Chapter 15

Canterlot finale part 2: celestial night

Canterlot fairgrounds: afternoon, 5 hours till nightfall

The fairground was where most massive town events were held. The city had a density to it that the grounds didn't have. Today, the giant patch of grasslands was used for something called the celestial night fair. Hosted in the middle of summer, the event is a celebration of the color and flair of canterlot. It was a straight shot path and to the left were different games and vendors to hang around at. However, towards the right was a gx

"I wonder if vinyl is gonna play here?" spike asked aloud, twilight taking him here for the evening.

"I wouldn't know" twilight replied.

Twilight heard about this event a lot due to all the times flash talked about it. Matter of fact, twilight actually felt a little guilty about ignoring his asks. It's not that she didn't like him but… actually her reasoning stopped at that. She didn't really give herself time to think about a committed relationship with another pony.

"Hey, how are you and flash doing?" spike asked casually.

"I don't know, i...i don't really know spike…" twilight said with an amount of regret in her voice.

Twilight wasn't a fan of how much she pushed away flash in the end. Even so, she didn't even like the language she was using. Pushing away even the idea of having a second chance to make things right with him.

"Hey… if i know one thing, flash is crazy for you and that will never change" spike replied, patting twilight on the back.

Twilight nodded in agreement but only did it for courtesy. She wanted to shake the whole thing out of her mind right now. Focus on the fun of the upcoming night and find out how to kill a couple hours of time in this fair.

"Anyways! Let's find some games to play, the real show starts at night!" twilight said in a dramatic but forced tone change.

Maybe it was the environment or them just talking earlier. One of these things made him decide to let twilight's obvious dodge slide. Spike was happy to have his mind at peace when it came to twilight. However, something that twilight mentioned in their earlier conversation.

"Hey twi.." his voice already signaled a heaviness that twilight wanted to block out for now.

"Not right now, let's focus on having fun, ok?" twilight interjected.

It was hard to accept at first but spike nodded in reply. Honestly, he wants to have fun as well and not worry about something for once. Taking his mind off of this thought became a lot easier after twilight spotted something on their left.

"Wha…" twilight was utterly baffled by what she saw to her left.

The game was a simple ring toss but it was the prize that threw her off. It was a miniature doll version of herself. Spike already saw this doll but was entertained by twilight's reaction to it.

"Did you know…" twilight was about to ask, still shocked by the miniature version of herself.

"Yep and this dragon is gonna win it for you!" spike said excitedly, breaking from his small melancholic state.

Twilight chuckled and decided to stand back. She was genuinely curious if he would have a better chance at the game due to his claws.

"10 bits per play… uh, dragon!" the stand owner said in confusion but managing to keep his sales pony energy.

Spike threw his bits on the counter, ready to ace the game on his first try. He turned his head and threw a wink a twilight. His confidence was high and he wasn't giving this stand anymore money then the amount he placed down.

100 bits later

"This damn game is a cheat!" spike yelled in frustration, this being his tenth try.

Twilight was trying to hold her laughter in but also realizing he's gaining a lot of attention. While most ponies were used to the idea of spike. An angry dragon is something to be feared by those same ponies.

"Hey! I run an honest business, maybe you should work on your crappy aim!" the stand owner replied.

"Why you…" before spike could snap any further, twilight stepped in.

Twilight was still looking around her, hoping to contain the scene that he was making. However, she knows that this pony was lying to him. So, without even thinking, she decided to throw herself into the mix.

"I'll take a shot!" she exclaimed, gaining the attention of the salespony.

"Good, good, show this dragon how it's done!" the stand owner replied.

Twilight wasn't sure whether he had a particular beef with dragons or was just egging spike on for more money. Either way, it's working because she is about to play this stupid ring bottle game.

"Also, no magic and only teeth, don't worry, we clean the rings" the stand owner said with a smile.

Twilight sighed but acknowledged that the rule was fair. She walked up to the stand, place her 10 bits down and grabbed hold of a ring.

"You only need three and you win the doll" the stand owner said, twilight nodding in acknowledgement.

Her focus was dead set on the rinkity bottle. She was calculating in her mind how heavy of an arc was need for it to land. She winded up, shaking her head up and down. Finally, she lobbed the ring and it landed perfectly on the first bottle. However, she knew her time to celebrate wasn't now.

"One down, two to go" the stand owner commented, almost like he was clocking her.

She grabbed the second ring and used the same math applied to the first throw. The ring landed perfectly again and she had one more to go.

"Final stretch, don't less the pressure…" the owner was saying something but twilight was ignoring him at this point.

