"Spike, can you see where you're going from here?"
Spike shook his head, reaching a claw to his ear and plumbing its depths for whatever was making Twilight sound so much like Celestia. Pulling his claw out, he found nothing to blame for the brief illusion. He looked to his right, and as he was certain, Twilight was there looking at him, smiling.
"Uh, sure thing, Twilight!" Spike dipped a wing to his left, dropping a few feet closer to the ground below, and guiding the two of them between two peaks in the mountains past the Everfree Forest. The shadows below had morphed from a foreboding verdant of high-noon into a spiderweb of blackness as the sun lowered in the East. At that height, Spike knew there was little in the Everfree that could harm a pony, and nothing normal that could hurt a dragon and alicorn flying together.
Turning his head, Spike looked at Twilight, keeping pace with the wings she had earned years ago, the wind rustling the feathers as she flapped. Looking past Twilight and over his shoulder, Spike inspected his own wings. They were massive lavender sails of thick, scaly, varicose leather. All of his friends could fit under them in a rainstorm, with plenty of room for each other. They'd come in two years prior, and for a time, Rainbow Dash had tried to teach him flight.
He wasn't built for speed like Rainbow, or much any pegasus. He preferred to catch one thermal, ride it even higher than Cloudsdale, and let gravity lend him speed as he glided at a steep angle. There were times when he did that for days in a single direction. Then, when he'd grown bored of mountains or deserts or forests, he'd turn, go in another direction until he grew bored again, and the process would repeat until he returned home.
He found Twilight crying the first time he'd been gone for a week.
After that, he'd promised her he'd take notes and gather samples on his travels while she learned more lessons in friendship, and started getting into politics. A year ago Twilight had offered to come with him on flights, when nothing important was occurring amongst the nobles, parliament, court, councils or provinces.
Equestria, being in its peaceful eased state, could afford one princess being away for as much as a month, interspersed with letters sent via dragon fire.
Spike entered into the shadow of one of the peaks, the crisp coolness caressing his wings and stinging his nostrils for a moment. He flapped his wings with greater speed, compensating for the lift he lost in the alpine reaches of the Everfree. Down below, the forest spilled into the valley before the sparse soil left only a rocky stream flowing between the two mountains.
"Almost there," Spike called back, "how are you doing?"
"Fine!" Twilight yelled over the rushing wind, "we've only been flying for nine hours!"
Spike smirked, pegasus flight, unicorn magic, and earth pony endurance all combined to make Twilight a perfect flying partner for Spike. Scanning the peaks surrounding them, Spike leveled his eyes a few hundred feet above the frost line. Spike flicked out his tongue, tasting at the air before bringing it back in, letting the top scrape against a small opening in the roof of his mouth, a Jacobson's organ. He nodded at what he 'tasted' in the air: a distinct absence of other dragons amongst the white glacial crags.
He closed his eyes for a moment, cutting out his normal vision, and left with a faint blue overtone of heat and warmth from his surroundings, just as a snake. After all, the old pony legends would freely refer to dragons a great serpents. Sweeping his head from side to side, Spike opened his eyes when he thought he saw a pinprick of green. He turned and went in that direction, his eyes now observing an opening in the glacial ice of the mountain.
He landed on the small outcropping outside of it, wings billowing, buffeting the ice and scattered rocks. Twilight landed, and skittered on her hooves for a moment, sending a few pebbles tumbling down the sheer drop of the escarpment. Her mane flagged in the wind, and the fur on her cheeks rose up as her skin goose-bumped. Wings fluttering, she peered down the hole.
Spike gazed along her figure, sizing her up, and comparing the sight to a mental image of Celestia. Her legs, longer; her neck and head, swooping and swan-like; her mane, in this she was still quite different. Twilight's indigo mane caught the oranges of the setting sun, reflecting off its sheen, but it was still corporeal. Spike knew it would change.
They'd visited Cadence and Shining on their last flight, and the Princess of Love, Empress of Crystal Ponies, and dear friend, was growing into her body. The tips of her mane had been in constant motion, with a certain melded and translucent appearance.
"You've found a natural cave formation all the way up here," Twilight commented, turning her head to Spike. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"
Spike blinked, nodded and smiled. "Yep! Come on, it's really neat inside," he said.
He walked ahead of her, and felt her feathers grace his haunches. She'd done that sometimes, when he was younger, and she a princess. She would extend a wing and keep pushing him along as they made their way through town, the occasional pony stopping to offer greetings to the librarian alicorn and her... dragon.
He looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw Twilight gawking at the azure ice. The sun's light still penetrated it, giving the feeling of walking underneath the ocean. She looked back at him, a thin smile on her lips. Spike turned away, feet pounding the ground harder as he walked a little faster.
