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MLP Years Later (Malin and Sacred For Sale)

Spike was naturally very tense. As much as he tried to not let his actions bother him he had taken a step that he honestly had never expected himself to take with anyone let alone someone as delicate as Fluttershy. Even though he was more then happy to walk along side her he didn't even know what to say, and by the time they reached the farm it seemed like it was almost too late to actually say something important. It was something he kind of regretted but for the moment he had to put it out of his mind as the two of them found Applejack. Still he was no less grateful towards Fluttershy and he showed that gratitude with the ocasional look, and happy smile even if he didn't really have any words for it.

Seeing Applejack and hearing her accent again made Spike let out a long sigh of relief. As with Fluttershy their was no anger in her voice just the same kind of shock that had originally accompanied Fluttershy when he had shown up at her door. he smiled and gave a small nod. "I've been..." A lot of words could easily come to mind, but also for all the awkwardness he felt still being around Fluttershy he was actually feeling better just being around friends. "I've been good actually Applejack, and I know I never thought I would see these parts ever again either." He said looking around Sweet Apple Acres and enjoying the smell of farm land. "I'm glad I'm back."
 
The farm had been doing extremely well in the time since he and Twilight had left to go and study in the Crystal Empire. They had enjoyed a series of consecutive great harvests that had allowed them to spread out of Ponyville and start getting their crop moved around Equestria. Their cider became a rare drink equivalent to a bottle of wine from the finest and most exclusive winery. It had only gotten better when Princess Celestia had started placing large orders for their product. Soon every stuffy unicorn that had formerly looked down on them as being nothing but carnival fare was eager to get a pie from them. Applejack and Big Mac were rolling in the bits and had used much of it to make the farm even bigger.

“Nice ta see ya too, Flutters. How's the animals?” Applejack asked as she leaned casually back against a tree. “Oh, they're lovely.” Fluttershy replied as Applejack's attention moved back to the dragon that she hadn't seen in quite a long time. She could tell that he had grown up but Applejack didn't have any problem at all with adult dragons as long as they weren't trying to kill her. Applejack didn't seem to catch any of the awkwardness in when his voice faded out. “That's good ta hear. Where's Twi? Is that egghead with ya?” Applejack asked without paying attention to Fluttershy shaking her head slightly in the hope that it would communicate to the farmer that she shouldn't mention Twilight.
 
Spike had to admire the new land that had been acquired for the apple family farm. Seeing how successful they had became while he was away was refreshing. Unlike Fluttershy who seemed to have become alone and scared even more so without her friends, it was actually refreshing too see that one of his friends had done well for herself. Then however she mentioned Twilight, and suddenly Spike's shoulders sank. He tried his best to not be affected, but honestly after everything that had happened he looked over the Farm mare and just gave in, Sitting down for a moment his heavy body hitting the ground hard enough for him to feel it in his legs.

Spike shook his head, "No she won't be joining us." He said clearly with a bit of disdain for her. It was hard to hate someone who you regarded as close family, but after all that Twilight had put him through it was easy to dislike her. "It's actually just me, and will be for a while. Twilight's probably still in the library of the crystal empire rejecting everything around her except some book she wants to learn from." His voice carried clear echo's of dissatisfaction. "Sorry, It's a sour note at the moment. Twilight has gone full egghead, and I'm currently banished from the crystal empire because of it." He said he had told Fluttershy all of this before, and just wanted Applejack to be caught up to date on the current events.
 
Moments after she asked about Twilight Applejack not only noticed Fluttershy's attempts to get her to shut up about it but also noticed that he obviously didn't want to talk about the topic. She had a tendency to be a bit forward in her language and she was about to apologize but she wasn't sure what to say considering that she didn't know what the situation behind this whole thing was. She recalled that Twilight had again been secluding herself from her friends in the time before she had left but she had no idea how that would lead to Spike being sent to Ponyville on her own. She had been hoping he would have a message from Twilight but right now she could tell that his reason for coming was definitely far less happy.

