Prelude

In the weeks that followed the executions, a few things happened that lead to the present. The first incident being where Sweetie Belle tried to adopt Jackie as her big sister when Rarity drove her a little crazy. A small misdirection with a sibling outing quickly patched things up for them.

Later that week, Applebloom was in the dumps for not getting her Mark during a bowling trip. Nearly ruined the alley with Scootaloo trying to bowl. Afterward, she went to Zecoras for advice on how to better get her mark. What happened as a result of a homemade potion, was Applebloom performing multiple tasks when a new mark would appear on her body due to a disease known as cutie-pox. She got better when the truth came out and she ate the healing flower. You would think this would be a lesson in patience for them, but sadly no.

A few days later, Dash started to gain a large ego when she started saving ponies from either death or from simply getting a scraped knee. It got so bad the girls actually created an alter ego that did well by others and then left before thanks could be given. It looked like a combination of Batman and Darkwing Duck. I did, however, give protest to having Jackie saving the group of tourists while pregnant, so I was the one to save them from a terrible fate. At the end of this adventure, Rainbow vowed she would keep her ego in check as best she could.

On Twilight's birthday, we went up to Canterlot so Rarity wouldn't miss out on the fun. We later discovered the reason she said she wouldn't be back to Ponyville for the party, was because she was cozying up to Fancy Pants. We didn't scold her for what she did, though we did wish she would have just gone with the truth from the beginning. Speaking of birthdays.

It was Spike's birthday today and we were all going to meet at the library for his birthday. It was Jackie, Luna, Dad, Discord and me on the road heading for the party. We each had a gift for the birthday boy and a large sack of gems for him to eat. We finally made it to the Library and I knocked on the door, " Just a minute!" Twilight answered the door and invited us in. " I'm glad you guys were able to come!"

" Well, of course, We wouldn't miss this for anything!" We went in to find the library looked like it did when we meet on the first day. The others had already arrived at the party, seems they were waiting for us. " Hey everybody, hey Spike."

" Hi, Joe." Spike ran up to me and hugged me around the waist. " You'll never guess what happened to me a few days ago."

" Let me guess? Your family jewels finally dropped. Ha." This caused me to punch Discord in the face. " What was that for?"

" Take a guess. So what happened to you, Spike?" He turned his cheek to me revealing a dirt mark on his face. " You got your cheek dirty?"

" No, Rarity kissed me a few days ago."

" Excellent job young Spike. I had a feeling you two had a connection."

" I don't know. I mean it was a kiss on the cheek. And did you even kiss her back." At my father's words, Spike lost all his confidence and wiped his cheek clean.

" Uh, why don't we get to the part where the birthday boy opens his presents?"

" Wait, presents?"

" Yeah, you get presents on your birthday. You didn't know that?" Had to agree with Dash on that, the kids thirteen and he doesn't know this?

" Well, this is my first birthday in Ponyville. I usually get one present. From Twilight. And it's always a book." Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Twilight stop mid-stride with a book in her magic. She backed up with the book hidden with a sheepish grin.

" Well, this year will be different. This year you have others to give you a wide variety of gifts that may or may not be useless crap." We all looked at Discord after he made such a stupid comment.

" What the hell was that man?"

" Sorry, the writer is watching a lot of Family Guy and assorted crap right now." I had no idea what he was talking about, but I've learned to go with it and even share a laugh when whatever he said had any relevance.

" How about we get to the presents and forget about this awkwardness?" Yeah, Jackie had a point.

Spike received a wide assortment of gifts from the elements. Dash got him a ten-pound weight that he had trouble lifting for some reason. Seriously, I see him lift stacks of books five times his height without breaking a sweat. Anyway, Fluttershy got Spike a tennis racket and a tennis ball. Didn't know he played. Rarity gave Spike a top hat and cane combo, not to mention a nuzzle on the cheek. Pinke shoved a trumpet in his mouth which he began to play. Jackie gave him an apple pattern blanket that he seemed to like. And to no one's surprise, Twilight got him a book.

