Blood Ties

by Draconian Soul

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Original Character, Spike, Rarity
Length: 10089

Spike has always considered Ponyville his home, that is until his real family showed up and made him question where he truly belonged.

Spike has always considered Ponyville his home, and has always held Rarity a special place in his heart. That is, until a group of dragons showed up after years of looking for him. After meeting his real family and hearing why he was brought into the ponies' care, he starts to rethink his old thoughts.

Now he only has a week to make a decision: either stay with the ponies who loved and cared for him most of his life, or go with the dragons and finally be with his real family. The decision would have been all so clear...

...if there wasn't another factor in the equation.

Much love to those who oversaw the story:

Pre-Readers: Skeeter the Lurker & Mr101
Editors: The Abyss & Man_Demon

Published 2013-10-03 22:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-19 22:27:10 UTC

I-Something's Missing

The egg nestled closely to the dragon's chest, sheltered from the dangers of outside. The fragile, unborn child was being protected by the warm, loving arms of his mother.

“Well, sug, looks like you’re going to hatch soon,” she said, giggling softly. “And I still haven’t come up with a name for you yet. I wonder what I should call you, my little fire spewer.”

She set the egg down in it’s nest, watching it with a tender smile on her face. “I’ll come up with something soon. Trust me, sweetie, you’ll love your name.” With those words uttered, she leaned into the egg and planted a small kiss along the top. “Good night, my precious baby.”

***

“Mommy?” Spike leaned up in his bed and touched his cheeks. There was no sign of comforting kisses there. It was cold and dry, bringing much sadness to him. “Darn, another dream…”

Spike sighed and lay back in his bed, small streams of tears trickling down his face, his small form being wracked by his silent sobs.

The sun soon invaded Spike’s peace of mind, breaking him out of his reverie. He sat in his bed, staring blankly at the wall. For some reason, he didn’t feel like his normal self. He felt empty… incomplete. And it was all due to the strange dream he just had.

Rubbing his eyes, he made up his bed and walked downstairs. Twilight had prepared breakfast for the both of them, and placed the steaming pile of food on the table.

“Well, looks like someone finally decided to get out of bed!” Twilight cheerfully teased.

“Mmm hmm.” Spike walked to the table and sat down.

“Since you slept in for the most part, I decided to make something nice. Buttery, mouthwatering pancakes! Piled up high, just how you like them.”

“Yeah… thanks,” Spike duly replied, poking at his breakfast with a fork.

“Um, is something wrong, Spike?” Twilight asked. “You’re kind of acting strange. Normally, you’d be downing these homemade pancakes.”

“Yeah… homemade…” Spike sighed and dismissed himself from the table. “I’m not really hungry right now.”

Twilight watched as Spike walked back upstairs, dragging his tail along the ground. His display was upsetting her greatly. Without another thought, she followed him up the stairs and back into the bedroom.

“Twi, there a reason you came up here?” he asked.

“Actually, there is,” she said, sitting on the floor next to him. “I want to know what is bothering you.”

Spike stared at the ground and sighed. This wasn’t normal behavior for him. Twilight could always count on Spike being the lively one in the house. He might not have been the most productive at times, in fact a lot of the times he was downright lazy, but he always greeted her in the mornings with a smile. The Spike she was talking to however was a different story. He seemed borderline depressed.

“I dunno, Twilight,” he responded quietly. “I just don’t feel right.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. She read about certain mood shifts in dragons before, ranging from extreme rage to complete depression. However, from what she had read, those only took place every hundred years, and she was sure the flame induced rage he recently had wasn’t a coincidence.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I just… forget it.” Spike attempted to get up and walk away, but Twilight used her magic to force him back down.

“Spike, don’t walk out on me without telling me what’s wrong. Now, what do you mean by ‘you don’t feel right’?”

“There’s no point, Twilight,” Spike insisted. “It’s just me being dumb…”

“Spike, I’ve seen you being dumb, and this isn’t one of those times. I just want to know what’s got you so worried.”

Spike sat silently for a moment before finally bringing himself to open up and speak. “I don’t know why, but for some reason, I feel homesick.”

“Homesick?” Twilight began to smile knowing that that was all that was concerning him. “Well if that’s all that you’re worried about, we can always arrange to go to Canterlot for the weekend. Mom and Dad would be delighted to see…”

“No, Twilight! Not that kind of homesick.”

“Huh?”

“See, I knew you wouldn’t understand. Can we just drop this?”

And just like that, Twilight’s happiness came crashing down. She no longer had the slightest clue what was bothering Spike, nor what he truly meant by homesick. In situations like these, she considered it a better idea to give Spike some space.

“If it makes you feel better,” she said, turning towards the door. “I’m going to get some supplies for the picnic we’re having with the girls. Please, if you go anywhere…”

“Yeah, I’ll be back by ten if I decide to go anywhere,” Spike interrupted, laying back on his bed.

“Yeah. Like I said, I’ll be gone for a bit. Please, try to feel better when I get back.”

“I guess…”

Twilight closed the door and trotted downstairs. She was hesitant to leave such a depressed Spike inside of the library, but she needed to run errands before the outing. Still, it broke her heart to see him in such a state.

Spike remained upstairs in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He brought his claws out, staring at them with small tears trickling down his face. The dreams he had became a recurring thing, haunting him everytime he closed his eyes. He didn’t know why he was having these dreams, nor what they meant. All he could recall is the same vision: an egg, a soft, motherly voice, and the warm hands that cradled it, looking like larger versions of his. With a sniffle, he closed his eyes and muttered to himself.

“Where are you?”

***

“WHAT? Spike is upset?”

Pinkie Pie gasped from behind the counter once she heard about Spike’s apparent depression.

“I don’t know what’s bothering him, and he won’t talk to me,” Twilight explained to both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, who was preoccupying her time with an oatmeal raisin cookie.

“Probably just a dragon thing,” Rainbow Dash said. “Didn’t you say he had one of these random mood swings before?”

“Yeah, but even for him his reaction seems off. His mood swings are usually anger, not depression.”

“So what do you think it could be?” Rainbow asked.

“All I could get out of him is something about him being homesick.”

“Well that’s easy, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed. “All you gotta do is to take him back to Canterlot and throw him a giant Don’t be Homesick Party!”

“I already suggested that… well… without the party, but he says that’s not what’s making him homesick.”

“Why would he be homesick?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, he has us! Hard to believe he would be homesick with us supporting him.”

