Spike and the Red
Prologue: It begins
Spike marveled at his recently acquired wings. After ten years of being stuck on the ground, Spike wings had sprouted from his purple scaly hide and it could not have come at a more wonderful time.
“Wait till Twilight sees these bad boys” Spike said admiring them in the mirror.
Stretching them out, he could hear the cracks in the bones and with a smile, he ran out to the morning son and leapt into the air... before plummeting hard into the ground.
“Okay, maybe she doesn't have to see that.”
Hearing snickers, Spike looked up to see the silhouette of a Pegasus who's wings were far too small for her body.
“Yeah sure, laugh it up” Spike huffed with smoke coming out of his nostrils.
“Oh lighten up”
Offering a hoof to the downed dragon, Spike grabbed it as she helped pull him up.
“Besides, you used to call me 'dodo' all the time.”
“You're still are a dodo.” Spike said jabbing her gently with his elbow.
“And you're still a little lizard.”
“ Little? Please... pretty soon I'll be taller than you .” Spike said puffing out his chest.
“Easy there Spike, don't won't all that smoking going into your head.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what are you doing here?”
“Well, Applebloom is busy putting up stands and Sweetie Belle is preparing her song and since I've nothing better to do, I thought I'd see what you're up to.”
“Oh, well, I need to make sure everyone is ready to welcome Twilight back and that the party for her is all set up and ready so I'm gonna need to go visit everyone. You should come.”
“That's what I hoped you'd say.” she said gesturing with a smile to her now very tricked out scooter.
“yeah... I'm not riding that deathtrap.”
“Whaaaaaaat? It's perfectly safe... most of the time.”
“Scootaloo... Last time I rode that thing with you, seven ponies ended up in the hospital.”
“But I fixed it now!”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No!”
“Come oooooon! Please? It'll be so much faster!”
“... No”
“Aw... but it would mean so much to be if you did.”
“You know that look doesn't work on me. And besides, Sweetie Belle does it much better.”
“Oh phooey. You're no fun.”
“I think I can live with that no come on. Let's walk to Rarity's house.”
Scootaloo huffed. “Fine”
As the pair weaved through the bustling town streets of Ponyville, Spike couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
“They're almost finished putting up all the streamers and flags.” Spike remarked as he passed the team of unicorns setting them up. “It's just like when me and Twilight first came here three years ago.”
“Well, not everything's the same right?” Scootaloo said fluttering her wings.
“Yeah, you know I can't believe that Twilight leaves for a month and it just happens to be the month that my wings sprout. But boy, I can't wait to show her the surprise.”
“Oh that reminds me! You need to get flight training right!? So who are you gonna ask?” Scootaloo said looking at him expectantly.
“Well, the person I have in mind is super awesome.”
“Yees?”
“And really brave.”
“Yeeees?”
“But I'm not sure if Fluttershy has enough time.”
*SQUAWK!* “What do you mean Fluttershy!?”
Spike clutched his sides laughing.
“Haha... that's so funny I forgot to laugh” Scootaloo said as she sped up to a trot.
“Oh... oh come on.” Spike said as he tried to calm down, “Of course I would ask you.”
“Really?”
“Well duh! It's just that Sweetie Belle told me that you squawked when you're surprised so I had to check it out!”
“What... ever.”
As the two finally reached Rarity's Carousel Bountique, Spike and Scootaloo entered to find the place a huge mess.
“Rarity?”
“Fifth floor darling! You can take the new elevator if you want!”
“Elevator?” the pair said at the same time and indeed, right at the center column there was an elevator that was never there before.
Taking it up, they found Rarity fervently at work with a variety of different tools floating in the air with her magic. Walking up closer, Spike examined the marvelous new dress. Purple and flowing, it seemed as delicate as a spider's thread.
“Wow...”
“Yes, yes darling. It needs a few more touches but it'll be more than ready by tonight for her arrival and- oh is that you Scootaloo?”
Before she could even say anything, Rarity was already looking at her from all angles.
“Uhm... yeah.”
“Hmmm... yet another year that you re-FUSE to accept one of my dresses. Hmph! As for you Spike, you're new suit is right over there.”
“Thanks Rarity!” Spike said as he went over to examine it.
“Now are you sure Scootaloo? You would look absolutely fabulous in one of my dresses and you could get any colt you wanted.”
“I'm FINE Rarity!”
“B-but you'll be naked!”
“We're always naked.”
“Yes, but it'll be even more so during the festival! After all, all of the princesses are going to be here for the first time in more than a thousand years!”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes causing Rarity to sigh.
“If only you could be like cute little Spikey-wikey over here.” Rarity said putting a hoof to her cheek.
“Can you please not call me that...” Spike said trying to hide a blush as Scootaloo snickered.
“Oh, but Spikey-wikey, you used to love being called that. Following me around all the time and all.”
“I'm not a baby anymore”
“I know, I know Spike. All grown up and over your childhood crush but you'll still always be my little baby dragon Spikey-Wikey”
“Yeah Spikey-Wikey, just accept it.”
