Spike slowly opened the door to Twilight’s room and peaked inside, smiling as he saw the aforementioned mare still fast asleep. He crept inside without a sound, summoning a chair as he sat next to her bed, clearing his mind of all the dirty things he and Discord’s done on the bed, and reminding himself that he’s made sure to destroy any traces of their love making, even creating brand new sheets for her to sleep in.

His ears perked up when Twilight mumbled and shifted in her sleep, though still remaining in Luna’s realm, which Spike was grateful for because he needed time to think. First thing was what he’d tell Twilight when she woke up, especially considering that she could remember anything... or not.

“Hopefully she doesn’t,” he thought to himself. “Yet... why would she teleport here if she was that tired? And shouldn’t the girls have met her at the station? Surely they would’ve helped her here,” Spike thought as he scratched his head for answers.

About thirty minutes passed before Twilight starting waking up. “Ugh...” she groaned as the evening sun shone directly into her eyes.

Spike snapped up out of his train of thought as he saw Twilight stirring, and it only took him a second to rush over and close the blinds, cutting off nearly all the light to the room, only to return back to his spot beside her bed.

“Twilight,” he said, making sure to keep his voice down, knowing she still might have a headache, “Thank Faust you’re awake.”

The lavender mare rubbed the side of her head. “Ugh... Spike? That you?” She asked, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes.

“Yeah, it is, Twi. I found you passed out in the main hall. What happened?” Spike lied, hoping she would believe it.

Twilight tried to think back to her arrival at the castle, but her head throbbed each time, causing her to wince in pain. “I was... where?” Her memory was kinda blank after she teleported, and knowing that she could trust Spike, she decided to just go along with it.

“When I heard you teleport, I rushed to give you a warm welcome, but the thud of you hitting the ground came right after it, making me so worried when I saw you out cold, so I brought you to your bed and waited for you to wake up.” Spike explained.

Twilight nodded and smiled softly, “thank you, Spike, you’re just the dragon I can always count on.”

“Hehe... yeah,” Spike said with a relieved sigh, though feeling a slight pang of guilt in his heart.

Yet he knew he had to: he didn’t want Twilight finding out him and Discord, at least not until they were both ready, and he really didn’t want her to know what they’ve done on the very bed she was sleeping on. Overall, it was the best option for the time being, and he figured the best way to get his mind away from these thoughts was to keep talking with her.

“Hey, Twi, why weren’t any of the others with you? I’m sure they would’ve met you at the train station,” he asked, tilting his head.

“Hm? Oh, yeah... they did. I was just a bit too worn out... and they kept yelling at me, trying to tell me about... something,” she told him.

Spike raised an eyebrow, “what were they trying to tell you?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that it wasn’t some assignment from the Princesses, and it didn't involve the elements of harmony... well, the tree of harmony... so I thought it wasn’t as bad as they were making it out to be,” she said with a shrug.

“Huh... weird,” he said, tapping his chin. “Well, if they come over, I’ll tell them you’re still resting, because I can tell you still need some,” he said getting up from his chair.

“No, it’s alright, Spike. I don’t need...’ she was silenced by Spike putting a finger to her lips.

“You don’t have to be so stubborn, Twi; you need your rest. I don’t want you stressing yourself out, giving yourself an aneurysm, or worse, a concussion from another fall,” he said lightly hitting the side of his own head for emphasis.

“But...” she started, but was cut off again.

“No buts! Only what you want to have when you wake up,” Spike said with a warm smile.

Twilight sighed in defeat, but smiled along with him. “Alright, fine. And a Daisy sandwich with some tea would be a nice wake up snack,” she said, laying back down.

“You got it,” he replied, making his way to the door.

“Oh, and Spike... Discord wasn’t any trouble, was he?” She asked.

Spike froze and swallowed before turning and chuckling nervously, “Well, to be honest, we didn’t get along the first few days, but soon we kinda... well... ‘bonded,’” he said with a tint of red on his cheeks that went completely unnoticed by the mare.

“That’s good,” she smiled as she laid back down. “I’m glad to hear that. It’s good that you got to spend time with him, because now it ‘ll be easier for both of you two to go out there and talk with others, and make more friends than the six of us,” she let out before a yawn. “With a whole world of friends to make...”

