Spike dragged his tired body over several small hills in a forest, his heavy backpack composed of twenty pounds of gems, sandwiches, juice-boxes, and comic books weighing him down. Tear stains were on both sides of his face, and his nose really needed to be blown. But, that didn't matter to the baby dragon at that moment. The only thing that mattered to him was getting away as far as he could from Equestria, making sure not to leave any tracks this time. Nothing but that mattered to him at that point.
Yes, he was running away, a second time, from his home in Equestria. But this time, it wasn't because he thought Twilight no longer loved him, or because Owlowiscious was getting more attention then him, or because he wanted to be a "real dragon" again. It was because of a reason far worse than any of those.
This time, he felt that he was a joke to Equestria, because of a decision he had made. Two weeks earlier, he, once again, poured his heart out to Rarity, the mare who he had loved for two years. But, this time, Rarity had confessed every single reason, big and small, why she didn't want to be Spike's mare. Spike, with his heart in more pieces than a Canterlot-style jigsaw puzzle, ran home, knowing that there were way too many reasons, and he could never change enough to Rarity's liking.
Two weeks later, he came to a realization. No matter how hard he tried, he was not good enough for Rarity, and if Rarity didn't want him, then no mare did. He felt that he wasn't worthy enough for a mare, and he would never experience love anymore.
But then, he had another realization. If he was no longer good enough for mares, maybe he could go for a nice stallion. There wasn't much that was different about males than females. Their voices were a bit deeper, they were a bit more bulky, their muzzles were flatter, and they had something different between their hind legs, but that was pretty much it. Spike, finding nothing uncomfortable about it, decided to empty his heart and head of any feelings for mares, and fall for stallions.
But, he realized there were two problems with that. One of them was that he was never actually in love with anypony other than Rarity, so instantly jumping from one pony to another was a bit difficult. He began to think of which stallions would be a good match for himself. Mr. Cake seemed acceptable, but he was already married with twins. Recently-divorced Doctor Hooves wasn't bad, but Spike never knew him well enough. And he even considered his best friend, Big Macintosh, but he knew Big Mac was in an unusual love-triangle with Cheerilee and Marble Pie. Plus, it was hard for Spike to go up to a friend and ask them to date him after chasing Rarity for so long.
The second problem was confessing. Spike knew his new feelings would eat him alive if he tried to keep it a secret. Spike couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it, and he knew that. So, instead of forcing himself to hide it, he decided to gather his friends and tell them. He was able to clear the second problem easily, but unfortunately, he didn't get the reaction he wanted, and what he did get broke his heart even worse than Rarity did. Over and over, it played in his head like a broken record, and he wished he could just forget about it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Four hours earlier...
Spike ran all over the Castle, making sure only he and his friends were alone, and that everything was locked, just in case anyone wanted in. This was the most important moment of his life, and he wanted to make sure it went uninterrupted. After checking every single door and window to make sure they were closed and locked, he joined everyone at "the Map" table and sat in his seat next to Twilight.
"Is everyone here?" he asked, looking at the six mares.
"Yes, Spike," Twilight Sparkle said, "But, I still don't know what's so important that you had to lock everything, and ask us all here."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash cosigned, "Unless you're about to light the Castle on fire or something, this is unnecessary." Spike sighed.
"Well... I've got something to say...," he said, grabbing a sapphire from his gem-plate, "...and I wanted to tell you all at the same time, without anypony else finding out..."
"Well, we're all ears, Spike," Applejack said, "What's the matter?" Spike gulped and spoke.
"Everypony...," he said, "I... I'm gay..." Several loud gasps came from the mares.
"Wh-what did you say, darling?" Rarity asked.
"I'm gay...," he said. Pinkie Pie giggled.
"That's OK, Spike!" she said, "I'm gay too! I'm always happy!"
"Pinkie Pie...," Fluttershy timidly said, "I don't think he's talking about that kind of gay..."
"Huh?" Pinkie asked, "But 'gay' means 'happy', right?"
"Yes, in the dictionary it does," Twilight said, "But I think he means the other definition of gay." Pinkie raised her eyebrow.
"Which is...?" she asked.
"It means... I love stallions...," Spike said, "I'm through with loving mares..." Spike peeked up, seeing a few confused looks staring at him.
"Spike...," Fluttershy said, "...are you sure...?"
"Yes," Spike said, "I love stallions now..."
"Spike...," Twilight said, "I now understand why you wanted so much security, and why you wanted all of us here, but I'm still a bit confused. When did you decide that you're a homosexual? And why did you decide this?" Spike looked down at the ground, then stared right into Rarity's eyes.
"Because... I'm not good enough for mares...," he said, "...I was rejected by Rarity for the tenth time two weeks ago... and she really let me have it this time..." Rarity blushed with guilt and looked to the ground. "...and... if I can't get with Rarity... then I can't get with any other mare... so... I'm going after stallions now... and therefore... I'm gay..." Spike looked to the floor, expecting to answer more questions. But instead, he heard a few stifling giggles, that soon became full-on laughs. Spike looked up and sure enough, everyone was laughing, even Twilight.
"Oh Spike, that was so funny!" Rainbow Dash said, "You sure know how to crack us up!"
"Huh...?", he asked.
"*hard giggle* Spike... you almost made me pee myself...!" Pinkie yelled.
"B-but...," Spike said in confusion, "I wasn't joking... I'm serious... I'm really gay..." Everyone laughed harder.
"Spike, I'm gonna burst a vein if you keep it up!" Rarity forced out, fighting a very hard wave of giggles. Spike's face twisted up in anger.
"STOP LAUGHING!" he shouted. The shout startled everyone, getting them to stop and look at him. "I'm not joking! I'm gay! I'm serious!" Everyone sat in silence for a few seconds, then Twilight spoke.
"Spike...," Twilight said, "The reason we thought you were joking was because it's not possible to suddenly become gay in two weeks... you haven't went that long to realize it..."
"Oh, so I can't be what I am just because it's only been two weeks?!", Spike asked, "I have to wait before I can experience my real feelings?!"
"She doesn't mean it like that, Spike...," Rarity said, "She means you can't become gay in a matter of weeks just because you suffered a rejection. There a plenty of wonderful fish in the sea, darling."
"You have nerve talking about what I like, heartbreaker!" he yelled at his former-crush, "It's because of you I became gay! And 'there's plenty of fish in the sea', huh?! Well, why don't you just throw me on the grill because I prefer the rooster now and not the hen?!" He darted at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "And what about you two?! You date each other! You're gay too, and you're laughing because I am?!"