Her focus was dead set on the last bottle. Part of her wanted to just laugh in the owner's face after nailing it. She didn't even want the doll on shelf, it creeped her out. This victory was to reclaim some invisible honor that spike was holding.

What made this bottle harder was unlike the other ones, this bottle was elevated slightly higher. Slipping up with the aim was a lot easier and twilight had to redo her calculation on the fly. However, she couldn't get the angle just right and it was bothering her. So, in a decision unlike her, she decided to wing it. She winded up the throw and lobbed it.

"Won't you look at that, our first winner of the day!" the owner called out.

Twilight did a little hop in excitement and immediately regretted it. It was almost like another mare took over her body. She turned and saw spike was having his little laugh behind her. She sighed but then decided to smile over this occasion. It's been awhile since she had a pure amount of fun like this.

"Here's your prize, thanks for playing!" the owner said, pushing the doll in front of her.

Twilight looked at the creepy little thing and decided to pass it onto spike. Anyways, she didn't really have a place or use for something like this. She looked at the doll and picked it up with her magic. She moved it towards spike's direction and tapped him with it, gaining his attention. Spike focused his attention on the currently floating doll.

"Take it, a small present from me" twilight said, spike grabbing the doll to inspect it.

"Uh, i don't know…" spike said, really not wanting the thing.

"Come on, who wouldn't want a little me watching them" twilight said with a smile.

Spike chuckled, deciding to keep the doll. He snatched it from the air and looked at it with close inspection. While he looked at it, spike smiled, a charm started attaching to it already.

"Thanks… i guess" spike replied jokingly, getting a laugh from twilight.

"Enjoy the rest of your day!" the owner said as they were leaving.

Spike was still a little heated with him. So, in an act of pure immaturity, spike turned his head and snarled at him. This shook the pony up a little bit before both of them left his eyesight. Spike will admit there are times where he likes to play up the scary dragon side. However, no one who hanged around him liked his use of that side

"Spike, you should know better!" twilight exclaimed quietly.

"Yeah, i know…" spike replied, immediately feeling guilty for doing what he did.

"Don't throw away your good will…" twilight was about to start a speech that spike has heard for years.

Spike was about to just nod off but something clicked in his mind. Why shouldn't he selectively use the fear and judgement some ponies have for him to his advantage? For the most part, he hasn't really had any pony give him trouble. So he would rarely have to use the tactic that he just did. However, twilight was right on this case, what he did was quite petty.

"Ok… ok" spike interjected, wanting to push away from the subject.

"And i get it, there will be times you need to assert yourself but just be careful about it" twilight replied in a stern tone.

Spike was actually surprised by her adding that kind of clause in. before, that clause never existed in twilight's mind. Spike nodded in agreement to her advice and this allowed twilight to take a sigh of relief.

Twilight then took another look at the grown dragon in front of her and almost became emotional. Especially when she's about to make the choice to move forward in her life. Twilight had her worries but looking at him now made them slowly erode away.

"Will you be ok?" twilight asked genuinely, that being her current thought process.

"I guess we'll see what the future holds…" spike replied passively with a vague answer.

Although he feels things have concluded with twilight and his issues with that. He was missing something else and going back was something he wasn't too excited about. However, right now, in this moment, he was happier then ever and wanted to show that.

"But it maybe a great future, not gonna leave you on too bad of a cliffhanger" spike replied jokingly with a smile.

Twilight returned that smile, finding the answer that she wanted in her mind. She then looked around and realized their day has just begun. The sun was only just starting to set and they still had a couple hours before nightfall fireworks.

"Enough sentimentality, we still got the day ahead of us, let's find more games to play" twilight said, returning her mind back to the fair.

Spike wanted to audibly groan at the idea of playing more scam games. However, something sounded like edm saved the day if not only for just a couple minutes

"Is that.. That might be vinyl! Let's check it out!" spike said excitedly, genuinely wanting to see a friend and get out of carnival games.

Twilight nodded with a smile as both of them headed off to the main stage. However, she was really feeling lucky after winning the game on first try. So it was no secret that their were going to be stops to different game stands on the way to spike's displeasure.

Canterlot,low end shopping strip: afternoon, 4 hours till nightfall

The sky was currently at a warm sunset and starting to darken. The shopping strip was becoming less lively due to the festival. Trixie wanted to take one last stroll through the shopping strip while luna just wanted to tag along. However, luna was quickly running out of time due to being a princess of the night. Honestly, she would have just broke off with her after having lunch but something was keeping her around. She wasn't ready to let go of her newly made friend yet. However, she never really did a lot of shopping either and this seemed like a good opportunity to find something nice.

