Year 1002, Summer

Twilight said I would never have wings. I could never fly like her...

Knock, knock! The sound of knocking came from downstairs in the library. I quickly put down my comic book and went downstairs to open the door.

Greeting me was a pony with a rainbow mane. It was Rainbow Dash, one of Twilight's best friends. In my impression, she was a tomboy, competitive, and always in the sky. I motioned for her to come in and closed the door behind her.

She was holding two books and flew around the room as if looking for something.

"Rainbow, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Where's Twilight? I need to see her," she asked urgently, stopping in front of me.

"She went to Cloudsdale for some Wonderbolts meeting about ceremonies or something. She'll be back in the evening," I told her.

Her ears drooped a bit, but she remained energetic.

"Oh, well, I'll return these books first." She handed me the books, "All About Pegasi" and "The Secrets of Clouds," two scientific books Twilight had lent her. I didn't know when Rainbow became interested in these.

I took the books and skillfully climbed up the bookshelf, placing them neatly in the correct spots as Twilight required.

"I can use dragonfire to notify you when Twilight returns," I said to reassure her.

She hovered in the air, seemingly wanting to say something.

"So, uh, what are you doing today?" she finally asked, curious about my daily life. Though I often appeared in her view, she didn't know much about me.

"Today? Just the usual, reading comics, doing chores, and handling some library work," I replied after a moment's thought.

"Why don't you go out? You know, take a walk?" she suggested, flapping her wings a bit awkwardly.

I didn't understand her meaning. I often went out with Twilight, strolling around Ponyville. Today, with Twilight not at home, I could stay in and read comics all day. Why go out?

"I have a lot of work to do. With Twilight not here, I need to take care of the place," I explained.

"Oh, bye, little guy." The flapping of wings slowed down as she turned to leave through the window.

I went upstairs and picked up my comic again, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rainbow outside the second-floor window. It was Rainbow Dash, waiting for me to notice her.

"Hey!" She waved a hoof at me.

"Hi, Rainbow. Anything else?" I approached the window and asked.

"Uh, do you want to go to Cloudsdale?" She asked hesitantly.

I raised an eyebrow. Did she want to take me out? Cloudsdale was a place I always wanted Twilight to take me to, but for various reasons, I had never been.

I looked at her serious eyes and then at the comic in my hand.

"Maybe I can put things down for a while," I said.

The cyan pony suddenly got excited and rushed in, lifting me into the air.

"Awesome."

Realizing her behavior, she pretended to be serious, "I mean, no problem."

She put me on her back. Despite her tough exterior, her back was soft and comfortable. Maybe ponies' backs were generally comfortable, but I didn't know. I had only been on a few ponies' backs.

We set off, flying out of the window. She flew fast and steady. The cool wind hit my scales, and I watched the buildings below get smaller and smaller. I saw the Golden Oak Library become a tiny patch of grass, the green orchards like a lawn, and the vast Everfree Forest like a prairie. As Rainbow Dash ascended, clouds drifted past us. I felt a sense of "freedom" I had never experienced before. Twilight had flown with me many times, but she had never taken me this high. Her flight was different from Rainbow's. Twilight flew towards her goal, while Rainbow seemed to enjoy the flight. Even though I was just sitting on her back, I could feel it—a feeling beyond words.

"Rainbow?"

"What's up, kid?" she answered.

"Why did you suddenly want to bring me here? I know you know I've always wanted to come, but why today?" I voiced my initial doubt.

She looked back at me and answered, "Because I wanted to bring you here. It's that simple. I don't want you to be stuck in the library."

We passed through the clouds. The town was out of sight, replaced by endless clouds, and Cloudsdale was ahead. I could vaguely see the iconic rainbow colors.

Cloudsdale was a giant floating cloud city, the largest Pegasus settlement in Equestria. Twilight had told me it was older than Canterlot. The massive weather factory there produced various rain clouds, storms, and even lightning. They almost controlled the weather everywhere in Equestria—except for the Everfree Forest. That mysterious place seemed beyond ponies' control. For centuries, many master magicians and physics professors had set foot there, but none could unveil its secrets. Maybe it was truly "forever free."

Besides the weather factory, most of Cloudsdale was residential. Since it floated in the sky, it couldn't produce food. Aside from advanced industry and technology, there was hardly any agriculture. Pegasi had to trade with earth ponies for food to survive.

