Her Knight in Shining Scales

Chapters

Book of Secrets
Confrontation and Confessions
Dragon Showdown
Her Dragon: Part 1
Her Dragon: Part 2
Epilogue: Ten Years Later

Book of Secrets

The wind’s howling echoed throughout the streets of Ponyville on another blustery, cold winter day. Throughout the town, the buildings and roads were covered in a layer of snow, making getting around town a chore for many. Some businesses were closed due to the weather while others, such as Sugarcube Corner, remained open and were selling stuff to keep other ponies warm. In the Ponyville Library, one of the occupants living there was running around like a chicken with their head cut off. The other occupant, a tall, groggy, and rather muscular dragon with pointy green spines and a rather round snout, was watching a tall, skinny lilac unicorn run around in a panic.

“Oh, where’s my winter hat Rarity made for me?” the unicorn asked to herself. “I’ve been looking everywhere and I can’t find it.”

“Um . . . Twilight? That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” said Spike, who was dressed in a dark green shirt and blue sleep pants.

Twilight, who was dressed in a heavy purple coat, black mittens, blue snow pants, and brown boots, looked at her assistant with an exasperated look. “Oh good Spike, you’re up. Well if you know where my hat is, can you tell me?”

The dragon pointed behind her and she turned to see a purple snowcap, with flops on the side to cover the ears, hanging on a coat rack. Twilight’s face went red in embarrassment and went over to grab the hat. “T-thanks Spike,” she said in a small voice. “But why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“One, you were ignoring me as you ran around the place,” said the dragon. “Two, I was still sleeping and you didn’t notice me coming into the lobby when all the noise you made woke me up. Three, it was kind of funny to see you run around the library.”

“Well aren’t we the comedian?” muttered Twilight in a sarcastic tone. “But anyway, do you want to come with me and the others to the lake? We’re going ice skating today.”

“No thank you Twilight, I’d rather not go near that lake during winter ever again,” he said as he crossed his arms.

Twilight looked at her assistant with a concerned look. “Spike, are you still upset about what happened during Winter Wrap Up?” she asked. “I know you were pretty upset about it, but everypony has forgotten about it by now.”

“Tell that to Rainbow Dash then,” he spat. “She keeps on treating it like some sort of joke and bringing it up.”

“I’ll talk to her about it then and tell her to cut it out. You can stay here in the library if you want while I’m out. I promise I won’t be gone for too long since the weather is going to get bad in the afternoon.”

“Okay then, I guess I’ll clean up the library while you’re out, even though you made most of the mess.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to Spike,” said Twilight. “This mess is really my fault since I was looking for my hat and throwing everything around.”

“Nah it’s okay,” said Spike. “It’ll give me something to do while you’re out anyway.”

“If you insist Spike, but try not to wear yourself out, okay?” She went over and gave her assistant a brief hug before letting go. “I’ll bring home some hot cocoa as a treat for both of us.”

“Alright then, see you later Twilight,” said the dragon as he waved.

He watched the lilac unicorn wave back and turned to see the mess his friend caused. There were books scattered about from some of Twilight’s reading sessions. The closet was open some coats and hats lying on the floor. With a small sigh, Spike began to pick up the mess made throughout the library. Nearly an hour later, Spike finished arranging the books back in order and put the clothes away in the closet. He looked around and smiled to himself from the work he just did. Just as he was about to head upstairs to rest a little, Spike saw a blue blanket near a chair that was meant to be on Twilight’s bed and decided to place it back on there.

He walked up the steps, entered the room, and placed the blanket on Twilight’s large bed. Spike tucked the blanket in the bed, but as he did he felt something hard at the top of the bed between the mattress and the bed frame. He looked between them to see, to his confusion, a green colored book. Curious, Spike pulled the book out and looked at the title of the book, My Dragon was written in cursive writing and nothing else. He looked at the rest of the book and saw no other real features to it aside from it being in really good condition.

“That’s strange, I’ve never seen this book in the library,” wondered Spike. “There’s no author, no publication place, there’s nothing at all aside from some weird title. Why’s it even in Twilight’s bed in the first place?” He opened the cover of the book and raised an eyebrow. “There’s not even a library book slip to show if anypony has checked this book out. Maybe it’s a book that got lost or something by somepony and Twilight was reading it.”

Spike looked out the bedroom window and saw nopony, except for the mailmare, Derpy, flying aimlessly as she tried to deliver the mail in the blustery and cold weather. “Well . . . I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at this,” he said. “Twilight won’t be home for a while and I can probably show this book to her and ask why she had it.” He sat down on Twilight’s bed and opened the book to the first page.

I have decided to take an extraordinary step and do something nopony has done before. I, Twilight Sparkle, have decided to study and understand what dragons do in their lifespan. Ever since the events of the Great Dragon Migration, I’ve felt it’s time to understand dragons more in order for all of ponykind to know them better. I’ve run into a couple of dragons in my life, but I’ve always had one around me that I can count on, my assistant Spike. I’m not telling him about this because I may make him feel uncomfortable with me following and studying what he does. I know he’ll be a bit angry at this when I tell him, but he’ll thank me later when ponykind gets to know dragons better as a result of this book.

Spike’s eyes widened as he reread the line. “Well that’s just great,” he said in an annoyed tone. “I’m now another part of her studies once again. Well she better not list the time she turned me into a girl to see what a female dragon looked like.” Spike shivered at the thought of that day. “I still can’t believe she did that to me.” He looked back down at the book and turned to the next page.

Dragons have often been seen as greedy and rambunctious creatures who are a threat to all of ponykind. They often have huge piles of treasure in caves and live in them for what seems to be the rest of their lives. I’ve tried asking them why they do such a thing, but all contact with them have resulted in me nearly being burned. There’s no evidence to show what they do with the treasure, or if it’s meant to be used to pay taxes to the Dragon Empire. This may forever be kept a secret since the dragons often nap and protect their hoard. That, and they often aren’t in the mood to talk.

While dragons may seem like savages to many ponies, I believe they can turn out to be much better when they’re raised right. For example, my dragon, Spike, was raised by me and I taught him right from wrong. Although we’ve had some arguments and some fights, he turned out to be a perfect example of how a dragon can turn out to be friendly. He interacts well with other ponies and doesn’t act greedy like other dragons. He’s easily one of the nicest dragons you’ll ever meet, even if he is a bit sarcastic.

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence there Twilight, thought Spike as he rolled his eyes.

Although Spike turned out to be better than most teenage and adult dragons, there are some characteristics that can never be changed. Like other dragons, he does sleep a lot, usually up to 10 hours a day. He also does get a little snappy when it comes to being awakened from his slumber, but he doesn’t attack others when that happens unlike other dragons. He does also tend to show signs of greed like in another event that occurred a year ago in this town. But aside from that, he’s a really good dragon all around.

Spike brought his palm to his face and slapped it against it. This seriously can’t be happening, he thought to himself. I’m not only being made out to be some sort of experiment, but she’s now practically embarrassing me with this book she’s writing. I need to see what else she wrote in this book about me. If she brings up anything else embarrassing, I’ll make her write that out then.

As Spike flipped each page, he read more about Twilight’s “reports” on dragons. She wrote in the book about how dragons were cold blooded and used Spike as a prime example for when he nearly froze to death during Winter Wrap Up. Then there was an example that showed dragons could get easily jealous and how Spike was once again used with the incident involving Owlowiscious and how he reacted. The dragon soon found, to his horror and anger, a report about female dragons and some of their basic anatomy. The only thing that didn’t make Spike want to burn the book was Twilight had the decency to not mention his name.

Spike threw the book against the bed in a fit of rage. “I can’t believe this!” he shouted with smoke billowing out of his nostrils. “She’s pretty much bringing up every embarrassing and humiliating moment in my life! When she gets home, I’m going to let her . . .” Spike stopped talking as his eyes drifted back down to the book and saw something else written on the next page. With a sigh, he picked the book up and rolled his eyes. “Well . . . I might as well see what else she’s bringing up in this book. But if she even brings up even one last embarrassing thing, I’m burning this book.”

He turned the page and as he read the chapter’s name, he raised an eyebrow. “Dragons and Romantic Relationships?” wondered Spike. “Oh man, if Twilight is bringing up my crush on Rarity, she’s never going to see this book again.” He looked back down at the book and began to read the “report”.

There’s probably nothing more mysterious to a dragon then the romantic relationships they may have with other female dragons. During my field studies on dragons, I’ve noticed a serious lack of any female dragons amongst any of the male ones. Thanks to the willingness and cooperation of another male dragon, I’ve learned several things about their romantic relationships. It seems every year, there’s this ritual called The Great Hatching. According to the dragon, whose name will remain anonymous, it’s a get together of all male dragons who have gained passage to be adults and mate with other female dragons. The ritual is said to last up to two days in order to make sure all the female dragons are ready to lay eggs and bring some new dragons into the world. The right of passage that males need to go through in order to participate in this ritual is unknown and the dragon I spoke with wasn’t willing to talk about it.

Once the ritual is over, the female dragons stay dormant as they lay their eggs, hatch them, and then raise them until they are fit to live on their own. The female dragons that are born though are often forced to become the next generation of breeders and continue the cycle. Male dragons though live out their lives in clans or gathering and hoarding treasure. The ritual shows that romantic relationships for dragons are nonexistent and was even considered taboo. Why it is, I never knew because the dragon I spoke with didn’t know the details. He did tell me that because of the lack of females, some male dragons often have to resort to mating with other male dragons to relieve their sexual buildup.

Spike gulped a little as he read that last sentence. “I’m going to have to remind myself to thank Princess Celestia for letting me stay amongst other ponies.” He then noticed the next page was written as well. “Is there more to this whole relationship thing?” He began to read what the book said.

It’s unknown whether or not dragons can have any romantic relationships with other ponies. There’s been a few attempts to see if it would be possible, but so far no such feat has been achieved. It’s not even determined if dragons can mate with other ponies and reproduce foals of their own. It’s often theorized that dragons who mate with other ponies will result in a kirin dragon, or other words, a mixture of a dragon and pony. Whether this is true or not still remains to be unknown.

Spike flipped the page and saw only one a blank one. He flipped through more pages, but all of them were blank. “I guess that’s all in this book,” said Spike. “I’m going to have to talk to Twilight about some of the things she wrote in here. It’s one thing to help ponies understand us dragons, but to secretly use me as part of an experiment and some studying is another thing.” The dragon shut the book, but as he did, he saw something written on the last couple of pages of the book.

Curious, Spike looked at the book and noticed something he didn’t see before. There seemed to be something wedged in between a set of pages near the end of the book. Spike opened the book to where the wedge was and came across a majestic purple and emerald green colored bookmark. The dragon removed it and looked at the page that was on it. FOR MY EYES ONLY were the only words written on the page. Spike looked around to make sure nopony was around and then looked back at the book. He took a deep breath and flipped the page over.

Things have now changed for me and for this book. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been starting to feel something stir inside me. At first I had no clue what it was, but over a course of time, I began to realize what it was. What I’m writing in this book now can’t be allowed to go public and will now be used to write down my personal feelings for a certain individual I’ve been around for practically all my life. From here on now, this book will be about my feelings to my number one assistant and wonderful friend, Spike.

Spike’s jaw dropped and released his grip on the book. He tried to get some words out, but he couldn’t get them out. His mind started to race with so many questions as he tried to figure out what Twilight wrote down. He quickly picked up the book again to see what Twilight was seeing in him.

For the longest time, Spike has been a very faithful assistant and friend to me. When I first hatched him, he never showed any hesitation to help me when I needed it most. But in all the years I’ve come to know him, I’ve seen how far he’s gone to not only help me, but all my friends in Ponyville. From the smallest of tasks like helping pick apples to even pulling some strings to get Hoity Toity to come to Rarity’s fashion show, Spike has shown how much he’s willing to help out others. When it comes to me though, it seems he always tries his hardest to make sure I don’t do anything too irrational.

Whenever something goes wrong, it’s Spike who’s there for me when I need somepony, or in this case somedragon, to help me. When the incident about my letter to Princess Celestia drove me to insanity, it was Spike who ultimately saved me and the rest of Ponyville with him calling the princess. If started to flip out or go over the edge, it was him who always brought me back down to Earth. Him, who went above and beyond to help me when I needed it the most. He even went as far as saving the Crystal Empire and said that he would always be there for me if I didn’t pass the test Princess Celestia gave me. He vowed to always be by my side and was ready to lend me a claw to reach out to me. I knew from what he said that there was something very special to him, but I fear it may be too late.

I know what I’ve done to Spike and all the things I’ve done to him in the past. I nearly let him drown during Winter Wrap Up. I left him out of so many things with my friends like the Cloudsdale Young Flyers Competition and even my own birthday in Canterlot. I still can’t believe I forgot about telling him about that change of plans. Even when Owlowiscious came into the picture, I was really horrible to him and his feelings. I know I already apologized to him about not realizing his feelings, but I nearly got him killed because of that and made him feel so neglected when I showed more appreciation to Owlowiscious then to Spike.

In all honesty, I’ve been the worst friend ever to him for everything I’ve done to him and I wish I could take it all back. I know now if I produce these so called studies that Spike would never forgive me for using him as an example throughout the book. I just want nothing more than to know how much he really means to me now and how sorry I am for all the terrible things I’ve put him through. I’ve been using him for so long and I never once showed any concern for his feelings up until now. I hate what I’ve done and I never want to make Spike feel alone and forgotten ever again.

I want him to know how much he really means to me, but I’m almost scared to say something. I’ve seen how much he’s head over heels for my friend Rarity. She’s pretty much got me beat in every category of how to win over a guy. She’s got looks, sophistication, and a charm that could light up all of Equestria. I’m just some bookworm who's spent most of her life in books and I’ve been so neglectful to Spike, it’s pretty much impossible to win him over now. Sometimes I want to say something to him, but I may accidentally make him feel uncomfortable around me and he may remember all the things I’ve done to him. Instead, all I can really do is just look at him and think of everything he’s done to help me.

Spike was at a loss of words from what he just read. He read the same lines over and over again in some small hope that this was all a joke. The more he looked back at the lines again, the more he came to realize that this wasn’t any kind of prank. He couldn’t believe that Twilight, the bookworm who always showed more love for books than anything else, was actually writing all of this down and managed to hide her feelings for so long. He then noticed something that looked like a poem written on the next page and looked at it.

I stare at him all day, everyday from beyond my books. How much he has grown over the years since he was hatched... He's becoming older, maturing into a stand fine gentledrake, manners and elegance that he was naturally blessed with. Oh how I envy him. Everyday these strange feelings I have for him blossom like a budding flower, and I pray to the goddess that he picks me. I know I'm not the prettiest flower in the garden, but I love him, and I just wish I could be his...

Some may argue that he’s like my surrogate son, or like a big sister to him and find it creepy for me to love him. The way I see it though, Spike has always been there for me when I needed somedragon to comfort me and always goes out of his way to do his best. I love him for everything he’s done to support me and never giving up on me when things looked bad. Yes, he can be a bit klutzy and immature from time to time, but I’ve seen how he’s grown and how much he’s changed over the years. He’s very special to me and a fine gentledrake whose noble attitude and faithfulness knows no bounds.

I don’t know if Spike will ever find this book, but if he has found this book, then I want him to know how much he means to me. All I can say to you now Spike is that I’m so, so sorry for everything I did to you and how horrible I’ve been to you. All this time I’ve embarrassed you and made you feel left out of everything and I never did anything about it. But I want you to understand how much you really mean to me now and how much I regret my actions against you. But know that no matter what happens, or even if you never return my feelings for you, you’ll always be more than an assistant and friend, you’ll be my dragon.