There were two strips, one closer to the castle and another across the street from the celestial diner. The one pawn shop that trixie and spike visited was in the high end section. Honestly, if she knew everything about this town, this would be her first place to visit. Her relationship with rose gave trixie a deeper appreciation of local store owners. Compared to the much bigger franchises that you'll naturally find in canterlot. Whatever a store owner decided to sell in their place shows their personal passion for what's sold. At Least, that's what rose ranted about from time to time.

They were both decided what exactly they were going to buy or do. They already ate and they didn't really need anything at all. Trixie already had her souvenir and luna surprisingly didn't value knick knacks unlike most ponies.

"Oh, i almost forgot about the fair!" luna exclaimed out loud.

"What fair?" trixie asked in reply.

Luna quickly turned to her, immediately embrassed over her very public outburst. She sighed in embarrassment and decided to tell trixie about this fair.

"Sorry… it's just an event held once a year that i attend… " luna replied, keeping a tone of embarrassment in her voice,

Trixie started noticing one main character trait of luna that surprised her constantly. Her timid and slightly shy nature. Now, trixie immediately admits she's not on the level of old fluttershy. However, she is a tier below that and for a princess that's interesting in her book.

"Actually, a fair sounds pretty fun…." trixie said quietly to herself but luna was already in earshot.

"It should be…" luna said passively, only to acknowledge trixie.

What confused trixie was the amount of passiveness she had for this event. It seems like an opportunity to show canterlot the friendly mare she to know. However, something immediately popped up in her mind when thinking about this and it all added up.

"Why isn't it?" trixie asked.

Luna sighed, not liking the reason she had. It felt selfish and petty for her after all the support celestia gives her. Luna looked at trixie directly, admiring her honesty and advice during their time together. So, with that in mind, she decided to give her a truth that she's never told anyone around her.

"I love my sister…. But everyone forgets about me when standing right next to her….." luna replied, her voice fading in and out.

Trixie nodded, understanding her feelings completely. However, something seemed off about this sentiment. Luna had a unique position compared to celestia and that's being a guardian of the night. She's talked to and helped many ponies in their dreams, including trixie. The night should be her chance to shine and it should be her event. Matter of fact, it does seem like something that would be a spotlight for her.

"Wait… what is the fair celebrating?" trixie asked, trying to confirm a suspicion she's making.

"Um… it's a long story…" luna replied quietly, embarrassed to reveal the truth.

"Then give me the short one" trixie quickly replied, not letting the princess off easy.

Luna sighed, knowing that this was something trixie would let go easily. Luna isn't the most prideful of ponies but this would have took a severe hit to that pride.

" It was my idea…" luna continued in her quiet tone.

Trixie immediately jumped to conclusions after she said this. Thinking that she completed the puzzled but the next couple of words were about to prove her wrong.

"I was ready for it but after seeing the mass of ponies waiting for me to speak, i decided not to host it" luna finished.

For being a princess and hanging around the dreams of others. Trixie was really surprised with how timid and shy luna can be but still come out stronger then any pony she's met. However, trixie didn't necessarily understand this shyness. If she can talk with others one on one and lead political meetings then what's different about a fair?

At Least, that's what trixie initially thought until she remember her own personal fear. She couldn't judge her for anything if that hurdle is still in her way. For that reason, she decided to take a shot at trying to understand her point of view by melding it with her own.

"I… i've avoided doing any shows for awhile…." trixie started saying, stumbling while saying these words.

"Same as you, the large crowds have been trouble for me ever since… you know…" trixie didn't even want to put the smallest spotlight on her past and tried her damndest to avoid it.

"Anyways, i thought… how could i show my face to those ponies with the same thing that ruined their lives…" trixie sighed, trying to figure herself out in the process of admitting this to luna.

"So, um… am i close?" trixie finished, hoping she didn't waste air on an inaccurate guess.

Luna then looked her in the eye and gave a reaction that trixie honestly wasn't ready for her to give.

"Actually, your spot on… sadly" luna replied, continuely dappening her mood.

Trixie wasn't sure what she could do here because she finally ran into a problem without an easy answer for her. It's a fear from within that she still can't fully shake but trixie still wanted to say something.

"I mean, isn't it worth a shot?" trixie asked, the only thing she came up with so far.

"I don't know honestly and that makes me nervous…" luna replied with something that made sense to trixie.