Rainbow Dash landed on a large cloud at the edge of Cloudsdale. This was a massive cloud that could support the weight of thousands of pegasi. Unlike terrestrial cities, Cloudsdale was made up of many floating cloud islands, with aerial routes connecting them. This plaza was on the outermost edge. Maybe Rainbow deliberately landed here to give a clear view of Cloudsdale's entirety, with almost no obstructing buildings.

Since I had no wings and no magic to walk on clouds, I had to stay on Rainbow's back.

Rainbow pointed ahead and asked, "Where do you want to go first?"

I had many choices: the nearest Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale's most iconic place—Pinkie said the rainbows there were edible and tasted spicy; the city center of Cloudsdale, where pegasi lived and entertained, with skyscrapers made of clouds, unique cloud parks, and their proud Pegasus Industrial Museum, which Twilight had probably visited; and further away were scattered cloud islands, some private residential areas where Rainbow's home might be, and some small factory zones. I noticed a larger cloud with only a few buildings and mostly open space. I asked Rainbow, "What's that place?"

She told me it was the Wonderbolts' training base. She had passed their exam and would soon join them, feeling proud.

"Twilight is probably there for the meeting," I thought. "Maybe I should find her and tell her I'm here."

"Can we visit there first?" I asked Rainbow.

She shook her head, "No, kid, that's our last stop."

Rainbow clearly had her own plan.

"Then let's go to the Rainbow Factory first." I had to compromise.

Rainbow carried me to the part of the plaza closest to the factory. From there, we could see a bridge leading to the Rainbow Factory—a road entirely made of clouds, probably for pegasi who couldn't fly long distances yet.

But she didn't take that road. As I said, she was always in the sky.

We flew along the path into the Rainbow Factory.

Despite its name, the factory mainly produced rain clouds. We entered the main workshop, where clouds were sent in on conveyor belts, beaten and shaped into fluffy, water-absorbent forms, then sent to the assembly workshop. There, water from the ground was distributed into each cloud. Depending on their size and rain requirements, different amounts of water gave them colors ranging from white to black—the more water, the darker the cloud.

Some specially processed rain clouds were sent to another workshop to be filled with lightning. Many ponies questioned the purpose of filling clouds with lightning, but this ancient process was still respected and continued as if weather control was a sacred, age-old ritual.

"Can I touch them?" Although Cloudsdale was full of clouds, these rain clouds were different from construction clouds—they were soft.

"Of course." Rainbow went straight to an unassembled cloud, stopped it on the conveyor belt, and pushed it to her side for me to observe.

These clouds were strange. From a distance, they looked like fluffy cotton, but up close, they were just dense fog. I reached out to touch it, but my claw went straight through, as if it wasn't there.

"Kid, only pegasi can touch them," Rainbow explained.

"Is it related to flight magic?" I asked, feeling a bit dejected.

"Don't be sad, kid. You'll grow wings someday. You're a dragon, and dragons are cool, right?" She comforted me, pushing the cloud back onto the conveyor belt.

I watched it get beaten, filled with water, and become a qualified rain cloud, then sent to the next workshop, destined for the appropriate place.

"But Twilight said I..." I started but stopped, fearing she'd laugh at me.

"What did Twilight say?" she asked.

"Twilight said I would never have wings." I lowered my head.

She turned to look at me and chuckled, "It's not about wings, kid. You're a dragon, and dragons are cool, even without wings."

"Really?"

"When you grow up, you'll be big and mighty, and you'll breathe fire. Your dragonfire even has special magic—other dragons don't have that. It's like how unicorns and pegasi are different." She pointed to her wings.

"We have wings and can walk on clouds freely, but unicorns can do it with their magic too."

I remembered Twilight telling me how she took her friends to visit Cloudsdale.

"But I don't know if dragonfire magic can

do that," I said. I wasn't sure what my future held as a dragon raised by ponies.

"Before I did the Sonic Rainboom, I thought it was just a myth. But if you believe in yourself, the future is in your hands, kid." She gave me a determined look.

We left the main workshop of the Rainbow Factory and arrived at another famous site—Cloud Sea, where thousands of clouds awaiting processing were lined up, endless like the ocean.

We had to cross it. Rainbow ran and jumped on the clouds, hopping from one to another, then gliding for a while. She could have flown over, but I knew she enjoyed it.

Looking at the boundless Cloud Sea, I also wanted to jump around like Rainbow—though we were already doing that, I was on her back. Rainbow was free, but I wasn't.