Spike let the book slip out of his grasp again and tried to comprehend what Twilight wrote. More questions popped into his head as he thought about how much he really meant to his longtime friend. She not only held back feelings for him, but she expressed remorse for what she did to him. He thought about how he felt about Twilight and how much he meant to her. He had to admit that she wasn’t bad looking at all. She did look cute, especially when she was wearing those small, rounded reading glasses for her nightly reading sessions. Her body figure also didn’t look too bad, in fact it was-

The dragon slapped himself in the face to stop his mind. No, you can’t think like that at all, he thought to himself. Twilight is practically my mother figure after all and I can’t dwell on stuff like that. It’s nearly as messed up as Twilight having feelings for Shining Armor. I never knew my actions could actually get her to see me as a potential love interest. Besides, Rarity is pretty much who I’ve wanted to be with this whole time.

Spike lowered his head as a thought crossed his mind. What am I going to do? I can’t just confront Twilight about this book, or she’ll probably get upset. But if she tells me about her feelings so suddenly, I don’t want to break her heart either. And what about if Rarity does want to be with me? Would Twilight hate me for abandoning her and never saying anything to me? There’s too many bad scenarios here for me. I either choose Rarity, or Twilight. But what can I do now?

Something suddenly clicked inside of Spike’s head. That’s it! Rarity will know what to do on this whole thing. I need to go talk to her about this right now. Maybe I can try to-

“SPIKE! I’m home now!” shouted the voice of Twilight.

The dragon felt his heart stop as he heard her voice. He quickly slammed the book shut and shoved it back between the bed frame and mattress. “Um . . . be right down Twilight!” he shouted. “I’m just getting dressed is all.”

“It’s okay Spike, I’ve seen you in your underwear before,” the lilac unicorn said. “You’ve got nothing to hide from me.”

Spike could’ve sworn he heard a tinge of excitement in her voice just now. “No! . . . I mean, no Twilight! I’ll be down there faster than you can say Princess Celestia.”

He quickly pulled out of his dresser a thick green sweater, a pair of blue jeans, a pair of green mittens, and a heavy purple jacket. He quickly threw off his sleep clothes and changed into his new clothes so fast, it would make Rainbow’s jaw drop. He went over to open the door, but it was suddenly opened by Twilight, who was carrying two large cups of hot cocoa and had a smile on her face. She was no longer wearing her snow gear, but now was wearing a magenta sweater and red khakis.

“Well Spike, I’ve said Princess Celestia about five times and you never came down,” she said. “I brought you some hot chocolate for doing such a great job cleaning the library. Now that the snow is picking up, we can stay in the library for the rest of the day and talk to each other.”

Talk to each other!? the dragon thought to himself. No! We can’t talk now! Who knows what she’ll try to do?

“Um . . . I would really love to Twilight, but I’ve got to go see Rarity,” he said with a forced smile.

“Why do you need to go see her today?” asked Twilight. “She told me she had no clients to deal with and she’s closed up shop until the snow abates.”

“Um . . . it’s my . . . jacket,” he stuttered. “I have a big hole in it and I need her to fix it up.” He grabbed a large pair of black boots and put them on.

“Spike, whatever the problem is, I’m sure you can wait a little bit for this storm to clear out.”

The dragon suddenly ran out and opened the door to the library, allowing the snow to blow inside. “Sorry Twilight! This really can’t wait for too long! I’ll have that hot cocoa later! See you in a little bit!”

As Spike ran out into town, he was blinded by the wind and heavy downpour of snow. He persevered though and slowly started making his way to Carousel Boutique. Rarity, I hope you can help me, he thought to himself. You’re the only one who can help me answer a question that now plagues my mind now. What to do with Twilight and her feelings for me?

Back in the Ponyville Library, Twilight used her magic to shut the door and sighed to herself. “Well . . . I guess it’s just me again,” she said to herself with sadness in her voice. She went back upstairs to grab her hot cocoa. “Maybe while he’s away I can figure out what to say to him. But what can I really say to him? Especially when . . .”

Twilight’s voice tapered off as she noticed something on the floor near her bed. She placed her hot cocoa down on a table as she went over to look at the object. She looked down and saw something that made her eyes widen and send shivers down her spine. The lilac unicorn bent over and picked up the purple and green bookmark and realized the reason for her assistant’s strange behavior.

“No . . . no . . .” she said in a broken voice.

She dug into the bed and brought out the book and immediately flipped to the end of the book. Her worst fears were confirmed as she looked in the specific page and now realized the truth. She brought the book close to her and let a few tears trickle down her face and onto the floor. As she stood there with the book, only one thing rang out in Twilight’s mind now.

Spike . . . please don’t leave me.

Author's Note

Thanks once again to FlimFlamBros. for proofreading this story. On another note, school has started for me now. So expect the story to take a while to finish due to work and other projects. This story will be short though, at the most it will have three chapters. So bear with me as I go through school for the semester.

Confrontation and Confessions

Spike trudged through the snow covered streets of Ponyville. The wind picked up a little, causing the snow to fall faster and obscure Spike’s sight. Although he knew where Carousel Boutique was, he could barely tell if he was making any progress. Spike could barely see any of the buildings near him, nor could he really distinguish any landmarks to help guide him to Rarity’s shop. Despite all the obstacles, the dragon persevered in hopes of getting an answer from the pony who knew about love the most.

He suddenly saw something in the distance and squinted his eyes. He could barely make out a tall building that had some elegant gold trimming around it and a red door. Spike instantly recognized it was Carousel Boutique and quickly ran over to the door. Before knocking on the door, Spike took a deep breath as he composed himself and what to say. He knew what had to be done and what he had to say, it was just a matter of how to say it. With his thoughts sorted out, the dragon knocked on the door loudly.

“Rarity, open up!” he shouted. “It’s me, Spike! I really need to talk to you now!”

Spike waited for a minute or two before he heard the door unlock and cracked open. From behind the door came Rarity, a tall white unicorn with a curly, gorgeous purple mane and tail. She was wearing a majestic purple sweater, a pair of black khakis, and a pair of brown slippers.

“Spike? Whatever are you doing out here in this dreadful weather?” asked Rarity. “You shouldn’t be out here just to see me. I’m not even working on any projects at the moment.”

“Please wait a minute!” shouted Spike. “I really need to talk to you about something important!”

“Darling, I’m sure whatever you need to tell me can wait. Why don’t you go talk to Twilight instead?”

“Because that’s who I need to talk to you about!” shouted the dragon. “It’s about Twilight!”

Rarity raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and moved out of the way. “Get in then darling,” she said. “I’ll make us some hot cocoa while we talk.”

Spike entered the house and took off his mittens, jacket, and boots and put them all near a coatrack. He saw Rarity gesture to follow her and did so without a second thought. She lead him to the kitchen and the table nearby, where a white mug of hot cocoa was placed. Spike sat down and saw Rarity go over to a cabinet to pull out another white mug. She poured another cup of hot cocoa in the mug and went over and handed it to a frantic looking Spike.

“Now what can I do for you Spike?” asked Rarity. “You seem . . . tense and on the edge of your seat. Is what’s going on with Twilight making you so nervous?”

“Um . . . you can say that,” said Spike in a small voice.

“Well then what seems to be the problem? Is she getting wound up over another letter to Princess Celestia?”

“No.”

“Is she getting excited over a sudden appearance by both princesses in town?”

“No.”

“Is she going ballistic over another book that has a tiny tear on one of the pages?”

“No, that was last week.”

“Then what could be the problem darling?”

Spike looked out the window to make sure he wasn’t being watched. “Rarity . . . what I’m about to say can’t leave this place, understand?” he asked in a stern tone.

“I understand perfectly Spike,” she said.

“I mean it Rarity, you can’t say anything to Twilight, or anypony else, about what I’m going to say.”

“Spike, you have nothing to worry about. Now what seems to be the problem?”

“Pinkie Promise me then!” shouted Spike. Rarity looked at him with a bit of an annoyed look on her face. “Sorry, I . . . I’m just a little worried that Twilight may hear this.”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” said Rarity while doing the motions. “Now then, can you please recompose yourself and tell me what’s wrong?”

The dragon took a deep breath and said, “This morning, while Twilight was out with all of you, I was doing some cleaning around the library and came across something . . . interesting.”

“Go on darling,” she said. “What did you find in there?”

“It was a book actually.”

The white unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Spike, you live in a library with Twilight. Finding a book inside of a library is no different than finding a cookie cutter in Sugarcube Corner.” Rarity suddenly felt a thought cross her mind. “Spike, was this book you found a little . . . adultish or something?”

The dragon’s face went red with embarrassment. “No way Rarity!” he shouted quickly. “I’ll admit, I’ve seen a few of those, but Twilight won’t let me read them. In fact, I think she said something about getting rid of them so I wouldn’t be tempted to do so.”

“My apologies then darling. But even if you found such a book, I wouldn’t hold any ill will towards you. You are old enough after all to look at such things. Even if they are a little grouterious and slanderous.”

“I think we’re getting off topic here Rarity,” said Spike.

“You’re right darling, my mistake,” she said. “Tell me more about this book you found.”

“Well believe it or not, it’s actually written by Twilight herself.”

Rarity was about to sip her hot cocoa, but stopped when she heard who wrote it. “Twilight . . . she’s actually writing a book?” she asked in an incredulous tone. “I never knew she delved into the world of writing. What is she writing anyway? Romance? Comedy? Horror?”

“Actually she’s writing a report on studies of dragons,” said Spike. “Or . . . at least that’s what it was originally supposed to be.”

“Originally supposed to be? Did she change her mind on what to write, or did she give up?”

“Well you can say she really changed her mind,” muttered Spike.

“What was that darling?” asked Rarity.

“Um . . . well she kind of . . .” his voice tapered off as he felt his nerves getting the best of him. Can . . . can I really say it to her? he thought to himself. This could change the relationship I have with Twilight and the others forever. But if I don’t, I won’t know what to do if Twilight decides to one day tell me how she feels. I guess I don’t have much of a choice in this matter.

“Spike, are you alright?” asked Rarity. “Why do you have such a blank expression on your face?”

Here goes nothing. The dragon sighed and said, “Twilight actually wrote in the back of the book about me. She actually wrote in it how she really felt towards me and she said she . . . she . . . loves me.”

Silence filled the room, with the exception of sound of wind blowing against the window, as Rarity took in what Spike said. She placed her mug down and looked at him with a mixture of bewilderment and shock on her face. Spike looked away in shame and waited to hear what Rarity would say to him. He didn’t know if she was going to laugh at him like this was a joke, or if she asked him where he got such a ridiculous idea.

Finally, Rarity said in a small voice, “I . . . I had no idea. This is quite a twist if I do say so myself. In fact, I’m not even sure what to make of what you just said.”

“Rarity, you have to believe me,” said Spike in a desperate tone. “Do you really think I would come all the way out here just to tell you something like this as a joke?”

“Spike . . .”

“I mean this is really messed up and has turned everything upside down,” said the dragon, ignoring Rarity’s voice. “This is basically the pony who raised me like her own child and everything. What am I supposed to do with her now that she has some feelings towards me?”

“Spike. . .” said Rarity in a more stern tone.

“Should I avoid her feelings for the rest of my life or something? I’m really not sure on . . .”

“Spike! Will you please calm down and listen to me!?” said Rarity in a harsh tone.

The dragon rubbed the back of his head and looked down. “S-sorry about that Rarity,” he said in a small voice. “I’m just so lost on what to do, or how to handle this whole thing. I figured I’d come to you since you’re an expert on romance and relationships. I need to know what I should do with Twilight’s hidden feelings for me.”

“Darling, before I talk to you about that I need to know one thing. What was the name of that book you found?”

“Um . . . My Dragon. Why do you ask?”

Rarity bit her lower lip and looked away. Spike could’ve sworn he saw a look of fear in her eyes and muttered something.

“Rarity, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about this book, would you?” asked Spike.

“No of course not darling,” she said. “I’ve never even heard of that book.”

“Then why did you suddenly act so silent and mutter something?” He heard no response from the white unicorn. “Rarity, if you know anything about this book, then please tell me.”

“Spike, I am telling you the truth about that book,” said Rarity. “I never had any idea about it up until you told me about it today.”

“Well . . . what about when I mentioned the part about Twilight having feelings for me?” asked Spike. “I mentioned both the title of the book and what was in it at the end and you acted so weird. It’s like you knew what was written about Twilight’s feelings towards me. Please Rarity, I really have to know what’s going on.”

Rarity looked down for a couple of minutes and sighed. “Twilight really raised you to be quite the clever drake Spike,” said Rarity. “I’d say if you were a lawyer, you would make quite a good one with your keen eye for detail.”

“So . . . you knew all along then?” asked Spike in a stern tone. “You knew all along what was written in that book and said nothing to me at all?”

“Hold it there Spike,” said Rarity. “While I am aware, in some way, about what she wrote about you, I had no idea of the book she was writing it in. All she told me was the book title she had and had a pretty good idea on where to write it. I never knew she wrote it in the same book as her reports on dragons.”

“Well if you didn’t know about those studies, then tell me this. What do you mean by you were aware, in some way, about what she wrote about me?”

“Darling . . . to tell you the truth, I believe that I am the reason you found that little entry in the back of the book.”

“W-WHAT!?” shouted Spike.

“Spike, there’s no need to raise your voice against me!” scolded Rarity. “No calm yourself down and listen to me.”

“S-sorry Rarity,” he said as he looked down. “I’m just a little surprised is all.” He saw the white unicorn raise an eyebrow at him. “Okay, I was really surprised. So how were you involved with what Twilight wrote?”

“Well darling, it all started back a few weeks after what happened in the Crystal Empire. While I was busy in 'the zone' as 'twere' when Twilight came to see me about something urgent, as she put it. She wanted to talk to me about some dreams and strange feelings for a certain individual. She told me about how she would get rather uncomfortable and nervous around that individual and felt conflicted on what to do. She went into deep detail about how he was handsome and always there for her, but yet she didn’t want to say anything since she was very close to him.”

“So how did you know it was actually me she was talking about?” asked Spike.

“She wasn’t exactly being so secretive on who she talked about,” said Rarity. “She went into detail about what you looked like and how she was practically like a little brother to her. It really wasn’t too hard to put it all together so quickly. I managed to talk her into telling me more about her hidden feelings towards you. Albeit I needed to calm her down when she went on about how wrong it sounded and being shunned by myself and the others.”

“When I managed to calm her down, I consoled her into finding a way to express her feelings for you. She told me that she was afraid to say something to you and feared she would frighten you if she did. So I proposed that she actually write out her feelings in a book in order to find a way to confess to you through the words she wrote. She did tell me she had a book and wanted to call it My Dragon, but I never knew it would be that book you told me about.”

“But Rarity, I just can’t accept Twilight’s feelings,” said Spike. “She’s basically my surrogate mother and treated me like her own child. Do you know how awkward it would be to date somepony who’s like your mother? Besides, I can’t accept what she said because . . . because,” Spike took a deep breath and said, “I . . . I love you Rarity. You’re a very kind and special unicorn to me. You’re very pretty, very generous, and somepony who will do anything for a friend.”