However, she was tired of letting that line of logic run her to the ground. If she could just break out of that fear, things would be much easier. Trixie wanted to remember a time where her fear of performance never existed. Maybe she would be able to say something useful to the princess.

Then, after bringing up that idea, something immediately came to trixie's mind. She wasn't always fearless on stage and had the same fear to a lower scale. After remembering this, trixie came up with an idea, one that would give her much fear and discomfort. However, in her mind, this risk was worth it….Hopefully.

She stopped in her tracks and so did luna, at this point they were walking aimlessly. Trixie turned to luna and said the words that were packed into her head.

"How about we make a deal?" trixie asked luna.

Trixie was still unsure about making the deal she was about to make. However, she made up her mind when looking at a sad luna. Trixie didn't like a sad luna and in her opinion, nobody should.

"What do you mean?" luna replied with a question of her own.

"If you show up at the fair… i'll dust off the old hat and put on a show" trixie replied with the hesitation in her voice non existent.

Luna took a moment to think about her offer. It would be pretty last minute and celestia is a real stickler for schedules. However, she did like the concept that trixie was going for but needed one last bit of convincing.

"Um… i don't know, it'll still just be me out there…" luna said, still shaky about doing the fair.

Trixie related to that sentiment way more then luna would ever know. Her first couple of shows felt like that. Sometimes, when trixie started a show, it felt like her against thousands. Convincing those thousands that you are worth their time is harder then assumed. But to trixie, the best feeling in the world is convincing those ponies your worth their time. That why, at least for awhile, she loved performing. However, luna isn't a performer, she a princess just speaking at a fair.

Then, trixie remembered something that her mother used to do for her. If it helped her erase fears of the audience and express herself. Maybe it could help a bookish princess as well.

"It won't be, because i will be there and have the loudest cheer in the crowd" trixie replied with a small smile.

Luna though this was second sweetest thing anyone has ever said to her. This was it, this was the thing that would pull her to the other side and accept her deal. She looked at trixe and gave her the words that confirmed this move to the other side.

"I accept your deal" luna replied with her own smile.

Trixie was glad that she's doing the fair but realized what position she put herself in. a magic showcase had a lot of moving parts to it and that's not even counting the ponyville population accepting her doing a show.

"Do not worry, you will receive my support as well" luna said with genuine heart behind it.

After hearing this from her, she stopped thinking about these issues, at least for tonight. Tonight she wanted to have a last bit of fun in canterlot with her princess friend.

"Shoot!, if i don't get going, i'm gonna be late for the fair!" luna exclaimed, quickly glancing at trixie for some type of approval.

"Just go, i'mma be fine, i'll meet you at the fair!" trixie said, swatting her away with hoof.

Luna nodded, getting the approval she wanted, taking off for the castle as quickly she could. Leaving trixie to wonder what her next move should be.

It was her idea to come down to this strip and it seemed a little to early to head to the fair. She wasn't really a carnival games mare. She much preferred the atmosphere, rides and food provided. Then she thought about whether spike knew about the fair and attended it with twilight.

It made sense for her and checking on the drake was something she wanted to do. Spike has been on the back of her mind for at least the whole day. With that in mind, trixie wondered exactly she would say to him. She even wondered if she had anything more significant to say to him.

"I am gonna need his help to put the show together…" trixie thought to herself.

This was the excuse that she needed to justify just wanting to see how he's doing. She didn't put this rule up for rose. However, in her mind, the rules change when you have possible feelings for someone. Trixie knew this was a silly perspective but one that existing nevertheless. However, that's not the most pressing thing on her mind at the moment.

Putting together this show at least had two or three different hurdles to cross. Why would any ponies trust her to put on a show. Sure, she has maybe had more then a little bit of progress with at least two mares but is that really enough? Also there is the fact that she hasn't really done any tricks in years. Let alone the fact that she needs a venue to do this kind of show in. a lot of work is gonna need to be done for this to workout for her.

She continued to walk the market streets with this in her mind with no objective at all. That lack of objective was legitimately starting to annoy trixie. At this point, she decided to give herself two choices. Head to the fair or find a nice outfit in one of these shops. In these two choices she remembered something important.

"I'm not really an outfit mare though…" she said to herself quietly.

Which was a true statement, at least is was now. Her baseline outfit was just a cape and a hat. Then she remembered luna's pick for the day and how much she liked that. So she did care about that kind of thing a little bit more then even she realized.

"Well… i gotta at least try new things…" this was the final push for her decision.

The happy medium, finding some cheap clothes at a thrift store should be her entertainment before heading to the fair. So she headed off, looking for the nearest thrift shop with an agenda in her mind.

