Spike's Story

by Quintus

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike
Length: 6183

A visit from Twilight's parents prompts Spike to investigate his own origins.

A visit from Twilight's parents prompts Spike to investigate his own origins.

Featured on Equestria Daily August 13, 2012

Published 2012-01-09 22:06:50 UTC
Last updated 2012-01-09 22:06:50 UTC

Spike's Story

Spike's Story

It was only early afternoon, but Twilight was pacing through the library frantically, wielding a feather duster and hunting down the last remaining nooks and crannies.

“Come on, Spike! We need to get this place clean before my parents arrive.”

Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first five hundred times, I said to myself. Already the floors were spotless, the furniture unfailingly tidy, and the books all neatly aligned on the shelves. I'd never cleaned the library so thoroughly in my life. The books I was putting away were the same books I'd put away two days ago, but of course Twilight couldn't resist pulling them out again.

“Hey, haven't we done enough?” I asked.

Twilight shot me a glance. “Quiet, Spike! We haven't seen my parents since before we left Canterlot, and I'm not gonna have them think I'm a slob!”

“But we've been cleaning practically non-stop since we got their letter.”

“Well, maybe if we cleaned more often, it wouldn't take so long. Now come on!”

I groaned and returned to work. It was frustrating living with Twilight sometimes, but I had to admit I was looking forward to meeting her parents. She told me we'd met before, but I was too young to remember it. For me, we would be meeting for the first time.

The doorbell rang, and Twilight practically jumped. “Oh my gosh, they're earlier than I expected!” She hastily stashed her duster in a drawer, lifted me abruptly off the ladder and plopped me on the couch, then slid the ladder into the kitchen. Finally she answered the door, and there they were: her mother and father.

“Twilight!” Her mother, a white mare, beamed as soon as the door was open and threw her front legs around her daughter in a hug. I later learned that her name was Starlight Twinkle, and that her mother's name was Twilight Twinkle, so I guess Twilight Sparkle was named after her.

“It's good to see you, Twilight,” her father—his name was Darksider, probably because of his dark-blue coat—stood back, giving the mares their space.

“It's good to see you, too,” said Twilight, gingerly returning her mother's hug. “Why don't you come in?”

Twilight stepped back to let her parents into the library, then closed the door behind them.

“It's great that we finally had some time to come and see you,” said Starlight. “So this is where you've been living?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice place,” said Darksider. “Hey, is that Spike?” he called.

I raised a claw in a tentative wave. “Uh, yeah. Hi.”

Starlight walked up and pressed my cheek. “Aren't you cute! You were so small the last time we saw you.”

I smiled at the attention, but didn't say anything.

Darksider turned back to Twilight. “So the Princess tells us you're working on your dissertation.”

“My disser—oh, that's right.” Twilight glanced at the floor a moment. “Did she…tell you what it's on?”

“She did,” said Starlight.

“Hehe. Well, what do you think?”

“I think friendship is a powerful thing,” said Starlight. “We're proud of you, Twilight. Doing research for the Princess! Didn't I say she would grow up to be just like her mother?”

Twilight grinned.

Darksider chimed in. “Hey, I don't know about the rest of you, but I didn't have any lunch today and I'm starving. Ready to eat?”

“Yeah,” said Twilight. “I know a good place.”

I watched them turn to leave, but stayed where I was, hesitant. It had just occurred to me that I didn't actually know if I was invited or not. Watching them go, I slipped off the couch quietly and tried to retreat upstairs, but halfway there I felt myself floating.

“Hey, where are you going?” asked Twilight, holding me in the air with a levitation spell.

“Oh, I thought…I thought maybe you wanted this to be just you and your parents.”

“Don't be silly. You know I can't leave you behind.”

She placed me onto her back and followed her parents out the door.

Twilight took us to Sugarcube Corner. When we got there, Pinkie Pie was working the counter—I'm still not sure if Twilight planned for that—and Fluttershy was there talking with her. As soon as they saw us, Pinkie perked up and yelled, “Hey, Twilight!”

“Hey Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight. “Mom, Dad, these are my friends, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Pinkie and Fluttershy, this is my mom and dad.”

“Oh my goodness!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You're Twilight's mom and dad! That's so awesome!” She went up and violently shook hooves with Darksider, then Starlight. “I'm so glad to meet you!”