“Which is why I came here to ask for something,” Twilight began. “Pinkie, I know you’re already helping prepare snacks for the picnic, but do you mind…”

“Making Spike some of those yummy sapphire and emerald cupcakes with ruby bits that he likes?”

Pinkie’s ability to read into what other ponies were about to say never ceased to amaze her friends.

“Well, yeah.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed saluting her. “Pinkie Pie will do anything to bring a smile back on Spikey Wikey’s little face!” She skipped to the pantry to gather the supplies. “Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on his… um… Twilight, we have a tiny, itsy-bitsy problem.”

“And, that is?”

“We’re out of gems!” Pinkie flailed her arms out in despair. “Now Spike is going to be depressed all day, all because I couldn’t make him his cupcakes! THE HORROR!”

“Calm down, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash said, covering her ears. “You do realize we can always just ask Twilight to go to Rarity and get some more, right?”

“Oh yeah…” Pinkie giggled at the realization. “I guess I overreacted a little.”

“Ya think?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and directed her attention to Twilight. “Hey, if you don’t mind, could you go down to the boutique and fetch some more gems? I would come along, but I’m kind of busy helping Pinkie here.”

“Really?” Twilight questioned, “Cause from what I see, it looks like you’re eating more than you are helping.”

“Hey, this is helping!” Rainbow Dash blurted in offense. “I’m taste testing to make sure the food and snacks are good!”

“She’s being very helpful, too!” Pinkie chimed in. “So far, she’s taste tested all of our sandwiches, cakes, and drinks!”

“Again, I don’t really think that counts as helping,” Twilight retorted.

“Look, if you want to eat subpar food, that’s on you! I just want to make sure that we have something good to eat on this picnic, especially since Rarity is very picky. In fact, why are you even questioning my motives? Don’t you have a sad sap of a dragon you’re suppose to be helping?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight sarcastically responded. “I shouldn’t have questioned your helpful nature! I’ll just get going and let you get back to work.”

Rainbow Dash smiled victoriously, and went back to taste testing. All Twilight could do before leaving Sugarcube Corner is shake her head and smirk. Leave it to Rainbow Dash to take advantage of a situation.

***

Rarity sat at her table, sipping a cup of tea and reading the paper. She had finished organizing her home earlier than expected, and with the get together not starting for a few hours, she decided it would be nice to relax and unwind until it was time to get ready. These moments came rarely for her, and she made the most out of every moment.

However, the bell on her door reminded her that she still ran a business, and peace only lasted for so long. She set her mug on the table and walked into the main hallway.

“Welcome to my boutique,” she greeted, assuming it was a customer. “How may I help you?”

“Rarity, it’s just me,” Twilight responded.

“Twilight! It’s so good to see you. What brings you here so early?”

“Well, I need to ask a favor of you.”

“Do tell. I’m always willing to help a friend.”

“Well, I just need a few gems, just a few sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.”

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “I don’t know. My gem supply is a little low right now, and I still have quite a few projects I need to get done.”

Twilight sighed. “That’s understandable. If you can’t spare a few, we’ll just have to find another way to cheer Spike up.”

Rarity’s ears perked up immediately. “Wait, what’s wrong with Spike?”

“He’s… going through some form of depression I think. He didn’t eat this morning, and went back to his room and layed down on his bed. I thought that maybe some of his favorite cupcakes would cheer him up.”

Rarity gasped and cuffed her face against her cheeks. “Well, we can’t have him feeling miserable for the big picnic, now can we? Come! I’ll find you some of the best gems to use for the poor dear!”

Rarity led Twilight into her work room to retrieve the gems. Everything was shelved and well organized, with the exception of her organized mess that she left lying around if a spark of inspiration hit her. She walked to her chest where she stashed the extra gems she used for the dresses and opened it, inspecting her inventory.

“Well, I have plenty of sapphires, and I have a few rubies lying around here. However, I’m at a shortage of emeralds now. Hmm… does Spikey like topaz?”

“I think that Spike will eat anything gem related.”

“Not going to take that chance. My poor Spike is feeling down, and I want to cheer him up before our get together.” She looked at her small set of emeralds, smiling softly. “You know, we can always go dig for more gems later. My Spikey Wikey deserves to be happy.”

She levitated a mix of the three colorful gems and placed them into a bag. “Here, take them! Make Spike the best cupcakes you can out of these! Poor dear deserves at least that.”

Twilight took the bag with her magic. “Thanks, Rarity. I’ll take these back to Pinkie so she can make something out of them.”

Rarity gave a wide smile in delight. “Oh, that reminds me, am I needed for anything? I kind of feel bad for not helping with the set up. It’s just that, working outside in all that dirt…”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at Rarity’s disdain against anything that could make her filthy. “Don’t worry, Rarity. You giving me these gems is helpful enough.”

***

The egg once again was lifted by warm, loving claws, cradling the spotted unborn child in her hands. It was peaceful; just the egg and its mother, passing the time together in sweet comfort.

“I think I’ve finally figured it out what I’m going to name you,” the voice chuckled, rubbing the shell with it’s claws. “I think it’s a very fitting name for you.”

The name curled off the tip of the speakers tongue, however the egg was oblivious to what it was saying, and the memories that the egg retained couldn’t piece everything together. It was in the dark, knowing very little about it’s origin.

“What do you think about your new name, sweetie?” the voice softly whispered along the tip of the egg.

“I think the name is perfect. If only I knew what it was…” Spike continued to lay on his bed, tears failing to escape from his eyes anymore. He didn’t understand why his emotions were welling up inside him so much. The trigger came out of nowhere, and he was the victim of the shot. It hurt him to no end, not knowing who his parents were or where he came from.

And what bothered him more, was that the voice… the loving, nourishing voice… kept haunting him.

“I think he likes his name,” it whispered, most likely to something else in the area. “Can’t wait for our baby to hatch!”

It seemed as if the tears hadn’t dried out quite yet; one more streak decided to slide down his face.

“Spike?”

The door creaked open and Twilight walked into the room. He didn’t move, didn’t flinch. He continued sulking in his confused misery.

“How long have you been like this?”

“Since you left,” he bluntly replied, still keeping his attention away from Twilight. “Not really in the mood for anything.”

“When I left, I asked yourself to try to feel better by the time I got back. This doesn’t look like you’re trying to make progress.”

“Yeah, well maybe I just don’t want to.” Spike tossed slightly in the bed, sniffling as the thoughts kept looming through his mind. He would have kept wallowing in his own sadness, if Twilight didn’t lift him up with her magic and let him drop onto the ground.