Rarity placed her hand on Spike’s and smiled at him. “I know darling . . . I’ve known for a long time, but I can’t accept your feelings for me unfortunately.”

“But . . . but why?” pleaded Spike in a broken voice. “Are you rejecting me for Twilight’s sake? Did I not do enough to show how much I care about you?”

Rarity got up and went to hug the dragon. “Darling, I’m not rejecting you off because of Twilight falling for you. You are a very kind gentledrake who knows how to really treat a lady and go quite the distance to help us. To be honest darling, ever since the incident with Prince Blueblood, I haven’t been interested in forming any romantic relationships. I learned from that experience that love is something you can’t rush and sometimes can be very cold to you. Besides, I’m busy with pursuing my career in dressmaking and taking care of Sweetie Belle. I’m going to be patient and wait to find my special somepony.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you’re rejecting me. I’ve pretty much been at your beck and call when you needed me. So was all that I did for you and everything that I gave you all for nothing?” asked Spike with anger rising in his voice. “You just used me all this time and manipulated me?”

“Spike, I never intended to use you at all,” said Rarity. “If anything, I blame myself for letting your crush go this far and not stopping it.”

“And yet you never said or did anything to let me know you weren’t interested in me!” spat Spike.

“That may be true Spike, but I never knew your crush would go on for so long,” said Rarity. “When I knew you weren’t going to stop chasing me, I tried to think of a gentle way to break it to you. I just didn’t have the heart to turn you down since I knew it would break your heart and possibly hate me.”

“Hate you? Why would I hate you?” he asked.

“Yes darling, I feared you may think I used your crush to help me set up connections in Canterlot and to hunt for gems. I lost control of myself,” she said. “I did use you unintentionally, and I did nothing to stop your crush on me. I just want you to know Spike that I’m terribly sorry for giving you such a false sense of hope that we could be together. Can you ever forgive me for leading you to believe that.”

Spike said nothing for a few minutes as the words sank into him. He nodded slowly and said, “Yeah . . . I guess that’s what I get for being so lovestruck by somepony like you. Thinking about it actually, I should’ve known that it wasn’t ever going to happen. I guess I was just so caught up in trying to win you over, it clouded my thinking.”

“I want you to understand though Spike that you’ll always be a very special drake to me and my friend,” said Rarity with a smile. “Just because I didn’t return your feelings doesn’t mean you aren’t a very dear friend to me. I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me over the time we spent together.”

“Thanks Rarity, but it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m not sure if I want to return Twilight’s feelings or not,” said Spike. “I’ve always seen her more along the lines of either a mom I never had, or a big sister to me. What am I supposed to do with somepony who’s treated me like family and raised me like her own son?”

“Spike, you’re being too narrow minded on this whole matter,” said Rarity. “While you may think Twilight is like a surrogate mother figure to you, I’ve seen you stare at her from time to time and act a little dazy around her. You may not be aware of it, but I’ve seen the way you look at her and the glint in your eye shows you care for Twilight as much as she cares for you.”

“But . . . but . . . she . . .” argued Spike.

“Don’t try and hide it from me Spike,” said Rarity. “I’ve seen how far you go to protect and make Twilight happy. You bravely followed her in her quest to find the Crystal Heart and saved the day when she was trapped. You were the one who brought her back from going over the edge over that letter to Princess Celestia. You even told us you were willing to make sure Twilight was given another test after she supposedly failed the one in the Crystal Empire. You may help all of us out, but when it comes to Twilight, you go the extra mile to ensure her happiness and protect her when she needed it.”

Spike said nothing and twiddled his fingers around one another.

“Let me ask you something Spike. Who was it that nursed you back to health after you fell into the lake during Winter Wrap Up?”

“Um . . . it was Twilight,” muttered Spike. “But I’m not seeing how this . . .”

“Let me finish darling,” said Rarity. “Now who was the one who led the charge to save you from that dragon after running away from home?”

“It was Twilight.”

“Who was it that looked after you when your stomach was feeling upset from all the letters Princess Celestia sent through you?”

“Twilight, but what does . . .”

“Darling, it’s not nice to interrupt a lady,” scolded Rarity. “Now let me ask you a few more things. Do you know who it was that came up with the idea to protect you from those beastly teenage dragons during the Great Dragon Migration?”

“I thought it was you, Twilight, and Rainbow.”

“That may be true, but it was Twilight who came up with the idea to protect you from those horrible dragons. She was so concerned for your safety and wellbeing that she came up with the idea to follow you and help you out.”

“You mean it was her who did that for me?” asked Spike.

“Yes darling, she wanted nothing more then to keep you out of harm’s way. Just as you went above and beyond to do your best for her, she too went to great lengths to help you.”

Spike said nothing again and took in what Rarity just said.

“I have only one last question for you darling,” she said. “Who has always been there for you when you’re upset, ill, and lonely?”

“Well it’s Twilight of course,” said Spike. “But even with all of that, I’m still not sure on what to make of how she really feels towards me. It feels kind of awkward to me. That, and I have one last thing that still kind of bothers me with Twilight.”

“What is it darling?” asked Rarity.

“Her birthday in Canterlot, remember? She never told me about it and I missed it as a result. You all just snuck off without telling me anything.”

Rarity flinched at the mention of that incident and looked down. “Oh yes . . . you never were a part of her party. She never brought you along to join her birthday.”

“Yeah and even though she apologized and gave me a full week off for doing that, it still bugs me,” said Spike in a bitter tone. “Why didn’t she bring me along in the first place? Or at least leave me a note telling me about the change in plans? Did Twilight ever tell you that Rarity?”

The white unicorn closed her eyes and thought back to a couple of months ago. She said nothing for a few moments, but something suddenly crossed her mind that made her gasp in shock.

“W-what’s wrong Rarity?” asked Spike. He heard no response and saw a nervous look grow on her face. “Rarity, you need to tell me what’s going on. What happened that made me miss Twilight’s birthday.”

“I do darling,” she said. “I want you to wait here for a couple of minutes. I need to go get something that I feel I wrongfully took from her.” The white unicorn got up and walked out of the kitchen.

Spike rubbed his head and said, “Wrongfully took from her? But Rarity would never steal anything from Twilight, or anypony else for that matter.”

The kitchen door opened again, with Rarity carrying something in her hands. “Here it is Spike,” she said. “I know this gift was meant for a . . . confession, but it’s time you had this back at last.” She opened her hands to reveal a large red heart shaped gem surrounded by a golden chain.

Spike let out a gasp as he realized what Rarity was holding. “That . . . that’s the Fire Ruby I gave you,” he stuttered. “But . . . but what does this have anything to do with Twilight and her feelings towards me?”

“It’s actually something that slipped my mind until you brought up Twilight’s birthday,” said Rarity. “There’s something important I need to ask you again Spike. Do you know where you got that Fire Ruby from anyway?”

The dragon thought back to when he first saw it and felt something cross his mind. “That was after Twilight got back from her birthday in Canterlot. It was an apology gift after she forgot about me on her birthday.”

“Well you’re partially right on that darling,” said Rarity. “It was an apology gift, but it was also an early birthday gift to you. However, it was far more then that darling.”

“How so?” asked Spike.

“When Twilight was telling me about how she was feeling, I accidentally left out one small detail. By the time her birthday had arrive, Twilight told me she was practically falling for you. As such, she wanted to find a way to tell you how she felt and came across something in the paper. It was a raw Fire Ruby that was for sale in Canterlot. The price though was very steep and Twilight felt that she wanted to work for those bits.”

“She did what!?” asked Spike in an incredulous voice.

“Spike, I told you to stop interrupting me,” said Rarity. “Now where was I? Oh yes, Twilight actually did some odd jobs for other ponies around Ponyville. She cleaned gutters, did some work at Carrot Top’s farm, and even babysat for many ponies. By the time two weeks had passed, Twilight had earned enough bits to buy the Fire Ruby. As much as it pained her to, she knew she couldn’t bring you along in fear that she would say something wrong to you about her crush. She told me she left with the others while you were hanging around with my sister and her friends. When Twilight arrived in Canterlot, she apparently went to the place that sold the Fire Ruby and paid a total of $10,000 bits.”

Spike’s jaw dropped to the ground. “Ten thousand bits!?” he shouted. “Where did she even get that many bits!? She would’ve had to work for a year before affording it!”

“Princess Celestia sent her some money for Twilight’s birthday,” said Rarity. “It was mostly her way to show thanks for saving Equestria so many times. With all of that settled, she bought that fire Ruby and planned to give it to you as a gift. There was just one problem though with her plan.”

“I take it she never thought about confessing to me?” asked Spike.

The white unicorn nodded and said, “You’re correct darling. Twilight told me that she couldn’t say anything because she knew how angry you were. She opted to instead hand you the Fire Ruby as an ‘apology’ gift instead and has since then been silent about it. Even when you handed me it, she didn’t say a word or raise an objection towards it. She really wanted to tell you how much you meant to her with this gift and instead only made things harder for herself.”

“After what she told me, I wanted to give Twilight the Fire Ruby back, but she refused to take it back. She told me that there was no way she could ever make it up to you again. She hated what she did back then and regretted every bit of it Spike. It’s why I’m giving you back this Fire Ruby so you can give it to her. This gem may have been your way to show your love for me, but it was Twilight’s way to show how much she cared for you. This gem represents how committed she is towards you and how deeply she loves you.”

The dragon was practically speechless from what Rarity told him said to him. He couldn’t believe that Twilight went to such lengths to do all of this. It was her, who not only brought him a Fire Ruby, but it was her own way of showing how much she cared for him. Although he thought the tactic sounded rather convoluted he did agree on something, he knew Twilight did this to find a way to confess to him. He felt his resentment melt away and was instead replaced with guilt. He looked down and buried his hands into his face.

“Are you alright there Spike?” asked Rarity in a concerned tone. “You haven’t said a word to me for five minutes.”

“I’m such an idiot,” said Spike. “I can’t believe I never saw all the signs. How could I have been so blind? Everything Twilight did was practically screaming she was falling for me and I never considered that at all.”

“Spike, I hate to do this, but I need to ask you something again,” said Rarity.

“Go ahead and ask me anything you want to. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“What do you truly think about Twilight?”

Spike said nothing for a few minutes and thought about everything Rarity said. What do I really think about Twilight? he thought to himself. Well I can’t deny that’s pretty cute looking and has done so much for me. She’s pretty much been looking out for me as much as I’ve looked out for her. But . . . she’s still technically like my mother figure since she raised me like her own child.

And yet, I have to admit that despite not always seeing eye to eye, she’s been there for me when I’ve been upset. She may scold me from time to time and get on my nerves a little, but she’s probably the best friend I could ever ask for. Spike began to feel tears build up in his eyes and quickly wiped them away. Friend . . . I’m actually not calling her like a mother or sister figure. That’s what she’s always been to me, but I’ve been so close minded that I only saw her as my mom. She vowed to never send me away after I peeked through the door King Sombra placed. She’s always been the one there for me and I never even gave it a second thought.

“I’m so stupid,” said Spike in a broken voice.

“Spike, you are not stupid in the least bit,” said Rarity in a gentle tone. “You’re a very smart and talented dragon. You just never thought about how Twilight felt towards you.”

“And that’s why I’m so stupid!” shouted Spike horselly. “I was so caught up in trying to win you over Rarity that I never gave Twilight a second glance! I . . . I can’t believe I just threw her away like that and never thought about her. It’s always been her who’s looked out for me when I was in danger. Her, who was the one who comforted me when I was upset. All this time and I never even considered how deeply Twilight cares for me.” The dragon looked down and felt tears drip down his face.

Rarity went over and hugged him. “Dry those tears Spike,” she said. “I know you’re upset that you weren’t considering Twilight or how she felt about you, but there’s still time to make things right darling. You can head back to the library and let her know you like her back.”

Spike wiped the tears away and said, “Like her? No, I don’t like her.”

“Spike, I thought that you . . .” protested Rarity.

“No Rarity, I don’t like her . . . I love Twilight. I mean how can I not love her after everything she’s done for me? For years I always thought of her as my big sister or mom, but she’s far more then that to me. She’s always been the one that’s stood by me and comforted me when I was feeling down. I need to get back to the library and be there for her as she was there for me all this time.”

“Then you better get moving darling,” said Rarity. “It seems the snow is coming down faster now. I’ll clean up while you get dressed and get going back to Twilight. Don’t forget to take that Fire Ruby and give it back to her.”

“I won’t Rarity, but before I leave, there is one thing I want to say.”

“What is it?”

The dragon gave her a hug and said, “Thank you . . . thank you for everything you’ve done. I hope when you finally find a special somepony one day, that they realize how wonderful you are. A pony like you should only have somepony just as great as you are. I hope you find that pony one day.”

The white unicorn blushed a little and returned the hug. “Spike, even though I never returned your feelings, I want you to know that you were the kindest and sweetest gentledrake I ever met,” she said. “I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me and I wish you and Twilight nothing but the best of luck together.”

The dragon waved, grabbed the Fire Ruby, and ran back to the front door of Carousel Boutique. He quickly put back on his mittens, jacket, and boots and went through the door and closed it. He ran back to the library as quickly as possible, but the blinding snow was making it hard for him to see where he was going. Despite the blizzard though, Spike didn’t slow down and continued to run.

Twilight, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, thought Spike to himself. But there is one that I don’t intend to make ever again. You vowed you would never send me away and I vow to never leave you feeling lonely again and abandoned. Just you wait Twilight, your knight is coming back for you.

Spike ran through the snow covered streets until he came across the looming and towering library tree. But as he came closer to it, the dragon noticed something that made him raise an eyebrow. There were no lights on at all, leaving the interior of the library pitch black. Spike put those thoughts behind him though as he finally reached the main entrance, but he noticed something was hanging on it. He approached the door and saw a piece of parchment hanging on a thumbtack. He took the parchment and read it, but with each line he read, his jaw dropped in horror.

Dear Spike,

I now know why you truly wanted to see Rarity when I got back home. I saw near my bed a certain bookmark for a book I’ve been keeping secretly, or was, from you. I know you most likely read that section and how freaked out you must be about what I wrote. I know now you’ll never be mine and that you’ll shun me because you think I’m some sort of freak. I know I told Rarity about how I felt towards you, but if you two do get together, I won’t hold anything against the both of you. Please take good care of Owlowiscious and Peewee for me Spike and tell the others I’ll miss them dearly. You all were some of the best friends ever and I’ll never forget any of you. Please don’t come looking for me and go on like I never existed at all. You’re probably better off without somepony who loved a dragon they raised like their own son.

Goodbye forever,

Twilight Sparkle

Spike felt his stomach do several flips and his heart nearly stopped. He quickly busted into the library. “TWILIGHT! WHERE ARE YOU!?” he shouted. He heard no response except for his voice echoing.

He ran through every room in the library in hopes of finding the lilac unicorn. He looked in the lobby, but found no sign of her. He looked in the basement, but found her machines she used to experiment on Pinkie were the only things in there. Spike ran back up the steps and headed for the bedroom he shared with her. He opened the door only to find most of Twilight’s stuff, including her clothes and several books, were missing.

The dragon began to panic on what to do and thought of only one thing: get help. He put the note he had in his hands into his jacket and ran out the library door. Spike ran as quickly as he could, disregarding the snow and wind, back to Carousel Boutique. Unlike before, Spike found his way back to the shop with no problem due to the footprints he left behind from the trek back to the library. He went to the door and pounded on it very loudly.