The obvious distaste for Twilight in his voice was pretty shocking to Applejack and she ended up frowning slightly as she listened to the sad tale of what had happened between him and Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy stayed as close as she could without getting nervous to provide him with some support for the extent of his unhappy story. Applejack stepped in and gave him a one-armed hug when his story came to an end. “I'm sorry ta hear that, Spike. Twi changed a bunch after she become a princess. I bet she'll be back ta normal and askin' for you to come back pretty soon.” The earth pony commented.
 
The hug from Applejack wasn't at all like the one he had gained from Fluttershy. The difference in strength for one was immediately apparent, and also unlike with Fluttershy there wasn't anything beyond the friendship at least from what he felt at the moment. He was quick to bounce back at the idea that Applejack was right, and things would just end up working out okay. It was a pleasing thought, and so it was one that he was quick to latch onto. There were however other things that he needed to talk about. The kiss was certainly one of the things added to his list as he stole a guilty glance towards Fluttershy but there were other reasons as well. There was something a little darker that he needed to talk about.

"I hope your right." He said happily standing back up. The earth pony was always one of the people he could look to for optimism, and was more then happy to have her back in his life. Even if they were still a few people short having them back was strengthening Spike's resolve little by little. Spike glanced between Fluttershy and Applejack. "Till then however I am pretty sure I am staying in town, and well." He wanted to say that it was good to have a friend who wasn't afraid of him, but at the same time Fluttershy was right next to him, and he stole another look at the nervous Pegasus. There was a look of caring mixed into his glance. "I will be acting as Fluttershy's assistant for the time being, but I'm also on a bit of a journey to try and check up on everyone else." He said with a bright grin. Eventually he needed to get all of them back together, he just had no idea how to do that without telling them the truth.
 
Applejack had nearly crushed some of her less fit friends in the past with her strong hug but considering what a tough dragon Spike had grown up into she didn't draw back the impressive strength in her arm at all. She had known that Twilight had relapsed into her asocial behaviors like before she had moved to Ponyville with a small dash of extra arrogance and pompousness. She had started to get really annoyed with Twilight in the months before she left to go study in the Crystal Empire but that didn't mean that she didn't feel bad that she had lot a friend. She and Twilight had been so close but like all of her other friends could attest Twilight couldn't rectify her old self with her new royal duties and status. They had even tried sending letters to Celestia telling her what Twilight was getting like but even the words of Twilight's favorite mentor hadn't been enough to get Twilight to go back to how she had been in the past.

One the hug was over Applejack pulled back and glanced over her fields for a moment before turning her attention back to Spike. She was happy to have the company of the dragon right now even if she could tell that Fluttershy's dragon fear was affecting her right now. “Yer helpin' Flutters out. Ya know, if ya need more work I could always use a bit o' help here on the farm. I know Fluttershy'll keep ya mighty busy but if you've got the time I could use the help.” The earth pony suggested. “Oh, and if yer lookin' ta talk ta RD, she's gonna be 'round these parts pretty soon when the Wondbolts tour finishes up.”
 
Spike let out a small laugh hearing the way Applejack asked for his help. Fluttershy's schedual of work was very demanding but she had also said that she did most of the set up for it every other day. In all truth he could probably act as an assistant to both the farm pony and Fluttershy. "I could do that." He said truthfully. It wasn't much of a problem however he did have a coy smile about his face. "Of course that depends on how much the farm is willing to pay for a set of willing claws. I mean Fluttershy pays me with the occasional meal, and room and board." His greed showing through a little in the moment as he leaned against an apple tree.

