Fifteen is ancient for a dog, and Spike's starting to feel it: sounds and scents getting a little muffled, a little soreness in his hips, a gnawing little pain in his stomach that he hasn't told Twilight about even though it's been getting steadily worse the past few months.
In Equestria, though, according to Twilight, a fifteen-year-old dragon is still considered a child. And as she's been pointing out for the past five or six years, the portal to Equestria is right across town...
My entry in FanOfMostEverything's A Most Delightful Ponidox contest, this story didn't finish in the Top Eight.
Chapters (6)
Please tell me you won't kill Spike I beg of you just tell me in a spoiler.
This is already heart-wrenching and sweet. Can't wait for more!
ok - this is good. I'm definitely looking forward to more of this. And after 5+ years on this site, I don't think I've ever read a story where dog-Spike becomes dragon-Spike. I'm not sure how I've missed that (it's got to be out there), so congrats on being the first of that trope I've read.
Love the POV, especially Spike's notice of the various smells. Definitely different.
REALLY good start to this story. Yeah, absolutely loved the dialogue between Dog Spike and Human Twilight about twelve years following "Friendship Games" as well as the reflections on how much things have changed.
On to the next chapter.
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https://www.fimfiction.net/story/258652/in-the-absence-of-sunset-shimmer
This is the only other story i've seen with that.
Again, definitely enjoying the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Again, adored the dialogue between Human Twilight and Dog Spike before the latter went through the portal, as well Dog Spike struggling to get used to his new dragon form. Of course, the upside is that, once he DOES get the hang of it, he'll probably be feeling in better shape than he has in as long as he cares to remember. And the meeting with Pony Twilight was beautiful stuff.
I've seen one story before [1] where Old Dog Spike goes to Equestria and becomes a dragon: IIRC he refuses to stay because he doesn't want to live a long life if it's without Twilight. Seems this may be heading in the same direction. (Admittedly, I didn't finish that story so I dunno if he changes his mind eventually)
"Something purple and the size of a small crow whisked in front of him, "
The size of a small crow? So Spike here is a huge elder Dragon the same way he is an "elder dog" on the other side, rather than Spike-sized. I guess they moved the mirror outdoors as a precautionary measure.
[1] "In The Absence of Sunset Shimmer", which just showed up on the side bar
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DarthLink22's Integration skirts with the concept, though it's nowhere close to the primary conflict. I don't read many EqG fics, though, so there are almost certainly a couple others that aren’t on my radar.
So far so good. Looking forward to seeing this continue!
Pls no hurt doggo.
And there's the rub. Spike's a good dog. He can't bear his human asking him to abandon her for multiple canine lifetimes.
And in Equestria, it turns out his size is a function of his proportional age. Fifteen is a hundred and five in dog years. A hundred and five is somewhere around a millennium in dragon years. Even if his Twilight does come through the portal, she's trapped him. Now the question is how they'll both deal with this... and if she knew this would happen ahead of time.
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Thanks, folks!
This is an idea I've had for a while, and I've seen it referred to glancingly in stories as diverse as shortskirtsandexplosions's Sissy Flash, J Carp's FemmeFiction, and my own "Super Awkward." FoME's contest made me decide to actually give a go at making it its own story. As for where it's headed, I'll point out the lack of any "dark" tags along the top and further point out that I should probably add a "romance" tag to it...
Mike
Awww man, this was such a hard yet amazing read. Every description of Spike old and broken body adds so much impact into ever work. I really hope Human Twi does come through, the thought of Twi just abandoning Spike like that hurts so bad. Even if it is to save his life.
I am excited for more, and I wonder if Alicorn Twilight might have to give a lesson of Sci-Twi, about how sometimes you have to left life take its course and allow yourself to let your friends go.... MY GOD THIS IS SO SADDDDDDDDDDD
As expected, he became huge, and now probably stuck here.
But why is he in the air?
Either main Twilight knew this would happen and changed portal, or you avoiding the issue. I do think that Twilights probably knew about it beforehand, thou. No other reason to just "go for a visit".
Really hope you can continue this soon... Twilight needs to come into the portal, sorta face the music of Giant Spike not being able to fit back... She said she would be right behind him, really hope she's not backing out. The way she was keeping from crying, she knew what would happen. Once everything is settled for human Twilight, a nice retirement to Equestria sounds good to me.
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Well all Princess Twilight would need to do is when the mirror up outside. And she would if there was only a chance Dog Spike would come out as and Adult Dragon. Gotta wonder how Dragon Spike will react to a huge version of himself, as by now he's only just a teen dragon, only maybe the hight of a human.
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Except that an adult crow would be near enough the same size as Spike the Dog and he's only been a dragon for a very short period, meaning that his sense of relative size wouldn't have shifted as yet. Therefor he's at best maybe twice Twilight's size.
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I tried to imply:
That Adult Dog Spike had grown to about the size of Twilight's torso--he's resting his head on her shoulder while she's suppoting his hind legs down at her waist level when she's carrying him around. So a small crow in my thinking would be a little smaller than his head. I'll go back in and make that clearer when I post part three later today.
Thanks!
Mike
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I assumed he was adult dragon size, which is quite large. The best assumption is ponies on about 4 foot tall, so Dragon Spike is like 6 or 7 as of the last episode, a adult dragon is going to be 10 to 12 foot at the shoulder. If Greed Growth Spike is any indication adulthood would extend his neck, allowing him to lower his head to pony height
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Yeah:
I'm aiming for a combination Greed Growth Spike and Dragon Lord Torch. Big fella, in other words.