This place was magnificent. If the clouds we saw on the ground were pretty pictures, the Cloud Sea was a grand sculpture made of thousands of clouds. Some looked like waves, some like giant ponies, snakes, ships, and carriages, telling an epic story—this was a paradise of imagination.

I touched each cloud as we passed. Though they all dissipated at my touch.

The breeze and clouds brushed against my claws. I enjoyed them. This scene made it seem like my claws were moving fast, creating smoke, like a meteor.

Rainbow gradually sped up, and the cloud ribbons on my claws grew longer, like ropes.

I felt an illusion, maybe. I had no magic and couldn't touch the clouds, but now I could increasingly feel their presence.

Until a few seconds after falling, I realized what a monster it was.

The ropes on my claws suddenly tightened, throwing me off Rainbow's back. Rainbow, a professional flyer, quickly turned to chase me. But the ropes, like a living creature, pulled me towards their master at an unbelievable speed.

The ropes accelerated, and so did Rainbow. The wind roared past me, loud enough to make my ears ring.

I had heard of sonic booms and seen them—but never witnessed their speed. The howling wind, torn clouds, and even Rainbow's voice calling me fell behind.

Then I saw the most stunning rainbow explosion of my life—the rainbow energy gathered around her, a loud bang, and the chains on my hands were cut by the explosion. Dizzy, I felt myself falling.

The sky's clouds were blasted open into a rainbow ring. I saw the chain's owner—a giant serpent made of clouds.

Rainbow was flying desperately towards me, and the serpent madly chased her.

Have you ever experienced going from hell to heaven and back to hell? It sounds complicated, but the situation was—Rainbow caught me, and the serpent swallowed us.

It was a long, long darkness. I thought I was going to die. Rainbow held me with her forehooves, then sped up, kicking the serpent's belly frantically, hoping to break through its prison-like body. I couldn't see her expression—maybe she was desperate, maybe calm. Besides the sound of hooves hitting the cloud walls and my heartbeat, I felt nothing. It was a grey, silent death. I started feeling drops on me—maybe Rainbow's sweat, maybe her tears, or the serpent's stomach juices.

I didn't know if I should be scared. I felt I wouldn't die, thinking of the many adventures and close calls. I knew I wouldn't die. I thought of her, Twilight. She would come, right? I knew she would.

Suddenly, the serpent started rolling, twisting as if in rage. Rainbow hugged me tightly. We bounced around in its belly. Who angered it? Twilight? It was possible. Rainbow's sonic boom must have attracted attention. Just as Rainbow curled up, protecting our heads, preparing for a battle with the serpent and our rescuer, it... ended?

The clouds making up the serpent's body began to disintegrate and scatter. Light shone through, and I saw Rainbow's face again. She was smiling.

The serpent's remains gradually dissipated. I climbed onto Rainbow's back, and we looked around, searching for our hero. I saw a purple figure flying rapidly toward us—it was Twilight.

"Twilight!" Rainbow and I shouted in unison, waving.

"Spike, Rainbow, I came as soon as I saw the sonic boom. What happened? Are you okay?" Twilight asked, concerned.

"We were playing in Cloudsdale when a serpent suddenly appeared and grabbed Spike. We got swallowed. Luckily, you came and defeated it," Rainbow explained, gesturing in the air. "If it weren't to save Spike, I'd have kicked it apart."

I nodded in agreement.

But Twilight looked puzzled, "Serpent? It wasn't me. When I arrived, I only saw its remains."

"What?!" Rainbow exclaimed, "Who else could be this powerful? That serpent was disintegrated before it even fought."

"Maybe Princess Celestia?" I wondered, looking around for any pony.

"Princess Celestia is in Fillydelphia for a meeting today. She couldn't be here," Twilight said.

"Wow, who else could be so strong? I thought the serpent would be blasted apart by magic. But our rescuer didn't use violent magic," Rainbow marveled.

"From what I know about magic, to deal with such a monster, you either kill it with magic or reverse it. This sounds like reverse magic—something created the monster, and someone reversed it," Twilight guessed.

"Anyway, it's good you're okay." She checked us again. Then the crazy pony shouted again, as if remembering something, "Spike! Who let you come to Cloudsdale without my permission? Do you know how dangerous it is for you here? What if you fell..."

I didn't dare speak. She was my guardian pony, after all. But Rainbow spoke up, "Twilight!" She interrupted, "I made him come. Blame me."