“Ow! What was that for?” Spike hissed, rubbing his gut to ease the pain.

“Well, it’s about time I got a reaction out of you that wasn’t depressing,” Twilight responded. “Sorry, but you laying around and feeling sorry about yourself for… whatever you’re feeling… is not going to help you. I want you to show up to this picnic, and I want you to try to enjoy yourself there. Please, can you at least do that?”

Spike sighed and looked up at Twilight. There wasn’t really anything he could do other than abide by her commands.

“Fine,” Spike agreed. “I’ll try not to have you guys worried on this picnic. Will that make you happy?”

“Very.” Twilight smiled and hugged Spike, who in turn wrapped his claws around her. “Well, we should get going. Don’t want to keep the others waiting for too long!”

“Yeah, I suppose we don’t.” For the sake of Twilight, Spike decided it would be in his best interest to try and smile, giving her a half hearted grin. He followed Twilight out of the library and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres.

The two walked quietly, Spike making no attempt to start a conversation.

“I bet you’re going to enjoy what we have in store for the picnic, Spike,” Twilight said, trying to force out a conversation. “Rainbow Dash took the liberty of test tasting the food to make sure it was up to standards. Classic Dash, huh?”

“I guess.”

The silence was absolutely unbearable. Twilight coughed, trying to rummage up ways to kill the empty void.

“Yeah… I bet you’re going to like what we’re going to have. We had Pinkie make special cupcakes just for you!”

Still, not a pleasant reaction out of him. The situation was worse than Twilight thought. She didn’t know what to do to get Spike to snap out of his saddened state, but it was beginning to depress her.

“Please, Spike, can you at least tell me part of what’s bothering you?” Twilight pleaded.

“I don’t know…” Spike responded. “Like I said, you’ll probably think it’s stupid.”

“Spike, nothing that is bothering you could ever be stupid.”

Spike sighed and looked up at Twilight. “Okay, if I tell you, do you promise not to laugh?”

“Pinkie promise!” Twilight went through the entire motion, screaming a little as she tried to poke her eye, forgetting how painful that was. Spike chuckled at her pain, which both warmed and agitated Twilight.

“Okay, I’ll tell you.” He took a deep breath and began to explain his troubles. “Okay, so everytime I go to sleep, I see this egg… similar to mine.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in intrigue. “Really?”

“Yeah. Only, this egg wasn’t inside of Canterlot Castle like where I was hatched. I was in some kind of cave, being cradled by a set of purple claws.”

Twilight listened intently, finally understanding what was troubling him.

“It was strange, yet it soothing. I wanted to be there more than I wanted to be here. It felt more like…”

“Home?” Twilight finished, receiving a nod from Spike.

“I mean, it’s not like I don’t consider you guys family or anything, it’s just… ah forget it. I knew it would sound stupid.”

“Not at all, Spike,” Twilight replied, smiling softly. “It’s understandable why you would be feeling this way. Afterall, you were raised by a group of ponies, and you’re a…”

“DRAAGOON!”

The civilians of Ponyville ran and screamed. Spike and Twilight looked at each other in confusion as the trail of ponies all ran in fear. One of them panted, tired of running away.

“Um, excuse me!” Twilight walked towards the tired pony. “But, could you tell me what’s going on?”

“Dragon… in the marketplace… run…” was all the pony could huff out.

“Dragon? In town?” Twilight looked at the growing chaos; ponies were sent in disarray because of the beast. “Spike, you wait back at the library. I’m going to go confront this dragon.”

“No.”

“Okay, just be safe on your… wait, what do you mean no?”

“I want to see this dragon with my own eyes, Twilight. I rarely get a chance to see my own kind. This could be some clarity, especially if it doesn’t try to kill me like normal.”

“And what if it does try to kill you?”

“What can it do? Burn me? I’m a dragon, Twi. I’m pretty much fireproof!”

Twilight thought it over, realizing that Spike wouldn’t leave until she complied with his wish.

“Okay Spike, but keep your distance from the dragon when we get close.”

Spike smiled and planted himself on the back of Twilight. She trotted through the clutter of confusion to reach the marketplace.

***

The dragon walked through the main streets, watching as the terrified ponies fled.

“Well, this is a warm welcome,” she huffed. “Friendly town of ponies my scales.”

She blew smoke through her nose, watching as the ponies she was towering over cowered and ran away from her. It was quite annoying, but she didn’t care about that. She came to the town for a reason.

“Where to look first.”

As she put her claw against her chin to think, she noticed something shocking to her. Something that didn’t happen ever since she walked into Ponyville. Somepony was actually running towards her, not away from her. Not only that, but there was someone on the pony’s back.

“Um, hello!” Twilight began, looking up at the dragon. “What is your business in Ponyville? You’re kind of scaring its citizens.”

The purple scaled dragon leaned down and smiled. “Actually, I think I found who I was looking for.” She stared directly at Spike, small tears welling in her eyes. Twilight’s confusion grew.

“So… just to be clear, you’re not here to terrorize anyone, right?”

“Oh heavens no. Though, I don’t think your kind takes too kindly to ours. Still, you seem to accepted one of our own, and I’m glad I finally found my baby.”

“Baby?”

Spike got off of Twilight’s back and walked towards the dragon, looking up with her in both confusion and a sense of clarity. The dragon pulled Spike closer to her, nestling him in her arms.

“I’ve waited for so long to find you,” she softly chimed. Spike didn’t feel the need to hesitate; her touch felt familiar, safe. A flurry of emotions began to well inside of him as he nestled against her warm chest. In his confusion, he began to shiver,restraining his tears.

“There there,” the dragon said, stroking Spike’s head. “Everything will be alright now, baby.”

The touch, it was so warm, so soft. It was everything he dreamed of. His dream… every detail: her claws, her soothing voice, the color of her scales. It fit the description of his dream perfectly.

“Why do I feel so comfortable around you?” Spike asked softly, confused by his welling emotions. His question seemed to elicit small chuckles from the dragon.

“Dear child, why wouldn’t you be comfortable around your mother?”

Both Twilight and Spike’s eyes widened in shock, the revelation hitting both of them hard. But the effect hit Spike twice as hard, and a stream of tears began flowing down his face.

“Mom?”

II-Reunion

Spike buried his face into the chest of the dragon claiming to be his mother, tears rushing down his face.

“I can’t believe it!” he cried out, looking up at his mother with wide, watery eyes. “I can’t believe you’re real!”