Mike
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>beeg dergs
You have my attention.
Huh! I actually did not expect Spike to turn so big on this side of the portal. Intriguing!
And to everyone worrying about Spike: I think we can all trust AugieDog. He's a gentleman and a poet, and clearly doesn't ascribe to the folly that only sad endings are good.
Two more chapters:
To get everything fixed: "Face to Face" and "Heart to Heart."
Mike
Good job scitwi. Good job.
uh... oops. Good going there, four-eyes.
Yeah, usually mammals don't turn into other forms of life until Warp 10.
Oh s
t
That may be doable. Goodness knows we've seen transmutation before. But first they need Spike to calm down. This is going to get awkward...
...Well, they've gotten themselves into quite a fine mess, that's for sure.
:)
Geez. Never deceive a creature that has the possibility of turning into another creature that could easily tear you limb from limb. Even if he loves you. Nice going there, Sci-Twi.
I'm glad that you mentioned him being too big to fit back through the mirror in this chapter. I wasn't sure if that had crossed your mind, and I would have likely spoiled part of the betrayal if I had asked about that.
Spike got bamboozled and he's not happy about it
Oh, boy. This is an excellent work on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up, but yikes. Yeah, the discussion concerning Dog Spike's size makes sense, and both Sci-Twi AND Spike have points (Sci-Twi in that he DID refuse every time she and her Spike discussed this and Spike in that she talked him into this WITHOUT giving him ALL the relevant details), but this is getting pretty darn scary. An upset being who can breathe fire, fly AND is larger than a far number of buildings equals at least temporary bad news. I know this will most likely end for the best for the lack of either a "dark" tag OR a "sad" tag, but the interesting thing will be seeing HOW.
Anyway, definitely looking forward to more of this.
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I'd like to feel sorry for Sci Twi here. But I don't. She fucked up so much that even the magic of friendship can't fix this mess.
Unless Princess Twilight has a way to shrink back down to normal size so he can go back to the Human World where he belongs.
Because I doubt she's any happier about this than he is. She was lied to as much as Spike. I think a good ol' fashion permanent banishment from Equestria for Sci Twi is in order.
Harsh? Maybe. But this is 100% her fault.
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I for one think on Sci-Twi and how she was desperate to have more years with her Spike
Was NOT expecting this. This is very interesting, sand far different than a human reaction probably
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Oh geeze, I remember that episode. It's been years. Also, if Barclay gets infected with a de-volving virus.
I think a whole lot of the reason Sci-Twi did it might have to do with dog Spike also being sapient now. She likely could have handled a regular dog dying of old age, but Spike has become more than a dog to her now, he's a "person" now.
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There is no prototype kilogram anymore, the metricians redefined it in terms of Planck's constant two years ago (effective a year and a half ago).
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She already has a big punishment, Spike likely hates her, or at least severly dislikes her now, and he is JUST as ancient a dragon as he was a dog.... In other words, he's still close to death....it'll be longer than when he was a dog, since dragons live long enough to take century long naps....but still not that long left as dragons view it.
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Funny thing is that episode was officially reconned out of existence due to its rediculousness, I mean besides the events that happen how the heck would a bunch of c team starfleet members and ragtag rebels actually be able to discover warp 10.
He does not act like an adult at all.
This is so sad... I love it
Wow. Straight into the heavy drama. Part of me sympathizes with Sci-Twi here. If given the choice of letting a family member die, or saving them by any means necessary, I think most people would prefer life over death. However, I do believe she is in the wrong. Spike made his choice. He knew he could live for centuries, or even longer, if he went to Equestria, but he chose to remain in his world and die in the arms of his best friend. I'm the kind of guy who almost always sides with life, but if a person has made the conscious decision to end their life on their own terms, that is their choice to make.
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Soooo... do Diamond Dogs turn into a Smaug in our world?
After spending 200 years in Equestria as a dragon, Spike went back to Humanquestria… and turned to dust the instant he left the portal.
The portal works in incomprehensible plot ways...
And then he went nuts and ate all the ponies...
Why does Dog Spike talk, really? I mean, REALLY? Why are Celestia and Luna still alive there? WHY?! And where or what is their version of Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra and all that if everything else has a counterpart? EqG is just too silly to take as serious writing! I can't do it! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGH!!
Glad to see more so soon, hope it ends well with them. Sci-Twi just couldn't watch her Spike pass while knowing Equestria's Spike keeps living, so had that idea. Something I thought of though... with Dog Spike being a dragon, even 'ancient' still have more years that even if (Human) Twilight retired to Equestria. So with it like this ... Spike will end up outliving Twilight.
One more chapter!
Mike
honestly, would be sort of neat to see the scene with pony-Twi yelling at Human-twi, even if not fully needed for the story.
Pls don't let doggo die.
Damn.
Damn.
Damn.
You know what? I think I get why they made Spike a dog in EqG. Well, okay, we all know the reason they did was because Magical Girl anime protagonists always have a talking animal sidekick. But with you giving perfect word to how most of us like to believe a dog's mind would see things, it just makes sense. When Dog!Spike explained his devotion to SciTwi, how she is pretty much the world to him, that's pretty much how I've always seen Dragon!Spike. It's even how I have endeavored to write him, myself.
Now, all that's left is the question: who will Spike make to suffer? Himself, by living a long life with out Twilight? Or Twilight herself, by forcing her to watch him die?