Her words soon faded off and she began snoring softly, which cause Spike to chuckle as he left the room. She was right: there was so much more for him to do beside revolving around the six of them for his whole life, and starting his secret relationship with Discord was just the beginning. But his thoughts were once again interrupted by a knock on the castle doors, which echoed throughout the hall.

Spike snapped his fingers, a habit he picked up from Discord, teleporting to the door and quickly opening it. “Sssh! Twilight’s trying to sleep,” Spike quietly yelled at whoever was knocking on the door, only to quickly realize that it was Rarity, AJ, Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, who all took a step back and gave him suspicious looks. “What?” He asked, looking to all of them.

They looked to each other, wanting to be careful with what they said, silently electing Aj to speak. “H-Howdy... Spike... So Twilight’s sleeping, huh?”

Spike was confused with how weird they were acting. “Well, yeah... She passed out when she teleported back. Apparently you were making her headache worse, and if this has to do with what you were trying to tell her, just tell me and I’ll let her know when she wakes up,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

AJ looked back to the others, who shook their heads rapidly, before Rarity stepped forward. “Well, it isn’t that important, d-darling,” she said, forcing out the last word. “We’ll come back to see her tomorrow .”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Okay... Anyway, I should also apologize over how I acted a ye... I mean yesterday. I just had a lot on my mind, and a lot to figure out,’ Spike sighed. “But it’s all straightened out now.”

“Yeah sure?” RD asked, giving him a slight glare.

“Anyways, it is getting late, and I should be hitting the hay soon, myself,” Spike said with a yawn. “I’m sorry again, guys. I hope you understand sooner or later,” he said, just before he closed the door, only to be stopped by Fluttershy.

“Um... Spike... Where’s Discord?” She asked, looking to him from behind her mane.

“He said he was going back to your cottage about a half-hour ago,” Spike said with a soft smile. “He’s probably still there, waiting for you.”

She nodded. “O-O-Oh... O-okay... uh... t-thank you,” She said before flying off toward her house.

The others slowly disbanded as well, two not taking their eyes off Spike until they were a good distance away, leaving Spike rather bewildered, but shrugged it off and chose to question it later.

“Mares: still impossible to understand,” he chuckled.

Discord hummed happily to himself as he slithered around Fluttershy’s cottage, a large smile plastered on his face, making it seem like nothing could ruin his good mood, which Angel Bunny hated. He finally came to a stop, laying on Fluttershy's soffa, keeping his humming tune as he thought back to his week/year with Spike.

He conjured up the pictures he’s taken of them over that time, and let them all float around him as he thought about each one, never letting the smile leave his face, but occasionally letting it grow into a sly smirk when he came across pictures of Spike as he engaged in some... public activities, like giving him a BJ under a table, or at some random time he wouldn't expect.

He chuckled to himself, “Spike can be such a goofball... and it’s so cute!”

Yet, once again, someone was interrupted from their thoughts as Fluttershy trotted inside. “Oh come on! The writers really need to come up with something better,” he growled as he got rid of his pictures with ease and threw on a genuine smile, even if it was a bit forced.

Fluttershy’s eyes fell on Discord as she let out a small smile, but was a bit more nervous than normal, “h-hello Discord. It is good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Fluttershy!” He said, flying over and giving her bear hug.

Fluttershy yelped in surprised and squeaked as she felt her life being squeezed out of her. “Um... Dis... cord...” She managed before being let go.

“Sorry, Flutter’s. I’m just in an overly good mood today,” he said with chuckle.

“Oh... that's good, but... if you don’t mind me asking. Why? Did you enjoy your week with Spike?” She asked as she stood up and went to her couch, “but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to...”

“Oh, it was a blast! Spike’s much more enjoyable to be around then I thought he’d be,” he said, sitting next to her and summoning up a some drinks for both of them.

Fluttershy smiled at him. “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” she said, wincing as Discord chugged his drink and eat the glass.

“And I’ll be making sure to hang out with him more often! So don’t expect me to be here as much, anymore,” he told her.