"Yeah, but we've been lesbians for ten years, you idiot," Rainbow Dash said, "And it took me six months to realize it, not two weeks." Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"To make a long story short, Spike," Twilight said, "We aren't believing you, because it's just not possible." Spike gasped, tears running down his face.
"So, that's all I am, huh?!" he cried, "A joke?! I'm funny because I'm gay?!"
"Spike, I never said-" Twilight started to say.
"No! I don't wanna hear it!" Spike continued, "You and everyone else laughed at me because I told you a truth! What a great 'Princess of Friendship' you are! You can't get jealous, but you can tease your assistant?!"
"Spike...," Twilight said.
"Forget it!" Spike said, waterfalls pouring from his eyelids and nostrils, "I don't... wanna..." The heartbroken dragon curled up into a ball under the table, crying into his knees. Everyone tried to cheer him up, but Twilight stopped them with her magic, wanting them to leave him alone. After two minutes of crying, Spike stood up and ran upstairs.
"Spike, where're you going?" Twilight asked.
Spike completely ignored his guardian and ran into his bedroom, slamming his door shut. He then dove into his diamond-shaped pillow and cried into it, muffling himself the best he could. He had never felt so bad in his life. He thought the rejection was hard to take in, but that was flowers and chocolates compared to what had happened. Spike never thought his only best friends would laugh at him because he decided to become gay, and then proceed to disagree with him after the told them he was serious. After soaking his pillow for three minutes, he sat up and cried into his knees again.
"A joke...," he mumbled, "I'm not a dragon... I'm not a pony... I'm not an assistant... I'm a joke... that's all I am..." He wiped his nose with his hand.
"Jokes don't belong in Ponyville... or Equestria...," he continued to mumble, "...nopony likes a joke anyway..."
He stood up, emptied out his personal refrigerator, pulled every single comic book off of his bookshelf, and shoved everything into a large backpack. After that, he went into the bathroom, and even though he hated to do it, he washed his dirty feet to make sure he wouldn't track anything so Twilight couldn't find him. Finally, he grabbed all of his bed-sheets, tied them into a rope, and used them to climb over the balcony and onto the ground. After a few reluctant seconds staring at the Castle, he finally took off, right when he heard the sound of his room door opened again.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tears flowed down his eyes once again as Spike continued to run away from Equestria. Even though he was several hundreds of miles away from his home, his feelings were following him with every step. No matter how hard he tried to forget about it, it would just replay in his mind. There was nothing that broke his heart worse than his friends laughing at him for being gay, and he thought there was nothing that could be.
Soon, he felt and saw the Sun as he walked out of the large forest. The Sun hurting his eyes, he squinted to get them used to it, and then looked forward to see where he was. With a small, surprised gasp, he knew exactly where he was.
"Oh no... not this place...," he said.
Spike was standing face-to-land with the place he never thought he'd ever return to. He was right in front the volcano he visited when he went to join the Dragon Migration. He gulped, knowing exactly what would happen if he stepped-foot in that volcano. He was about to turn back, but he knew there was nowhere else he could run to without being spotted by Twilight, and plus, he was worried that Twilight was somehow following him.
With another gulp and a deep breath, Spike slid himself down the hill and snuck into the volcano. He hoped he didn't have to run into any the teenage dragons, but unfortunately and unusually, those were the only dragons that were in there, and even though there was only three of them, he still knew that they still could rip him apart. Anyway, Spike forced himself to walk over to the teenage dragons, who were wrestling with one another.
"Um... hello...," he timidly said. The sound of his voice attracted the attention of the three teenage dragons as they looked at him.
"Well well well!" the purple dragon said, "Look what we have here! The shrimp came crawling back to us!"
"What's the matter?" the red one said, "Did you lose your blankie the last time you were here?"
"*giggle* Or, maybe he's looking for his Mommy!" the brown one said. Spike sighed.
"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot last time...," he said.
"Wrong foot?!" the red dragon yelled, "Dude, we've got 1,000 feet worth of bones to pick with you! You embarrassed us in front of phoenixes and a bunch of ponies!"
"And you better consider yourself lucky that we weren't allowed to attend the last two Dragon Migrations!" the brown one said, "Because we would've ripped you limb from limb right in front of your pony friends!"
"And speaking of that!" the purple dragon said, "We're not even allowed to attend anymore migrations because Lady Ember said we're too weak for it, because we couldn't perform a successful dragon-raid and catch you and your pony friends!"
"Too... weak...?" Spike asked in confusion.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," the red one said, "You're a baby pony. Let's explain it in your language." He cleared his throat. "Big and mighty Lady Ember no let Garble, Fume, and Clump go on no more migrations because mean old Spike embarrass us in front of measly ponies and phoenixes, and now she think we not worthy enough to go on the migrations."
"You mean it's my fault that you're banned from the migrations?" Spike timidly asked.
"Did my brother s-s-stutter?" Fume asked, stammering purposely, "Y-y-yes. W-w-we can't leave the c-c-cave during the migration b-b-because of you." Spike looked to the ground, his backpack sliding off of his shoulders and onto the ground.
"B-but... all I was doing was keeping an unborn phoenix from being killed...," he said, "...I just... couldn't smash the egg..."
"That sounds like something a pony would say!" Clump said, "Oh wait... you are a pony!" All three dragons laughed, making Spike's lips scrunch up in light anger.
"I'm not a pony!" he said, "I'm a dragon, just like you guys!"
"You're not a dragon!", Garble said, "Dragons aren't too scared to smash stupid phoenix eggs!"
"And they don't hang out with ponies!" Fume added.
"And they aren't pen-pals with namby-pamby pony princesses!" Clump added, making his brothers laugh again. Spike's bottom lip began to quiver.
"S-stop it!" he said, "I'm not a pony!"
"Aww, is the little baby pony gonna cry?" Fume teased.
"Maybe he's gonna wet himself," Garble teased.
"If he is, he needs to sit down," Clump added, "Ponies can't go standing up."
Clump pushed the baby dragon backward, while Garble stuck his hind leg out at the same exact moment. Spike stumbled backwards and tripped over Garble's leg, falling on his behind. The brothers burst out in a fit of laughter. The laughter stabbed at Spike's ears like hot knives. They sounded just like the laughs thrown at him by his friends. Spike sniffled, grabbed his backpack, and ran out of the cave.
"Yeah, that's right!" Garble yelled, "Run away! Just like you did two years ago! Run away like a little bitty pony!"
