It's a new day when Spike finds himself being coddled by the ponies once again. As they ooh and ahh and goo goo and baby him, Spike finally gets fed up with it and snorts at them, shocking everyone. For the first time, the ponies are finally realizing that maybe they are treating Spike like a baby and worse, a slave. As they realize this, Derpy drops a box on his head, leaving a giant bump. Spike hisses and breathes fire towards her, getting Twilight onto his case. "Spike, what is with you today?" she demands.
"Twilight, am I a slave?" asks Spike.
"Uh, uh, uh, to be honest, you're more like a brother to me, but now that I think about it, we do tend to treat you as a slave, don't we?"
Spike's eyes begin to fill with tears. He doesn't know how to see himself anymore now that he knows the truth. He runs off and hides himself away from Twilight and her friends. As he rocks back and forth in the corner with this crippling reality, Spike comes to the conclusion that he must return to the Dragon Lands and take over his place as the true dragon lord. It's definitely better, he thinks to himself, than being pushed around by and injured by and coddled by ponies all the time.
The next day, Twilight wakes up to find Spike nowhere in sight. Freaking out, Twilight runs off in search of the little dragon. She can't believe he actually left. She thought that was beyond him. Alas, she knows it is all her fault. After all, it was her who told him he was a slave to pony kind and now it's up to her to find him and bring him home once again. Luckily, she knows the one other place he might have gone, she gulps, the Dragon Lands.