“Oh, that’s okay. I understand that you and Spike will want to have more time for your friendship,” She replied.

“Thank you for understanding, Fluttershy, and also thank you for forcing me over there.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled a bit more brightly before looking away and tapping her chin. “Um... Discord... do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure! Ask away!” He said with a motion of his tail for her to continue.

“Well... Spike was acting kinda... weird, yesterday... and... well... me and the girls were worried... and... well... Everypony thinks you brainwashed him...” She said, barely loud enough to be considered speech at all.

“What was that, Fluttershy? You know I can’t hear you when you talk like a church mouse,” he said booping her nose and changing it into the shape of a mouse's for a few seconds, before it reverted back.

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath before saying, “The girls think... you... brainwashed him... just because of how he was acting when he came to see them, and when he asked me where you were,” she said a bit louder.

The wheels in Discord head began turning, and he quickly pieced together what she was talking about, “Well that would explain a few things...”

“Well, I can assure you, by both a Pinkie Promise and a vow to Chaos, that I didn’t brainwash Spike. I’m reformed, remember?” He said, booping her nose one again, and giving her a goofy grin.

She giggled and her smile returned. “I knew you wouldn’t do something like that,” she gleefully replied, giving him a small hug, which he gladfully returned.

“You’d think that after all these years, they’d be able to trust me a bit more.”

“They do, Discord. It’s just that they’re really touchy about some things,” Fluttershy said, patting his back.

“Well, I should get some rest, Shy. I have to go pay Spike a visit tomorrow, we have a lot planned,” he said as a cloud formed behind him, which he threw himself upon as it floated to the ceiling, where he started to snore.

She nodded and told him goodnight before trotting up to her room to get some sleep, herself. She was glad she could tell the girls that they had nothing to worry about, yet it did get her thinking: if it wasn’t Discord, why was Spike so on edge?

The next morning, Twilight woke up with a deep yawn. “That was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time,” she happily sighed as she stretched.

She then heard a knock on her door, which quickly gained her attention. “Twilight? Are you up?” Spike asked from the other side.

“I am, Spike, you can come in,” she said with a smile.

“Perfect timing, then,” he said with a soft smile, walking in with her breakfast tray in hand.

As he walked in, Twilight noticed he carried the pot of tea with his tail, “two daisy sandwiches and a cup of Earl Grey with a touch of honey.”

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight replied as she giggled. “You sure know how to make a mare feel special.”

“Just comes naturally, I guess,” he calmly replied as he sat the pot on the nightstand next to the bed. “Just give me a moment and I’ll open the window for you.”

She nodded and watched as he made his way over to them, yet something caught her eye: Spike seemed to be a bit taller than he was when she left, and, not only that, she swore she could see some well defined muscles with each movement he made. She only stopped staring at him when she noticed her own blush, and quickly shook her head to try and get rid of it, focusing back onto her sandwich.

“There we go,” Spike said as the window finally let in Celestia’s sun, making the room and his scales sparkle from the brilliant light. “So, did you rest well, Twi?”

Even his tone of voice seemed somehow different to her, “y-yes, it was, Spike.”

“That’s good to hear. Going too long without proper rest is no good for anypony,” he said as he pulled up a chair up beside her bed. “But you’ve always ignore when we were young.”

“I got better,” she pointed out.

To which he simply smirked a little, “that you did, and you’ve become much more relaxed.”

She nodded in return and looked him in the eyes, noticing that the difference wasn’t just physical, which was obvious, at least to her, but she saw that his eyes read of experience, knowledge, wisdom, and something else she couldn’t quite put her hoof on.

“How could he have changed so much in one week?” She asked herself before hearing Spike’s voice.

“Twilight, are you okay? You seemed to have spaced out,” he said in a rather relaxed, content tone.

“Oh, I am, Spike. But something seems... different about you. What happened with you and Discord while I was gone?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Twilight.” He said, mockingly accusatory. “this is how I’ve always been.”

“You are different, Spike... I can’t put my hoof on it, but something definitely is different about you,” Twilight pondered, gazing at him with scrupulous eyes.

