>"Do waiters normally hate you?" Twilight turns her head to look at you.
>The two of you are strolling at a leisurely pace through Ponyville on the way to the Library.
"Are you trying to be funny?"
>"What? No! I was just curious."
"He was the first waiter I have encountered in a long time, and probably the first to be channelling Satan."
>"Satan?"
"Yeah, Satan, lord of Tartarus or whatever."
>"But Tartarus is run by Lord Hades on request by Celestia. It is his job to manage over the passing of pony souls as they make the journey into-"
>You mind goes blank as Twilight launches into another lecture.
>With a mind and mouth such as hers, she can talk the back end off of a horse.
>And in a world of horses, nothing is safe.
>Nothing.
>You wonder if Spike is still into chess. At the same time, you hear an echo of your older friends laughing.
>You are trapped in a universe with no internet or video games, of course you are going to make do with chess.
>Besides, Spike had been a very avid player once he had learned the basics.
>Even as a baby dragon, he had quite the strategic mind.
>You realise Twilight has been quiet for some time, and you mentally kick yourself back into focus.
>She is giving you that smile again.
"Sorry."
>And there's the giggle again. You have to be honest, it is starting to grate on your nerves.
>You decide to ask what her deal is.
"Hey, do you-"
>"We're here!"
>Fuck.
 
>Ponyville Library.
>Even after several months, it looks almost exactly as you remember it.
>Almost.
"Is that...one of those space telescopes?"
>You point a finger at the large construction built sitting on top of the building.
>"It's called an observatory Anonymous. But, yes, it is a telescope for looking into space."
"Didn't you already have one of those? In fact I'm sure you have several telescopes for looking into space."
>"That's correct, but they are but toys compared to this. It's a catopric 20 inch QUEEN of a telescope, with an incredible focal length that can create a resolution image of which no pony has been able to see before!"
>A quick glance at Twilight shows her mashing her hooves together with quite a manic grin on her face.
>She catches you looking at her and quickly brings herself under control.
>"I mean, it's just a really big and powerful telescope."
>Now it's your turn to giggle.
"I'm sure it is."
>You are treated to a full blast of Twilight's 'stop mocking me' face, before she begins to trot towards the Library door. You make quick strides to keep up.
"Hey, I have to ask. How did you manage to build it? This is a giant tree, after all."
>The unicorn knocks on the door with a hoof. "Well that's what I was referring to earlier with Spike. With the construction crew, he managed to set up stabilised foundations in between the branches to support the observatory's weight."
>You try to run that scenario through your head, but you cannot really see it working.
>Twilight seems to notice your confusion and sighs.
>"There was magic involved."
"Ohhh."
 
>She raps harder on the door before throwing her head back and groaning.
>"He can't still be asleep, can he?"
>You are about to answer before she fills her lungs up and shouts.
>"Spiiiike!! Wake up!!"
>Your eardrums were not ready.
>As you kneel and hold your head in pain, the door opens.
>"Not so loud Twilight, I'm not deaf." A low voice permeates the ringing in your ears.
"I think I am now."
>"...A-Anonymous?"
>Slowly you raise your head.
>You get a glimpse of wide feet and long purple legs, and a scaled claw held out to you.
>With your head still begging for pain relief, you reach out and grasp the claw.
>Instantly you are yanked to your feet and caught in a bear hug. Your face is pressed into a scaled shoulder.
>"Anonymous! Oh man, it is you! It feels like it's been forever, buddy!"
>Your feet leave the ground as you are lifted up, the arms around your body tightening.
"Ak. Ak. Sp. Spik."
>Desperately, you slap a hand against the dragon's side.
>"Oh. Hehe, sorry about that."
>He gingerly puts you down, making some half-hearted effort to brush your arms down.
>You take the moment to get a good look as his face.
>His mouth seems a little wider, and his snout is more pronounced. The fins on either side of his head also appear longer.
>It is still the same face of the dragon you know.
"Good to see you again, Spike."
 
>"Likewise dude!" The dragon flashes you a grin and holds out his claw.
>You stare at it blankly for a second before grinning yourself, taking his claw in a firm handshake.
>Back when you lived with him and Twilight, the two of you had used handshakes as greetings.
>You weren't completely attached to it, but Spike must have taken it to heart. Being the only creature in the village with hand-like appendages must have been tough on the littly guy.
>Looking at him now, you really need to throw away the little guy label.
>Twilight was not kidding. The dragon had sure grown.
>Looking at him now, you definitely remember the last time you had seen him. His head had only just passed your navel, and his ridge of headspikes could have tickled your chin if he jumped.
>Right now his head is just less than an inch higher than yours, not counting the headspikes.
"Holy sh-wow, you are, uh-"
>"Tall?" He finishes for you, puffing out his chest a little. "Yeah, I had a huge growth spurt a few months ago. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Hell yeah. I wasn't sure whether to believe Twilight, but looks like she was right."
>"I told you." Twilight says.
>Spike turns to grin at her, and his brows furrow.
>"Whoa, Twilight, did you get into a fight while you were out?"
>Turning, you see that Twilight's eye now has a telltale dark ring around it.
 