“Okay...” Spike said putting his claw over his face, “I can see that everything is in order so, I think we can get out of here.”
Quickly grabbing Scootaloo's hoof, Spike led them out of the building.
“...One down” Spike said trying to muster whatever dignity he had left.
“Right, so where to Spikey-Wikey?”
“Okay, 1. Don't call me that and 2. We're visiting Fluttershy next. She trying something new with frogs for this years animal orchestra.”
“Well lead on...” Scootaloo gestured, “... Spikey-Wikey”
“AUGH!”
The way to Fluttershy's house was by far one of the most beautiful roads to walk. Over the years, Fluttershy had taken up landscaping to help calm her nerves and with the help of all the animals, the place had changed from grassy fields, to an almost endless meadow of flowers with so many different colored butterflies that even Rainbow Dash's mane looked gray in comparison. Taking a nice whiff of the fragrant air, Spike could feel his worries wash away. It was then, however, that he noticed a rather purple lump in the middle of the meadow.
“... Twilight?”
“Hmmm?” The pony said lifting it's head.
Spike quickly realized he was wrong but was even more shocked to see who it really was. It was Princess Luna. Wide eyed, the pair watched as she floated to them.
“What are you doing here” Scootaloo said one eyebrow raised, “you weren't supposed to be here for another couple of hours.”
“YES WELL- I mean, yes, well, we decided to come here earlier.”
“Wait, 'we'... do you mean Twilight is here?” Spike said eagerly.
“Oh, uhm... we're- I mean, I'm sorry, I meant just me.”
“...oh”
“So, are you here to see Fluttershy as well?”
“Well... no, I'm just... here to reminisce.”
The pair cocked their head to the side, “What do you mean?”
Princess Luna sighed, “This used to be the town square of Ponyfield”
“There was another town here?”
“Yes... before I well... turned... y'know. But now there's just Ponyville. In fact, hardly anyone knows there was anything here before that besides me. Or cares. In fact, I can barely remember the place now, so different from before.”
“Oh... are there any books?”
“Ewwww, I hate reading.”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, I'm sure that Twilight would love a story about Ponyfield and maybe we can talk about it in a speech to the town. That way, everyone can know about the history here!”
“Well... I would like that a lot.”
“So can you tell us anything? I don't think Twilight has any books on it.”
Princess Luna shook her head. “I'm sorry, but it wasn't exactly a huge town and even Canterlot doesn't have much on it. Perhaps the Mayor might have something though.”
“Huh, maybe we can visit some time today”
“Blegh, why should we go look for some book.”
“Yeah, you're right, after all, the only thing that could be gained is your Cutie Mark after all so... why bother.”
“Right so we should- Wait, what?”
“After all, you've only tried everything else, no way it could Archeology or something, y'know, like that hero Daring Do that Rainbow Dash absolutely adores.”
Scootaloo's eyes widened like saucers as she turned to look at her blank flank. “LET'S GO!”
“Wait, we have to go check on Flutt-”
“Puh-lease! stop being like Twilight for once and stop checking on everything all the time. After all, what's the worst that could happen?”
Meanwhile...
“We are sick and tired of you stupid birds and you're arrogant chirping, this means war!”
“Bring it on Toadies!!”
“Oh, now you are DEAD!”
“No, no, please froggies- no stop that- Birdies NO! oh this is catastrophe!! I wish Twilight was here!”
Back at the with the pair
“I guess you're right.”
“You know it. Now let's go and get my cutie mark!”
At the Mayor's office, the two of them sat down as the Mayor was frantically sifting through papers.
“I think it's an excellent idea but we don't really have much. Occasionally the Apple family will dig up interesting things though. Locked boxes and such but we haven't really done much with them so feel free to look around. I keep them in the safe over there. Here let me open it up for you.”
“Thank you.”
Opening with a loud creak, the safe held all sorts of old musty things from rusty boxes to old moldy books.
“I'll leave you two alone so try not to handle them too roughly.”
“Okay, thanks again.”
Picking up an old book that was almost completely decayed, Spike grimaced before gently setting it aside. Finding an old box with a small old lock on it, Spike gently breathed his green flame on it just enough for it to glow red. Then, with just a little wiggling, the lock popped clean off.
“Nice work...”
“Thanks, I've been practicing a lot since Twilight's been gone.”
Opening the rusty lock, they found the contents to be remarkably preserved.
“Let me see” Scootaloo said as she picked up a small book. “Looks like a diary. I wonder if it belongs to someone important.”
“Hmmm... drawings... well it must have been an artist or something, I mean, these are amazing portraits and- what the...”
“What?”
“I don't believe it.”
Spike looked through more of the pictures.
“What is it?”
“Oh my gosh...”
“What!? What is it!?”
“Look...”
Spike turned a drawing to show her. It was a picture of a group of ponies, likely friends.
“I don't see-”
“LOOK!”
Spike pointed a finger and finally, Scootaloo saw it for at the center of pick, riding on one of the filly's backs...
“It's a dragon... just like me.”