“Well, you’re going to have to figure it out after breakfast, because I’ve still got chores I need to do,” he said as he walked off, leaving the princess alone with her meal. “Oh, and I’ll be gone most of the day after I’m finished, so if you need me, you know how to contact me,” he calmly stated as he closed the door.

She sat there, watching the door for who knows how long before giving in and enjoying her meal. She really needed something to calm her mind... and the tea was certainly helping, but it couldn’t stop her from sorting through all the differences in her head, compiling the data for later research, hoping to find answers for Spike’s change.

“I hope it isn’t another kind of greed growth...” she said under breath.

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Spike’s already taken care of his chores, thanks to not only his powers, but the year he spent mastering them more than the two days he’s already had. Yet, even when he’s able to get things done in an instant, or sometimes much faster, he’d still clean a few things himself... he didn’t know why, but after doing such things for so long, it’s actually become rather calming, even therapeutic for him.

He then went into the castle’s library, which was much more expansive on its selections, as well as knowledge, than the old treehouse was. He sigh contently as he walked down the seemingly endless aisles of books, tracing his finger along several that were written by Twilight, herself, often depicting discoveries she’s made in magic, or things she’s discovered on her numerous adventures with the girls, which many of which were yet to be copied and sent to other libraries across Equestria, which Spike was rather glad of, because it meant that he could read about all the adventures they’ve had... that he never got to partake in.

He’s thought about this sad fact before, but he’s always pushed it aside, seeing that, in more recent years, he’s gotten to go with them on quite a few, especially after the Cutie Map started doing it’s thing whenever it felt like it. They even began asking him to come along with them, he didn’t know why, but he was glad they did, seeing that they've become closer friends with each adventure they went on.

“Hey, Spike! You ready?” Discord shouted, suddenly appearing behind the drake.

Spike couldn’t help but smile brightly as he heard him. “Of course,” he said, turning around and hugging the spirit.

Discord returned the hug before they teleported out to town. “Seeing that we don't have anything planned, let’s just wander and see what happens,” he said, clapping his hands together as they viewed the many paths before them.

Spike just nodded and giggled, “okay.”

So they wandered in whichever direction they wanted to go, just making conversation as they went, as well as a prank or two on some of the ponies as they passed, which often launched the two into hysterical laughter. Though, soon enough, they heard the familiar roar of arcade machines, causing them both to look over to the very arcade they preemptively visited so long ago.

“You were right... I’m still glad we weren’t in there when everypony else was,” Spike said, leaning against him.

Discord chuckled as he turned to the drake with a smirk, “and without any traces of us left behind. I’m a master at what I do, Spike. You’re gonna have to learn that some day.”

Spike replied by discreetly whipping his rear with his tail, “don’t be actin like you’re the best, Discord. I kicked your tail with your own magic, and I do believe I also won a certain bet on one of those games in there.”

Discord let out a small yelp from the surprisingly forceful attack on his tush, “well, to be fair, you got the jump on me, and I could’ve broken free from your magic at any time if I wanted to.”

“So why didn’t you?” He asked with a smirk. “If it was so easy, then you wouldn’t’ve been sent through all those walls; you could’ve stopped me.”

Discord blushed in embarrassment, “well...”

“And what about that bet? I didn’t have any magic then, and you were kicking my tail on over half the games there,” he said. “Though you seemed to crash and burn near the end, giving me just what I needed to win. It almost made it seem like those wins were a farce, but I know you’re no pushover.”

“Of course I’m not! But the way you said that makes me think you think I’m weak,” Discord pointed out.

“I’m not... y... no... I... You just seem lacking in some areas,” the drake replied, trying to be polite.

“Well, the only reason you beat me in the game was because I got cocky and had a minor slip-up... and as for when you were raging at me...” Discord paused, slightly hesitant. “Your natural dragon magic makes you nearly completely resistant to other kinds of magic, and me adding my near god-like powers to it only made it stronger.

“And... I’ll admit, it was the first time I’ve ever truly feared that I might loose my life,” he said, his hand clutching his chest before a smirk grew on his muzzle. “Yet I’m sure I could beat you in feats of strength.”

