Chapter 15 - A Gift from the Dragons' Heart
Spike woke up with a pumping, beating headache. He hadn't felt like this since the time he helped Twilight study for a particularly hard exam, and he kept himself awake by drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee; when the caffeine's effects died, he fell like a sack of potatoes.
"Nnngh... don't tell me I had twelve expressos... again..." Spike groaned while rubbing his forehead. He then remembered what had happened before he fainted, and after that, realized that a warm, caring hand was holding his other arm.
"Calm down, Spike. It's me, Sally."
Spike turned his head and smiled at the sight of the Mobian princess, who was now gently caressing his forehead. Spike also realized he was no longer at the Changelings' Hive but in a bed, and, judging by the room's decoration, he was at the hospital.
"What happened... Wait.. King Sombra..."
"Drake." Sally held both of Spike's hands now. "You did it, Spike. You healed Adam's brother. He's in the next room; he woke up a few minutes ago. Adam is with him, and they're comparing stories and catching up. The guy feels quite guilty for all the stuff he did as King Sombra... according to Twilight, he seemed to be in physical pain when somepony mentioned the Crystal Ponies."
"If he really is gonna feel like that for everything wrong he did, the poor guy's conscience will punish him forever." Spike sighed, feeling a bit bad for Drake.
"But his brother will help him, and you know Princess Celestia and Luna will cooperate too." Sally reminded him. "As for you, well, you had been unconscious for a couple days now. After the battle, we found you and Drake outside of what was left of the Hive's inner chamber. We brought you here, and you both had been sleeping since then. Adam and Twilight got your Staff, and she is keeping it at home with a protective spell."
Spike nodded, agreeing with Twilight's idea. Something as powerful as the Infinity Staff should never be left unattended, and being unconscious himself, Spike wasn't in the best conditions to guard it.
"We all had been taking shifts to be here with you... except Pee Wee, of course. Fluttershy had to take him to her cottage because the little guy wanted to be with you, but it's kinda dangerous to have a fire-powered bird in a hospital; alcohol, anesthesia, bandages, oxygen tanks... too many flammable things."
"Yeah... that's why Twilight or Princess Celestia often had to nurse me themselves whenever I got sick in the past; I wouldn't be allowed in here if I had the hiccups." Spike chuckled a bit and then smiled back at Sally. "I'm glad everything is over."
"And I'm glad you're alright." Sally replied. "You are now one of Equestria's main heroes, you know that?"
"Yeah... hope I am doing it for the right reasons." Spike sighed, intriguing Sally. "You know... when I first started with this... it was because I didn't want to be useless to my friends... and... to really being helpful in case of danger... But, mostly, I did it to... impress a special someone."
"You said... 'someone' instead of 'somepony'... so... you're not talking about a mare, am I right?" Sally asked, gulping a bit at this realization.
"Yes, you're right... and you're also beautiful, brave, tender, kind... overall, you're awesome... As Rainbow would say, you're 20% more awesome than anypony I've ever met." Spike smiled at the little joke but then got serious again. "What... I'm trying to say is... well... uh... To put it simple... do you know where's my backpack?"
Sally, a bit puzzled by this change of topic, nodded at him, and stretched her arm to retrieve Spike's backpack, that was on the other side of the room. Sally noticed Spike was often very careful with it, so guessed the contents were very important to the dragon and asked their friends and the hospital's staff to keep it in the room.
"Thanks." Spike grabbed the backpack and then, surprising Sally, the dragon took out the Glacier Sapphire he had been keeping for a long time now.
"Usually, when I get a gem like this, I consider myself lucky because I'm having a fancy dinner." Spike smiled as he gave it to Sally. "Now I consider myself even luckier because I found the right girl to give this to her; and the heart's shape is, well, as symbolic as you can guess: basically, I'm giving you my heart. Will you... take it?"
Sally paused for a few moments before giving Spike the most tender, loving stare the dragon had ever seen so far, and then the princess gave him a long, wonderful kiss that he replied with the same love and passion he was getting.
"I'm glad to take your heart, Spike, since, for a long time now, you've had mine." Sally said when they paused the kiss, and the new couple smiled again before getting back to kissing.
"You've had my heart pretty much since you came to Equestria." Spike caressed her face while still kissing Sally's lips.
"And you've had mine since you left; it just took me a bit more to realize it." Sally confessed, smiling and tenderly kissing his nose and lips.
"And... voilá!"
The couple turned to see Pinkie Pie with an artist's outfit, and giving the last touches to a large picture of Spike and Sally kissing.
"Heh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you guys; but I had to get this moment on picture."
"Okaaaay... besides the fact it looks like a kindergarten's paint, it's a pretty nice touch." Spike chuckled.
