The Legend of Nighthooves

Every day is the same.  I get up, help Twilight, go back to bed.

Occasionally I do go with her on adventures, but it's just different being me.  I don't get any credit.  I do a lot of work behind the scenes.  I'm rarely noticed.

I'm not saying that I don't like helping out.  After all, Twilight took me in and raised me as her own.  I don't know what it's like to be in a real family.  But sometimes I really wish I knew what it was like to have parents who love me.

And sometimes I wish I could be a hero all on my own.  I wish that I could go out there and save the world all by myself and prove that I'm capable of doing something amazing.

After all, I'm not just some young kid anymore.  I actually have something to offer the world.

I just want something different for a change.  Something to make me feel like I mean something more.

"Humdrum, the greatest hero in all of Maretropolis, stands on the top of the tallest tower, watching over the city, protecting all of the ponies who reside in it."

"Spike, what're you doing?  We have to leave in a few minutes.  And don't stand so close to the edge like that," Twilight Sparkle, the newest princess of Equestria, scolded her dragon assistant, who stood at the edge of the second floor of the Ponyville library.

"Humdrum listens to nopony!  He is his own hero and his own man!" Spike said while beating his puffed-out chest with his claw.

"Well, I'm not talking to Humdrum right now, I'm talking to Spike," Twilight responded in a motherly tone.  "Please take the suit off and come get your bag.  The train leaves soon."

"Aw, but Twilight, Rarity spent so long making this for me," Spike replied.  And you're not my mother, he said in his head.  "I want to show it off to everypony we pass by."

The mare thought for a second, and then gave in.  "Fine, you can wear the suit, but you have to take the mask off for now."

"All right," Spike agreed while lowering his head and coming down the stairs.  A compromise was not really what he wanted.

"Here's your bag," the mare said while levitating it over to him.  The young dragon put on his backpack and put his mask inside the front pocket.  "Now, do you have everything you need?"

"Let's see... you have the tickets to the convention and for the train in your bag, I have all my clothes, all the comics I want to get signed, and... yeah, I think that's it."

"Are you sure?  Because there's no coming back once we leave," Twilight reminded.

"I'm sure, Twilight," Spike reassured.

"Okay.  Let's go."

The mare and her young dragon assistant left their Ponyville home with all that they needed, ready to spend a weekend in Canterlot.  Twilight finally agreed to take Spike to Cantercon, Equestria's premier comic and fantasy convention.  Everypony who was anypony in the fantasy world was going to be there.

Spike continued to speak as he trotted with Twilight towards the train station.  "I can't wait to meet Stallion Lee and get him to sign my Marevel comics and play some games at the Clopcom stand and-"

"Spike?

"-meet all of the actors of the new Power Ponies movie, and see all of the cosplayers, and-"

"Spike!"

"-take my picture with stallions dressed like Batmane or Ironmane or Wondermare or-"

"Spike!"

"What?"

"We're already at the station," Twilight said, pointing towards the ready train.

"Already?  Boy, time sure flew," Spike said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, tell me about it.  You were talking all the way here," Twilight said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Twilight.  I'm just so excited that you're finally taking me to Cantercon.  Thank you so much!" Spike exclaimed.

"It's my pleasure, Spike," Twilight responded happily.  "I'm actually excited myself.  It's something new for me, too."

Spike and Twilight got in line with all of the other ponies who were taking the train to Canterlot.  As expected, there were far more ponies travelling at this time of year.  The summer months were always busier in Canterlot.  With the amount of festivals, shows, concerts, sports games, and restaurants that the capital city had to offer, Canterlot was truly a great destination for a vacation.

Twilight and Spike were able to get two seats beside each other in the second car of the train.  Spike quickly made sure he got the window seat as Twilight put their bags in the overhead compartment.  With a loud honk of the horn, the wheels of the train began to squeak and squeal as the train made its way out of the station and into the open Equestrian plains.