Twilight was surprised but still angry, "What if something happened to him? Did you think about that?"

"He came because I wanted him to! You always keep me in the library. I know it's to protect me. But I want to go out and adventure like you. I know I don't have wings and might never have them. But I can't stay in the library forever. I don't want to stay there forever!" I shouted.

"You said I'd never have wings, but you're wrong. My friends are my wings. Rainbow didn't let me get hurt, just like you always protect me. You came to Ponyville, made many friends, had many adventures, became a princess, and got wings. But I'm still the same little dragon. I know I shouldn't blame you, but I do... I..." My claws clenched into fists, hitting my head uncontrollably. Part of me wanted to shut up. I shouldn't say these things, especially to Twilight. But I couldn't stop. I knew it would hurt us, but I had to say it: "Sometimes I hate you for leaving me... You're the closest pony to me. I... I just want to be part of your life, to be with you. Please, believe in me, okay?"

Twilight listened to my words, stunned. Her expression changed from anger to calm, then to sadness: "Spike, I'm sorry. I never considered your feelings. I... I was just worried about you. I'll let you go out. But at least tell me next time, okay? Because I really worry about you."

Princess Luna once told me, "The more someone loves us, the more we hurt them." I never wanted to hurt her, but seeing tears in her eyes made me extremely sad and regretful. I knew she was confining me, but she also loved me.

I jumped from Rainbow's back to hug her neck, not caring how high we were: "I'm sorry, Twilight. I made you worry again."

"Twilight, actually, I wanted to ask you something today," Rainbow said on the way back.

"Hmm?"

"The Pegasus's body structure doesn't explain their weather-manipulating ability, right?" I had never heard Rainbow speak so academically.

"Did the books I lent you say that?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, they said the only explanation is that Pegasi are given magic at birth, like cutie marks," Rainbow replied. "But the book doesn't say where this magic comes from."

"Rainbow, I'm glad you're interested in this. But even Princess Celestia can't explain where that magic comes from," Twilight said, appreciating Rainbow's interest despite not having an answer.

I suddenly remembered a book and interjected, "Twilight, didn't Star Swirl's journal mention this?"

"Thanks for the reminder, Spike. But I haven't forgotten. That part is incomplete and heavily encrypted with magic. Without seeing the whole thing, we can't conclude anything," Twilight shook her head.

Since I gave her Star Swirl's journal as a gift, she had been studying it day and night. Reading it was difficult, with ancient Equestrian text and complex magical encryption protecting some secrets. After two months of non-stop research and my help, we could only read the non-encrypted parts. We couldn't decrypt much of it, and Twilight gradually lost interest.

Rainbow was curious again, "What does it say?"

"It says many things, Rainbow. Mostly Star Swirl's adventures, some about Equestria's origins, and a bit about the Tree of Harmony. But all parts about harmony magic and the Tree of Harmony are magically encrypted. The readable part only mentions that the origins of the three tribes' magic are related to harmony magic," Twilight explained.

"Wow, that sounds like the temple inscriptions in Daring Do. The builders always wrote secrets in unreadable ways," Rainbow added, "Hey! Maybe we can follow the journal like Daring and find clues. Like an adventure."

This cyan pony always loved adventures.

Twilight looked at me. I knew she never thought of doing that. Before coming to Pony

ville, she mostly read books and did experiments in the city. It wasn't until she came to Ponyville that she experienced a few adventures.

"You know, Rainbow, Twilight thinks it's a good idea." Before Twilight could speak, I knew what she wanted to say as her number one assistant.

"Thanks, Spike. But I'm not mute." Though I sat on her back, I could imagine her rolling her eyes.

Near Ponyville, Rainbow and Twilight began descending.

"I'll notify the girls now." Rainbow said and zoomed away.

"Um, Twilight, I was wondering if I could..." I didn't finish before Twilight said, "You can come, Spike."

"Really? Thanks, Twilight." I hugged her neck.

"But Spike, you must stay with me at all times."

"Deal!" As long as I could join the girls on adventures, I didn't care.

Looking back, that spontaneous adventure was one of the most important turning points in my life and Equestria's. Ward was trying to remind me of more things I had forgotten or didn't care about. Once again, he manipulated the memory ball, revealing the world's memories...

Author's Note

this story is wirtten in Chinese, I translate it into English, so if you find some problem,feel free to let me know.