Spike heard every single word as he ran out of the cave and back into the forest near the cave, sitting behind a boulder. crying into his knees again. Once again, he was crying because he was being laughed at, this time by his own species. It seemed like wherever he went, he was just a joke. A homosexual joke, that everyone loved to laugh at.
"Why...?" Spike mumbled, "...why does everyone laugh at me...? Ponies laugh at me... crushes laugh at me... ...even other dragons laugh at me..." Spike cried for five minutes, and then stood up again, clenching his fists.
"No...!" he said to himself, "I ran away from them once... and I'm not doing it again...!" He wiped a few more tear from his face and blew his runny nose into a banana-leaf. "I already had friends who didn't like me... and I don't need anymore!" He looked at his backpack and reluctantly opened it."...if I have to leave that cave again, I'm leaving with real friends... even if I have to do something I don't want to..."
Spike reached to the bottom of his backpack, pulled out a "special something", and closed it back. Afterwards, he dug a hole, and buried his backpack so it wouldn't be stolen. He then walked back into the cave, avoiding Fume and Clump, who were still wrestling with each other. Spike figured if he could make friends with the oldest of the three, then the other two would do the same. He found Garble laying on one of the several piles of gems, staring up at the sky, very bored, having had enough wrestling. Spike gulped and walked closer to him, hiding the object in his hand behind his back.
"Garble...?" he asked. Garble looked down at Spike.
"What do you want, little pony?!" he yelled at him. Spike sighed, testing how much he was really welcome in the cave.
"Um... why aren't you playing with your brothers...?" Spike asked.
"I'm tired of fighting...," Garble said, "...we've been doing it for hours. I'm just bored now..."
"Oh...," Spike said.
"I wouldn't be so bored if I were migrating with the other dragons, but I wonder why I can't," Garble sarcastically said.
"W-well...," Spike said, "Maybe I could-"
"Can you just go away?!" Garble yelled, "You've already got me banned from my favorite thing, and I don't need anymore problems from you!" Spike sighed, knowing he would say that.
"Fine... I'll leave...," he said.
"Good riddance!" Garble yelled.
"...but... I want you to have this...," Spike said, pulling out the object.
"Unless it's a note from Lady Ember saying I can join the migration again," Garble said, finally sitting up, "I don't c-!" He cut himself off when he saw what Spike had in his hand, holding it out to him. It was a fire-ruby, the same fire-ruby Spike had given Rarity on his birthday, but stole back from her after the rejection. He planned to eat it like he wanted to when he found it, but instead, he placed the fire-ruby in Garble's hand.
"Is this...," Garble surprisingly said, "...a fire-ruby...?"
"Yeah...," Spike said, smiling, "You deserve it... because you're a real dragon... ponies don't need fire-rubies..." Garble continued to stare at the fire-ruby in his hand.
"Spike... how... why...?" he stammered, "I... this is my favorite gem... and I haven't gotten one since I was a baby..."
"Just think of it as an apology gift from me...," Spike said, "...I ruined the one thing you love the most... so I'm giving you the thing that I love the most... and you know where I got it from?"
"Wh-where...?" Garble asked.
"I stole it... from a pony... who I loved for a long time...," Spike said. Garble gasped very lightly, his eyes still fixated on the fire-ruby. Spike then looked down at the ground. "...well... I'll leave now... since it's clear that I'm not welcome here... hope you enjoy the fire-ruby..." Spike hung his head and began to walk off, resisting a strong urge to make Garble give it back. But, to his surprise, Garble's voice stopped him right when he was at the opening of the cave.
"Spike, wait!" he yelled, flying over to him, "Sorry for this..." Garble grabbed Spike by his leg and held him in the air upside down, looking at his brothers.
"Hey Fume, Clump!" he called out, "I think it's time for us to get some payback! I'm gonna take the imposter dragon here out to the woods and rip every single scale right off his body!" Spike yelped in fear and tried to squirm out of his grasp
"Aw, yeah!" Fume yelled, "You want some help with that? The more, the merrier!"
"No, I'm gonna do it by myself," Garble said, "If anything happens, I don't want you to be witnesses."
"Meh, I guess," Clump said, "Go do your thing!" Garble smiled with evilness and flew into the forest with Spike. After they were deep enough that no one can hear them, Garble finally stopped and set Spike on the ground, the baby dragon shivering in fear.
"Please don't hurt me!" he said, curling into a little ball.
"Dude, calm down," Garble said, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I only said that so I can to talk to you without looking like a wimp in front of my little brothers."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. Garble sat down next to Spike, giving a sigh.
"That was... a really cool thing you did...," he said very low, "...giving me that fire-ruby and all..."
"Well... I was just trying to be nice...," Spike said.
"B-but... why would you give it to me...?" Garble said, "The only time a dragon would give another dragon a fire-ruby is if they were a close friend or something... How could you consider me as a friend?"
"I... I just... like making friends, I guess...," Spike said with a bit of confusion.
"But I treated you like rancid meat last time you were here...," Garble said, "My brothers and I made you do things you didn't want to do, made fun of you, and tried to rip you apart as you ran away..." Spike smiled.
"I never hold a grudge," Spike said, "That was two years ago, and besides, you were just being a dragon. Dragons never let enemies get away from them, or it ruins their image."
"Yeah... I guess...," Garble said, "...but still... it was pretty cool..."
"I'm glad you think so, Garble," Spike said. That's when he heard his stomach growl. He smiled and waked over to the dirt-patch he had made previously.
"Lunchtime for me," he mumbled under his breath. He then began digging to get his backpack, Garble watching in confusion.
"What're you digging for?" he asked. Spike ignored him and kept digging until he reached his backpack, throwing it out of the hole and climbing to the top.
"Just had to get my stuff," he said. He grabbed his stuff and sat back down next to Garble as he unzipped it. But, before he opened it he smiled and looked at Garble.
"Hey... I've got some snacks in my backpack," Spike said, "Wanna share 'em?" Garble shrugged.
"Why not...?" he said, "...I'm desperate for entertainment right now anyway..." Spike smiled and dumped everything in his backpack onto the ground. What caught Garble's eye was the comic books.
"You read comic books?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Spike said, smiling wide, "I love comic books, almost more than I love gems! They're so much better than regular books!" Garble smirked and looked down. "But, I don't think you'd like them. They're the Power Ponies series, and since you don't like ponies, you probably wouldn't like them."
"Hey hey... I wouldn't say that now...," Garble said, trying hard not to blush. Spike giggled.
"You like the Power Ponies, don't you?" he asked. Garble stifled a giggle.