“Yes, hello,” said Starlight, looking just a little surprised. “So you're one of Twilight's friends?”

“You betcha! One of her best friends.”

Fluttershy made a motion towards the door. “So, um, I'll see you tomorrow for that thing, all right?”

“You got it, Fluttershy! I'll see you there!”

“Thanks.” On her way out, as she passed us, she said, “Good to see you, Twilight, and, um, nice to meet you two.”

After Fluttershy was gone, Twilight turned and said, “Anyway, Pinkie, we're here to get some dinner.”

“Oh, well of course you are! Let me get you a table.” She quickly went behind the counter and strapped on an apron to look like a waitress, then took us into the dining area and sat us down at a round table. As far as I know, Pinkie Pie never waited tables at Sugarcube Corner.

After she took our orders and went to make our food, the rest of us sat silent for a while, and Starlight tried to fill the time with some questions.

“So, how's your dissertation going?”

“It's going well,” said Twilight.

“Have you written about Pinkie Pie?”

“Yes, plenty of times.”

Surprisingly, the one to break the tension in the air was Darksider. Unexpectedly, he spoke to me.

“Hey Spike, did Twilight ever tell you about the time she scared me to death when she was a foal?”

“Dad…” Twilight put an embarrassed hoof to her head, but Darksider was smiling, and Starlight expressed her approval with a soft chuckle. Giving a moment's pause, and seeing that he had my attention, Darksider continued.

“So, in case Twilight never told you, her mother used to get called out a lot as part of her job in Canterlot, doing fieldwork and such. After Twilight came along she tried to avoid it as much as she could, but there were times when it just wasn't possible. Around when Twilight was a year old, Starlight was told she couldn't get out of it any longer, so she had to leave while I got to stay at home with Twilight.” He exchanged a look with his daughter, who was still pressing a hoof to her head.

“So, it was the very first night after Starlight left, around three in the morning, and I hear Twilight crying—not real loud crying, but just loud enough to wake me up. Now, that already made me nervous. Twilight always used to cry at the top of her lungs whenever something was wrong, and if she'd just been doing that, I'd have thought she missed her mother or something, and maybe I'd have to let her sleep in my bed. But the real soft crying told me something was really not right. When I get to her room, she's got sparks running out of her horn, and she's sneezing and coughing and sitting in a puddle of sweat. I panicked. I had no idea what was going on, but nothing in my head was good, and since Starlight wasn't there it was up to me to deal with it. So I carried Twilight to the hospital, right then at three in the morning.

“I got there, and got a doctor to look at her. He takes us into a room and puts Twilight on the little bed, and after he does all his check-up stuff he turns to me with this expressionless face and says, 'You don't have to worry, sir. Your daughter just has a bad case of horn flu.'”

Before he could even finish the last word, Darksider was seized by uncontrollable laughter. Soon Starlight joined him, and Twilight as well, and all three of them went on laughing together, while I just watched. I couldn't see how a story like that was funny at all.

Starlight said through her chuckles, “If I'd been there, I could have told you it was just horn flu. I caught it once or twice myself as a foal.”

“Oh, trust me, I got to learn all about it after I caught it from Twilight. That was a fun week!”

It was like a dam had broken. They caught up on everything, shared stories and made jokes. They really looked like a family, I thought, as I twirled the ice cubes around in my glass.

By the time we left, it was getting dark. Twilight walked her parents to the carriage while I rode on her back, then saw them off, exchanging big hugs and long goodbyes until, finally, they were gone. Then we walked back to the library. Twilight lit a few candles as she walked in the door.

“That went better than I expected, don't you think, Spike?”

I didn't answer. Twilight looked at me and just smiled.

“You must be tired. It's been a long day.”

She carried me upstairs, tucked me into bed, and whispered, “Good night.” She blew out the light, and shut the door gently behind her as she left.

I rolled over and lay face down on my pillow.

Where are my parents? I thought, before I finally fell asleep.

When the sunlight hit me the next morning, I just buried my head in the blankets and went back to sleep. By the time I made myself get up, Twilight was already downstairs, reading a book at the kitchen table while breakfast cooked on the stove.

“Morning, Spike. You sure slept in.”

“Yeah,” I replied, thinking about apologizing but deciding not to bother.

