Spike didn't like where this was going. "About what, Twilight?"

Spike noticed Twilight had already grabbed his favorite book. Twilight placed it gently down on the folds of his bed basket.

"About your accidents."

Spike really didn't like where this was going. Spike froze at the mere word alone and Twilight could see this unnerved him.

"Spike I've noticed that this whole situation has really been putting a lot of stress on you. Stress on you while we're out doing errands, stress on you when we're at home, stress on you when we're out with friends," Twilight paused. "I never even imagined being with friends was something capable of stressing somepony out!"

Spike stood there at his bedroom door still frozen and unsure of what was to come next.

"I just don't like seeing you so stressed Spike. I want to try helping you and sure I admit I sort of went about it the wrong way at first what with going behind your back to ask Fluttershy for information. But I'm here to make it up now."

Twilight Sparkle paced around the room in front of Spike while she spoke.

"The truth is Spike these things are sometimes psychological, mostly physical," she supposed. "But psychological nonetheless. And you acting out while we're among friends really frightens me that there's something more really going on here Spike. Why don't you trust our friends?"

Spike was still recovering from being emotionally ambushed. He was unaware that Twilight had asked him something directly and was awaiting his answer.

"Spike? Why do you think our friends would ever hurt you or make fun of you?" Twilight was right in front of Spike now directing his attention to her face. "Over something you can't control no less?"

Spike stonewalled his tear ducts. "It's not that. It's not like that at all."

"Oh? So tell me. Why then?"

Spike balled his fists at his sides and mustered every ounce of courage to be honest. He knew he could never look Applejack in the eye again if he lied to his caregiver outright. He sighed and let the words flow out.

"Twilight, when I was just little more than a hatchling you took me in and cared for me. You used your magic to make me happy and stayed up with me when I was scared. You sacrificed a large part of your time for me before you even knew me or what I was. And I was such an inconvenience on you from the very beginning."

"Spike you know that's not true. Princess Celestia did task me with caring for you and you were technically my entrance exam to her school, but our bond was unbreakable from day one. I don't see what that has to do with our friends. They like you and care for you, Spike. Just like I do."

Spike countered, "But you always talk about how hard those times were for you, not to me, but I hear it when we're out with old friends and new friends. 'Magic school was very stressful and very challenging at first'," Spike did the finger quotation marks with his claws. "Am I to believe that I was making things easier for you? I barely remember any of it during those days but even I know that that can't be true!" Spike started to feel the tears well up. "I don't need them thinking that you're only with me because you have to be!"

Twilight was panged by this realization. She had no idea Spike felt this way.

Does Spike think I resent him then?

"I just wish I could have shaped up earlier for you," Spike sobbed. "But I couldn't. I don't know how. I'll never be truly independent without you."

Spike fell down on the floor, collapsing from the weight of lifting all of this emotion out from within him.

"There's no way for me to play that scenario out in my head that we were both happy."

So this is why? Twilight supposed Fluttershy was some sort of child care wizard.

"How will I ever truly know you won't disown me? All of those moons you wasted on me at Celestia's school, I was no good for you, Twilight. No good for a hard working, smart, talented unicorn attending the best magic school in all of Equestria!" Spike was crying loudly now. He was shielding his eyes with his hands. "I gave you nothing then! I could offer you nothing in return except gas, long loud nights, an insatiable appetite, and dirty diapers! And now..."

Twilight reached out to her son, "Spike..."

"And now many moons later, even after you've read me countless stories, made sure the boogie pony isn't waiting for you to leave so he can eat me, making me hot cocoa just the way I like it scalding hot, after all of these moments the only things I can give you are checklists, messages, and an occasional book or two. Add to the list my inability to cross the street by myself, messing eating habits, and well- you know..." Spike undoubtedly referencing his ongoing problem.

"Let's face it, Twilight. I'm always going to need you more than you need me..."

Twilight was holding back her own tears now. She wouldn't let Spike see it though.

"I'm scared, Twilight. Scared that you'll soon realize this and leave me and I'll be all alone again like when I was found."

Spike stopped there, a mess curled up on the floor beneath a flood of tears. Twilight had heard it all. Any pressure she put on Spike to be independent was completely missed by her. None of what Spike had said had ever crossed her mind as a possible sensation. She quickly internalized it and empathized for Spike. Night Light and Twilight Velvet had very high expectations of her and Shining from an early age. She didn't like thinking that somehow she vicariously raised Spike through them.

Spike was hunched over in a pool of his own sobs. "Don't go Twilight... Please don't go." Spike wailed. "I promise not to drink anymore water before bed. Honest! Just don't leave me alone! Please..."

Twilight was not prepared for this. But she had instinct. So she acted on it.

"Spike," Twilight lifted him up in her hooves and tried to get him to stare into her eyes.

"When I made you my assistant do you want to know why?"

"Wha- Why?" Spike rubbed his eyes.

"Classes like the History of Magic in Equestria, Science and Potions, and Magic Philosophy were easier for me because they all involved lots of reading. But in Professor Inkwell's Spell Writing and Incantations class I had no choice but to demonstrate learning hands on."