Now it was time for Luna's gift. " Here you are, Spike." Luna presented with a large blue gem that she said it came from the moon. One look at it and he swallowed it whole, almost biting Luna's hoof off. " I take it you like it."

" I love it!" He continued to lick his claws as he savored that gem.

Discord parted between dad and me. " Alright, I'm next." He snapped into existence a paper cone with a button on the side. He gave it to Spike who looked at it with some skepticism. " Well go on, try it out." With some hesitation, Spike pushed the button and out from the cone came a large clump of cotton candy. " An infinite supply of cotton candy, courtesy of the master of chaos."

" Nicely done Discord." Dad complimented Discord's gift while he brought his gift for Spike. " Here you go, little buddy." Dad handed Spike a wooden box with the symbol of Ygdrasil on it. Spike opened the box to reveal a large knife with a draconic design to it.

" Wow, this is an awesome knife." Hopefully, he doesn't cut himself. " Guess you're the last person Joe." Guess it is.

" Alright, prepare for the gift of a lifetime." I handed him a large box twice his size. He ripped the paper off and opened the box to reveal a flat-screen tv with a DVD player and twenty of the best superhero movies, not to mention five seasons of the Simpsons. He got so excited at seeing this since he would come over sometimes for a movie night. " Whatcha think?" I got my answer, in the form of a tight hug around my neck. Didn't know he could jump that high. " Okay, Spike you're welcome. Now, please. Let me breathe." He finally let go of my neck just before I passed out.

" Sorry Joe, it's just that this is probably the best gift ever!" We both looked over to the others to see they felt a little hurt by that comment. " Uh, no offense." This did little to dissuade their frustrations.

" How about we set this baby up and take it for a spin?" We picked a corner of the library that wouldn't be a bother to the customers. We put it up a good height up on the wall and plugged her in. I installed the DVD player and turned to Spike. " Alright, birthday boy, what do we watch first?"

" How about this one?" He handed me a movie and when I looked at it, I was shocked he wanted to watch this first.

" Sure thing." I popped it in and pressed play. " Judgment time!"

https://youtu.be/B4CrE6IwlLg

We watched the movie from beginning to end. At first, everyone was disgusted, everyone except Discord, Luna, Dash, Dad, and me. A few times, Rarity excused herself to the bathroom, definitely heard some vomiting happen. At the end of the movie, the only person to say anything was Dash. " That was the best movie I've ever seen! Granted it's the only one so far, but still. Any chance we could create a gun like that Twi?"

" I barely trust you with a kitchen knife, plus tech like that is beyond me." As they argued, Spike came over and hugged me again.

" Thanks, Joe, I wish this party would never end." At this statement, Pinkie spat out her punch and turned to Spike.

" This party can't last forever! Spike has to go down to Sugarcube Corner for his surprise treat." At the notion of a treat, Spike was out the door faster than one could blink. " Wait, I didn't mean right this minute!"

" As much as I would like to stay" Luna looked to her belly, carrying little Orion. " this little one is draining me of energy."

" Same. I haven't been able to buck any of the trees thanks to little Jack here." Jackie rubbed her belly and left for the door with Luna. " You coming, Joe?"

" Just a minute sweetheart. Dad, you staying or coming?"

" No, I think Discord and I are gonna hit the bar for a bit. We'll see you after a while." They both left to have their fill of drink while I followed my wives.

" I'll see you, girls, later, I have to comfort my Valkyries." I made my way to the door and put myself between my lovelies.

The next day

I woke up to a beautiful sight. Both my wives were sound asleep next to my sides, the birds were chirping outside, and there wasn't a single leaf on any of the trees. Life sure is quite good. Wait a minute. I got up from the bed, waking up my two wives. " What's going on, Joe?"

" None of the trees have any leaves, and it's only spring!" This got them out of bed and by my side at the window. " I'm going to see what the problem is." I put on some pants, grabbed my ax and headed for the orchard.

When I got to the orchard, not a single leaf could be found either in the trees or on the ground. The only thing I was able to find, was a set of prints on the ground. As I examined them I noticed they would grow slightly larger with each tree it would come across. Despite the change in size, I have seen these prints many a time. I would usually see these prints create a small path between the library and the boutique. Which means a dragon is loose on the property.