She gave me a look that told me my surliness hadn't gone unnoticed, but smiled. “I'm very grateful for all the help you gave me. I figure we can take it easy today, how's that sound?”

“That sounds good.”

After breakfast, Twilight stretched out on the couch with a pile of books, and I asked if I could go out for a bit.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“You know, just for a walk around Ponyville. Wanna get some fresh air, sunshine, you know?”

“All right. Don't be gone too long.”

I went to see Fluttershy at her cottage. She wasn't in her yard, and there was no answer when I knocked on her door. I took a step back and scanned the sky, and spotted her hovering over a meadow somewhere further out. I made my way over to her and called.

“Hey Fluttershy. What's up?”

The birds who had been gathering there scattered into the air at my voice, and Fluttershy whipped around to face me, still in the air. “Oh, hello Spike,” she said. “I'm waiting for Pinkie Pie. Some rats have made their homes in the areas nearby, and not only are they becoming bothersome for the ponies, but they're hardly making a living scavenging pony food. Pinkie's going to use her music to help me lead them to Trottership Down a few miles north of here, where they'll be much more comfortable.”

“Ah.”

“And how are you doing this morning, Spike? It's not often I see you out and about on your own.”

“Yeah. Twilight's back at the library, probably with her snout in about three books at once.”

Fluttershy stifled a laugh. “So what are you doing here?”

“Well, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh, what's that?”

“Fluttershy, can you tell me about…dragons?”

“Oh.” She landed. “I see. You don't know about dragons?”

“Well, I've never really met another dragon before—'sept this one time, but he kinda tried to kill me.”

“Right, but didn't Twilight ever talk to you about it? While you were growing up in Canterlot?”

“No, it never really came up before.”

“I see.”

“So, I figured, you know everything about animals, Fluttershy, so maybe you could tell me.”

“Well, I wouldn't say I know everything about animals…” Fluttershy gave a slight nervous giggle, then stopped. “But, uh, are you sure you don't want to talk to Twilight instead of me?”

“Yeah, why? Can't you help me?”

“Well, yes, but…” She dug at the ground for a moment. “Nevermind. Why don't you have a seat, then?”

I sat down on the ground cross-legged in front of Fluttershy.

“Now, what do you want to know?”

“Well,” I began. “First thing I want to know is, where do dragons normally live? Where do we come from?”

“All right. I'm not really an expert, but what I've heard is that most dragons live in a land called Harmonia.”

“Harmonia, huh? That sounds nice.”

“Oh, well, actually, I've heard it's really a rather barren place. There's almost no greenery because of all the dragons' fiery breath and smoke.”

“Oh."

“So, um, is that all?”

“No,” I said, gathering my thoughts. “So, how often do dragons come to Equestria?”

Fluttershy let out a long breath. “Not very often. Aside from you, dragons are rarely seen in Equestria. I didn't even know they could learn to talk before I met you. I'd never seen a baby dragon before in my life.”

“But if that's the case, then why am I here?”

“I'm afraid I don't know. Twilight told us she hatched you at her school.”

“Yeah, Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She told me that too, but why was my egg there in the first place?”

“I…I'm sorry, Spike, but I don't know."

I slouched down and started to sulk, and Fluttershy came over and gave me a reassuring nudge.

“You know, I'll bet Twilight would be glad to help you.”

I stayed stubbornly silent.

“Promise me you'll think about it, okay?”

“Fine. I promise.”

“That's good. I hope you feel better soon.”

I stood up to leave, but quickly turned back. “Oh, Fluttershy, there's one last thing I wanted to ask about.”

“What's that?”

“I remember I once heard Twilight say that dragons sleep for a hundred years at a time. But that doesn't really make sense—I mean, I sleep at night, just like ponies do.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I think either Twilight misspoke, or you misheard. Dragons don't sleep for a hundred years at a time, but they do stay in one sleeping-place for a hundred years at a time.”

“Ah.”

“You see, most dragons are extremely territorial. Once they've settled into a place, and stockpiled it with gems, they really don't like to leave it unless they have to.”

“Okay, yeah, that makes sense I guess. Does that mean dragons live about a hundred years?”

“Mm, a hundred fifty, two hundred.”

I nodded, and grinned.

“So, do you have any more questions?”

