//------------------------------// // Chapter 15. // Story: I'm your son too // by Synthetic Soul //------------------------------// Spike dashed through the forest floor as fast as his small legs could carry him. He could hear the shouts in the distance, calling his name. And so he ran, his feet crunching the dried leaves and sticks beneath him. ‘You can’t outrun them. You need to hide.’ ‘Right.’ Spike looked around him for a place to take refuge. There were tree’s everywhere, but hiding behind them would not make a decent hiding place for very long. Then, as he ran, he saw a group of bushes clumped together. It looked like a good place to take refuge. Spike made a mad dash for the bushes, and as soon as he reached them, he dived in, covering himself in the leaves. His breath was ragged from the running. Spike was not accustomed to exercise, and thus even a short sprint proved to be exhausting. As he tried to bring his breathing under control, and quiet himself, he heard the sound of wind whipping at high speeds. Looking up, but keeping himself hidden, Spike saw a rainbow blur fly by overhead, above the trees. “Spiiike!” called the Pegasus mare. ‘It’s going to be difficult to go unnoticed with that flier in the sky. Pegasi have eyes like hawks, and she has the speed to catch you. You need to tread lightly.’ ‘Ok.’ Spike was about to exit his cover, when he heard the sound of his name being called. He trained his eyes towards the source of the voices, to see four mares nearing his location. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight. Spike narrowed his eyes at the ponies, putting his hands over his mouth to muffle his breathing. “Spiiike! Spike, where are you!” called Twilight. ‘As if I’d ever answer you.’ From the sky above came Rainbow Dash, descending down to meet Twilight. “Any luck?” questioned the Alicorn. The blue Pegasus merely shook her head. “Not yet.” Twilight let out a sigh before speaking again. “Alright girls, let’s fan out, we can cover more ground that way!” said the princess. The others nodded, and went separate ways. Spike remained in his bushes, waiting for the search party to spread far enough that his movement wouldn’t be heard. It took a few minutes, but eventually, they seemed to be a decent distance away. Spike stuck his head up out of the bushes and scanned the area. When he saw no sign of the ponies searching for him, he let out a sigh of relief, and exited his cover. ‘Get moving, before they come back.’ Spike picked a direction, and ran. He glanced down every few seconds to make sure he didn’t step on any twigs, in an attempt to keep his noise level down. He kept his ears open, to listen for the mares. The sounds of their voices were getting quieter, leading Spike to believe that he was going the right way. He turned his head back as he ran to scan for any pursuers. ‘I think we’re good!’ ‘We’re forgetting something…’ Spike was about to question what that was, when he felt his body collide with something solid, and furry. The force of the impact knocked him onto the ground as he heard a feminine ‘oomph!’ Spike looked up to see none other than Pinkie Pie standing before him. She turned her body to look at what had collided with her. “Spike?” said the mare, almost sounding confused. But once her brain processed what she was seeing, her eyes widened. “Spike!” She then raised a hoof to her mouth, calling out to the others. “HEY EVERYPONY, I FOUND SPIKE!” ‘Darn it!’ cursed Spike internally. ‘Great going, now you got us caught!’ ‘What do I do?’ ‘Get away from her, by any means necessary!’ Spike quickly got to his feet, and sprinted around Pinkie, in a desperate attempt to get away. Before he got more than two feet, he felt something wrap around his left arm. He looked back to see Pinkie Pie holding on to his claw with her hoof, a concerned look on her face. “Wait, Spike, we’ve been looking all over for you!” “Let go,” stated Spike, aggression entering his tone. “Spike, listen, I don’t know what’s wrong but-“ “Let Go,” said Spike once again, this time through grit teeth. “Spike, I don’t know what’s wrong, but we want to help! I’m sure if we just…” Pinkie’s voice died down in Spikes ears, his hearing becoming consumed by the voice in his head. ‘MAKE HER LET GO! MAKE HER!’ Clarity’s voice rang throughout Spikes head, consuming his sense of hearing, echoing with power. For a split second, Spikes vision flashed red. He felt his free arm swing. “LET GO!” When his vision returned to normal, and his hearing returned, he saw Pinkie had let go of him. She had a shocked look on her face as she stared her hoof. There were four thin, small claw marks on her fur. Tiny, miniscule amounts of blood were coming from them, the amount equated to a paper cut. But still, it was there. Spike’s eyes widened as he looked down at his claws, the tips each dotted with red liquid. ‘You have your opening. Now GO!’ Spike looked up to Pinkie Pie, who now had a hurt look on her face. “S-spike?” Spike took on a look of determination. He turned around and ran as fast as he could, away from the pink mare. “Wait! Spike, come back!” called Pinkie in the distance. Spike paid her no mind, he just ran, as fast as he could. The sound of hooves treading on the ground could be heard. Spike looked over his shoulder to see that he was being pursued not just by Pinkie, but Rarity and Fluttershy as well. He turned his head back, and pushed his body, trying to gain purchase over his pursuers. Over the noise of his breathing, and the running, Spike could hear the sound of rushing water. A few yards further, and Spike could see a clearing, with a rushing river. He continued to run towards it. When he made it to the river, he saw that it was actually running over a cliff, cascading down at least a hundred feet into a lake below. Spike saw a few stones in the river, a perfect path to cross. Spike was going to traverse across the river, but a pain in his side flared, along with pain in his lungs due to heavy exertion. Unable to go any further, Spike collapsed to the ground. He took in deep, labored breaths, while trying to massage his side, to make the stitch go away. ‘Get up! You have to keep going!’ “I…I just…need…a minute…” panted Spike, quietly to himself. ‘You don’t have a minute! You have to get going no- darn, it’s too late. They’re here.’ Spike looked up to see the ponies gathering in front of him. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy stood in front of him. Then, out of the forest came Applejack, and Rainbow Dash landed from the sky. As Spike stood himself up, getting control of his breathing, he saw Twilight make her way out of the forest, to the front of the group. Their eyes locked. Twilight’s eyes spoke words of caring and compassion. Spike’s held contempt. “Spike…” said Twilight. She then ran forward, grabbing Spike in a tight hug. “Spike, I was so worri-“ but she didn’t get to finish, as Spike wormed his way out of the hug, and shoved Twilight back. “Don’t touch me!” cried Spike as he stepped back, away from Twilight. “S-spike? I-I was worried sick about you!” “I’m sure,” replied Spike, rolling his eyes sarcastically. “S-spike, what is this about? What’s wrong? I-I don’t know what’s the matter, but if you just tell me, I’m sure we can work through it!” “You…don’t know?” questioned Spike, his head hanging down. “You don’t Know?” said Spike, louder this time. He sounded like he was about to have a laughing fit, his right eye twitching, and an almost manic grin on his face. He stood there, clenching his fists over and over. Suddenly, his head jerked, causing a cracking sound, which caused all the ponies to wince. Spike recomposed himself. “You don’t know, of course you don’t know! You don’t pay attention! You never pay attention!” Twilight took a step back, looking like she had just been slapped. “Spike, what’s wrong? You can tell me,” pleaded the princess. “If I have to explain it to you, then it’s a waste time,” grumbled Spike as he turned his head and crossed his arms. “Please Spike! I’ll…I’ll listen!” “You know, for such a smart mare, you can be incredibly thoughtless. You’re always running off with your friends to have all sorts of adventures, and you just leave me behind! And now with that…BABY of yours that I have to take care of, I’m at my wits end! I wake up in the dead of night to rock him, change him, and feed him! I have to do everything!” Twilight stood there, silent. She knew he was speaking the truth, she had realized it after Spike had ran away. She left him to take the brunt of the workload, and she hadn’t been fair to him. It was time to make this right. “You’re right Spike,” conceded Twilight, swallowing. “I haven’t been there for Skylight as much as I should have.” ‘It’s still all about him,’ thought Spike. “I’ve been giving you too much work to do. I realize that now. Spike, I promise that from now on, I’ll do more on my own. I’ll take care of Skylight, and I won’t have you do every little thing I need, and I’ll give you time to yourself!” “AND?” questioned Spike. “A-and?” Twilight didn’t know what else the young drake could want. She looked confused, no idea what else he needed. Seeing Twilight’s confusion, Spike snorted through his nostrils and turned to face the river. “Wait!” called Twilight. She used her magic to lift Spike into the air, and bring him to where he was. “Put me down!” demanded the dragon. Twilight did as he asked, and placed him down on his feet, facing her and the group. “Spike...? What else is there?” Spike didn’t answer. He merely shut his eyes and let out a deep breath, before crossing his arms once more. He stood there for several moments, before finally speaking. “Twilight, what are we?” “What?” asked the Alicorn, confused. “What am I to you?” “Spike…you’re my friend, you know that!” Spike opened his eyes and glared at Twilight. “Just friends?” “What else would we be? Wait…you’re not…. you’re not in love with me are you?” Spikes eyes widened, and he made gagging noises with his mouth. “Celestia’s sake Twilight, no! Jeez, you’re so dense!” “What do you mean Spike? If that’s not it, then what do you want us to be, if not friends?” “FAMILY!’ screamed Spike. A rush of heat went to his head, knowing that all the cards were now on the table, and he couldn’t unsay those words. “Family?” questioned Twilight. “Twilight,” addresses Spike, his voice softening. “For as long as I can remember, you’ve always been there. Every time I was feeling lonely, you were there. You taught me everything I know. You fed me when I was a baby, you played with me. You were my role model, and my teacher…. Twilight, I never saw you as a friend…. I always saw you as…as….” “A mother?” finished Twilight for him. Holding back tears, Spike nodded his head. “Spike…I’m not your mom,” said Twilight gently. “But you hatched me…” “Spike…I was just a filly then. I mean sure, I hatched you, but I didn’t give birth to you.” Tears were now flowing form Spikes eyes. He sniffled, and wiped his eyes with his hand. “And that’s why I left. I knew you felt that way. After Tirek stole our magic, you rushed to check on Skylight, and completely forgot about me! That’s when I realized the truth about our relationship! I’m nothing to you, just an assistant. I’d stay if I had a reason to other than to do your chores, but-.” Spike looked to Twilight, his eyes now stern and serious. “You have a family now Twilight. And if I’m not part of it, then I’m going to go find one of my own.” “Spike,” pleaded Twilight, taking a step towards Spike. “No Twilight! I’m done!” stated Spike, as he turned and started walking towards the river. He stopped just at the edge. “Goodbye.” He started hopping across the stones that crossed the river. “Wait Spike!” Spike didn’t listen; he just kept crossing the river. Twilight was about to call out to him again, when suddenly Spike slipped on one of the wet stones. He lost his footing, falling into the rushing river. “Spike!” called Twilight, galloping forward. Spike bobbed to the surface as the water flowed, bringing his body towards the edge of the cliff. Twilight, followed by the other five mares ran to catch up to him. Spike struggled to swim against the current, but he wasn’t able to make it. Just as the mares were a few feet away from him, Spike was tossed over the edge. The young dragons screams filled the air. The mares stood at the edge, eyes wide as they watched in horror as Spike plummeted. “Don’t worry Twilight, I’ll-“ but before Rainbow could finish, Twilight had already dived over the edge. She tucked her wings in, and narrowed her body, racing as fast as she could to get to Spike before he plummeted to his death. As she descended, thoughts flashed in her mind. She saw moments from her life, moments with her and Spike together. She saw her hatching him, and how happy she was on that day. “Is he really mine?” “Of course Twilight. You did hatch him after all.” She remembered feeding Spike his baby food, helping him walk, and reading stories to him. She saw herself in her bed, with Spike curled up against her. “And then the wolf said, I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in!” Tears came to her eyes, as memory after memory came to her mind, all of her and Spike. ‘I can’t let him go! I need to save him!’ Twilight fell, faster and faster, getting closer to Spike, but still not close enough to catch him. Terror griped her heart at the thought of loosing Spike. ‘He’s been with me since the beginning. He relied on me, he looked up to me. I can’t live without him!’ The surface of the lake was rapidly approaching. Twilight reached out with her hoof, reaching for Spike. Spike did the same with his claw. ‘I…I care about him, now more than ever. I’ve never been this scared to loose somepony before. I see now, that even though we aren’t biologically related,’ Spike was twenty feet above the ground. ‘We ARE family. And I care for him.' Ten feet. ‘I care for him, as if he was a…a,’ Five feet. ‘A son!’ At that moment, Twilight’s hoof gripped Spikes claw. She yanked him close to her body, and hugged him tight, spreading her wings to slow the fall. As soon as her feathery appendages spread wide, she began to glide, mere feet above the surface of the lake. She flew past the lake, towards dry land. Realizing that she was going to be making a crash landing, Twilight tucked her wings in at the last second and turned her body so that Spike was above her, allowing her back to take the full front of the landing. She skidded into ground, leaving torn up dirt in her wake. Finally skidding to a stop, Twilight let out a grunt. Her grip on Spike weakened, and the drake tumbled a few feet away from her. Twilight grit her eyes shut. Her Alicorn body was strong, but she still felt the feeling of the ground grinding away on her back. Aside from that though, she felt fine. She slowly lifter herself up from her position, and looked over to see Spike, laying face first in the dirt. “S-spike? Are you ok?” For a few seconds, the dragon said nothing. Twilight started to worry again, when suddenly the dragon let out a moan. The drake lifted his head, and used his hands to push himself up. “Y-yeah, I think so.” Taking Spike completely by surprise, Twilight leaped towards him, wrapping her hooves around him in the tightest hug he’d ever experienced. Spike was about to protest when he felt something wet sliding onto his shoulder. “S-spike…I was so worried about you!” She was crying. “You were?” “Of course!” Twilight cried, as she separated from the hug, looking Spike in the eye with her hoofs on his shoulder. “Spike, I care about you! When you left that note, all I could think about was finding you, and bringing you back! I-I know that I’ve been inattentive lately, but I do care about you. But I see now how you’d think I didn’t. When Tirek stole our magic, I only thought about Skylight. But Spike, I swear to you that I DO care about you. “But just as a friend, right?” asked Spike. “Spike…I…I’ve never really considered myself a mother until Skylight was born.” Spike frowned at this. “I guess I never thought of myself as a mother to you because you’ve been around since I was a little filly. I never really stopped to consider just what kind of effect our relationship would have on you. But you’re right Spike. I may not have given birth to you, but I did bring you to life. I hatched you, with MY magic. And that…that formed a special bond between us.” “Really?” asked Spike, his hope rising. “Yes Spike. I’ve always thought of you as a friend, but you’re right. You’re more than a friend, you’re family. I raised you. When I saw you fall, I was scared, terrified of losing you! Just as terrified as if it were Skylight’s life in danger. If that doesn’t make me your mother, than I don’t know what does. And I’m willing to be one to you.” Twilight offered Spike a motherly smile. “If that’s what you want that is.” ‘This…this is what I’ve wanted for so long.’ The silence hung in the air between the two beings. Twilight was beginning to think that Spike had changed his mind, or that he didn’t accept her apology. But then, he dove forward, and hugged her tightly. “Of course it’s what I want,” said Spike, as he cried into Twilights fur. He broke down completely, sobbing away. Twilight held him tight, rubbing his back with her hoof. “I-I’m sorry…for all this, I just…I let my emotions get the better of me, and I never let them out! I’m sorry I did all this!” Twilight gently shushed him, as she would to her own biological child. “It’s ok Spike. I should have paid more attention to what was going on with you. I should been more mindful of how I was behaving. I can see why you’d feel the way you did, and why you’d leave. But I promise Spike; things are going to be different between us. It’ll be better. I love you Spike.” “I love you too…mom,” The two sat there, in their embrace, until a silence was interrupted. “Awww!” Twilight and Spike looked over to see the five other mares standing there, watching them. Pinkie Pie had tears in her eyes, as did Rarity and Fluttershy. Applejack had a smile on her face, while Rainbow just looked confused. “Um…are we missing something?” questioned the Pegasus. Twilight just chuckled, resting a single fore leg around Spike. “It’s a long story. But in short, we’ve realized that we’re not just friends, we’re family.” The mares looked between themselves, before finally joining in on the hug. They all gathered around Twilight and her new son, creating a group embrace. The group just sat there for several moments, before the silence was broken. “You know what this means don’t you?” asked Pinkie Pie. “What?” questioned Twilight. “A party!” The party was a small one, the six mares plus the dragon all gathered around in Twilight’s new Castle. Additional guests included Twilights parents, her brother and sister in law, Celestia, Luna, and the Cake’s. Twilight presented Spike as the newest addition to the family. Her parents, brother and sister were all overjoyed at the news. Celestia told Twilight it was about time that she and Spike made this relationship official, and promised Twilight that she would draft up adoption papers for