The dragon continued stroking Spike’s head. “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

Twilight’s mouth was agape. The appearance of Spike’s mother felt too good to be true. In fact, it felt extremely convenient.

“So, if you are his mother, why are you just now showing up?” Twilight questioned.

The dragon smiled at Twilight, causing Twilight to look even more confused then she already was. “Well, this is our migration season, young… what shall I call you, miss?”

“Twilight.”

“Prima, by the way,” the dragon responded. “But to answer your question, our species of dragons are migratory ones. We don’t stay stationary for too long, and travel every four months or so. When we stopped on the nearby mountains a few days ago, I sensed my little fire spewer would be around here.”

“Sensed?” Twilight repeated, trying to milk out more information.

“Fire spewer?” Spike was more surprised about the name matching up with the one he heard in his dreams.

“Yes, Twilight. Dragons are mentally linked to their family and spouses. If they are related to us in any way, they will always know of their existence. The closer they are to each other, the stronger the senses grow, to the point where you can practically visualize them.”

“So, was that why I was having those dreams about you cradling me as an egg?” Spike asked, eyes glossy with the overflow of tears. Prima leaned down and wrapped her inviting arms around him.

“Oh, has my poor baby been having confusing dreams?” Her honeyed words warmed the increasingly beating heart of Spike. He found comfort around her; a sense of security that he felt was missing. “It’s okay. The confusion is over now.”

“No! The confusion is not over!” Twilight’s retort widened the eyes of the two embracing dragons. “I’m not convinced that she’s your blood relative.”

“Twilight!” Spike gritted his teeth and glared at Twilight. “Why are you being so hostile towards my mother? She hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“But we know nothing about her,” Twilight continued, looking directly at the agitated Spike. “How can you be sure that she’s actually your mother? Don’t you consider it a little weird that she suddenly shows up and claims she’s your…”

Twilight paused as she heard the chuckling of Prima. She brought a claw to her mouth to contain her laughter. Once she finally withheld it in, she stood up and leaned her purple, scaly body against the house behind her. “Well, Spike, it would seem like Twilight doesn’t trust me. What is it going to take to gain her trust?”

Spike shrugged, giving Twilight a bemused glance. “I just don’t know why she can’t accept that you’re my mother in the first place.”

Twilight didn’t respond; instead, she shot suspicious daggers at Prima. The dragon’s smirking didn’t help ease her tensions much. They just stood there, observing each other as the other ponies still ran in panic, misunderstanding Prima’s intentions.

In the horizon, Twilight noticed her friends darting towards them. Prima turned around, noticing the mixed reactions from the ponies as they ran towards her.

“Well, looks like I’m the popular one today,” Prima chuckled.

“Of course you are, Mom!” Twilight cringed every time Spike called Prima that. “It’s not everyday you get a dragon the size of a building walk freely through Ponyville!”

“That’s true.”

Twilight’s friends stopped in awe, looking at the scale of the new dragon before them. Fluttershy immediately retreated behind Applejack, shivering madly.

“Well, this explains why the ponies are in a frenzy,” Rainbow Dash commented.

“Well, you could say that,” Prima answered, smiling wide enough to display her sharp teeth. Fluttershy covered her eyes to avoid looking at the terrifying sight. The others looked at Twilight and Spike, who were pretty much unphased by the dragon.

“Are ya’ll okay?” Applejack asked. “We heard a bunch of screamin’ goin’ on and we wanted to make sure everything was alright?”

“Yeah… we’re fine,” Twilight bluntly responded, still glaring at the female dragon.

“In fact, better than fine!” Spike shouted out in enthusiasm. “I feel better than I have in the past few days!”

The group gave him a confused look. This wasn’t the depressed dragon that Twilight had described. He actually looked happy, happier than he ever had.

“Are you sure he was a sad sap earlier, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “He seems pretty happy to me!”

“Wait, you girls knew that I was upset?” Spike asked.

“Well of course, silly!” Pinkie chimed, being the only one who didn’t seem to consider the towering dragon something that was out of the norm. “We even made you a nice batch of cupcakes for the picnic just to cheer you up!”

Spike’s eyes widened, still as glossy as they were before. “Ooh, what kind?”

“Not going to tell you!” Pinkie teased. “You’ll have to guuuuesss!”

“Well, if I can take a shot at guessing, I would say that you made him something that has rubies, emeralds, and a heaping amount of sapphires.” Prima took the opportunity to prove a point to Twilight, grinning victoriously as she did so.

“I like her!” Pinkie exclaimed. “She’s a really good guesser!”

“Why wouldn’t I know my little fire spewer’s favorite food?”

For the first time since they met the dragon, Pinkie’s excitement turned into confusion, joining the rest of the ponies.

“Fire spewer?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, Prima calls Spike that a lot,” Twilight huffed iratibly.

“Prima?”

“Oh, I should have introduced her earlier!” Spike exclaimed, running towards Prima and hugging her leg. “You see, she’s my mother!”

And with that, the jaws of every one of his friends opened wide, with the exception of Fluttershy who was still cowering behind Applejack.

“MOTHER?”

***

After some explanations, the town finally calmed down and stopped running in fear. Although they didn’t fully trust Prima, they accepted her as a guest to their town, welcoming her and apologizing. That didn’t stop them however from keeping their distance from her. It was better to be safe then sorry in this situation.

With all the confusion dieing down, Spike invited Prima to eat at the picnic with them so they could talk more. Needless to say, she stood out from everyone else there. Prima was positioned on the checkered cloth, next to Spike and Fluttershy, who was still quivering in fear. She tried to soften her expression for the shaky pony, but nothing seemed to worked.

“I don’t think this one likes me,” Prima replied, pointing her claw at Fluttershy.

Spike chuckled and rocked back and forth, elated about sharing lunch with his mother. “Naw, she’s just a very shy pony! She does this to almost every new face in town.”

“She shakes and quivers every time?”

“Well… usually only with big creatures… and dragons.”

Despite having a sizable dragon amongst them, the ponies tried to carry on a conversation like normal.

“Well, let me be the first to say that I’m happy that Spike’s birth mother was able to find him,” Rarity began. “It’s a pleasure to meet the parent of such a sweet little dragon.”

“Ah, Rarity, just stop…” Spike grinned widely, his cheeks reddening from the compliment.

“What I want to know though is how you got here,” Rainbow Dash, reaching into the picnic basket for one of her sandwiches. “and where exactly are you staying?”

“Yeah, I would like to know that very same thing.” Twilight’s hooves were folded as she harshly interrogated Prima. Spike’s eyes met with Twilight’s, squinting in frustration at her actions.