"Alright... you got me...," he said, "Yeah, I do. In fact, that's the only reason I like going on the migrations is because I always sneak off and steal the newest one from that bookstore in Canterlot." Spike giggled. "But, since I was banned for the last two migrations, I haven't gotten to read the newest books..."
"Well then, it's a lucky day for you!" Spike said, "Got 'em all!"
"Spike, you're awesome!" Garble said, grabbing a comic book and a handful of gems, "Thanks!" Spike smiled and did the same.
"No problem, Garble," he said. After a few comic books, Spike sipped a juice-box, hiccupped, and burped, his green fire-breath forming into a letter. Garble saw the scroll and raised his eyebrow.
"Is that a letter from that pony princess you're pen-pals with?" he asked.
"Yeah... it is...," Spike said, picking up the letter. He opened it, and then without taking time to read it, placed it in his lap. He then scratched "LEAVE ME ALONE!" into the paper with his claw, spat on it, crumbled it into a ball, and burned it with his fire-breath, sending it back to Princess Celestia with an uncaring and sharp exhale. Garble, having saw the whole thing, raised his eyebrow in concern.
"Uh... Spike...?" Garble asked, "What was that for...?" Spike watched the aura of the letter fly out of sight.
"Just taking out some trash...," he said. Garble's eyebrow raised a little higher.
"Hey, Spike... can I ask you something...?" he asked.
"Sure," Spike said.
"If you love acting like a pony so much, and was satisfied with being away from us...," Garble said, "Why did you come back? I thought you didn't like acting like us."
"Well, you just have a change of heart sometimes, you know?" Spike said.
"That... doesn't make much sense, Spike...," Garble said, "You said you were hatched by a pony, and have lived with them for ten years. How would you have a change of heart after living with them happily for ten years?" Spike sighed, knowing Garble was right. Feeling like it was time to confess, he put down his sandwich and spoke.
"Alright... fine...," he said, "I guess I need to stop kissing your backside come clean..."
"About what...?" Garble asked.
"I'm not here just because I wanted to come back...," Spike said, "...I ran away from my home... and accidentally came back here... and I was afraid Twilight would find me somehow..."
"What did you run away for?" Garble asked. Spike sighed heavily, hoping to contain his tears.
"My friends... laughed at me because... because...," he said, his voice breaking. Garble became a bit concerned.
"Because why...?" he asked. A tear seeped out of Spike's eye as he finally spilled his guts.
"Because I told them... I was gay...," Spike finally confessed. The memory was too strong, and he couldn't hold in his tears as he cried once again into his hands. Spike didn't look up at Garble, expecting him to laugh just like his "pony friends" did, but he instead heard a gasp, then a small growl.
"They did what...?" he asked, his teeth clenched.
"They laughed at me because I told them I was gay...," Spike repeated, "See... you know that white pony that followed me here last time...?"
"Mm-hmm...," Garble said, a face of light anger on his face.
"Well... her name is Rarity... and I first saw her when I moved to Ponyville... and had a crush on her since...," Spike said, "And two weeks ago... I tried, for the tenth time, to get her to be my mare... but... it didn't happen... and she broke my heart..."
"Aww dude...," Garble mumbled under his breath, feeling a bit sorry for Spike.
"...after that... I realized... if I wasn't good enough for her... then I wasn't good enough for any mare...," Spike continued, "...so earlier today... I decided to become gay... and I told my friends... and... and..."
"...and they laughed at you, didn't they...?" Garble asked, clenching his teeth harder.
"*sniffle* Yes...," Spike said, "...just because... I became gay in two weeks..."
"What?! Seriously?!" Garble asked, his teeth almost shattering from the force of being clenched so hard.
"Yes...!" Spike said, "And that's why... why...!" Spike tried to finish up the story, but he was crying too hard to do so. Garble felt very sorry for Spike as he scooted closer to him until their hips were lightly touching and draped his wing around him.
"It's alright, Spike," he said, trying his best to comfort him, "I've heard enough. I get it." He grabbed a small handful of leaves and gave them to Spike. "Here, wipe your face." Spike grabbed them, blew his nose, and wiped his face.
"Th-thanks... Garble...," he mumbled.
"No problem, Spike," he said. Spike cried for a few more seconds, then finally stopped. Garble looked at him again. "You alright now?"
"Yeah... I'm fine...," Spike said. Garble pat Spike's back as Spike blew his nose again. "So... that's why I ran away... because I didn't want to live... with ponies that thought of me as a joke..."
"But Spike...," Garble said, "If that was the case... why didn't you say so...?" Spike timidly cleared his throat and finally made eye-contact with Garble.
"Because I thought you were just gonna laugh at me like they did...," he said, "...you already hate me... and I didn't need you to tease me for anything else..."
"Spike...," Garble said, "Sure, I'm a bit of a bully... but I'm not that much of one..."
"What... do you mean...?" Spike asked.
"I don't harass other dragons because they're in pain, Spike," Garble said, "I might as well assault Lady Ember if I do. I was only harassing you because I thought you came back to gloat about how you got away from us or spy on us with another fake dragon costume full of ponies again."
"S-so... you don't care that I'm... gay...?" Spike asked.
"Of course not, Spike," Garble said, "I just told you, I don't harass other dragons because they're in pain... and neither will Fume and Clump..."
"How do you know...?" Spike asked, "And why do you care...? Why does anyone care...? Why does anyone care that a stupid baby dragon was rejected and laughed at because he's gay...?" Garble smiled, saying something that Spike was very unexpected to hear.
"Because I'm gay too," he said. Spike's eyes grew so big that he thought they would pop right out of his head if his face wasn't buried in Garble's wing.
"Y-you're... what...?" Spike asked.
"I'm gay too, Spike," Garble repeated, his smile widening a bit.
"Y-you?!" Spike unbelievingly said, "B-but, you're not depressed, and no one's laughing at you or teasing you or anything!"
"You're right," Garble said, "For two reasons: I don't listen to anyone who wants to mess with me, and I'm too proud of being a homo to be depressed about it."
"R-really...?" Spike said, "B-but... what about Clump and Fume...? They'd be the first ones to tease you if anyone would..."
"My brothers are too loyal to do something like that," Garble said, "Heck, Fume likes eating poison ivy leaves, and Clump has a fetish for squirrels, but I'm cool with both. That's why we don't have secrets to hide."
"Wow...," Spike said.
"So therefore, I'm gay and I'm proud, like you should be, Spike," Garble said, "People are gonna make fun of you until you become maggot-chow, and all you gotta do is ignore it until then. You think you can do that?"
"I... I guess so...," he said. Garble smiled and gave Spike a single pat on the top of his head as Spike blew his nose once again.
