Prima neared the edge of the mountain, frequently checking back on Spike.
“How’s my little fire spewer doing?” she asked with a smile.
“Fine, I guess.” Spike sighed, looking back at the town. Prima widened her eyes in concern, noticing that Spike wasn’t as happy as he was when they first left.
“You guess?” Prima urged him to continue.
“Well… it’s just that I don’t think I left on a good terms with Twilight. I… I don’t know.”
Prima smiled. “You’re just a little overwhelmed, sugar. It’s understandable if you want to turn back now. I won’t blame you, Ignus.” She noticed that he sighed at the sound of that name. “Or do you prefer Spike for the time being?”
“Oh, no! I like the name,” Spike explained. “But… it’s just…” He looked back at the town he called home.
“You don’t feel as if you left them on a good note, is that it?” Prima answered. “If that’s the case, we can always go back and—”
“NO!” Spike raised his claws. “I want to see the other dragons. I’m just a little… nervous I suppose.”
Spike looked glumly at Prima, unsure of what he was feeling. His mind was racing with many thoughts, mostly about his family. What were they like? Were they like the other dragons he had met? Will they be mean to him? Nice? Will they consider him a part of their own? He was raised by a group of ponies, after all.
Another question plagued his mind: What would this mean for him and Twilight?
“Now, baby, I want you to understand that I want whatever makes you happy,” Prima said softly. Her tone sounded so soothing, so calm, so wistful. It was that kind of vocal connection only a mother could do. “This is all coming really fast. One minute, you’re meeting your mother for the first time, and then you’re heading off to to see the rest of your family. You must be a little nervous.”
Spike smiled sheepishly. “Well, just a little.”
“I figured that was the case. Momma knows her little fire spewer quite well.” She smiled, pressing her nose against his. Spike blushed, greeting her with a warm embrace as well. “I’m sure you’ll love our family, Ignus. They’re an interesting bunch, that’s for sure.”
“What do you mean, interesting?” Spike asked.
Prima chuckled. “Oh, you’ll see when you get there.”
The trip up the mountain top was a lively one. Spike shared stories of his life in Ponyville. Prima listened very closely to each of his tales, often smiling and nodding at many of them. One piece of information amused her greatly.
“So, tell me more about this Rarity character,” Prima said. “She’s a close friend of yours?”
Spike tapped his claws together, blushing. “Well… yeah…”
“Oh?” Prima turned to him, smiling widely.
“W-well she’s nice, and… talented. I don’t know anypony out there who is as creative as she is. And she’s so… so…”
“Pretty?”
Spike sighed dreamily. “Yeah. She is… beautiful.” It wasn’t until Prima began laughing that Spike snapped out of his lovestruck daze. “Wait! I mean, she’s not that pretty… Um… Well she is, but! I… I…”
Prima let out a loud laugh that echoed throughout the mountains. “It’s okay, Ignus. From what I saw, she seems like a very lovely mare. I just find it funny that both of my children have crushes on creatures of a different species. Guess it’s a youth thing.”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Both?”
Prima’s chuckles softened and she looked back at Spike. “You’ll see when we get there. You’ll see.”
Spike was still confused, but didn’t question it. He had all day to figure out the answers to his questions, and then some. Besides, he didn’t want to press his mother with overbearing questions. She would have had to be annoyed with it at some point, he thought.
But she seemed so patient with him. Never once did she show any sign of aggravation. She listened and answered every single question she could without hesitation. There was something about her that made Spike feel comfortable. The inviting grin she gave him, how patient she was, her color, her scales, her everything. He felt at home. He felt like he had finally found part of who he was.
The rest of the walk consisted of the two laughing and sharing sharing life stories. Spike in particular was enjoying the time he was having, telling Prima of all the fascinating adventures he had with his friends.
“And then I fell off this big castle! Nearly got eaten by King Sombra until Princess Cadence saved me. Of course, I wasn’t afraid or anything. I knew that I was going to be okay.”
“Of course, dear,” Prima said.
“Then, I was deemed one of the heroes of the Crystal Empire. I even got myself a stained-glass window because of it, courtesy of Princess Celestia herself!”