The door opened to Rarity, who had an annoyed look on her. “Spike, you know better than to knock so loudly,” she said in a stern tone.

“Rarity . . . *pant* . . . there’s no time for this,” said Spike in between pants. He pulled the note out and handed it to the white unicorn. “Read . . . *pant* . . . this.”

Rarity took the note and read it. Her eyes widened and let the note slip out of her hands. “Run away!? In the middle of such a blizzard!?” she shouted in horror. “We need to hurry up and find her before it’s too late!”

“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do,” said Spike in a commanding tone. “Rarity, you go to Sweet Apple Acres and get Applejack. Then you go get Rainbow since she’s not too far from there. I’m going to go get Pinkie and Fluttershy, got it?” The white unicorn nodded. “Good, let’s meet back here in 20 minutes. Twilight shouldn’t have gotten too far and we need to catch her before something happens to her.”

“I’ll go get dressed then darling,” said Rarity. “You get going and I’ll see you here in a little bit.”

Spike nodded and turned tail towards Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight, please be safe, he thought to himself. I promise I’ll make things right again for you. Wherever you are right now, please stay safe.

On the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight was wearing her winter stuff and carrying a large brown backpack full of her personal belongings. She turned around and looked back at the lit up town that she once called her home. She sniffled a little and looked down as she turn around and walked away.

“I’m sure Spike is trying to win over Rarity now that he read my book,” she said to herself. “I hope those two will be happy together and have a wonderful life with one another. Now where can I go to live now? I can probably move to Zecora’s place and learn more of her magic and potions from her. I just hope she doesn’t ask too many questions when she-OOF!”

Twilight fell down as she ran into something. She rubbed her head and looked up to see a tall figure standing above her. Suddenly, two more figures, a rounded one on her left and an extremely skinny one on her right appeared near the first figure.

“Well, well, well . . . if it isn’t the Princess’ pet,” a rather deep voice said. “Who would’ve thought we’d see your pretty face again?”

Twilight felt something cross her mind as she listened. Wait . . . I know that voice from somewhere, she thought to herself.

The figures moved closer, allowing Twilight to get a closer look at them. The rounded figure was a short brown dragon with blue horns on his head and small red wings. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a worn out pair of jeans, and a pair of brown boots. The second figure was yet another dragon, but instead was dark purple all over and had a yellow haircut that covered his eyes and had large purple and yellow wings. He too was wearing almost the exact same clothing as the brown dragon, except his jacket was blue. The final figure was a rather muscular red dragon with orange spines and large red and orange wings. The only difference from his clothing from the other two dragons was that his jacket was crimson red and had a pony’s head on a stake.

Twilight suddenly recognized the dragon in the middle and gasped. “It’s . . . it’s you again!” she shouted. “What are you doing here of all places!?”

“That’s no way to talk to some old friends, is it?” asked the red dragon. “It looks like you forgot our names, so I’ll be kind enough to remind you of them. I’m Garble, this guy on my left is Matchstick, and the other one here is Boiler.”

“But . . . why are you all here anyway? I thought you were all with the Great Dragon Migration.”

“We were part of it until you, your friends, and that traitor, Spike, humiliated us. The dragon clans heard about what we did and weren't too happy about what we did. As a result, we were forced out of our clan and have been exiled from the Dragon Empire. We’ve been scavenging for food and living in other forests ever since. We were out here to find some food to eat, but it’s been a while since we’ve actually eaten a pony. I wonder how you're going to taste. ”

Twilight’s heart nearly stopped upon hearing that remark. She sank into the ground and quivered with fear. The three dragons approached her and licked their lips as they surrounded their prey and prepared to finish her off.

Dragon Showdown

Along the streets of Ponyville, Spike was running as fast as his legs could take him. He didn’t care about the snow covered streets and the gusting wind and focused on getting back to the Carousel Boutique. Another pony that was with him, though, wasn’t doing as well as the dragon. The pony was a yellow pegasus with a lime green snowcap to cover her pink mane, had a heavy, very puffy, teal coat on, blue snow pants, red mittens, and brown snow boots. Spike and the pegasus ran as fast as they could through the streets, but as the dragon looked back, he noticed something missing.

Spike stopped running and looked around. “Hey Fluttershy, where’s Pinkie Pie?” he asked the pegasus. “I thought she was run behind you when we picked her up.”

“I’m not sure Spike,” she said as loud as she could over the wind. “She was right behind me when we were passing the post office. Do you think she got lost or something?”

“I don’t get how she can get lost when she was-”

“Here I am!” shouted a mare’s voice.

Spike and Fluttershy looked to the side and saw, to their surprise and bewilderment, Pinkie doing a backstroke against the snow like she was swimming. She dived into the snow and popped her head out a few minutes later to spray some water. Spike and Fluttershy looked at each other with awe on their faces, but the dragon quickly broke out of it.

“Come on Pinkie!” he shouted. “This is no time to be messing around and doing . . . whatever it is you’re doing! We need to get to Carousel Boutique so we can figure out how to save Twilight!”

“Oki doki loki!” she shouted as she popped back up next to the others. She shook the snow off to reveal that almost every part of her clothing was as pink as her mane. The only things that weren’t pink were her sky blue snow pants and gloves and her yellow snow boots and earmuffs. “Besides, I think I got my swimming in for the day.”

“I’m going to ignore what you just said,” said Spike. “Anyway, if we go around this corner we’ll be at Rarity’s place again. Now come on, we’ve got no time to lose.”

The three friends ran back up the streets, rounded a corner, and came across the large building again. They all picked up the pace, or in Fluttershy’s case jogged quickly, and opened the door. Spike looked around frantically for any sign of Rarity, but he didn’t see them.

“I guess Rarity is still trying to get Rainbow and Applejack,” sighed Spike. “I hope she hurries back soon so we can figure out what to do.”

“We’re way ahead of ya sugarcube,” said a southern mare’s voice. The door to the kitchen opened to reveal a tall, rather muscular, orange mare. She was wearing a brown Stetson hat, a thick forest green jacket, faded blue snow pants, red mittens, and worn out brown snow boots. “Rarity and I have been waiting for y’all for a lil’ bit Spike,” she said.

“Applejack, am I ever glad to see you,” said Spike as he went over and hugged her. He released his grip on her and looked around. “But where’s Rainbow Dash? I thought that Rarity got her as well.”

“She’ll be here in a few minutes darling,” said Rarity as she came through the kitchen door. “She said something about talking to a few pegasi and took off. I didn’t exactly here what she said.”

“Alright, well I’ve got an idea,” said Spike. “Rarity, can you get me a piece of parchment and a quill please?”

The white unicorn nodded and used her magic to bring the items over. “I take it you’re calling for Princess Celestia?”

Spike nodded and said, “Yeah, this blizzard is getting really bad and I think we’ll need more help. I’m sure the princess will send some guards to assist in the search.” He finished writing the letter, took a deep breath, and breathed a small column of green fire. “There, we should hear from her soon,” he said.

“So anypony want to tell me what in tarnation is going on here?” asked Applejack. “Why would Twilight run out of town without saying a word?”

Before Spike could say anything else, he noticed something peculiar and looked out one of the boutique’s windows. “Hey . . . do you all hear that?” asked Spike.

“Um . . . no Spike,” said Fluttershy. “Are we supposed to be hearing something?” The dragon went to the entrance of Rarity’s shop and opened the door. “Spike, wait, don’t let the wind and snow come in!” she shouted very softly.

The group braced themselves for the blizzard as Spike opened the door. They quickly noticed though that they didn’t feel the cold sting of the wind, nor the snowflakes pelting them. They opened their eyes and saw that the blizzard was over now, but it was still very cloudy. The group stepped outside and saw, to their relief, the visibility had greatly improved throughout the town.

“My word, did Rainbow Dash actually do this?” asked Rarity.

“You got that right!” shouted a voice.

Spike and the others turned to see a familiar sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane descending from the sky. She was wearing a dark blue ski coat with her cutie mark as an insignia on it, black ski pants, gloves, boots, and a blue snow cap. The pegasus landed near them and flashed a cocky smile at them.

“Rainbow, that was amazing!” shouted Spike. “How did you even manage to get rid of the blizzard and wind so quickly.”

“Duh, I’m weather manager here in Ponyville,” she said. “I told the guys to stop the blizzard and wind. I’ve got them divert it all away from here. Unfortunately, the clouds here are so thick that we would be wasting a few good hours on clearing the sky, so we didn’t bother with it. Besides, I’m sure you all can see just fine without all that snow. Now then, what’s this I hear about Twilight running away?”

Spike was about to say something, but felt something burning inside him he looked up and belched out a scroll from his mouth. He took the scroll, opened it, and read the contents in it. The others crowded around him and read the letter along with Spike.

Dear Spike,

It’s very troubling to hear what Twilight has done and I’m deeply concerned for her safety. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a meeting with some of the regional governors in Manehatten. Thankfully, the meeting ended right about the time your letter came and I’m currently on my way back to Canterlot to form a search party. Captain Armor is currently visiting the city to train some new recruits, but I know he’ll gladly help in searching for Twilight. In the meantime, I want you and your friends to continue the search for her. We’ll join you in Ponyville as soon as I get everything ready. I wish you all the best of luck in finding my student and will see you all very soon.

Princess Celestia

Spike looked at the others, who were finishing reading the letter as well, and said, “Alright, we need to hurry and find Twilight before it’s too late. Rainbow, you and Fluttershy take to the skies and find her. Applejack and Pinkie, you check the southern end of town for her. Rarity and I will head north and see if we can find her. I’m sure she couldn’t have gotten too far, but you never know with her. If you all do find her though, hollar for us as loud as you can then.”

“Hold on a minute there Spike,” said Rainbow. “My question was never answered. Why did Twilight decide to run away?”

The group looked at Spike with anxious looks on their faces. The dragon looked back at Rarity, who seemed a little worried. He looked back at the others, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s . . . complicated, but I’ll tell you all later, okay?”

“No! None of that Spike!” shouted Rainbow. “What did you do to Twilight!?” Spike backed up as the sky blue pegasus leaned towards him with a glare on her face.

“Rainbow Dash, stop that right now!” shouted a rather loud Fluttershy. The group looked at her with surprised looks. “If Spike wants to tell us later, he’ll tell us later. We should go find Twilight instead before we ask him what happened.” She suddenly blushed a little and looked down. “Um . . . was I being too forceful again?” she asked in her small voice.

Rainbow looked back at Spike and sighed. “Alright . . . I’ll let him go for now, but you owe us an explanation later Spike. But if you did something to her that causes her to be hurt or die, I’ll rip those scales off of you. Come on Fluttershy, we’ve got some flying to do.” She took off into the sky and flew away from Carousel Boutique. Fluttershy soon followed and quickly tried to catch up with her friend.

Spike let out a sigh of relief and turned to the others. “Well, what are we waiting for? Hearth’s Warming Eve? Let’s split up and look for Twilight. Come on Rarity, we’ll check on the outskirts of town. Maybe she’s headed towards the Everfree Forest or something.”

“Well y’all be safe now okay?” asked Applejack. “Pinkie and I are gonna go to the other side of town and look there. Ya ready Pinkie?”

“You betcha!” shouted the pink mare. “I even brought along my favorite safari hat and binoculars. I keep some binoculars and hats around town in case of emergencies.” She adjusted a tannish brown safari hat on her head and held a pair of black binoculars in her hand. “Well, we’ll catch you later Spikey!” She grabbed Applejack’s hand and the two ran down the road and out of sight.

Spike and Rarity looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They both shrugged it off and turned towards the outskirts of Ponyville. The two of them ran down the road and headed towards the Everfree Forest.

Twilight, wherever you are, I hope you’re okay, thought Spike to himself. I promise you Twilight, I promise to be there for you and to never make you feel alone again. For my sakes though, please be okay. He picked up the pace and looked at the Everfree Forest with a look of determination.

Twilight looked around at the three dragons circling around her. Each one of them had a wicked smile on their face and were licking their lips with their forked tongues. Garble stepped forward and seized Twilight’s arm. He brought her inches from his face and smirked.

“I’ve eaten a couple of ponies, but nothing satisfies me more then a unicorn,” he said. “I wonder what you’ll taste like.” He opened his mouth, revealing all his sharp teeth and moved forward.

Upon hearing the word unicorn, Twilight broke out of her panic and concentrated on her magic reserves. Her horn glowed and a huge flash ignited, causing the three dragons to be blinded a little. Garble suddenly felt the grip he had on Twilight is now nothing but air and though his vision was impaired, he could see she was no longer surrounded. He looked around and saw a purple figure running off in the distance and towards Ponyville.

“Get her boys!” barked Garble. “Stop acting so confused and chase that unicorn down!”

Matchstick and Boiler rubbed their eyes and gave a salute to Garble before taking off. The two dragons flew closely to the ground as they quickly closed in on Twilight. The lilac unicorn looked back to see the dragons extending their arms out to grab her. She charged up her horn and shot out two magic bolts, hitting each dragon and causing them to lose control of their flying and crash. Twilight ran as fast as she could through the snow, but the foot deep snow wasn’t making things any easier for herself.

She looked back again to see Matchstick and Boiler had gotten up and took off again after her. The two dragons split up and surrounded Twilight on her left and on her right. They both closed in together to grab her again, but Twilight realized what they were trying to do and ducked to avoid them. Matchstick tried to get out of the way of Boiler as they were about to collide, but the effort proved futile as the large brown dragon smacked right into him and sent them both crashing to the ground again. Twilight looked up to see both dragons were groaning and quickly got up and ran off.

He charged her horn to teleport away again, but before she could a red blur tackled her from behind and was sent to the ground. Twilight looked up to see a furious Garble holding her with one arm and using his other to dig for something in his pocket. She tried to teleport again, but Garble noticed this and hit her each time she tried it. He then pulled out of his pocket a large black bracelet with a small silver lock on it. He tried to place it over Twilight, but she was thrashing around wildly and kicking Garble in his shins. Twilight’s horn glowed brightly again, but Garble hit her again before she could do anything.

BANG!

A loud noise suddenly echoed throughout the field, causing Garble to look around to see what happened. He saw nothing but snow and the surrounding forest near the large field. He shrugged it off and placed the bracelet at the base of Twilight’s horn and locking it. Garble released his grip on Twilight and shoved her to the ground. The lilac unicorn panted and tried to steady herself from all the blows she received from the red dragon. She tried to once more teleport away, but this time she didn’t feel her horn charging, nor any glow from it. She tried again, this time concentrating deeply on her magic reserves, but only got a tiny spark to come out of her horn.

Garbel laughed a little and said, “What’s the matter? Losing your spark so soon?”

“What did you do to me?” asked Twilight. “Why can’t I use my magic anymore?”

“That’s because of that bracelet I put on your horn,” said the red dragon. “My cronies and I got that during another attempt to eat a unicorn. She was some blue stage magician that managed to get away from us using some sort of flash to blind us. She ran off of on us, but forgot some of her equipment, including some of those bracelets like what you’re wearing. We found out that these bracelets can stop a unicorn from using their magic and no magic for you means no way to escape.”

Twilight slowly got up and tried to punch Garble, but he merely laughed callously and punched her, knocking her unconscious. “Nice try you purple pest,” he said in a smug tone. “But unicorns aren’t really known for their strength and you’re an excellent example of that fact. Matchstick! Boiler!” The two dragons got up and quickly ran over to their leader. “Go get some firewood so we can prepare dinner. I’m in the mood to have some roast unicorn tonight. And who better to have it then with the princess’ student?” He picked up Twilight’s body and turned to head for the woods with his cohorts.

