Warnings: Sporadic updates, long/plodding, backstory shipping
When Spike went to bed, he was a 162 year old dragon, war veteran, twice widower, and living on the outskirts of Ponyville. This morning, he wakes up to a voice he hadn't heard in decades on the eve of the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration.
Now, Spike must choose between the future he knows and a future he can make.