"Twilight," Spike said, wringing his hands, "Are you busy?"
Twilight looked up from the bookshelf she was dusting. "No, what's up?"
Spike gulped, "I've been thinking of something, and it's important."
Twilight sat quietly and waited for Spike to continue.
"Am I your brother? Or your son? What am I to you?"
That was not the question she expected. Twilight didn’t speak for a moment, as she gathered her thoughts.
"Well, I've always considered you to be my little brother. You know that. You even won the Sibling Supreme Crown not too long ago."
Spike smiled, then shook his head. "I know, but then, I don't have a mom. Velvet didn't raise me. You did, even as a filly who couldn't care for yourself. Neither of your parents ever considered me their son. Does that make me an orphan?"
Twilight furrowed her brow and thought. After a minute, she said, "But mom always bragged about you and said how much she loved you."
"She loved me like she would have loved a pet."
"What? Spike, no, that can't be true. She always helped me when you were a baby."
"That's the thing. Velvet helped you. It should be the other way around. She helped you, a filly, raise a pet, not a child. She never really helped. My first memory is you crying over me, because the stress was too much. Velvet did the bare minimum to keep me alive. You were the one who made me happy."
Twilight tried to smile. "Mom always said it was to teach me responsibility, and since you imprinted on me, she couldn't help.”
He flew to Twilight and held his arms out for a hug. After relaxing slightly in her embrace, he said, "Do you remember eight years ago when you and Shining Armour asked your parents for a pet?”
Twilight's breath hitched, "Are you saying dad was talking about you when he said we already had one?"
Spike nodded.
"Well, it doesn't matter what they say. You're still my little brother, and you're just as important as any other pony. I don't know if you’re an orphan, but it doesn't matter because we have each other."
"It still hurts, not knowing my heritage. I wish I knew if my birth mother abandoned me or if somepony stole me as an egg. Then your parents always treated me differently from you and Shining. It sucks."
Twilight hugged Spike tighter. "If it makes you feel any better... mom and dad didn't treat me that well either."
That was news to Spike, "Really? What do you mean?"
“You were too young to understand, but I had a lot of pressure placed on me. Mom always emphasized the importance of maintaining the family's reputation. My happiness came second. Dad agreed with her because 'she knew best,' which meant being a smart and magically gifted filly wasn't enough. She wanted me to be the best.” She chuckled and looked at her wings. “It worked, but it was rough. My parents wanted Shining and me to be perfect. All the time. They tolerated nothing less. I would spend so long perfecting each spell so mom could show me off at her dinner parties."
She closed her eyes. "I still remember the disappointed faces of my parents when I struggled with the test at Celestia's school. After coming under her tutelage, I asked Celestia if I could stay in the castle to stay away from my parents and keep you away. I'm sure we would have been better off if she agreed. That's why we moved there as soon as I became an adult."
Spike hugged Twilight tighter. "I didn't know you also had it so rough."
She returned the tight hug. "Anyway, the point of my story was to show it wasn't anything you did. I think they were just not meant to be parents."
Spike realized something. "You were six when you passed the test, but you already felt like that?"
"Mostly, I wanted to keep you safe. Even as a filly, I was used to it and I could take it, but you were so small. I didn't want my parents to make you feel inadequate. I thought they were treating you well because you didn't have the immense pressure Shining and I had. They treated you like a pet, I didn't know. I'm sorry for not realizing it."
"It's not your fault, and I was never upset at you." Spike hopped off the couch. "You know what we need? We need to confront the problem directly. Let's send a letter to your parents."
He grabbed a quill and parchment.
Twilight pressed her ears to her skull, and her breathing quickened. "No, I can't do that. That wouldn't be good. Can we instead move on to something else? Get some ice cream? I could get some more ruby sprinkles. I can't confront them, not yet. It took years, but I finally feel free. What if talking about it jepordizes our freedom?"
He dropped the parchment and quill and ran to Twilight.
"Hey, it's alright. We can call Shining and Cadence, or write it and put it away, never to be seen again. It doesn't have to be now."
Spike repeated those words softly while rubbing her back with practiced ease.
"They love you, don't forget that," he whispered.
Twilight shook her head, "Sometimes love isn't enough," she took a deep breath, "I don't think I'd be able to send it, but we can write it and call Cadence and Shining."
He nodded and picked up the equipment from the floor. They sat together on the couch to write.
'Dear mom and dad,
Spike and I have been doing some talking, and we realized we need to talk with you. It's about our foalhoods and how you two raised us. We will contact Shining as well. Please respond and tell us when both of you are free. It's important.
From Twilight Sparkle and her little brother, Spike.'