Spike looked up with a slack jaw at the fearsome dragons that fought and flew so high above their trench. It was amazing to witness such power, even if it was also terrifying. "Wow... Dragons." He took a step forward, his eyes searching for his mother's wings amongst the multitudes of flying fire.
Not that she knew what any theoretical biological parent of his looked like. He went instead to Moon's side. "Look at them."
"I am." She offered an arm and drew Spike close. "Dragons, in the wild, as it were. It's very rare one gets to witness their migration."
Rainbow Dash snorted as she drifted over them. "They're big and tough and mean, everything spike isn't." She twisted in the air, landing on the edge of the trench with the wind fluffing her mane. "They don't have to be, since they've got their home. You don't see 'em struggling for scraps, not like the little ones."
Spike winced. "That's mean." He looked away from her.
"And inaccurate." Moon held Spike gently. "Spike has had to 'struggle for scraps' exactly zero times in his life. I wouldn't allow it."
"Nor would I." Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow. "Stop being mean."
Applejack strode past the trio with her hat tilted back. "Don't think I don't know what y'all are thinkin'. Leave him alone, Dash, leave him be."
Rarity dropped behind the group as they advanced, only her eyes visible from under her wide-brimmed sunhat. "Yes, poor dear." Her gaze landed on a female dragon who was drifting along through the air. "Do excuse me. I simply must get a better look at those scales."
Alas, there was little time to examine any one dragon as they rushed overhead. Spike offered a sweetened cookie to Rarity as if to soften the blow.
Rarity took it gently, breaking it in half and nibbling a piece of the biscuit. "What a sight. Shame it's moving so quickly." She frowned. "So many dragons."
Spike leaned in towards Moon. "Sis, um." He fidgeted in place nervously. "You studied dragons, right? If those are dragons—" He pointed at the soaring tide of dragons above. "—What am I?"
Moon softened, stroking Spike's cheek. "You are a dragon. I apologize for any faults in your upbringing."
Spike stiffened at that. "You didn't do anything wrong! Um, it's just, you know? I don't feel very dragon'y right now." He picked at the frilly apron he had put on for the event. "At all."
Twilight pressed a hoof to Spike's shoulder. "That's silly, Spike. You are a dragon, the very same as every one of them, except you're Spike." She hugged him gently. "You know ponies, love them, and are loved by them." She inclined her head towards the sky. "They don't, in either direction. So we can admire them from afar, but they aren't our friends, unlike our dear Spike. And I will fight any pony or dragon to prove that point."
Applejack placed a hoof on top of Twilight's. "You shouldn't be fighting any pony, nor any dragon, least of all, at this moment, fer any reason." She snorted gently and fixed her eyes on Spike. "Yer Spike, jus' to join in. An' Spike's a plenty fine thin' to be!" She laughed softly, shaking her head.
They resumed watching the rest of the dragon migration that passed fearsomely overhead.
Later that evening, Spike kicked his legs off the side of Diamond Tiara's bed. "But what does it mean?"
Diamond turned an ear towards Spike. "You've been acting odd since you went off with your sister. What did you see that bothered you so much? Something about dragons?"
"I dunno." He stretched his arms, curling up in the blankets. "Maybe."
"That's the opposite of helping." Diamond pulled her blanket out from underneath Spike. "Seriously, Spike, you're the one who's all about friendship."
Spike scowled at her. "That's Moon, and her job. I just help out, where I can." He worried his hands together with a huff. "It's just, I'm not a big dragon, or a fierce one. What kinda dragon am I?"
"Hm." Diamond lay down on the mattress and closed her eyes. "A cute one."
"That's it?" Spike's tone grew more offended. "That's your answer, 'a cute one'?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "All the other ones aren't cute! That, you know." He flopped back on her bed. "Am I a messed up dragon? Why do I feel so different from all the others? Why don't I fly, or breathe fire, or roar? Hmph."
Diamond's expression remained steady. "Well, for one, Spike, you do breathe fire. Your roars are kind of adorable though, not gonna lie."
Spike pursed his lips a moment, and then relented, going limp next to her. "Everypony says I'm a dragon, but what does that even mean? I wanna find out."
Diamond patted him on the back gently. "What do you mean you want to find out?"
Spike wriggled until he was facing Diamond. "I want to go out on my own." He pointed off and away. "To learn about dragons, and my place, and how I fit in."
Diamond wrapped her arms around Spike, hugging him. "You have a place. You're my boyfriend, remember?" She smooched his warm cheek. "You have a sister, two technically, that love you a ton, and loads of friends. We're here for you, Spike."
He blushed despite the doubts still gnawing at him. "I know." He considered the window, and the sky beyond it, glittering with stars. "I know, really. I'm, uh, I'm not unhappy with that side of things." He trailed a claw gently down the window. "I just wonder about the dragon part of me."
Diamond held up a single hoof, lifting away from him. She watched his reaction with care before speaking again. "Isn't that something that'll be answered when you grow up into a big, strong dragon?"
Spike smirked at that. "Will I do that?" He waved over his form. "Or will I be a cute 'adorable' dragon forever?"
"I doubt it." She touched her nose to the back of his head. "You're small now, but I'm looking forward to when you're looking down at me, dragon boy. Be gentle, alright? My dad would have kittens if you ever tried to roughhouse after you got bigger."