Prima’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Spike nodded. “You should go see it sometime. They did a really good job making it as accurate as possible. Though they did make my cheeks slightly too big, but hey, everyone makes a mistake every now and then.”
“I see. I might have to go up there and see it sometime this week.”
Spike grinned. “I can tell the guards to let you in. I’m an assistant to Royals after all, so they’d have to let you in if I wanted.”
Prima’s smile shrank a bit, but not enough to where Spike would notice. She nodded and looked back ahead, climbing the edge of the mountain. “You don’t have to worry about that, sugar. I can get in with or without the guards’ permission.”
“What do you mean?” Spike asked, clutching tightly to Prima’s back.
“It’s not really important now, sweetie,” she said. “Right now, this is about you getting used to your family.” As she climbed up, she could see purple flames piercing the skies. The roars of a dragon echoed throughout the mountain. She chuckled loudly. “Starting with your showoff cousin.”
Spike swallowed. The last time he was confronted by a giant, fire-breathing dragon, it almost resulted in him and his friends getting severely hurt. Now, he was going face-to-face with his cousin, who he wasn’t sure would even like him. In fact, he wasn’t sure how well his family would even take his existence. His heart began to race faster and faster as Prima clawed her way up the mountain. His throat became dry with anticipation They were getting closer and closer, his nerves getting weaker and weaker.
This was it. The moment he dreamed of most of his life, though he was almost fearful of confronting it. He was about to meet his heritage: the dragon family he never knew.
“Nice that you’re showing off, Jade, but I don’t think that the ponies are going to care for you screaming at the top of your lungs.”
Spike heard a hearty laugh from the other dragon, whom he assumed was named “Jade”. However, Jade’s voice was not like he had expected.
“Well, that’s their problem. I don’t see them coming up here complaining about it.”
The voice was surprisingly feminine. Spike had expected a towering, burly dragon to have made those flames.
“Well, maybe that’s because you’re an eight-foot-tall dragon who likes to roar at everything. Ever consider that?”
Jade laughed. “Well, maybe they shouldn’t be such lily-livered cowards. Not my fault they can’t confront a dragon without wetting themselves.”
The voice became louder and louder as Prima climbed up the mountain. Spike could barely contain his eagerness. Whoever was up there would either be pleasantly surprised or be highly threatened by his existence. At least, that’s what he thought they would be like.
Prima pulled herself off the edge of the mountain and stood at the top, waving at the dragons.
“Seems you two had are having fun this afternoon,” Prima said. Spike tried to remain hidden, growing shy. As he suspected, the female dragon with the booming roar was staring at him. He tried to dodge her gaze. Regardless of what he did, she kept her eyes on him.
“Well, what did you bring back with you?” Jade asked, walking closer to Prima. Even though Spike had seen dragons that tower over him, he still wasn’t prepared to be approached by them. “He seems like a timid one.”
“He was a little more chatty before he came up here. He’s just a little nervous about meeting the family, that’s all. So be a little easy on him. I know how you get with the guys.” Prima giggled.
“Oh?” Jade walked closer to Prima to get a good look at Spike.
Sweat began to drip down Spike’s face. He couldn’t feel his heart anymore. He just clung to Prima’s back as Jade stood in front of him, huffing smoke in his face. He coughed and waved it away, giving her a clear look at him. Her dilated eyes gave him some concern, though, she wasn’t disturbing him as much as he thought. In fact, her presence was oddly comforting. Her green scales were shimmering in the sunlight, and her spiky tail was both intimidating and cool-looking. Just like he was with Prima, his concerns melted away as soon as he was up close to her.
Though her sniffing him did feel like a tad much for him. Afterwards, she chuckled and stepped back. “Well well, you weren’t kidding when you said your instincts pointed you to a familiar face,” Jade said. “Well then, that’s good to hear. That makes both of us really happy.”
Prima smiled. “Well, that’s nice to hear. Glad you’re as enthusiastic as I am to see him returned to us, even if it is sudden.”
Jade stared blankly, then nodded and rubbed the back of her spiny neck. “Yeah, sure. That too. Had nothing to do with the fact that I bet that your instincts were right and not just some hopeless endeavor to find your long-lost son.”
