Years have passed since Spike moved to Ponyville, but he's barely grown an inch. All of his friends have become adults, and he feels trapped in an unnatural adolescence. He's desperate to grow up, to not be treated as a child anymore--so when a mysterious traveler offers him something that might help, he jumps at the chance.

Now he's bigger, stronger, and handsome to boot, but that doesn't mean he has any clue what he's doing. In a world where dragons are increasingly rare, there are far greater threats to a newly mature drake than he may ever have anticipated, and Spike will need to learn fast, for his friends' sake as well as his own. To make matters more... complicated, a male who's both attractive and innocent is in for a rough time in a society where females greatly outnumber males, and the ladies are not ashamed to go for what they like. And how will the mares he has grown up with, and always had strong feelings for, handle the fact that one of their closest friends is suddenly all grown up?

This is an anthro fic. Ponies have hands, but hooves for feet, roughly number 3 on this sliding scale.

Cover art by the talented Pia-chan. Used with permission.