Canterlot fairgrounds, concert ares, backstage: 2 hours before nightfall

"Thanks for this, you a gem spike" octavia said to a disgruntled spike

"An actual gem would be more then appreciated after this" spike replied while lifting a heavy speaker.

After hearing the edm that hit spike's ears, he decided to head for the concert area. However, due to the quality of speaker, they blew out pretty easily after an admittedly impressive beat drop. So with little options and a helpful dragon on site, they had what's needed to fix the problem before fireworks.

"By the way, where's twilight?" octavia asked.

Spike first dropped the speaker where it needed to be before answering her question.

"Playing games, i didn't want to, so hear i am" spike replied, getting a nod from octavia.

"Not good at them, hyh?" octavia asked jokingly

"Come on, you know those things are rigged to death!' spike replied with a small chuckle.

"So i guess none of my wins are legitimate" octavia said smugly.

"You and twi are smart, i consider that cheating" spike said, getting them both to start laughing.

Spike decided to take a seat on top of the speaker due to lack of work. Octavia decided to lay down as well with nothing to do until vinyl got back.

"Where's vinyl anyways?" spike asked octavia.

"Well, looking for stronger cables, wants to make sure everything is on the up and up..." octavis replied.

However, just the mention of vinyl made octavia immediately start sounding melancholic. Spike picked up this tone and decided to pry just a little bit.

"Hey, everything ok?" spike asked her.

She already knew that spike was picking mood changes. However, she didn't even see her worries as a big deal. Although, she did know lying to him about the issue would be hard to do. So she just decided to speak on just ideas and not the actual scenario that is happening to her.

"You already know how i feel about her, right?" octavia asked, getting a nod from spike.

"I feel like i running out of time but i'm too nervous to say anything" octavia finished.

Spike always found it adorable the way that octavia cares about vinyl. Mostly because besides casual conversion, octavia was a no nonsense mare. To spike, vinyl was the definition of carefree nonsense. So he wondered what was her appeal.

"What do you like about her?" spike asked to get a sense of her feelings.

"Wow, straight to the point huh…." octavia immediately started getting flustered.

However, she managed to work through when putting thought into her next couple words. She looked th drake in the eyes and began to speak her peace.

"Well, in the simplest term, she challenges me" octavia replied with a blooming smile.

"Isn't that bad?" spike asked, getting a chuckle from octavia.

"If your never challenged, how do you grow?" octavia replied with a question of her own.

Spike couldn't really argue with her on that front. This statement got him thinking about where he currently is. Then, he started thinking about how things have been this past month. Going to a party and coming back to canterlot. These two things wouldn't have been done without the help of….

"That can't be right…" spike accidently said out loud.

"Hm?" octavia asked, hearing him.

"Um, i mean, that can't be all right?" spike asked, clumsily recovering from his mental lapse.

"Well, no but… i prefer to keep that to myself…" octavia suddenly became flustered.

"If it stays that way, then you'll never be heard" spike replied in a much graver tone.

Something about his point really bit into octavia. She's hid these feelings for years and they were most painful while vinyl was dating. Every small and stupid argument they had over all the nameless colts she hung around with. She even watched one get so close to her and shatter her heart to pieces.

Would things have changed if she said something early? Octavia had no idea but she wasn't gonna let vinyl pass her by without at least knowing her feelings.

"I sometimes forget how insightful you can be" octavia replied with a smile.

"Well, i've had experience…" spike replied, sounding slightly melancholy reflecting on his past.

"Hey, that experience lead you to fluttershy" octavia replied.

"Yeah, your right" spike replied, nodding and quickly snapping out of his melancholy.

Octavia sighed, not ready for what she as about to do. Octavia decided not to speak for a little bit, thinking about what in the world she was gonna say to vinyl. Spike had a sense that this is what she was taking the time to think about.

After a little bit, octavia turned to him and asked a simple question.

"Know any good date spots in canterlot?" octavia asked in pure and innocent curiosity.

"I like the confidence and all, but do i look like a dragon that can afford a date in canterlot" spike replied with dry wit.

"Sorry…." octavia replied, forgetting that she is technically a member of the elite.

"But i've heard of a place in the high end district that has amazing live music" spike recalled from a conversation with rarity.

"What's it called?" octavia asked in curiosity.

"I don't remember…" spike replied with a claw on his chin.

While spike was thinking about the name, octavia held a smile on her face. No matter what scenario, this dragon was always willing to be helpful. However, for the next thing she was about to do, she needed a little space.

