//------------------------------// // Pony quest // Story: Short stories about ponies and whatnot // by shutaro //------------------------------// The Ponyville clocktower announced teatime and Twilight Sparkle was beside herself with worry. Spike had left and followed the Great Dragon Migration on his quest of self-discovery six days ago. “Why didn’t we follow him like Rarity suggested? Oh, if only I hadn’t listened to Rainbow and all that stuff about trust and ‘let him find his own path’.” She had already collected all components for a 'search it, find it'-spell, and if he didn’t come back by tomorrow she would start to look for him herself. The hours crawled by and Twilight was just about to go and tell her friends to prepare a search and rescue mission for the baby dragon as the door opened. Spike looked beaten and burned, and his little body didn’t look much better. But Twilight embraced her friend and adoptive brother in both forelegs and danced with him through the library. “I’m so glad you’re back, Spike. Let’s get you cleaned up and then you can tell me all about your journey!” The baby dragon didn’t look so keen about that idea. “Twilight, can’t I have a night’s sleep first? Self-discovery is hard work, you know.” Twilight looked him up and down. “If you say so. Let’s have a breakfast together at the Corner tomorrow.” Spike’s eyes lit up at the idea. Twilight wrinkled her nose. “But you’ll take a bath nevertheless.” --- Spike and the six ponies occupied two tables at Sugarcube Corner. Twilight had informed her friends of Spike’s return the night before and even Rainbow Dash had managed to be awake ‘in the gray of dawn‘ as she called it. Applejack only laughed, and Pinkie said that Rainbow wouldn’t know dawn if it jumped her in the face. But they all wanted to hear about Spike’s adventure. “Actually, there’s not much to talk about. I just followed the migration for two days. I met some really cool mountain sheep and one extremely relaxed ferrydonkey on the way, but I finally reached the volcano at the migration’s destination. You wouldn’t believe how many dragons there were in that crater.” The empty seat where Fluttershy had been before agreed that she wouldn’t believe it. “Eeep!” “Not only the big scary kind, but also a group of teenage dragons. I found no dragons of my age though, so I went to talk to the group of teens.” Spike sighed. “They made fun of me for living in Ponyville and because my wings haven’t grown in yet. One even said I was a pony in a dragon costume.” The ponies could hardly believe their ears. “Then they put me through a couple of contests: fire breathing, tail wrestling and some game called 'king of the hoard'. Spike drew circles in the crumbs on the table. “Let’s just say I didn’t do that great, okay?” Rarity hugged her little Spikey-Wikey. “Don’t be sad. I told you before, and I’ll tell you again: you don’t have to act like other dragons.” “The last thing they wanted me to do was ‘Lava Cannonball’,” Spike continued, “jumping into a pool of lava from a high cliff. I managed to do it, but I made a belly flop and every dragon in the crater laughed at me. I hid, grabbed my bag and left before they could humiliate me further.” Rarity embraced him even harder. “Good. It’s so nice that you’re back with us.” Even Rainbow Dash nodded, “If a competition isn’t fair there’s no point in doing it at all. To make fun of a younger dragon, they must be real jerks.” Spike looked up at her and gave her a shy smile, “Thank you, Rainbow. And you’re right about those dragons.” He clenched his claw in a fist. “On the way back I came through a wood and spotted a phoenix nest.” Fluttershy looked up from her hiding spot under the table. “Just as I walked along those teenage dragons tried to raid the nest. The phoenix parents led their hatchlings away but there was an egg left. It fell down as the nest was destroyed and I hid it with me until the dragons disappeared again. I even kept it warm.” Fluttershy hung on his lips as he concluded. “When the phoenixes returned I gave it back to them and just as I hand it over the egg brakes and the little guy hatches. That was a great moment.” He smiled at the memory. Applejack nodded and ruffled Spikes spines. “You did good there, Spike. Real good.” “I know, everypony. And I wouldn’t even want to imagine it any other way. But … I went on that quest to find out who I really  am. I mean, it’s great that you gave me that opportunity, Twilight, but now I only know that I’m definitely not like one of those dragons. So, what am I?” “Didn’t I say it last week?” Rarity smiled at him. “You are unique, Spike. You are you. You can be what and who you want to be and don’t ever have to look at any dragon or any pony.” She drew a hoof through her mane. “But I for one wouldn’t mind giving you some advice about fashion.” “Or about what might be a tasty treat for you,” Pinkie Pie added and balanced a sapphire pupcake on her nose before she placed it in front of the dragon. “Or which books you might want to read.” Even Spike rolled his eyes at Twilight. All his friends, the Cakes and even ponies from other tables told Spike that they would love to help him out, and finally Spike came to a conclusion. “Thank you all. I have been hatched a dragon, but today I guess I’ll be a pony.”