"You know, Spike, Rarity did a very good job on your costume.  You look just like you did when we were in the comic," Twilight mentioned while looking down at her bored companion.

"Yeah, I know.  She's so wonderful," Spike replied while looking off into nothing, resting his chin on his claw.

"But didn't you hate Humdrum?" Twilight asked.  "Didn't you say that he always gets in the way of the Power Ponies?"

"That was before I saved all of you when we were in the comic book," Spike said.  "I realised that Humdrum was actually the real hero.  He doesn't have any powers like the Power Ponies, so he has a bigger difficulty in the end.  That makes him the true hero."

"Well, Spike, Humdrum does have the power of friendship on his side!" the mare exclaimed while smiling and pumping her hoof.

Spike gave a disapproving look in reply.  "That's not a real super power, Twilight.  Friendship may have saved us here in the real world, but it won't go very far in a comic book.  Nopony would be fans of a comic where the main character's power is 'friendship'."

"Well, the power of friendship did save Equestria from total devastation multiple times," Twilight pointed out.

"Twilight, that's real life.  I'm talking about fantasy."

"Very well, Spike," Twilight said while looking ahead.  After a few seconds, she finished, "One day you'll realise how important friendship is."

The young dragon turned to look out the window, pondering about what the weekend held for him.  Twilight got the two of them a room in the Canterlot castle.  Friendship with a princess had its privileges.  They had tickets for both Saturday and Sunday of the show, with the first day always being the biggest one, drawing ponies from everywhere to meet their heroes and shop for overpriced goods.  Spike had saved up his allowance bits from Twilight for months so that he could meet some of his heroes.  He even worked hard doing odd jobs for Applejack and Rarity on the side.  A kiss on the cheek and a few bits were more than enough payment to the dragon for helping the fashionable couturier.  The fabulous Humdrum costume as an extra reward was a massive surprise at the end.

The varying landscape of Equestria passed by as the train made its way across the valley, over the river, through the forest, and finally up the mountain to get to the capital city.  By the time the evening came along, the two Ponyvillians were tired from their journey.  A peaceful and quiet sleep in the most comfortable beds in the kingdom awaited them.

"Humdrum stands on top of the Canterlot Castle, looking out on the city, waiting to save its most vulnerable creatures."

"Spike," the mare said in a scolding voice.

"Um... yes, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"I don't want to keep telling you this: don't stand so close to the edge," she replied as Spike stood on railing of the balcony of their room in the south tower of the castle.  The lights of the capital city lit up Luna's night.

"Twilight, I've saved you how many times?" Spike asked.  "And you're scared of me falling over the edge?"

"Yes, yes I am," the mare replied while using her left wing to grab Spike.  She put him on her back and moved him back inside.

"I'm not a little baby, you know," Spike replied.  "I'm just trying to enjoy my time here."

"I know that, but I also want you to be safe," Twilight reassured.  "I wouldn't want to lose you for such a silly reason!"

"Fine," the young reptile said.  He then stretched and yawned.  "I'm going to bed."

"Good idea," Twilight agreed.  "We have a big day tomorrow."

Spike hopped up into his bed, which was beside Twilight's.  Spinning around in a circle like a dog, he found a comfortable spot, and plopped down.  Twilight levitated the blanket to cover her little assistant, tucking him in for the night.

"Good night, Spike.  Sweet dreams," the mare said.  She reached down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.  Spike fell asleep nearly instantly.

The next morning came.  Spike, dressed as Humdrum, wandered back and forth as he waited for Twilight to get out of the bathroom.

Eventually the door opened and Spike's jaw dropped to the floor.  "So, what do you think?" Twilight asked her surprised young friend.

"Twilight... you're... dressed as the-"

"Marewolf?" Twilight interrupted, spinning around in a circle in her new cosplay.  "Yes.  I bought this costume from a store down the street after you fell asleep yesterday.  I wanted to surprise you."

