After the defeat of the Mean Three, everycreature’s lives were continuing on. Princess Celestia was continuing to allow Twilight Sparkle to take on more and more responsibilities as a ruler. Her school was a wonderful success, and it had even encouraged her mentor to change the title, and teachings of her own school to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Creatures. As Twilight and her friends are continuing to not only work in their own niches, but also founding the Council of Friendship, Spike has quite the experiences himself. Not only does he endure the emotional, hormonal roller coaster that is being a teenager, but takes on responsibility just as his “older sister” does.
 
Recognizing his potential, Twilight recruits Spike on many diplomacy trips around the world, it seems. He is very well-known in Griffinstone, Yakyakistan, and of course the Dragon Lands. Because of Spike’s charm and penchant for talking things out, he becomes an excellent example of how different creatures, even ones ponies would traditionally consider dangerous, can get successfully get along in peace and harmony. Twilight eventually offers to Spike (and later on, Starlight Glimmer also) to stand as her royal adviser. Spike, of course, accepts with great enthusiasm.
 
For the next few years, the purple dragon fits comfortably within his niche. He grows, and watches his friends endure the throes of relationships, and eventually get married. He attends each and every ceremony, and gets along quite well with Twilight’s husband Stygian. Its at that point he starts to spend more and more time in the Dragon Lands, helping Lord Ember shape her society into a more empathetic one, while maintaining their identity as dragons. His trips start to lengthen each time he visits, not only the Dragon Lands, but various countries in Equestria as well. Spike flourishes in his newfound role, but there’s a small ache in his heart he can’t quite shake.
 
It takes the dragon nearly four months to make it back to Twilight after she first notifies Spike she’s pregnant. His little niece Dawn Star is born, and he dotes upon her whenever he’s in Ponyville. He’s a very large presence in the little unicorn princess’s childhood, and they have a very close bond. Nevertheless, Spike still has a job and expectations of him. He continues his excursions, and as he steps into adulthood, he and Ember grow ever closer. The polar opposites, much like Discord and Fluttershy, found affection in their clashing personalities. They eventually “clash” in just right way to where, mere weeks after quite a unique matrimonial ceremony, Ember lays a little green egg.
 
Soon, Spike finds himself a father to little Cinder, his fiery and headstrong daughter. While he and Ember make a mutual decision to raise her primarily in the Dragon Lands, Cinder always loves to accompany her father to Ponyville, where she gets to play with all her adopted aunts and cousins. However, the trips to Ponyville get less and less frequent as Spike tries to focus on all his responsibilities at hand. He maintains, not only healthy relationships between other countries and Ponyville, but the Dragon Lands as well. He strives to be a good role model and loving father to Cinder, and a solid, adoring partner to Ember. Over time, however, he begins to feel like he’s wearing thin - too little butter spread over too much bread. He finds himself frequently thinking of the time where he was merely Twilight’s assistant, fetching books, and reading letters. While loving his work as ambassador and adviser Lord Ember, his heart longed for the quiet, more mellow atmosphere of Ponyville. He missed his friends, and while there was a huge change in the overall societal attitude of the Dragon Lands, there were always obvious reminders that Spike was not truly from there.
 
It all comes to a head one fateful night when Twilight and Ember confront Spike together, demanding an answer to his growing depression. Spike admits where he stands, and his exhaustion over trying to make sure everycreature he loves is happy. And how he feels like he’s failing them. His family, older and new, reassure him he’s doing nothing of the sort and give him a slight scolding for keeping this to himself for so long. Twilight tells him he doesn’t have to make a choice between her, and his wife and daughter, but he does need to make some decisions as far as his own happiness is concerned. For a few days, he tries to figure out what is best to do. Ember hates seeing her mate in such distress, and though he tries to hide it, she can see Cinder is beginning to really worry about her dad.
 
Ember comes to Spike then, and tells him to think back to all his excursions and diplomacy meetings and how much time they’ve spent apart. Despite such, they have a solid, loving relationship. She does not feel deprived or abandoned, and while she does miss him, she keeps herself busy until their next meeting. The dragoness encourages Spike to reestablish his residency in Ponyville. His role as adviser to Twilight was his passion. She wasn’t giving up his diplomacy skills entirely, but it was time she herself took up that role, to truly show the Dragon Lands was making an effort overall to show their (developing) benevolence. After all, she’s learned a lot from this dorkadoofus of hers.
 
From there, Spike’s happiness returns in full force. He returns to Ponyville the next day, proposing Ember’s idea. He will move back into the castle, his wife and daughter will visit whenever they want, and hoping he can step back into his role. There is no hesitation as Twilight welcomes Spike back with tearful, ecstatic enthusiasm. From there, Spike and Ember continue to meet at least once every two weeks, more if they can manage. After she gains her wings, Cinder goes back and forth several times a week. Her dad settles back into his niche, and proves to be an imperative, beloved member of Twilight’s Royal Court.
 
 
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A little bit of background as to why Spike remains in Ponyville, and Ember stays ruling the Dragon Lands, despite them being married in the Athenaverse. We’ll be taking a look into how the Mane Seven and Spike stand in the Athenaverse once the kiddos are around the age their moms were when MLP: FiM first began fairly soon. It will give a little more context as to Twilight’s role (she’s not going to be taking Celestia and Luna’s role, first and foremost) as well as explain what (and what not) will be taken from the canon of S9. Stay tuned lovelies, and as always, comments and feedback are highly appreciated.
 
Also, sorry for the delay in content! I ended up with a vicious head cold that evolved into tonsillitis. _ I do hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season, no matter what you celebrate!