"Crap, you were right about the black eye Twilight."
>"Oh, has it shown up already? Maybe I should have taken the hospital option." She says, touching a hoof just under her eye.
>You both laugh, although Spike is still frowning.
>"Twilight, if someone hit you-"
>"What? Oh no Spike, it was Anonymous's fault."
>The dragon looks at you, an eyebrow now rising. You hold your hands up.
"Guilty, but it was really an accident, honest."
>Twilight lays a hoof on your shoulder blade and pushes a little. "Come on you two, I'll explain once we're inside. I'm not sure about you Anonymous, but I'm still hungry after that sandwich."
>As you enter the library, the deep fragrance of books, wood and furniture invades your nostrils. It is a comforting and familiar smell.
>The place is still kept in good condition, no doubt made easier by Spike's larger stature.
>Books were still piled in precarious places though.
>Speaking of which, Spike had hurried over to a couple of sofas laden with books, scooping them up and dumping them on the floor.
>Twilight makes her way into the kitchen. "Would you like some more bread, Anonymous?"
"Yeah that'd be great, thanks."
 
>"Here, make yourself comfortable man. Don't mind the mess." Spike says, trying to carry as many books as possible.
"Hey, don't feel the need to clean up while I'm here. You forget, I was the lazier one when I lived here."
>You hear him chuckling as you sit on the sofa.
"These weren't here before, when did you get them?"
>"Not that long ago." Twilight says as she appears, levitating plates. "I've been getting a lot of feedback that ponies would like to use the reading area to, well, read. So it was necessary to make it more comfortable."
>Spike snorts as he sits down on your left, crossing his ankles and lounging back. "Even Rainbow Dash complained about it, said that leaning against the stairs to read was killing her back."
>Twilight nods as she levitates a plate of bread to you. Thankfully, this bread is not floppy, and you dig in.
>Spike gets his own plate of gems, which he munches slowly as he looks at you.
>Twilight, with another sandwich of flowers, also looks at you. She is seated on the other sofa to your right.
>The devouring of bread halts as you feel their eyes.
"Uh, do I have something on my face?"
>Spike guffaws and knocks you on the shoulder. "Come on man, I wanna know how you've been! What have you been up to all these months?"
>"You know, I'm a little curious about that too." Twilight chips in. "What have you been doing, Anonymous?"
"Oh, well uh, that is, an excellent question."
>Here comes the sweat, tickling the back of your neck. You hate being put on the spot like this.
"I have been, uh, very...very, busy."
>Nods all around. Go on Anonymous, do tell us more.
"Uh, that is to say, I have been..."
>A quick glance at Spike's curious green eyes and your resolve waves goodbye.
"...doing nothing."
 
>"What?" "Whuh?"
>You sigh and prepare yourself. Here comes the truth.
"I've been doing nothing. Nothing productive, at any rate."
>"Anonymous, what do you mean?" Twilight asks.
"I mean, all I have been doing is sitting around, trying to amuse myself. I do nothing useful at all, every single day."
>You are surprised to feel tears well up as you admit this.
>Confound these emotions, suppressing them drives you to breakdowns.
>As a scaled hand rests on your shoulder, you feel a sob threaten to break.
>Grimacing, you carry on.
"Ever since I met the princess, she has provided me with a daily allowance. Each morning, a bag of bits is delivered to my door. Nothing special, just enough to keep me going. But it meant that I never really needed to get a job. So, I haven't."
>A slight shuffle of movement, and a hoof now rests on your other shoulder. Fuck, it's getting harder to keep control.
"I go for groceries early in the morning and night, so I can avoid meeting anyone. I don't leave my house. I don't meet anyone. I just...do nothing."
>You have no idea how long you've been keeping in all this emotion, but you feel it sit on your chest with a horrible weight.
"Every day I know I need to go outside, face Equestria, find a job, see you all again. But I never can. I feel as if I'm still on Earth. That I'm still useless. Nobody. A burden."
 
>Slowly, you feel both dragon and unicorn press against your sides.
>A group hug. Oh god, here it comes.
>You let the tears fall, you can't hold them in anymore.
>It lasts too long, and you feel shame burning in your cheeks.
"I'm sorry."
>The claw on your shoulder tightens, and you look to your left to see shimmering reptilian eyes.
>A sniffle escapes Twilight. "You were never a burden."
>"You never will be, Anonymous." Spike mutters. His gaze shifts to his mentor. "Twilight is it ok if...?"
>You hear her breathe in deeply. "Anonymous...is it ok if, you move back in with us?"
>You don't respond.
>You just cry.