I was about to track down the lizard when I heard something behind me. I turned to see Twilight trotting up to meet me. " Twilight? What are you doing here?"

" Joe, I need your help finding Spike."

" I would love to Twilight, but right now I have a rogue dragon on the loose in the orchard. Once I deal with it, I will help you find Spike." I turned back to my investigation, only to be stopped by Twilight. " What?"

" That dragon you're hunting...is Spike." The news that a friend of mine is taking my wife's livelihood took me by surprise.

" Why would Spike be taking the leaves from the trees? What could he possibly want with them?"

" When I took him to Zecora's, she said that he's reached maturity and would start hoarding what he thinks is valuable. With every piece, he would grow into a full-grown dragon." That would explain why the prints kept getting bigger, puberty can be such a bitch. I pondered on how to get Spike under control and keeping him from any more trouble.

" Alright, I'm going to need to know how big he is now, and where he's heading now."

" I believe he was heading for Sugarcube Corner." Perfect, hopefully, he won't be too big for what I have in store.

" Head him off and try to keep him there. I'll lead him out of town and prevent any more damage." She left for the bakery while I went back home for my truck. Then I need to visit the boutique.

Sugarcube Corner. Twilight's Pov.

I came up to Sugarcube Corner with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to try and stop Spike's rampage. When we entered the bakery, I was meet with Spike taking cakes off the counter while Pinkie threw cakes at him. " Pinkie, what are you doing giving him cakes?"

" I'm not giving him cakes. I'm assaulting him with cakes!" She kept throwing desserts at him while he kept catching them and putting them in a wooden tub. After he put in a three-layered cake, he grew to the point where he actually broke through the roof of the building. Once he broke through, he went towards the boutique.

" Spike! No!" I went after him while Dash dragged a stunned Pinkie Pie out of the shop. We followed him down to Rarity's home to find Spike looking through the windows. " Come on, we can't let him get Rarity!" We raced to the boutique to stop a possible kidnapping. When we got there, Spike just had a confused look and a mannequin dressed to look like Rarity. " Wait, where's Rarity?"

Fluttershy brought our attention to something in the distance. " Does anybody hear that rumbling noise?"

" Sorry. I skipped lunch."

I could hear it too. " I don't think it's your stomach Dash." In the distance, I could hear the familiar sound of Joe's truck coming up the road. Within seconds, Joe came riding down the hill with Rarity in the front, and a pile of jewels in the bed of the truck. He stopped mere inches from us and rolled down his window.

" Did somebody order a great distraction or what?" He gave us his signature grin and observed what was happening to the town. " Damn! Who would've thought Spike would be capable of such destruction? You guy's stink at distracting him."

Dash retorted with " Hey, we tried our best!"

" Your best is an idiot!" At that point, Spike became aware of Rarity and the jewels in Joe's truck. " It seems I have his attention." Joe got out of his truck and presented his butt which was covered in gold and presented it to Spike. " Hey, Mushu! Bite my glorious golden ass!" With that statement, he went back into his truck and zoomed off down the road with Spike following him.

" Do you think he'll be okay?"

" Which one? Joe or Spike?"

Joe's Pov

https://youtu.be/cW1tc5siBUw

I was putting the pedal to the metal with the radio blaring as Spike started to gain on us. I headed out to the field where we watched the meteor shower some months ago and started doing serpentine around the field and circle around him. This caused Spike to trip over his feet and land hard in the middle of the field. The impact caused the earth to quake and caused Spike to fall unconscious. " Oh dear, do you think he's alright?"

" As long as he's not top-heavy he'll be fine. it's what I'm about to do that might leave a bruise." I reached back in the truck and brought up a couple of hundred feet of rope. " Okay, I'm going to hogtie him down so he won't escape, you remember you're part?"

