Dear Spike (A Letter of Relation #1)

Dear Spike:

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yosh E. O’Ducky and I am a human who has been a fan of the adventures you and Twilight Sparkle have shared since leaving Canterlot.

The reason I write you is to share how I feel you and I are kindred spirits. Two individuals who, through no fault of our own, have had to cope and adapt to many things that so many others have not. Situations that often go unnoticed, unrecognized, and unrewarded.

You, like me, are a faithful worker who strives to do the best he can for those who he admires and looks up to. Unfortunately, what we do never seems to be enough. We are continuously left out of important activities, expected to perform according to how others expect us to with our own suggestions falling largely upon deaf ears, and made to feel more like a “Nice to have around Assistant” instead of as a valued part of the team.

You and I also share in a strong desire to find out “Who we are” and “What we are supposed to be” due to how different we are from those around us. Where you are a dragon in a world dominated by ponies, I am a human who is mislabeled by my fellow kind as being less capable of doing things just because of a disability I was born with. Also, like you, I largely work around females. Or, in your case, fillies and mares. All of which treat me like a child who is only good enough to do work they’d rather not do themselves.

It is nice to feel useful, as I’m sure you’ll agree, but I know you, like me, would like to know we are seen as more than just someone / some pony who is “Nice to have around”. To know what we do is truly valued and that we are very capable of doing far more than we are given the chance to do. To show everyone / every pony that, despite our differences, we are amazing, worthy of respect, and are capable of great contributions to our respective worlds.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter to you, Spike. I truly feel you and I are one and the same and wish to offer you a hug of support. I want you to know you are not the only one who is marginalized, left out, and treated as more of a “Convenience” than as an equal.

Be well, Spike. Know I will, as I know you will, too, do my best to show everyone / every pony that our differences don’t make us any less important. You may not have wings and, soon, I will not have eyes. However, we both are intelligent individuals who, through perseverance, can overcome all the prejudice and ignorance that is thrown our way.

Your Friend,

Yosh E. O’Ducky

P.S. I like to wear aprons, too. :)