"Everything is pretty much good here, you could head out now" octavia said in the lightest tone.

Spike was very much aware as to why she needed him gone. Part of him wanted to stay and see how her confession would go. But, doing something that massive must already be nerve racking enough. He didn't want to be the one that made it worse.

"Alright… but you better tell me how it goes" spike replied with a sly smirk.

"Sure spike, sure" octavia replied with a small chuckle.

Spike got up from the speaker he was sitting on and was getting ready to leave. As he was walking away from the stage, he had a though pop up into his head. He probably knew the answer he was going to get if he asked this question. Thought for him, it didn't hurt to at least ask octavia about it.

"Hey, do you think fluttershy will challenge me… you know, in the good way?" spike asked, frozen in place.

"It's too early to tell, don't worry about that stuff right now!" octavia replied with a swat of the hoof.

He chuckled, feeling silly for even asking something like that. It is too early and so far things seem to be going pretty well for him. After hearing these words, spike made his exit from the stage to enjoy the upcoming fireworks.

Octavia looked at the drake as he walked away. She sighed, knowing the lie she just told the drake. However, she had her own problems to deal with and needed to prepare herself for the task at hand.

"You can do this…" octavia said to herself, barely ready for what could come next.

Canterlot fairgrounds, concert area, seating area: 30 minutes till nightfall ceremony

The sky was cascaded by stars and the moon was the brightest it's ever seen. Atleast, that's what she was trying to focus on. looking around, she saw multiple couples bundled together in warm blankets. Protecting themselves from the chill of the night in each other's embrace. This was a feeling she never thought about craving before but now it's a constant in her mind.

In all honesty, she wasn't even really that cold. The one item she bought from the thrift store was a light blue hoodie. It was warm enough and it even concealed her face from others. Yet, she still feels this chill inside of her. She sighed, only here for two reasons and one of them didn't…

"Hey…"

Trixie turned around and saw that stupid dragon with a smile on his face. Sometimes she hated how happy go lucky he can be. However, she knew better then to think he was just fine. She knew him on at least the smallest level, insecurity and all.

"Hey yourself" trixie replied with the same amount of simplicity.

Before she could even think about what to say, he decided to sit right next. He sighed, seeming like he had a pretty extensive day.

"What's got you tired?" she asked.

"Oh, just had to help octavia lift a speaker" spike replied, carefree as ever.

"You know you don't have to help everyone, right?" trixie asked jokingly.

"I know but it was either that or carnival games" spike replied with a groan.

"Lifting heavy objects or throwing a ring…." trixie replied with heavy sarcasm.

"Ok, ok, i get it!" spike replied as they both started laughing.

While they were talking, that chill trixie felt was slowly eroding away. It was instead being replaced with a heavy warmth. Yet, this warmth didn't make her flustered around him. It felt more like sitting around a campfire, a comfortable warmth.

"Hey, i'm gonna need your help with something when we get back" trixie said, remembering her promise to luna.

"Didn't you just…" spike was about to comment before trixie interjected.

"Since your helping me, your right to choose has been revoked" trixie said mockingly.

"Fair enough, what's your request?" spike replied with a smile.

"Um.. about a magic show… i've decided to change my mind" trixie replied,slightly flustered,

This was due to the reality of what she just promised to do. Everything about her negative past was attached to her show magic. However, when she looked over to spike, she saw this overwhelming look of pride on him.

"That's great, of course you have my support!" spike replied with a stupid grin on his face.

"Say that now but once the work starts, we'll see how you feel" trixie replied jokingly.

"Same with you, don't chicken out of this" spike replied in the same town.

"I can't, don't wanna disappoint royalty.." she replied, coming off as a humble brag.

"Really, in exchange for what?" spike immediately sniffed out a deal was made.

"You'll see" trixie replied, still vague about the deal that was made.

After their small bit of conversation, they both just sat together quietly. For others it would seem awkward but for them it was perfect. These two both lead lives mentally and psychically that exhausting them. The day was indeed a long one for both, so having a moment of silent peace was important.

Spike was thinking about something octavia said about challenge. It was such a simple idea and yet it flew over his till now. Having someone who would push you forward instead of holding you back. But why was this something he was thinking about right now? His relationship is still fresh and might evolve over time.

He then turned to the mare beside him on the blanket. Looking up at the sky, waiting for the fireworks to show up. She looked like a excited foal and it was adorable. However, this glance wasn't unnoticed by her. She turned herself to look the dragon straight into his emerald eyes.

"Hey spike…" trixie was the first one to speak up.