" Remind Spike who he is with my charms and wit." Don't know about that, but her being around Spike might get him under control. We quickly got out of the truck and headed for Spike. I tied one end to a tree and started wrapping Spike up with the rest. Once the last of the rope was used up, I let Rarity have a go at bringing Spike out of his newly gigantic state. " Ohhh Spikey, it's me, Rarity. Spikey, please do me a favor and wake up." Spike was still out like a light, it seems like that fall really did a number on him. " Joe, do you think you could wake him up?"

" Sure." I went over to one of his eyes and pried the lids open. " Hey, Jackass, Dash is taking your power pony comic and she's going to use it as toilet paper!" This got him to stir in his rope prison and awaken fully. " Mornin sunshine, sleep well? Hahahahaha." He seemed to get angry with me, so I decided to let Rarity take a crack at it. " Hey, Spike, look who I brought."

He looked behind me to see Rarity walk up to him, this seemed to calm him down quite a bit. " Hello, Spikey. You've been a bit of a naughty boy, haven't you?" Spike looked a little guilty, having been reminded that he wrecked a few buildings during his growth. " Now, from what the others have told me, your little growth spurt is due to a little grabbing fit you've been having. But I know for a fact that you're not a greedy monster."

She then showed him her necklace with the fire ruby in it. " Do you remember giving this to me?" The realization started to dawn on him. " This was the most generous thing that anyone has ever given me. And I know that anyone who could be so selfless is not a monster." She approached his snout and rubbed it up and down. " Please Spike. Please come back to us." Rarity then did something that I didn't expect to happen for a while. She full-on made out with Spike.

Spike and I were both surprised at what was happening, though he started to really get into it. As this was going on, all our friends came to see if Spike had been cured, only to see this. Luna was the first to break the silence. " Was this part of your plan?"

" Not exactly." It was at that moment that we saw Spike starting to shrink. " Though it does seem to be working." We all watched as Spike slowly shrank and was able to get out of the ropes. Soon Spike had shrunk to about Rarity's height and stopped there, guess that's his new size for a bit.

They broke off their kiss and looked into each other's eyes. Spike brought her into a hug and openly wept. " I'm sorry about all this. I can't believe I did all that."

" Shh, shh, it's alright my little Spikey." They broke their hug and came over to us. " Everyone, I believe Spike has something to say to us."

We all turned our attention over to Spike. " I'm sorry for all the damage I caused."

" Don't worry about it Spike, puberty can be such a bitch at times. Besides, if this situation never happened, you and Rarity wouldn't have made it to first base. Not bad for a scrawny little spit-fuck." The others agreed with most of what I said, and Twilight seemed happy that Spike had a girlfriend, though something was still bugging me. " By the way, what did you do with all the leaves from the orchard?" He pointed over to the chicken coop that he kept whatever crap he'd been taking. " Alright, well I'm going to take all this back to the citizens of this fine town, and if anyone asks who did this, it was your evil cousin from out of town."

They all seemed to accept that as I took the coop and went over to play Santa. As I got close to town, three members of the Wonderbolts landed in front of me, one of them I recognized as Spitfire. " Joe, did you see what did this?"

Now, me being the noble friend that I am, I decided to take the heat away from Spike, after all, he just found love. " I'm embarrassed to say, that this was my doing captain."

She looked really confused by this. " We were told it was a creature the size of a full-grown dragon."

Damn, they have intel. Don't worry, just come up with a good story. " I was fighting a balrog from the depths of Hell." Do'h.

" Oh, well I guess with that done, we'll be on our way." By the god's they believed that. They were about to take off before I stopped them.

" How about you help your prince distribute all this stuff I managed to save during the battle." She was about to protest but I went ahead and put on some authority. " That's an order, captain." She grumbled some kind of swear while saluting, then she and her squad helped me bring back everything that was snatched up. After today, I'm breaking into my stash of moonshine to forget about today.

Author's Notes:

Alright, not as long as some of the more recent chapters, but I think it was pretty good. And, Spike and Rarity are an item. Also, for whoever's going to put in the comments about ' He had a water tower hold all his things' that only happened after he got Rarity from the Boutique.

Anyway, next chapter will be family appreciation day with a slight change of speaker. Also, yes, Discord broke the fourth wall.

Clip!

https://youtu.be/pFQ-BIe5H28