It was a cold day. A day where most ponies would much rather stay inside and enjoy the company of their families and friends. But for Spike, today was far too important to just stay inside.
It was the day, after nearly five years of nagging both Twilight and even Princess Celestia, that he was going to get to see where he came from. He smiled to himself, all those days spent tugging and pulling at manes and tails had finally pulled off.
He stood there at the library’s entrance, scarf wrapped around his neck and ready for the trip. Twilight stood at his side, wondering how on earth she ever let Spike talk her into doing this. But she also was just as curious as to why Celestia had agreed, for the details behind Celestia’s acquisition of Spike’s egg were even a mystery to her.
However, she respected her mentor’s decision. Celestia did say that he had matured much faster than she had anticipated. But there had been the faintest sound of hesitance in her words. It’s not that the Princess didn’t believe in what she said, more like she wished that she would never have to say it.
Her thoughts were cut by the sound of beating wings. She looked to the sky to see a massive golden chariot, pulled by the finest stallions in all of the guard. However, neither their strength nor the importance of their task was enough to stop them from being battered about by the icy winds.
Moments later, the Stallions cast their gold-plated hooves on the cold, damp ground, forcing the chariot to a halt. The lead stallion unlatched himself from his harness and rushed the door of the chariot, revealing the one inside.
Princess Celestia sat there in all her glory, shielded from the chill by gold and satin. However, before anyone could as much as move their lips, the Princess took a step outside of her shelter. The lead guard jumped in shock, but a simple nod and a warm smile was all she needed to tell him that everything was alright. Step by step, she slowly exited the chariot until her hooves stood flat on the cold ground as well. The scene was quite a rare one, for she was known for her beauty and the gray, dreary setting completely mismatched her radiance.
She obviously didn’t mind though, seeing that she kept a smile that could thaw even the coldest soul. Slowly and confidently, she walked towards the two that stood at the library’s front door, making the small dragon even more excited. Finally, with no more than a few steps separating them, she stopped and cast her warm smile to her student, nodding to her so she knew that no words needed to be said. Then with a deep sigh, she turned her attention to the reason of her visit, Spike.
His mind raced, never in his young life had he felt like this, well, maybe except for the first time he saw Rarity that is. His heart pounded inside his chest, almost as if it was trying to escape. His stomach felt as if one thousand butterflies were trapped inside, desperately slamming themselves into his gut in a vain attempt to break free. But Spike kept it cool. At least, he thought he did.
The Princess looked to him with warm eyes, knowing that he had been waiting for this day for nearly two months. Twilight’s letters chronicled the weekly rise in anticipation that Spike was experiencing. He even started talking about the visit in his sleep three days ago, which Twilight was quick to mention she wasn’t very happy about.
She inspected Spike even further, noticing that the young dragon had a scarf wrapped around his neck and carrying a small bag. He was expecting a journey, but she simply sighed, and with yet another warming smile leaned down towards him. Without a second’s hesitation the young dragon wrapped his arms around her head, causing her to jump back only slightly.
She knew that this day was important to him. He’d been asking for so long, and to finally be told yes the feeling had to have been like no other. After a few long moments Spike finally released the Princess from his embrace and began to stride confidently towards the golden chariot. However, a pastel tail, soft to the touch and glowing with the colors of the aurora, blocked his path.
Confused, the young one looked to the owner of the tail. Celestia silently shook her head before any words could be said, letting him know that that was not the mode of travel they would be taking. This only confused him more, as there was only one chariot and it needed every guard to keep it in flight, especially in this weather. He was about to question her again until she did something the not even Twilight could ever have predicted.
Princess Celestia lowered her body to the ground, subjecting her pure white coat to the muck beneath her. Twilight was speechless, the guards gasped, but Spike stared at her blankly, unsure of what was going to happen next. To the continued collective shock of all who witnessed the event, Celestia motioned her head to Spike, prompting him to climb on her back.
Twilight and the guards both tried to object, for a pony of her stature should never have to be subjected to being ridden. But the calming gaze she gave all of them made it certain that the act was alright. Spike paid no mind to them, and without a thought he climbed on the Princess’s back, albeit clumsily.
The second she knew that he was firmly placed she rose from the ground, giving Spike a very rare perspective of how she saw the world. It made him wonder, for she was nearly twice the size of all her subjects, yet despite this and her power as the sun, she never tried to force anything on anypony. Suddenly and without warning, the Princess outstretched her wings, scaring the young dragon to the point where he clung to the base of Celestia’s radiant mane.
That was all Celestia needed to feel. With a powerful thrust of her wings the two were aloft, again to the surprise of her guards and student. Before long the two were in high in the sky, away from the yelling of those down below. But Celestia paid no heed to them. Instead, she flew around in a few circles before heading west.