His eyes widened for a moment, Dash was coming back? That was surprising news, and something even Fluttershy hadn't known. It wasn't all that surprsing that Applejack had a stronger connection with the other pony considering that they were always competing with one another. Still to hear that Dash was coming back and sooner than he had originally anticipated seeing her. He had originally thought that in order to see her he would have to go all the way to Rainbow Falls or one of the other Wonderbolt's bases. Blinking he was a little more than shocked to find out things were moving so quickly. Even so, even when they collected Rainbow and Rarity there would still be one missing. "I'm surprised to hear that she is coming back so soon. I thought for sure that she would have gone back to Cloudsdale." He looked towards Fluttershy slightly expecting her to be hurt by the fact that applejack was privy to some knowledge about their sporty friend that she wasn't. He knew he couldn't really comfort her, but at the same time moved a little closer towards Fluttershy just incase she needed him. Fluttershy was the more sensitive person around.
 
There weren't a lot of strong, fit ponies who didn't have jobs to distract them in Ponyville so there were occasional times that Applejack ran a bit short on the kind of help that she needed to deal with the larger harvests that she had continued to have. She had never worked with a dragon before but she could tell that Spike was muscular enough to deal with the solid apple trees that filled the farm. She grinned when he pointed out that he would be willing to help and then let out a short laugh at him amending that his payment would of course be important. “I'll give ya some spendin' money for yer help. I'll pay ya like I pay all of my other hired help.” Applejack assured him.

Fluttershy knew that Dash was going to be stopping by town for a while as well so she didn't seem surprised at all but Applejack's announcement. She was happy herself to have her longtime friend coming home for a while so that they could hang out. “She ain't stayin' here for long, but Dashie told me that she wants ta spend some time with us. She's stoppin' by for 'bout a week and then headin' back to one of the Wonderbolts bases for some more trainin' and what not.” Applejack explained with a small shrug. She was excited to see the new Wonderbolt come home so they could spend some time together. “I'm sure she'll be mighty excited ta see you when she gets here.”
 
Spike smiled and nodded at the idea of making some spending money. Oddly enough he wasn't actually used to getting paid for his work, rather when he had worked as a life long assistant for Twilight it hadn't even been an allowance, he was given the occasional coin to spend, but it was much more along the lines of slave labor. Now that he had returned to ponyville he had the prospect of a job some money, and a place to stay and what was more important was that these things felt like he had earned them not simply been given them. "Sounds like a deal to me." He said taking Applejack's hand and shaking it lightly as he smiled. He didn't mind working for the same rate as the other helping hands, heck it actually made him feel a little better about fitting in.

So Rainbow was only coming back for a week? Spike said a little shocked that it wasn't longer, but at the same time that worked out perfectly. If he moved quickly he could gather back all of his friends during that week. Then they could all know the other part of the truth. It wasn't lying if they simply didn't know that there wasn't anything they needed to worry about right? He scratched nervously at the back of his head justifying it in his head. "Either way it will be good to see her." He said happily. "Now if we could just figure out what happened to Pinkie." He said wondering if he could write a letter convincing Rarity to come into town for a bit. She had traveled around before he didn't see why she wouldn't now.
 
Fluttershy showed off that she was happy with the deal that Applejack had made with a small smile. She knew that feeding and housing Spike would be a bit pricey due to the large amount of food that a dragon would eat so it was nice to know that Applejack would handle some more of his income. Fluttershy new that Applejack was probably the most fair and honorable mare in town so the chance of her abusing or exploiting Spike was almost nonexistent. Fluttershy was also happy to know that she wouldn't always have Spike at her house looking for things to do to keep himself occupied. She liked Spike quite a lot and knew she would warm up to him eventually but right now she couldn't help but feel that him being there all the time would be a bit much.

“I agree. Dash's off every day with those Wonderbolts. I ain't gotten a letter from her in weeks.” Applejack commented before her own smile widened at the sight of Fluttershy's contained excitement at her friend returning home for at least a week. She knew Dash and Fluttershy were close even if the two of them didn't like to talk about it. Applejack frowned at the mention of Pinkie Pie. “Good luck on that one, Spikey. Nopony's seen that mare since she suddenly left. The Cakes told me the twins didn't stop cryin' for a week.”
 