"I'm surprised all right!" Spike answered, getting a closer look.  "I didn't even know you knew who the X-Ponies are!"

"Just because I'm not a huge fan of comics doesn't mean that I don't know anything about them!" Twilight retaliated.  "And besides, everypony is going to be in costume.  This way I don't stand out and draw too much attention to myself."

"Well, it looks great," Spike complimented.  "Now come on!  I don't want to be late!"

The two of them made their way to the Canterlot Convention Centre.  They pushed through the crowds to get in, and then made their way to more lineups.  Each section brought more and more waiting.

But there were a few lineups that Spike and Twilight Sparkle didn't mind waiting in.  They waited in lines for up to half an hour to meet some of Spike's heroes, which included a few comic book writers and illustrators, as well as actors in recent movies.

Spike bought a special Cantercon cover version of the most recent Power Ponies comic, and got it signed by the creator, writers, and artists of it- five signatures all on the cover.  It quickly became one of his most prized possessions, which made the pain of waiting in line much more bearable.

"Where can we go next, Twilight?" Spike asked as they made their way in the crown of the large convention centre, trying to meet as many famous ponies as possible.

"Anywhere you want to, Spike," the mare replied while using her wings to block Spike from seeing a scantily clad mare in costume.  She then blocked his other side from seeing a rather plump stallion's plot as he bent down to pick up something he dropped.

"Um... how about the washroom?" Spike asked.  "That soda went right through me."

"Fine.  I'll go too."

"Ugh... grr... come on, Twilight!" Spike muttered to himself as he paced back and forth while waiting for Twilight to get out of the bathroom.  The longer he waited, the more anxious he got.  There were ponies to see, games to play, adventures to be had, and none of those were happening while Spike waited for the mare to come back.

"Hmm," he pondered as he looked down the hallway at the main part of the convention centre.  "I'm sure she won't mind if I go for a walk alone.  After all, I'm old enough to take care of myself."

Spike went on his way, turning the corner as soon as the mare came out.

"Spike?" Twilight asked calmly at first when she came out of the bathroom, hoping that he was in the area.  When no response was heard, she began to worry a little.  The crowds were just too big at this event to lose a little dragon.

With a little bit of worry, as well as frustration, she trotted down the hallway, back into the main room, looking every way for her assistant.

Little did she know that Spike was just around the corner, looking at the stands that had items up for sale.  He passed by shirt stalls, desks with ponies selling their own art, stands with plushies, coffee cups, and other items relating to the fantasy world.  But they were all overpriced for the dragon.

Besides, he had some comics to go spend his money on.

"Hey, yo, boy.  Come here.  I got some stuff for ya," commented a stallion stall owner towards the young dragon as he passed by the comics section of the convention floor.

"What do you have for me?" Spike asked while approaching the stand.

"I have many adventures of the Power Ponies," the stall owner said while pointing to one of his comic wracks.

"Pfft.  Been there, done that," Spike responded.  "What else?"

"Spider-Mane."

"Read all of them already," Spike said with his arms crossed.

"Okay," the stall owner said, hoping to find something to sell to the dragon.  "How about this: the new My Little Human series?"

"Come on, I'm not a kid," Spike defended while looking at the very colourful comic the stallion held out for him.

"Yeah, sure," the stallion replied sarcastically.

Spike waved his claw at the stallion and moved on to another stand.  He picked up a few lesser-known Mareval comics for a few bits and moved on.  He opened the first one he bought and started to read it while walking forward in the crowd.

"The Adventures of Captain Equestria," Spike read aloud.  "This should be interesting.  Oooof!"

"Hey, watch where you're going, bub," shouted a voice from beside Spike as he hit the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the dragon responded while getting up and collecting his dropped goods after he collided with another pony.  "I wasn't paying attention and I- Rainbow Dash?  Is that you?" he asked as he recognised the blue fur and rainbow mane of the mare who was dressed in the clothes of an adventure pony, sort of like the now-confirmed-to-be-real adventurer Daring Do.