Spike snickered at the mental image of Diamond's father having a fit in such a situation. "I'd still be Spike. You know I wouldn't hurt you."
"Duh!" She grabbed him, hooves pressing into his side as she hugged firmly. "You're my dashing, scaled, boyfriend." She giggled softly as he wheezed beneath her grip. "Oops. I'll let go. But that's the whole deal, right? When you get big, I'll be small, and it's okay. You'll become more dragon over time, but I'll still be a pony." She slid past him to the ground. "Who'll still love you."
"Love you too." His eyes drifted back to the window and the endless darkness of the night beyond it. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" She scowled at that. "Are you doubting me?"
"No! No." He waved his hands frantically. "Not you. Um, more doubting me right now."
"You know what you need?" She leaned in, sweet breath washing over his face. "You need a good and proper kiss. A real kiss. You know, special someponies do that, and we haven't. I say we fix that."
He stared into her eyes as she rested over him. "But I'm a dragon?"
"And?" She fluttered her eyelashes a little. "Is that a no?"
"It's a 'what if there's fire' kinda thing." He laughed nervously as Diamond wrapped around him, gazing with passion. Something was already on fire, and it wasn't his breath. "Are you sure? I'm a little worried."
"No worries!" She curled in and kissed him gently on the neck, cooing softly as she rubbed her cheek against him. "This is the part where you relax and let me start. You'll join in when you're ready." She worked up slowly along his neck. "And when we're done, you'll be so sure of things."
Spike gasped, a chill running up his spine, only for it to turn into heat when it reached his brain. His eyelids lowered, and his focus centered on her tender, loving caress as she nuzzled into him, and the sensation of her mane on his skin. He had dreamed and played out the moment of his first real kiss, but hadn't expected it'd hit him then, that evening. When her lips found his, the world itself seemed to crawl to a stop, as if time itself had been enraptured in the magic of the moment.
It was as if some piece of him that had been missing was restored.
His eyes snapped open a moment later, as a gasp of flame escaped his mouth and over her shoulder, almost catching her mane. She gently nuzzled in, one hoof casually patting out that tiny fire. "Dragons make it so obvious when you do things right." Her lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. "It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You're you."
He met her gaze. "I like being me."
Their kiss returned, with both sides eagerly taking part in that first meeting of youthful passion. For at least the moment, the questions were driven away from Spike under the blistering heat of his girlfriend's love.
The following morning, Spike's Sister, Moon, awoke to a rattle at her door. It was always a tossup as to what the cause might be, whether it was one of her family, a townspony, or just the sound of a stray bird or animal banging around. Still, she slid to her hooves and went to the door, leaving Twilight sleeping behind her. "Who is it?" She called on the way towards the door.
The muffled sound of Spike's voice was easy enough to distinguish. "It's me! Me, your brother. Spike, remember?"
She gave a soft groan, but swung the door open to see that, yes, it was her brother. "I was worried." There was something different about Spike, but she couldn't figure out what it was. "How do you feel?"
"Better than yesterday!" He looked up at her. "But still bad."
She quirked her head. "I see. How can I assist?" She offered an arm and soon had a baby dragon to gently embrace.
"I want to go visit my dad." Spike's expression hardened. "My real dad, that is."
She leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "I assure you that 'your dad' would be a difficult thing to search for." Moon shook her head firmly. "I knew you from an egg, but nopony knows where you came from before then. You were, by all accounts, an accident, a miracle. There shouldn't be a Spike, but there is one anyway." She nuzzled into his cheek gently. "I'm thankful every day."
Spike was not swayed. "I gotta know, you know?" He gestured to the hallway. "About the dragons, and me, and all that stuff. How can I decide my future if I don't know where I came from?" He clapped his hands suddenly. "You studied dragons, do you know where they are? Maybe I can ask them some stuff, and figure it out."
Her expression softened, and her ears drooped. "Studying the location of the dragon migration wasn't a priority of my research." Her lip quivered slightly. "Besides, they're highly nomadic, moving around depending on their needs for food, territory, or whatever other factors drive their movement." She scratched at her cheek. "But there is a place they go, overall, the dragon lands." She snorted gently. "Not very originally titled. It is a dangerous place, and the dragons may not greet you kindly, even if you are one of them."
Spike brightened at that. "So you'll take me there! It sounds perfect."
"Oh, goodness no." Moon's ears flicked back at the thought. "I can't go dragging you on a dangerous adventure, especially after all the effort that's been put into keeping you." She pushed Spike to an armlength away. "That is a poor idea. I don't want you being hurt."
Spike's expression twitched. "But I'm not afraid."
"And I'm not a foal." She looked out the window. "A child can't go alone into a deadly realm."
Spike grabbed for Moon's hoof. "Then come with me."
Moon hesitated a moment before a slow nod came to her. "If those are the choices, I would gladly accompany you." She curled a hoof at herself. "Just one thing. Will they react well to a pony?"
"Dragons don't know how to hate ponies." Spike gestured confidently. "We're friends, ponies and dragons! I'm the proof, aren't I? Even if some other dragons don't know it yet, we can be friends with each other."
Moon smiled at that. "This will make an excellent addition to my studies." She stood up. "Let me inform Twilight of our trip, then we can begin."