“We are located up in the mountains near your little town,” Prima explained. “Our entire group is there at this very moment.”

“Yep, makes sense,” Applejack stated. “Some of the towns people claimed they saw a few dragons walking along the mountaintops.” Applejack pushed the basket towards Prima, not noticing Rainbow Dash reaching for it. “Also, feel free to eat some of this if ya want. Wouldn’t want ya to sit around and watch us ponies eat in front of ya.”

“That’s okay,” Prima denied politely. “I don’t need to eat anything.”

“But Mom, surely you want something we have!” Spike insisted, rummaging through the basket. “Here, you can have some of my food!” Spike put his sandwich and a cupcake on a towel and scooted it towards Prima, looking at her expectantly. The sight made Fluttershy stop quivering a little, as she admired how Spike interacted with his mother.

“Sweetie, this is unnecessary. You’re still a growing dragon. You need to fill up that tummy of yours.” Prima poked Spike’s belly with her claw, causing the giddy Spike to fall on his back. Prima then tickled him, making him kick and laugh uncontrollably. Rarity, Pinkie, and even Fluttershy gushed at the amount of cuteness being displayed. Applejack and Rainbow Dash chuckled loudly. Twilight on the other hand took a more negative approach, rolling her eyes at the scene.

“But seriously, my little fire spewer, I want you all to enjoy your food without me being a burden.”

“But Mom,” Spike began, giggling slightly from the aftermath of the tickle assault. “This is just as much of your food as it is…”

“Hey! She already said twice she doesn’t want any of it!” Rainbow Dash shouted, grabbing at the basket and licking her lips. “No point in insisting if she keeps saying no!”

“I agree!” Pinkie stuck her head into the basket, pulling out a sandwich with her mouth. “More goody yum yums for us!”

Rarity shook her head with a small smirk on her face, turning her attention towards Twilight. Something seemed off about her.

“Twilight, are you okay?” Rarity asked.

“Huh?” Twilight blinked, realizing she was being addressed. “Oh, yeah I’m fine. Peachy keen actually! Just sitting here listening to Spike’s mother.”

Her words were sharp as ever, slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter. It almost made the atmosphere uncomfortable. Trying to kill the awkwardness, Applejack coughed into her hoof and began talking to Prima.

“So, Ah would think family matters a lot with dragons,” Applejack said. “How big is your family?”

Prima smiled. “Well, as dragons, we generally travel together regardless of our relationship with each other. As a whole, we all consider each other as family.”

“Just like we do!” Pinkie blurted enthusiastically.

“Yes, just like you ponies. But as for immediate family, there’s no one else other than me and my daughter.”

Spike nearly choked on the sandwich he was eating. Patting his back, Prima pulled him slightly closer to her to make sure he was still okay.

“I… I have a sister?”

Prima nodded with a grin, causing Spike to follow with his own toothy smile. “A big sister at that. She’s still relatively young though, so you should be able to relate with her.”

“How old?”

“Oh, just three-hundred years old.”

Spike nearly choked again. The thought of having a sister that old, yet considered young.

“Wow, Spike! You’re getting a barrage of good news today!” Pinkie Pie pointed out. “First you find your mother and then you have a sister! That’s unbelievable!”

“Yes… very.” Twilight made little attempt to talk to the dragon through the course of the picnic, but when something did come out, it was generally cold and interrogational.

“Twilight!” Spike had had enough of Twilight’s attitude. He was going to give her a piece of his mind.

“Now now, there’s no reason to get upset, Ignis.”

“Ignis? Um, don’t know if you haven’t heard us for the past few minutes, his name was Spike,” Rainbow Dash corrected.

“To you ponies maybe. However, his name that was decided before his birth was actually Ignis.”

“Yeah right,” Twilight snarled. “How long did it take you to come up with that story, three minutes?”

“Twilight, you’re being quite rude!” Rarity exclaimed. “This dragon has done nothing to elicit such behavior!”

“Yeah, Twilight, you’re being kind of a jerk,” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“How am I being a jerk?” Twilight defended. “I’m just being precautious about a dragon coming out of nowhere and claiming she’s Spike’s mother! Doesn’t that seem off to anyone?”

“Twilight, she’s given reasonable proof that she is Spike’s mother,” Applejack responded. “Those facts she listed without us saying couldn’t have been pure coincidence.”

“But we don’t know anything about her! She could be a changeling spy for all we know, or… or some kind of evil dragon. You know Spike hasn’t had too many good encounters with dragons before.”

“Yeah, except those times they immediately tried to hurt him,” Rarity debated with Twilight. “Mrs. Prima here is being very warm towards our Spikey Wikey, and it’s downright hostile to treat her like some kind of monster.

“I’m not treating her like a monster! I’m just taking necessary precautions.”

“Well, if you don’t believe me, you can always join me and Ignis…”

“Spike…” Twilight once again glared at Prima, who in turn glared back and flared her nose. She was finally getting fed up of the mare.

“You know what, I think it would be best if I just took Ignis with me to the mountains and made this a dragon reunion only.”

“And if I refuse to let Spike go?” Twilight retorted.

“Refuse to let me go?” Spike stood up firmly and approached Twilight. “You can’t stop me from seeing my own kind, or from spending some time with my mother!”

“Spike, think about this for a minute…”

“I have thought about it, and all I’m seeing is you acting like a meany towards Mom!” Spike left a speechless Twilight there and walked towards Prima. “Mom, can we go now? I want to see my real family as soon as possible.

“Sure thing, Sweetie.” Prima stood up and waved at the other ponies. “Despite how things ended, it was a pleasure meeting the ponies that helped look after him for all these years.”

“Pleasure meeting you as well, Prima,” Applejack responded, taking off her hat in respect.

“Yeah, and despite somepony’s bad attitude towards you,” Rainbow Dash began, glancing at Twilight, “you’re a pretty cool dragon.”

“Ah, thanks!” Prima scratched the back of her head and smiled widely. It was apparent where Spike got his warm acceptance of compliments from. “Maybe once the dragons get settled, you girls could come join us in the cave for a while.”

“Oooh, so we get to come and see some cool looking dragons in the mountains sometimes?” Pinkie asked, happiness bubbling over. “That sounds fun! I wanna go now!”

“Now now, Pinkie, we have to give Mrs. Prima and Spike sometime to catch up alone,” Rarity said. “But when that’s all said and done, I’d be delighted to join you and your family in an afternoon get together.”