“Nah, that's it I think. I should probably get going. Thanks for your help, Fluttershy, and I'll see you later.”

“Goodbye, Spike. Don't hesitate to come back and see me again if there's anything more I can do.”

I walked at a brisk pace until I was sure I was out of earshot. Then I turned to the nearest tree and punched it as hard as I could. Then I punched it a few more times until my fists hurt. Then I headbutted it, dug my claws into the bark, and slid slowly down to the ground, leaving marks on the trunk.

I turned around into a seated position and looked at my claws. There were splinters caught between my scales, and I started picking them out. Twilight doesn't have scales, I thought. She had fur. And she didn't have claws, either, she had hooves. She was a pony, they were all ponies, but I wasn't. I was a dragon. Why was I different?

I bet Twilight would be glad to help you. I shook the thought away—I couldn't even think about bringing any of this up with Twilight. I curled up against the tree and shut my eyes tight.

When I got tired of that, I walked up and down the edge of the Everfree Forest until the sun started to set. Then I grudgingly made my way back to the library.

As I walked in the door, I heard Twilight moving about in the kitchen.

“Spike?” she called, poking her head out. “There you are, Spike. It's almost dinnertime. I thought I told you not to be gone too long.”

I just walked into the kitchen, where Twilight was just finishing up and putting the food onto plates. On my plate was a modest spread of gemstones. My eyes widened when I saw them.

“What do you think?” said Twilight. “I figured you'd earned a treat, so I picked those up for you. I'm not sure how good I am at picking out the best ones, though.”

“It looks great,” I said.

“Thanks. Enjoy.”

I sat down at the table, and Twilight sat across from me with her own dinner.

“So how was your walk?”

“It was fine.”

“Anything exciting happen?”

“Nah, nothing really.”

She didn't say anything after that, but every once in a while she looked up at me, and it started to make me nervous. I munched slowly through my plate of gems, nibbling them down one at a time. When there were just a few left, I pushed the plate back and stood up from the table.

“Thanks, Twilight. Um, I'm kind of tired. I think I'm gonna head to bed.”

“Really? Er, all right. Good night.”

Upstairs, I crawled into bed and clutched the blankets tightly around me. What do I do now? I asked myself over and over. The question just kept racing through my head.

I tried to get up earlier the next morning, but Twilight was still downstairs before I was. The living room floor was still littered with the books she'd been reading the night before, and after breakfast I busied myself putting some of them away. Soon enough, however, there was a knock on the door, and Twilight answered it. It was Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, you're…wearing mouse ears?” said Twilight.

“They're rat ears, silly!” said Pinkie. “Yesterday Fluttershy and I helped all those rats move into their new home on Trottership Down, and I thought, well it sure can be hard moving into a new home, so I decided to throw them all a housewarming party!”

“Uh-huh…”

“Here's your invitation! We're having a picnic with sandwiches and lemonade and everything!”

“Oh, I see.” Twilight chuckled. She turned to me and asked, “What do you think, Spike? You wanna go to Pinkie's 'housewarming party'?”

I gazed down at the stack of books in my arms, and sighed inwardly. I didn't have the energy for a party. “Uh, no thanks. I should really get this place cleaned up.”

“Oh, that's okay, Spike. It's my mess, I can clean it up when we get back.”

“Yeah, but…Actually, you know what, why don't I just straighten up a bit, and then I'll follow you?”

Twilight turned back to Pinkie. “Hold on a second. I'll be right out.” She shut the door and walked up to me.

“Spike, is something wrong?”

“Uh, of course not. Why would you think something was wrong?”

She fixed me with a long glare.

“If something were wrong, you would tell me, right?”

“Yeah, of course I would.”

“I believe you, okay?” She finally broke her glare and turned her back. “I'll see you at the party, okay, Spike?”

“Okay.”

She opened the door to join Pinkie Pie, and when it closed behind her, I immediately let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against the bookshelf.

I spent some time tidying the mess so that it would look like I'd done something, but after that, I just sat back on the couch for a while. I decided to pass the time with a little reading of my own, and scanned the bookshelves for anything with 'Harmonia' in the title. I found a few books and took them back to the couch with me, then sat back and started thumbing through them one by one.