The ice gave way to hardened rock, smooth grey interspersed with granite and agate. The feathers pressed against Spike's side lifted, and Twilight fanned herself. "Whew, it's getting hot in here! Spike, do I need a a heat shield spell for this?"
"Probably a good idea," Spike admitted. The sound of their footsteps was met with the distinct din of Twilight's magic.
Flighted, graceful, powerful and compassionate; these were the words that Spike associated with Twilight, and one other.
Twilight hatched him, true, but in her formative years of studying, Twilight was preoccupied with matters other than to take care of Spike. Celestia had taken care of him as the smallest infant.
"Woah, Spike! Hold up!" Twilight, zoomed over to the cave wall, inspecting a sapphire jutting out of the wall. "Was this here last time you were here?"
Spike walked over, sniffing at the gem, before he raised a clawed fist over his head. "Nope."
"Spike! Wait!" Twilight's wing extended, obscuring Spike's vision of the sapphire. She huddled up to the stone. "I was asking Pinkie Pie about earth pony rock farms, and researching crystal pony techniques on gem cultivation, I want to see if I can..." Twilight held her hooves up the the gleaming stone, frowning.
Spike sat on his haunches, watching as Twilight's expression shifted to a smile. It was so similar...
Princess Celestia sat on a cushion. Spike huddled next to her belly, suckling his tail. Next to them lay a sapphire jutting out of plant pot, the soil replaced with slate. Spike popped his favored appendage out of his mouth and grasped at the gem. Celestia cooed, flicking his head crest with a hoof. She focused on the stone, that same smile on her face. It glowed for a moment, and a crack resonated through the chamber as another spire jutted out of the jewel. It twisted and extended upward, releasing the sound of ice breaking apart for the springtime melt. Celestia broke off the newly grown piece, floating the sapphire to the baby dragon. He grabbed it, stuffing it down his gob and munching, the taste of blueberries washing over his tongue as he lapped at his lips.
Leaning forward, Celestia smiled at Spike, a broad grin on her face. "Want to know a secret?" she asked. Spike, not particularly fond of speaking at that point, nodded. Celestia nuzzled the side of his face. She whispered, "I was thinking of Twilight when I grew that."
"Aaand done."
Spike opened his eyes to see a hoof-sized teardrop sapphire hanging off the original stone. A light tink chirped in the air as Twilight cut it off, and floated it over to Spike. He reached up to it, grasping it as it clinked against his talons. He looked at Twilight, something moist rolling out of the corner of his eye. "Th-thanks Twilight... What were you thinking of when you did that?"
Twilight blushed, squinting as she smiled. "I was thinking about you."
"Ah..." Spike stowed the sapphire under a wing, and continued down the tunnel.
Twilight formed an 'O' with her mouth, ears twitching as she drew her head back, then trotted back to his side.
"Spike, is something wrong?" Cantering in front of him, Twilight backstepped while looking at Spike. He plodded along, the dank muted tones of the cave shifting on his scales as an orange glow reflecting off his scales. Twilight stopped and flared her wings. "Spike!"
Spike stopped, lowering himself to the ground. He pointed behind Twilight. She turned, and there a pool of lava, churned and bubbled. Twilight gazed at it. A fresh breeze blew against her mane. She turned to see Spike launch himself over her and fly over the lake of molten rock.
The ceiling was studded with amethysts, sapphires, diamonds and rubies. Obsidian jutted out of the ceiling in a swirling wave pattern, giving it the appearance of dozens of lotus flowers hanging off the ceiling. Feeling the dry air parch her throat, she clamped her mouth shut took off after Spike.
They reached the other side of the lava lake, to an outcropping of stone.
Twilight landed, taking in a sharp breath. "Spike, this place is beautiful! I'm surprised you knew about this place and didn't grab all the gems in the ceiling! You usually have trouble with self..." Her gaze followed Spike as he made his way to a pile of jewels, larger than herself, but smaller than Spike. "... control."
Spike extended a fist over the pile, adding the sapphire Twilight had given him in a nest of fire rubies.
Sighing, Spike lowered his head.
She knew.
Twilight knew that he had begun building a treasure hoard. The convection of heat from the lava made the chamber an oven. It didn't stop Spike from shivering.
Feathers pressed up against his hide, and he looked over to see Twilight pressing her face against him, nuzzling him. "I'm so proud of you! You were willing to let somepony near your treasure!"
Spike stared at the little alicorn pushed up against him, the cool layer of air she held next to her with magic spreading along his scales. He extended a wing over her, the light of the glowing magma pushing through, making the light blend with her purple coat.
