Dragon Contemplationby frenettek314ChaptersFluttering Out of FriendshipEmotions SpikeThe Beginning of Something NewEpilogueFluttering Out of FriendshipToday was an exciting day for one baby dragon as he skipped happily alongside his adopted sister figure and best friend in the world, Twilight Sparkle - the two set on a clear path to a cozy, remote cottage just outside of Ponyville. Spike couldn't have pictured a more perfect day; the sun was shining warmly upon the creatures of the ground, the birds were singing their enchanted songs of melody and contentment, even the cool breeze that accompanied the weather seemed to express a feeling of joy as the calm sways of the trees danced ever so fluidly. Today was the day of the Dragon Migration - an event that only happened once a generation according to the studious unicorn accompanying him. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in which dragons of all shapes and sizes flew across the graceful skies of Equestria, returning back home to their families and offspring in the fabled Dragonlands. Everypony was excited as this was perhaps the only chance ponies could ever witness dragons without fear of being attacked, or worse, eaten - these rare creatures being studied and watched with awe and fascination by all from a safe distance. For Spike however, this event held much more personal significance. This was an opportunity to see other creatures just like him for the first time. Being the only dragon residing in Equestria after his abandoned egg was discovered by students of Princess Celestia herself, Spike never really got to know much of his own kind - seeing as ponies were clueless on the topics of Draconian biology and culture. But today was different; today he would get to see who he was, who he would become, what mysteries and secrets he possessed that no other Equine could. Today, Spike reasoned he'd gain some answers on who he really is, making him all the more excited to witness such an important moment of his young life alongside his best friends. After all, he may be a dragon, but these ponies were his family and no matter how he grew or where he went, he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Especially the lavender unicorn who was waving her hoof frantically in front of the distracted drake's point of view. "Spike?! Hello?! Are you listening?!" waved a frantically concerned mare. Spike, finally snapping out of his blissful daydreams, rose in attention to the beloved pony who he could call his guardian. "Wha-- Oh. Heh. Sorry, I'm just excited!" Spike chuckled rather bashfully as he took his eyes away from the unicorn. Twilight could only chuckle upon seeing her brother's embarrassment. "I know you are, Spike. I am too. This is going to be great. Though.." she trailed off as the two were slowly approaching their destination of the cottage - said to house many different animals under one shy and kind pegasus. "...I need to get Fluttershy out before we can get going. I heard she and Rainbow have been fighting all morning." Upon the unicorn's statement, the two quickly jumped at the sudden Bang that originated from their mentioned destination. After the loud noise had settled, the two could hear frantic pleading and begging coming from what sounded exactly like their cocky, tomboyish daredevil pegasus friend, Rainbow Dash. Twilight gulped nervously as several smaller Thud's and Crashes could be heard - some animals even scattering out the windows of the cottage as they heard another voice chorusing a bunch of "No"'s in response. A confused Spike could only look up at Twilight as he questioned, "Why does Fluttershy not want to go?" Twilight could only look at her brother as she shook her head, not knowing the answer herself. "I'm not sure, but I think Rainbow may need some help." she admitted as the two could hear several more Clatters throughout the cottage. "Why don't I go and help while you stay here for a minute?" she asked, the dragon silently nodding his head with a relaxed smile on his face as he sat over the small bridge that was part of Fluttershy's yard. The unicorn quickly galloped to the front door. As Spike sat there staring at the water, he thought "I can't wait to see the dragons with my friends...my family. Maybe we could all do a migration together one day..." as he sighed rather happily. Spike had let his mind wander again after a few moments, thoughts of him finally receiving answers on his heritage and being alongside the rest of his loved ones finally understanding and accepting him for who he was. It was a dream come true for the baby dragon and he wouldn't wish for anything other than to share this memory with the 6 best ponies he ever met. This time, they would be there for him, not like... "Not like those sleepovers, or the Best Young Fliers Competition, or the Great Galloping Gala, or...Twilight's birthday..." Spike's smile slowly dissolved into a downcast frown as he stared at his reflection in the water - realizing there were several times in the past where the Elements either left him to his own devices or simply had not invited him to their gatherings. "Am I even important to them?" he pondered rather sadly. But then Spike rose up from his sitting spot and turned his frown into a confident smile as he placed a small claw over his heart. "No. Not this time, Everypony will be there for me. They wouldn't..." However, his thoughts ended abruptly as he heard rather large shouts coming from the usually quiet pegasus's cottage. Curious as to what was taking them so long (and more importantly what was going on), Spike tiptoed ever so closer as he ducked down into a nearby bush, able to hear the conversations continuing without fear of being noticed by the others. He saw Fluttershy clinging to the frames of the front door as a rather frustrated Rainbow Dash was physically trying to force the butterscotch pony outside her home, a concerned Twilight trying to reason with the scaredy-pony as calmly as she could, trying not to add to the stress the rainbow-maned pony was placing on her. "C'mon, Fluttershy, it'll be fun!" Twilight tried reasoning. However Fluttershy was not moved as she used her hooves to grip to the door with a strength nopony knew she was capable of. "There's nothing fun about dragons! Scary, yes! Fun, no!" Fluttershy exhaled as she constantly felt the pressure of Rainbow's relentless pushing and prodding on her backside. As Spike saw and heard this from his viewpoint, he blinked his eyes in startlement and confusion as a small painful frown etched on his lips. "But... I'm a dragon." he thought. "But Fluttershy..." Twilight continued her mental prodding, "...the great dragon migration happens only once in a generation! Do you really wanna pass up a chance like that?" "Do you want to pass up on helping me?" Spike dejectedly thought as a small pain began building up inside his small stomach. "Now that you put it that way, yes!" Spike couldn't help but wince and shutter upon hearing the pegasus's bold confirmation. He had never heard the shy pony exclaim her thoughts so loudly and vividly before. She was so determined to not go and see other dragons, to not join her friends... "To not be with me..." he thought as tears slowly built up in his eyes. "Aw, Fluttershy..." Twilight softly cooed in a manner similar to a mother speaking to a frightened child, "... We just don't want you to miss out." "Miss out on what? Dragons? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" Fluttershy screamed, Rainbow continuing to attempt to remove her from the corners of her entrance. "Well... yeah!" Twilight thought before proudly declaring to her friend. "Thanks, but... no thanks!" Fluttershy retaliated right back, no fear or hesitation in her voice, which only served to draw Spike's conclusion home as he finally shed a few tears. She REALLY didn't want to go be with his kind. With him. Finally the brash and rather hot-headed pegasus decided to speak her mind as she scowled behind her stubborn best friend still clinging to the door. "Look, Fluttershy, I watched that boring butterfly migration with you, so now it's your turn to watch the dragon migration with me! You owe me!" "For HER?!" Spike thought bitterly. What Fluttershy did next however surprised everypony and dragon who had watched the previous scene with their very own eyes. With a loud, hearty, "NO!" the butterfly cutie-marked pegasus managed to release herself from Rainbow's grasp before tackling the shocked daredevil on her stomach and fleeing headfirst to a side window of her cottage. Ok, so maybe she slowly stopped to carefully open the window before jumping out, but once she had jumped out of the small opening she fled with an impressive burst of speed that not even a Sonic Rainboom would be able to catch, leaving the two ponies utterly speechless as to what they had just witnessed. "All this because of me. I thought she was my friend, but she just... because of dragons... like me." Spike sighed as he slowly peeked out from the bush he was hiding in and quickly returned to the part of the bridge where Twilight had left him. Despite his now rather depressed state, he didn't want her to find out he had been eavesdropping on them; Twilight always told him that respecting privacy was a big part of friendship after all. "But, is this really friendship? Fluttershy. I thought she liked me like the others but..." he pondered before his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of two ponies approaching him. "Man, I'm going to feel that for the next week..." Spike could hear Rainbow mutter as Twilight looked over at her friend with a sympathetic smile. As the two got to the bridge, they soon found the dragon in question sitting silently in the exact same position as he was found before. He quickly put on a brave face to hide any of the thoughts or feelings he had in regard to their supposed "private" affair. "Sorry about that Spike..." Twilight apologized as she walked over to her little dragon brother, "...things took a bit longer than expected. Fluttershy had some...errands she couldn't afford to skip." Twilight reasoned, hoping to hide the slight pause in her voice as Rainbow also looked at the dragon with a sort of sheepishness. But even if Spike hadn't overheard the previous charade, he knew Twilight long enough to know when she was hiding something - the slight pause in her explanation hadn't failed to go noticed by the dragon. "It's...it's fine." Spike quickly tried to reassure the two mares with a somewhat forced grin of his own, pretending he hadn't recognized the obvious lie or the hesitation on their faces. The truth was that he had one less pony in his life than he had thought. A pony he thought would be there for him vanished because of his supposed family roots. "So what does that say about me?" "Let's go get the others." he quickly proclaimed, jaunting off the bridge before seeing the other two follow closely behind. "At least you're here." he muttered quietly, one last tear drop fell from his eye before anypony could notice. The Dragon Migration and the events that followed were certainly not forgotten by anyone. After a successful and quite fascinating view of the dragons breezing with ease through the skies of Ponyville, the gang of Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and even Rarity in her alluring but very shiny outfit all sat back and reminisced about the perfect afternoon. The events afterwards were a different story. It all started with the others pointing out (basically teasing in Rainbow's case) how Spike didn't "act" like other dragons. Spike personally took this very hard as his efforts to find himself with the love and support of his pony family felt like they were in vain. So a fed up Spike decided he needed to discover who he was on his own. After convincing Twilight, Rarity, and surprisingly a equally concerned Rainbow Dash, Spike ventured out to the fabled dragonlands on his own (with the three equines closely behind of course). What Spike ended up discovering was that he didn't need to be and feel with other dragons, he needed to be himself. Sure, it may have taken the baby dragon a while to discover this - but after flopping into a pool of lava, climbing a rock hill, and possibly a few stolen phoenix eggs in the mix, Spike came to realize that he could be his own dragon and grow the way he wanted to. Well that's what he thought at least as he and his trio of pony pursuers ran from the teenage dragons Spike had desperately tried to appease on his quest. Hopefully he never had to see them and their brutish antics ever again. After that eventful evening, when Spike and the others were safe back at the library, Rainbow and Rarity had decided to call it a night, which Twilight and Spike eagerly agreed to having realized their sudden exhaustion from the conclusion of the Dragonland adventure. After a series of pony hugs, "welcome back's", and even a sincere apology from the athletic pegasus for making fun of him and his apron, Spike quickly approached his beloved basket bed as he felt all his worries and stress vanished when his head hit the fluffy pillow. Twilight quickly followed right behind him, having settled into her bed with a sigh of relief herself before looking her brother below her with a warm smile. "I'm glad you're back." Twilight said, sleepiness gradually taking over. "Me too. I missed you." Spike affirmed with an appreciative grin before yawning as he felt he could doze off instantly. Twilight yawned in response before muttering back, "We should do something with the others tomorrow now that you're home." That statement alone had halted any drowsiness the dragon previously possessed as he suddenly remembered an important event that had slipped his mind during the supposed quest. The others. Fluttershy. "Miss out on what? Dragons? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" The quote from the aforementioned pegasus currently replayed in the dragon's mind as he slowly turned away from Twilight's gaze to hide any sort of reaction he may well have. "Yeah...maybe." Spike whispered, before uttering one last phrase "Good night Twilight." "Good night Spike." he heard back before silence met the pair for what felt like an eternity before the drake could hear the sounds of light snoring coming from the unicorn. However, Spike had not fallen asleep quite as easily as his mind seemed to torment him with countless thoughts running through his head. "Fluttershy's my friend...and she cares for me...right? After all, Spike had remembered the very first day he and Twilight came to Ponyville (Of course, it was originally a setup by Celestia to have Twilight check on the planning for the Summer Sun Celebration and unknown to them, eventually defeat Nightmare Moon and free Princess Luna). He remembered the day he met 5 special ponies who would become a very important part in his life. Although they seemed to regard him with very little interest outside of grouping him with Twilight, there was one pony who truly thought he was special: "A baby dragon! Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's sooo cute!" "Well, well, well...!" he was surprised at the time to see someone who displayed such interest in him. Back in Canterlot, he was either seen as a walking, talking pet owned by Twilight, or a freak of nature that shouldn't be in Equestria. Even further back, thoughts of ponies screaming in terror at him and bullies constantly harassing him made him wince in memory. Needless to say, he greatly appreciated the friendly mare in front of him. "Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful I, I just don't even know what to say!" she had spoken in great awe and utter fascination. "Well, in that case we'd better be going!" huffed an angry Twilight, clearly frustrated at having been thrown into the bushes by a quiet, yet insistent pegasus. "Wait, wait! What's his name?" she had curiously asked. Spike, having positive attention sent his way couldn't help but beam at the pegasus following him. Maybe he could make a friend even if Twilight didn't. "I'm Spike" he had said. "Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?" "Well, what do you wanna know?" he asked as he smiled appreciatively at the beautiful mare he was looking at. While he didn't find her as beautiful as Rarity, Fluttershy, in his opinion would always be second. "Absolutely everything" she had said. And with that, Spike and Fluttershy had talked the whole trek back to the library in Ponyville, much to Twilight's visible annoyance. Spike couldn't explain it, but he felt close to Fluttershy that day - she had taken a loving interest in him and he very well thought they could be best friends as he and her chatted back and forth, never finding awkward pauses in their conversation. Spike even remembered Fluttershy trying to coddle him and put him to bed before Twilight snagged him back; he had thought it was weird at the time, but looking back at that moment, he couldn't help but smile. But as soon as the memory ended, his smile faded away back to deep contemplation on his part. "What's happened since then?" Despite the fact that Spike had been left out of the gang's activities multiple times in the past, he could still remember times when he had spent time with each of the ponies individually. Times in which they proved they were friends with not just Twilight, but him specifically. He had helped Applejack at the farm before and she had always appreciated his hard work (even having him over for dinner with the family on multiple occassions), He has been there for Rarity on multiple occassions and she always appreciated his company (whether or not she was familiar with his feelings for her. Though that moment they were plummeting towards their doom after his growth spurt suggested she did), He and Rainbow had pranked Twilight and the others numerous times and they were always there to laugh with each other, He even had been a co-host with Pinkie Pie for the "Running of the Leaves" competition and he had a blast with the party pony (she even made cupcakes with sapphires just for him which he loved), and Fluttershy.... Spike paused at this statement for the longest time. As he kept trying to think of examples, he realized he never actually spent any quality time with the Element of Kindness outside of their first encounter. But there had to be something.....right? Well there was that time he had helped Fluttershy with waking up the animals for Winter Wrap Up? But he was with Twilight and she had paid him no mind, except for when he saw her laughing with the others when he had fallen asleep and almost drowned in the middle of a thawing lake. She gave him a birthday present and even happily attended his birthday party. Yeah, that was pretty great! Except.... He remembered after the party, when he in his greed-obsessed growth spurt had stormed towards her place and stolen her chicken coop. Despite his memories from that experience being particularly foggy, he could still vividly remember her screams of pure terror as she skyrocketed away from him. Unbeknownst to Twilight or the others though, Fluttershy has screamed a particularly awful thing in her flight. "MONSTER!" Even though Spike knew Fluttershy had no idea it was him, the words didn't hurt any less. If he ever grew to become an adult dragon permanently one day, would she still run in terror and call him a beast? Would she ever see him for who he was, or just simply what he was. Needless to say, the birthday was soiled by a memory that chilled him to the core. Other than that, the only thing he could think of was him watching over Angel and her other animals while the six ponies stopped...the dragon....at the peak of Ponyville. They had fought against a being of his own kind while he played babysitter for the one who was afraid, yet silenced the dragon. A dragon like he could be. Spike suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he realized he had no positive memories of Fluttershy after his first day in Ponyville. The others all took the occassional time to spend with him and while he preferred it to happen more often, it was better than nothing. With Fluttershy, he had nothing. She wouldn't even attend an important moment in his life. He was simply a tool with which she could pour a chore or two onto before leaving his presence. He was simply a creature for which she feared. True, she did have a point - as Spike would never want to grow like those jerks he and his friends encountered in the Dragonlands. But what if he grew afterwards? What if he had become someone with which she could only associate fear? Would it even matter what was in his heart if he was a big, booming reptile? Spike finally started to silently sob as he realized Fluttershy's true meaning to him. She wasn't his friend, she wasn't someone he could rely on. She originally saw a new interesting creature with which she could study before she realized what his potential could be. She never cared for him, she cared about it. What she had originally seen as a new animal was now.... "There's nothing fun about dragons! Scary, yes! Fun, no!" Tears quickly filled Spike's vision as he turned his head over to smoosh it with his pillow before any tears or wailing could wake up the sleeping form next to him. He sobbed profusely, yet silently throughout the night before he eventually collapsed with exhaustion as the night placated a dark, empty aura. A monster. Spike was a monster. Emotions SpikeAs the sun shone on the upstairs floor of a cozy, serene, bedroom inside a well-secluded cottage, Fluttershy slowly fluttered her eyes open as a soft smile appeared on her lips, taking in the warmth the air radiating around her. Today was going to be a much better day than yesterday. The determined sense of positivity she provided herself gave her the fuel needed to fully rise out of bed and prepare for the day ahead. She had to admit that her reaction to Rainbow and Twilight's pleas yesterday was... excessive. After running until her hooves practically couldn't muster a gallop anymore, she collapsed in fear and frustration in regards to her rather insistent friends. She kept telling them that just because she conquered a dragon one time, that didn't mean she wanted to go and watch a whole flock of them. But as she slowly became more relaxed lying on the cold, yet inviting floors of the Everfree Forest, she realized that maybe her friends were trying to help her after all. She admitted to herself that she could be more bold, and she also knew her friends would never intentionally place her in any sort of danger; maybe she should've talked it out instead of... Fluttershy silently gasped as she realized what her adrenaline and fear-filled mind had done. She had pushed and kicked her oldest friend before running away like a mad-mare. To say she was embarrassed and ashamed of herself was the understatement of the century. After taking the time to calm herself down, she returned back to Ponyville where she had later found Rainbow on a nighttime fly, quickly hugging her and apologizing for her rather abrasive actions. The pegasus had expected Rainbow to be quite bitter with her, but she was surprisingly very forgiving as she also apologized for "egging her on" to go to the migration. The two friends having quickly reconciled then decided to call it a night with Rainbow saying that today was a "long story" - Fluttershy hoped with that that the migration itself went fine. As the timid mare began feeding her animals alongside a couple morning chores, she thought back to the migration with concern etched on her face as she slowly thought about one dragon in particular. She knew he was so excited to see other dragons and possibly take away any knowledge from them. Despite her own refusal at going, she had hoped Spike was able to enjoy the migration in her place as she deeply cared for the baby drake ever since she met him. "I hope Spike had fun. Maybe I should see him today." But then her own mind stopped her as she began worrying about another possibility. What if it went bad? What if he doesn't want to talk to me? Fluttershy's mind constantly battled back and forth between herself - a common occurrence for the introverted pegasus as she consistently worried about her friends. Spike however was a special case as she often had trouble coming into contact with him, worried about hurting another creature's feelings. Ponies were a breed of their own, she could battle through them despite her nature, Spike however.... He knows I'm always there....Right? As Twilight and Spike were in the midst of breakfast, Twilight couldn't help but notice something was off with Spike. The dragon in question appeared to have not gotten much sleep as his eyes carried several bags underneath them, and he was very monotone both in responses and movement this morning. The thing that worried her the most however was the redness with which Spike's eyes possessed. They appeared to have been stained from crying, but Spike repeatedly insisted that he was "fine", before continuing to sulk, much to the skepticism of his guardian who suddenly feared he was hiding something from her. Something important. Deciding not to annoy the dragon further and instead maintaining careful surveillance of him, she stooped out of her thoughts as she came up with a great idea for Spike's first day back home. "Hey, Spike! Why don't we gather our friends and have a picnic to welcome you home!" Spike at first, seemed ecstatic at the idea as Twilight beamed at him. A picnic with all hi.... his thoughts suddenly paused and the the faint glimmer of happiness in his eyes disappeared as he dared to respond to the unicorn. "All my...friends?" Spike spoke rather haphazardly, hoping Twilight wouldn't recognize the tone he coated his voice in. While Twilight did find his response peculiar, she shrugged it off and continued on. "Of course, we can invite Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity..." "...and Fluttershy." As soon as her name rang in his ears, Spike suddenly felt himself tense up as he quickly looked away from Twilight as well as his breakfast - hoping Twilight wouldn't ask him to turn around and see the turmoil written on his face. "...That's ok." he quickly uttered in a rather heavy voice. "I have some chores I want to do today." Twilight looked at the baby dragon with eyes etched in overwhelming concern, never seeing Spike so emotionally distant from anything before. Even with the migration itself, Spike would openly express his sorrows and worries; seeing him shut down made Twilight worried. "Spike, I wouldn't expect you to work if I wasn't, you can always do chores whenever..." "I want to get them done!" Spike interrupted Twilight before slowly approaching an unorganized book and attempting to place it back in its proper location. Suddenly, Twilight realized the moment Spike tensed up and decided to voice her concerns on the matter. "Is there something about Fluttershy that's bothering yo...." "I'm fine!" Spike quickly exclaimed over Twilight before slowly heading downstairs to alphabetize Twilight's potions. As he approached the stairs, he slowly turned to look back at Twilight, her face contorted into a deep amount of sympathy and concern as she had a hoof reached out to him from her seat at the breakfast table. Spike hated to see Twilight look so worried, it drove his heart wild to see her berating herself for his problems. In a last ditch effort to appease any sort of concerns or worries Twilight possessed, Spike slowly smiled towards her. "I'll see you later?" Spike asked before taking the steps needed to reach to his destination. Twilight could only whisper back in shock after he was already out of sight. "Yeah. See you." Against her better judgement, Twilight decided to host a picnic with her friends anyways. It took the tension away from the situation at hoof, and maybe her friends would be able to offer her any advice if she explained her predicament. Currently the six friends were perched on top of a big hill under a shady tree, a little ways off from the center of Ponyville. The gang of ponies happily munched on tea and sandwiches and discussed the events that had transpired the day before. As Rarity and Rainbow were recounting the tale of Spike's quest to the three ponies who weren't there then, they all couldn't help but shock at the realization of what transpired. "So they wanted Spike to smash a baby phoenix egg and they wouldn't accept him otherwise?!" exclaimed Applejack, whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates, realizing how brutish and barbaric the other dragons Spike was with were. "Indeed. Luckily, Spikey-Wikey managed to