Chapters Later that day, Spike goes off to the cliffs on his own and just sits there thinking over what he should do. "Should I go back and return to a life of slavehood or remain here as a dragon lord?" sighs Spike. "I just don't know."
He continues to sit there and ponder for several hours. After several hours, Spike returns to the throne area and to Ember's side. He then states his decision. "I've thought it over!" says Spike. "I'm staying in the Dragon Lands and that is final. I'm sorry, Twilight, Rarity, this is just how it has to be." Rarity bursts into tears and runs back towards Ponyville, followed by Twilight, who only turns around once to look at Spike.
"Spike, what have you done?" sighs Twilight as she returns to following Rarity back to the Dragon Lands border.
"You did the right thing," says Ember, patting Spike on the shoulder.
"Then why does something still feel wrong?" replies Spike, eyes beginning to fill with tears. Ember goes over and sits beside him.
"You can change your mind if you want, but I enjoy having you around," she kisses him on the cheek. Spike blushes.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Twilight and Rarity are busy explaining to the Mane Six that Spike refused to return with them and instead decided to stay with the dragons. The rest break into tears, including Applejack who almost never cries. Twilight looks at Applejack shocked. She never expected tears out of her at all even at a time like this.
A few days later, Spike finally decides that he should return to Ponyville. After sneaking out from under Ember's arm, he goes and packs his sack with jewels and heads back to Ponyville. He hopes the ponies will take him back after he abandoned them, especially Twilight and Rarity.
A few hours later, Spike walks back into Ponyville, where he is greeted in a hug by Rarity, Twilight, and the rest of the ponies. "We're so glad you're back, Spike!" says Twilight, kissing him on the forehead.
"Yeah, welcome home SpikeyWikey," says Rarity with a smile and a soft, elegant voice.
"I'm glad to be back," replies Spike with a smile.
Meanwhile back at the Dragon Lands, Ember wakes up to find Spike nowhere in sight. She then takes flight towards Ponyville because she knows it's the only other place the little purple dragon could have gone. A few hours later, Ember touches down on the dirt of Ponyville, blowing up dust as she lands. She then goes over to where she finds them cheering as they toss Spike into the air.
"Spike, what is going on? What are you doing back here?" demands Ember.
Spike motions to the ponies to put him down, which they gladly do with smiles on their faces. "I missed my family," replies Spike.
"But I'm your family, your kin," replies Ember.
"No, you're just my best friend," replies Spike. Ember huffs then flies back off to the Dragon Lands. She can't believe Spike chose the ponies of her all. She's got to devise a plan to get him back.
Chapter 6-The Final Chapter
That afternoon after Ember is gone, Spike is celebrated with an apology party from Twilight and her friends. He smiles and giggles as they embrace him in a hug and present him his own little miniature hoard of comic books and action figures. "Awe, this is the sweetest thing, anypony has ever done for me!" says Spike, his eyes filling with tears. They then bring over his favorite: a plate full of gemstone pancakes. There's ruby ones, emerald ones, and his personal favorite, sapphire ones. They all just stand there and watch as he downs the cupcakes and follows it up with a fiery burp. This just makes them laugh. They're all so glad to have their Spike back. They truly don't know how they'd ever do anything without him. That, in their eyes, is as true as it gets.
The End
It's a new day when Spike finds himself being coddled by the ponies once again. As they ooh and ahh and goo goo and baby him, Spike finally gets fed up with it and snorts at them, shocking everyone. For the first time, the ponies are finally realizing that maybe they are treating Spike like a baby and worse, a slave. As they realize this, Derpy drops a box on his head, leaving a giant bump. Spike hisses and breathes fire towards her, getting Twilight onto his case. "Spike, what is with you today?" she demands.
"Twilight, am I a slave?" asks Spike.
"Uh, uh, uh, to be honest, you're more like a brother to me, but now that I think about it, we do tend to treat you as a slave, don't we?"
Spike's eyes begin to fill with tears. He doesn't know how to see himself anymore now that he knows the truth. He runs off and hides himself away from Twilight and her friends. As he rocks back and forth in the corner with this crippling reality, Spike comes to the conclusion that he must return to the Dragon Lands and take over his place as the true dragon lord. It's definitely better, he thinks to himself, than being pushed around by and injured by and coddled by ponies all the time.