It wasn't the first time I was exposed to books about dragons. Twilight used to read them to me back in Canterlot, and show me the pictures inside, of adult dragons and the like. Back then, I'd never thought to wonder whether two of those dragons were my parents. But now, thinking about them, and Twilight, and everything made my stomach clench up in a knot.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I woke up the next morning in my bed. When I got downstairs, I saw that the floor around the couch was clean of books.

Twilight was once again reading a book at the kitchen table. Did I leave all those books out last night? Did she find them? I peeked in at her, but her expression was completely unreadable. I tried to calm myself. Maybe not. Maybe I did put them away before I went to bed, and just forgot.

“Good morning, Spike.”

I almost jumped. Twilight had seen me in the doorway.

“Morning, Twilight.”

We passed through breakfast in silence, and afterward I asked if I could go out again.

“I don't know,” she said. “It's Monday. We need to get back to work.”

“Oh.”

She thought about it a little longer and said, “Actually, I think I'll be fine by myself for a while. You go have fun.”

“Oh, alright,” I said.

“Just don't be gone too long this time, okay?”

“Okay.”

I didn't know where I was going this time, I just knew I couldn't stay there. I occupied myself kicking a stone around for a while until I heard, “Hey Spike!”

I looked around to find myself at the foot of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was poking her head out the doorway and calling me.

“Fancy seeing you here!” she chirped. “Are you here to get some treats?”

“Oh, hey Pinkie Pie. Nah, I was just passing by.”

“Well that doesn't sound like much fun! Hey, I just made a fresh batch of cupcakes! You want some?”

I had to admit, cupcakes sounded good. “Okay, sure.”

She darted back inside, and I followed her. I sat down at a table while she dashed into the kitchen and returned with the cupcake tray balanced on her head.

“So, where's Twilight today?”

“Back at the library.”

She put the tray down on the table, and tentatively, I picked one up.

“You're out all alone?” said Pinkie. “That's pretty unusual.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“It looks to me like you've got something on your mind.”

I fidgeted. “Uh, what makes you think that?”

“Please, Spike. I'm Pinkie Pie, and I can tell when some pony's down in the dumps. Or some dragon! Why don't you tell me what's wrong?”

I ran through several different ways to say 'no' in my head before I realized there was no way I was getting out of there without talking to her. I put my cupcake down and shifted in my seat. I didn't really see much harm in it, anyway.

“Pinkie, you remember seeing Twilight's parents the other day, right?”

“Well duh, how could I forget? It's always exciting to meet new ponies, especially when they're my friend's parents!”

“Uh-huh…Well, since then I've kind of been thinking about where I came from.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I don't even know how I got here, let alone where I'm from, or anything…”

“Aw, poor Spike! You miss your parents, don't you.”

“Yeah…”

“I totally know how you feel. I missed my parents too when I moved to Ponyville. They weren't real happy about me leaving the farm; they said they respected my decision and all, but I think they were still disappointed that I wasn't gonna carry on the family's work. That's probably why we haven't seen each other since then, and why they haven't sent me any letters. I keep writing them, but so far they haven't written me back.”

“Hm.”

“But you know, even though I miss my parents, Ponyville's where I met all my best friends, and as long as they're around I'm never really lonely. I bet every pony's happy to be here for you, too, Spike. Especially Twilight. I know how much she cares about you.”

I felt that knot clench up in my stomach again. And that's when it happened. I started crying, and the crying turned into full-on sobbing. As if she was expecting it, Pinkie slid her chair over to mine, put a hoof around my head and held it against her chest, never losing her smile.

“I'm sorry,” I said. “I know Twilight cares about me, and I want to find out where I came from, but still…I'm afraid to ask her about it and I don't know why…”

“I understand,” said Pinkie. “Twilight's the one who's taken care of you all this time, but now you want to know about your real parents. I can see why you'd be scared.”

She held me out, hooves on my shoulders, and looked me in the eyes.

“But listen, Spike. Twilight loves you. That's never gonna change, especially not just because you want to know where your roots are. Whatever else happens, you can count on that.”

“You really think so?”

“I know it!”

I rubbed the tears out of my eyes. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“No problem! I'm always ready to help a friend!”

Pinkie hopped up and returned to work. After I left, I traced the edge of the Everfree Forest a few more times before I headed home. I had a lot to think about.