stand against it and realized his true family is right here with him." recapped Rarity with a warm smile on her face, still very happy Spike decided to return with the ponies rather than those who were willing to bully and torment him. "That's a relief. We need Spike. He's our best friend and we wouldn't have even been able to hold a goodbye party." Pinkie concluded, her lips quivering at the thought of having to say goodbye to a friend AND a party. Those poor cupcakes. "How is Spike? Is he ok? Does he need anything?" quickly asked Fluttershy, with a tone of motherly worry as she shook a little in her hooves at the thought of the sweet creature being in any sort of pain. "Spike wasn't the one who got trampled on..." quipped Rainbow as she rubbed her still aching stomach with a small smirk on her face. "Oh my goodness! I... um... I'm so so sorry... I didn't mean..." Fluttershy stuttered before a comforting blue hoof propped up on her shoulder as a signal of "all is forgiven". "No sweat," Rainbow replied. "I know you're sorry and it was kind of my fault too." she reaffirmed as she quickly hugged the kind pegasus as a sign of goodwill. At the mention of the dragon, Twilight took the opportunity to finally share her piece with all her friends closely paying attention. "Speaking of Spike, I think something's wrong." Twilight concluded sadly, her eyes shifting downcast for a split second before refocusing on the reactions of the others. "Is this about yesterday?" Rainbow asked slightly annoyed. "I thought we told him.." but she was cut off by the sounds of the studious unicorn once again. "No! This was just this morning and I feel like I have an idea what it's about." Twilight spoke. "What is it then?" asked Rarity, appearing quite concerned as well as the others who were all moving their heads closer to the unicorn's direction, anxious to hear what was going on with the dragon in their lives. "I invited him to the picnic this morning, but he tensed up and walked away as soon as I mentioned Fluttershy." she concluded solemnly. Immediately, all eyes shifted towards the yellow pegasus with concern, wondering why Spike would have any issue with the seemingly lovable pony in front of them. Fluttershy herself, took this news to heart as she quite loudly gasped before her eyes glistened with fear and worry. "Oh, goodness.. I didn't know... I hope I didn't upset him in any way." Fluttershy claimed as she slowly put her cup of tea down, now fully concerned with whatever strife the drake could have against her. "What could be wrong with him and Fluttershy?" pondered a curious Applejack. "Ain't like him to be upset with someone like this... have you said anything to him recently?" she regarded the pegasus across from her. With a silent shake of her head, the group was now more confused with what was bothering him before Pinkie broke the silence. "Maybe it has something to do with the Dragon Migration. Fluttershy was the only one who wasn't there." she nonchalantly reasoned as the ponies around her could only stare with upmost fascination. The idea of that happening now appeared to be a very likely possibility. "That... that's actually a very good idea, Pinkie." Twilight coughed, impressed with the often random pony's clever use of logic and common sense. "But why would he be upset about her not being there?" she asked, puzzled once again. Suddenly, Fluttershy bounced up from her position on the blanket, with a look of determination in her wide blue eyes. Her confident stature and physique was admired by all as she knew what she had to do. "I'm going to find out." Meanwhile... After a while of occupying his mind with chores, Spike quickly realized something as he scanned across the spick and span library, everything seemingly organized and polished. Spike was bored... His stomach rumbled, waiting for acknowledgment from the rest of the dragon. ...and he was hungry. As Spike gazed up at a nearby clock - realizing it was a little past lunch time - he also realized that Twilight and the girls wouldn't be home for a while if they were still gone. With that fact having settled it's way into his mind, the young dragon decided that maybe he should stop at Sugarcube Corner for a snack run. His stomach once again rumbled, seeming to agree with the idea. With the confirmation from his belly, Spike ventured out to the prized bakery itself, hoping food would ease the pain he was trying to push down. After the picnic had been cleared up and goodbye's were said, Fluttershy decided she needed to find Spike and hope she could amend any damage their seemingly perfect friendship had. However, she wasn't going alone, as Twilight - concerned for her brother figure, and Rainbow Dash - who still felt bad herself for her behavior at the Dragon Migration and decided she would be there for both their emotional support - ventured out to the middle of Ponyville, on their way to the library to see if the drake was still home. However, their search was unexpectedly cut short as on their way shortly past Sugarcube Corner walked the dragon in question, on his way to avenge his appetite with cupcakes and possibly some cookies. In sheer comedic timing, both the trio of ponies and the dragon froze upon recognizing each other. Spike, in particular looked deathly terrified as his eyes froze upon glancing at Fluttershy's worried face alongside the others. He quickly turned around, trying to walk back home before the others could follow him. Fluttershy, upon seeing Spike begin to walk away from her, quickly flew by his side and tried desperately to grab his attention. "Hello, Spike. Is everything okay?" she asked in a sweet, caring tone. However the drake failed to even acknowledge her as he kept trying to walk away from her, the pegasus in question continuing to trot alongside him, determined to help him any way she can. Despite her shy tendencies, Fluttershy always became persistent to help whenever her friends were upset, especially seeing as the supposed friend was upset with her made her even more encouraged to help no matter what. Twilight and Rainbow could only look at each other with a subtly agreed look of skepticism before following their friends from a safe distance. "Spike?! Is something wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?!" she pleaded with him, but he continued walking, his brow increasingly narrowing as the pink-maned pegasus continued persisting. "You know you can talk to me about anything." He kept walking. "Would you like to come over and talk about it? I've got tea and cake!" He kept walking. "Please, Spike! I'm really worried about you. I want to help." He kept walking. Twilight and Rainbow again looked at each other in apprehension, nevertheless following the pair, closer to the library. "Please Spike! I'm one of your best friends! I want you to be happy!" At this, Spike finally stopped walking and paused, surprising all three ponies as they suddenly halted as well before they heard the dragon growl a single retort. Tears finding way to his eyes once again, yet not looking behind him at the trio. "No, you're not." A tense silence filled the air as neither pony nor dragon dared to speak for what felt like minutes afterwards. Everyone could only freeze in place, either holding in their emotions or remaining shocked at what was just said. Finally, with a slight sniffle as she looked at the dragon with the upmost concern and sincerity, Fluttershy dared to break the long-winded quiet void. "Spike.. What do you mean? Of course we're friends. You're one of my best friends in fact. I see you're really hurting right now and I just want to make you feel better." she stated with a nervous, yet hopeful smile, silently praying that was going to be what was needed to get Spike to open up. As she reached out to try and put a comforting hoof on the dragon's shoulder however, it was quickly swatted away - the drake again refusing to look at her. "How can you be friends with a dragon? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" Spike bitterly called out, tears now free flowing from his eyes, his friends all finally able to see the tears falling to the cold hard ground. As Fluttershy paused with what could be described as a "frozen in time" look, Twilight finally decided to speak out instead. "Spike, what are you talking about?!" she asked not with any irritation, but with sincere curiosity. "Can't hold the truth anymore." Spike internally declared as he finally decided to give some leeway to the others as to why he was upset. "The day of the Dragon Migration, I decided to check on what was taking you three so long. I saw and overheard everything you said, Fluttershy. Everything you feel about dragons. I know." If the last silence was intense, this one was deafening as Fluttershy, upon understanding what Spike meant silently gasped before putting a hoof over her mouth. Tears finally began to sprinkle out of her big, blue eyes. "N-no..." she whispered in a sob. Twilight, though not crying, finally understood what caused Spike to be upset as she looked at him, wanting to pick him up, place him in a hug, and never let go. "Oh Spike..." she said. Rainbow Dash just remained speechless with her mouth wide open in shock as she even winced upon hearing Spike's reveal. Finally, clearing her throat to talk, Fluttershy relentlessly tried to put another hoof around Spike's shoulder and began trying to talk to him. "Spike. I'm so sorry you heard me saying that. But when I said that, I didn't include you. I never meant to hurt you when I was talking about the dragons. But you're different to me Spike and you'll always be my friend no matter what. You know I'll always lo..." but before she could finish and place Spike into the mother-of-all comfort hugs, he snapped as he quickly released himself from Fluttershy's grasp - finally turning around to glare at the three pestering ponies in front of him - specifically, Fluttershy. "Don't you dare say you'll always be my friend!" Spike roared in frustration as he proceeded to glare at the pony who had hurt him so. "You say we're such good friends, but besides my first day in Ponyville, when did you ever show it?! The others have abandoned me in the past but at least I can say they spent time with me!" "Sp..." Twilight tried to intervene but Spike was too far into his rant to be persuaded to stop. "What about us?! You laughed when I almost drowned in the cold lake during Winter Wrap Up. You made me watch your animals while you went on a mission - against a dragon no less. I always thought you cared about me and would be there for me but you always act too nervous to even speak to me! You couldn't even attend an important milestone in my life when all my other friends did! But that's not even the worst part! I know that if... that when I grow bigger, you'll be too scared to even be in the same town as me. That's not what a friend is!" "Sp...Spike. That's not true! I'll alw-" Fluttershy tried to say, more upset than actually shaking with any nerves as she could see the dragon's heart continue to break. "Don't even say that! I know what you really think! Heck, during my growth spurt on my birthday, YOU CALLED ME A MONSTER!" Spike finally yelled at the top of his lungs before pathetically falling to the ground in a pool of tears. "SPIKE!" Twilight and Fluttershy both exclaimed as they each galloped up to the dragon, trying desperately to comfort him. Even the "cool" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but check to make sure he was ok from a further distance. As Spike finally saw the two mares in front of him, his focus again shifted to Fluttershy - but this time instead of anger, he could only sob as he looked up at her with a face of pure agony. And Fluttershy could tell you, she thought his devastated look was way more upsetting to her than his angry one. "I was never your friend Fluttershy." Spike whispered, as he bowed his head in shame. "I was simply this fascinating new creature you just had to get to know... but now that has worn off, now that you know what I really am and what I may become. I'm not a friend. I'm a monster." Spike concluded before his sobs returned full force as he leaned forward into the purple unicorn's embrace. Twilight's own expression reflected his as she was silently sobbing herself, not knowing the pain Spike kept concerning a mare she thought he liked. To say Fluttershy's heart shattered would've been the putting it extremely lightly. After the dragon's speech finally ended, Fluttershy could only openly wallow as she felt the worst she has perhaps ever felt. Only one thought resided in her mind: "What have I done?! I was always worried about being too close to him, but I ended up being too distant. I thought I was being a good friend, but... I'm the real monster!". Before Rainbow or Twilight could dare attempt to comfort or regard their friend, she took off running in a fit of tears all the way back to her cottage where she slammed the door before hopping on and continuing to sob on her bed. Her tears poured out almost endlessly as her mind constantly repeated one thing: "I'm a monster! The Beginning of Something NewIt's been multiple hours since Fluttershy ran back home to her cottage in tears after the revealing of the baby dragon's heartbreak - the guilt that she felt kept piling on. As the pegasus on the bed began looking through a photo album filled with memories of all her friends and their adventures in Ponyville, her guilt only grew as she realized there were very few, if any, pictures of Spike in her collection. "There's no pictures of him because I was a bad friend. I was too worried about him being different from me to have fun with him, or invite him anywhere, unless he was upset." she thought, mentally berating herself for the lack of actual care and commitment she had shown him since that very first day. She sighed as one more tear fell down her cheek. "I wasn't a friend at all!" Suddenly, something clicked in Fluttershy's head as the tears suddenly began to stop, looking at the photos again in sudden realization. "I wasn't his friend!" Fluttershy then proceeded to hoist herself off the soft and comforting mattress as she gazed out her window towards Ponyville with a determined expression on her face, before running down the stairs and out her front door. A certain tree in town was calling to her. "I know what to do!" It had been hours since Twilight managed to pick up a still weeping Spike and carry him back to the library (Rainbow being told by Twilight this was too personal of a matter for her at the moment, propelling her to leave). Once the duo had arrived back to the library however, Spike rather emotionlessly climbed up the steps to his bed before plopping himself down on top of it, his head refusing to see anything but the cushion lines of his pillow. Twilight could only watch the display in sympathy as she sighed before sitting herself down in the nook of the library, contemplating what to do about her brother. After a few hours of silent prodding however, Twilight heard a knock on the door, prompting her to rise from her spot and see just who was trying to visit her this late at night. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Fluttershy there - and with a rather serious and determined flare in her eyes to boot. "Hello Twilight. Is Spike still here?" she asked without a trace of uncertainty. "Fluttershy. I'm sorry about what happened, but I don't think Spike is really in the mood to..." she began before a hoof was placed over her lips to silence her. "I don't care if Spike never wants to talk to me again, he just needs to listen. Please, this is important!" Fluttershy prodded, her eyes never faltering as the flames inside only seemed to grow brighter and warmer. Twilight, stunned upon seeing her normally reserved friend speak with such conviction could only nod in bewilderment before allowing her friend entry. Fluttershy, seeing she was allowed in, smiled pleasantly at her friend before marching up the stairs to where the bedroom was. As she saw Spike still face-planted on top of his pillow, she allowed herself to clear her throat before she spoke in an even, yet oddly inviting tone. "Spike.." she began, seeing how the dragon would react to her voice. The dragon in response upon hearing the familiar voice quickly rose himself from his bed before looking at the pegasus with a look of dread and annoyance. "What do you want?" he mumbled, still sniffling upon the boatload of tears he had released earlier. Seeing as this was actually a good sign to continue, Fluttershy once again spoke. "Spike, I came over to say I'm sincerely sorry for the things I said and for the way I've acted around you. You said that I wasn't really your friend.." "Because you wer..." Spike tried to quickly quip before he was caught by an even bigger surprise from the kind pegasus. "Because I wasn't" she affirmed with a sincere nod of her head, before looking back up at the now interested dragon. Twilight, who had just walked up the steps to see what was going on, was also shocked as to where her friend was going with this conversation. But they would both find out what she had meant soon enough as she prodded on. "After my first day with you, I realized how different of species we are from each other. I always struggled to know whether you'd want me around or not because I never had a dragon friend before. I never offered you my friendship because I was too busy worrying about what you'd want." The dragon could only gape silently as he never saw Fluttershy be this open with herself in front of him before. Even on the first day, she was more so asking him questions while she gushed. "Even before the migration, even on that first day, I made a grave mistake. I realized I was trying to make a dragon friend but I was placing the word 'dragon' in front of it." Twilight sat there impressed by what she was seeing. Fluttershy was being open and honest with a sort of grace and dignity she never thought the pegasus could have. Before she internally praised her friend though, her words brought the focus back. "Just because you may be a dragon doesn't mean you're any different from my other friends - So I should've treated you like one." Spike finally found his voice as he retorted rather bitterly, "So that makes everything ok?" Fluttershy however, to everyone's surprise, was unfazed at the comeback as a tiny smirk formed on her face before she responded. "No, it doesn't. At all. But I want to be your friend now. Even if you don't forgive or trust me, I still want to be there for you. I want to see the kindest, sweetest gentledrake I know grow up and have fun along the way. I don't just want to think or say these things, I want to actively do them. I want to show you that I'll always be here and make time for you and you alone. I said you were different than the others, but you're instead special because of how generous, willing, and dependable of a being you are, and I wouldn't want a better friend than you." At this part of the speech, Spike began tearing up again. He wanted to believe the warm and loving words that were spilled out in front of him, but he still had his doubts. "You say that now, but what happens if I get another growth spurt or I get older.. and I become a monst..." Spike questioned before he was silenced by the sudden appearance of a smiling pegasus in front of him that had just trapped him in the warmest hug he had ever felt. "Don't ever say that, Spike. I know for a fact that you will never and I mean never be a monster." she chastised softly, yet firmly as Spike could feel the hug around him become tighter. Fluttershy meanwhile never took that warm and accepting smile off her face as a few tears began slipping free from her irises. This time, Spike surprised everyone in the room by whispering in an almost chilling display of fear. "But what if I am a monster?! What if I feel like one? Like those others back in the Dragonlands?" At this, Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she never realized Spike still held mental baggage from his journey. Fluttershy, meanwhile, abruptly stopped the hug before holding his face close to hers so that two were in direct eye contact with each other. "Listen to me, Spike." she said firmly with all the seriousness in the world, her smile vanished for the moment and replaced with a thin line so that she could show him what she was saying was crucial. "I don't care if you never forgive me, just please take what I say here seriously. You will never be a monster. Even if you feel like you are, or even if someone else tells you you are, you will never ever be a monster. And if you ever feel that way, you can always come talk to me or any of the other girls and we will listen - we will help in anyway we can. Even if we're never friends, even if you don't trust me, that offer will always be good no matter what. Ok?" she switched back to a warm smile as she began nuzzling his cheek. Spike looked ready to burst from emotional release at any moment. "H..how do you know this?" he simply asked, pleading for an answer. "Because I can tell." Fluttershy responded nonchalantly, her grin becoming ever so brighter and friendly. "Because I don't act like other dragons?" Spike asked rather hesitantly, fearing confirmation. At that however, Fluttershy simply shook her head no, before she slowly and tenderly kissed the dragon's forehead and tackled him with a rather affectionate hug. "Because you're Spike. And I'll always love you for who you are." she whispered lovingly into his ear. This was too much for Spike to bear as he felt the dam forcefully burst open. With heavy wails and sobs, he gripped Fluttershy for dear life, who in return copied the magnitude of the grip while calmly comforting him. "Shhh.. it's ok. I'm here. Let it all out." At the heartfelt display, Twilight couldn't take it any longer as she galloped towards the two embracing friends and joined in the affection, happy to see Spike being shown this kind of love by someone other than herself. As Spike looked up at the solid wall of comfort the two mares had provided for him, he could only sigh in content. "I have the best friends in the world." EpilogueTwilight's quill began to hover rhythmically on the enchanted parchment as she gazed out at the sun with a content smile on her face, sniffing at the beautiful breezy airflow that nature seemed to tell her "everything would be ok": Dear Princess Celestia, Today a few friends taught me a vital aspect of friendship - communication. A friendship may seem strong and healthy at first, but that could also be the furthest thing from the truth. Without properly communicating or expressing yourself to your friends, you may be unintentionally hurting them, which could ultimately damage the friendship, if it was even there to begin with. Thankfully, the example I witnessed proved to resolve it's issues with flying colors. Whereas one friend was distancing themselves in an attempt to proceed with caution based on differences, that caution ended up making the other friend feel like they were being excluded because of those differences. On the other hoof, the other friend ended up storing their hurt and anger without properly communicating, and those built up emotions ended up hurting themselves alot more than when they were first felt. Now my friends are expressing themselves in a healthy manner and I can proudly say their relationship has bloomed into something better than it has ever been. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, a good friend will always be there to listen but it's important to make sure those feelings get expressed in a proper and healthy manner. Seeing as you've probably figured out I'm referring to Spike and Fluttershy, they've been doing wonderful together. I've never seen Fluttershy be as vocal and outgoing before with Spike or any of her other friends as well. Speaking of which, Fluttershy always makes sure she takes one day a week to spend with Spike. At first, he was hesitant at her providing so much time for him, but the two have actually grown so close. It's like their best friends forever! I'm glad to see them both happy and I hope this lesson can help others as well. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle "Alright Spike, could you please send this letter to the princess? " pleaded Twilight before Spike knowingly with a smile on his face, cast a set of green flames over the scroll, sending the letter directly to the princess herself. "Thanks." Twilight smiled. "Anytime." he responded. Just then, a knock could be heard coming from the door of the library, Quickly approaching the door and opening it, Twilight found it to be none other than Fluttershy with a picnic basket draped over her right wing. "Hello Twilight" Fluttershy beamed with that cute smile of hers. "Hey Spike!" she exclaimed. "Hey Flutters!" Spike beamed excitedly back. "Ready to go on that picnic?" "Of course." she sang melodically as she even poofed out a gem the size of a diamond out of the basket. "That looks awesome! Thank you!" he chirped as he quickly went over to the pegasus's side and wrapped her in a thankful hug which she greatly returned in appreciation. "We were thinking about lunch and then going for a swim at the pond if you want to join us?" Fluttershy asked Twilight. "Really? Are you sure?" the unicorn asked with skepticism, knowing it was the two's special time. "Yeah, of course. Come with, Twi!" Spike beamed excitedly. Any hesitation Twilight had at intruding upon the pair's plans quickly disappeared. "Well, how can I say no to that?" Twilight giggled upon seeing the excitement of the other two's faces as she agreed. As the group of friends slowly left the library, the dragon gained a bright idea. "Hey Flutters," he asked, "If there's ever another dragon migration..." "Say no more, Spike. I'd go for you anyday!" Fluttershy boldly claimed. "Actually, I was going to say I'm not sure about seeing those mean dragons anymore, I was wondering if maybe we should plan a butterfly migration instead?" he explained. At that, Fluttershy's face practically exploded with glee as she let out a high-pitched squeal before seeing the smirks of the unicorn and dragon in front of her. She desperately cleared her throat. "I mean... that sounds fun too." she blushed before the two in front of her laughed, the pegasus quickly joining in as the good friends went on a picnic they wouldn't soon forget. Not with Fluttershy's new photo album especially. Author's Note Hello Everyone, Seeing as I'm going to be posting this story all at once, I'm saving the author's notes for here. As mentioned back in my previous story update, I wanted to prove that I could grow as a writer (well... fan-fic writer at least), so I'm going to try and create some new stories on here and see how they do. I feel that this story is a drastic improvement when compared to my old works and as such I must say that I am humbly pleased with myself on this one. The real inspiration for this story however is what drove the writing process. Fluttershy being my favorite of the Mane 6, along with Spike being one of my favorite supporting/semi-main roles, I wanted to write a fic with both of them being actively involved. Then I realized as I was reading that there aren't many Spike/Mane 6 friendship fics - ESPECIALLY with Fluttershy I noticed. So as the saying goes, "If you can't find it, make it" as I wanted to showcase what would happen if these two grew a bond between them. After seeing the first episode, I realized Spike and Fluttershy never really had any sort of interaction outside of "Sparkle's Seven" or "Sweet and Smoky"and I felt that they could actually be really great friends - both of them being actively kind creatures. I hope this fic also captures Spike's "identity crisis" in a way that isn't too "dark" or "edgy". I've seen many stories involving Spike where he goes on this "high danger quest" or undergoes some sort of "gore" to find an answer to his relationship with the ponies, but I feel that this would honestly be better in a more "slice-of-life" style, giving actual time for the emotions to build and settle, rather than them being caught in a "high-stake" situation. So basically what I'm saying is I like slice-of-life. Also if you like the ideas or themes of this story, I'd like to highly recommend "Spike Snuggles Everypony" by B_25 as their fic actually handles the exploration of Spike's identity with the Mane 6 really well (especially with Twilight). Definitely a good pick-up if the slice-of-life character build is your cup of tea. I'm hoping to create more stories that I myself would like to see more of so hopefully I can deliver on that in the near future. Thanks for reading! -frenettek314