"So... you're not worried?" asked Spike.
Eyes shut and mouth smiling, Twilight continued to embrace him. "Should I be? You're growing up, I knew you might start doing things like this, but your bringing me here lets me know you're not letting yourself be controlled. Thank you for trusting me."
Spike sagged, sighing, and he lowered his head to Twilight, his now long neck easily letting him nibble at Twilight's ears and mane with his fangs and forked tongue. He pulled away, smiling. "I love you, Twi."
"I love you too, LBBFF."
Little Brother Best Friend Forever. Spike inspected Twilight again. Hoofguards, slender build of an alicorn, lovingly passionate about life, and a hope for the future. Spike, shifted his wing, holding Twilight closer to him. As they enjoyed each other's company.
Celestia nodded to Spike, ushering him onto the marble balcony. Her horn was glowing, and the horizon was awash in the flames of the sunrise. Celestia pointed to a hamlet at the edge of vision, nestled in a loop of train tracks.
"Spike, can you see where you're going from here?" Celestia asked.
Spike squinted at the thatched roofs dotting the hill and surrounding planes. "Yes?"
"Is that a question, or an answer?
"A... question?" Spike replied, looking up at Celestia.
She smiled at him, the glow of her horn fading. She lowered herself to the ground, and extended a wing to Spike, her soft feathers grazing his side.
"Spike, both you and Twilight are getting older. If you were a pony..." She nipped at his bare purple haunch. "I very much think you would have a cutie mark by now. I'd like to talk about them."
"Well what did you want to tell me about them?" Spike asked, sitting down and running his claws through her feathers.
The princess giggled, shaking her head, "No Spike, this time, I was hoping you'd tell me what you think a cutie mark is. I'm sure Twilight said a lot about them when you were old enough to understand the story of how she hatched you."
"Oh, uh..." Spike held a claw to his chin. "A cutie-mark is an image a pony gets on their flank when they discover their special talent." Spike nodded to Celestia, but stopped when she didn't nod back. "Did I get something wrong?"
Celestia shook her head. "I'm just curious as to how you understand it. What do you think is needed for a moment to be the one a pony discovers their special talent?"
"Hmm, well, they've gotta be doing something they enjoy," Spike answered.
"Do you think Twilight enjoyed when she had that first magical outburst?" Celestia asked.
"Oh," Spike looked down. "Yeah... she made me so big I broke the roof, and turned her parents and the testing committee into plants. She couldn't control it until you helped her. I guess that was pretty scary, so that's not it. So is it that the pony finds what they're good at?"
"What do you think?"
"Hmm... well, yes." Spike looked up at Celestia. "Is there a point in all of this?"
"There is if you want there to be," Celestia answered, "but let's go back to what you asked, that a cutie mark is discovered when a pony finds what they're good at. Do you think that Twilight was good at magic when she earned her cutie mark?"
Spike's left claw, which have been adorning the underside of his chin, smacked into the marble as he lowered it too quickly. Broken roof and parents turned into plants by accident. Spike shook his head, that wasn't the answer either. "No, she still needed lots of practice, and she's still learning."
"Then when do you think a pony is good at something?" Celestia asked.
"When uh..." Why was Celestia questioning him like this? She was leading him on, and he wanted to reach the end of this inane line... line... "You don't get get 'good' at something, it's a line, a thing you keep going along... What was that thing Twilight was talking about when I asked about colors... Oh yeah! A spectrum!" Spike smiled at Celestia. "So then a cutie mark isn't about reaching something at all, just pursuing it."
"A purpose?" Celestia asked.
"Yes--wait! Hey!" Spike pointed at Celestia. "You can't just pop in a question like that when I'm on a roll!"
"But do you find the answer you made disagreeable?" Celestia asked in turn.
"Hmmm... purpose. I... no." Spike's outstretched claw fell by his side. "But having your purpose set out for you... I guess I'm kinda glad I'm never going to have a cutie mark."
Celestia lowered her head to Spike's. "Do you think then that a cutie mark is imposed?"
Spike looked over to Celestia. The one eye he saw was wide, unblinking. Bracing his head against his claws, he thought. Was a cutie mark imposed? If it was a pony's purpose, where did purpose come from? "If the pony isn't really supposed to do that... then they would have never gotten that cutie mark in the first place. I guess not," said Spike.
Celestia smiled, lifting her head up.
"A-and if it comes from the pony themselves, then it's up to them--even after they get their cutie marks--to figure out what their purpose is, and how to do that." Spike looked out the foothills past Canterlot. "Alright, enough circles. Why did you want to talk about this?"