"Yeah.." spike replied, nerves hitting him like a truck.

"Been one hell of a year so far, huh?" she asked with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, you could say that" spike replied, breaking out of his previous thought.

They were only inches apart at this point and trixie was well aware of this. Spike just didn't really have a care for things of such a small nature. The closeness actual felt natural for both of them. Spike started really valuing the small bond they managed to have throughout these couple of months.

While spike was in quiet thought, looking at the stars. h e felt a soft fur presence on his right side. He turned to find that the presence was trixie, resting on him. Her violet eyes were slowly closing shut. Spike didn't really want to bother her and he didn't really mind it. Matter of fact, he actually was finding it quite pleasant. Now this wasn't something he was going to admit to anyone but himself.

The jasmine scent of her hair hit his nose again. Spike was always fond of the sweet scent but never had a chance to fully enjoy it. So he was sitting there, a mare lying on his side, watching the night sky. He was tired enough to start falling asleep himself until….

"How it's going party ponies!"

The loud sound of an ecstatic dj blasted the speakers and woke up the dozing mare beside spike. Trixie's eyes fluttered open to turn and look at him. However, unlike last time she did this. She wasn't rushing to get up.

"What was that?" trixie asked with a yawn attached.

"Vinyl, the celebration must be starting" spike replied just as casually.

Both of them had the same middling reaction to their situation. They've finally past the point where they are fully comfortable with each other. Spike felt this way while honestly being platonic with her. Trixie was glad about this but she genuinely harbored feelings for the drake. This made things only slightly complicated for her.

"Actually i need to be up for this" trixie replied, moving away from the drake.

Your heard a massive scream from the crowd and vinyl was eating up that energy. She threw her hooves up into the aire, getting another scream from the massive crowd.

"Now before we get things started, we have a special message from…"

Before vinyl could finish her sentence, what seemed like a royal guard ran up to the stage. For what seemed like a minute. The guard was whispering in her about something important. After that minute, she returned to position.

"Sorry for the delay but it's looks like there's been a change of plans…"

Soon as trixie heard this, she was immediately excited for what was to come. She nudged spike for him to pay attention to the stage.

"Princess luna will actually kick off our opening ceremony!"

While you still heard cheers at this announcement, they weren't as many as before. It wasn't silent but passion isn't the word you should attach to it. This slightly sadden trixie but that only meant she had to keep one of her promises.

"Yeah!" trixie gave the loudest cheer possible.

Spike was surprised she managed to get luna on that stage. Due to this rare occurrence and the energy the trixie had. This left no choice but for spike to stand up and join her cheer.

"Wooooooo!" spike cheered, throwing his balled claw up in the air.

Trixie heard his support and that was enough to make her smile. Sometimes she didn't understand how one dragon could have this big of a heart. However, like most ponies, she didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Once vinyl heard all of the cheers, she dropped the volume of whatever edm was playing. Looking at the audience, she made the announcement trixie was waiting for.

"Please welcome… princess luna!" Vinyl stepped away from the microphone.

Canterlot fairgrounds, concert area, backstage: nightfall ceremony begins

She heard the cheer of the crowd, waiting for her arrival on stage. While her nerves will still heavily attached to her, she's never been so excited. She was only going to be speaking for a small amount time but it meant a lot to her. Enough where she was still fighting with what she wanted to say.

While she was having this fight, she heard something. One cheer out of thousands, the one she was promised to hear.

"Yeah!"

It was trixie, she kept her promise and that gave her the last bit of confidence. She took a deep breath and started her walk onstage.

Canterlot fairgrounds, concert area: the nightfall ceremony

She took it step by step and her breaths were slow. The area around her turned from a box filled dark room into an arena with a view of thousands. As soon as she arrived on stage, the cheer of the crowd exploded. At first, this intimidated her, did she really have something that important to say?

After a little bit though, she started seeing familiar faces. She saw her kingdom, ponies dealing with their own problems. A colt that's still feeling the fresh effects of a divorce, a mare whose son recently died and many more. She's talked to these ponies and did her best to comfort them in their sleep. Sometimes it's this misery that connects her to ponies more then joy.

She walked up to the singular microphone next to the turntable. This time, she let the audience hear her sigh before speaking.

"Um… wow, hello and how are you guys doing tonight?" luna's first words were nerve ridden.

That didn't bother the crowd though. They responded in kind with loud cheers from all across the fairground. Luna was quite surprised by the reaction she was getting from the crowd. However, she mostly blamed this on the energy of the event. She took another breath and began her speech.

