Spike and Rarity looked around at their five friends. Rainbow Dash sighed, looking up at the passed-out human in the hammock.

"I think I pushed him too hard....I mean, he's not a Pegasus..."

Twilight released a small *hmph*.

"It's a shame he passed out before I could ask him about the drink we asked Celestia for..."

Rainbow Dash looked between Rarity and Spike, the baby-rather, adolescent-dragon's nostrils still smoking lightly from the letter he had sent.

"I love you, Spike..."

"I love you too, Rarity..."

Rainbow Dash smiled, wishing that she was with Peter...

"Uh, guys? I think I should go check on Peter..."

"Go right on ahead, Rainbow Dash. Spike and I are pretty tired...and thank you for the congratulations once again, Rainbow Dash..."

The cyan Pegasus smiled.

"Anytime, Rarity!"

She flew up to the hammock, concerned for her stallionfriend's health, leaving Spike and Rarity with four friends.

"Contests again, you two. I...I really can't put how happy I am for you into words, Spike. I mean, you're like a son to me...and I'm so happy that you're finally together with Rarity...and Rarity, I'm so happy that you finally told Spike how you feel..."

"As am I, Twilight. Spike and I...we are simply meant to be!"

She pressed herself up against Spike, and Spike held her closer, the both of them closing their eyes.

"Oh! I just had an idea!"

Pinkie Pie bolted away, confusing everypony present as she came back.

"BythewaycongratsI'msohapyforyoutwobye!!"

With that, the pink party pony left.

"Uh...okay, then..."

"Rarity...I want to tell you how proud I am of you...for finally telling Spike about how you feel..."

Rarity smiled as Fluttershy spoke. She was sso tired, and felt.at hims in Spike's now large arms, the embrace they shared acting as a soporific for the both of them.

"Thank you...Fluttershy, dear...I...I simply must return to sleep..."

"Before you do, Ah wanna say something..."

Rarity sighed, nevertheless whispering consent into Spike's ear, who relayed it to the orange work pony.

"Ah...Ah'm not good with feelings, but Ah know how long the two of y'all have been in....love with each other. Ah'm so happy for y'all both, but Ah'm even happier that Spike changed...because a baby dragon and a grown unicorn datin' is probably frowned on in Manehattan...Well, Ah'm too tired to say anything...let's just go to sleep..."

"Okay. Come on, Spike..."

Spike raised an eyebrow at his friend, the unicorn who had raised him.

I hope I don't hurt her...

"Twilight, I...I'm going to sleep with Rarity...in her bed...not doing anything, but just sleeping with her...I...I have to move on..."

Twilight turned, and Fluttershy backed off slightly.

"Oh...oh...right...sorry...it's just...I'm used to you being a baby dragon...I...I understand...you're not a baby dragon anymore, and you need to move on..."

She whispered the next line, her heart broken as she finally told the truth of how she felt about him.

"Just like every child must move on....so must my son..."

She turned, fleeing for her bed. She immediately buried her head in her pillow, stifling the sound of tears.

He's not like a son to me....he is a son to me...

She sniffed, wanting to hear his snoring at the foot of her bed once more.

He is my son...but...I must let go...he's grown up...

But I don't want to let him go...

But I have no choice...

I raised him, I am his mother in every sense but genes! I am his mother, and he is my son. Is it so bad...that I want to keep him to myself?

But I have to let him go...

Rarity would understand. She loves him, but I love him more. He's my son, she doesn't know him like I do....

She opened her eyes, deciding to walk right up to Rarity, and tell her off for stealing her son.

However, what she saw stopped her.

There, in the place of Spike in his basket, was a mattress, namely Rarity's mattress, right at the foot of Twilight's bed. In it, Spike held Rarity as they slept, breathing lightly.

Twilight sat up, smiling as tears of happiness replaced those of maternal grief.

She understands...and Spike thinks of me as a mother...they both understand, and Rarity understands how I love him as a son, not anything more...

She rolled off the bed, and walked over to Spike and Rarity. She kissed Spike on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Spike...."

She turned to walk away, when a single whisper stopped her cold.

"Goodnight....mom...."

Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth, and returned to her bed, the two simple words bringing forth thousands of tears of joy as she drifted off into sleep, smiling as she thanked Celestia for all that was.

He...he called me 'mom'...

Sleep took her, and she had never slept so well before in her life.

P.P.: "Come on, everypony! Wake up! We have to get food now!!"

Rarity: "Mmh? What?"

Spike: "Oh, sweet! Food!"

Rarity: "Uh...good morning?"

Spike: "Good morning, Rarity..."

Rarity: "Thank you."

P.P.: "Come on, Twilight! Wake up!"

T.S.: "Nh?"

P.P.: "Wake up! We've got to-oh. Sorry. I'll leave you alone for a bit..."

T.S.: "No, it's fine..."

P.P.: "Oh! Okay then! Well, we've got to order our breakfast, so come to the center so that we can write it down!"

T.S.: "Wait...why don't you just ask around and write it yourself?"

P.P.: "Oh, yeah!"

T.S.: "...Just some hay..."

P.P.: "Okie dokie lokie!"

T.S.: "Where'd you get...forget it."

P.P.: "Spike!"

Spike: "Wha!?"

P.P.: "What do you want for breakfast?"

Spike: "...Sapphires."

P.P.: "Okay! And Rarity?"

Rarity: "Some hay."

P.P.: "Okie dokie lokie!"

P.P.: "Fluttershy!!!"

F.S.: "Ah! Please, Pinkie, not so loud..."

P.P.: "Sorry...what do you want for breakfast?"

F.S.: "Some hay..."

P.P.: "Okie dokie lokie."

P.P.: "Applejack!"

A.J.: "Hay."

P.P.: "Okie Dokie Lokie!"