"Plus, girls are gross and annoying," Garble said, "All they do is talk and complain about their scales overlapping. I'd rather eat a bucket full of dragonsneeze plants than date a girl." Spike giggled, then smiled evilly as he decided to join in.
"Yeah!" Spike said, "Especially Rarity! She couldn't even stand getting a little dirty! You should've seen the look on her face when Pinkie Pie spilled that grape juice on her coat after a birthday party!"
"I can imagine it!" Garble said.
"Oh, and you don't wanna know how much I hated Twilight's strict nature!" Spike said.
"Spill it!" Garble said.
"She didn't let me do anything fun!" Spike said, "And if she did, she made too many safety measures! Like, who needs to wear a bike helmet and kneepads to play basketball?"
"A softie, apparently," Garble said.
"And she was an extreme bookworm!" Spike said, "She used to spend two weekends a month re-shelving the books in the library, calling it a booksortcation! Do you know how many hoofball games I missed on Sunday because she wanted me to help?! In fact, I missed the Mega Plate four years in a row!" Garble gave a gasp.
"Then she should have just gone and kicked you in your precious jewels!" Garble said, "The Mega Plate is a NEED when you're a boy!"
"I know right?" Spike added, "And worst of all... she made me shower every single day!"
"No way," Garble said.
"I'm serious," Spike said, "I was lucky to get to enjoy my own stink for fifteen minutes." He looked down at his feet. "But I was able to keep my feet dirty at least. I mean, the only reason I washed them earlier is so Twilight wouldn't be able to track the scent."
"I hear you, Spike," Garble said, "My mom was the same way when it came to hygiene, but once I moved out, she wasn't around to tell me otherwise. In fact, Clump, Fume and I haven't bathed in three years, unless lava-swimming counts." He placed his sharp-clawed foot in Spike's lap, the bottom covered in dirt, chewing gum, dog excrement, and everything else imaginable, proving how much he liked showering. Spike didn't even have to move any closer to get a whiff of Garble's foot as he sniffed, his eyes almost watering almost instantly.
"Whoa!" Spike said, giving a few coughs and pinching his nose, "You're really packing something lethal! And I thought timber-wolf breath was the worst smell in the world." Garble laughed.
"Timber-wolves ain't got nothing on me!" he said, removing his foot from Spike's lap, "In fact, that's the reason they run away from me whenever I'm around them."
"I agree," Spike said, "I think you could knock out a colony of skunks with that smell." Spike and Garble had a small laugh, then looked at each other again, right in each other's eyes.
"You know what, Spike...?" Garble said, "I gotta admit... you're a little cooler than I thought..."
"Just a little...?" Spike asked. Garble sighed.
"Fine, you're way cooler than I thought...," he said, giving Spike a couple of noogies. Spike looked at his backpack, then back at Garble.
"Hey, Garble...?" he asked, "Is it alright if I move in with you and your brothers...? It's not like I've got anywhere else to go..." Garble smiled.
"Sure," he said, "But you're gonna have to sleep on my gem-pile with me. Fume's a kicker, and Clump likes to hog all the space." Spike smiled wide.
"Thank you!" he said. He was about to go for a hug, but stopping himself. "Uh... do you like hugs or are you too cool for them?" Garble laughed.
"Come here, you imposter dragon!" he said, pulling Spike into a hug. The sudden pull startled Spike a bit, but he enjoyed the warm cuddle. Garble's eyes popped open in surprise as he cuddled his new friend.
"Jeez, Spike...," he said, "You're... pretty cuddly..."
"Everyone says that...," Spike said, "You're cuddly too..." They hugged for a few more seconds, then let go of each other. "By the way... I'm sorry for getting you banned from the migrations..."
"It's fine, Spike," Garble said, "And I'm sorry for picking on you." Spike smiled.
"So, truce?" he asked, holding his hand out to Garble. Garble smiled and shook Spike's hand.
"Truce," he said. He then stood up. "Alright, we need to get back to the volcano before Fume and Clump become suspicious." Spike nodded as Garble grabbed him by his waist and flew with him back to the volcano. Fume and Clump had finally finished roughhousing and were laying on their gem-piles. They saw Garble return and flew over to him.
"Hey bro!" Fume said, "How'd it go?!" Clump noticed Spike, uninjured and in perfect condition, in Garble's hands.
"Hey!" he said, "He still has all his scales! You said you were going to rip them out!"
"Well, I lied," Garble said, "In fact, Spike's moving in with us." Both Fume and Clump gasped.
"Have you lost your mind, Garble?!" Fume said, "You're just gonna let him live in our cave after he embarrassed us in front of a bunch of stupid ponies?!"
"And got us banned from the migrations?!" Clump added.
"Yes, I am," Garble said, "In fact, why don't you let Spike tell you why?"
Garble set Spike on the ground. Spike, shivering a little from fear, retold his entire story to Clump and Fume. Their faces of pure anger toward Spike slowly dropped to faces of sadness and guilt as they heard each word. They never thought Spike would return with such a burden on his shoulders. Luckily, Spike was able to tell the story without shedding tears again, and waited for them to lay it on him. But, as he hoped, they didn't tease him, and instead felt sorry for him.
"You too, huh?" Fume asked, "I didn't know you... liked boys too... or had such a bummer following you..."
"Yeah...," Clump said, "If you were suffering something so extreme, why didn't you open your mouth, dude?"
"Because just like I told Garble...," Spike said, "...I thought you were going to laugh at me again... just like those stupid ponies did..."
"And that's why I decided to let him move in," Garble said, "He belongs with us loyal dragons, not with backstabbing ponies. Plus, you gotta admit, getting kicked out of the migrations isn't so bad. At least we get the whole volcano to ourselves every other weekend." Fume and Clump looked at each other with faces of agreement.
"Yeah," Fume added, "And we don't have to worry about Lady Ember screaming at us when we fly out of sync."
"And we don't have to share every single thing we steal from dragon raids with the adult dragons," Clump added.
"See?" Garble said, "Spike may have gotten us banned from the migrations, and embarrassed us in front of ponies, but some things have a pro and a con, you know?" Fume and Clump smiled and Spike walked closer to them, smiling as well.
"So... truce...?" Spike asked, holding his hand out to them.
"Truce, bro," Fume said, shaking Spike's hand.
"Yeah, truce," Clump said, also shaking Spike's hand.
"Well," Garble said, "Since we're all cool, I believe we still have one more job to do."
Spike smiled as Clump imitated a Royal horn with his nose. Fume and Clump then raised their tails like swords as Spike walked underneath them and up to Garble, who was smiling at him.
