Chaper #1

The undersized purple dragon walked hastily along the dark cobbled pavement as dusk began to set over the land of Equestria. To Spike, dusk was a formidable opponent. Dusk marked the fall of the day, and it reminded him of his age, and every dusk proclaimed his status as just another day older. For normal ponies, a day was an unimaginably low quantity of time, but for a dragon, a day meant a lot. It was not due to the easily assumable reason of a day closer to death, but to a dragon, another simple day meant the marking of the length of his strenuous life time – nearly 900 years.

Of his 900 years, Spike was only just approaching his eighteenth. While his friends and ‘extended family’ were completely unaware of the lifespan of a dragon (indeed, even Twilight), Spike was perfectly aware – that fact was inaugurated into his head during his Dragon Quest. This information was not publicised in the books that Twilight so loved to follow, or featured in the gossip that Rarity often found herself a participant of, as it was primarily a dragon secret. The reason Spike aided its secrecy is not because he felt that his friends did not have a right to know; he did so because he knew how damaging the fact was. This fact obviously meant that by the time he was only at the half point of his life, it was unlikely that any of his friends would still be around – in fact, it was largely unlikely that anyone in Ponyville would still be around; perhaps even two generation waves may have come and gone since then.

Because of this, it was no mystery to Spike as to why other dragons didn’t associate themselves with animals such as ponies. The often rumoured reasoning of this by ponies is that dragons are heartless and Spike was an exception, but Spike knew himself that this was wrong… The problem is that dragons have too much of a heart, and they couldn’t stand the fate that stood before them - they would gradually lose their friends and relations.
Back in the real world, Spike was nearing Twilight’s Library – he’d lost his concept of time while recalling his issues. Regardless, Twilight once taught him that thinking was the best way to pass time, and he wasn’t going to give up a single chance to do some of it.

Continuing, Spike had a difficult situation on his hands which didn’t look like it would be resolving quickly. Because he was raised in a different environment to that of a normal dragon, he perceived the world differently. Spike had been part of the pursuit of friendship that Twilight led, and as such became very familiar with the concepts. With this, he gained great skill in understanding love and affection for one another, and gradually became almost dependant on it. Reflecting on it now, Spike fit the criteria for an old dragon myth – a dragon’s heart can fuel the life of one other animal, if you will, a partner. In order for this to occur, however, the dragon must feel full appreciation for that animal in question.

As Spike began to enter the small tree house, his thoughts also began to conclude – he had not a doubt in his mind that the one he loved and could fuel the life of was Rarity, and it would make him thrilled to be able to do so. The simple truth of the matter however, was that no matter how much he wants to be with Rarity, he simply doesn’t have the cou-…

“Heya’, Spike!” expressed an energetic voice, obviously Twilight’s.
Spike spun towards the source, startled. “Oh. Hey, Twi’.” He spoke dejectedly.

Twilight looked at Spike inquisitively, “Spike, come sit down next to me. I want to talk to you.” As she spoke, Spike’s eyes widened slightly, concerned that he’d done something wrong. Spike walked hastily over to the small wooden sofa that Twilight was settled on, lowering himself alongside her. Having done so, he looked at her inquisitively while smiling slightly, encouraging her to continue.

Twilight spoke slowly, having waited slightly for him to say something but eventually realising he wasn’t going to. “What’s been wrong with you lately, Spike? You’ve not been yourself at all. Normally you’d come in excited and try to get your claws on some food, but for the past few days you’ve been… different.” She smiled warmly, continuing, “You know you can talk to me about anything, I’ll always be here for you.”

Spike shifted around to face her, looking down and gaining no eye contact with her. “Oh, it’s… nothing. Don’t worry, Twilight. It’s just about, you know…” He shuffled in slightly so as to conceal his words from anyone who could be in earshot. “Rarity.”
An amused look came over Twilight’s face. “Spike, this has been going on for years. Heck, you’re old enough to even go for her now and actually receive a genuine response!” She shuffled right up to him, placing a consoling hoof on his back and rubbing gently, to which he sighed in response. “Spike, I think you can do whatever you want and get away with it – Rarity practically loves you anyway!”

Spike looked at her as though he was about to tear up. “I know, it’s just… it’s hard. I still find it just as difficult to talk to her – if not harder than when I was younger. It would be nice if you could maybe… give me some tips, or something?” Spike looked down at the suggestion, frowning.

In response, Twilight smiled. “Of course I could, Spike. Anything for a friend like you; but I suggest that we get some food and maybe settle down for a film tonight and deal with this tomorrow. How does pizza sound for tonight?” A wide grin spread across Spike’s face, clearly appreciative of the support of his best friend, “Sounds great, Twi’. Thanks for being there for me…” Spike leaned in and hugged her tightly, and she wrapped her hooves around to hug back.

The sky darkened more and more, and Twilight shuffled off to order a delivery from Pizza Barn. The two settled down under a blanket to watch a movie, the miserable thoughts at bay and the two in warmth and comfort.

Author's Note

Dear valued reader,

Firstly, I'd like to thank you for taking your time to read my first fan fiction.

All I ask of you in return is to provide some short feedback, in addition to if you would like to see another chapter. I understand that the concept is rather unusual and the chapter is relatively short; this is due to me pretty much 'experimenting' at this stage with a new writing style. As I said, if you think it could work, do let me know!

Many thanks.