her to sign, in a relatively simple process. The festivities were in full swing. Pinkie had done a real good job, providing the food, decorations, and games. And it made Spike feel… guilty. Spike hesitantly made his way towards Pinkie, and tapped her to get her attention. She turned to look at him, a smile on her face. “Hey Spike? What’s up?” Spike looked at her hoof, wrapped in a bandage. “Listen Pinkie,” said Spike hesitantly. “I’m really sorry I scratched you. I don’t know what came over me.” Spike had considered coming clean about Clarity, but as much as he wanted to tell everyone about the voice, at the same time he couldn’t. There was a primal emotion deep inside him, one that urged him to keep his secret. So he did. Pinkie stood there for a moment, before her gaze softened, and she put her foreleg around Spike. “Hey, don’t worry Spike. These things happen. I’m sure you didn’t mean it!” “Yeah, but, I…if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you-,” “Spike, you know I don’t hold grudges! It was a stressful time for everypony. Just, don’t do it again, ok?” “Yeah, I promise!” said Spike. Pinkie immediately pulled Spike into a full hug. And for Spike, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. Halfway into the party, Twilight told Spike she would be right back. He nodded, and she left the room. A minute later, Twilight returned, with Skylight in her grasp. Spike wasn’t sure what was going to happen at first felt a little bit of hostility towards the baby, until Twilight sat in front of him, and turned Skylight to look directly at Spike. “Skylight, I want you to meet your new older brother, Spike!” The foal looked at Spike with his big eyes, before raising his hoof, and waving Spike. He then reached out with both hooves, reaching for the dragon. “I think he wants to greet you properly,” said Twilight. She levitated the colt over to Spike, who took him in his arms. The baby gave Spike a friendly hug, which Spike returned. At that moment, the last bits of resentment Spike felt in his heart disappeared. The whole party turned to see the two, giving collective ‘awws’ at the sight. “Sp-si-si” mumbled the child. ‘Is he trying to say my name?’ thought Spike. ‘He’s not quite there yet, but he’ll get there with practice.’ It was then that Spike realized that this was the first time he’d actually hugged Skylight. He felt…warm. Then it dawned on Spike. He wasn’t just gaining a mother; he was gaining an entirely new family. A pair of grandparents, and uncle, and aunt, and… a brother. And for the first time, in a long time, Spike was truly happy. Everything was perfect. The party had ended, and everyone had gone home. Twilight was now walking through the halls of the crystal castle, giving Spike the grand tour. “So you really got this place after defeating Tirek?” asked Spike. “That’s right! It’s all ours!” “Wow.” Spike took a moment to stop and observe the castle. “And you said this place is made out of crystals?” “Yep!” “Hmm” said Spike, taking on a mischievous grin. “I wonder what it tastes like?” “Don’t even think about it buster!” replied Twilight in a playful tone. The two laughed, and then continued on their way. Twilight led Spike to a large door. She opened it, and the two stepped inside. “And this, is your room!” “My…MY room?” “That’s right Spike! It’s all yours!” Spike stepped observed his new room. It was big, and it had its own bed. Why, with a little decoration, it would feel just like home. “Do you like it? If you don’t, we can always find a different one.” “No no, its…perfect,” said Spike. He turned towards Twilight, and wrapped her in a hug. Twilight smiled, and returned the gesture. “Thank you,” thanked Spike. “Your welcome,” replied Twilight with a warm smile. The two stood there for a few moments, before they finally broke away. “Well…you’ve had a long day. Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning, ok?” “Yeah, ok.” Twilight turned and left the room. Just before she exited, she looked over her shoulder at Spike. “Goodnight Spike.” “Goodnight Twi-…mom.” The two smiled at each other, and then Twilight left Spike alone. Spike stood there, smiling. Today may have started out rough, but it had ended with everything working out for the best. Spike let out a tired yawn, before shutting off the lights, and making his way to his new bed. He climbed on into it, and got himself comfortable under the covers. He let out a content sigh, before shutting his eyes. ‘Everything has worked out. I have a new family, one that cares for me. Everything is perfect. And the best part, is that now I don’t have to deal with Clarity anymore.’ ‘Oh, dear Spike, whoever said that?’ Spike’s eyes shot open, his heart stopping as his blood went cold. ‘No…’ ‘That’s right Spike. I’m not going anywhere.’