"Spike," he said, "By exposing your deepest secret, and fighting a tragic past, you have proven yourself worthy." Garble then used his tail to lightly tap Spike's shoulders knighting-style. "I hereby dub you, full-fledged dragon." He smiled. "And we'll now perform the initiation ritual. Fume, if you would...?" Fume nodded and flew into his gem-pile, pulling out a phoenix egg he had previously stolen for himself.
"Here you go, big bro!" he said. Garble took the egg.
"Spike...," he said, "In order for you to be a full-fledged dragon..." He held the egg out to Spike. "...you must do what you couldn't do three years ago." Spike gulped and took the phoenix egg. "Do you accept...?"
Spike stared at the egg in his hands for a few seconds. Flashbacks of the first time he tried to do it struck him, which made him hesitant, but the thought of being with dragons who were loyal to him was much stronger than that. Taking a deep breath, he finally threw the egg onto the ground, which burst right on contact. Yolk, eggshells, blood, and even a tiny phoenix embryo spilled out everywhere in front of the three dragons. Garble smiled and placed his hand on Spike's shoulder.
"Congratulations, Spike," he said, "You are now our newest roommate and partner." Spike smiled with extreme happiness.
"YES!" he said, "I'm a real dragon!"
"Yes, you are", Fume said, "We were gonna throw a party for you... but I'm too pooped..."
"Yeah, me too," Clump agreed.
"But, we got you tomorrow, alright?" Garble said. Spike nodded with a smile.
"Sounds good," he said.
"Alright, rookie," Garble said, "Let's go to bed." Spike, Garble, Clump, and Fume turned in for the night, Spike happier than ever as he knew he found new friends who were loyal to him better than any other pony would ever be.
~~~~~~~~~~
One week later, Spike's relationship with the teenage dragons grew thicker and thicker. Even the other teenage dragons who lived in the volcano liked him as well as the brothers. Spike was surrounded by loyal friends, abundant piles of gems, and a great home, everything he ever wanted. Spike was resting on his own gem-pile, reading a few of his comic books, when Fume flew over to him.
"Hey, Spike," he said.
"Morning, Fume," Spike said, "What's up?"
"Garble wants to talk to you over at the lava pool," Fume said, "Says it's about something important."
"What's it about?" Spike asked.
"He told me not to tell you," Fume said, "You're gonna have to find out." Spike nodded as Fume grabbed him and flew him over to the lava pool. Garble was bathing alone, and smiled once he saw Fume with Spike.
"Hey, Spike," Garble said. Fume placed Spike on the ground and flew away as Spike walked closer to Garble.
"Hey, Garble...," he said, "Looks like you got lucky enough to get the lava to yourself."
"No," Garble said, "I just asked everybody if you and I could have it alone for a few hours." Spike raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"Uh... why...?" he asked.
"What?" Garble said, "I gotta have an explanation to share the lava with my best friend?"
"I... guess not...?" Spike said.
"Exactly," Garble said, "So, come on in. The lava's fine." Spike shrugged and dove into the lava, spitting out whatever he had accidentally collected in his mouth. He then gave a loud sigh, resting himself against Garble's side.
"So much better than water...," he mumbled. Garble chuckled.
"That's because hot water's for ponies," Garble said, "Anyway, there's something I really wanted to ask you,"
"I'm all ears, Garble," Spike said, submerging himself under the lava until it reached his neck. Garble sighed, making sure there wasn't anyone around within twenty feet of the lava pool before he went on.
"Alright... this is serious OK?" he said, "So, no goofing off."
"Got it," Spike said.
"Remember... when you told me you were gay...?" Garble asked, "And I said I was too?"
"Of course," Spike said, "That was about a week ago."
"Well... you still are... right...?" Garble asked.
"Yes," Spike said, "What of it?" Garble looked down at the lava.
"Well... I've been thinking...," he continued, "...y-you're a pretty awesome friend... but..." Garble paused for a bit, looking right into Spike's eyes.
"But what?" Spike asked, still a bit confused.
"...I've been having thoughts... about...," Garble tried to continue, choking up a little bit.
"About what, Garble?" Spike asked, "I'm not following..." Garble sighed once more.
"Sorry for this, Spike...," he said very low.
"What do you- mmph!" Spike tried to say, before he was cut off when Garble pressed his lips on Spike's, locking in a major kiss between them. Spike pushed against Garble, trying hard to escape his grasp, but Garble was four-times stronger than he was, and he was no match. After ten seconds, Garble finally let go, Spike stirring to recover from that surprise. He thought he would've puked out of surprise if he hadn't accidentally swallowed some of the lava while stirring.
"G-Garble...!" he said, "What the heck... was that for?!"
"Spike, I wanna be your dragon!" Garble finally said.
"*spits* What?!" Spike asked.
"I wanna be your dragon, Spike!" Garble said, "I... love you..." Those three words surprised Spike even more than the kiss as he finally recovered, looking right at Garble.
"You... what...?" Spike timidly asked.
"I love you, Spike...," Garble said, "...I love everything about you... and I want to be your dragon..." Spike looked down at the lava, then back at Garble.
"Are you serious... Garble...?" Spike asked.
"I'm as serious as a heart-attack, Spike," Garble said. Spike stared at the lava some more, then smiled, kissing Garble again. Garble gasped very loud through his nose as Spike kissed him for five seconds, then pulled away.
"Garble...," Spike said, "...I love you too... but you didn't have to make the lava pool private to tell me that... you could've just told it to me next to the gem-piles..."
"But Spike...," Garble said, "You said... you loved me right...?" Spike smiled.
"Yes," he said, snuggling himself into the root of Garble's wing, "Yes I did."
"W-were you... serious...?" Garble asked, "You'll... be my boyfriend...?" Spike hugged Garble with delight.
"I'd love to be your special somepony, Garble," Spike said, hugging Garble a little tighter.
"You mean boyfriend," Garble corrected, "'Special someponies are for ponies, not dragons." Spike giggled.
"Well then, I'd be happy to be your boyfriend," he said. Garble smiled and hugged Spike back, nuzzling the top of his head.
"Thank you... Spike...," he said, "I'm gonna do my best to make sure you're happy by my side."
"Why wouldn't I be happy by your side?" Spike said, "I've been sticking with you for a week now, and I've been happier than ever. Much happier than I was with those stupid ponies." Spike buried his face in Garble's scaly chest, Garble giggling and covering him with his wings.
"Yeah, you're right," Garble said, kissing Spike's cheek, making him giggle.