"I.. i want to admit something… it took a lot for me to appear on this stage.."

"I never thought i was worthy of being here do to my mistakes and their effects…"

"However, i learned something from those feelings of discontent…"

"That these feelings, no matter how much pain they cause you, are normal.."

"And that someone, anyone, can show you the way but only you can change it…"

"Someone helped me, someone like you, show me the way…"

"So, i wanted all of you to know, as your princess, the one who sees your fears and dreams…"

"That i will always be your guiding light and you will never ne alone!"

Those last words were spoken with power and the audience felt the power behind those words. They responded with an eruption of cheers and luna was already building from that energy. She put on a bright smile and left with a final message.

"Enjoy today and may you all have a peaceful night, enjoy the ceremony!"

Luna left the stage with an excitement beyond fever pitch. This was one of her biggest fears and it sounds like she knocked the speech out of the park. She kept that bright smile and made her way off the stage.

canterlot fairgrounds, concert area, seating area

"I'll admit, getting luna on that stage was impressive"

Spike was talking to trixie about the even that just occured. Trixie allowed herself to do a bit of modest bragging on her part.

"Her speech was amazing .." trixie stated, blown away and inspired by her words.

In her opinion, she didn't really do that much for luna. Just simply talk to her and that apparently meant a lot. Her having that much of an impact on her brightened her mood in a big way. The biggest tell was in her face of pure wonderment and joy.

"Yep, you can say that was a good trade off…" spike replied.

"Now i gotta do that magic show!" trixie said, still energy filled from the speech.

Spike nodded and had himself a small chuckle. He admittedly loved seeing her happy but that could be said for mostly anyone he meets. However, something about her wins were a bit more potent in his mind.

"Maybe we should…" spike was going to say something but a yawn escaped his mouth.

"Someone's tired" trixie said in a mocking manner.

"And your not" spike asked with a additional chuckle added in.

"Already had my rest…" trixie replied, becoming flustered.

"Um. yeah…" spike replied, the sudden flustering becoming contagious.

They were both completely silent at this point. One already figured out her feelings about the other. While the other is trying to figure out why these kind of things are coming from. Spike considers her a very good friend and yet that moment is suddenly on reply in his mind.

Before they could think about the night anymore then they already were. They both heard a big crack in the sky. They both look up to see the very first burst of color appear in the sky.

"Woah…" trixie commented, amazed by the bright color.

Spike was smiling as well, it being a while since he's seen a firework before. Trixie had the same reaction as well. Although, she ended up getting into much deeper thought while watching these colors explode.

She's lived a decently long life as a mare. Been to many places, done many different things and met many ponies. Even so, these have been the most meaningful couple of months she has ever had. She atleast was starting to gain a sense of herself but her footing still needed work. Trixie was confident that with spike on her side, she could find that footing.

She took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. Fireworks for her signified the ending of one season and the start of another. Change was inevitable for the both of them but for now, might as well enjoy the show.

Meanwhile in another town

Her eyes were irritated from the amount of crying she was previously doing. A nose, dripping with blood, a wound that was still fresh. However, that was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling inside. She choose the floor of her grass hut to lay herself on, lacking energy to move elsewhere.

However, the most interesting thing about this pony's mood, she had no regrets about her a fact, she wanted to slap a little harder. She's always been timid and never prefered to start anything. However, she's pushed a little too far and she not getting pushed over.

"I can't.. I'm not gonna let her run me over!"

She felt like crying but she already knew it wasn't doing anything for her. Besides, she was already running out of time. She heard a vicious knocking on her door that was attached to a furious voice.

"Fluttershy, you coward! How dare you say those things! Open This door or i will!"

She took a deep breath and pulled herself up from the floor. She is about to show her exactly what this coward can do. The mare was no longer scared, she was furious with the mare outside the door. She looked at the door with both fear and surpressed anger.

"Come on then!"

Next time: the emerald servent, chapter 15.5: to assert your existence

An: hi, i've been gone for three months and here's why. In all seriousness, i'm super sorry for being so late with this chapter. A lot of stuff happened. From work during the holidays to vision problems and just plain laziness. Also, everytime i looked at this chapter it was always one change after another. Sadly, this doesn't mean i have a clear timetable for the next chapter. However, that preview should tell you i'm a lot farther along with it. Chapter 15.5 is a really really fun chapter to write and there are reveals a plenty. One last thing, thank you guys so much for sticking with this old man's pacing problems. Also i've tried a couple new formatting tricks with the story, let me know what ya think!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this chapter long in t

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