Just as Garble was carrying Twilight into the forest, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound. He shrugged it off as some wind blowing through the field, but he suddenly saw a blue blur tackle Matchstick and Boiler and were both sent to the ground. The red dragon looked around and held onto Twilight tightly.

“Where the buck did that come from!?” he barked. “Who’s out here!? Show yourself right now!”

Almost as soon as he was done asking, the blue blur appeared again and hit Garbel square in the nose, causing him to yelp. He let go of Twilight to massage his nose, but as he did he heard some footsteps. He turned to see six figures, including the blue blur that landed next to them, stepping forward, each with determined looks on them.

“Sorry, but I think that dinner is going to have a change in plans,” said a voice. “The only thing you’re getting is a knuckle sandwich.”

Garble’s eyes narrowed as he looked upon the figures and instantly recognized that voice. He looked in the middle and saw Spike glaring at him. “You . . . what are you doing here of all places?” he spat.

“I could ask you the same thing Garble,” he said. “But what I want to know is why you’re trying to do this to Twilight.”

“You and your loser pony friends are to blame for this!” barked the red dragon. “After you escaped us, we went back to our clan and were approached by our clan leader. He was angry at us for not only hazing you, but for also attempting to kill those ponies for no reason and trying to kill some defenseless eggs. He said it was dishonorable to do such a thing and we were exiled as a result. We’ve been wandering through Equestria ever since that incident.”

“Well you did that to yourself,” said Spike. “You didn’t need to do any of that stuff at all. It looks like you still haven’t learned anything since the last time I met you.”

“But how did you even find us!?” asked Garble. “We’re far away from that loser town of Ponyville! You wouldn't be able to find us that quickly!”

“Let me ask you something Garble,” said Spike. “Did you by chance hear some sort of loud bang like a firework going off?” The red dragon nodded curtly. “Well I think you better look up to see where that bang come from.” Spike pointed his claw up to the sky as well as the others.

Garble looked up and stumbled back a little as he saw something glittering in the sky. There, high in the sky, was a large purple and magenta shape that looked exactly like Twilight’s cutie mark. He looked back at Spike, who was smirking a little, and gritted his teeth.

“Like it Garble?” he asked. “That’s a unicorn signal flare spell. It acts like any other signal flare, but creates the cutie mark of whoever casts it. When we all heard that bang and looked up, we saw the signal and knew where Twilight was. Now I’m only going to tell this once. Let go of Twilight and take your cronies out of here this instant.”

“You want her so badly? Then come get her then.” Garble tossed Twilight’s body behind him. “Matchstick! Boiler! Get up you two! We’ve got some uninvited dinner guests!” The two dragons slowly got up and ran next to Garble. “Show no mercy upon them! Let’s teach them a lesson about what happens when you mess with real dragons! Not some pathetic dragon who was raised by ponies!”

Spike looked to the others and said, “Applejack, you and Pinkie go after that brown dragon. Rarity and Rainbow, you both go after that one skinny dragon. Fluttershy, when an opening presents itself, go get Twilight’s body and tend to her wounds.”

“What about you Spike?” asked Rarity.

“I’m going for Garble,” he said. “He hates my guts and wants me dead. I’d rather let him face me then let him go after any of you and possibly kill one of you. I can handle him though; I’m not the same dragon he faced a year ago. Now come on, we need to save Twilight before it’s too late.” The others nodded and braced themselves for whatever the dragons had up their sleeves.

Matchstick was the first one to make a move as he took off with his fist clenched and flew towards Spike. Rainbow though quickly counterattacked by flying towards him and punching him square in the cheek, sending him to the ground. Rarity quickly joined up with her and used her magic to shoot some energy bolts out. Matchstick noticed this and quickly rolled out of the way of the bolts. He noticed Rainbow flying towards him again as he got up and quickly got out of her way. He grabbed Rainbow by the tail and spinned her body around for a minute before letting go and sending her flying to the ground.

Boiler took off into the air and flew high up before coming back down and trying to divebomb Applejack. The farmer pony quickly got out of the way as the brown dragon missed her by inches and steadied herself. Boiler went high up into the air again and turned around to do another divebomb. Applejack suddenly heard a whistle and turned to see Pinkie patting her hand on top of a small blue cannon. She smirked a little and nodded before turning back towards Boiler, who was seconds away from hitting her. Applejack jumped to the side to reveal the cannon was pointed directly at Boiler.

“Time to party!” shouted Pinkie as she grasped the string attached to the cannon.

Boiler’s face contorted to a look of panic and tried to fly away. Pinkie though pulled the string and fired out some confetti and a tiny cannonball. The ball hit Boiler in his stomach, causing him to cry out in pain and be sent flying briefly through the air before crashing into a tree. Pinkie turned to Applejack and shared a high five with her. They both ran off towards Boiler to subdue him.

Spike and Garble stood across each other and glared at one another. Each dragon was waiting for the other to make the first move before trying to counterattack. Garble took in a deep breath and shot out three red fireballs at Spike. The purple dragon jumped out of the way of them, but as he regained his bearings, he looked up and saw Garble flying towards him. He delivered a punch to Spike’s face, causing him to stumble a little and rub his nose.

Garble then went behind Spike’s back and wrapped his arm around his neck tightly. Spike gasped for air as he struggled to pull the red dragon’s arm off, but the more he pulled the tighter his grasp got. Unable to pull his arm off, Spike threw his head back and hit Garble in the snout, causing him to grunt a little but still held on. The purple dragon did it again, only this time he used his elbow to hit Garble in the stomach. The combination attack caused Garble to grunt again, but release his hold on Spike. As he was shaking off the attack, Garble was tackled by Spike and were both sent to the ground and rolled around in the snow.

Fluttershy looked on nervously as she waited for her chance. She looked to the left to see Matchstick flying around and breathing a column of purple fire down at Rarity and Rainbow. Both of them ran away from the flames, but Rainbow turned around and smacked Matchstick in the mouth. To her right, Boiler had gotten up and managed to get a few hits in on Applejack and Pinkie. Applejack was bleeding from her nose and had bruises while Pinkie had a few scratches from the brown dragon’s claws. The farmer pony raised a lasso and managed to rope one of Boiler’s arms, causing him to thrash around and shake her off.

Fluttershy looked ahead and saw Twilight’s body in the distance with neither her friends, nor the dragons in the way. She took a deep breath and quickly ran towards the lilac unicorn’s body, but just as she was within reach, a wall of red fire suddenly blocked her path which made her scream. She looked to her right to see Garble was still struggling with Spike on the ground, but saw what happened. He punched Spike in the face and got up and ran towards Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus screamed and took off in the opposite direction.

“You’re not going to get her that easily!” shouted Garble. “It’s going to take a lot more than a distraction to-OOF!” He was suddenly cut off by a punch that hit him in the back of the head.

Garble fell to the ground and showed it was Spike standing behind him. “Hey, your target is me, not her!” he shouted. “Fluttershy, get Twilight now! Get her as far away from here as possible!”

The yellow pegasus nodded and ran back towards her friend. She quickly picked up her body and placed it over her shoulders. Fluttershy struggled to carry Twilight away, but ran as fast as she could. Garble opened one of his eyes and saw what Fluttershy was doing and quickly got back to his feet. Spike tried to stop him, but the red dragon punched him in the stomach before turning back and flying towards Fluttershy. She looked back to see Garble glaring at her as he got closer and picked up the pace.

He extended his claws out to grab her, but he suddenly felt a sharp tug at his tail and was tossed to the side. Garble groaned as he got up and saw Spike was charging at him with his fist clenched. He narrowly avoided the purple dragon’s punch, but raised his own fist and delivered a punch of his own to Spike’s face, causing him to cry out in agony and fall to the ground.

Applejack was struggling with trying to keep control of Boiler, but he was thrashing around so much she was flailing around in the air. A whistle noise suddenly rang out which made the brown dragon turn his head a little. Pinkie had her party cannon out again and pulled the string, releasing a bunch of ropes towards Boiler. Before he could react, the ropes had wrapped all around Boiler’s body and immobilized him. Applejack took this opportunity to run up towards him, jump up, and deliver a kick to his face that caused Boiler to cry out in pain and fall down. Applejack and Pinkie took a look at the brown dragon and saw he was knocked unconscious from the blow. They smiled at one another and shared another high five over their victory.

“WAHAHA!” screamed Rarity.

The white unicorn was running away from Matchstick’s flames that were raining down upon her. He laughed coldly as he flew down from the sky and let out another burst of fire at Rarity. He was about to swoop down and grab the white unicorn, but a loud whistle stopped him dead in his tracks. Matchstick looked up to see Rainbow with a black cloud next to her. The blue pegasus moved the cloud directly over the dragon and raised her legs.

“You look like you could use a shower!” shouted Rainbow.

She kicked the cloud, causing it to start pouring rain down upon Matchstick. The dragon was immediately hit with water pouring all over his body and shrugged it off. All of a sudden, Matchstick felt a deep chill surround his body and started to shiver uncontrollably. He fell to the ground and was shaking like he was experiencing an earthquake.

“Freeze Rarity!” shouted Rainbow.

The white unicorn looked up at her friend with a puzzled expression. “Rainbow Dash, this isn’t the time to be playing cops and robbers,” she said.

Rainbow slapped the palm of her hand into her face. “No Rarity, I mean freeze him with your magic!” she shouted in an exasperated tone.

“Well all you had to do was tell me to,” she said.

A blue aura formed around Matchstick’s body as Rarity’s horn lit up. The water droplets around the dragon slowly froze up and immobilize his joints. Soon, his entire body was covered in ice and couldn’t move at all, except for his eyes. Rainbow landed near Rarity, who thanked her for what she did with a hug. Rainbow blushed a little and returned the hug as well, albeit not for long.

Spike stumbled back a little as Garble punched him again. The two dragons panted as they recovered their strength and glared at one another. Spike was covered with many scratches around his body and had a cut on his right cheek that was bleeding. Garble too had many scratches all over, but had more bruises on him and his nose was bleeding. Spike tried to charge at Garble with another punch, but the red dragon moved out of the way and used his right hand to grab him by the neck. Garble lifted Spike up into the air, who was struggling to break free, and laughed callously.

“Why don’t you give it up already Spike?” asked Garble in a smug voice. “A pathetic dragon like you can never be able to stand up to a real dragon like me. I’ll give you one chance and I mean only one chance for you to beg for my mercy. Scream for it you pathetic excuse of a dragon.”

Spike, who was gasping for air still, said in a small determined voice, “Never . . .”

“Then I’ll give you a punishment worse then death,” said the red dragon with a sinister smile. “I will . . . ACK!” He was suddenly cut off with something hard hitting him in the back of his head. He turned and looked down to see a rather large rock was next to him.

Garble looked up to see an exhausted Twilight slowly getting up. Fluttershy was trying to hold her friend back from doing too much, but the lilac unicorn ignored her. She glared at Garble and walked towards him slowly. The red dragon had smoke blowing out of his nostrils and tossed Spike aside. He marched towards Twilight with his fists clenched and smoke billowing out of his nose.

“That’s going to be the last thing you ever do!” he barked. “I’m going to chew you up and . . . WHOA!” Garble suddenly felt something around his legs that prevented him from moving. He looked down to see Spike’s tail had actually wrapped itself around both his legs.

The red dragon tried to break free of Spike’s tail, but the purple dragon pulled on it and made Garble fall down to the ground. Both dragons got up quickly, but before Garble could do anything, Spike was on him in an instant. The purple dragon delivered an unrelenting barrage of punches at Garble, making him stumble back and yelp in pain. Spike then did an uppercut on Garble, which caused him to fall to the ground and pant. A dark shadow suddenly fell over him and looked to see an infuriated Spike.

“You want to chew on something!?” he asked. “Then chew on this!” Spike raised his foot and brought it down hard against Garble’s jaw.

CRACK

A deafening crack echoed throughout the field as well as a painful scream. Garble thrashed around in pain as he held onto his jaw and had blood pouring out of his mouth. He tried to yell something, but each time he tried to move his jaw, it made him scream and thrash around more. After a couple of minutes, Garble stopped rolling around and groaned in agony softly. Spike and the others got a closer look to see, to their shock and horror, what had happen to Garble. His once sharp teeth were now mostly shattered. Some were pressed inwardly and into his gums, causing blood to pour out. His jaw seemed completely limp now and was nothing more then a bloody and bruised mess.

Spike heard another moan and turned to see a dazed Twilight. He quickly ran over to her and embraced her tightly. The others soon joined in on the group hug and they all smiled at one another. Twilight looked up at Spike and couldn’t help but let some tears run down her face as she smiled. The purple dragon wiped the tears away and rubbed his head against hers.

All of a sudden, a couple of gold chariots surrounded Spike, his friends, and Garble and his cronies. Several white and gray stallions in gold armor stepped out with swords and spears drawn at the ready. They all circled around the group of dragons and ponies and didn’t move a muscle. The crowd then parted to make way for a tall and muscular white unicorn stallion in royal purple and gold armor. The unicorn looked around with a stern look on his face before shifting his attention to Spike and the others.

“Alright freeze!” shouted the unicorn.

“Already on it,” joked Rainbow, earning a punch in the back from Applejack.

“Always the joker, aren’t you Rainbow?” asked the unicorn. “I can see why Twily is friends with all of you.”

“Hey wait . . . I know that voice,” said Spike.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten about me,” said the unicorn as he stepped forward. “After all, who else calls Twilight by that nickname?”

Spike and the others gasped as they looked upon Shining Armor himself. They all bowed briefly before getting back up.

“There’s no time for getting all happy yet,” he said in a more stern tone. “Where’s Twily at anyway? Have you all found her?”

“Here she is,” said Spike as he carried her towards him. “She looks pretty banged up from those dragons that tried to kidnap and eat her.”

Shining Armor looked up at Spike with anger etched on his face. “Kidnap!? Eaten!?” he barked. “Who are these dragons anyway!?”

“That’s them over there,” said Rarity. “That horrible red dragon there said something about eating Twilight.”

Shining Armor quickly ran over to Garble, who was moaning and twitching a little. He furrowed his brow as he looked at him and was deep in thought. After a few minutes, he looked towards one of the guards.

“Corporal! Check one of the chariots for a folder containing wanted posters!” He ordered. “Bring the one that had the sketch of the dragons to me immediately!”

“SIR!” the white pegasus shouted as he saluted his superior.

The guard ran to a nearby chariot and quickly ran out with three wanted posters in his hand. He gave them to Shining Armor and looked at the first one in his hand. He made comparisons to both Garble and the picture in the wanted poster for a few minutes. The white unicorn then got up and turned to Spike and the others.

“I don’t believe this at all,” he said. “That dragon there, he’s actually wanted for attempted murder of a unicorn and other disappearances in regards to eight other ponies. Some stage magician told us about what happened and how she fled from them using some blinding magic. The composite sketch we made from her description is very similar to that dragon there. In fact, those other two dragons are most likely the accomplices she described to us.”

“Well we were glad to help catch these varmints,” said Applejack.

“And I’m glad to see everything is now okay,” said a gentle mare’s voice.

The group turned to see a tall, skinny, curvy white alicorn with a wavy rainbow mane and tail and was wearing a white gown with some jewelry and a crown on. They all bowed down respectfully to one of their rulers, Princess Celestia.