Spike was terrified at first, since he didn’t expect to be riding on the back of anypony, let alone Princess Celestia, to where he was from. At least she flew smoother than Twilight, he thought with a slight giggle. No need for a seatbelt this time. Within minutes the two were beyond Ponyville, and flying farther into the Everfree Forest.
Far above the dangers of the dark trees below, Spike and the Princess continued west, the coming storm rumbling all around them. The feelings inside Spike started to conflict, excitement for finally getting a chance to see his home warring against his fear for what he would soon see. He knew that this place wasn’t near Dragon’s Crater, where he had foolishly tried to become something he wasn’t for the sake of acceptance, as that was back east. Where Celestia now carried him was a place that he didn’t know existed, a place that would finally answer his questions.
The storm’s winds began to pick up, nearly throwing Spike off the Princess’s back. In fear the young dragon cried out, digging his claws into Celestia’s neck. Celestia let out a painful grunt, prompting the young one to realize what he was doing. Throwing his hands into the air Spike saw the damage he had done. Several puncture marks were there in place of his fingers, with some of them even leaking silvery blood.
The dragon tried to apologize, but before he managed to get the words out Celestia began to descend, prompting him to cling to her for dear life once more. However, he first mastered his fear somewhat to ensure he wouldn’t hurt the Princess again, and kept note of his claws while wrapping himself tightly around Celestia’s neck. It was more or less trading one thing for another, because instead of being pricked Celestia was now being choked.
Her suffering didn’t last very long though, because just as soon as Spike clung to her the pair was on the ground. The first drops of rain started to fall upon them as Celestia once again lowered herself to the ground, allowing Spike to crawl off her back. Spike looked to her in an attempt to apologize yet again, but Celestia ignored his attempts, instead she just stared onward.
Curious Spike turned to see what had left the Princess speechless. It wasn’t much, just an old mountain range, so old that some of the stone had fallen from their high perches. His eyes continued to follow the seemingly endless mountains until from the corner of his eye he saw something that contrasted form the dark grey of the stone.
The towering object that caught Spike’s eye looked like something he had seen every time he looked into a mirror, his back spines. Continuing to follow the spine he looked on until the green became as white as bone, then for the first time in his life, Spike saw the big picture.
A towering dragon skeleton lied beneath the nearest mountain’s long fallen side. Only it’s massive skull and claws were still visible. Spike’s eyes doubled in size, though there were no distinguishable features on the skeleton there was something about it that was hauntingly familiar, and it wasn’t just the spines.
He glanced at Celestia questioningly, looking for permission to go forward as though he was partly hoping she’d say no. But Celestia merely nodded, assuring him that everything was okay. It didn’t feel okay to Spike though. Something about the scene felt terribly wrong.
That feeling continued to mount as he slowly approached the skeleton. As if his instinct was telling him what he didn’t want to hear. Step by step the feeling grew until finally he could no longer walk. Falling to his knees just steps away from the skull of the dragon he reached out with his tiny claws and uttered the words that he never thought he’d say.
“M-mom…?”
The cold rain began to beat down on his scales as he sat silently in front of the skull, as if he were waiting for a reply. He remained there for what seemed like hours, expecting life to suddenly spring into the withered bones. But Spike would have no such luck, the rain being the only thing answering him.
Spike’s eyes began to wander from the skull to the once proud dragon’s claws. One had dug into the earth, in a vain effort to escape the cruel fate that was given, and the other was an open palm, as if it presented their most cherished possession to a passerby. Looking around the open palm Spike saw another thing he was unprepared for. A cluster of shattered egg shells lay amongst the bone, each identical to one another, each identical to his own.
His mind started to race once more, this time about all the things he would never know. What did she look like? What kind of dragon was she? Who were her friends? Was she kind, or was she cruel? Did any of his brothers and sisters escape their mother’s fate? Would she have been proud of him? The questions continued to pour from his thoughts, nearly all of them ‘what if’s. But the question most important to him continued to echo inside his mind.
The sudden halt in rainfall broke his concentration. He looked up to see the angelic wing of the Princess, guarding him from further punishment. Without a seconds notice the drake latched onto her leg, burying his tears into her fur. Celestia responded by lying down once more, shielding him from the rain and cradling him in an effort to provide as much comfort as possible.
“Did… did my mom ever care about me?” he wept in between sobs. “Did she love me?”
Celestia pulled the young dragon in even closer, closing her eyes as a single tear fell from them. “Yes Spike…” she said softly. “I do…”
Author's Note
Well... there you have it... Don't be afraid to pull any punches. I can take it... (Chances are this'll flop anyway...) But at least I tried and you learn so much more through failure than success anyway.