"Spike?  Hey!  What're you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked as she recognised her scaly friend.

"Twilight finally took me here because I've always wanted to come to Cantercon," Spike explained excitedly.

"Sweet," Rainbow responded.  "This is my first time too.  I got to hang with Daring Do and sign autographs because I was in her most recent book.  Just thought I'd walk around a little.  Say, where is Twilight, anyway?"

"She took so long coming out of the washroom that I just wanted to walk around for a little," Spike said quietly.

"I get ya.  You wanted to go off on a little adventure of your own.  Mind if I join you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Spike replied with his smile growing.

The mare of many mane colours joined the dragon in walking to all of the comic stands in that area.  They all mostly sold the same ones, only some had special edition covers or other things to offer.

They made it to just about the middle of the main aisle when one stand in particular stood out to the two of them.  For some reason there was just something different about the comics at this one particular stand.

"I've never seen of any of these comics before," Spike said as he went into the stand, which was designed a little differently than the others.  It was set up so that there were two displays facing the inside of the stand, creating only a small open area for anypony to walk in.  Once Spike and Rainbow Dash made their way in the stand, there were tons of comics all around them.

"Seriously, guy, where did you get these?" Rainbow asked the stallion when looking at the comics.

"I used to work at the enchanted comic shop downtown before it closed down last week," he mentioned.  "These were ones that couldn't sell in our final sale."

"I don't trust these one bit," Rainbow said while turning to the dragon, who already had a comic in his claws.  "Spike, don't open it," she warned.

"Not to worry, ma'am," the stall pony said, "these are all normal comic books, I'm sure."

"'The Legend of Nighthooves?'  I've actually seen this character before," Spike muttered as he read the title.

"A young, happy mare just came by a few minutes ago and was looking at this comic," the stallion said, trying to make Spike buy the comic on impulse.  "You should buy it before she comes back.  It's my last copy."

"Have you ever read it before?" Rainbow asked Spike.

"No," Spike said while still looking at the intriguing cover of an earth pony in a black metal suit looking out over the city of Manehattan.  "Twilight never let me because she said it was too scary for a young dragon to read."

Rainbow chuckled.  "Oh come on!  Are you serious?  What is she, your mom?"

"Well, she's the only thing I've got," Spike said in a gloomy tone.

Rainbow's smile changed to a straight face.  In order to lighten the mood, she said, "Sorry.  Why don't you open it and just see for yourself?  Looking at the first few pages won't hurt ya!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Spike said as he opened the first page of the comic, beginning to read the different panels of the prologue.  "'The metropolis of Manehattan, a city full of life and adventure.'  Interesting."  He read down the page, looking at the pictures of the Manehattan of the distant future.  "'In order to experience the amazing life of this city to the full, one must actually see it to believe it.'  Wait... what's going on?"

Spike's claw got sucked into the page he was reading.  The pictures and writing faded as the entire inside of the comic book turned white.

"Spike?" Rainbow asked as she saw his hoof.  "Uh oh.  Not again."

"Rainbow, help!" he begged as his entire arm got sucked in.

Dash turned to where the store owner was, and he was nowhere to be seen.  "Hang on, little buddy.  I got you," she said as she grabbed his free claw with her two front hooves.

Spike's arm went further into the book, sucking in all the way up to his shoulder.  The force of the pulling became stronger.  His whole side then got pulled in as Rainbow desperately tried to pull him out by the other claw.

"Come... on..." she grumbled as she kept trying to free her friend from being sucked into another comic adventure.

That was when everything went black for me.  I had no idea what happened until I awoke the next morning.  I had wished for something to be different; for something to change so that I would be given the chance to prove my worth.  Well, I can now say that I was given that chance.  Was I prepared for it?  Well, that question would be answered in time.