“Second! Wouldn’t mind messing with a dragon that isn’t trying to eat us!” Rainbow Dash chimed in.

“Ah wouldn’t mind showing up.”

“Um… if you don’t mind… I would like to come too.”

Prima’s eyes widened, turning towards the pony she nearly forgot was there. “Ah, so she can speak,” Prima chuckled.

Fluttershy nodded. “Sorry for being… rude earlier. I didn’t mean to be…”

“Think nothing of it,” Prima interrupted. “At least you had the decency to apologize. And of course you can come.”

Fluttershy smiled softly, removing her hooves from her face completely and sitting up straight for the first time since Prima showed up. With everypony officially stating they would show up, Prima held her hands out for Spike, who instantly ran towards them.

“So, does my little fire spewer want to a ride on my shoulders?”

Spike chuckled giddily in anticipation, reaching out for her shoulders. With ease, Prima propped him behind her neck and began walking.

“I’ll bring him back later tonight.”

“Yeah, fine,” Twilight muttered. If you bring him back at all.

Although Prima was starting to dislike the velvet mare, she smiled out of politeness and walked off towards the mountains. The ponies waved and said their goodbyes, watching as the two dragons disappeared into the horizon. The groups attention then shifted towards Twilight, looking at her with high disdain.

“What’s with all the hostile stares?” Twilight asked.

“You of all ponies should be the last one talking about who’s hostile!” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “That wasn’t cool, Twilight!”

Twilight gasped lightly. “What do you mean? I was just being protective.”

“Maybe a bit too protective?” Fluttershy suggested. “You were borderline possessive.”

“Possessive!”

Fluttershy cringed. “Oh, well… I guess I was out of line on that… I’ll take it…”

“No, you’re exactly right, Fluttershy.” Rarity stepped in on Fluttershy’s defense. “That’s exactly the correct term for what Twilight is being: possessive.”

“But… I was just being cautious about her. Anything could happen to Spike!”

“And we would help him out if the situation arose. Twilight, dear, you’re being unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable? Is it unreasonable to think that my friends would have my back on this! Instead, you’re taking the side of a dragon we know nothing about!”

Applejack looked at Twilight with an unconvinced gaze, raising an eyebrow. “Be honest, Twi, this isn’t about the dragon, is it?”

Confusion once again returned Twilight’s face. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re a little… how should I put this… defensive over Spike seeing this dragon.”

“W-What? I’m not being defensive! I’m just…” Twilight couldn’t finish her sentence before choking. Why was she being so cautious of Prima? There wasn’t anything to prove she was in fact evil, and all the evidence given led her to believe she could be Spike’s possible mother.

So why was she acting like this?

Author's Note

Why is Twilight suspicious? Is it reasonable or is there something else?

Is Prima who she says she is?

What more does Spike have to learn about his origin?

Will Rainbow Dash and Pinkie eat all of the picnic?

These answers and more will be answered in later installments. Also, thanks for faving this story. I'll do my best to not disappoint :raritywink:

III-Meeting the Family

Prima neared the edge of the mountain, frequently checking back on Spike.

“How’s my little fire spewer doing?” she asked with a smile.

“Fine, I guess.” Spike sighed, looking back at the town. Prima widened her eyes in concern, noticing that Spike wasn’t as happy as he was when they first left.

“You guess?” Prima urged him to continue.

“Well… it’s just that I don’t think I left on a good terms with Twilight. I… I don’t know.”

Prima smiled. “You’re just a little overwhelmed, sugar. It’s understandable if you want to turn back now. I won’t blame you, Ignus.” She noticed that he sighed at the sound of that name. “Or do you prefer Spike for the time being?”

“Oh, no! I like the name,” Spike explained. “But… it’s just…” He looked back at the town he called home.

“You don’t feel as if you left them on a good note, is that it?” Prima answered. “If that’s the case, we can always go back and—”

“NO!” Spike raised his claws. “I want to see the other dragons. I’m just a little… nervous I suppose.”

Spike looked glumly at Prima, unsure of what he was feeling. His mind was racing with many thoughts, mostly about his family. What were they like? Were they like the other dragons he had met? Will they be mean to him? Nice? Will they consider him a part of their own? He was raised by a group of ponies, after all.

Another question plagued his mind: What would this mean for him and Twilight?

“Now, baby, I want you to understand that I want whatever makes you happy,” Prima said softly. Her tone sounded so soothing, so calm, so wistful. It was that kind of vocal connection only a mother could do. “This is all coming really fast. One minute, you’re meeting your mother for the first time, and then you’re heading off to to see the rest of your family. You must be a little nervous.”

Spike smiled sheepishly. “Well, just a little.”

“I figured that was the case. Momma knows her little fire spewer quite well.” She smiled, pressing her nose against his. Spike blushed, greeting her with a warm embrace as well. “I’m sure you’ll love our family, Ignus. They’re an interesting bunch, that’s for sure.”

“What do you mean, interesting?” Spike asked.

Prima chuckled. “Oh, you’ll see when you get there.”

The trip up the mountain top was a lively one. Spike shared stories of his life in Ponyville. Prima listened very closely to each of his tales, often smiling and nodding at many of them. One piece of information amused her greatly.

“So, tell me more about this Rarity character,” Prima said. “She’s a close friend of yours?”

Spike tapped his claws together, blushing. “Well… yeah…”

“Oh?” Prima turned to him, smiling widely.

“W-well she’s nice, and… talented. I don’t know anypony out there who is as creative as she is. And she’s so… so…”

“Pretty?”

Spike sighed dreamily. “Yeah. She is… beautiful.” It wasn’t until Prima began laughing that Spike snapped out of his lovestruck daze. “Wait! I mean, she’s not that pretty… Um… Well she is, but! I… I…”

Prima let out a loud laugh that echoed throughout the mountains. “It’s okay, Ignus. From what I saw, she seems like a very lovely mare. I just find it funny that both of my children have crushes on creatures of a different species. Guess it’s a youth thing.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Both?”

Prima’s chuckles softened and she looked back at Spike. “You’ll see when we get there. You’ll see.”

Spike was still confused, but didn’t question it. He had all day to figure out the answers to his questions, and then some. Besides, he didn’t want to press his mother with overbearing questions. She would have had to be annoyed with it at some point, he thought.

But she seemed so patient with him. Never once did she show any sign of aggravation. She listened and answered every single question she could without hesitation. There was something about her that made Spike feel comfortable. The inviting grin she gave him, how patient she was, her color, her scales, her everything. He felt at home. He felt like he had finally found part of who he was.