Prima’s eyes flared up immediately. “What?!”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who said that. You’ll have to take that up with Fury. I don’t like digging my grave before it’s my time.” Jade let out a loud laugh that nearly shook the mountaintops. “Well, that’s not important. The important thing is that you found him.” Jade smiled at Spike. “I take it you’re my cousin Ignus?”
Spike nodded, lowering himself from Prima’s back. “So… was that you who was roaring and spewing fire a moment ago?”
“Nah, that wasn’t me!” Jade smiled and pointed to herself smugly. “Well, alright, it was me.”
Spike’s eyes widened. It was rare to hear a dragon roar that boomed so loudly without his life being in peril. It was even stranger for a female to tremble the mountains with her powerful screeches. Without much hesitation, he walked closer to Jade.
“That, was really cool,” Spike said, fawning over Jade.
“Yeah, well it’s a gift to have a nice flame sac,” she said. “It’s also about the way you go about it. It takes some getting used to, but enough practice and you’ll pierce the skies in no time.” She cleared her throat and demonstrated yet again. Spike covered his ears.
Another dragon walked up to her, grabbing her shoulder. “Okay, he gets it. You can scream your head off. How about letting the kid get used to the family?”
Spike turned towards the towering, white dragon. His fangs were showcased even when his mouth was closed, allowing Spike to see some of his sharp teeth. The dragon looked down at Spike, grinning.
“So, how about we get you acquainted to the family? Name’s Cynder. Should be easy to remember.”
“Y-yeah,” Spike said. “I’ve gone by Spike for most of my life. I was just told that my birth name was Ignus just a few hours ago.”
“I see.” Cynder looked at Prima, who was smiling warmly at him.
“It’ll take him some time to get used to it, if he chooses to go by his birth name,” Prima said. “I don’t blame him. We’re kind of springing this on him in one day. I just want him to feel comfortable and at home.”
“Well, he shouldn’t have any problem with that,” Jade chimed in. “We’re the friendliest dragons this side of Equestria. We’ll make sure that he’s taken care of here.” With that, Jade swiftly ran towards the cave and shouted, “Hey, you lazy dirtbags! Get out here and meet your long-lost relative! Especially you, Amethyst. You might be surprised at who you see.”
Prima shook her head. “Well, that’s not exactly how I would have liked him to meet the family but, since you already started a stir…” Prima looked down at Spike, noticing his nerves were at the breaking point. She put her hand on his head, rubbing it slowly. “There there, my little fire spewer. It’s going to be okay. They’re a friendly, loud bunch.”
Almost on cue, pairs of intimidating eyes glowed from the entrance of the cave, glaring at the new blood that had entered their domain. Their expressions were fierce and intimidating, as Spike would expect from a dragon. However, their glares began to soften for some reason, and soon, they emerged from the shadows.
Spike was in awe. He never saw such a diverse crowd of dragons before in a safe environment. There were short ones, tall ones. Some were skinny, while others were very pudgy. Even their color and tail span varied from each other. Almost each dragon had their own unique perk to them. No two dragons were exactly alike from what he could tell. They all began walking towards him, observing him closely.
Was he supposed to do something? Was this some kind of test to see if he was actually a part of their family? He was completely lost.
Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and waved at them. “Um, hi. I’m Spike, also known as Ignus. So… Hi, family?”
The crowd began to smirk, some downright bursting into laughter. Spike looked at them in frustration. First words already got a rise out of them. What a way to meet the family. They walked closer to him, giving wide, toothy grins. Spike’s worries began to melt, though he was well aware of how nervous he appeared.
“Everyone, this is my son,” Prima announced proudly. “I found him being fostered by a group of ponies beyond these mountains. He’s as much of a family as you are, so treat him as such.” She squinted, looking deeply within the crowd. “Amethyst, you should be the first to welcome your brother.”
A dragon pushed through the others, eyes wide in curiosity. This dragon was deep purple and her scales and eyes were all emerald-colored. Spike could have sworn that this dragon looked exactly like him. Or, more likely, he looked like her.
She stopped directly in front of him and did what most dragons seemed to do when they met a new member: analyse him. Almost instantly, her expression softened. “Wait, so you’re Ignus?”