Fluttering Out of FriendshipToday was an exciting day for one baby dragon as he skipped happily alongside his adopted sister figure and best friend in the world, Twilight Sparkle - the two set on a clear path to a cozy, remote cottage just outside of Ponyville. Spike couldn't have pictured a more perfect day; the sun was shining warmly upon the creatures of the ground, the birds were singing their enchanted songs of melody and contentment, even the cool breeze that accompanied the weather seemed to express a feeling of joy as the calm sways of the trees danced ever so fluidly. Today was the day of the Dragon Migration - an event that only happened once a generation according to the studious unicorn accompanying him. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in which dragons of all shapes and sizes flew across the graceful skies of Equestria, returning back home to their families and offspring in the fabled Dragonlands. Everypony was excited as this was perhaps the only chance ponies could ever witness dragons without fear of being attacked, or worse, eaten - these rare creatures being studied and watched with awe and fascination by all from a safe distance. For Spike however, this event held much more personal significance. This was an opportunity to see other creatures just like him for the first time. Being the only dragon residing in Equestria after his abandoned egg was discovered by students of Princess Celestia herself, Spike never really got to know much of his own kind - seeing as ponies were clueless on the topics of Draconian biology and culture. But today was different; today he would get to see who he was, who he would become, what mysteries and secrets he possessed that no other Equine could. Today, Spike reasoned he'd gain some answers on who he really is, making him all the more excited to witness such an important moment of his young life alongside his best friends. After all, he may be a dragon, but these ponies were his family and no matter how he grew or where he went, he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Especially the lavender unicorn who was waving her hoof frantically in front of the distracted drake's point of view. "Spike?! Hello?! Are you listening?!" waved a frantically concerned mare. Spike, finally snapping out of his blissful daydreams, rose in attention to the beloved pony who he could call his guardian. "Wha-- Oh. Heh. Sorry, I'm just excited!" Spike chuckled rather bashfully as he took his eyes away from the unicorn. Twilight could only chuckle upon seeing her brother's embarrassment. "I know you are, Spike. I am too. This is going to be great. Though.." she trailed off as the two were slowly approaching their destination of the cottage - said to house many different animals under one shy and kind pegasus. "...I need to get Fluttershy out before we can get going. I heard she and Rainbow have been fighting all morning." Upon the unicorn's statement, the two quickly jumped at the sudden Bang that originated from their mentioned destination. After the loud noise had settled, the two could hear frantic pleading and begging coming from what sounded exactly like their cocky, tomboyish daredevil pegasus friend, Rainbow Dash. Twilight gulped nervously as several smaller Thud's and Crashes could be heard - some animals even scattering out the windows of the cottage as they heard another voice chorusing a bunch of "No"'s in response. A confused Spike could only look up at Twilight as he questioned, "Why does Fluttershy not want to go?" Twilight could only look at her brother as she shook her head, not knowing the answer herself. "I'm not sure, but I think Rainbow may need some help." she admitted as the two could hear several more Clatters throughout the cottage. "Why don't I go and help while you stay here for a minute?" she asked, the dragon silently nodding his head with a relaxed smile on his face as he sat over the small bridge that was part of Fluttershy's yard. The unicorn quickly galloped to the front door. As Spike sat there staring at the water, he thought "I can't wait to see the dragons with my friends...my family. Maybe we could all do a migration together one day..." as he sighed rather happily. Spike had let his mind wander again after a few moments, thoughts of him finally receiving answers on his heritage and being alongside the rest of his loved ones finally understanding and accepting him for who he was. It was a dream come true for the baby dragon and he wouldn't wish for anything other than to share this memory with the 6 best ponies he ever met. This time, they would be there for him, not like... "Not like those sleepovers, or the Best Young Fliers Competition, or the Great Galloping Gala, or...Twilight's birthday..." Spike's smile slowly dissolved into a downcast frown as he stared at his reflection in the water - realizing there were several times in the past where the Elements either left him to his own devices or simply had not invited him to their gatherings. "Am I even important to them?" he pondered rather sadly. But then Spike rose up from his sitting spot and turned his frown into a confident smile as he placed a small claw over his heart. "No. Not this time, Everypony will be there for me. They wouldn't..." However, his thoughts ended abruptly as he heard rather large shouts coming from the usually quiet pegasus's cottage. Curious as to what was taking them so long (and more importantly what was going on), Spike tiptoed ever so closer as he ducked down into a nearby bush, able to hear the conversations continuing without fear of being noticed by the others. He saw Fluttershy clinging to the frames of the front door as a rather frustrated Rainbow Dash was physically trying to force the butterscotch pony outside her home, a concerned Twilight trying to reason with the scaredy-pony as calmly as she could, trying not to add to the stress the rainbow-maned pony was placing on her. "C'mon, Fluttershy, it'll be fun!" Twilight tried reasoning. However Fluttershy was not moved as she used her hooves to grip to the door with a strength nopony knew she was capable of. "There's nothing fun about dragons! Scary, yes! Fun, no!" Fluttershy exhaled as she constantly felt the pressure of Rainbow's relentless pushing and prodding on her backside. As Spike saw and heard this from his viewpoint, he blinked his eyes in startlement and confusion as a small painful frown etched on his lips. "But... I'm a dragon." he thought. "But Fluttershy..." Twilight continued her mental prodding, "...the great dragon migration happens only once in a generation! Do you really wanna pass up a chance like that?" "Do you want to pass up on helping me?" Spike dejectedly thought as a small pain began building up inside his small stomach. "Now that you put it that way, yes!" Spike couldn't help but wince and shutter upon hearing the pegasus's bold confirmation. He had never heard the shy pony exclaim her thoughts so loudly and vividly before. She was so determined to not go and see other dragons, to not join her friends... "To not be with me..." he thought as tears slowly built up in his eyes. "Aw, Fluttershy..." Twilight softly cooed in a manner similar to a mother speaking to a frightened child, "... We just don't want you to miss out." "Miss out on what? Dragons? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" Fluttershy screamed, Rainbow continuing to attempt to remove her from the corners of her entrance. "Well... yeah!" Twilight thought before proudly declaring to her friend. "Thanks, but... no thanks!" Fluttershy retaliated right back, no fear or hesitation in her voice, which only served to draw Spike's conclusion home as he finally shed a few tears. She REALLY didn't want to go be with his kind. With him. Finally the brash and rather hot-headed pegasus decided to speak her mind as she scowled behind her stubborn best friend still clinging to the door. "Look, Fluttershy, I watched that boring butterfly migration with you, so now it's your turn to watch the dragon migration with me! You owe me!" "For HER?!" Spike thought bitterly. What Fluttershy did next however surprised everypony and dragon who had watched the previous scene with their very own eyes. With a loud, hearty, "NO!" the butterfly cutie-marked pegasus managed to release herself from Rainbow's grasp before tackling the shocked daredevil on her stomach and fleeing headfirst to a side window of her cottage. Ok, so maybe she slowly stopped to carefully open the window before jumping out, but once she had jumped out of the small opening she fled with an impressive burst of speed that not even a Sonic Rainboom would be able to catch, leaving the two ponies utterly speechless as to what they had just witnessed. "All this because of me. I thought she was my friend, but she just... because of dragons... like me." Spike sighed as he slowly peeked out from the bush he was hiding in and quickly returned to the part of the bridge where Twilight had left him. Despite his now rather depressed state, he didn't want her to find out he had been eavesdropping on them; Twilight always told him that respecting privacy was a big part of friendship after all. "But, is this really friendship? Fluttershy. I thought she liked me like the others but..." he pondered before his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of two ponies approaching him. "Man, I'm going to feel that for the next week..." Spike could hear Rainbow mutter as Twilight looked over at her friend with a sympathetic smile. As the two got to the bridge, they soon found the dragon in question sitting silently in the exact same position as he was found before. He quickly put on a brave face to hide any of the thoughts or feelings he had in regard to their supposed "private" affair. "Sorry about that Spike..." Twilight apologized as she walked over to her little dragon brother, "...things took a bit longer than expected. Fluttershy had some...errands she couldn't afford to skip." Twilight reasoned, hoping to hide the slight pause in her voice as Rainbow also looked at the dragon with a sort of sheepishness. But even if Spike hadn't overheard the previous charade, he knew Twilight long enough to know when she was hiding something - the slight pause in her explanation hadn't failed to go noticed by the dragon. "It's...it's fine." Spike quickly tried to reassure the two mares with a somewhat forced grin of his own, pretending he hadn't recognized the obvious lie or the hesitation on their faces. The truth was that he had one less pony in his life than he had thought. A pony he thought would be there for him vanished because of his supposed family roots. "So what does that say about me?" "Let's go get the others." he quickly proclaimed, jaunting off the bridge before seeing the other two follow closely behind. "At least you're here." he muttered quietly, one last tear drop fell from his eye before anypony could notice. The Dragon Migration and the events that followed were certainly not forgotten by anyone. After a successful and quite fascinating view of the dragons breezing with ease through the skies of Ponyville, the gang of Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and even Rarity in her alluring but very shiny outfit all sat back and reminisced about the perfect afternoon. The events afterwards were a different story. It all started with the others pointing out (basically teasing in Rainbow's case) how Spike didn't "act" like other dragons. Spike personally took this very hard as his efforts to find himself with the love and support of his pony family felt like they were in vain. So a fed up Spike decided he needed to discover who he was on his own. After convincing Twilight, Rarity, and surprisingly a equally concerned Rainbow Dash, Spike ventured out to the fabled dragonlands on his own (with the three equines closely behind of course). What Spike ended up discovering was that he didn't need to be and feel with other dragons, he needed to be himself. Sure, it may have taken the baby dragon a while to discover this - but after flopping into a pool of lava, climbing a rock hill, and possibly a few stolen phoenix eggs in the mix, Spike came to realize that he could be his own dragon and grow the way he wanted to. Well that's what he thought at least as he and his trio of pony pursuers ran from the teenage dragons Spike had desperately tried to appease on his quest. Hopefully he never had to see them and their brutish antics ever again. After that eventful evening, when Spike and the others were safe back at the library, Rainbow and Rarity had decided to call it a night, which Twilight and Spike eagerly agreed to having realized their sudden exhaustion from the conclusion of the Dragonland adventure. After a series of pony hugs, "welcome back's", and even a sincere apology from the athletic pegasus for making fun of him and his apron, Spike quickly approached his beloved basket bed as he felt all his worries and stress vanished when his head hit the fluffy pillow. Twilight quickly followed right behind him, having settled into her bed with a sigh of relief herself before looking her brother below her with a warm smile. "I'm glad you're back." Twilight said, sleepiness gradually taking over. "Me too. I missed you." Spike affirmed with an appreciative grin before yawning as he felt he could doze off instantly. Twilight yawned in response before muttering back, "We should do something with the others tomorrow now that you're home." That statement alone had halted any drowsiness the dragon previously possessed as he suddenly remembered an important event that had slipped his mind during the supposed quest. The others. Fluttershy. "Miss out on what? Dragons? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" The quote from the aforementioned pegasus currently replayed in the dragon's mind as he slowly turned away from Twilight's gaze to hide any sort of reaction he may well have. "Yeah...maybe." Spike whispered, before uttering one last phrase "Good night Twilight." "Good night Spike." he heard back before silence met the pair for what felt like an eternity before the drake could hear the sounds of light snoring coming from the unicorn. However, Spike had not fallen asleep quite as easily as his mind seemed to torment him with countless thoughts running through his head. "Fluttershy's my friend...and she cares for me...right? After all, Spike had remembered the very first day he and Twilight came to Ponyville (Of course, it was originally a setup by Celestia to have Twilight check on the planning for the Summer Sun Celebration and unknown to them, eventually defeat Nightmare Moon and free Princess Luna). He remembered the day he met 5 special ponies who would become a very important part in his life. Although they seemed to regard him with very little interest outside of grouping him with Twilight, there was one pony who truly thought he was special: "A baby dragon! Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's sooo cute!" "Well, well, well...!" he was surprised at the time to see someone who displayed such interest in him. Back in Canterlot, he was either seen as a walking, talking pet owned by Twilight, or a freak of nature that shouldn't be in Equestria. Even further back, thoughts of ponies screaming in terror at him and bullies constantly harassing him made him wince in memory. Needless to say, he greatly appreciated the friendly mare in front of him. "Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful I, I just don't even know what to say!" she had spoken in great awe and utter fascination. "Well, in that case we'd better be going!" huffed an angry Twilight, clearly frustrated at having been thrown into the bushes by a quiet, yet insistent pegasus. "Wait, wait! What's his name?" she had curiously asked. Spike, having positive attention sent his way couldn't help but beam at the pegasus following him. Maybe he could make a friend even if Twilight didn't. "I'm Spike" he had said. "Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?" "Well, what do you wanna know?" he asked as he smiled appreciatively at the beautiful mare he was looking at. While he didn't find her as beautiful as Rarity, Fluttershy, in his opinion would always be second. "Absolutely everything" she had said. And with that, Spike and Fluttershy had talked the whole trek back to the library in Ponyville, much to Twilight's visible annoyance. Spike couldn't explain it, but he felt close to Fluttershy that day - she had taken a loving interest in him and he very well thought they could be best friends as he and her chatted back and forth, never finding awkward pauses in their conversation. Spike even remembered Fluttershy trying to coddle him and put him to bed before Twilight snagged him back; he had thought it was weird at the time, but looking back at that moment, he couldn't help but smile. But as soon as the memory ended, his smile faded away back to deep contemplation on his part. "What's happened since then?" Despite the fact that Spike had been left out of the gang's activities multiple times in the past, he could still remember times when he had spent time with each of the ponies individually. Times in which they proved they were friends with not just Twilight, but him specifically. He had helped Applejack at the farm before and she had always appreciated his hard work (even having him over for dinner with the family on multiple occassions), He has been there for Rarity on multiple occassions and she always appreciated his company (whether or not she was familiar with his feelings for her. Though that moment they were plummeting towards their doom after his growth spurt suggested she did), He and Rainbow had pranked Twilight and the others numerous times and they were always there to laugh with each other, He even had been a co-host with Pinkie Pie for the "Running of the Leaves" competition and he had a blast with the party pony (she even made cupcakes with sapphires just for him which he loved), and Fluttershy.... Spike paused at this statement for the longest time. As he kept trying to think of examples, he realized he never actually spent any quality time with the Element of Kindness outside of their first encounter. But there had to be something.....right? Well there was that time he had helped Fluttershy with waking up the animals for Winter Wrap Up? But he was with Twilight and she had paid him no mind, except for when he saw her laughing with the others when he had fallen asleep and almost drowned in the middle of a thawing lake. She gave him a birthday present and even happily attended his birthday party. Yeah, that was pretty great! Except.... He remembered after the party, when he in his greed-obsessed growth spurt had stormed towards her place and stolen her chicken coop. Despite his memories from that experience being particularly foggy, he could still vividly remember her screams of pure terror as she skyrocketed away from him. Unbeknownst to Twilight or the others though, Fluttershy has screamed a particularly awful thing in her flight. "MONSTER!" Even though Spike knew Fluttershy had no idea it was him, the words didn't hurt any less. If he ever grew to become an adult dragon permanently one day, would she still run in terror and call him a beast? Would she ever see him for who he was, or just simply what he was. Needless to say, the birthday was soiled by a memory that chilled him to the core. Other than that, the only thing he could think of was him watching over Angel and her other animals while the six ponies stopped...the dragon....at the peak of Ponyville. They had fought against a being of his own kind while he played babysitter for the one who was afraid, yet silenced the dragon. A dragon like he could be. Spike suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he realized he had no positive memories of Fluttershy after his first day in Ponyville. The others all took the occassional time to spend with him and while he preferred it to happen more often, it was better than nothing. With Fluttershy, he had nothing. She wouldn't even attend an important moment in his life. He was simply a tool with which she could pour a chore or two onto before leaving his presence. He was simply a creature for which she feared. True, she did have a point - as Spike would never want to grow like those jerks he and his friends encountered in the Dragonlands. But what if he grew afterwards? What if he had become someone with which she could only associate fear? Would it even matter what was in his heart if he was a big, booming reptile? Spike finally started to silently sob as he realized Fluttershy's true meaning to him. She wasn't his friend, she wasn't someone he could rely on. She originally saw a new interesting creature with which she could study before she realized what his potential could be. She never cared for him, she cared about it. What she had originally seen as a new animal was now.... "There's nothing fun about dragons! Scary, yes! Fun, no!" Tears quickly filled Spike's vision as he turned his head over to smoosh it with his pillow before any tears or wailing could wake up the sleeping form next to him. He sobbed profusely, yet silently throughout the night before he eventually collapsed with exhaustion as the night placated a dark, empty aura. A monster. Spike was a monster.
Emotions SpikeAs the sun shone on the upstairs floor of a cozy, serene, bedroom inside a well-secluded cottage, Fluttershy slowly fluttered her eyes open as a soft smile appeared on her lips, taking in the warmth the air radiating around her. Today was going to be a much better day than yesterday. The determined sense of positivity she provided herself gave her the fuel needed to fully rise out of bed and prepare for the day ahead. She had to admit that her reaction to Rainbow and Twilight's pleas yesterday was... excessive. After running until her hooves practically couldn't muster a gallop anymore, she collapsed in fear and frustration in regards to her rather insistent friends. She kept telling them that just because she conquered a dragon one time, that didn't mean she wanted to go and watch a whole flock of them. But as she slowly became more relaxed lying on the cold, yet inviting floors of the Everfree Forest, she realized that maybe her friends were trying to help her after all. She admitted to herself that she could be more bold, and she also knew her friends would never intentionally place her in any sort of danger; maybe she should've talked it out instead of... Fluttershy silently gasped as she realized what her adrenaline and fear-filled mind had done. She had pushed and kicked her oldest friend before running away like a mad-mare. To say she was embarrassed and ashamed of herself was the understatement of the century. After taking the time to calm herself down, she returned back to Ponyville where she had later found Rainbow on a nighttime fly, quickly hugging her and apologizing for her rather abrasive actions. The pegasus had expected Rainbow to be quite bitter with her, but she was surprisingly very forgiving as she also apologized for "egging her on" to go to the migration. The two friends having quickly reconciled then decided to call it a night with Rainbow saying that today was a "long story" - Fluttershy hoped with that that the migration itself went fine. As the timid mare began feeding her animals alongside a couple morning chores, she thought back to the migration with concern etched on her face as she slowly thought about one dragon in particular. She knew he was so excited to see other dragons and possibly take away any knowledge from them. Despite her own refusal at going, she had hoped Spike was able to enjoy the migration in her place as she deeply cared for the baby drake ever since she met him. "I hope Spike had fun. Maybe I should see him today." But then her own mind stopped her as she began worrying about another possibility. What if it went bad? What if he doesn't want to talk to me? Fluttershy's mind constantly battled back and forth between herself - a common occurrence for the introverted pegasus as she consistently worried about her friends. Spike however was a special case as she often had trouble coming into contact with him, worried about hurting another creature's feelings. Ponies were a breed of their own, she could battle through them despite her nature, Spike however.... He knows I'm always there....Right? As Twilight and Spike were in the midst of breakfast, Twilight couldn't help but notice something was off with Spike. The dragon in question appeared to have not gotten much sleep as his eyes carried several bags underneath them, and he was very monotone both in responses and movement this morning. The thing that worried her the most however was the redness with which Spike's eyes possessed. They appeared to have been stained from crying, but Spike repeatedly insisted that he was "fine", before continuing to sulk, much to the skepticism of his guardian who suddenly feared he was hiding something from her. Something important. Deciding not to annoy the dragon further and instead maintaining careful surveillance of him, she stooped out of her thoughts as she came up with a great idea for Spike's first day back home. "Hey, Spike! Why don't we gather our friends and have a picnic to welcome you home!" Spike at first, seemed ecstatic at the idea as Twilight beamed at him. A picnic with all hi.... his thoughts suddenly paused and the the faint glimmer of happiness in his eyes disappeared as he dared to respond to the unicorn. "All my...friends?" Spike spoke rather haphazardly, hoping Twilight wouldn't recognize the tone he coated his voice in. While Twilight did find his response peculiar, she shrugged it off and continued on. "Of course, we can invite Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity..." "...and Fluttershy." As soon as her name rang in his ears, Spike suddenly felt himself tense up as he quickly looked away from Twilight as well as his breakfast - hoping Twilight wouldn't ask him to turn around and see the turmoil written on his face. "...That's ok." he quickly uttered in a rather heavy voice. "I have some chores I want to do today." Twilight looked at the baby dragon with eyes etched in overwhelming concern, never seeing Spike so emotionally distant from anything before. Even with the migration itself, Spike would openly express his sorrows and worries; seeing him shut down made Twilight worried. "Spike, I wouldn't expect you to work if I wasn't, you can always do chores whenever..." "I want to get them done!" Spike interrupted Twilight before slowly approaching an unorganized book and attempting to place it back in its proper location. Suddenly, Twilight realized the moment Spike tensed up and decided to voice her concerns on the matter. "Is there something about Fluttershy that's bothering yo...." "I'm fine!" Spike quickly exclaimed over Twilight before slowly heading downstairs to alphabetize Twilight's potions. As he approached the stairs, he slowly turned to look back at Twilight, her face contorted into a deep amount of sympathy and concern as she had a hoof reached out to him from her seat at the breakfast table. Spike hated to see Twilight look so worried, it drove his heart wild to see her berating herself for his problems. In a last ditch effort to appease any sort of concerns or worries Twilight possessed, Spike slowly smiled towards her. "I'll see you later?" Spike asked before taking the steps needed to reach to his destination. Twilight could only whisper back in shock after he was already out of sight. "Yeah. See you." Against her better judgement, Twilight decided to host a picnic with her friends anyways. It took the tension away from the situation at hoof, and maybe her friends would be able to offer her any advice if she explained her predicament. Currently the six friends were perched on top of a big hill under a shady tree, a little ways off from the center of Ponyville. The gang of ponies happily munched on tea and sandwiches and discussed the events that had transpired the day before. As Rarity and Rainbow were recounting the tale of Spike's quest to the three ponies who weren't there then, they all couldn't help but shock at the realization of what transpired. "So they wanted Spike to smash a baby phoenix egg and they wouldn't accept him otherwise?!" exclaimed Applejack, whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates, realizing how brutish and barbaric the other dragons Spike was with were. "Indeed. Luckily, Spikey-Wikey managed to stand against it and realized his true family is right here