“Princess Celestia, am I glad to see you,” said Spike as he got up. “Twilight’s hurt and she needs help now.”

The white alicorn looked down to see an unconscious Twilight laying in Spike’s hands. She nodded and said, “We’ll take her to the hospital in Ponyville then since it’s closer then the one in Canterlot. Captain Shining Armor?”

The white unicorn saluted and said in a commanding voice, “I know what to do your highness. Alright, I want a group of guards to load Twily into a chariot and take her to the Ponyville Hospital this instant! I also want those three dragons in chains and their wings tied up! Also make sure to have some mouth constraints on them to ensure they don’t breath out any fire!”

“Sir! What about that red dragon there?” asked a gray unicorn guard. “He looks seriously injured and his jaw looks like somepony ripped it off.”

“Take him and his cohorts to the Royal Canterlot Hospital then for treatment,” said Shining Armor. “After they’re discharged, take them into central booking and have them booked for attempted kidnapping and two counts of attempted murder. Now move out soldiers!”

“SIR!” the guards shouted and saluted the white unicorn and got to work.

A group of unicorns took Twilight’s body out of Spike’s hands and placed her on a red gurney. She was loaded into one of the golden chariots and immediately took off towards Ponyville. Garble and his cronies were all chained up and were placed into the back of another chariot. It took off into the air and disappeared into the clouds as it went back to Canterlot. Finally, Spike, his friends, Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia were the only ones left.

“Well I’m glad that’s over with,” said Fluttershy. “Let’s go see Twilight in the hospital and wait to hear how she’s doing.”

“Hold on a minute there Fluttershy,” said Rainbow. “Spike here still owes us an explanation as to why Twilight ran away in the first place.”

“Spike, do you have an explanation as to why Twilight did this?” asked Princess Celestia.

The purple dragon backed up a little as the whole group looked at him with both suspicious and worried looks on them. “W-well . . . you see . . .”

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to Spike,” said Rarity.

“No . . . it’s okay Rarity,” he said. “I’ve got to let them know anyway. They’re going to know sooner or later.”

“Know about what?” asked Shining Armor. “What’s going on between you and my sister?”

“I suppose I better start from the beginning,” said Spike. “I was sleeping in my bed this morning when I heard Twilight making a lot of noise because she was searching for her hat. I went out there and . . .” Spike continued to tell the story about what happened from him finding Twilight’s hidden book to talking to Rarity about the situation. “So that’s all that happened. I know it’s probably weird and unbelievable, but it’s true.”

The group had surprised expressions on their faces, with the exception of Princess Celestia who was smiling softly.

“You’ve gotta be pulling mah leg Spike,” said Applejack.

“Now that’s what I call a doozy!” shouted Pinkie.

“Huh . . . never knew the egghead had it in her to find love,” said Rainbow. “I’ve got to admit Spike, you were pretty cool with how you saved her.”

“I couldn’t be happier for you two,” said Fluttershy.

“Hold on a minute here,” said Shining Armor as he approached Spike with a glare on his face. “You mean to tell me that not only did you cause my sister to run away, get kidnapped, and nearly eaten, but this was all because she had feelings for you?”

“Well . . . when you put it that way,” said Spike in a nervous voice.

“All I can tell you is this . . .” Shining Armor pulled Spike in for a hug and held onto him tightly for a few minutes. “Thank you . . . for coming to her rescue and saving her,” he said in a gentle tone. “Twily is very smart and I’m glad she chose somepon . . . erm somedragon like you to be with.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Princess Celestia. “You really outdid yourself this time Spike. She’s lucky to have you around and I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.”

“So none of you have a problem with this?” asked Spike. The entire group shook their heads.

“Spike, I don’t care if ya date Twilight, me, or Rarity,” said Applejack. “As long as y’all found somepony to love, then I’ll be happy with ya.”

“She’s right Spike,” said Rarity. “Whoever you fall in love with, we will not judge you or think of you any differently. You’re our friend after all and we’ll always support whoever you decide to be with.”

“Thanks Rarity,” said Spike with a smile.

“Well as happy as this reunion is, I think we need to get moving,” said Princess Celestia. “I see all of you are injured as well from the fight with Garble and his gang. We’ll take the last chariot towards Ponyville and get you all patched up at the hospital. Besides, I know you’ll be wanting to check up on Twilight, especially you Spike.”

The dragon blushed a little and said, “Come on, I’ve already told you all how I felt towards Twilight and there’s only one pony left now. I don’t want to keep her waiting any longer now.” The group quickly boarded the chariot and took off into the air and towards Ponyville Hospital.

Her Dragon: Part 1

A faint beeping sound filled Twilight’s ears as she stirred from her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly and saw what looked like a tan tile colored ceiling above her. She rubbed her eyes and got up to look around where she was. She was in a bed with a green comforter covering her and railing all around her bed. There were a few wires on her body that were connected to some medical equipment next to her bed such as a heart monitor. The room itself was rather empty and pretty big with its tan walls, black and white checkered floor, and a single window with green curtains on the side to allow the sun to shine through.

A sudden small snoring noise made Twilight jump a little and turned to see, to her right, Spike slouching in a chair and was asleep. At first, the lilac unicorn smiled as she gazed upon his gentle and peaceful facial expression. She wanted nothing more then to lean in and kiss him full on the lips while he was asleep and hold him in her arms. She scooted over to him and rubbed his face with the palm of her hand and sighed contently. Twilight decided to make her move and leaned in towards Spike’s lips.

But just as she was within inches of him, Twilight suddenly remembered everything that happened to her. Spike running away from her when he read her secret book and how Garble nearly kidnap her before Spike and her friends came to the rescue. She moved away and felt her heart sink as she realized what she was about to do to her friend. Although Twilight was happy to see Spike came to save her, she knew that it didn’t matter anymore. Spike would never see her the same way she saw him and figured he ran off to Rarity to confess his feelings for her. All Twilight could hope for now was that her and Spike could strictly remain friends, even if it meant him not being so close to her anymore. She lied back on the bed and sniffled a little as she thought about what could have been.

A loud yawn suddenly echoed throughout the room and broke Twilight out of her depressing state. She looked over to see Spike stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes as he awoke from his nap. When he was finished stretching his body, Spike looked over to Twilight and a large smile formed on his face from seeing her. He leaned over and embraced the lilac unicorn tightly, causing Twilight to blush and slowly return the hug as well. The two of them stayed like this for a minute before breaking off and smiling at one another.

Finally, Spike said, “Twilight, am I glad to see you’re finally awake. How are you feeling? Is your head hurting or anything?”

Twilight shook her head. “No Spike, I’m feeling pretty good right now, albeit my head does feel a little sore right now. But aside from that, I’m not really hurt or anything. Where am I anyway? It looks like some so hospital judging from all the medical equipment attached to me.”

“You’re right Twilight, you’re in the Ponyville Hospital to be exact,” said the purple dragon. “Doctor Stable said that Garble gave you a mild concussion and that you would need rest for the next couple of days.”

“What do you mean by days?” Asked Twilight. “How long have I been out since what happened with Garble.”

“Only three days at the most, Dr. Stable said that even though the concussion was mild, it still left you out of it and we were forced to wait for you to wake up. He said that it would only take a week at the most before you would even open your eyes.”

“What happened to Garble and those other dragons? I remember hearing a loud screaming noise and a faint image of Garble squirming around like he was in pain.”

“Well, to be honest, the reason that Garble was acting that way was because of me. I stomped on his jaw hard, but I didn’t break it, I actually shattered his jaw completely.”

“You did what!?” Shouted Twilight.

“Calm down Twilight,” said Spike. “He was going to chew you up for you hitting him in the back with that rock. So I had to do something before he laid a claw on you. Cut me some slack at least for saving your flank.”

The lilac unicorn let out a sigh and shook her head. “Alright, I guess I can let it go. If it wasn’t for you, I think I’d be in the stomach of that dragon by now. So where is Garble and those other two dragons?”

“Shining Armor actually arranged for them to be . . .”

“Shining Armor came by?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute Twilight. Now as I was saying, Shining Armor came by with Princess Celestia, and yes I’ll get to that as well in a minute,” he said as Twilight opened her mouth. “But anyway, they both came along with a large number of Royal Guards after I requested their help in searching for you. When they arrived, they had Garble and his cronies taken away to a hospital in Canterlot.”

“So since you broke Garble’s jaw, is it wired shut?”

“Actually, Shining Armor told me the doctors really couldn’t do much. They said that Garble’s jaw was completely shattered and because of the lack of dragon anatomy studies, they had no idea on how to reconstruct it properly. He’ll have no choice but to live the rest of his life without a jaw and be forced to use some complex medical equipment to help feed him food. As much as I hate him for what he did to me and what he tried to do to you, I can’t help but feel a little bad for him.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped as she heard all this. “Wow,” she said in awe. “I have to say Spike, it’s almost scary to see you do something like that. I just hope those other two dragons weren’t seriously hurt like Garble.”

“Matchstick and Boiler are nowhere as bad as Garble. Matchstick did suffer from hypothermia because of Rarity and Rainbow. Boiler though had a concussion and some scratches on him. They’ll both be fine and along with Garble, they’ll all be tried for attempting to kill you along with other numerous charges.”

“One last thing Spike. Where are the others anyway? I thought they would’ve been waiting along with you.”

“They’re around the hospital, but I’ve been waiting for you all this time so that we could talk about . . . you know.”

Twilight’s smiled forcefully and said, “Um . . . I have no idea what you’re talking about. Come on Spike, you can bring in the others now.”

“Twilight, you can’t just run away from this anymore,” said Spike in a stern tone. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but it’s the only way this can all be settled once and for all. Please, just listen to what I have to say and I promise that everything will be okay.”

Twilight’s smile drooped and looked down with a look of shame on her. “Nothing is going to be okay again,” she said in a small voice. “I know you read that book Spike and I know why you ran off. Now that I think about it, I can’t really blame you for what you did. In fact, I’m surprised you even want to talk to me about this. I thought that you would see me as a disgusting pony since I fell in love with a dragon that’s like a son to me.”

Spike put a finger to Twilight’s mouth to silence her. “Listen Twilight, before you go off on one of your crazy tangents, just hear me out, okay?” He saw the lilac unicorn give a small nod. The dragon sighed and said, “I admit Twilight, when I first read that book I was really surprised. I never thought that you would ever feel that way about me. In fact, it did kind of scare me and I wasn’t sure what to do.”

“But . . .” Twilight tried to say.

“Let me finish,” said Spike. She nodded again before the dragon went on. “You were right about me going to Rarity and confessing my feelings for her. However, we talked about it and decided it was for the best that we remain friends. She even told me about how she had some hand in this whole book thing. And as I talked to her, I began to realize something that I’ve been neglecting for so long.”

“What’s that?”

“It was you Twilight. All this time I was always chasing after Rarity, but I’ve been ignoring how you felt towards me.”

“What do you mean by that? I know I was keeping it all a secret, but I never really dropped so many hints about my feelings for you.”

“What I mean Twilight is that there were times where I would look at you and think about how cute you were. There were times where I did think about you and how wonderful you looked. I know you think you aren’t the prettiest unicorn out there, but I did always see you in a beauty of your own that made you stand out above every other pony. But I could never bring myself to think of you like that because I thought you were like a mother or sister figure to me. I thought it felt just wrong to think of you like that, so I blocked those thoughts out of my head. A part of me did think it was wrong to love you and another part thought you would hate me for thinking that way about you.”

“Spike . . .” said Twilight in an incredulous tone.

“When I spoke to Rarity about this, she actually showed how ignorant I was being. Whenever I was feeling alone or scared, it was you who was there to comfort me. You’ve saved my life a couple of times and took care of my when I was sick. You vowed to never send me away or leave me by myself and yet all this time, I always told myself that you were a mother figure. But now I realize you aren’t like that at all, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had and nothing can change that now.”

Twilight didn’t say anything for a minute as she took what her friend was saying. Her heart inflated like a balloon as she felt tears build up in her eyes. “Do . . . do you really mean all that Spike?” She asked. “You don’t hate me or think I’m sick for liking you like that?”

The dragon shook his head. “After everything you’ve done for me, how can I hate you? You’re a really good friend Twilight and a very special pony to me. It just took me awhile to figure out how special you are to me. I got something anyway to show how much you really mean to me.” Spike dug his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the Fire Ruby necklace. “I know the real story behind this beauty and I think it’s time I gave it to the one pony who truly deserves it.” Spike placed the necklace into Twilight’s hand and held it.

The lilac unicorn looked at Spike with a tearful smile on her face. “Spike, does this honestly mean that . . .” She was suddenly cut off by the dragon placing a finger on her lips.

“Twilight . . . you’re a wonderful friend and I . . . I love you. You’re not only very smart, cute, and beautiful, but you never left me when I was feeling down. You’re not just the best friend I’ve ever had, you’re the best mare I’ve ever meet. I believe it’s time to show how much you really mean to me.” He leaned in slowly and closed his eyes.

Twilight smiled at this and felt her heart beating a mile a minute. She too closed her eyes and leaned in for the kiss. The two of them inched closer together and could feel their breath against one another.

A door suddenly opened and a stallion’s voice said, “Hey Spike, we got those get well gifts for Twily.”

Twilight and Spike broke out of their trance and jumped a little in surprise. They both turned to see their friends and Shining Armor staring at them with awkward looks on them. They both quickly scurried away from one another and each of their faces went red.

“Uh . . . we ain’t interrupting anything are we?” Asked Applejack in an embarrassed voice.

“Of . . . of course not,” said Twilight in a small voice. “I just woke up and was talking to Spike about what happened.”

“Twilight, you don’t . . .” Spike was cut off by Twilight placing a hand over his mouth.

“Um . . . ignore him for now. Why don’t we all talk and catch up on everything that happened?”

“Twily, I want you to look at me,” said Shining Armor.

She looked at her brother, who was wearing a thick red jacket, blue snow pants, and brown boots, and said, “Oh, Shining Armor, I heard you actually came to save me along with my friends. I thought you would’ve been back in Canterlot by now with training.”

“Captain Steel Hoof is finishing it up for me. But enough small talk Twilight, we all know why you ran away.”

“Um . . .” said Twilight in a nervous voice.

Spike pulled his friend’s hand off him and said, “There’s no point in hiding it anymore Twilight. They know . . . they all know now about your crush on me.”

Twilight turned to her friends, who were all nodding in unison with what Spike said. She felt her heart nearly stop as she looked away in shame. “A-all of you?”

“Every pony in this room knows Twilight,” said Shining Armor. “Princess Celestia even knows about this.”

“W-WHAT!?” Screamed Twilight. “THE PRINCESS KNOWS!?” She curled herself into a ball and was shaking violently. “W-what am I going to say to her? What if she doesn’t approve? What if she dismisses me as her student for this?”

Spike grabbed Twilight and shouted, “Twilight, calm down! Princess Celestia isn’t going to do anything like that!”

“B-but what if she does?”

The others started to crowd around Twilight and calm their friend down from her panic attack. Unbeknownst to them though, three figures stepped through the open door and into the room.

“What if I what?” Asked a gentle voice.

The whole room suddenly fell silent and the group turned their heads towards the source of the voice. They all saw Princess Celestia standing in the doorway with a bemused expression on her along with two white Royal Guards standing by her. Spike, along with the rest of his friends, bowed before the white alicorn, but Twilight let out a small yelp and hid beneath the covers. Spike pulled the covers off of her, making her look up to her mentor.

