True Hoards are Fulfilling
Hollow. That was how Spike felt as he read his comic book. Since Garble had visited and educated him on aspects of all dragons, he was confused. How could he become wise and noble, as Garble said all good dragons were, when he could also be prone to greed and violence? How could a violent beast come to know he things Garble described? Spike thought it much simpler to renounce dragonkind and live with ponies for 're rest of his life.
So, all dragons hoard, huh Garble?, Spike thought as he leafed through the latest edition of Batmare, Well, here's some news for ya buddy, it didn't work out to well the first time.
When Spike had given into his hoarding instincts, he rampaged upon Ponyville and stole and damaged property, and kidnapped Rarity. Needless to say, he was not a fan of hoarding. But he still felt the instinct, every time he held a gem or spotted gold, he felt the sudden urge to take it, and keep it.
Yet Spike knew, deep inside, that he couldn't renounce them. No matter what, he was still a dragon. He'd actually begged Twilight to find a spell to turn him into a pony, but no such spell existed.
Not all treasure is silver and gold..., Spike shook his head, What does that mean?!
He dropped his comic, barely having read anything. Twilight probably needed his help anyway.
XXXX
"Hey, Spike, wassup?" asked Twilight as he entered the library.
"Nothing much, need help?" said Spike.
"Uh, yeah, go clean that shelf over there."
"The nonfiction section? It's dusty cuz nopony ever reads these books, you know." Spike grabbed the duster.
"I read them!"
Spike chuckled at her defense, and she stuck out her tongue, then laughed with him heartily.
"So, have you been thinking? About what that dragon said?" asked Twilight when she calmed down.
Spike sighed, "Yeah, kinda hard to forget. I just......hoarding doesn't really seem like a good thing, right?"
It was now Twilight who sighed, "Yeah, but I mean, he said there were different kinds right?"
"Well, yeah, but it doesn't make sense. I've been with you since birth, but you're not my 'hoard'," Spike set down the duster, "I'll be right in here if you need me."
Spike grabbed the comic book again, but was really thinking of hoarding.
What is it that I have so much of? That I really love? Sudden terror gripped him, What if I'm hoarding comic books? What if they turn me into a m-monster??
Spike threw down the book and headed out. He told Twilight he'd be back in a few hours. And so he walked. Rarity's seemed like a good as place as any.
"Hey, Rares, need help?"
"Oh, thank goodness, Spike! I've been so rundown with orders lately! Come now, help with this thread, would you dear?"
Spike liked helping Rarity. Not just because of his crush on her, But because he just liked to help. He helped Rainbow Dash train, AJ pick the fields, Flutters care for animals, and Pinkie making pastries. Just seeig the smile on his friend's faces was payment enough.
He helped Rarity work for about an hour and a half, then went to Fluttershy's. They didn't do much, just sit around and talk about thing. Since Discord and his charismacism were tamed down enough to have a logical conversation with him, Flutters had become a lot more open.
"So Discord gave Harry butterfly wings! A flying bear, with butterfly wings!" Fluttershy recounted her latest exploits, and she and Spike were having quite a laugh over them.
"And Harry would chase the other butterflies around, like a little kitten! It was the cutest thing ever!" said Fluttershy.
Eventually Flutters had to go do something for Angel (Spike couldn't help, as Fluttershy was the only one Angel really liked), so he left for Pinkie's. The Sugarcube Corner could always use the claw of a baker like Spike. The problem was, Pinkie talked and talked while they made muffins.
"So I was thinking about how I could possibly make chocolate chip rainbow muffins more delicious than they already are, and then I was like IDEA!! What if I made chocolate chip rainbow muffins with frosting and caramel filling?!? So I got some and made this batch and LOOK! THEY'RE SOOOOOO GOOD! Like when better than those little macadamia nut cupcakes that had jalapeno frosting. Who would've thought I could top that?!?
Pinkie may have been insane, but she was a very good friend. But she got quite a sugar rush from taste-testing her homemade concoctions, so Spike left to find Rainbow Dash.
Helping Rainbow Dash wasn't too hard. Spike mostly just spotted her during various exercises and timed her flight times. But since she'd joined the Wonderbolts, she'd gotten alot more serious. At least six hours of training, like a professional gymnast. But Spike was always ready to help, if meant helping his friend achieve her dream.
And afterwards, Spike visited Applejack, who was taking a break from harvest. Spike was always the Apple's go to drake when something broke on the farm, since a nice stream of dragon flame could weld anything much cleaner than the local blacksmith could. So Spike and Big Macintosh and Applejack worked on the plow together (the CMC had evidently tried to obtain plowing cutie marks). But teamwork (and dragon fire) saw it through. Big Mac was soon out earning a living once again.
And then Spike went home, to Twilight. He'd visited all his friends, talked and laughed, and helped them with various struggles. And he had his answer.
I know what I hoard.
Love.
And I have plenty of that.
