Or die of grief or guilt."

Nopony knew how to answer that.

***

In the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, Apple Bloom cleared her throat. "Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo...we gotta talk."

The other two filles looked back at her, waiting. Finally Scootaloo said, "About what?"

Bloom winced. "Ah think you can guess."

"Seems like all we've been talking about lately is Twilight Sparkle. And that hasn't done any good at all. We couldn't even talk Diamond out of...out of..."

"That's not your fault!" Bloom said. "Not the least little bit. We three all tried the best we could to protect Twilight. But Twilight isn't what we need to talk about."

Scootaloo said, "Sweetie? Bloom? Something going on that I don't know?"

Sweetie shook her head slowly. "It's not me, Scootaloo. It's you."

"Whaddaya mean it's me? WHAT's me?"

Apple Bloom said, "We looked it up. Shire Lanka ain't even a real place."

Scootaloo shouted, "Are you calling me a liar?"

"No, Scoots." Sweetie Belle moved closer, and hugged Scootaloo. "I think you're just somepony in trouble, doing the best you can."

"We checked," Bloom explained. "It took us a while, because we didn't want to let on to everypony what we suspected, that we thought you might not be telling the truth about your parents. But we finally found out. Your parents were accountants."

"'Were,'" Scootaloo said softly.

Sweetie nodded. "Accountants in Canterlot. Last spring, they died in a terrible accident. A steam powered adding machine went haywire and ran out of control, and the boiler blew up. Eight ponies were killed. Both your parents died."

Scootaloo bawled. "You can't tell anypony. They'll take me away and...I don't know WHAT they'll do to me, but I'm sure it isn't any good. I've seen Canterlot Orphanage. It's like a prison."

"I'm sure it isn't that bad--" Sweetie Belle said.

"Do you think I'm lying about that too? I've seen it for myself!" Scootaloo slumped. "But I guess I can't really blame you, if you think I'm lying about anything and everything." She started crying again.

Bloom moved closer and joined the hug. "I think you're a good pony, and very brave. And if there's anything we can do to help you, please let us know."

"I don't NEED help. Sure, it was hard to be an orphan on the run in Canterlot. It costs a lot to live there, even just to eat. A lot of ponies there are super-snooty. And anypony might turn me in to the cops as a runaway." She shook her head. "But I can take care of myself. When I was in Canterlot, I decided to go someplace where ponies didn't already know me, and where food's easier to come by. So I came to Ponyville, with farms and fields all around the town, and places to hide in the woods. Ponies are nice here. If I can't get food anywhere else, I can eat the grass and the wild berries and stuff. Ponyville is a good place."

Bloom nodded. "Ponyville IS a good place. But it's autumn now, Scootaloo. Summer might've been a good time to hide in the woods, but it's gettin' colder. If you try to live in the woods all winter, you'll freeze to death. Even this clubhouse will get mighty cold." Bloom's eyes filled with tears. "You've got to come in from the cold, Scootaloo. You've got to tell somepony you don't got no parents no more. You've got to tell a grownup who can help you."

Scootaloo took a deep breath. "I'll think about it. I don't have to decide right away, right? I've got a little time left, before it gets too cold?"

Bloom nodded. "If it gets cold all of a sudden...my family has a big ol' house, with plenty of room. We can tell AJ and the rest that we're having a sleepover. That'll help some."

"Me too!" Sweetie said. "You can have a sleepover at my place too. I mean, with me and Rarity. Rarity's the kindest, most generous pony there is. I know she'd do anything she can to help you."

Scootaloo hugged her friends. "Thanks. Thank you so much! I know...I know with such good friends...and so many good ponies in Ponyville, we'll definitely find a way."

After a minute of silent hugging, Scootaloo said, "But I'm worried about Twilight, too. What's going to happen to her? I know I told everypony a lie about my family...but at least I know which of my relatives are real, and who isn't. Twilight doesn't even have that."

"You're right," Sweetie agreed. "But at least Twilight's better off than you in one way. She has a warm place to sleep at night."

Scootaloo thought for a little while. "Let's go into town. I know what I've gotta do."

***

"A costume party?" Rarity asked Scootaloo.

"Yes, Mare'm. I've been invited to a costume party. And I already know what I want to go as. I want to be a dragon! A purple one, with a green frill."

Rarity stared for a moment. She lurched forward, and grabbed Scootaloo in her forelegs. "Oh, Scootaloo. That is SO sweet of you."

"What? I'm just asking you to do me a favor. Why are you acting like I'M the pony doing something nice?"

Rarity patted Scootaloo's back. "Yes, of course, darling. You're simply going to a costume party." She squeezed Scootaloo tightly. "I love to sew costumes. Let's measure you right now. I want to get this costume made as soon as I can."

"Thank you so much," Scootaloo said.

"No, dear. Thank you." Rarity's horn glowed, as she floated a measuring tape towards Scootaloo.