Spike snorted in amusement, “Discord, I don’t think you want another thrashing. I know you’re a little butt-hurt from me bringing up your last two major losses to me, but there’s no need to embarrass yourself any further.”

“Oh, you would be quite surprised, dear Spike,” he said snaking around him, making sure to brush up against the drake and flick the underside of his nose.

Spike caught a whiff of the spirit’s scent, which made him shiver a little, “you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve?”

“I’m sure you’ll catch on real quick, and you can use them, yourself: no chaos magic involved, what-so-ever,” he said, booping his drake. “And the first...” he moved with blinding speed, grasping Spike from behind and flipping him over with ease.

Spike eyes grew wide as the world flew by, and the next thing he knew was that he was pinned to the ground, with Discord straddling his hips saying, “is surprise.”

Spike blushed in embarrassment, as well as the fact that he could feel Discord’s soft rump against him. “Alright, alright. Let me up,” Spike said as he pushed Discord off.

The spirit showed no resistance as he rolled off the drake, standing there with a smug grin. Though as he turned around, he failed to see the glint in Spike’s eyes as he took the chance to pounce on the draconequus, send them tumbling across the grass, battling for dominance as they grasped and squeezed each other, grinding their bodies against their opponent as they tried to get the upper hand.

Grunts and groans left the tumbling duo as they rolled. The grinding of their bodies intensified, having a secondary effect on the both of them, causing a few moans of pleasure to be mix in. Soon the two came to a halt, Discord straddling Spike once again, panting atop the huffing drake with a smug smile growing on his face.

“Pinned ya again,” he said with pride, grinding himself against him.

Spike blushed as he felt Discord hands rubbing his chest, as well as his amazing rear upon him once again. He had to resist his claw grabbing the spirit and taking him right then and there as he saw the tip of Discord Jr. poking out to play, which really lit his face aflame. The drake opened his mouth to say something, but quickly noticed the number of ponies looking their way, showing signs of shock and confusion as they watched.

“Never seen a wrestling match before?” He said, looking up at the ponies, who just looked to each other, and as Discord turned his head to look at said ponies, he leaned forward and whispered to him, “lets see how long you last.”

Discord’s ear twitched, and soon the two were at it again with Spike putting a bit more power and force into his grapple. Yet he wouldn’t waste his energy as Discord used more of himself to regain the upperhand by way of teasing gropes and licks as they went, throwing their arousal and drive to win higher and higher with each grasp, grip, and grind.

They rolled around until they came to a stop just out of sight of the crowd’s eyes, both panting and their erections ragging hard, neither of them knowing how something that competitive could’ve resulted in something like this. Spike pulled Discord in for a heated kiss, their tongues dancing over one another as their erections frotted against the other.

They broke off a string of spit connecting them. “Alright, you win. Let’s go somewhere more secluded~” Discord purred as they vanished.

Twilight was impressed by the work Spike’s done; she’d expected him to take a lot longer, but she reasoned that he’s had so much experience in doing it that he could get it done without any effort at all. She looked at his handiwork as she trotted through the halls to her secondary study in the library, noting that she’s read every single book that have been added to it, and soon the books about the many different species in the world, from Alicorns to Zebras, would be added to her collection.

“And anything ponies could gather on dragons,” she said, trying to recall all the information she’s already read about them.

Since ponies didn’t have much interaction with dragons, at least that’s what she, and most of the population believed, the information that’ve been gathered about them was only in the form of loose bits and pieces scattered throughout various books, yet most of the information was but the same things said over and over, even from the books she’s gotten from Zecora and Luna.

She soon picked out the two books in question as she passed, just from mental memory, and made her way over to one of the desks in her study. She opened the books and began reading every detail, trying to find even the tiniest bit more about a dragons, starting with Zecora’s. It talked about how many tribes back in her homeland worshiped dragons, and that many were thought to bring good luck and fortune, as well as victory in battle.

She skimmed over this section and went to the hard facts Zecora’s tribe’s gathered, mostly consisting of a dragon's thousand year sleeping cycles: where their bodies pretty much shut-down to near death, using as little energy as possible. They also seem to absorb some of the natural magic that surround them, in order to keep a decent cycle of production, they assume.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind for later. Spike may have to do such things, himself, once he’s much older,” she thought, jotting down notes of anything interesting she came across.