with him." recapped Rarity with a warm smile on her face, still very happy Spike decided to return with the ponies rather than those who were willing to bully and torment him. "That's a relief. We need Spike. He's our best friend and we wouldn't have even been able to hold a goodbye party." Pinkie concluded, her lips quivering at the thought of having to say goodbye to a friend AND a party. Those poor cupcakes. "How is Spike? Is he ok? Does he need anything?" quickly asked Fluttershy, with a tone of motherly worry as she shook a little in her hooves at the thought of the sweet creature being in any sort of pain. "Spike wasn't the one who got trampled on..." quipped Rainbow as she rubbed her still aching stomach with a small smirk on her face. "Oh my goodness! I... um... I'm so so sorry... I didn't mean..." Fluttershy stuttered before a comforting blue hoof propped up on her shoulder as a signal of "all is forgiven". "No sweat," Rainbow replied. "I know you're sorry and it was kind of my fault too." she reaffirmed as she quickly hugged the kind pegasus as a sign of goodwill. At the mention of the dragon, Twilight took the opportunity to finally share her piece with all her friends closely paying attention. "Speaking of Spike, I think something's wrong." Twilight concluded sadly, her eyes shifting downcast for a split second before refocusing on the reactions of the others. "Is this about yesterday?" Rainbow asked slightly annoyed. "I thought we told him.." but she was cut off by the sounds of the studious unicorn once again. "No! This was just this morning and I feel like I have an idea what it's about." Twilight spoke. "What is it then?" asked Rarity, appearing quite concerned as well as the others who were all moving their heads closer to the unicorn's direction, anxious to hear what was going on with the dragon in their lives. "I invited him to the picnic this morning, but he tensed up and walked away as soon as I mentioned Fluttershy." she concluded solemnly. Immediately, all eyes shifted towards the yellow pegasus with concern, wondering why Spike would have any issue with the seemingly lovable pony in front of them. Fluttershy herself, took this news to heart as she quite loudly gasped before her eyes glistened with fear and worry. "Oh, goodness.. I didn't know... I hope I didn't upset him in any way." Fluttershy claimed as she slowly put her cup of tea down, now fully concerned with whatever strife the drake could have against her. "What could be wrong with him and Fluttershy?" pondered a curious Applejack. "Ain't like him to be upset with someone like this... have you said anything to him recently?" she regarded the pegasus across from her. With a silent shake of her head, the group was now more confused with what was bothering him before Pinkie broke the silence. "Maybe it has something to do with the Dragon Migration. Fluttershy was the only one who wasn't there." she nonchalantly reasoned as the ponies around her could only stare with upmost fascination. The idea of that happening now appeared to be a very likely possibility. "That... that's actually a very good idea, Pinkie." Twilight coughed, impressed with the often random pony's clever use of logic and common sense. "But why would he be upset about her not being there?" she asked, puzzled once again. Suddenly, Fluttershy bounced up from her position on the blanket, with a look of determination in her wide blue eyes. Her confident stature and physique was admired by all as she knew what she had to do. "I'm going to find out." Meanwhile... After a while of occupying his mind with chores, Spike quickly realized something as he scanned across the spick and span library, everything seemingly organized and polished. Spike was bored... His stomach rumbled, waiting for acknowledgment from the rest of the dragon. ...and he was hungry. As Spike gazed up at a nearby clock - realizing it was a little past lunch time - he also realized that Twilight and the girls wouldn't be home for a while if they were still gone. With that fact having settled it's way into his mind, the young dragon decided that maybe he should stop at Sugarcube Corner for a snack run. His stomach once again rumbled, seeming to agree with the idea. With the confirmation from his belly, Spike ventured out to the prized bakery itself, hoping food would ease the pain he was trying to push down. After the picnic had been cleared up and goodbye's were said, Fluttershy decided she needed to find Spike and hope she could amend any damage their seemingly perfect friendship had. However, she wasn't going alone, as Twilight - concerned for her brother figure, and Rainbow Dash - who still felt bad herself for her behavior at the Dragon Migration and decided she would be there for both their emotional support - ventured out to the middle of Ponyville, on their way to the library to see if the drake was still home. However, their search was unexpectedly cut short as on their way shortly past Sugarcube Corner walked the dragon in question, on his way to avenge his appetite with cupcakes and possibly some cookies. In sheer comedic timing, both the trio of ponies and the dragon froze upon recognizing each other. Spike, in particular looked deathly terrified as his eyes froze upon glancing at Fluttershy's worried face alongside the others. He quickly turned around, trying to walk back home before the others could follow him. Fluttershy, upon seeing Spike begin to walk away from her, quickly flew by his side and tried desperately to grab his attention. "Hello, Spike. Is everything okay?" she asked in a sweet, caring tone. However the drake failed to even acknowledge her as he kept trying to walk away from her, the pegasus in question continuing to trot alongside him, determined to help him any way she can. Despite her shy tendencies, Fluttershy always became persistent to help whenever her friends were upset, especially seeing as the supposed friend was upset with her made her even more encouraged to help no matter what. Twilight and Rainbow could only look at each other with a subtly agreed look of skepticism before following their friends from a safe distance. "Spike?! Is something wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?!" she pleaded with him, but he continued walking, his brow increasingly narrowing as the pink-maned pegasus continued persisting. "You know you can talk to me about anything." He kept walking. "Would you like to come over and talk about it? I've got tea and cake!" He kept walking. "Please, Spike! I'm really worried about you. I want to help." He kept walking. Twilight and Rainbow again looked at each other in apprehension, nevertheless following the pair, closer to the library. "Please Spike! I'm one of your best friends! I want you to be happy!" At this, Spike finally stopped walking and paused, surprising all three ponies as they suddenly halted as well before they heard the dragon growl a single retort. Tears finding way to his eyes once again, yet not looking behind him at the trio. "No, you're not." A tense silence filled the air as neither pony nor dragon dared to speak for what felt like minutes afterwards. Everyone could only freeze in place, either holding in their emotions or remaining shocked at what was just said. Finally, with a slight sniffle as she looked at the dragon with the upmost concern and sincerity, Fluttershy dared to break the long-winded quiet void. "Spike.. What do you mean? Of course we're friends. You're one of my best friends in fact. I see you're really hurting right now and I just want to make you feel better." she stated with a nervous, yet hopeful smile, silently praying that was going to be what was needed to get Spike to open up. As she reached out to try and put a comforting hoof on the dragon's shoulder however, it was quickly swatted away - the drake again refusing to look at her. "How can you be friends with a dragon? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" Spike bitterly called out, tears now free flowing from his eyes, his friends all finally able to see the tears falling to the cold hard ground. As Fluttershy paused with what could be described as a "frozen in time" look, Twilight finally decided to speak out instead. "Spike, what are you talking about?!" she asked not with any irritation, but with sincere curiosity. "Can't hold the truth anymore." Spike internally declared as he finally decided to give some leeway to the others as to why he was upset. "The day of the Dragon Migration, I decided to check on what was taking you three so long. I saw and overheard everything you said, Fluttershy. Everything you feel about dragons. I know." If the last silence was intense, this one was deafening as Fluttershy, upon understanding what Spike meant silently gasped before putting a hoof over her mouth. Tears finally began to sprinkle out of her big, blue eyes. "N-no..." she whispered in a sob. Twilight, though not crying, finally understood what caused Spike to be upset as she looked at him, wanting to pick him up, place him in a hug, and never let go. "Oh Spike..." she said. Rainbow Dash just remained speechless with her mouth wide open in shock as she even winced upon hearing Spike's reveal. Finally, clearing her throat to talk, Fluttershy relentlessly tried to put another hoof around Spike's shoulder and began trying to talk to him. "Spike. I'm so sorry you heard me saying that. But when I said that, I didn't include you. I never meant to hurt you when I was talking about the dragons. But you're different to me Spike and you'll always be my friend no matter what. You know I'll always lo..." but before she could finish and place Spike into the mother-of-all comfort hugs, he snapped as he quickly released himself from Fluttershy's grasp - finally turning around to glare at the three pestering ponies in front of him - specifically, Fluttershy. "Don't you dare say you'll always be my friend!" Spike roared in frustration as he proceeded to glare at the pony who had hurt him so. "You say we're such good friends, but besides my first day in Ponyville, when did you ever show it?! The others have abandoned me in the past but at least I can say they spent time with me!" "Sp..." Twilight tried to intervene but Spike was too far into his rant to be persuaded to stop. "What about us?! You laughed when I almost drowned in the cold lake during Winter Wrap Up. You made me watch your animals while you went on a mission - against a dragon no less. I always thought you cared about me and would be there for me but you always act too nervous to even speak to me! You couldn't even attend an important milestone in my life when all my other friends did! But that's not even the worst part! I know that if... that when I grow bigger, you'll be too scared to even be in the same town as me. That's not what a friend is!" "Sp...Spike. That's not true! I'll alw-" Fluttershy tried to say, more upset than actually shaking with any nerves as she could see the dragon's heart continue to break. "Don't even say that! I know what you really think! Heck, during my growth spurt on my birthday, YOU CALLED ME A MONSTER!" Spike finally yelled at the top of his lungs before pathetically falling to the ground in a pool of tears. "SPIKE!" Twilight and Fluttershy both exclaimed as they each galloped up to the dragon, trying desperately to comfort him. Even the "cool" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but check to make sure he was ok from a further distance. As Spike finally saw the two mares in front of him, his focus again shifted to Fluttershy - but this time instead of anger, he could only sob as he looked up at her with a face of pure agony. And Fluttershy could tell you, she thought his devastated look was way more upsetting to her than his angry one. "I was never your friend Fluttershy." Spike whispered, as he bowed his head in shame. "I was simply this fascinating new creature you just had to get to know... but now that has worn off, now that you know what I really am and what I may become. I'm not a friend. I'm a monster." Spike concluded before his sobs returned full force as he leaned forward into the purple unicorn's embrace. Twilight's own expression reflected his as she was silently sobbing herself, not knowing the pain Spike kept concerning a mare she thought he liked. To say Fluttershy's heart shattered would've been the putting it extremely lightly. After the dragon's speech finally ended, Fluttershy could only openly wallow as she felt the worst she has perhaps ever felt. Only one thought resided in her mind: "What have I done?! I was always worried about being too close to him, but I ended up being too distant. I thought I was being a good friend, but... I'm the real monster!". Before Rainbow or Twilight could dare attempt to comfort or regard their friend, she took off running in a fit of tears all the way back to her cottage where she slammed the door before hopping on and continuing to sob on her bed. Her tears poured out almost endlessly as her mind constantly repeated one thing: "I'm a monster!