Spike looked intently up at Twilight from within her grasp. He was intrigued.

"You despised that class when I had to bring you in there with me. Professor Inkwell's face used to scare you," Twilight laughed remembering such an occasion. "When it was time to group up and practice our magic in our lab groups nopony wanted to work with me. I guess they thought I wouldn't have time or that I'd be too distracted or maybe that you were too loud."

"I don't see how this is helping any, Twilight," Spike said from under Twilight's cradling arms.

"Just a moment. Just as it seemed that I wasn't going anywhere in the class an idea occurred to me. I didn't need my classmates to form a lab group! I had the best magic assistant in all of Equestria."

"HOO."

"Oh hey, Owlicious." The owl came in to Spike's room and perched himself right above them so that he could listen in on Twilight's story.

"Who'd you find to be your lab assistant, Twilight?"

"You!" Twilight booped Spike playfully on the nose. "I told you that you were going to be my assistant and it was your job to test spells with me. You agreed more or less. Well, you put your foot in your mouth and said 'gah', but same thing, really."

Spike looked surprised.

"We tried all sorts of spells before we got the class prompts right. I think I turned you into a fire breathing mouse at one point by mistake? Those were some of the fondest memories I had at magic school. I no longer worried about my classmates or how I'd understand the lesson material because I had you, my number one assistant." Twilight placed Spike on his bed and sat down next to him so she was at eye level with him as he laid in his bed.

"But you taught me something else too. Something that no textbook, professor, lab group, test tube or pedagogical utensil could ever teach me."

"What's that, Twilight?"

"Spike, you taught me how to love."

Spike sat up confused. "Love? Like Mr. and Mrs. Cake?"

"Well kind of. Love, Spike, is something everypony feels at some point in their life. It may help you to imagine love as that feeling you get when Rarity looks at you and says hello." Twilight winked.

Spike sunk down in her arms a little, succumbing to the daydream Twilight just induced.

I love love then..., Spike drooled in thought.

Twilight floated a cloth she had handy down onto Spike's face to clean the drool.

She continued: "At that point before I met you I was so bogged down by trying to be the best at magic that love was completely foreign to me. Friends were of the littlest importance to me in my life. Success was of the highest value. I had no time to stop and share love with friends."

"I don't see what this has to do with me."

"When I watched you grow and I saw you interact with me in the most innocent of ways I was constantly reminded that it's ok to make mistakes. And that it's ok to not always know the answer to everything." Twilight wiped a stray tear away from Spike's eye.

"Spike, don't you see? You took so much pressure off of me and you offered me so much love seemingly entirely by accident. Here I had this little dragon who, prior to having met me, was sitting inside of an unhatched egg blissfully unaware that the nest they were in wasn't being sat on by their real mother. And I didn't know a thing about dragons! Let alone baby dragons!"

She paused.

"But I soon learned," Twilight giggled into her hoof. "Spike you gave me so much without realizing it. You still do. You taught me how to care and how to love. All by yourself in your own way."

"I wish I could remember those moments..." Spike sniffed.

Twilight recalled flipping through her family's photo album with Spike where her Dad Night Light took countless photos of the two of them. Spike always had such a hard time recognizing himself so small.

"You say that you were an inconvenience on me Spike but that couldn't be further from the truth."

"Really?"

"Spike I love you. And I always will. I may not have realized it at first when you were given to me. But truly you taught me more than I'll ever be able to teach you. You may not see it that way. But just know that if I'd ever left you, it'd only be in your very worst dreams. I need you just as much as you think you need me, Spike. And I'll always always always love you bunches and bunches in the whole wide world of Equestria." Twilight kissed Spike on the head again. "Please don't ever think I'd leave you. There's no way I'd ever repay you like that."

Spike took a second to digest all the information that Twilight just laid out on him.

"So I'll always be your number one assistant then? You'll never leave me?" Spike was enticed.

"Oh Spike," Princess Twilight lifted the sheets to cover her dragon in his tiny basket. "You were never really my assistant."

Spike frowned.

"Spike," Twilight began but paused because she wanted to put this delicately. "Spike, you've always been my baby dragon first and a number one assistant second. Don't you ever doubt that."

Satisfied with her answer Spike settled under his covers next to his adoptive mother.

Twilight, confident in her ability to soothe her baby dragon, finally reached for Spike's favorite book: Goodnight Firebreather.

"Shall we? It's getting late and I don't want my number one assistant too tired to help me complete our checklist tomorrow." Twilight started to open the cover of the novel.

"Yes, mommy."

Twilight smiled down at Spike and began: "Chapter 1: Scales in Armor."

And just as soon as Twilight began reading Spike was already drifting off to sleep. He had the most tremendous smile on his face.

Twilight read on aloud anyways, leaving the two of them and an owl to enjoy each other's company just a little bit longer that night.

Twilight supposed the bed wetting might just fix itself...

Author's Note

You did it.

Please let me know what I can work on and any and all advice/feedback/criticism you give me I will greatly appreciate!

Thank you so much for reading!
-Jake

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all related characters, ideas, logos are trademarked and copyrighted by HASBRO. The only thing that's mine is "A Peace of Spike".