She read through every bit of important information that could pertain to Spike in the near future, or that could help figure out his sudden change in demeanor, as well as physical looks. She soon came across how dragons age and grow, remembering that she’s read it before, when she had first gotten in from Princess Luna, but never bothered to save any notes about it at the time.

The first thing to come up was greed, which was something she experienced first hoof, so she didn’t find anything new, other then if Spike would’ve remained in that state for any longer, it would’ve been permanent. She then came across how they age compared to ponies, which were all just rough estimates, which she would have to fix at a later time. She then came to what else could cause a dragon to grow, which was rather vague and showed nothing much to help, other then the guess of one during the prime years of a drake's natural growth, mostly for mating purposes.

“Twilight! Ya here?” A familiar voice echoed throughout the library.

Twilight cleared her thoughts for a moment before calling out, “I’m in section ‘D,’ Applejack.”

Twilight’s ear flicked towards the door, hearing a second set of hooves alongside hers, slightly surprising her as she waited. It didn’t take long for them to come into her sight, both Applejack, of course, and Rainbow Dash.

“There you are, Twilight! We wanted to talk to you sooner, but ‘Spike’ told us you were sleeping,” Rainbow said.

“You alright, sugarcube?’ AJ asked.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at them, “I’m fine, girls. What makes you think I wouldn’t be?”

The two mares looked to one another before looking back to Twilight. “First thing’s first: is Spike ‘round?” AJ asked, looking around suspiciously.

RD took off and did a quick lap through the library before coming back to the two. “Coast seems clear for now,” she said staying on her guard.

“I haven’t seen Spike since this morning,” she said. “What’s this about, girls? All of you seemed to been on edge ever since I came back.”

“Well, Twilight, we needed to tell you something, like, super important, but you teleported off before we could tell you!” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves.

“And it involves Spike. He was actin’ really weird a day or two ago,” AJ said. “Has he been acting weird around here? Anything out of the ordinary?”

This made the alicorn’s ear twitch, “wait, what you had to tell me involved Spike?”

“Well duh! Why else would we ask about how he’s acting?” The cyan pegasus said flatly.

“Well... he has been. I only noticed this morning, but he seems... well... different. I don’t know what it is, and he seems to have changed physically, as well,” she said, tapping her chin as she tried to piece things together.

“We think... Discord may have had something to do with it,” AJ said.

“He did something to Spike while you were gone, while all of us were too busy to come over and check on him,” RD said.

The two then filled Twilight in on everything the other five have talked about the day prior, about what Spike was doing, and how he interacted with with them. Twilight listened intently as she tried to make sense of all the information she was given. It seemed that Spike’s had different experiences with almost all of them, yet none of them have any recollection of doing anything of the sort, all being too busy, or hoping that Discord would be on his best behavior and try not to pull anything, but it turned out that it wasn’t the case.

“Was Spike’s behavior a product of something Discord did...” Twilight thought before she came to a conclusion. “I have an idea, but we need to get the others first. It’s going to take all of us to figure this out.”

It didn’t take long for RD to drag the others away from whatever they were doing to meet them at the castle. They all congregated around the Cutie Map as they waited for Twilight’s arrival, glad to finally get to the bottom of this. But Fluttershy wasn’t too sure, she even tried to speak up and relay what Discord’s told her the night before.

“G-Girls... I don’t think Discord really... did anything,” she said, trying to get the group’s attention. “He told me, himself, that he didn’t

“How can you keep defending him, shy!” Rainbow Dash said. “We all know Spike was acting normal last week.”

“And then a week with that ruffian goes by and now he’s not acting like the Spikey-wikey we all know and love,” Rarity said.

“But Discord’s changed,” she said a bit more forcefully, which surprised the group, “He’s been clean for all these years, and all of you’ve seen it for yourself. You’ve even started calling him a friend,” she said, taking on the perfect level of assertiveness.

This left them all shrinking down a bit in their thrones. “He’s only been doing good and staying out of trouble,” Rarity said

“And he’s never really done anything bad to Spike before, even when he turned all of us around, Spike was still just fine,” Pinkie said, thinking back to that day.