Spike laughed at being called Spikey, no one had used his pet names in many years, and while he felt that he had grown a lot the addition was not something he was going to deny. Actually coming from Applejack he had rather enjoyed it. Though hearing that no one had seen the party pony in a very long time, was distressing it wasn't really anything they didn't already know. There weren't many places that Pinkie would travel too however, and the people that she would have gone too were few and far between. While spike could guess at where she had gone he had no actual idea if his guess was correct on the matter, and applejack was right no one had seen her in a very long time.

"Well I'm duty bound to try and figure that one out, but there is still time to work those questions over." He said lightly rubbing his jaw as he worked on the mystery that had become Pinkie Pie. All of her friends leaving the town had definitely affected her. Pinkie wasn't exactly the most stable, he could still remember the interrogation she had given him the last time she thought all of her friends had abandoned her. "Oh!" Spike's eyes lit up for a moment with a question hitting his mind. "Did Applebloom ever get her Cutiemark? And how is Grannysmith? she must be pushing over a hundred by now."
 
Pinkie Pie's sudden disappearance had been a pretty big shock to the town. All that they had from her was a letter that she had sent about a week after she disappeared that confirmed only that she hadn't had anything bad happen to her and had left on her own accord. Nopony knew why she had left or where she was going so eventually the quest to get her to come back had come to a gradual end. The Cakes still talked occasionally about how they missed the wild party pony and the twins would occasionally comment that their new babysitter wasn't as good as their old one. Most of the town missed Pinkie Pie but that didn't mean that they had been able to get her to come back home.

“I certainly hope you find her. I still have some of my animals asking for a Pinkie Pie cupcake occasionally.” Fluttershy commented in a soft voice before looking down at the ground with a hint of sadness. Pinkie, like Dash, had been one of the ponies that had stood between her and being a total shut-in who only head into town to do shopping. It was a bummer to have the both of them gone. “Yep, Applebloom picked up a cutie mark not long afta you and Twi left. That girl got a cutie mark in carpentry and since then she's been buildin' all sorts of stuff around the farm. Granny's still kickin' as well, but she's even more cantankerous in her old age.”
 
Spike nodded lightly he had every intention of finding the pink party pony. Sadly it was probably gonna be a bit of a quest. He scratched the back of his head and laughed a little when he heard that the apple family was working strong, and that Granny smith had some how become even more stubborn in her old age. He had to admit that he felt a little excited at the prospect of working the farm along side Applejack. Not only would it give him money but he also relished the oppertunity to use his strength, and actually work. The jobs around fluttershy's animals while necessary were also more delicate than working an orchard, and he needed a physically demanding workload both as a dragon, and just to keep his claws out of trouble in general.

"Sounds like the family must keep your hands full. So then Applejack when would you like me to start working?" He turned towards Fluttershy giving her a light smile he still hadn't forgotten about the kiss or how awkward his life had become after the last few minutes. "And also do we have any errands we need to run today while it's still the afternoon? I noticed that we were running low on a few things." He said remembering that Fluttershy had said she needed to get some more food into the house especially now that she was dealing with one more large animal.
 
“I definitely do. You might wanna find all of those old crusaders 'round town. I know those gals liked yer company quite a lot. Sweetie Belle seemed t' miss ya when you headed off with Twi.” The farm mare explained as she leaned back against the trunk of the powerful free. Applejack wasn't the type to give herself a lot of breaks so having one basically formed onto her by this conversation was kind of nice. As much as she would like to think so she couldn't do the whole farm in one go, especially these days. Having Spike's help would be a great assistance in getting all of the harvesting done at a good pace.

“It would be great if ya could start someone tomorrow. Mac and I 're gonna talk about what needs ta be done later tonight so we'll make a plan for the rest of the harvest with you in mind. Could ya come around here at around 11 tomorrow?” The farm mare suggested. “We do have a few shopping stops to make. I could use some more food for my friends. I should also go talk to Zecora soon about some things I need.” The pegasus added.
 
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