***

Later that evening, somecreature knocked on the Library's front door. Nopony answered.

A minute later, somecreature knocked again.

A minute after that, more knocking.

"Go away!" Twilight shouted. "We're not open. We're...not feeling well!"

Scootaloo said, "But you have to let me in, Twilight! It's me, Spike!"

"That's not funny! Spike is dead. Spike is dead and my life is over!"

"Please, Twilight! You've got to let me in. It gets cold out here at night."

The door opened. Twilight stared at the costumed filly. "How? How are you even alive?"

Scootaloo said, "Diamond didn't stab ME. She stabbed a big dragon doll. Like one of those plush toys ponies try to win at the fair, but more lifelike. You know Diamond can afford the very best."

Twilight said uncertainly, "I guess she can? But...where did you go? Why did you stay away for so long? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Scootaloo sighed. "Diamond tied me up and dragonnapped me. She thought it was a funny prank, I guess."

"And you let her?"

"I couldn't fight back with my full strength. You know I'd never want to hurt a foal."

"Yes...that's true."

"But once she had me, she wouldn't let me go, not for days. When I finally got loose, the first thing I did was come back to you."

Twilight hugged Scootaloo tightly. "I missed you so much! Oh Celestia! I really thought I'd lost you forever."

"Yeah. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get away either." Scootaloo pressed her face into Twilight's chest fluff. Twilight was warm and soft...a lot warmer than a night outdoors in a Ponyville autumn. "I'm so glad to see you again. Oh, Twilight...I felt like...I can't even begin to tell you."

Twilight nuzzled the purple head frill of Scootaloo's costume. "I can guess. You little scamp. Oh, I love you so much. Let's go inside."

"Yes, let's." The pair went inside the Ponyville Library. Twilight closed the door behind them, and they went towards the kitchen.

***

Sitting at the kitchen table with a hot chocolate between her forehooves, Scootaloo said, "I've been thinking. I think I should try to eat fewer gems, and more of other kinds of food instead. I heard a story about...I mean, we know dragons who eat too many gems could get greed growth, you know? And ponies might be less afraid of me for being a dragon, if I eat pony food."

Twilight asked, "Who's afraid of you for being a dragon?"

"You'd be surprised. Some ponies seem not to like me so much. Maybe that's the real reason Diamond came after me like that. Maybe she thought if she could tie me up, she'd be safe."

Twilight pursed her lips. "Did you do anything to scare her? Anything to make her upset?"

"I didn't do anything! Nothing at all...except for just being me. A dragon. And that's something I can hardly help."

Twilight nodded. "Well...we can try changing your diet. But on the new diet, if you feel hungry more than you should...or if you start to get sick from it...we should switch you right back. We have to take good care of you, Spike. You're the only little brother I have."

"And you're the only big sister I have." She jumped out of her chair, ran around the table, and hugged Twilight again. "I think this is going to work out just fine. I always wanted a...I mean, I'm so happy to be back. To be back with my family."

"Yes," Twilight agreed. "Family means so much."

***

Several times that night, Twilight woke abruptly, afraid Spike was still missing and the little dragon's return had been a dream. She sat up in bed, looked down at Spike's basket, and saw the creature sleeping inside. She let her magic softly light up her horn, so she could get a better look.

She didn't want to wake her little brother up. A growing dragon needs his sleep. So she let her horn go dark again. She lay back down, pulled the blankets back over her body, and let herself drift into slumber.

***

In the schoolyard, Scootaloo still wore her dragon costume. Apple Bloom tried to keep from giggling. "So," she said. "I guess you're a full time dragon now."

Scootaloo nodded. "I COULD take it off while I'm at school. But what if Twilight gets worried and comes to check on me? She isn't used to Spike going to school at all. I'm just glad I was able to talk her into it. I said, maybe ponies would accept me better if I went to school like a regular little pony does. And thank Celestia, she went along with it."

Diamond Tiara strolled up. "Hello, you big fake."

Sweetie remarked, "Twilight saved Equestria three times so far this year. I know, because a lot of other ponies saw those things happen. We all saw Celestia with our own eyes, thanking Twilight at the Summer Sun Festival. Don't you think if Twilight needs this ONE thing, we should try to do it for her? It's not like anypony is asking YOU to do anything, Diamond."

Diamond sniffed. "Everypony in this town is crazy." She strolled away again, without looking back.

"Well," Apple Bloom said. "I guess SOME things are back to normal. Even if some things are different, too. Different in the best possible way. 'Spike,' I'm proud to be your friend."

"Me too!" Sweetie agreed.

"I'm so glad to be your friend too," Scootaloo said. "I love you two so much...just like I love my wonderful big sister Twilight. It's so much better to have good friends AND to be adopted by somepony kind and caring, when I remember what it was like to have nopony at all."

Author's Note

I thank for one or more typo fixes: LurksNoMore