"Spike this has got to stop," the purple Alicorn used her magic to lift the sheets out of Spike's basket. "We'll run out of sheets before long if this keeps up."

The baby dragon was dejected. His emerald green eyes regarded the floor and his claw placed itself absentmindedly in his mouth.

He couldn't explain it. This night was the same as any other night. Breakfast to start the day, morning chores, daily friendship tasks, royal duties, it was all the same. Maybe he did drink too much water before bed. But he wouldn't have had to if Pinkie's habanero frosted cupcakes weren't for dessert that evening!

The sound of Spike's wet sheets hitting the laundry hamper broke Spike from his daze.

"Spike?" Twilight looked to see that her baby dragon hadn't moved an inch and was shaking, probably shivering from the cold breeze blowing by his urine stained scales. "Spike? Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then we can go back to bed." She floated him up in the air with a levitation spell and began to head towards the washroom. Spike still looked towards the ground, unsure of what to say. A single tear had begun to form in the corner of his eye.

Twilight felt bad for Spike on nights such as this. She asked a whole lot of such a tiny dragon. She often forgot that he's still just a baby. Still with infantile needs on occasion.

Moments earlier she awoke to the sound of Spike's soft sobs echoing down the hallway from his room. He would never tell her directly that he wet the bed. Instead he would try to clean up his mess on his own. Eventually Twilight pieced two and two together when she noticed how poorly the laundry was done. She was of course very understanding when she found out about Spike's little accidents. She remembers her brother, Shining Armor, having similar "problems" when they were younger and growing up in the same house. But boy was Shining ever secretive about it! To this day he's made her swear to never tell anypony else about it. He even taught her the Canterlot Royal Guard Oath of Secrecy just to commit her more legitimately to the act.

Amusingly enough all of Twilight's friends, including Princess Cadence know about his accidents now. (He just doesn't know they know.)

"Are you mad at me?" Spike was floated over their wooden drum of a bathtub.

Twilight was so shocked at that question she almost dropped Spike preemptively from her levitation spell!

"Twilight?"

Twilight has never been impatient with Spike on things he couldn't control. She always tried to show him compassion when things didn't go his way. She's never raised her voice in anger unnecessarily at him, or shamed him unfairly. Why does he feel this time is any different? Why would he think she was upset with him at all?

"Oh Spike..." Twilight offered her most sincerest of smiles, "of course I'm not mad at you. You just had an accident was all. It's just a phase I'm sure. And you'll grow out of it eventually." Twilight started running some warm bath water from a valve in the adjacent wall. It was two in the morning and it seemed like they were the only two souls awake. The running bath water broke the night's silence. "Almost everypony wets the bed when they're little. You can't help it, Spike."

"Oh," Spike began rubbing the tears out of his eyes. "Ok, Twilight. If you say so."

Twilight giggled at her baby. "Spike I know so. I've read tons of books on child care. Bed wetting in foals is more common than you think."

Spike didn't doubt she was telling the truth. She's read so many books. Who's to say some of them weren't on raising children?

Spike was definitely starting to feel better. He still had one thing on his mind however:

"I just worry that sometimes I'm too much of a hooffull for you is all."

Twilight was using a wash cloth to scrub Spike's scales clean with an all organic herbal bath solution Fluttershy had given her.

"Though it's true taking care of you was hard while I was studying at Celestia's school," Twilight began. She wasn't going to lie to Spike. "I had help. Mom and Dad helped me raise you as though you were one of their own."

Spike grabbed on to Twilight's hoof for the added balance while she kept wiping him.

"Night Light and Twilight Velvet?" Spike looked right at Twilight. "They consider me one of you?"

One of you? Twilight was a tad perplexed by Spike's phrasing. "Absolutely. We all feel that way about you Spike. Cadence, too." Twilight was starting to wonder what was going on in her baby dragon's head. Was he having another identity crisis? She always dreaded having the talk about his real parents, and she'd prefer it if he was a little older before they delve too much further into the "where did I come from" interrogative. "They both enjoyed spending time with you when you were just a hatchling. Shining Armor always looked at you kind of like his little brother to play with."

"Really?" Spike asked enthralled. Spike always looked up to Shining Armor. One of his fondest and earliest memories is of Shining Armor letting Spike ride him around the house.

Twilight lifted Spike out of the bath tub, this time with her hooves. She floated a warm, fluffy towel with Twilight's cutie mark sewn on to it from under the sink. "Spike I don't know why this is news to you, but..." Twilight blinded him in the supple towel while she held him still in her hooves. When she was satisfied that he was dry she exposed him in a mute game of peek-a-boo while she completed her thought, "...we've always loved you, silly." Twilight booped Spike on his nose which caused him to go cross-eyed for a second.

"I love you too, Twilight!" Spike reached up and threw his arms around Twilight's neck.

Twilight couldn't help but smile at his embrace. She returned his loving hug and everything was still for a moment.

"Alright Casanova. Let's go back to bed," Twilight opened the drain of the tub to let the dirty water out. "We need to get some sleep for the big day we have tomorrow. I can't have my number one assistant too cranky to keep me on schedule."

Spike yawned in agreement.

And with that Twilight carried Spike back to her bedroom. Owlicious was perched on the bed's cornice and staring out at the night sky. He turned his head to see his companions come in.

Twilight tucked Spike in first before getting into the bed herself. She stilled her bedside candle and wrapped a wing over Spike. She watched him closely and smiled.

Spike used to miss cuddling like this with Twilight when he was still a hatchling. Her presence always invited sleep so willingly for him. Spike tried remembering what it was like to live again in those moments. He listened intently to the familiar breath of his caretaker while lying there. His eyes were now starting to completely close themselves as sleep overtook them. He instinctively stuck his claw back in his mouth and dreamed himself a cozy little dream where he and Twilight could cuddle like this forever.

"Well, that was fast." Twilight said under her breath. "Goodnight, Spike." She kissed him on his head next to his spines. "See you in the morning my number one assistant."

Twilight closed her eyes soon thereafter and joined Spike in dreamland.

Author's Note

I've been brainstorming this idea between Spike and Twilight for a long time. I personally have likened these two's relationship to that of a mother and her son although I know this is a subject up for much deliberation. All I'll say on the matter is if you respect my belief to write them the way that I do then of course I'll respect yours. I truly believe that when Twilight was thrust into the role of Spike's caretaker she took on the responsibilities of a mother. Spike grew up seeing her in this way so I think it's only natural that he views Twilight as his adoptive mother. Twilight was the very first living thing Spike laid his eyes on upon hatching after all.

Please try to enjoy my attempt at writing something for them!

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