"Uh, are we gonna tell Fume and Clump?" Spike asked.
"Of course," Garble said, "We'd be keeping secrets if we didn't."
"Oh, right," Spike said, "Well, should we go tell them?" Garble smiled.
"No need!" he said, "Hey bros! Come on out!" Fume and Clump came from behind a nearby boulder, having heard the whole thing. "He said yes!"
"Alright!" Fume cheered, "Way to go, Spike!"
"Uh... yeah..." Clump mumbled, "Great..." Fume raised his eyebrow at him, but ignored it and continued to congratulate Spike.
"That means you're more than our friend Spike!" Fume excitedly said, "You're our brother now!" Spike blushed lightly.
"I am...?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Fume said, "I'm proud of you, Garble!"
"Thanks Fume," Garble said, trying hard not to blush, "We're totally going to celebrate this with a party later, but for now, let's celebrate in the lava."
"Count me in!" Fume yelled, "Cannonball!" Fume did a perfect cannonball into the lava, splashing both Spike and Garble.
"Nice one, Fume!" Spike cheered. Everyone then looked at Clump.
"Your turn, Clump!" Fume said. Clump stepped back a little.
"Uh... you go ahead...," he said, "I'm not in the mood to swim today..." Garble raised his eyebrow.
"You feeling OK, bro?" he asked, "If anyone loves lava-swimming, it's you."
"I swam enough earlier..." Clump said. Garble shrugged.
"Alright then..." he said, "If that's really how you-" Garble instantly cut himself off and struck Clump right across his face with his claws, making both Spike and Fume gasp.
"Bro!" Fume yelled, "You just clawed Clump! We agreed that we wouldn't use our claws on each other unless there's a legit reason!"
"I know, and I do have a legit reason!" Garble said, "Because that's not Clump! He's a fake!" Spike then began to sniff the air, catching a very familiar scent.
"It's..." he said, "It's Twilight! She's somewhere around here!" Clump stood up and rubbed his scratched cheek as a purple aura surrounded him and he transformed into Twilight Sparkle, who had been in disguise.
"Fine... yes, it's me Spike..." she said. All three dragons instantly jumped out of the lava. Fume and Garble tackled her and held her by her front legs, while Spike stood in front of her with his arms crossed.
"Wait! Don't hurt me!" Twilight yelled desperately, "I just wanna talk to Spike, then I'll leave!"
"Garble, Fume, let her go," Spike said, "I wanna hear what she has to say... but Garble, I want you to stand behind me just in case she's not alone, and Fume, stand behind her just in case she tries anything." Both Fume and Garble nodded and let go of Twilight. Fume stood right behind her and Garble stood behind Spike.
"Spike... I assure you... I'm by myself..." Twilight said, "I just wanna talk..."
"Fine... speak," Spike said.
"No funny business though!" Fume said, "Unless you want your insides to become your outsides!" Twilight gulped and focused only on Spike as he spoke first.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming here after what you did to me..." Spike said.
"Spike... I know you're still sour with me..." Twilight said, "But please... come home... running away isn't going to solve anything..."
"I'm not 'running away', Twilight!" Spike yelled, "I RAN away! I ran away to my new home!" Twilight gasped.
"How could you call this a home?" she asked, "It's disgusting here... and these dragons are a bad influence on you..."
"Well at least they don't laugh at me because I told them a personal secret!" Spike yelled.
"Spike..." Twilight mumbled as he continued.
"And how would you know who's a bad influence on me?!" Spike yelled, "Here you are, trying to take me back, and you didn't even have the guts to come here as yourself, 'Princess of Friendship'! You had to do something with Clump and transform into him like some wimpy little changeling!"
"Which was pretty pathetic!" Garble added, "I knew he wasn't the real Clump, because Clump would never turn down lava-swimming or say he swam enough for a day! He could live in this lava if he wanted to!"
"And he would've been more excited about Spike becoming Garble's boyfriend than you were!" Fume added.
"Guys please," Spike said, "Lemme handle this. I don't need help." Garble and Fume nodded and kept quite, letting them talk.
"Spike... I'm sorry OK?" Twilight said, "I know I shouldn't have laughed at you for that... and I understand if you decide to swing your barn door the other way..."
"Do you?" Spike asked, "Or are you just stealing Applejack's speech from when she talked to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash because you want me back?"
"I'm serious, Spike..." Twilight said, "And... if you come back... Rarity agreed that she will become your marefriend..." Spike's eyebrows raised.
"R-really...?" Spike asked.
"Yes..." Twilight said, "She Pinkie Promised..." Spike looked down, knowing if he returned to Ponyville, he would finally get the mare he had always wanted. But, he knew he couldn't leave Garble right after he had just became his dragon, and plus, he knew Garble actually loved him, and wasn't just saying so to make him come home. Spike took a breath, and then looked up again.
"No... I refuse..." he confidently said. Twilight gasped as Spike continued. "I'm staying here... Rarity had her chance to have me, and she didn't want it... so Garble is my boyfriend now." Spike smiled and kissed Garble again, holding his hand as Twilight spoke again.
"Spike... listen to yourself..." Twilight said, "This isn't you... the Spike I know would never run away... and would be happy if Rarity agreed to become his marefriend..."
"Well then that Spike finally saw the light!" Spike yelled, "I'm a baby dragon, not a pony! For the past ten years I've been living with you ponies! Eating grass, wearing frilly little aprons, shelving books for no reason, using toilets, sleeping with teddy bears... well all that's over! I'm living with my own kind now, and it's been the best week of my life!"
"Spike, these scaly beasts tried to KILL you last time!" Twilight said, "If it weren't for me, we'd both be DEAD!" Garble growled and leaped at Twilight, but Spike pushed him back.
"Let it go, Garble," he said, "She's not worth it." Garble sighed and nodded as Spike turned to Twilight again.
"'Scaly beasts'?" Spike said, "That's what a dragon is to you? Just because they were just protecting their land, they're 'scaly beasts'?" Twilight sighed.
"Please... come home..." Twilight said, "I've got a big batch of cookies waiting for you at the Castle... and everyone's there to give you a party once you come back..."
"I still refuse!" Spike said, "They're gonna throw me a party later today for being Garble's dragon, and I've got all the gems I can ask for here! I've got so many that I sleep on them!" Spike sighed again.
"You know what, Twilight?" he said, "All you're doing is embarrassing yourself further. I keep saying no, and you just keep begging. And here you are speaking for Rarity and everyone else, but they didn't have the guts to show up with you."