“I suppose so,” Spike answered, nearly tearing up for reasons he himself couldn’t understand.
“All these years, I’ve known I had a brother, but I never imagined that I would see you again.”
Those words resonated with him like no other. The amount of emotion poured out in those words made his eyes well. In addition, Amethyst put her claw on his head, rubbing it. He held back his tears as the other dragons watched, smiles both soft and toothy displayed on their faces. This was it. He was truly at home.
“But, if I’m going to be honest, I didn’t expect my brother to look this puny.”
And there went the emotional family reunion. Spike’s cheeks swelled with frustration as Amethyst’s claws pounded down harder on his skull. His cheeks began to redden out of embarrassment, making Amethyst laugh.
“Seriously, what are those ponies feeding you down there? You’re, like, tiny! Only thing that seems to be big is your gut!”
“S-so?!” Spike protested. “I’ll grow bigger one day. I’m still just a kid, after all!”
“Maybe, but even as a kid, you’re still a little on the short side. I expected you to be about this tall.” Amethyst held her hand out about four inches above his head. “You’re like a little shrimp!”
Spike began to fume.
“Young lady, that’s not how you welcome your brother back into the horde,” Prima scolded. “I expected better from the older sibling.”
Amethyst cringed, avoiding her gaze. “Sorry. I was just pointing out how small he is.”
“While that may be so, you’re supposed to embrace your family member with open arms, not mock him.”
Amethyst sighed. “Alright, alright! Sorry, Mom. I was just joking around.” She patted Spike’s head more tenderly than she did before, groaning as she did so. “Anyway, welcome to the family, young blood.”
Prima nodded. “That’s much better. Now, to meet the rest of the family. I think it would be best to do it inside.” Prima cleared her throat and looked into the crowd. “Hey! Marduk!”
Her scream pierced the skies, echoing loud enough that half the mountain could hear her, including the Marduk character. The dragon that Prima called out stood pushed through the crowd. He was tan with fangs poking out of his mouth. He was tall and had a big stomach. For an intimidating dragon, he seemed quite pleasant, smiling at Spike as he got closer.
“Yes, Prima?” Marduk asked.
“Get the dragons together in the center of the cave. We want to initiate my son into the horde properly.”
Marduk let out a hearty chuckle. “No problem! We know better than anyone how to greet a dragon into the horde. Care to assist me, Jade?”
“No problem, Uncle!” Jade spread her wings, displaying them for all to see. She flapped them and levitated off the ground.
Marduk shook his head, clicking his tongue. “You really like showing off, don’t you?”
Jade smiled. “Can’t impress the guys if I don’t.”
They went towards the cave, beckoning the other dragons to follow suit. Prima grabbed Amethyst, who attempted to pursue the dragons as well.
“Not you, young lady,” Prima said. “We need to get Ignus ready for tonight’s festivities.”
Spike looked at Prima in confusion. “Um, what festivities? Is this a normal thing for dragons?”
Prima shook her head. “Well, not normal at your age. Normally, when an egg hatches, there is a little feast and gathering of dragons to celebrate the life of another one of our species. The ceremony is held during the birth of the new dragonblood. However, since you were seperated from me at birth, the event is quite delayed, so we’re treating it as a sort of reunion event.”
“What Mom is basically saying is that this is making up for nearly fourteen years of your absence. Think of it as a late-bloomer party, except you’re extremely late,” Amethyst said.
Spike glared at Amethyst, who in turn smiled haughtily at him. She flicked her tail, rubbing dust over him.
“Well, we’re not going to be ready standing out here,” Prima said. “You can get prepared in my part of the cave, sweetie. We don’t have too much time.”
Spike smiled. “Sure thing, Mom. But what is this ceremony going to have?”
Prima rubbed Spike’s head, grinning at him. “If I were to tell you that, it would ruin the surprise, my little fire spewer. Though, I’m sure you will enjoy it.”
“I’m sure I will,” Spike said.
The three then walked towards the cavern, trailing behind the other lively dragons. Spike could barely contain his excitement. What did they have planned? What kind of ceremony would they throw for him? How big would it be, and what would they do? All of these questions buzzed through his mind, but mainly, he just wanted to get to know everyone more.
This was his family, after all.