"I wanted make certain you were assured that just because you don't have a cutie mark, doesn't mean you're of any less value. After all, you're starting to make decisions of your own. When to and when not to eat something, how to help Twilight, to help Twilight at all." Celestia stood up.
"Eheh." Spike scratched the back of his head, there were times when he slept in when he should have helped Twilight. "Speaking of which, I should probably go check on her." With that, he lifted himself to his feet, and waddled off to do what he could do with joy.
"Mfff, Spike, you're kinda smothering me now."
Spike unfurled his wing, leaning away from Twilight. "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking for a while."
"What about?" asked Twilight, tilting her head.
Spike peered around, collecting himself and remembering where they were. "Just..." Spike wringed his claws, looking from side to side. "I was thinking about what we are... to each other."
Twilight lay on the ground. "Has something been confusing you? Have you met some pony or some dragon while you've been away?"
"No!" Spike answered, waving his hands in front of him. "What I mean is..." Spike took a deep breath. "You hatched me, but Princess Celestia raised us both except after Ponyville you started taking care of me, but then again, sometimes I took care of you. After that I thought we were brother and sister but now you're a princess and you're starting to look like Celestia and I bring you to see the gems I've collected like a colt confessing to his..."
Staring at Twilight, Spike waited for something to indicate what her reaction was. He was met with Twilight making a wonderful impression of a fish discovering the joys of a newly installed aquarium plant: mouth open, lips flexing, eyes bugged out, and the overall appearance of something completely unprecedented.
Spike recoiled from Twilight, exposing his neck in a draconic gesture of submission.
"Oh... Spike!" Twilight blurted, jumping to Spike and wrapping her hooves around his neck. Spike smiled at the pun that formed in his mind: he had an alicorn amulet.
"Spike, I understand, things have been changing, and what I look like is a part of it," said Twilight, still clinging to Spike. Twilight sniffed loudly, and Spike felt something wet on his neck. He reached up and grasped Twilight by the withers, but her grip tightened. "You're starting to think of me differently?"
"I don't know; I was hoping talking about it would help me figure it out."
Twilight released Spike's neck, allowing him to set her on the ground. There was tear in her eye. Spike felt a drop of... No, no Spike, not now. Talking first, then cry if you need to. Spike sniffed himself, and nodded down the cave. "Walk with me?"
"Always," Twilight answered joining him as he trudged past.
"So, I'm kind of confused, I've gone so long being around you, helping you, wanting that, and then you started growing into your... alicorn... ness. Then I started getting the urge to... wander." Spike looked at Twilight's cutie mark. It hadn't changed, but if Twilight had... or if she'd stayed the same, then that would mean he...
"Spike, over here?" Twilight asked, nonplussed.
"I'm... Twilight, have we changed?" The question just spilled out of his lips. He stopped as Twilight did the same, turning to him.
She blinked a few times, staring at the ground. "I... It's... That..."
The tear that had been welling in Spike fell. Twilight's cutie mark wasn't a reflection of who she was anymore; it was something different; cutie marks didn't give any purpose. Had he been wrong when he told Celestia that he had a purpose? Spike gulped.
Twilight, still staring at the ground, frowning, took a deep breath. "I suppose I've changed in how I express who I am."
Spike looked up, nodding.
"I mean, I study different magics than when I was younger, I try to understand others, but now I can do it by going there, I want to be a good friend, but now to everyone by being a leader." Twilight straightened her posture, eyes meeting with Spike's. She walked over to him and lifted up his chin. "And you, you come to me for advice on different things, still need to go off to find something out about yourself, and you help me with my research in a different way." She reached around his neck and squeezed. "Does this mean we're the same, or different?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know," said Spike, "but I'm inclined to agree." He sat there, looking past Twilight, and smiled. "Hey." Twilight withdrew from their hug, following his line of sight. "There's one more thing to show you."
They reached another tunnel, leading away from the pool of molten rock. The air cooled and the orange glow faded to a faint white. The walls shifted from rock to ice, and they exited the mountain into a hidden summit. The heat from the lava vent had exposed bare rock where mosses and lichens had taken root, eking out an existence. Above, the clear skies revealed the stars and moon.
Twilight stepped onto a bed of moss and lowered herself to the ground as her eyes locked on the sights above her. "Spike, this place is a beautiful spot to camp for the night..."
Settling into the rocky hollow in the ground beside Twilight, Spike yawned. "Ah, yeah, good to know you like it. Good night." He curled his scaly and spined tail around her.
"Good night, LBBFF," answered Twilight, kissing him on the cheek before Spike extended a wing over her.
They slept well that night, and braved the world the next day together.