"Hey, I painted it in less than 2 minutes and without you two noticing I was in the same room. Give me some credit." Pinkie grinned before taking out some cards. "Oh, wait, I have credit here already."
Spike and Sally rolled their eyes yet smiled at Pinkie's antics. The mare left the paint at the room and started walking out of the room.
"I have to tell the others you are finally awake, Spike." Pinkie winked an eye at the dragon before finally leaving the room. "And I have to start organizing your 'Spike and Sally Finally Got Together' Party."
"I'm surprised she hasn't organized a 'The Changelings Are No Longer A Threat' Party." Spike chuckled.
"Oh, she did. Yesterday. Right outside the hospital." Sally grinned while taking out a party box. "Here. I saved you some cake and party gifts."
"Never missing a cue, uh?" Spike laughed and the couple went back to kissing.
Meanwhile, at Ponyville, the dragons were hanging around with their respective love interests, everyone on a different location. Garble was with Nicole at the library, the smart girl trying to improve Garble's general culture; Shakes with Leeta at the Apples' farm, helping with a cart; Fumes with Lyco just walking around town, and Puff with Fiona buying some muffins and candies at Sugarcube Corner.
"Hey, guys!" Pinkie pretty much appeared out of nowhere behind Garble and Nicole. "Spike is awake! Going to tell the others!" Pinkie disappeared as quickly as she appeared.
"How does she do that?" Nicole arched an eyebrow.
"No idea... but I'm glad she came. Good to know the little guy is awake." Garble smiled and then went behind a bookshelf, retrieving a sack. "Both because I was worried about him, and because we dragons came to an agreement."
"What agreement?" Nicole asked him.
"None of us would give 'this' to a special girl before he woke up." Garble grinned at Nicole before taking out the Fire Ruby he had saved from the Diamond Dogs' territory.
"Garble... I... I thought that was your lunch..." Nicole was now blushing.
"For once, I'm not gonna hear my stomach, and do what my heart wants." Garble smiled at her while handing the gem to Nicole. "And what my heart wants, is to be with you, forever and ever; to be with the coolest, prettiest, most awesome girl I've ever met. The girl that changed my life for the better."
"It seems I also changed your vocabulary for the better." Nicole thought while giving him a tender smile and accepting the jewel. "And you're the guy who changed my life for the better, to the point I can't imagine myself living without you."
Nicole then stretched her arms to get Garble in a double hug, and kissed him long and passionately; Garble, excited, started kissing back with the same intensity and adoring every moment.
The scene repeated itself, with minor variations, all over Ponyville; Pinkie Pie would surprise one of the dragon-Mobian girl pairs, tell them about Spike's recovery, and disappear, making the dragon to take out a jewel and confess his feelings for the girls. Shakes and Fume gave Leeta and Lyco each a Forest Emerald, and Puff gave Fiona a Sky Diamond. Not long before that, the girls would react similarly to Nicole, hugging and kissing their respective dragon in passion and love.
As this happened, Twilight, who was among the first ones told by Pinkie that Spike had recovered conscience, used a spell to disappear the protective barrier around the Infinity Staff. The moment she did it, Spike, due to his mental and magical bond with the Stones, could summon the Staff, and it materialized in his hands; the first thing Spike did was... morphing the staff into a guitar, and serenading Sally.
Can't blame you, for thinking,
That you never really knew me at all.
I tried to, deny you,
But nothing ever made me feel so wrong.
I thought I was protecting you, from everything that I go through, but I know that we got lost along the way.
Here I am,
with all my heart; I hope you understand.
I know I let you down, but I'm never,
Gonna make that mistake again.
You brought me closer to who I really am
Come take my hand
I want the world to see
What you mean to me
What you mean to me
Just know that I'm sorry, I never wanted to make you feel so small.
A story is just beginning but let the truth break down these walls, oh yeah
And every time I think of you,
I think of how you pushed me through
and shown me how much better I could be.
Here I am
with all my heart I hope you understand
I know I let you down, but I'm never,
Gonna make that mistake again.
You brought me closer to who I really am
Come take my hand
I want the world to see
What you mean to me yeah
You make me feel like I'm myself
Instead of being someone else
I wanna live that every day
You say what no one else will say
you know exactly how to get to me you
Know It's what I need
It's what I need yeah
Here I am with
All my heart I hope you
Understand (I hope you understand) I know I let
You down but I'm never
Gonna make that mistake
Again you brought me
Closer to who I really am
So come take my hand
I want the world to see
What you mean to me
What you mean to me
By the time Spike finished singing, Sally's eyes were gleaming due to happiness' tears, and the medics, nurses, and all the patients that could leave their beds, were clapping at him from the room's door. Adam and Drake were there too, with Adam giving Spike an encouraging grin and head nod, happy for his pupil.