"They didn't want to come, Spike," Twilight said, "They were afraid they wouldn't leave alive... and I was the only one brave enough to come, the one who hatched you from your egg..."
"For a magic test!" Spike said, "If it weren't for that test, I wouldn't have been hatched for another six months! You only hatched me so you could become Celestia's pet! If you hadn't broken my shell, you wouldn't be the Princess of Friendship! You'd just be the same bookworm Unicorn you were three years ago!" Twilight looked down to the ground, knowing he was telling the truth.
"Spike..." she mumbled.
"Look, bottom line Twilight," he said, "I'm staying here, and that's final. If you wanna see me, you're gonna have to visit. This volcano is my home, and these dragons are my family now. And when Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity sprout some guts, they can visit me to, but I'm not moving back in with you. You and everyone else had me, you laughed at me, and you lost me. They found me, and gave me a home and a boyfriend, and they don't laugh at me for being gay, like you did."
"Spike... is that really how you feel...?" Twilight asked, "Are you serious...?"
"I'm as serious as a seizure, Twilight..." Spike said, grabbing Garble's front leg and wrapping it around his torso like a towel, "I belong here, and I'm gonna stay here." Twilight looked to the ground again.
"B-but Spike..." she said, "How will I-?" Garble hissed at her, standing over her as Twilight looked up at him in fear.
"My boyfriend gave you his answer!" he yelled, "He said no, so deal with it! So, either you tuck that purple tail of yours between your legs and get out of our volcano, or you're gonna be the first pony ever to go lava-swimming!" Fume grabbed Twilight by her tail.
"Just say the word Spike," he said, "Do we let her go, or do we let her go swimming?" Spike sighed.
"Let her go, guys," he said, "Show her to the exit and get her out of here. She's interrupting my celebration." Spike jumped back into the lava as Fume carried Twilight out of the volcano and Garble sat next to Spike on the edge of the lava pool, dipping his feet in it.
"Like I said, all girls do is complain and moan," Garble said. Spike giggled and kissed Garble's muzzle.
"Yeah," Spike said, "That's why I'm proud to be gay."
"Me too, Spike... me too," Garble said. That's when Fume came back with Clump.
"I found Clump," he said, "He was covered in duct tape in a tree." Clump grumbled and ripped off a piece of duct tape from his wing and tail.
"Stupid pony!" he yelled, "That stuff was hard to get off!"
"Hey, at least she's gone," Spike said.
"But I missed it..." Clump said, "I missed you and Garble getting together."
"No you didn't," Garble said, "Come on in. We're celebrating with lava-swimming right now!" Clump smiled.
"Aw yeah!" he said, "Cannonball!" He did a perfect cannonball into the lava, Fume following him.
"Now that's the Clump I know!" Garble excitedly said.
~~~~~~~~~~
Later that day, Spike was organizing his gem-pile to get ready for bed. He had just finished getting the right molding when Garble flew over to him, landing right on top of it and messing it up.
"Hey Spike," he said.
"Garble!" Spike said, "Why'd you do that? It was perfect!"
"Whoops, sorry..." Garble said, looking at the two large clawprints in the gems.
"It's fine," Spike said, sitting on his gems, "This is good enough anyway. What's up?" Garble smiled.
"I was wondering if I could sleep with you," he said, "Since you're my boyfriend and all." Spike smirked and scooted over.
"Sure," he said. Garble smiled and laid down on his back on the gems. Right when Garble laid down, Spike smiled and climbed onto Garble's stomach, curling into a tight ball. "For a cuddle!"
"Oh, you sneaky little lizard!" Garble said, laughing as well and covering him with his wings like a blanket, "You coulda just asked!"
"Meh... I didn't feel like it," Spike said. They shared a final laugh and then smiled into each other's eyes.
"Garble... thanks for letting me move in... and treating me like a real dragon..." Spike said.
"No problem, Spike," Garble said, "And thank you for letting me be your dragon..."
"You're very welcome, Garble..." Spike said, leaning up to kiss Garble's cheek, "I love you." Garble blushed and returned the kiss on Spike's tiny muzzle.
"I love you too, Spike," he said, "Sweet dreams..."
"You too..." Spike mumbled sleepily, "Good... night..."
Author's Note
If you've made it this far down the story, congratulations. I'm glad you could finish it without bailing and leaving a premature negative comment. You're a good man/woman.
Now, I'm sure most of you are wondering what "crazy and supernatural thing" went through my mind to write something like this, because never in my two-and-a-half years of being a writer have I written something like this. Like, "Why, out of all the Spike ships that are out there, did I make a new one with Garble?" Well, here's the reason why:
There are way too many double-standards in the world today. On this site, there are several "straight" or "lesbian" stories, because everyone loves those, including me. But, why is it that gay men get teased more than gay women? Like, if two women kiss, hold hands, call each other "babe", or share a bed, everyone's OK with it. But, if two men do this, they're teased and called gross, even if they were just doing it to be friendly.
So, here comes a new dragon, a female named Ember, and like anyone could expect, everyone shipped her with Spike. And before then, he was shipped with Rarity. But, where are all the stallionxstallion stories? No one cares to write them, because they find it gross. (Most do, some don't. If you don't, that's great) Sure, there are a few, but not nearly as many as the marexmare stories. I understand MLP:FIM is recommended (RECOMMENDED! Not strictly FOR!) for girls, but that doesn't mean related fanfics have to be too.
Now, just in case you're wondering, no. I am not gay. I'm straight. But, I believe in making the world a better place. Everyone deserves respect, no matter who they love. No matter if they love a man, a women, or even a hermaphrodite, they shouldn't be teased or bullied. I'm not homophobic, and you shouldn't be either.
So, that's why I made this story. Gay men have just as many rights as straight men, or gay women. Sure, Sparity is good, and Spember is new, but Sparble was something I'm proud of, no matter what anyone says. If Big Macintosh fell in love with Dr. Hooves, would you no longer like him? Or, if Angel fell in love with Gummy, would you suddenly hate them both? Or if Snips and Snails fell in love, what would you think about them?
So go ahead. Call me disgusting, dislike the story, and leave a hate comment if you want to. Just remember, I'm proud of this story, because everyone should be treated fairly, no matter if they're gay or straight.
(Also, I haven't seen any of the new episodes yet because I don't have Discovery Family, but going off of this Deviantart pic, the purple dragon's name is Fume, and the brown dragon's name is Clump. I don't know if these are their true names [besides Garble], but let me know if they are. If not, I'll fix them. And yes, I labeled them as brothers so Spike would feel more welcome in his new home)
Hope you enjoyed the story,
glittersparkle413.