The rest of the walk consisted of the two laughing and sharing sharing life stories. Spike in particular was enjoying the time he was having, telling Prima of all the fascinating adventures he had with his friends.

“And then I fell off this big castle! Nearly got eaten by King Sombra until Princess Cadence saved me. Of course, I wasn’t afraid or anything. I knew that I was going to be okay.”

“Of course, dear,” Prima said.

“Then, I was deemed one of the heroes of the Crystal Empire. I even got myself a stained-glass window because of it, courtesy of Princess Celestia herself!”

Prima’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Spike nodded. “You should go see it sometime. They did a really good job making it as accurate as possible. Though they did make my cheeks slightly too big, but hey, everyone makes a mistake every now and then.”

“I see. I might have to go up there and see it sometime this week.”

Spike grinned. “I can tell the guards to let you in. I’m an assistant to Royals after all, so they’d have to let you in if I wanted.”

Prima’s smile shrank a bit, but not enough to where Spike would notice. She nodded and looked back ahead, climbing the edge of the mountain. “You don’t have to worry about that, sugar. I can get in with or without the guards’ permission.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked, clutching tightly to Prima’s back.

“It’s not really important now, sweetie,” she said. “Right now, this is about you getting used to your family.” As she climbed up, she could see purple flames piercing the skies. The roars of a dragon echoed throughout the mountain. She chuckled loudly. “Starting with your showoff cousin.”

Spike swallowed. The last time he was confronted by a giant, fire-breathing dragon, it almost resulted in him and his friends getting severely hurt. Now, he was going face-to-face with his cousin, who he wasn’t sure would even like him. In fact, he wasn’t sure how well his family would even take his existence. His heart began to race faster and faster as Prima clawed her way up the mountain. His throat became dry with anticipation They were getting closer and closer, his nerves getting weaker and weaker.

This was it. The moment he dreamed of most of his life, though he was almost fearful of confronting it. He was about to meet his heritage: the dragon family he never knew.

“Nice that you’re showing off, Jade, but I don’t think that the ponies are going to care for you screaming at the top of your lungs.”

Spike heard a hearty laugh from the other dragon, whom he assumed was named “Jade”. However, Jade’s voice was not like he had expected.

“Well, that’s their problem. I don’t see them coming up here complaining about it.”

The voice was surprisingly feminine. Spike had expected a towering, burly dragon to have made those flames.

“Well, maybe that’s because you’re an eight-foot-tall dragon who likes to roar at everything. Ever consider that?”

Jade laughed. “Well, maybe they shouldn’t be such lily-livered cowards. Not my fault they can’t confront a dragon without wetting themselves.”

The voice became louder and louder as Prima climbed up the mountain. Spike could barely contain his eagerness. Whoever was up there would either be pleasantly surprised or be highly threatened by his existence. At least, that’s what he thought they would be like.

Prima pulled herself off the edge of the mountain and stood at the top, waving at the dragons.

“Seems you two had are having fun this afternoon,” Prima said. Spike tried to remain hidden, growing shy. As he suspected, the female dragon with the booming roar was staring at him. He tried to dodge her gaze. Regardless of what he did, she kept her eyes on him.

“Well, what did you bring back with you?” Jade asked, walking closer to Prima. Even though Spike had seen dragons that tower over him, he still wasn’t prepared to be approached by them. “He seems like a timid one.”

“He was a little more chatty before he came up here. He’s just a little nervous about meeting the family, that’s all. So be a little easy on him. I know how you get with the guys.” Prima giggled.

“Oh?” Jade walked closer to Prima to get a good look at Spike.

Sweat began to drip down Spike’s face. He couldn’t feel his heart anymore. He just clung to Prima’s back as Jade stood in front of him, huffing smoke in his face. He coughed and waved it away, giving her a clear look at him. Her dilated eyes gave him some concern, though, she wasn’t disturbing him as much as he thought. In fact, her presence was oddly comforting. Her green scales were shimmering in the sunlight, and her spiky tail was both intimidating and cool-looking. Just like he was with Prima, his concerns melted away as soon as he was up close to her.

Though her sniffing him did feel like a tad much for him. Afterwards, she chuckled and stepped back. “Well well, you weren’t kidding when you said your instincts pointed you to a familiar face,” Jade said. “Well then, that’s good to hear. That makes both of us really happy.”

Prima smiled. “Well, that’s nice to hear. Glad you’re as enthusiastic as I am to see him returned to us, even if it is sudden.”

Jade stared blankly, then nodded and rubbed the back of her spiny neck. “Yeah, sure. That too. Had nothing to do with the fact that I bet that your instincts were right and not just some hopeless endeavor to find your long-lost son.”

Prima’s eyes flared up immediately. “What?!”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who said that. You’ll have to take that up with Fury. I don’t like digging my grave before it’s my time.” Jade let out a loud laugh that nearly shook the mountaintops. “Well, that’s not important. The important thing is that you found him.” Jade smiled at Spike. “I take it you’re my cousin Ignus?”

Spike nodded, lowering himself from Prima’s back. “So… was that you who was roaring and spewing fire a moment ago?”

“Nah, that wasn’t me!” Jade smiled and pointed to herself smugly. “Well, alright, it was me.”

Spike’s eyes widened. It was rare to hear a dragon roar that boomed so loudly without his life being in peril. It was even stranger for a female to tremble the mountains with her powerful screeches. Without much hesitation, he walked closer to Jade.

“That, was really cool,” Spike said, fawning over Jade.

“Yeah, well it’s a gift to have a nice flame sac,” she said. “It’s also about the way you go about it. It takes some getting used to, but enough practice and you’ll pierce the skies in no time.” She cleared her throat and demonstrated yet again. Spike covered his ears.

Another dragon walked up to her, grabbing her shoulder. “Okay, he gets it. You can scream your head off. How about letting the kid get used to the family?”

Spike turned towards the towering, white dragon. His fangs were showcased even when his mouth was closed, allowing Spike to see some of his sharp teeth. The dragon looked down at Spike, grinning.

“So, how about we get you acquainted to the family? Name’s Cynder. Should be easy to remember.”

“Y-yeah,” Spike said. “I’ve gone by Spike for most of my life. I was just told that my birth name was Ignus just a few hours ago.”

“I see.” Cynder looked at Prima, who was smiling warmly at him.