“Princess Celestia, what are you doing here?” Asked Spike. “I thought you wouldn’t be here until I told you Twilight woke up.”

“I was stopping by to check up on her and leave her these.” She pulled out a bouquet of various flowers and colors. “I’m glad to see you’re awake Twilight, but I couldn’t help but hear your outburst about me knowing something.” Twilight let out a loud gulp. “There’s no need to be afraid my faithful student. I know what happened and why you did it, but I’m not here to judge you.”

“I . . . I . . . I’m sorry princess,” said Twilight in a broken voice.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Twilight,” said the white alicorn. “But why are you acting so elusive over this? I thought you would’ve been happy to be with Spike and the rest of your loved ones. Especially now that we’re aware of your crush on Spike.”

Twilight said nothing and looked away.

“Twilight?” Asked Spike. “What’s the matter?”

“I-I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry that I lied to all of you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Asked Rainbow. “So you kept some crush a secret. It’s not really that big of a deal.”

“You’re wrong Rainbow,” said Twilight. “There were two reasons I never told you all, aside from Rarity, about my crush on Spike. The first was because I was afraid you all would think differently about me loving somedragon that was considered to be like a brother to me. I only told Rarity about this because I wasn’t sure about what to do, but even then I was still afraid of how you all would react.”

“And the second reason?” Asked Rarity.

“There are ponies out there who aren’t so happy with cross species marriages, in particular the Canterlot society shuns it. I’ve seen duchesses and business owners be shunned by them and are often turned away by shopkeepers because they are dating or are married to other species.”

Princess Celestia let out a sigh and shook her head. “I know that there’s still prejudice against interspecies marriage and it saddens me to see something like that,” she said. “I’ll deal with that matter later, but you need to know that this isn’t Canterlot. This is Ponyville and you’ve got friends who are always there for you when you need them the most. You have to have faith in them Twilight and keep your head up. Now why don’t you ask them about this and listen to them?”

Twilight took a moment to take it all in before giving a nod. She turned to Applejack and asked, “Well . . . are you okay with this?”

“To be honest Twi, I can’t be mad at ya,” she said. “Yer mah friend and I’ll support ya no matter what. Y’all can count on me to be there for you and Spike.”

Twilight smiled a little and turned her head. “What about you Rainbow?”

“It’s kind of weird actually to see you and Spike together. I mean I always thought he was like some adopted brother of yours. I’m not against it, it’s just kind of weird to see you two as a couple. I’ll get over it eventually, but I don’t have a problem with it for the most part. Besides, I never leave my friends hanging and I won’t leave you two in the dust.”

The lilac unicorn then turned to Rarity, who had a sad smile on her face. “Are you really sure you’re okay with this Rarity?” She asked. “I know Spike’s been trying his best to win you over and I’ve even seen you flirt with him from time to time. I just don’t want any regrets about this or anything.”

“I’m perfectly fine darling. I won’t stand in the way of true love and I already told Spike that’s a dear friend to me. I know one day that I’ll find my one true love, but I can wait for it.”

“Fluttershy?” Asked Twilight.

“I actually think it’s cute to see you two together,” she said in a chipper voice. “I’m happy that you both will share a nice romantic life together.”

“What about you Pinkie?” Asked Spike.

“Duh! Why wouldn’t I be happy for you two?” Wondered the pink mare. “When you get out of this hospital Twilight, I’m throwing you and Spike a Congratulations for Getting Together party.”

Twilight then turned to her brother and felt like a lead weight dropped into her stomach. “Shining Armor, I know this must be difficult to understand, but . . .”

The white stallion put a hoof up to silence his sister. He looked away and closed his eyes in concentration for a minute. He sighed and looked at Twilight, who was looking a little scared by his reaction.

“Twily, you’re my sister and I do have to agree with Rainbow about Spike being like your own brother,” he said. “You always treated him more or less like the little brother you never had and always set an example for him. I always saw Spike as family more or less and a little brother to me as well. It’s quite shocking to see somepo . . . um, somedragon I always considered family suddenly dating you. It’s not only strange to see something like that, but I’ve never heard of a pony falling in love with a dragon and vice versa.”

Twilight looked down and felt her heart sink.

“But regardless of this, I can’t really object to this. You two always seemed close to one another and always stuck by one another. You deserve to be happy with whoever you decide to be with Twilight and I won’t get in the way of your relationship with Spike. It’ll take some getting used to of seeing both of you as a couple, but I’m sure mom and dad won’t have any problems with it. Besides, after what Spike did to Garble I could see that he was really determined to protect you.”

Shining Armor went over to Twilight and embraced her. They broke off after a minute and Twilight said, “Thank you Shining Armor. You really are the best B.B.B.F.F. any sister could ever ask for.”

“Hey, I can’t just abandon you like that. You’re my little sister after all and I’ll always be there for you.”

Twilight smiled at this and turned to her mentor. “Well Princess Celestia, are you fine with this?”

“You’re my student Twilight and a brilliant one at that,” said the white alicorn. “I always knew there was a deep connection between you and Spike and I’m happy to see it’s blossom into a romantic relationship. I’m sure the two of you will have a happy life together for the rest of your lives. This isn’t even the first time somepony has had an interspecies relationship. I’ve seen ponies with griffons and donkeys and I have no problems with it. Why someponies actually think that many years ago, Discord and I had a relationship and that I broke him out so I could start something with him again.”

“Is . . . is that even true?” Asked Twilight.

Princess Celestia smiled. “It’s only a rumor Twilight, nothing more. What matters now is that you two are happy together and that you deserve to be with one another.”

Twilight looked at all her friends, who were nodding in unison, and smiled. “Thank you all. I don’t know what I would do without friends like you.” She turned to Spike and blushed a little.

“Go on ya two,” said Applejack. “Go ahead and give each other a kiss.”

Spike looked at Twilight and the two leaned in again to lock lips. They both leaned closer to each other with their friends looking on with glee on their faces, except for the Royal Guards who still had stoic expressions on them.

“Ahem!” A rather deep voice interrupted.

The group turned around to see a tan unicorn stallion with a tidy brown mane and rounded glasses on him. He was wearing a gray dress shirt underneath a white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around the collar, black slacks and shoes. He looked up at Princess Celestia and bowed before her.

“Forgive me if I’m interrupting anything your highness,” said the stallion. “I was checking on Miss Twilight and I see she’s finally awake. Since she’s out of her unconscious state, I’d like to do a few routine tests on her to ensure there’s no long term effects from the concussion. As such, I would need all occupants to please leave the room.”

“I understand your concern Dr. Stable,” said the white alicorn. “I think it’s best if we give Twilight some alone time anyway so she can rest from everything that’s happened.”

“But Princess Celestia, I didn’t even . . .” Twilight tried to say.

“It’s alright Twilight,” said Spike. “We’ll all be waiting for you to recover and come home.” The group nodded at this.

Twilight nodded back to them. “Well alright then. Just hold on for a little longer Spike, I’ll be back soon.”

“I know Twilight, I know you’ll never truly leave me by myself.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, making her blush a little.

The group made their way out of the room, with each of them saying farewell to Twilight. The lilac unicorn waved back at them, but when she saw Spike she winked at him and blew him a kiss. Spike couldn’t help but blush a little and went out the door and closed it. As Dr. Stable pulled out some examining tools, all Twilight could think of now was Spike and what he said to her. She sighed in content and thought about when she would be back in his arms again.

Her Dragon: Part 2

The next three days were some of the longest and tedious for Twilight. Although she kept telling Dr. Stable she was feeling better, the tan unicorn insisted on keeping her in the hospital for a few more days. Whenever she wasn’t sleeping or eating, Twilight had to undergo some physical and mental evaluations to prove the concussion didn’t have any long term side effects. The only thing that kept Twilight from going over the edge was seeing Spike again and letting him hold her. Whenever she looked out her room’s window, she could see in the distance of town the tall library tree and sighed in content as she knew Spike was waiting for her there.

Finally, on her fourth day in the hospital, Twilight was given one last check up by Dr. Stable. While the process only took no more then a half hour, the lilac unicorn wanted nothing more then to leave. The tan unicorn finished writing down something on his clipboard and looked up at her with a smile. He left for a few minutes and returned with a tray of food that included apples, some orange juice, and some eggs and toast. Nurse Redheart came in immediately after the doctor and was carrying Twilight’s clothes in her arms and placed them on her bed.

“Everything checks out for you Miss Sparkle,” he said. “Your tests show no sign of any trauma or mental issues from the concussion. All I ask for you to do now is eat up and get dressed before you leave.”

“What about my friends?” Asked Twilight. “Are they waiting in the lobby for me?”

“I have no idea Miss Sparkle, but you can go see them after you’ve eaten and are dressed. Don’t worry about the tray after you’ve finished eating, Nurse Redheart here will take care of it. We’ll leave you alone so you can eat and get dressed in private. I hope you have a good day Miss Sparkle and I’ll see you for your follow up appointment in three weeks.”

Dr. Stable and Nurse Redheart both shook Twilight’s hand and they both left to leave her alone. The lilac unicorn wasted no time and quickly ate her food and drank her juice. She removed the green gown she was wearing and put on her clothes and winter gear and left the room. Twilight gave one last wave to Dr. Stable before turning to the entrance double doors to the lobby and ran towards them.

She opened the doors, but as she looked around the deserted room, she couldn’t see her friends. She looked down and sighed as she realized that they all probably weren’t aware of her being released today. As she looked down. Twilight saw right in front of her a piece of paper with a red arrow pointing towards the hospital’s exit. She heard a door closing and looked up to see more arrows on the floor that were leading out to town. Twilight began to follow the path of arrows and went out the doors to Ponyville.

The lilac unicorn made her way through the snow covered streets and continued following the arrows that lead to the center of town. After nearly spending a half hour of carefully walking through the slick streets, Twilight came across the last arrow and looked up to see where they were all leading to. She saw, to her bewilderment, the Ponyville Library right in front of her, but there were no lights on or anything. She cautiously opened the door and saw nothing but darkness inside the place.

“Um . . . hello?” Asked Twilight as she stepped in. “Spike, are you here?”

The lights suddenly came on and a group of voices shouted, “SURPRISE!”

Twilight jumped and looked around to see her library was transformed. There were purple and green balloons and streamers everywhere, a large table that was crowded with various sweets, pies, and drinks, a large DJ set with Vinyl Scratch sitting behind the table, and a banner was hanging from the ceiling that read, CONGRATULATIONS SPIKE AND TWILIGHT!. The entire room was crowded with various ponies from town who were all smiling at Twilight. Standing in the middle of the room were all of Twilight’s friends and Shining Armor, but her attention focused more on Spike, who was wearing a black tuxedo and smiling at her.

“Welcome home Twilight,” said the dragon. “I hope you like what we set up for you.”

“But . . . but how did you all even know?” She asked. “I didn’t even tell you all when I was going to be released from the hospital.”

“That’s because of me!” Shouted Pinkie.

“Let me guess, Pinkie Sense?”

“You betcha! It was wobbly knees and chattering teeth that told me you were going to be let out today! So I got all our friends together and your brother to come together to celebrate!”

“I . . . I don’t even know what to say.”

“Don’t try to sugarcube,” said Applejack. “For now, I think y’all got yourself a dragon to be with.”

Twilight nodded and went over to Spike. She looked up at him and pulled him in for a hug that lasted for a minute they broke off. Twilight snuggled up to him and let Spike hold her in his arms. She couldn’t help but let some tears of joy trickle down her face as she was being held by the dragon.

“Twilight?” Asked Spike.

She looked up and asked, “What is it Spike?”

“I promised myself something when I realized how I felt about you. I said I would never leave you feeling alone and abandoned ever again. And I will forever keep that promise to you.”

Spike slowly leaned in and kissed Twilight on the lips. The lilac unicorn closed her eyes and returned the kiss as well. Spike could taste some sweet berries and the aroma of lilacs filled his nose. Twilight, on the other hand, tasted some minerals that most likely originated from his habit of eating gems, but didn’t care about it. The two stayed like this for what seemed to be an eternity and didn’t hear the clapping from the other ponies who were in the room. After a minute passed, Spike and Twilight broke the kiss and looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

“Alright everypony!” Shouted Pinkie as she popped up next to Vinyl. “Let’s party!” The crowd let out a cheer as the music began playing and the floor was soon occupied by various ponies dancing.

Spike looked at Twilight and asked, “Shall we dance?”

“I’d love to Sir Spike,” said the lilac unicorn.

“Sir Spike? Where did you even get that name from?”

“Oh come on Spike, I’ve heard you say that name in your sleep when you were dreaming about Rarity. You kept saying that Sir Spike was here to save you. Besides, the name fits you perfectly after the way you saved me.”

“Well then let’s hit the dance floor then, Lady Twilight.” She couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Hey, if you can give me a nickname, then I think you deserve one that fits you as well.”

“You have a point there. Now come on, I think it’s time we caught up on some time together.” Twilight led Spike to the open area and danced the night away with her dragon.

For the next several hours, the library was shaking from the music and the dancing going on. During the party, Twilight and Spike ran into several of their friends, even some who had loved ones of their own at the party. Cheerilee and Big Macintosh congratulated Spike and Twilight and wished them a happy life together. Applebloom and Snails patted Spike on the back and said they were happy for what happened.

“Twily! Spike!” Shouted a voice.

They both turned around to see Shining Armor with a grin on his face.

“What’s going on Shining Armor?” Asked Spike.

“I let mom and dad know about your relationship with one another.”

“So . . . how did they take it?” Asked Twilight. “I know they’ll want an explanation, but I hope they aren’t upset or anything.”

“Well I got their message this morning and mom and dad say it’s a little strange to see you two as a couple. However, they say that they’re very proud of you and wish they could be here instead of being on vacation in Vanhoover. They will want to talk to you all about it, but they’re happy to see you have found that special somepony, or in this case dragon.”

Spike and Twilight hugged one another and the dragon said, “Thanks for telling us Shining Armor. I can’t wait to see them again and let them know about what happened.”

“Ah think nothing of it,” said the white stallion. “I’m just glad to know my sister chose a dragon who’s brave, strong, and knows how to treat a mare. I wish you all the best of luck with your life together. Now I have to get back to Canterlot to continue training some new recruits. Captain Steel Hoof says he needs me to help deal with some troublesome newbies.” He gave Spike a brohoof and his sister a hug before turning back and heading out the door.

The party went on well into the night and continued until it was nearly midnight. Everypony eventually started to leave and said farewell to Spike and Twilight before leaving. Vinyl Scratch soon packed up her equipment and left, but not before giving a short congratulations to Spike and Twilight.

Eventually, only Twilight, Spike, and their friends were remaining and were all cleaning up the mess from the party. Rarity and Twilight used their magic to gather the trash and place it all in the garbage can. Pinkie and Applejack both helped store the extra food in the refrigerator and swept the room up. Fluttershy and Rainbow flew around to take down the streamers, balloons, and the banner and put them all in another garbage can. Spike helped gather any trash and debris that was missed and put it all in the trash. The library was soon back to how it looked before with its shelves nice and tidy and the floor sparkling. The group all looked at each other with tired smiles on them and nodded to one another.

“Well this party has been a real hoot and all, but I think it’s time to hit the hay,” said Applejack with a yawn. “I’ll see y’all in the morning.” The farmer pony buttoned up her jacket and went out the door.