Thinking back to the dinner Twilight had with her parents, I couldn't help but recall one time, back in Canterlot, when I came down with something called dragon fever. It's a disease dragons get when our fire-producing glands get inflamed, and it takes a certain kind of antibiotic to cure. Twilight took me to every doctor in the city, but none of them knew how to treat a dragon. She ended up going to some pony from the school, since they were the only ponies she could find with any knowledge of dragons.

When word got out that I was sick, a whole bunch of ponies came to see us. Even Princess Celestia paid us a visit to see if I was alright. But when they all left, it was left to Twilight to actually give me my medicine and take care of me. She mixed it into a big bowl of soup, just for me, and seasoned it with cayenne peppers, which she knew were my favorite. Then, when I had trouble getting to sleep, I asked her to read me my favorite dragon book of all: The Dragons are Singing Tonight.

The whole thing played through in my head, and I looked up at the afternoon sun. It was time to go home. When I got to the front door of the library, I stopped and took a few deep breaths. My heart was pounding. I tried to make myself look as composed as possible before I went in.

Twilight wasn't in the downstairs area.

“Twilight?” I called.

Shortly, she appeared at the top of the staircase. “Hey Spike,” she said as she came down slowly.

“Hey Twilight.”

“Spike, we need to talk.”

My heart sank.

“Look, I know what's been going on. I noticed you've been acting distant these last few days. You stayed home from a party, and I came back to find you surrounded by dragon books. Then I overheard you talking to Pinkie Pie, and it all made sense. Spike…”

And suddenly, she scooped me up in her front legs for a hug.

“I'm so sorry. I had no idea you missed your parents.”

“…Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”

“It's okay, Spike, I understand. But listen…You know I'll always be here for you, no matter what, right? You can count on it.”

I returned her hug. “Yeah. I know.”

After a few moments, Twilight finally broke off. She was smiling.

“So, you've been busy, it looks like. Asking around, doing research…My little Spike's turning into a detective, isn't he?”

“Heh, maybe. Fluttershy told me about Harmonia, the place where dragons come from, but aside from that I haven't found much.”

“You know, Spike, I once wondered the very same thing you are.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. Come on, sit down and I'll tell you all about it.”

Twilight sat back in the comfy chair, levitated some wood into the fire place and ignited it. I settled into the rocking chair across from her.

The late afternoon sun was shining through the windows of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but the wide, marble halls were still full of ponies. Twilight Sparkle made her way down them and stopped in front of a door. The plate on the front read 'Professor Latency'—the one she was looking for. She knocked.

The aging yellow mare exchanged a look with her through the door's window, then got up to let her in. As she opened the door, she greeted her with, “Hello, Twilight.”

“Hello Professor,” said Twilight as she walked in and closed the door behind her. The Professor went back behind her desk and hastily tried to tidy up some of the clutter, while Twilight took a seat and waited patiently. Finally, she decided she'd done well enough and sat down herself.

“So, you said you had something to ask about Spike?”

“Yes,” said Twilight. “I brought him to school again a few days ago. Do you remember?”

“Oh, yes,” said Latency with a smile.

“Well, I've been noticing more and more that the other students give me weird looks when I bring him in. After I took him home that day, Moondancer came up to me and asked why I'm the only pony here with a dragon assistant. One of the ponies she was with said she remembered being asked to hatch a dragon egg during her entrance exam, but she didn't manage it and still got in. I didn't really know how to answer them…”

The Professor nodded in acknowledgment. “I see. So you want to know why you're the only pony here with a dragon assistant.”

“Yeah.”

“That's no problem. It's really quite a story. If you have time, I'll tell you the whole thing.”

“That would be great, Professor.”

The Professor came out from behind her desk. “Before I begin, may I ask how my friend Neutron Star's been?”

Twilight rolled her eyes lightheartedly. “He's been fine, Professor. He helped me out a while back when Spike got sick, and he still comes over every now and then to look at him.”

“Good, good,” Latency chuckled. “Neutron's one of the only biologists in Canterlot with a focus on dragons, and over time he's built up quite a reputation as a dragon expert. He was the one who found that dragon egg and brought it back to the school.”

“Really? How?”

“It was while he was on an expedition in the Matailda region. There had been rumors of signs of a dragon's presence coming from Pony Fell Mountain—high-pitched cries, the beating of wings, and the like—and Neutron just had to investigate. Well, he didn't find any dragon on that mountain, but when he got to the summit, he found something he never expected: a lone dragon egg, sitting in the open.”