“It’ll take him some time to get used to it, if he chooses to go by his birth name,” Prima said. “I don’t blame him. We’re kind of springing this on him in one day. I just want him to feel comfortable and at home.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have any problem with that,” Jade chimed in. “We’re the friendliest dragons this side of Equestria. We’ll make sure that he’s taken care of here.” With that, Jade swiftly ran towards the cave and shouted, “Hey, you lazy dirtbags! Get out here and meet your long-lost relative! Especially you, Amethyst. You might be surprised at who you see.”

Prima shook her head. “Well, that’s not exactly how I would have liked him to meet the family but, since you already started a stir…” Prima looked down at Spike, noticing his nerves were at the breaking point. She put her hand on his head, rubbing it slowly. “There there, my little fire spewer. It’s going to be okay. They’re a friendly, loud bunch.”

Almost on cue, pairs of intimidating eyes glowed from the entrance of the cave, glaring at the new blood that had entered their domain. Their expressions were fierce and intimidating, as Spike would expect from a dragon. However, their glares began to soften for some reason, and soon, they emerged from the shadows.

Spike was in awe. He never saw such a diverse crowd of dragons before in a safe environment. There were short ones, tall ones. Some were skinny, while others were very pudgy. Even their color and tail span varied from each other. Almost each dragon had their own unique perk to them. No two dragons were exactly alike from what he could tell. They all began walking towards him, observing him closely.

Was he supposed to do something? Was this some kind of test to see if he was actually a part of their family? He was completely lost.

Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and waved at them. “Um, hi. I’m Spike, also known as Ignus. So… Hi, family?”

The crowd began to smirk, some downright bursting into laughter. Spike looked at them in frustration. First words already got a rise out of them. What a way to meet the family. They walked closer to him, giving wide, toothy grins. Spike’s worries began to melt, though he was well aware of how nervous he appeared.

“Everyone, this is my son,” Prima announced proudly. “I found him being fostered by a group of ponies beyond these mountains. He’s as much of a family as you are, so treat him as such.” She squinted, looking deeply within the crowd. “Amethyst, you should be the first to welcome your brother.”

A dragon pushed through the others, eyes wide in curiosity. This dragon was deep purple and her scales and eyes were all emerald-colored. Spike could have sworn that this dragon looked exactly like him. Or, more likely, he looked like her.

She stopped directly in front of him and did what most dragons seemed to do when they met a new member: analyse him. Almost instantly, her expression softened. “Wait, so you’re Ignus?”

“I suppose so,” Spike answered, nearly tearing up for reasons he himself couldn’t understand.

“All these years, I’ve known I had a brother, but I never imagined that I would see you again.”

Those words resonated with him like no other. The amount of emotion poured out in those words made his eyes well. In addition, Amethyst put her claw on his head, rubbing it. He held back his tears as the other dragons watched, smiles both soft and toothy displayed on their faces. This was it. He was truly at home.

“But, if I’m going to be honest, I didn’t expect my brother to look this puny.”

And there went the emotional family reunion. Spike’s cheeks swelled with frustration as Amethyst’s claws pounded down harder on his skull. His cheeks began to redden out of embarrassment, making Amethyst laugh.

“Seriously, what are those ponies feeding you down there? You’re, like, tiny! Only thing that seems to be big is your gut!”

“S-so?!” Spike protested. “I’ll grow bigger one day. I’m still just a kid, after all!”

“Maybe, but even as a kid, you’re still a little on the short side. I expected you to be about this tall.” Amethyst held her hand out about four inches above his head. “You’re like a little shrimp!”

Spike began to fume.

“Young lady, that’s not how you welcome your brother back into the horde,” Prima scolded. “I expected better from the older sibling.”

Amethyst cringed, avoiding her gaze. “Sorry. I was just pointing out how small he is.”

“While that may be so, you’re supposed to embrace your family member with open arms, not mock him.”

Amethyst sighed. “Alright, alright! Sorry, Mom. I was just joking around.” She patted Spike’s head more tenderly than she did before, groaning as she did so. “Anyway, welcome to the family, young blood.”

Prima nodded. “That’s much better. Now, to meet the rest of the family. I think it would be best to do it inside.” Prima cleared her throat and looked into the crowd. “Hey! Marduk!”

Her scream pierced the skies, echoing loud enough that half the mountain could hear her, including the Marduk character. The dragon that Prima called out stood pushed through the crowd. He was tan with fangs poking out of his mouth. He was tall and had a big stomach. For an intimidating dragon, he seemed quite pleasant, smiling at Spike as he got closer.

“Yes, Prima?” Marduk asked.

“Get the dragons together in the center of the cave. We want to initiate my son into the horde properly.”

Marduk let out a hearty chuckle. “No problem! We know better than anyone how to greet a dragon into the horde. Care to assist me, Jade?”

“No problem, Uncle!” Jade spread her wings, displaying them for all to see. She flapped them and levitated off the ground.

Marduk shook his head, clicking his tongue. “You really like showing off, don’t you?”

Jade smiled. “Can’t impress the guys if I don’t.”

They went towards the cave, beckoning the other dragons to follow suit. Prima grabbed Amethyst, who attempted to pursue the dragons as well.

“Not you, young lady,” Prima said. “We need to get Ignus ready for tonight’s festivities.”

Spike looked at Prima in confusion. “Um, what festivities? Is this a normal thing for dragons?”

Prima shook her head. “Well, not normal at your age. Normally, when an egg hatches, there is a little feast and gathering of dragons to celebrate the life of another one of our species. The ceremony is held during the birth of the new dragonblood. However, since you were seperated from me at birth, the event is quite delayed, so we’re treating it as a sort of reunion event.”

“What Mom is basically saying is that this is making up for nearly fourteen years of your absence. Think of it as a late-bloomer party, except you’re extremely late,” Amethyst said.

Spike glared at Amethyst, who in turn smiled haughtily at him. She flicked her tail, rubbing dust over him.

“Well, we’re not going to be ready standing out here,” Prima said. “You can get prepared in my part of the cave, sweetie. We don’t have too much time.”

Spike smiled. “Sure thing, Mom. But what is this ceremony going to have?”

Prima rubbed Spike’s head, grinning at him. “If I were to tell you that, it would ruin the surprise, my little fire spewer. Though, I’m sure you will enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Spike said.

The three then walked towards the cavern, trailing behind the other lively dragons. Spike could barely contain his excitement. What did they have planned? What kind of ceremony would they throw for him? How big would it be, and what would they do? All of these questions buzzed through his mind, but mainly, he just wanted to get to know everyone more.

This was his family, after all.