The Beginning of Something NewIt's been multiple hours since Fluttershy ran back home to her cottage in tears after the revealing of the baby dragon's heartbreak - the guilt that she felt kept piling on. As the pegasus on the bed began looking through a photo album filled with memories of all her friends and their adventures in Ponyville, her guilt only grew as she realized there were very few, if any, pictures of Spike in her collection. "There's no pictures of him because I was a bad friend. I was too worried about him being different from me to have fun with him, or invite him anywhere, unless he was upset." she thought, mentally berating herself for the lack of actual care and commitment she had shown him since that very first day. She sighed as one more tear fell down her cheek. "I wasn't a friend at all!" Suddenly, something clicked in Fluttershy's head as the tears suddenly began to stop, looking at the photos again in sudden realization. "I wasn't his friend!" Fluttershy then proceeded to hoist herself off the soft and comforting mattress as she gazed out her window towards Ponyville with a determined expression on her face, before running down the stairs and out her front door. A certain tree in town was calling to her. "I know what to do!" It had been hours since Twilight managed to pick up a still weeping Spike and carry him back to the library (Rainbow being told by Twilight this was too personal of a matter for her at the moment, propelling her to leave). Once the duo had arrived back to the library however, Spike rather emotionlessly climbed up the steps to his bed before plopping himself down on top of it, his head refusing to see anything but the cushion lines of his pillow. Twilight could only watch the display in sympathy as she sighed before sitting herself down in the nook of the library, contemplating what to do about her brother. After a few hours of silent prodding however, Twilight heard a knock on the door, prompting her to rise from her spot and see just who was trying to visit her this late at night. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Fluttershy there - and with a rather serious and determined flare in her eyes to boot. "Hello Twilight. Is Spike still here?" she asked without a trace of uncertainty. "Fluttershy. I'm sorry about what happened, but I don't think Spike is really in the mood to..." she began before a hoof was placed over her lips to silence her. "I don't care if Spike never wants to talk to me again, he just needs to listen. Please, this is important!" Fluttershy prodded, her eyes never faltering as the flames inside only seemed to grow brighter and warmer. Twilight, stunned upon seeing her normally reserved friend speak with such conviction could only nod in bewilderment before allowing her friend entry. Fluttershy, seeing she was allowed in, smiled pleasantly at her friend before marching up the stairs to where the bedroom was. As she saw Spike still face-planted on top of his pillow, she allowed herself to clear her throat before she spoke in an even, yet oddly inviting tone. "Spike.." she began, seeing how the dragon would react to her voice. The dragon in response upon hearing the familiar voice quickly rose himself from his bed before looking at the pegasus with a look of dread and annoyance. "What do you want?" he mumbled, still sniffling upon the boatload of tears he had released earlier. Seeing as this was actually a good sign to continue, Fluttershy once again spoke. "Spike, I came over to say I'm sincerely sorry for the things I said and for the way I've acted around you. You said that I wasn't really your friend.." "Because you wer..." Spike tried to quickly quip before he was caught by an even bigger surprise from the kind pegasus. "Because I wasn't" she affirmed with a sincere nod of her head, before looking back up at the now interested dragon. Twilight, who had just walked up the steps to see what was going on, was also shocked as to where her friend was going with this conversation. But they would both find out what she had meant soon enough as she prodded on. "After my first day with you, I realized how different of species we are from each other. I always struggled to know whether you'd want me around or not because I never had a dragon friend before. I never offered you my friendship because I was too busy worrying about what you'd want." The dragon could only gape silently as he never saw Fluttershy be this open with herself in front of him before. Even on the first day, she was more so asking him questions while she gushed. "Even before the migration, even on that first day, I made a grave mistake. I realized I was trying to make a dragon friend but I was placing the word 'dragon' in front of it." Twilight sat there impressed by what she was seeing. Fluttershy was being open and honest with a sort of grace and dignity she never thought the pegasus could have. Before she internally praised her friend though, her words brought the focus back. "Just because you may be a dragon doesn't mean you're any different from my other friends - So I should've treated you like one." Spike finally found his voice as he retorted rather bitterly, "So that makes everything ok?" Fluttershy however, to everyone's surprise, was unfazed at the comeback as a tiny smirk formed on her face before she responded. "No, it doesn't. At all. But I want to be your friend now. Even if you don't forgive or trust me, I still want to be there for you. I want to see the kindest, sweetest gentledrake I know grow up and have fun along the way. I don't just want to think or say these things, I want to actively do them. I want to show you that I'll always be here and make time for you and you alone. I said you were different than the others, but you're instead special because of how generous, willing, and dependable of a being you are, and I wouldn't want a better friend than you." At this part of the speech, Spike began tearing up again. He wanted to believe the warm and loving words that were spilled out in front of him, but he still had his doubts. "You say that now, but what happens if I get another growth spurt or I get older.. and I become a monst..." Spike questioned before he was silenced by the sudden appearance of a smiling pegasus in front of him that had just trapped him in the warmest hug he had ever felt. "Don't ever say that, Spike. I know for a fact that you will never and I mean never be a monster." she chastised softly, yet firmly as Spike could feel the hug around him become tighter. Fluttershy meanwhile never took that warm and accepting smile off her face as a few tears began slipping free from her irises. This time, Spike surprised everyone in the room by whispering in an almost chilling display of fear. "But what if I am a monster?! What if I feel like one? Like those others back in the Dragonlands?" At this, Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she never realized Spike still held mental baggage from his journey. Fluttershy, meanwhile, abruptly stopped the hug before holding his face close to hers so that two were in direct eye contact with each other. "Listen to me, Spike." she said firmly with all the seriousness in the world, her smile vanished for the moment and replaced with a thin line so that she could show him what she was saying was crucial. "I don't care if you never forgive me, just please take what I say here seriously. You will never be a monster. Even if you feel like you are, or even if someone else tells you you are, you will never ever be a monster. And if you ever feel that way, you can always come talk to me or any of the other girls and we will listen - we will help in anyway we can. Even if we're never friends, even if you don't trust me, that offer will always be good no matter what. Ok?" she switched back to a warm smile as she began nuzzling his cheek. Spike looked ready to burst from emotional release at any moment. "H..how do you know this?" he simply asked, pleading for an answer. "Because I can tell." Fluttershy responded nonchalantly, her grin becoming ever so brighter and friendly. "Because I don't act like other dragons?" Spike asked rather hesitantly, fearing confirmation. At that however, Fluttershy simply shook her head no, before she slowly and tenderly kissed the dragon's forehead and tackled him with a rather affectionate hug. "Because you're Spike. And I'll always love you for who you are." she whispered lovingly into his ear. This was too much for Spike to bear as he felt the dam forcefully burst open. With heavy wails and sobs, he gripped Fluttershy for dear life, who in return copied the magnitude of the grip while calmly comforting him. "Shhh.. it's ok. I'm here. Let it all out." At the heartfelt display, Twilight couldn't take it any longer as she galloped towards the two embracing friends and joined in the affection, happy to see Spike being shown this kind of love by someone other than herself. As Spike looked up at the solid wall of comfort the two mares had provided for him, he could only sigh in content. "I have the best friends in the world."
EpilogueTwilight's quill began to hover rhythmically on the enchanted parchment as she gazed out at the sun with a content smile on her face, sniffing at the beautiful breezy airflow that nature seemed to tell her "everything would be ok": Dear Princess Celestia, Today a few friends taught me a vital aspect of friendship - communication. A friendship may seem strong and healthy at first, but that could also be the furthest thing from the truth. Without properly communicating or expressing yourself to your friends, you may be unintentionally hurting them, which could ultimately damage the friendship, if it was even there to begin with. Thankfully, the example I witnessed proved to resolve it's issues with flying colors. Whereas one friend was distancing themselves in an attempt to proceed with caution based on differences, that caution ended up making the other friend feel like they were being excluded because of those differences. On the other hoof, the other friend ended up storing their hurt and anger without properly communicating, and those built up emotions ended up hurting themselves alot more than when they were first felt. Now my friends are expressing themselves in a healthy manner and I can proudly say their relationship has bloomed into something better than it has ever been. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, a good friend will always be there to listen but it's important to make sure those feelings get expressed in a proper and healthy manner. Seeing as you've probably figured out I'm referring to Spike and Fluttershy, they've been doing wonderful together. I've never seen Fluttershy be as vocal and outgoing before with Spike or any of her other friends as well. Speaking of which, Fluttershy always makes sure she takes one day a week to spend with Spike. At first, he was hesitant at her providing so much time for him, but the two have actually grown so close. It's like their best friends forever! I'm glad to see them both happy and I hope this lesson can help others as well. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle "Alright Spike, could you please send this letter to the princess? " pleaded Twilight before Spike knowingly with a smile on his face, cast a set of green flames over the scroll, sending the letter directly to the princess herself. "Thanks." Twilight smiled. "Anytime." he responded. Just then, a knock could be heard coming from the door of the library, Quickly approaching the door and opening it, Twilight found it to be none other than Fluttershy with a picnic basket draped over her right wing. "Hello Twilight" Fluttershy beamed with that cute smile of hers. "Hey Spike!" she exclaimed. "Hey Flutters!" Spike beamed excitedly back. "Ready to go on that picnic?" "Of course." she sang melodically as she even poofed out a gem the size of a diamond out of the basket. "That looks awesome! Thank you!" he chirped as he quickly went over to the pegasus's side and wrapped her in a thankful hug which she greatly returned in appreciation. "We were thinking about lunch and then going for a swim at the pond if you want to join us?" Fluttershy asked Twilight. "Really? Are you sure?" the unicorn asked with skepticism, knowing it was the two's special time. "Yeah, of course. Come with, Twi!" Spike beamed excitedly. Any hesitation Twilight had at intruding upon the pair's plans quickly disappeared. "Well, how can I say no to that?" Twilight giggled upon seeing the excitement of the other two's faces as she agreed. As the group of friends slowly left the library, the dragon gained a bright idea. "Hey Flutters," he asked, "If there's ever another dragon migration..." "Say no more, Spike. I'd go for you anyday!" Fluttershy boldly claimed. "Actually, I was going to say I'm not sure about seeing those mean dragons anymore, I was wondering if maybe we should plan a butterfly migration instead?" he explained. At that, Fluttershy's face practically exploded with glee as she let out a high-pitched squeal before seeing the smirks of the unicorn and dragon in front of her. She desperately cleared her throat. "I mean... that sounds fun too." she blushed before the two in front of her laughed, the pegasus quickly joining in as the good friends went on a picnic they wouldn't soon forget. Not with Fluttershy's new photo album especially. Author's Note Hello Everyone, Seeing as I'm going to be posting this story all at once, I'm saving the author's notes for here. As mentioned back in my previous story update, I wanted to prove that I could grow as a writer (well... fan-fic writer at least), so I'm going to try and create some new stories on here and see how they do. I feel that this story is a drastic improvement when compared to my old works and as such I must say that I am humbly pleased with myself on this one. The real inspiration for this story however is what drove the writing process. Fluttershy being my favorite of the Mane 6, along with Spike being one of my favorite supporting/semi-main roles, I wanted to write a fic with both of them being actively involved. Then I realized as I was reading that there aren't many Spike/Mane 6 friendship fics - ESPECIALLY with Fluttershy I noticed. So as the saying goes, "If you can't find it, make it" as I wanted to showcase what would happen if these two grew a bond between them. After seeing the first episode, I realized Spike and Fluttershy never really had any sort of interaction outside of "Sparkle's Seven" or "Sweet and Smoky"and I felt that they could actually be really great friends - both of them being actively kind creatures. I hope this fic also captures Spike's "identity crisis" in a way that isn't too "dark" or "edgy". I've seen many stories involving Spike where he goes on this "high danger quest" or undergoes some sort of "gore" to find an answer to his relationship with the ponies, but I feel that this would honestly be better in a more "slice-of-life" style, giving actual time for the emotions to build and settle, rather than them being caught in a "high-stake" situation. So basically what I'm saying is I like slice-of-life. Also if you like the ideas or themes of this story, I'd like to highly recommend "Spike Snuggles Everypony" by B_25 as their fic actually handles the exploration of Spike's identity with the Mane 6 really well (especially with Twilight). Definitely a good pick-up if the slice-of-life character build is your cup of tea. I'm hoping to create more stories that I myself would like to see more of so hopefully I can deliver on that in the near future. Thanks for reading! -frenettek314