“That may be true, but we can’t rule him out just yet,” Twilight said walking into the room with her books and notes. “Discord might not’ve done anything directly, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do anything indirectly.”

“Whatcha’ mean, Twilight?” AJ asked with a tilt of her head.

“What I mean is that Discord’s magic might’ve had some kind of effect on Spike,” she announced, passing out notes to everypony around the table. “I simplified my findings for everypony, in order to make this go by faster.”

They all sighed but complied as they grabbed the notes as Twilight began her explanation, “Discord brainwashing him might still be a possibility, Fluttershy: he is chaos incarnate, after all; he is unpredictable, even if he’s reformed. Yet it’s not that likely, since, if it was true, he would’ve had Spike do something much sooner, for whatever he would need him to do. But even if he didn’t, which we can only hope he didn’t, him being in the castle and around him for such an extended period of time could’ve caused Spike to absorb some of his magic, which could’ve easily messed with his head and make him to act strangely, like making up things that never actually happened.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. Back up a bit, Twilight. You said Spike could’ve absorbed some of Discord’s magic? How is that even possible?” Rainbow Dash asked, throwing her hooves up.

“Well, this is only a theory based on some rough findings from both Zecora’s home lands and Princess Luna’s bits of experience with them, but it seems that dragons can not only process magic in their own being, hence why, as they get older, they are more resistant to outside forces of magic and other such influences, it appears that some dragons, mostly during their thousand year sleeping cycles, can absorb magic from their surroundings,” the Alicorn stated.

“Okay, before you getting into an overly complicated explanation of anything else, can you jump to how this has anything to do with Spike?” RD asked, already growing impatient.

“I have to agree with Rainbow, darling. Spike hasn’t slept for that long, at least not yet,” the alabaster unicorn pointed out.

“Well, that comes into play here: Spike must be a rare breed of dragon: a breed with more magical capabilities than any other kind, and can absorb magic regularly, if they’re not already used to it, most likely to condition their bodies to either use the magic later, or become resistant to it. That’s why it’s been impossible for me to test spells on Spike, anymore: he’s grown up around Alicorns and the elements of harmony... I can only imagine what Discord’s chaos magic must’ve done to him,” she said.

“That still wasn’t short, but I think it make sense,” RD said scratching her head.

“So it could be just an accident...” Fluttershy said with a bit of hope. “And he’ll eventually return to normal?”

“It’s only hypothetical; there’re still many, many things that need to be tested,” the lavender alicorn pointed out.

And so they all began listening and discussing any other viable option for Spike’s strange behavior, including Fluttershy’s experience with Spike frantically looking for Discord, which only added to the number of possibilities before they all came to one conclusion.

“We’re gonna have to observe Spike’s actions and document our findings to figure out exactly what’s going on,” Twilight said, tapping her chin.

“Oooh! We get to be spies!” Pinkie shouted excitedly.

“To be blunt, yes,” Twilight stated.

“Just to make sure everything’s alright with Spikey, and to see what’s been causing him to act so strangely,” Rarity said.

“Well, first we gotta find him,” RD pointed out.

“Discord said he and Spike had plans for the day,” Fluttershy informed them.

“That doesn’t help much, Shy,” RD retorted.

“But it does tell us that they’re together,” Twilight replied.

“So we’re gonna split up and find them!” Pinkie said, dashing off before anypony could say anything.

They all shook their heads before heading out, themselves, starting off on their own detective works, starting with step one: locating their target.

Author's Notes:

They really need to make it much easier to transfers stories over from GoogleDocs over here. If you haven't realized I like my stories spaced a certain way, and unlike GDocs that has that 'Add Space After every paragraph' option. Here I have to add that space myself and add all the Italics, bolds, and underline spaces again.

And don't suggest I add those extra symbols into the story on GDocs as I work on it, it looks out of place if I ever do. And the import from GDocs thing just gives the chapter a link that directs you right to the doc which is dumb. Anyways...

Finished much sooner then expected~ A surprise for all of you~ Enjoy!

Written with beirirangu.

Read this for more story info~