“Wow…And he just took it? Why would he do that?”

“Well, I'm not sure you realize how extraordinary a find it was. Dragon eggs normally can't hatch without their mothers present, so the mother usually lays her eggs in a sheltered place, stockpiles the area with gems, then remains there until the eggs hatch, never leaving for any reason. To find a dragon egg in Equestria was unusual, but to find one out in the open, with no adult dragon in sight, was unheard of. Neutron concluded that the egg had been either abandoned or orphaned.”

“I see. So he brought it back to see if there was anything he could do for it.”

“That's right. Basically, he had two options: either take the egg back with him, or leave it to die. Obviously, he chose the former. We didn't know if a motherless dragon egg even could be saved, but we thought, if there was a way to hatch it with magic, it had to be worth a try.”

“Right.”

Latency smiled. “Of course, we knew what we were getting into by doing that. Hatching a dragon egg gave us opportunities we'd never seen before, but at the same time, we knew that it meant some pony would take on the lifelong responsibility of raising the dragon, something no pony had ever done before. Not every pony was happy about it, and there were some long, heated arguments. It came to the Princess to settle things with her decision, and her decision was that we would be allowed to try and hatch the egg.

“We tried every spell we could think of, controlling the temperature, light, air pressure and everything to a minute degree, but we couldn't get the egg to hatch. We eventually put it to use in the entrance exam not because we expected any pony to hatch it, but just as a test to see how new magic-users approached it. It served us well enough in that regard…until a little filly named Twilight Sparkle came along and amazed us all. I think you know what happened after that.”

Professor Latency looked at her student with just a hint of pride in her eyes. Twilight took a moment to take in the story.

“That's really something,” she said. “So, you don't have any idea why the egg hatched for me?”

“I'm afraid not. You have to understand, by the time you came along, we were convinced that hatching a dragon egg by magic simply couldn't be done. We were flabbergasted, to be quite honest. We thought maybe that sonic boom had something to do with it, but even taking that into account, we just haven't been able to figure out what you had that we'd been missing.”

Twilight couldn't help but smile.

“So, Professor, did you ever find out how the egg got up there on that mountain?”

“We didn't. Neutron did go back up the mountain some time later, but he never found any sign of the dragon who laid that egg. Truthfully, I doubt that dragon will ever be found.”

“That's a shame. I thought maybe Spike would want to meet them someday.”

“I'm not worried. I think Spike is in fine hooves.”

The Professor came close to Twilight and looked her in the eyes.

“Remember, Twilight Sparkle. You're Spike's caretaker now. We at the school have always done our best to support you two, but Spike's caretaker has always been you, and you alone. After you graduate, and move on to wherever it is you go from here, you'll still be Spike's caretaker, forever and always.”

“I understand,” said Twilight.

“Good,” said Latency. She returned to her desk. “Now, is that everything?”

“Yes. Thank you so much, Professor.”

“No problem, Twilight. Take care.”

Twilight gently stroked the spines on my head as the fire died to embers in the fire place.

“So wait,” I said. “Does that mean even you don't know where my parents are?”

“I'm afraid so, Spike.”

She stroked my head again, and I laid it back on her lap. “Come on,” she said. “I think it's time for baby dragons to go to bed.”

She lifted me up and carried me on her back to the bedroom. She tucked me into bed, then said, “Spike, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about your parents.”

She turned to leave, but I called out. “Wait, Twilight.”

She stopped.

“I just wanted to say that…even though I wasn't raised by my biological parents, I'm glad I had you growing up. I think that…as far as I'm concerned, my real mother is you, Twilight.”

Twilight very softly walked back to me and whispered in my ear.

“I know.” She gave me a long kiss on the forehead.

“Good night, Spike. I love you.”

She finally left, closing the door behind her as gently as possible. I couldn't see it, but I swear there were tears in her eyes.

I rolled over onto my side.

No pony knew where my parents were. That meant they could still be out there somewhere. Maybe one day I'd go to Harmonia, and then who knows what would happen.

I just smiled. I wasn't in a hurry.

Author's Note

This story was in the works before Dragon Quest et al. were announced. Consider it a fanon alternative.