The next day, Twilight wakes up to find Spike nowhere in sight. Freaking out, Twilight runs off in search of the little dragon. She can't believe he actually left. She thought that was beyond him. Alas, she knows it is all her fault. After all, it was her who told him he was a slave to pony kind and now it's up to her to find him and bring him home once again. Luckily, she knows the one other place he might have gone, she gulps, the Dragon Lands.
As Twilight runs through town, she is joined by Rarity. "Have you seen Spike?" she asks concerned.
"No, but I have a feeling where he went," replies Twilight. "When I told him he was a slave, he just ran off and is likely heading for the Dragon Lands."
"Oh no!" replies Rarity. "Let me come with you!" Twilight nods. She knows Rarity is the only one who can talk sense back into him right now.
Meanwhile in the Dragon Lands, Spike is greeted into dragon society with a smile by Ember, who makes him her dragon lord, making her the dragon lordess. "I'm glad you decided to rejoin your own kind," says Ember to Spike with a smile on her face.
"I'm glad that dragons are more accepting than ponies," replies Spike smiling back.
He then grabs Embers claws as she takes to the sky, him dangling below her, before landing on the opposite ledge near a lava pit, where she and Spike dive in together, laughing as their heads pop up from under the lava. "This is fun!" exclaims Spike.
"You're going to love being a part of dragon society!" replies Ember with a giggle. "There's so much you don't know. I'll show you it all, don't you worry!"
After swimming in the crackling, warm lava for several hours, Spike grabs Ember's claws once again and they take back to the sky. A few minutes later, the two touch down on a cliff, where they watch meteors fly by overhead. "The meteors are beautiful, do they fly overhead often?" asks Spike.
"Yeah, every hundred years or so," replies Ember with a smile. The two then go silent and get back to watching the meteors for hours on end.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Rarity continue their trek to the Dragon Lands, arriving on its border by the time the sun sets. They then encamp there for the night. The next morning, however, they feel themselves being carried off by two well built dragon guards to the thrones of Spike and Ember and then are dropped down before the two.
"Spike!" says Rarity, "What is going on? Why are you doing this to us? Why'd you leave?" She's begging at this point.
"I left because you treat me like a slave, I'm sorry, but this is for the best," replies Spike forcing the tears from filling his eyes. "Besides, I can't leave now since I'm one of the rulers here now alongside Ember."
"But Spike," cries Rarity, "we miss you. I miss you." Spike's eyes then fill with tears. Maybe he made the wrong decision after all. Now, he has no idea what to do. He needs some time to think.
A few days later, Ember realizes her mistake of wanting revenge on Spike leaving her and returns to Ponyville to apologize to him. She takes off and an hour later, she lands in Ponyville. There, she soon finds Spike lying in a glade not far from Twilight's castle. She lands and walks over to Spike. Once she approaches him, he stands up and goes over to her and embraces her in a hug, which shocks her.
"I'm sorry for getting mad at you for leaving, I shouldn't have, I'm sorry," sighs Ember.
"It's okay, I'm not mad," replies Spike. "Now will you take me for a fly?"
"Sure!" laughs Ember. She lifts Spike on her back and the two head off on a fly across Equestria. Spike is glad they're friends again, and he can tell, so is Ember.
Meanwhile, in Ponyville, the ponies get ready for the Ponyville Founding Day Parade. They have no idea that Spike is off with Ember and frankly, they don't care as they all trust Spike. A few hours later, the two touch back down and join in on the fun of the parade. Ember can't help but smile. She's never had this much fun in her life until now and she owes that all to Spike. As they walk around the parade grounds, they enjoy cotton candy, funnel cakes, and gem pops. Maybe Ember can get used to the traditions and lifestyles of ponies after all.
A few hours later, Ember flies off and returns to the Dragon Lands. She's glad she got to spend the day with Spike. She'll have to do it again sometime. Now, however, it's time to get back to ruling a land filled to the brim with dragons of all ages and kinds.