P.P.: "Rainbow Dash!!"

R.D.: "Ah!!! Wha-Pinkie, how are you standing on the ceiling?"

P.P.: "Suction cups, silly!"

R.D.: "Shh! Peter passed out, remember? He needs to get his sleep!"

P.P.: "Oh...sorry..."

R.D.: "What do you want?"

P.P.: "What do you want for breakfast?"

R.D.: "Eggs. I'll try to wake Peter up, only long enough for him to order."

P.P.: "I thought you said he needed his sleep."

R.D.: "Yeah, well...whatever."

R.D.: "Hey, Peter? Wake up..."

R.D.: "Peter? Come on, it's time to wake up..."

R.D.: "Peter? Wake up!"

Peter: "Huh? What?"

R.D.: "Good. You're awake. Now, what do you-"

Peter: "Ahh...my head...my stomach..."

R.D.: "Uh, Peter? Are you okay?"

Peter: "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

R.D.: "What!? Pinkie, get a paper bag, quick!"

P.P.: "Way ahead of you!"

Peter: "Thanks..."

R.D.: "Just breathe..."

Peter: "Bloody hard to..."

R.D.: "Uh, what's with the accent?"

Peter: "Whenever I get stressed out...or really excited...I put an accent on...oh, God, I wish I had a loo..."

R.D.: "Uh...well, whatever. Just, breathe...that's it..."

Peter: "Ahh...ahh..."

R.D.: "That's it...just let it all out, Peter..."

Peter: "Ugh...I hate throwing up...Oh, God, what the fuck are we going to do with the bag?"

P.P.: "I've got that! I have an incinerator in my mane! Just let me-"

R.D.: "Uh, Pinkie? What's with the face?"

P.P.: "I...I missed the incinerator."

P.P.: "Uh, Plant Guy?"

Plant Guy: "Yes?"

P.P.: "There's a...a treat for you in the bailey."

Plant Guy: "Ohhh! I like!"

P.P.: "Y...yeah..."

Peter: "...Sorry..."

R.D.: "Why are you sorry?"

Peter: "I threw up because of the fasting...I couldn't handle it..."

R.D.: "Uh, technically, I screwed up..."

Peter: "I'm sorry, what?"

R.D.: "Yeah, we were supposed to have a feast at a minute past midnight..."

Peter: "Well, that was out of your hooves...there are only so many places to get food right now, y'know?"

R.D.: "Yeah..."

P.P.: "Well, what do you want for breakfast, Peter?"

Peter: "Eggs. A lot of them. And some water. I haven't drank in a day, I'm thirsty as all hell."

P.P.: "Okie dokie lokie! Oh, and some mouthwash..."

Peter: "Good idea..."

P.P.: "Good luck!"

Peter: "...Thanks?"

R.D.: "Do you feel better now, Peter?"

Peter: "Y...yeah..."

R.D.: "Good."

Peter: "I hate throwing up...especially on an empty stomach..."

R.D.: "Wait, your stomach is empty! How could you throw up!?"

Peter: "It's just acid in there. Nothing else. Without any food to digest, the acid just builds up, and eventually, it gets too acidic. The body needs to get that out, or else it could spike the pH of my blood. If that goes a bit too high or too low...I would die."

R.D.: "Oh, yikes."

Peter: "Yeah...yikes..."

Spike: "Ugh, I think Peter just cubed it!"

Rarity: "...Ew."

Spike: "Yeah, no kidding..."

T.S.: "What happened?"

Rarity: "We believe that Peter just threw up."

T.S.: "Oh, gross!"

F.S.: "Oh, my...did Peter just?"

P.P.: "Yep."

F.S.: "...I hope he's alright..."

P.P.: "Don't worry. Dashie's got him."

A.J.: "Is Peter alright?"

P.P.: "Don't worry, Dashie's got him."

A.J.: "Okay."

Peter: "Wow...if I threw up after one day of fasting, I could never have survived the bullshit Aaron Ralston pushed through..."

R.D.: "Who?"

Peter: "He was trapped in Blue John Canyon for one hundred and twenty seven hours. He ended up cutting his own arm off to escape."

R.D.: "Whoa!!"

Peter: "Yep. I have the movie of it, if you want to see it."

R.D.: "Uh...no thanks. I'm pretty squeamish. All of the blood, even though it's black and white, just grosses me out..."

Peter: "Black and white? What the hell are you talking about? It's in full color!"

R.D.: "No."

Peter: "Yep. Humans made colored film. And it's not film on my Kindle, it's just...digital data stuff."

R.D.: "You're talking really weird, Peter. I think you should lie down."

Peter: "...Good idea...I am feeling pretty..."

R.D.: "Aaaaaaand, he's out again...Hey, Twilight?"

T.S.: "Yeah?"

R.D.: "Could you come take a look at Peter? I'm worried about him."

T.S.: "Uh...okay...just, gimme a few minutes, okay?"

Spike: " What do you want to talk about, Twilight?"

T.S.: "What you said last night...it meant a lot to me. Thank you..."

Spike: "Twilight, you're a mother to me. You're my mother."

T.S.: "Th...thank you, Spike..."

Spike: "...I want to thank you...for raising me. For everything. I'm going to miss...us, too. I wish I could still be your baby, and you my mommy. But...I...I have to move on now...for Rarity..."

Spike hugged her closer, crying on her shoulder as mother and son were meant to do.

Spike: "I...I'm scared, Twilight...it's just...I don't want to be an adult dragon...I want to stay a baby, and have you to be my mom..."

T.S.: "I want that too, but...we both have to move on..."

Rarity: "Are you two quite alright?"

Spike: "Y...yeah...we just...needed to talk..."

Rarity smiled, but turned in shock as Rainbow Dash shouted from above them.

R.D.: "Twilight, help!!"