“That sounds like a good idea,” replied Fluttershy. “I know Angel is probably waiting for me to fluff his tail and I need to check up on him before it’s too late. Good bye and congratulations again Spike and Twilight.” The yellow pegasus waved farewell and left.

“I’ve got an early shift at Sugarcube Corner,” said Pinkie. “I’ll see you girls tomorrow after I get off.” Pinkie ran out the door and disappeared into the night.

“This was quite a good party, but a lady does need her rest.” Rarity looked out the window and saw it was starting to snow again. “It’ll take me a little while to get back with this snowstorm, but I’ll manage it.”

“Hang on there Rarity,” said Rainbow. “I’ll help get you home quickly before I head home. I can’t stop the snow this time, but I can probably fly you to your house.”

“My goodness Rainbow, that is quite generous of you.”

“I’m just looking out for you like my other friends. Besides, I can quickly fly to my house from yours since it’s not too far away.” Rainbow picked up Rarity and looked at her. “Just hold on tightly and you’ll be back before you know it.” She turned to Spike and Twilight. “I’ll catch you guys later and congratulations again. Now that I really think about it, you two do look kind of cool together. Later you two.” She carried Rarity out and flew off into the night with her.

Spike and Twilight were the only ones left now and looked at each other with smiles. “I guess I’ll take the trash out to the outside garbage can,” said Spike. “Why don’t you go get some rest Twilight? You’ve had quite an ordeal these past couple of days.”

“It’s okay Spike, I can . . .”

“I insist Twilight, I can handle all this for you. I’ll be in bed after I take the trash out and lock up the library.”

The lilac unicorn smiled and kissed him briefly on the lips. “Alright, but don’t take too long now. I need your help with something upstairs.”

Spike nodded and waved goodnight to Twilight as she went up the steps to their bedroom. The dragon turned around and picked up the trash bags that were left on the floor and carried them out to the bin. When he was finished, he spent the next couple of minutes locking up the door and windows of the library as well as turning out the lights. At last, Spike was ready for bed and went up the steps to the bedroom.

When he opened the door, Spike saw something that made him freeze in place and his jaw dropped. There kneeling on a large bed was Twilight, who was wearing nothing but transparent black lingerie, the Fire Ruby necklace, and small rounded glasses on her face. She gave him a lustful smile and winked at him. The door was suddenly closed by Twilight’s magic, causing Spike to break out of his trance.

“T-Twilight? W-what are you . . . how . . .?” Spike tried to get something out, but was speechless by what he was seeing.

“Spike . . . there’s one last thing I need your help,” said Twilight in a lustful tone. “There was one specific section in my book about dragons that I never got to write about. It involves mating with dragons and I’d love to find out more about it firsthand.” She used her magic to levitate Spike and bring him over.

“Um . . . Twilight . . . I . . .” Spike’s face turned a deep red.

The lilac unicorn placed a finger on his lips and said, “Shhh . . . don’t say a word Spike. Let me reward my assistant and knight for all his dedication and hard work.” She pulled Spike into her arms and the two collapsed onto the bed. For the rest of the night, the library echoed with sounds of pleasure and moans.

The following morning, Spike and Twilight each took separate showers from what happened last night. While Twilight was showering, the dragon decided to fix up a stack of pancakes and some apple juice for him and the lilac unicorn. When Twilight came out in the kitchen, wearing a purple nightgown, she gave Spike a kiss on the forehead.

“Good morning Spike,” she said and took a whiff of the food. “Mmmm I love it when you make breakfast. You’re certainly better than me that’s for sure.”

“Aww stop it Twilight. I’m sure I can help improve your cooking skills and teach you everything you know.”

“I would love that Spike. So, what’s on the agenda for today? I was thinking that we probably just lounge around the library and do some reading together.”

“Speaking of reading, you’re going to like this.” Spike handed a newspaper to Twilight and read the front page headline.

CONVICTED! TRIO OF DRAGONS FOUND GUILTY FOR PONY DISAPPEARANCES.

The mystery behind the disappearances of eight ponies finally came to a somber conclusion yesterday. Three young adult dragons, Garble, Matchstick, and Boiler, were all convicted of the kidnapping and murder of eight ponies who went missing. A key witness in the case, a unicorn magician who loves to refer to her own name, helped the prosecution in convicting the trio of dragons for what they did. According to said witness, whose name will not be released, the dragons were going to take her and eat her. The prosecution managed to convince the jury that this is what happened to the other eight ponies, despite a significant lack of evidence. Princess Celestia herself decided to deliver the punishment to the dragons for trying to kidnap and kill her apprentice, Twilight Sparkle. The princess decided to turn all three dragons into stone statues and be locked away in a secluded location. Where it is, the princess didn’t say, but in a statement, she told the public that those dragons will never set eyes on another pony ever again.

Twilight put the paper down and let out a sigh of relief. “Well at least we won’t have to worry about seeing those dragons ever again. What do you think of this Spike?”

Before Spike could get a word out, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll go get it,” he said. Twilight waited for a minute before Spike came back with two pink letters in his hand. “Looks like we’ve got a change in plans.”

Twilight took one of the letters and read it with Spike.

Hiya Twilight and Spike!

The girls and I are all going to the Ponyville Lake today for some ice skating! Come on down and let’s forget these winter blues with a little fun!

Hope to see you all soon!

Pinkie Pie

“I’m not so sure about this,” said Spike.

“You don’t have to worry about anything,” replied Twilight. “I’ve already told Rainbow to cut it out with that Winter Wrap Up joke. I know you still feel pretty upset about it, but I promise that everything will be better this time around.”

Spike took in what Twilight said and nodded a minute later. “I’ll trust you on this Twilight. I’ve never tried ice skating before anyway and it sounds like fun.”

Twilight smiled and said, “Well let’s get a move on then.”

After cleaning up the dishes, locking Owlowiscious and Peewee in their cages, and getting their winter gear on, Spike and Twilight both went out the door and headed for the lake. Twilight held onto Spike’s hand and snuggled against his arm as they walked down the road. The dragon smiled a little and kissed her on the cheek. As they both approached the lake, Spike and Twilight could see their friends skating on the frozen ice above it. Spike let out a loud whistle that caught the attention of the others and they all rushed over to them.

“I’m totally glad you two could make it,” said Pinkie. “Are you two lovebirds ready for some fun on the ice?”

“Uh . . . sure, just give me a minute please,” stated Spike as he was trying to put on a pair of purple skates. He fiddled around with the laces for a few minutes until he finally had them properly secured. He stood up, but nearly tripped as the skates were making him hard to stand up straight. Twilight caught him just as he was about to fall over. “How do you all even stand up in these things?”

“It takes some getting used to,” replied Twilight. “I’ll help you lead you over to the lake and we’ll get started.”

“Wait, I thought you didn’t know how to skate. You remember what happened the last time you tried to, right?”

“Pinkie’s been giving me lessons and I’ve been improving as a result. I’m still trying to get the hang of it, but I’m confident I’ll do fine.” Twilight led Spike over to the lake slowly and helped him get onto the ice. “That’s it Spike, you’re doing just fine. Just keep your balance and you’ll soon . . .”

“Hey Spike, watch out!” Shouted Rainbow. “That ice is going to crack and you’ll fall in!”

The dragon yelped and quickly scurried off the ice before it broke off. A few seconds later, he heard Rainbow laughing and was on the ground.

“RAINBOW!” Scolded Twilight. “I thought I told you to stop doing that to Spike!”

The blue pegasus stopped laughing and got up. “Ah come on Twilight, Spike knows I’m only fooling with him. If he was in danger, I would’ve saved him from the cracking ice.”

“Well you fooled me again,” spat Spike. “Can I go home now? I’d rather not . . .”

“No Spike,” said Twilight. She turned to Rainbow. “Well Rainbow, you still think this is all some sort of joke or something?”

“Twilight, take it easy now, okay? It’s not like I was going to crack or destroy the ice or anything.”

Twilight looked at her friend and saw her pants were a little bit loose. Smirking to herself, she said, “Alright Rainbow, if you find that funny, then you’ll be howling at this.”

“Howling at what Twilight?” Asked Rainbow. Unknown to the blue pegasus, the back of her pants were being pulled by her friend’s magic. “Hey, is it me or does it feel colder?” She suddenly felt something very cold drop inside her pants.

The field echoed with a deafening scream that caused some of the trees to shake and send the snow on their branches to the ground. Rainbow ran around the field with her eyes bugged out as she gripped the back of her pants. She collapsed to the ground and rolled around as the cold feeling on her rump pained her. After a couple of minutes, she stopped rolling around and laid on the ground shivering.

Twilight used her magic to levitate Rainbow and bring her face to face. “Rainbow, I know what I did was harsh, but after the way you’ve been treating Spike, you needed to learn to treat him like one of us. Now I want you to promise me something right here, right now.”

“W-w-what is i-it?” Asked Rainbow as her teeth chattered.

“First of all, you will apologize to Spike over how you’ve been treating him. Secondly, you will never bring up that incident with him falling asleep on the ice again or joking about it. If you do, you’ll be getting snow in a lot more places than your flank.”

Rainbow nodded and looked over at Spike. “S-s-s-s-sorry S-S-S-Spike, I d-d-didn’t mean to b-be that way to y-you. I-I promise to never j-joke about that incident a-a-again.”

“That’s better now,” said Twilight. “You can go now and warm yourself up.” She released her hold and the sky blue pegasus flew off in a heartbeat.

Spike looked over at Twilight with a shocked expression on his face. “Wow Twilight, what got into you all of a sudden?”

“I’m sorry you had to see that Spike, but Rainbow needed to realize that you were tired of being reminded of that incident.”

“I have to agree with Twilight,” said Applejack. “Her joke about what happened to ya was becoming older than Granny Smith.” The others nodded along with Applejack.

Spike smiled and said, “Thank you Twilight. I guess I owe you one now.”

“You can make it all up by skating with me,” she said as she grabbed his hand.

The dragon looked at her and nodded. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Spike and Twilight both stepped onto the ice and slid across it on their skates. Spike held onto Twilight and looked at her with a smile of his own. As the two skated together, their friends were watching with smiles on their faces. Twilight looked at Spike and realized that no matter what happened now, he would be there for her, her knight who saved her many times, she finally had her dragon.

Epilogue: Ten Years Later

In the Ponyville Library, a tall lavender alicorn was busy reading and writing something on a piece of parchment. The door suddenly opened and a tall, rather muscular purple dragon with green spines with golden Royal Guard armor walked in. The alicorn noticed the dragon and went over to kiss him.

“So what spells are you writing down now Princess Twilight?” Asked the dragon.

“Oh stop it Spike,” she said with a blush. “You know as well as the others that you can still call me Twilight. I may be an alicorn, but I’m still the same mare you’ve come to know and love.”

“I know that, but I’m not here to joke around. I’m here because I’ve got some exciting news to tell you.”

“Oh? Then what’s so exciting about this news?”

“Hey Dusk Scale, come on in and tell her yourself.”

A rather tall figure stepped out of the room with a smile on his face. The figure was leaned muscled and had dark purple scales all over his body. His spines and tail though were replaced with a dark green mane and tail and he had the snout of a stallion. He was dressed in a purple t-shirt with blue jeans and worn out white sneakers. Dusk Scale ran over to Twilight and hugged her tightly.

“You won’t believe it mom!” He shouted in a rather deep voice. “I finally got my cutie mark at last!”

“That’s great Dusk Scale,” said Twilight. “So what’s your mark in?”

Dusk Scale pulled his pants slightly down to reveal a large open book with a magnifying glass on one of the pages and a question mark in the middle.

“Um . . . is it mystery novel writer?” Asked Twilight.

“No mom, it’s a cutie mark in being a researcher,” he said. “I got it during one of my class assignments. We were supposed to study a species of our choice and I decided to do the Firebird, a very rare bird species that some say is like a phoenix. I was told there were no Firebirds around here, but I knew I saw one flying through town at one point and decided to study it. I observed and recorded it habitat, what it eats, and even saw an egg that hatched another Firebird.”

“That’s amazing,” said Twilight. “So what happened then?”

“I showed the class what I learned and they were all very impressed with my research and studying. Mrs. Cheerilee was very impressed with what I learned and even pointed out the glow coming from my flank. When I realized I got my cutie mark, the entire class cheered and they all congratulated me.”

“I’m so proud of you Dusk Scale,” said Spike. “You definitely have your mom’s intelligence in you. So what do you want to do to celebrate?”

“Well . . . I heard your one friend Pinkie Pie is in town with her husband, Braeburn. I’ve heard about her parties and would love to have one planned by her.”

“You know, that does sound like a good idea,” said Twilight. “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen the girls anyway. I’ll go get Caramel and Applejack from Sweet Apple Acres and see if they can come. I’ll also swing by Fluttershy’s place so her and Thunderlane can come along.”

“You do that Twilight,” said Spike. “I’ll go by Rainbow’s place to grab her and Soarin. Then I’ll go by the Carousel Boutique and get Rarity and that one stallion whose name I keep forgetting.”

Twilight gave a nod and walked out the door. Spike was about to follow suit, but was stopped by Dusk Scale.

“Dad, can I ask you something?” He asked.

“What’s the matter son?”

“You know when I told you about that pretty mare in my class, Crystal Prism?”

“Yeah and what about it?”

“I’ve been trying to say something to her, but she seems more interested in a handsome colt in the class than me. I know mom told me the story of how you two got together, but how can a researcher win over a mare as beautiful as her? I’m nowhere near as strong as you and I’m a kirin.”

Spike put his hand on his son’s shoulder and said, “Dusk Scale Sparkle, you are a brilliant and intelligent colt. It doesn’t matter if you’re a kirin or a pony, you have to show her how much you care about her. You have to take things slowly and prove to her how much she means to you. The one thing I’ve learned all this time from being with Twilight is that no matter how hopeless it may seem, there’s always a chance to win over somepony, or somedragon, you love dearly. You can’t just let the fact that you’re a kirin stop you from pursuing your heart’s desire.”

Dusk Scale looked at Spike for a few seconds before hugging him. “Thanks dad, I can see now why mom loves you.”

“No problem Dusk, now go on and get to Sugarcube Corner. I heard Pinkie and Braeburn are supposed to be visiting the Cakes and their children today.” Dusk Scale nodded and took off, with Spike watching him.

“He certainly takes after you, doesn’t he?” Asked a voice.

Spike turned and saw Twilight was smiling at him. “Yeah . . . but he reminds me of you as well. It’s kind of cute actually.”

“Do you think he’ll be alright though?”

The dragon smiled and nodded. “I know everything will work out for him.” Spike grabbed Twilight’s hand and the two walked out of the library and towards Sugarcube Corner.

Author's Note

There you all have it, the end of the story. I know some things in it like Rarity being with some unknown stallion was a bit of a cop out. I had plans for who she was paired with originally, but I decided to back out of that and left her with some random stallion. I didn't pair her with Fancy Pants since I'm under the impression he's married to Fleur De Lis. That and he's too old for her. So I say just come up with a stallion as to who Rarity is with.

A big thank you to FlimFlamBros. for being my proofreader and helping me out along the way. I couldn't have done this without your assistance.

Inferno demon Dash, I hope you enjoyed this story since you're a huge Spilight supporter.

I know I teased you all with that semi-clop scene, but I honestly didn't feel like trying to write clop in this story. Maybe somewhere down the road, I'll write a story that acts as a chapter fill in for what happened.

I hope you all enjoyed the story and I'll announce my next project in the future. Until then, see you all next time for another story.